Abstract Background: Emerging adults have the highest prevalence of heavy drinking as compared to all other age groups. Given the negative consequences associated with such drinking, additional research efforts focused on at-risk consumption are warranted. The current study sought to identify patterns of situational antecedents to drinking and to examine their associations with drinking motivations, alcohol involvement, and mental health functioning in a sample of heavy drinking college students. Method: Participants were 549 (65.8% women) college student drinkers. Results: Latent profile analysis identified three classes based on likelihood of heavy drinking across eight situational precipitants. The 'High Situational Endorsement' group reported the greatest likelihood of heavy drinking in most situations assessed. This class experienced the greatest level of alcohol-related harms as compared to the 'Low Situational Endorsement' and 'Moderate Situational Endorsement' groups. The Low Situational Endorsement class was characterized by the lowest likelihood of heavy drinking across all situational antecedents and they experienced the fewest alcohol-related harms, relative to the other classes. Class membership was related to drinking motivations with the 'High Situational Endorsement' class endorsing the highest coping- and conformity-motivated drinking. The 'High Situational Endorsement' class also reported experiencing more mental health symptoms than other groups. Conclusions: The current study contributed to the larger drinking literature by identifying profiles that may signify a particularly risky drinking style. Findings may help guide intervention work with college heavy drinkers.


We use resonant and non-resonant X-ray diffraction measurements in combination with first-principles electronic structure calculations and Monte Carlo simulations to study the relationship between crystal structure and multiferroic orders in the orthorhombic perovskite manganites, o-$R$MnO$_3$ ($R$ is a rare-earth cation or Y). In particular, we focus on how the internal lattice parameters (Mn-O bond lengths and Mn-O-Mn bond angles) evolve under chemical pressure and epitaxial strain, and the effect of these structural variations on the microscopic exchange interactions and long-range magnetic order. We show that chemical pressure and epitaxial strain are accommodated differently by the crystal lattice of o-$R$MnO$_3$, which is key for understanding the difference in magnetic properties between bulk samples and strained films. Finally, we discuss the effects of these differences in the magnetism on the electric polarization in o-$R$MnO$_3$.


Alcohol is an important part of the culture of many people, and the patterns of its consumption differ according to the types of drinks people drink, in what circumstances they drink, what kind of meaning drinking offers them, etc. In this article, we decided to classify publications on differences in drinking patterns based on a dominant idea. We highlight the criteria for identifying such patterns: quantitative (depending on the volume and frequency of consumption) and qualitative (depending on the chosen drinks, circumstances, and motives for use). The quantitative criteria make it possible to identify frequently used patterns, such as episodic alcohol consumption in large quantities, binge drinking, sporadic drinking, and light and heavy drinking. Within the framework of the qualitative criteria, Northern, Southern, and Central European types are often distinguished. The emphasis on consumption motives reveals four patterns: reinforcement, coping, conformity, and community. However, researchers tend to understand what explains the differences in consumption patterns. Therefore, in the second part of the article, we turn to the systematization of such explanations based on cultural-anthropological, historical, and structural approaches. In the last part of our article, we show that the approaches we have identified allow us to explain the features of alcohol consumption patterns in Russia and their changes over the past several decades. It can be concluded that the most productive way of analyzing alcohol consumption is the complex application of the approaches we have considered-the identification of patterns based on various criteria and the explanation of their choice by different highlighted approaches.


: Osteochondroses are a group of idiopathic self-limited conditions seen in skeletally immature individuals. The term describes disturbances in endochondral ossification affecting either the primary or secondary ossification centers. Osteochondrosis of the tarsal navicular was first described by Köhler in 1908; the eponym "Köhler's disease" is commonly used to refer to this condition. In his original paper, Köhler also described one instance of an osteochondrosis of the primary patellar ossification center, a clinical entity that has since rarely been reported. We present a case of isolated bilateral "Köhler's disease of the patellae" in an approximately 7-year-old male athlete demonstrated clinically and radiographically by both plain radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging.


Aiming for the design of simple thermal coatings including Ir as a diffusion barrier layer with B2 aluminides bond coat such as CoAl, diffusion behavior and phase equilibria at the Ir/CoAl interface have been investigated to understand thermal and chemical stability of the interface. Diffusion couples were prepared with various conditions of Ir, plate, powder and film deposited to examine the effects on diffusion behavior. Moreover, the interdiffusion coefficient of binary Ir-M in the Ir solid solution, DIr-M was determined using Boltzmann-Matano method, where M is selected form elements used in heat resistant alloys. The potential of Ir as a diffusion barrier has been evaluated particularly against diffusion of Al.


Background There is a high rate at which women in South Africa who are of childbearing age and still opt for abortions or voluntary termination of pregnancy (VTOP). Despite the availability of free contraceptive methods and health education in all health facilities across the country, to reduce and prevent unwanted pregnancies and VTOP, there is still an alarming increase in the rate of VTOP. Aim This study sought to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of contraceptive methods among women seeking VTOP. Setting The study was conducted at Jubilee Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa. Methods A cross-sectional survey was taken using a piloted, structured and self-administered questionnaire. Convenience sampling was applied and the sample size was 126. Results The mean age of the 126 participants was 26.1 years. Findings obtained after analysis of participants' data were grouped following the university categorisation. A score below 50% was referred to as a 'poor' outcome that from 50% to 74% was referred to as a 'satisfactory' outcome and that beyond 74% was considered as an 'excellent' outcome. Knowledge was poor for 28 (22.2%) women. It was satisfactory for 91 (72.2%) women and excellent for 7 (5.5%) women. Looking at the attitude: 124 (98.4%) approved the use of contraception, 1 (0.79%) disapproved and 1 (0.79%) abstained because of religious beliefs. Regarding the practice of contraception: 92 (73.0%) have already used contraceptive methods, while 34 (27.0%) have not. Conclusion In summary, the study showed a satisfactory knowledge of contraceptive methods, a positive attitude towards contraception and a huge number of participants who had already used contraceptive methods, among women seeking VTOP at Jubilee Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa.


The Soufri�re volcano in St. Vincent erupted from October 1971 to March 1972, as 80 x 106 m3 of basaltic andesite lava was quietly extruded inside the mile-wide crater. The eruption was largely subaqueous, taking place in the 180-m-deep crater lake, and resulted in the emergence of a steep-sided island. The mild character of the eruption and the absence of seismic activity stand in direct contrast to the highly explosive character of the eruption of 1902 to 1903.


Multiple signal classification (MUSIC) time delay estimation is a classical and effective super-resolution method for the wideband signal. However, when the transmitted signal becomes narrowband, the resolving power of this algorithm degrades severely, and if the transmitted signal is continuous wave (CW), the algorithm does not work at all. As the noise subspace of time delay correlation matrix will be contaminated by signal in narrowband scenario, MUSIC is unable to distinguish the closely arrived echoes. In this study, a novel algorithm, named as diagonal loading least squares MUSIC (DL-LS-MUSIC), is proposed to solve the problem. The correlation matrix is reconstructed by the channel response which is estimated by DL-LS. With a pre-processing procedure, MUSIC time delay estimation becomes robust and it is proved by simulation. Furthermore, the pool experiment indicates the novel algorithm can estimate time delays more accurately than the original MUSIC especially for CW signals.


In this work we explore the use of a Constraint Programming (CP) model for the selection of suitable filmic content to use to output a horror narrative in a way that is personalised to a particular viewer type. We adopt a bipartite representation of narrative where planning is used to generate an outline narrative and then CP is used to build the discourse presentation: the filmic variant that is presented to the viewer. In the paper we overview our model and illustrate it with example horror variants generated by our prototype system. We also present an analysis of sample filmic sequences output by the system along with the results of a small user evaluation which demonstrate the potential of the approach.


Etched porcelain veneers have now been used clinically for about 20 years. The profession was originally very skeptical about bonding thin shells of a brittle ceramic material to teeth. However, ceramic veneers have proved to be not only very esthetic but also extremely durable restorations. This two-part Clinical Appraisal reviews several articles related to veneer longevity and clinical factors contributing to—or detracting from—longevity. Part II will appear in the next issue of JERD.


The purpose of this paper was to do econometric data analysis on performance of supply chain systems in the petroleum industries in Kenya. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to establish whether there is any effect from; level of skills, information and communication technology and tendering systems and the moderating factor have an effect on supply chain systems performance. The study was conducted using a survey design. The total population of all oil companies in the 73 was covered by the study.  Several studies were carried to validate the final findings. Finally, this statistics concluded that there is need to do econometric data analysis to validate the effect of supply chain systems on performance by doing proper forecasting from the up streams to the down streams towards achieving a competitive edge in the business markets such as the petroleum industry. The econometric analysis focused on the these areas;  Information functions in order to inform management, support decision making and to identify  problem areas; Steering function in order to set targets and give directions to desired outcomes; Controlling function in order to supervise process execution. Keywords: level of skill of staffs, Information communication and technology, Tendering systems and Performance


This paper presents a new approach to phonemic feature extraction, which is one of the essential components of the study to develop an automatic speech recognition system. The feature extraction method is composed of three levels, i.e., frequency analysis, peak-band enhancement, and local peak extraction. The latter two levels consist of a multistage processing structure and are made by using analogical formulations to mechanical dynamics. Extracted features include local peak frequencies and their amplitudes, and local valley frequencies and their amplitudes, which are estimated by the computational process with no feedback loop and no backtracking. The feasibility is first confirmed by using synthesized speech, then by application to continuous vowels, multisyllable words, voiceless stop consonants, and voiceless fricatives. The advantages are discussed in comparisons with other methods.


A new scheme of nomenclature for the pyrochlore supergroup, approved by the CNMNC-IMA, is based on the ions at the A, B and Y sites. What has been referred to until now as the pyrochlore group should be referred to as the pyrochlore supergroup, and the subgroups should be changed to groups. Five groups are recommended, based on the atomic proportions of the B atoms Nb, Ta, Sb, Ti, and W. The recommended groups are pyrochlore, microlite, rom£ite, betafite, and elsmoreite, respectively. The new names are composed of two prefixes and one root name (identical to the name of the group). The first prefix refers to the dominant anion (or cation) of the dominant valence [or HO or □] at the Y site. The second prefix refers to the dominant cation of the dominant valence [or HO or □] at the A site. The prefix "keno-" represents "vacancy". Where the first and second prefixes are equal, then only one prefix is applied. Complete descriptions are missing for the majority of the pyrochlore-supergroup species. Only seven names refer to valid species on the grounds of their complete descriptions: oxycalciopyrochlore, hydropyrochlore, hydroxykenomicrolite, oxystannomicrolite, oxystibiomicrolite, hydroxycalciorom6ite, and hydrokenoelsmoreite. Fluornatromicrolite is an IMA-approved mineral, but the complete description has not yet been published. The following 20 names refer to minerals that need to be completely described in order to be approved as valid species: hydroxycalciopyrochlore, fiuornatropyrochlore, fluorcalciopyrochlore, fluorstrontiopyrochlore, fluorkenopyrochlore, oxynatropyrochlore, oxyplumbopyrochlore, oxyyttropyrochlore-(Y), kenoplumbopyrochlore, fluorcalciomicrolite, oxycalciomicrolite, kenoplumbomicrolite, hydromicrolite, hydrokenomicrolite, oxycalciobetafite, oxyuranobetafite, fluornatroromite, fluorcalcioromeite, oxycalcioromdite, and oxyplumborom£ite. For these, there are only chemical or crystal-structure data. Type specimens need to be defined. Potential candidates for several other species exist, but are not sufficiently well characterized to grant them any official status. Ancient chemical data refer to wet-chemical analyses and commonly represent a mixture of minerals. These data were not used here. All data used represent results of electron-microprobe analyses or were obtained by crystal-structure refinement. We also verified the scarcity of crystal-chemical data in the literature. There are crystal-structure determinations published for only nine pyrochlore-supergroup minerals: hydropyrochlore, hydroxykenomicrolite, hydroxycalcioromite, hydrokenoelsmoreite, hydroxycalciopyrochlore, fluorcalciopyrochlore, kenoplumbomicrolite, oxycalciobetafite, and fluornatrorom£ite. The following mineral names are now discarded: alumotungstite, bariomicrolite, bariopyrochlore, bindheimite, bismutomicrolite, bismutopyrochlore, bismutostibiconite, calciobetafite, ceriopyrochlore-(Ce), cesstibtantite, ferritungstite, jixianite, kalipyrochlore, monimolite, natrobistantite, partzite, plumbobetafite, plumbomicrolite, plumbopyrochlore, stannomicrolite, stetefeldtite, stibiconite, stibiobetafite, stibiomicrolite, strontiopyrochlore, uranmicrolite, uranpyrochlore, yttrobetafite-(Y), and yttropyrochlore-(Y).


This article reviews the significant progress in academic research on economic impact of climate change and explores the implications for expected returns and strategic portfolio allocation across major public asset classes. There have been numerous efforts to measure the environmental impact within a broader environment, social, and governance framework with a focus on microeconomic and firm-level implications. In this article, the authors assess the impact of climate change on long-term expected returns across asset classes from a top-down macroeconomic perspective. They use well-accepted climate risk scenarios to assess the potential impact of alternative climate scenarios on economic growth, inflation, and asset returns for major asset classes. Finally, they design hypothetical portfolios given these top-down assumptions and explore portfolio allocation implications. TOPICS: ESG investing, legal/regulatory/public policy, tail risks, portfolio construction Key Findings ▪ The authors assess the top-down cross-asset impact of climate change for strategic asset allocation in both optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. ▪ The top-down analysis suggests that growth-oriented assets, such as equities, would be directly affected by climate change. Their return would decline in the pessimistic scenario, with significant differences across countries. ▪ Using these strategic return expectations, a top-down climate risk–aware portfolio would tilt away from regions and assets that are expected to be adversely affected, particularly certain emerging markets, for better risk-adjusted returns.


STUDY DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES
To investigate the relationship between quadriceps force steadiness and knee adduction moment during walking in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

BACKGROUND
Studies have shown that quadriceps force steadiness is impaired in patients with knee OA. Furthermore, patients with knee OA, compared to healthy controls, have also demonstrated a significantly higher external knee adduction moment during walking. However, no studies have examined the relationship between quadriceps force steadiness and the peak knee adduction moment during walking in this population.

METHODS
Forty-one patients with knee OA (34 females and 7 males) were included in the study. Submaximal isometric quadriceps force steadiness was measured during a force target-tracking task. Peak knee adduction moments during ambulation were measured using a 3-dimensional gait analysis system, and knee pain was assessed using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain subscale and a visual analog scale.

RESULTS
Regression analyses showed that quadriceps force steadiness did not predict the peak knee adduction moment (adjusted R2 = 0.05, P = .41). Inclusion of covariates did not change the outcome.

CONCLUSION
No statistically significant association between submaximal isometric quadriceps force steadiness and peak knee external adduction moments during walking was found. It could be speculated that submaximal isometric quadriceps muscle force steadiness and knee joint loads during walking represent 2 distinctive pathways and may have independent influences on knee OA pathogenesis.


Synthetic and structural studies have been made for a range of cationic, ten-electron, four-co-ordinate, diarylbis(ligand)bismuth(III) complexes. Reactions between BiPh2Br, AgBF4 and 2 equivalents of a two-electron donor ligand L afforded the ionic complexes [BiPh2L2][BF4][L = OPPh3 or pyridine (py)]. The first was characterised by X-ray crystallography and comprises [BiPh2(OPPh3)2]+ cations, tetrafluoroborate anions and CH2Cl2 molecules of crystallisation. The bismuth centre is four-co-ordinate with a disphenoidal geometry in which the aryl groups are in equatorial positions with the ligands in axial sites. A long interaction is present between the bismuth centre and one of the fluorines of the BF4 group. A series of similar reactions were also carried out between BiR2Br (R = aryl), TlPF6 and 2 equivalents of L affording the ionic complexes [BiR2L2][PF6][R = Ph, L = OP(NMe2)3 or py; R = 4-MeC6H4, L = OP(NMe2)3; R = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2, L = OP(NMe2)3 or OPPh3]. Two of the complexes have also been characterised by X-ray crystallography, the cations having similar structures to that found in [BiPh2(OPPh3)2][BF4]. The reaction between BiPhBr2, 1 equivalent of TlPF6 and an excess of OP(NMe2)3 afforded the ionic complex [BiPh{OP(NMe2)3}4][PF6]2. The crystal structure of the dication comprises a square-based pyramidal bismuth centre with an apical phenyl group and four basal OP(NMe2)3 ligands. Examples of some dihalogenobismuth cations have also been obtained and their structures are described and compared with those of previously reported examples.


Cryodur 2357 is a shock resistant tool steel (AISI S7) with excellent toughness and high strength. It is suitable for cold and hot work applications up to 538 °C (1000 °F). This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, and hardness. It also includes information on low and high temperature performance as well as joining. Filing Code: TS-781. Producer or source: Schmolz + Bickenbach USA Inc..


The Palaeoproterozoic Onega Basin in northwestern Russia is an important geological archive for global events during oxygenation of Earth at 2.5–2.0 Ga. In this study, we make use of recent drilling results from the Fennoscandian Arctic Russia – Drilling Early Earth Project and the Onega Parametric Hole in combination with available gravity and magnetic data to illuminate the structure of the basin and its internal build-up. These drilling campaigns have provided new information on petrophysical properties (density, magnetic susceptibility) and stratigraphic thickness of the main horizons in the basin. We use this information in combination with gravity and magnetic data to construct a 3D crustal model of the basin with emphasis on its near-surface structure. Our near-surface structure is in agreement with previous findings and most of the gravity and magnetic anomalies are associated with known geological bodies. Modelling also suggests a lateral lithological subdivision of the upper Archaean crust into three parts. The central crust has a higher magnetic susceptibility of 0.12 (SI) and lower density of 2.7 g/cm3, while the surrounding upper crust in the western and eastern edge regions has a lower magnetic susceptibility of 0.075–0.1 (SI), but a slightly higher density of 2.75–2.8 g/ cm3. One possible explanation for the differences is the presence of highly magnetised magmatic rocks in the centre of the Onega region caused by magmatic activity resulting in lava flows and comagmatic shallow intrusions during the early Palaeoproterozoic.


A promising research area in the field of group decision making (GDM) is the study of interpersonal influence and its impact on the evolution of experts' opinions. In conventional GDM models, a group of experts express their individual preferences on a finite set of alternatives, then preferences are aggregated and the best alternative, satisfying the majority of experts, is selected. Nevertheless, in real situations, experts form their opinions in a complex interpersonal environment where preferences are liable to change due to social influence. In order to take into account the effects of social influence during the GDM process, we propose a new influence-guided GDM model based on the following assumptions: experts influence each other and the more an expert trusts in another expert, the more his opinion is influenced by that expert. The effects of social influence are especially relevant to cases when, due to domain complexity, limited expertise or pressure to make a decision, an expert is unable to express preferences on some alternatives, i.e., in presence of incomplete information. The proposed model adopts fuzzy rankings to collect both experts' preferences on available alternatives and trust statements on other experts. Starting from collected information, possibly incomplete, the configuration and the strengths of interpersonal influences are evaluated and represented through a social influence network (SIN). The SIN, in its turn, is used to estimate missing preferences and evolve them by simulating the effects of experts' interpersonal influence before aggregating them for the selection of the best alternative. The proposed model has been experimented with synthetic data to demonstrate the influence driven evolution of opinions and its convergence properties.


With current on-board GPS devices a lot of data is being collected while operating taxis. This paper focuses on analysing travel behaviour and vehicle supply of the Berlin taxi market using floating car data (FCD) for one week each in 2013 and 2014. The data suggests that there is generally a demand peak on workday mornings and a second peak over a longer time in the afternoon. On weekends, the demand peaks shift towards the night. On the supply side, drivers seem to adapt to the demand peaks very efficiently, with fewer taxis being available at times of low demand, such as during midday. A spatial analysis shows that most taxi trips take place either within the city centre or from/to Tegel Airport, the city's largest single origin and destination. Drivers spend a large amount of their work time on waiting for customers and the taxi rank at Tegel Airport is the most popular one.


and relative comfort levels of immobilizing elderly patients on traditional backboards and vacuum splint mattresses. Methods: This was a prospective cross-over study involving elderly volunteers (>65 years) recruited from the hospital volunteer staff. Volunteers were excluded for any history of chronic back pain, prior back surgery, or compression fracture of the lumbar spine. Subjects were randomly assigned to immobilization on the traditional backboard with headblocks or to the vacuum splint mattress. Duration of immobilization was 30 minutes or time tolerated. After a 3 hour wash-out period, subjects were crossed over to the alternate treatment. Pain perception was measured using both Likert scale scoring and the visual analog pain scale score (VAS). The study was powered to detect a 20-mm difference in the VAS. Results: All 20 elderly patients (65% male) completed the full 30-minute immobilization for both treatments. There were no statistically significant differences in pain perception by VAS or Likert scales for either treatment. Likert scores (p = 0.66; 95% CI 20.29 to 0.19); VAS (p = 0.06; 95% CI = 21.3 to 4.4). There was, however, a 75% subjective preference for the vacuum splint over backboard, which was not correlated with age or gender. Conclusion: Healthy elderly volunteers reported a preference for the vacuum splint mattress, which was attributed to the ability of the vacuum splint to adapt to individual anatomical variation common in this population.


Under discussion are such population groups as management unit (stock) and evolutionarily significant unit, along with the problem of short-term ans long-term goals of conservation activities and wildlife management. The short-term goals may differ from the long-term goals. Management units (stocks) are demographically independent populations, though genetically they may be interconnected to a high degree. It is at this level of population organization that the short-term nature management goals are reached: the preservation of stable reproduction of management units, and the exclusion of excessive pressure on small groups. The evolutionarily significant units have independent conservation status determined by significant reproductive isolation and unique adaptations. It is at this level that long-term management goals are reached: the conservation of the native population structure, the evolutionarily significant differences, the maximum genetic diversity, and, thus, the evolutionary potential.


: Building heavily on the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, Norway implemented the Public Health Act in 2012 to reduce social inequalities in health. Local public health coordinators (PHCs) at municipal levels were seen as tools to provide local intersectoral public health work. In this study, we examine factors related to intersectoral agency and if intersectoral work is understood as relevant to securing social justice in local policy outcomes. A national web-based survey in 2019 of all Norwegian PHCs ( n = 428) was conducted with a response rate of 60%. Data were analysed through multiple linear regression, hierarchical regression modelling and structural equation modelling. Neither factors relating to community contexts nor individual characteristics were associated with intersectoral agency. Organisational factors, especially position size, being organised at the top level and having a job description, were significantly associated with perceptions of intersectoral agency. PHCs seeing themselves as intersectoral agents also found themselves able to affect annual budgets and policy outcomes. We conclude that municipal PHC positions can be important HiAP tools in local public health policies. However, organisational factors affect how PHCs perceive their influence and role in the municipal organisation and thereby their possibilities to influence local policymaking through intersectoral agency.


Background: Service delivery is the core business of any government around the world, especially in developing economies. The government uses various public procurement legislation that govern how public services are procured. The current procurement legislation to acquire goods, works and services for the public at large are said to be ineffective and inefficient, hindering the accelerated provision of public services. Aim: This article aimed to ascertain the degree to which public sector procurement processes can be modelled to that of the private sector to improve service delivery. Setting: Several studies have revealed a stagnating nature of service delivery in government entities when it comes to the methods used to procure public services in South Africa. The private sector also does procurement successfully; however, it is slightly different as it is not governed by rigid public procurement legislation causing unnecessary red tapes. The red tapes that are sometimes impeding the accelerated service delivery are a major cause for concern if the government was to improve service delivery at a faster and unhindered pace. Methods: The research was qualitative in nature and used unobtrusive research methods focusing on a literature review technique. The research entailed a robust examination of the existing literature and trends analysis in the field of public procurement and private sector procurement. Results: The article revealed that there are several shortcomings in the form of red tapes that the public sector procurement is currently experiencing, which can be mitigated by adopting some of the private sector operational processes. Of course, this might require a total overhaul of the current public procurement processes including some legislation in an attempt to boost service delivery. Such red tapes include inflexibility of government procurement processes to allow for innovations, long-term supplier relationships and effective communication on future government plans. As such, some of these red tapes have a huge impact on improving service delivery, especially if fraud and corruption are involved; some processes are counterproductive and they end up allowing inexperienced suppliers to be chosen who fail to deliver. Conclusion: Public procurement process in South Africa urgently needs an overhaul to adopt some of the best practices used in private sector procurement operations to improve service delivery. This is because most public resources do not yield value for money because of rigid and stifling public procurement processes.


Acoustic resonances in internal flows can cause noise, vibration, and even equipment damage. One geometry prone to acoustic resonance is a deadleg at the point where the main flow turns into a side branch. Here we report experimental and CFD studies of flow generated pulsation in such a geometry over a wide range of mean flow velocities. Experimental results of the normalized pulsation pressure amplitudes (P*) vs. Strouhal number characterized the flow-acoustic field for acoustically tuned and detuned systems and for branch to main pipe diameter ratio of 1.0. The unsteady CFD simulations revealed the characteristic volume integral of the cross-product of the vorticity field and the velocity field in the vicinity of the T-junction which helped in quantifying the acoustic source power for different conditions. The pressure amplitude at the closed end of the deadleg reaches maximum when two conditions are met: i) the system overall acoustic resonance frequency matches closely the frequency of the oscillating component of the cross-product characterized by a Strouhal number, and ii) the deadleg length is tuned to an odd number of ¼ wavelength of this frequency such that maximum acoustic velocity is reached at the Tee-junction. Synchronized images generated from the unsteady CFD simulations revealed valuable insight into the velocity and vorticity field in the region of the T-junction in support of Howe's acoustic source power equation.


The addition of silica aerogel felt (SAF) to firefighters' protective clothing (FPC) is an innovation with the potential to enhance the thermal insulation capacity of FPC. In order to explore this technology, this paper describes the results of an experiment that determined the thermal protective performance of FPC with SAF under wood crib fire conditions. We also performed an experiment using FPC materials without SAF and compared the results. Finally, we compared the thermal decomposition of commercial thermal liner material and silica aerogel. The results demonstrate that the temperature at the surface of the comfort layer of the SAF-containing sample was lower than that of the commercial sample. This experiment confirms that lower overall temperatures are found on the surface of the comfort layer of the specimen with SAF than on the specimen without SAF, even when the thicknesses of the thermal liner layers are similar. The maximum temperature difference was about 20°C. The thermal protective performance of FPC with SAF increased with increasing SAF thickness, but the increase became very minor when the SAF thickness exceeded 6 mm. Additionally, the thermal stability of silica aerogel is significantly better than that of commercial thermal liner material, reducing the risk of thermal decomposition at high temperatures. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.4.16680


Background: Clinical Pharmacists (CP) are less prized in direct patient care compared to both physicians and nurses even though most of the professionals identified that the CP is an inexorable part of the medical team. Objectives: To explore the perception of Health care Practitioners (HCPs) towards the Pharm.D and Services provided by the CPs from the Indian perspective. Methodology: A 10 items questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted through surveying HCPs including medical, nursing, pharmacy and the academician about their perceptions regarding the Pharm.D program and the clinical pharmacy services providing by the CPs in a tertiary care teaching hospital situated in the south Indian state Karnataka. Results: A total of 130 volunteers participated including 91 medical doctors or students, 6 pharmacists who work in the hospital, 17 nurses, 3 academicians and other 13 didn't mention their profession. In the study, 91.54% (119) accepted that CPs can play a vital role in improving the medication adherence through the patient counselling and 92.31% (120) HCPs were agreed that CPs can provide appropriate interventions for better patient care. Their efforts in drug interactions and ADRs are really appreciated and 82.31% (107) recommended CP as an integral part of the multidisciplinary health care team. Conclusion: Our research suggests that CPs can be an asset to the health care practice especially in India through partnering the HCPs in better patient care by providing the appropriate interventions. Still, there is an emergent need for more practical emphasised syllabus and curriculum to make the Pharm.D graduates more employable.


With only 500 cases reported in the world, Acute Necrotizing Gastritis, a variant of Phlegmonous Gastritis is a rare, yet a potentially fatal condition. Phlegmonous Gastritis means abscess or spreading cellulitis of the stomach wall caused by microorganisms and the condition when these organisms cause necrosis and gangrene of the stomach wall is called Acute Necrotizing Gastritis. We report a case of a 17year old boy who presented with acute abdominal pain and vomiting since 1 day and with early features of shock. Abdominal guarding and rigidity and free air under diaphragm on erect abdominal X-ray called for an emergency exploratory laparotomy, where a 5x6cm, greater curvature stomach gangrene with full thickness posterior wall perforation totally surprised the surgeons. All proposed etiological factors for stomach gangrene like embolization of atherosclerotic plaque, thrombosis of major artery, occlusion of gastric vessels by therapeutically injected foreign bodies, psychogenic polyphagia resulting in massive gastric dilatation, ingestion of corrosive materials, intrathoracic herniation of the stomach through the diaphragm or gastric volvulus were ruled out and the possibility of severe necrotizing gastritis caused by organisms was considered and confirmed by isolation of streprococcus in the peritoneal cavity. Wide excision of the gangrenous segment with primary closure of the stomach was done. With prompt and aggressive medical management, supportive and nutritional care we were able to rescue the patient from the fatal condition and the patient lives to tell the tale.


: The intervention of the psychiatrist in the prison world is a comparatively recent phenomenon, since it has been actually effective only since 1945 onwards, at least in France. It is not until 1959 that the Penal Regulations have provided for the setting up of Regional Medical and Psychological Centers (C.M.P.R.). Among the main duties of these centers, the following two are of paramount importance: -- The supervision and treatment of patients who, although they are free from mental disorders calling for institutionalization, show behavioral troubles which may create difficulties, or danger, if they are remanded in normal custody; -- Psychiatrist's advice and, if required (albeit not compulsorily), prescription of medicines. Psychiatrist's advice may be sought either at the request of the inmate (which is the most common procedure), or of the other medical staff of the prison, or required by the Judicial Authority or Administration. The major cause of concern currently challenging the C.M.P.R. is the always unsufficient, and sometimes underqualified, staff.


GBFS-based satisficing planners often augment their search with knowledge-based enhancements such as preferred operators and multiple heuristics. These techniques seek to improve planner performance by making the search more informed. In our work, we will focus on how these enhancements impact coverage and we will use a simple technique called epsilon-greedy node selection to demonstrate that planner coverage can also be improved by introducing knowledge-free random exploration into the search. We then revisit the existing knowledge-based enhancements so as to determine if the knowledge these enhancements employ is offering necessary guidance, or if the impact of this knowledge is to add exploration which can be achieved more simply using randomness. This investigation provides further evidence of the importance of preferred operators and shows that the knowledge added when using an additional heuristic is crucial in certain domains, while not being as effective as random exploration in others. Finally, we demonstrate that random exploration can also improve the coverage of LAMA, a planner which already employs multiple enhancements. This suggests that knowledge-based enhancements need to be compared to appropriate knowledge-free random baselines so as to ensure the importance of the knowledge being used.


In the continuing search for effective treatments for cancer, here we report the targeting and efficacy studies pursued with a designer multifunctional nanoparticle that combines traditional chemotherapy with cell targeting and anti-cellular-adhesion functionalities to selectively target multiple myeloma (MM) cells and overcome cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR). Anti-cellular-adhesion evolves as a promising target in oncology. VLA-4-mediated adhesion to the bone marrow extracellular matrix and stromal cells confers MM cells with CAM-DR. In our design, we used micellar nanoparticles as dynamic self-assembling scaffolds to present VLA-4-antagonist peptides and doxorubicin conjugates simultaneously to selectively target MM cells and to overcome CAM-DR. Doxorubicin was conjugated to the nanoparticles through an pH-sensitive hydrazone bond to prevent premature release and thus non-specific toxicity. Peptides were conjugated via a multifaceted synthetic procedure for generating highly effective targeting. Each component of the nanoparticle was purified to >98% purity prior to particle formation, and by controlling the stoichiometries of each component during particle formation, we were able to precisely control the number of targeting functionalities per nanoparticle. The nanoparticles, which exhibited a size of ∼20nm, were efficiently internalized by MM cells with an optimal peptide valency of 20 per micelle, and induced cytotoxicity to MM cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that nanoparticles induced DNA double strand breaks as evidenced by H2AX phosphorylation, and triggered apoptosis, which was associated with PARP and caspase-8 cleavage. Importantly, multifunctional nanoparticles were more efficacious than doxorubicin in the presence of fibronectin (IC50=0.15±0.04 μM and 0.42±0.09 μM, respectively), and overcame CAM-DR induced by adherence of MM cells to fibronectin. Finally, in a MM xenograft model, nanoparticles preferentially homed to MM tumors, with a ∼10 fold more drug accumulation when compared to doxorubicin, and demonstrated dramatic tumor growth inhibition with much reduced overall systemic toxicity. Taken together, we demonstrate the disease-driven engineering of a nanoparticle-based drug delivery system, enabling the model of an integrative approach in the treatment of MM. Citation Format: Tanyel Kiziltepe, Jonathan Ashley, Jared Stefanick, Basar Bilgicer. Designer nanoparticles for selective targeting of multiple myeloma and overcoming CAM-DR. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4524. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4524


Sharing economy, a relatively new type of business has become very popular with the rise of technology and where businesses are willing to share their assets and services in the current travel and accommodation sphere. Using the Social Exchange Theory to understand the behavioural intention of service providers, this study tries to examine whether exchange factors such as economic benefits, moral motives, social-Hedonic motives, sustainability and sharing attitudes influence the service provider's motives to participate in Airbnb, Uber and Grabcar services in Malaysia. Using a questionnaire, a survey was done among 100 service providers in Malaysia who provide Grabcar, Uber and Airbnb services. Bivariate analysis was used. Findings show that all the exchange factors have a positive correlation with the behavioural intention. Even though the sharing economy might pose a challenge to the regular taxi drivers and hotels, government regulation should look at a win-win situation that can benefit all stakeholders. As we move on to IR 4.0 and the digital economy, these businesses will be the call of the future.


We study a new screening mechanism which is present in Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI)-like theories. A scalar field with a DBI-like Lagrangian is minimally coupled to matter. In the vicinity of sufficiently dense sources, nonlinearities in the scalar dominate and result in an approximately constant acceleration on a test particle, thereby suppressing the scalar force relative to gravity. Unlike generic P(X) or chameleon theories, screening happens within the regime of validity of the effective field theory thanks to the DBI symmetry. We derive an exact form for the field profile around multiple sources and determine the constraints on the theory parameters from tests of gravity. Perturbations around the spherically-symmetric background propagate superluminally, but we argue for a chronology protection analogous to Galileons. This is the first example of a screening mechanism for which quantum corrections to the theory are under control and exact solutions to cosmological N-body problems can be found.


Abstract Despite its efforts and obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU has not succeeded in even making a dent in the rapidly rising trend of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions. If anything, the trend has accelerated in recent years. In his Thünen Lecture given to the Verein für Socialpolitik in October 2007, the author criticizes the attempt to slow down global warming by means of unilaterally curtailing the demand for fossil fuels and develops an intertemporal supply side approach to the economics of global warming. He advances the hypothesis that the ineffectiveness of demand policies results from anticipation effects on the part of the owners of fossil fuel resources. In addition to the threat of potential ousting by domestic rivals, the threat of falling energy prices (against a modified Hotelling trend) due to greening public policies and increasing participation in worldwide emissions trading systems gives resource owners the incentive to speed up extraction. Feasible policy measures that do not encounter such problematic anticipation effects include the rapid creation of a complete worldwide monopsony for fossil fuels that can dictate quantities rather than having to rely on price signals. Moreover, source taxes on the financial returns of resource owners will provide additional conservation motives; technical measures including afforestation and sequestration may also be a way to reduce the speed of global warming.


This guide is designed to help you find academic sources for your English 1010 papers, as well as assist you in correctly citing your sources in MLA style.


Stormwater management requires general ideas and principles known as the "concept" to ensure the success of planning and design. In addition, the concept requires an understanding of the hydrology cycle as a basis of knowledge, which provides a mechanism to synthesize the knowledge of the hydrology cycle with the idea of planning and designing for stormwater management. Thus, this research aims to synthesize the concepts of stormwater management with that of the hydrology cycle as the environmental sustainability factor. Two objectives have been established: (i) to identify the concepts of planning and designing of stormwater management; and (ii) to analyse the relationship of the identified concepts with the hydrology cycle. In this qualitative research, three methods of data collection have been used: online journals, forum discussions and e-mail interviews. The collected data were analysed using five steps of descriptive comparative analysis. The results show eleven concepts: conservation of the watershed, compact urban form, retention of stormwater on site, treatment train, green network, harvesting and reuse of rainwater, redevelopment, streetscape ecosystem and restoration. The concepts are listed according to seven hydrology cycles – interception, infiltration, surface runoff, depression storage, evapotranspiration, groundwater flow and interflow. The hydrology cycle becomes the environmental sustainability factor for the identified concepts, as the goal of stormwater management is to replicate the process of the hydrology cycle to ensure the effectiveness of the concepts.


of the skin, post-mortem examination revealing massive haemorrhages in the suprarenal glands in all cases. Death occurred so rapidly that involvement of the meninges appeared to have no time to occur and in only one case can I recall the cerebrospinal fluid being slightly opalescent. There is obviously in this syndrome an overwhelming bacteraemia, and in one case I was able to demonstrate diplococci in a blood film, at least half a dozen being visible in each field; these were easily identified and were not artifacts. Diagnosis is exceedingly difficult unless there is an epidemic of cerebrospinal fever at the time and the medical attendant is aware of this fairly unconmon syndrome. Confirmatory diagnosis by blood culture is much too late. A letter appeared in your correspondence columns during 19411 describing what would appear to have been a fairly typical case of Friderichsen-Waterhouse syndrome occurring in the West Country and labelling it malignant measles. About six months earlier an article had appeared in the B.M.7.2 giving a full description of the disease under discussion. It would appear that this unfortunate woman was incubating a fulminating meningococcal infection on her admission to hospital, the extensive haemorrhages into the suprarenals causing her rapid deterioration and fatal termination. It would be very interesting to learn whether there were any cases of cerebrospinal meningitis in the community at the time of this woman's death, the size and nature of the community, and the season of the year. Only chemotherapy and deoxycortone acetate (D.O.C.A.) were available in 1940, and it would be of interest to learn whether there have been any cases of recovery since the advent of more potent bactericidal agents, cortisone, etc.-I am, etc.,


No difference in the distribution of serum pseudocholinesterase variants could be found in lepromatous leprosy patients as compared with controls. The variety of reported relationships of pseudocholinesterase variants in leprosy suggests that only in some populations is a locus regulating pseudocholinesterase genetically linked to a hypothetical locus regulating susceptibility to leprosy.


INTRODUCTION James Newton (1) discovered that he was featured on the Beastie Boys' "Pass the Mic" (2) eight years after the song's release. (3) In fact, he learned of his music's unauthorized use and widespread distribution from a student in a class he taught at California State University, Los Angeles. (4) Newton's plunge into popular hip-hop music was limited to a six-second snippet of his song "Choir," (5) which the Beastie Boys looped over forty times to create the background for "Pass the Mic." (6) Newton composed and performed "Choir" on his 1982 album Axum. (7) The sample used by the Beastie Boys is a six-second segment in which Newton "fingers a 'C' above middle 'C' on the flute, while singing the same 'C,' ascending one-half step to a 'D-flat,' and descending again to the 'C." (8) Upon Newton's discovery of this use without consent, he sued the Beastie Boys, claiming that the use of this three-note sample amounted to an infringement of the copyright in his work. (9) Although prior to using the sample the Beastie Boys secured a license from ECM, the recording company that possessed the rights to Newton's recording, (10) they did not notify Newton of their intended use or obtain a license in the composition from him. (11) The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, in May 2002, ruled in favor of the Beastie Boys, granting their motion for summary judgment. (12) The court reasoned that the Beastie Boys possessed a license for the sound recording, giving them a right to use it. (13) The court separately considered whether the Beastie Boys needed to obtain a license in the underlying composition. (14) The court only looked at the musical qualities actually represented in the written composition, and concluded that, in this case, the composition was qualitatively different from the sound recording. (15) The written composition did not note the "Newton technique' [or] ... mention ... overblowing the 'C' note," both techniques that made the recording distinct. (16) Thus, the copyright in the composition did not cover these added effects. (17) Here, the court found the use of the musical notes in the underlying composition to be de minimis because the sample was "so trivial" that it did not break the "quantitative threshold of substantial similarity." (18) Breaking this threshold is necessary for a finding that the defendant infringed the copyright in the composition. (19) Here, even though Newton controlled the rights in the composition, there was no "actionable copying" on which his suit could stand. (20) This Note analyzes this finding of de minimis infringement and the tests courts use to make this determination. To begin, Part I of this Note describes the process of music sampling. Part II provides a background on copyright law. Part III discusses de minimis use and the tests courts apply to find de minimis use. This Part also describes how modern copyright law addresses music sampling by looking at the tests courts employ to rule on de minimis infringement. This analysis focuses on the determinations of substantial similarity used in the Second and Ninth Circuits. Specifically, this analysis includes the recent application of these tests in the Ringgold v. Black Entertainment Television (21) and Sandoval v. New Line Cinema Corp. (22) cases from the Second Circuit, and the McCulloch v. Albert E. Price, Inc. (23) case from the Ninth Circuit. Other tests exist, but are used infrequently by courts and are more difficult to apply to sampling due to the peculiarities of music. (24) Even translating the "abstractions" test of the Second Circuit (25) and "total concept and feel" test of the Ninth Circuit (26) into the arena of music sampling poses many problems. The vague nature of these tests allows them to be applied more readily to music than other tests, but that nature also means the standard for defining de minimis infringement is weak and wavering. Finally, Part IV of this Note addresses these problems and suggests a new test that is intended to achieve more accurately the goals of copyright law and to offer a better-defined standard for its practical application. …


The internal anatomy of the upper-limb nerves was investigated with microdissection by the seminal work of Sunderland.1 More recent autopsy studies further explored the fascicular anatomy of the median nerve (MN) and confirmed a radial-to-ulnar sensory and motor arrangement of nerve fascicles at the wrist.2 ,3

We report two patients with partial MN damage, in whom sensory neurography and ultrasound (US) documented asymmetrical involvement of the nerve involving its ulnar and radial sectors, respectively.

Patient 1 was a 22-year-old man with a penetrating lesion of the wrist because of a glass fragment. He reported sensory loss and paraesthesia involving the ulnar side of the index, middle and radial side of the ring finger with no motor symptoms. Median sensory neurography showed markedly reduced ring finger sensory nerve action potential (SNAP), absent middle finger SNAP and slightly reduced, but still in …


Mutation and aggregation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) are reported as one of the causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To detect SOD1 protein from the motor neuron, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis was adopted due to its advantages in the in-situ biomolecular recognition by surface analysis without labeling. For the patterning of protein antigens at Au surface for use in SPR imaging experiments, microfluidic devices were fabricated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by replica molding method. They were designed for the solution to flow by capillary force only without using any additional pumping equipments or flow controllers. Performance of microfluidic devices was verified by the simple microfluidic experiments, and multiple protein-patterned sensor surfaces were constructed by using these microfluidic devices.


The sixth child of non-consanguineous parents, who had suffered from severe arthrogryposis syndrome and microcephalia, died at the age of two days. Post-mortem study revealed unique morphological brain anomalies characterized by severe cerebral and cerebellar atrophy, focal cerebral mycrogiria and ectopic masses of immature cells in the periventricular region and cerebral white matter; pachygyria was absent. In addi tion' muscular examination was consistent with severe muscular dystrophy. These findings suggest that new fonns of combined cerebral abnormalities and muscular dystrophy of congenital origin can be recognized in isolated cases.


: In this contribution, unsteady three-dimensional numerical simulations of the water flow through a horizontal axis hydrokinetic turbine (HAHT) of the Garman type are performed. This study was conducted in order to estimate the influence of turbine inclination with respect to the incoming flow on turbine performance and forces acting on the rotor, which is studied using a time-accurate Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) commercial solver. Changes of the flow in time are described by a physical transient model based on two domains, one rotating and the other stationary, combined with a sliding mesh technique. Flow turbulence is described by the well-established Shear Stress Transport (SST) model using its standard and transitional versions. Three inclined operation conditions have been analyzed for the turbine regarding the main stream: 0 ◦ (SP configuration, shaft parallel to incoming velocity), 15 ◦ (SI15 configuration), and 30 ◦ (SI30 configuration). It was found that the hydrodynamic efficiency of the turbine decreases with increasing inclination angles. Besides, it was obtained that in the inclined configurations, the thrust and drag forces acting on rotor were lower than in the SP configuration, although in the former cases, blades experience alternating loads that may induce failure due to fatigue in the long term. Moreover, if the boundary layer transitional effects are included in the computations, a slight increase in the power coefficient is computed for all inclination configurations.


Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), we investigated the peculiar millimeter source MMS 3 located in the Orion Molecular Cloud 3 (OMC-3) region in the 1.3 mm continuum, CO (J = 2–1), SiO (J = 5–4), C18O (J = 2–1), N2D+ (J = 3–2), and DCN (J = 3–2) emissions. With the ALMA high angular resolution (∼0.″2), we detected a very compact and highly centrally condensed continuum emission with a size of 0.″45 × 0.″32 (P.A. = 0.°22). The peak position coincides with the locations of previously reported Spitzer/IRAC and X-ray sources within their positional uncertainties. We also detected an envelope with a diameter of ∼6800 au (P.A. = 75°) in the C18O (J = 2–1) emission. Moreover, a bipolar outflow was detected in the CO (J = 2–1) emission for the first time. The outflow is elongated roughly perpendicular to the long axis of the envelope detected in the C18O (J = 2–1) emission. Compact high-velocity CO gas in the (redshifted) velocity range of 22–30 km s−1, presumably tracing a jet, was detected near the 1.3 mm continuum peak. A compact and faint redshifted SiO emission was marginally detected in the CO outflow lobe. The physical quantities of the outflow in MMS 3 are somewhat smaller than those in other sources in the OMC-3 region. The centrally condensed object associated with the near-infrared and X-ray sources, the flattened envelope, and the faint outflow indicate that MMS 3 harbors a low-mass protostar with an age of ∼103 yr.


BackgroundTo establish prevalence, risk factors and impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among farmers in Ireland. MethodsIn summer 2009, a questionnaire was appended to the Teagasc (Irish Agricultural and Food Development Authority) National Farm Survey (n=1110) to obtain data on the prevalence, risk factors and impact of WMSDs amongst farm operators in Ireland. Data were collected by trained recorders and analyzed using chisquare tests, t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests and binary logistic regression. ResultsThe prevalence of WMSDs in the previous year was 9.4% (n=103), with the most commonly affected body region being the low back 31% (n=32). Nearly 60% (n=57) of farmers reported missing at least a full day's work as a consequence of their WMSD. Personal factors evaluated using bivariate regression analysis, were found not to influence whether or not a farmer experienced a WMSD. However, workrelated factors such as larger European Size Units (ESUs) (OR=1.007, CI=1.0021.012), greater number of hectares farmed (OR=2.50, CI=1.208-4.920), higher income (OR=1.859, CI=1.088-3.177), dairy enterprise (OR=1.734, CI=1.081-2.781), and working on a fulltime farm (OR=2.156, CI=1.399-3.321) increased the likelihood of experiencing a WMSD. The variable 'fulltime farm' which was associated with a higher labour unit requirement to operate the farm, was the only factor found to independently predict WMSDs in the multivariate regression analyses. ConclusionsThis study suggests that the prevalence of WMSDs can be reduced by the application of improved farm management practices. A more detailed examination


In this work, we characterized the electronic structure of CdSe quantum dots embedded
in a series of x Na2O, (1–x) SiO2 glass matrices (x = 0, 0.25, 0.33 and 0.5). We analyzed
the impact of the glass matrix composition on both the atomic structure of the quantum
dot (QD) and the QD/glass interface, as well as the luminescence mechanisms, using
density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The increase of Na2O content in the glass
matrices was found to promote the formation of Cd–O and Se–Na interfacial bonds,
and disrupting the Cd–Se bonds network. In particular, we show that the glass
composition directly affects the nature of the highest occupied molecular orbitals
(HOMO). According to the atomic structure, the band gap distribution and the density
of states calculation, we find that there is significant reconstruction of the QD, and that
the picture sometimes proposed of a "pristine QD" surrounded by glass is not realistic.
The introduction of CdSe QD significantly decreased the bandgap of the glass
compared to pristine glasses, and the interfacial bonds greatly contributed to the frontier
orbitals without forming midgap states. We propose a new energy diagram, quite
different from the traditional model, to explain the luminescence of CdSe quantum dot-
doped glasses, originating from the intrinsic emission of this hybrid system {QD +
glass}. These results improve our understanding of the luminescence of CdSe quantum
dot-doped glasses, explaining the reason for the poor quantum efficiency and broad
emission linewidth compared with their colloidal counterparts.


Background Paediatricians are concerned that children who present with a non-blanching rash (NBR) may have meningococcal disease (MCD). Two algorithms have been devised to help identify which children with an NBR have MCD. Aim To evaluate the NBR algorithms' ability to identify children with MCD. Methods The Newcastle-Birmingham-Liverpool (NBL) algorithm was applied retrospectively to three cohorts of children who had presented with NBRs. This algorithm was also piloted in four hospitals, and then used prospectively for 12 months in one hospital. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) algorithm was validated retrospectively using data from all cohorts. Results The cohorts included 625 children, 145 (23%) of whom had confirmed or probable MCD. Paediatricians empirically treated 324 (52%) children with antibiotics. The NBL algorithm identified all children with MCD and suggested treatment for a further 86 children (sensitivity 100%, specificity 82%). One child with MCD did not receive immediate antibiotic treatment, despite this being suggested by the algorithm. The NICE algorithm suggested 382 children (61%) who should be treated with antibiotics. This included 141 of the 145 children with MCD (sensitivity 97%, specificity 50%). Conclusions These algorithms may help paediatricians identify children with MCD who present with NBRs. The NBL algorithm may be more specific than the NICE algorithm as it includes fewer features suggesting MCD. The only significant delay in treatment of MCD occurred when the algorithms were not followed.


CS1 is highly expressed on tumor cells from the majority of multiple myeloma (MM) patients regardless of cytogenetic abnormalities or response to current treatments. Furthermore, CS1 is detected in MM patient sera and correlates with active disease. However, its contribution to MM pathophysiology is undefined. We here show that CS1 knockdown using lentiviral short-interfering RNA decreased phosphorylation of ERK1/2, AKT, and STAT3, suggesting that CS1 induces central growth and survival signaling pathways in MM cells. Serum deprivation markedly blocked survival at earlier time points in CS1 knockdown compared with control MM cells, associated with earlier activation of caspases, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and proapoptotic proteins BNIP3 and BIK. CS1 knockdown further delayed development of MM tumor and prolonged survival in mice. Conversely, CS1 overexpression promoted myeloma cell growth and survival by significantly increasing myeloma adhesion to bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and enhancing myeloma colony formation in semisolid culture. Moreover, CS1 increased c-maf-targeted cyclin D2-dependent proliferation, -integrin beta7/alphaE-mediated myeloma adhesion to BMSCs, and -vascular endothelial growth factor-induced bone marrow angiogenesis in vivo. These studies provide direct evidence of the role of CS1 in myeloma pathogenesis, define molecular mechanisms regulating its effects, and further support novel therapies targeting CS1 in MM.


Concentrating primarily on the so-called 'Navvies,' this paper interprets the songs of metal workers among casual labourers in nineteenth and twentieth century Britain as an expression of shared values and aspirations. The term 'Navigators' or 'Navvies' was first used of Irish refugees of Celtic origin, though some were of 'English settlement' origin, who came to Scotland and England in the 19th century to take part in manual work. This study focuses first on songs which concentrated on working conditions, and later discusses songs (which have usually been neglected) in which the workplace features more than one singer. The last part of the study examines a Scottish demonstration and march to London in the 1980s when metal workers resisted the planned closure of their rolling mill with a 'sung' march to London that echoes the resistance of the early Navvies and others. In an article in Imagined States (2001), written in collaboration with the present writer, Reimund Kvideland made a study of 'rallar(e)' (navvies) in Norway and Sweden between 1880 and 1930. He wrote, 'the railway navvies constructed a new genre of narrative song and employed it to give voice to a unique and positive occupational worldview [...] This occupational group created a compensatory and imagined state in which inverted and opposing values prevailed.' This process is what I aim to investigate in relation to the material described above.


We study a two fluid system which models the motion of a charged fluid with Rayleigh friction, and in the presence of an electro-magnetic field satisfying Maxwell's equations. We study the well-posdness of the system in both space dimensions two and three. Regardless of the size of the initial data, we first prove the global well-posedness of the Cauchy problem when the space dimension is two. However, in space dimension three, we construct global weak-solutions \`a la Leray, and we prove the local well-posedness of Kato-type solutions. These solutions turn out to be global when the initial data are sufficiently small. Our results extend Giga-Yoshida (1984) ones to the space dimension two, and improve them in terms of requiring less regularity on the velocity fields.


Author(s): Sandberg, Troy | Advisor(s): Palsson, Bernhard O | Abstract: Evolution underlies the entirety of Earth's biodiversity, as all species diverged from the last universal common ancestor billions of years ago. Although able to effect incredible changes over long periods, the need for multiple generations of mutation and competition renders evolution nearly imperceptible, at the timescale of human observation, for all but the most quickly reproducing organisms. Thus microbial adaptation, given microbes' rapid generation time and enormous population sizes, is perhaps most pressing to understand. This unavoidable evolutionary process facilitates the rise and spread of antibiotic resistance, and frequently countervails attempts to genetically engineer organisms for human purposes.The bacterium Escherichia coli, easily the most highly studied microbe to date, is an ideal model by which to investigate evolution. With both clinical and biotechnological relevance, a thorough understanding of the adaptive principles governing E. coli evolution is of great importance. In this dissertation I seek to probe the adaptive capabilities of E. coli using custom robotics systems that function as 'evolution machines.' Enabled by this automation, adaptive walks along the fitness landscape can be tracked in real-time with experimental throughput, data quality, and environmental control impossible to replicate manually.I subject E. coli to stressful perturbations and analyze the mechanisms by which it evolves to restore robust growth, using data types such as phenotypic characterization, whole genome sequencing, and transcriptomics. I demonstrate the remarkable adaptive flexibility of E. coli as it readily evolves to tolerate elevated temperatures, altered isotopic composition, rapidly fluctuating growth environments, and even replacement of important native genes with foreign DNA. Overall, these studies establish condition-specific evolutionary responses, general mechanisms for growth rate improvement, and guiding principles for the successful use of laboratory evolution experiments as a tool for biological discovery and engineering.


The phylum Echinodermata includes an estimated 7,000 extant and 13,000 extinct species. Each living class represents a separate body plan with a unique mode of movement and locomotion. Brittle stars (Class Ophiuroidea) utilize complex arm musculoskeletal physiology for rapid locomotion, in contrast to the other echinoderm classes, which are typically slow moving. Ophiuroid locomotion and its origins are poorly understood. This paper is a review of the current state of ophiuroid research, with a focus on topics relevant to ophiuroid movement and locomotion, including anatomy, physiology, functional morphology, disparity, ecology, and evolutionary history.


Pedogenic calcite-crystal coatings on clasts were examined in four soils along an altitudinal gradient on Kyle Canyon alluvium in southern Nevada. Clast coatings were studied rather than matrix carbonate to avoid the effects of soil matrix on crystallization. Six crystal sizes and shapes were recognized and distinguished. Equant micrite was the dominant crystal form with similar abundance at all elevations. The distributions of five categories of spar and microspar appear to be influenced by altitudinally induced changes in effective moisture. In the drier, lower elevation soils, crystals were equant or parallel prismatic with irregular, interlocking boundaries while in the more moist, higher elevation soils they were randomly oriented, euhedral, prismatic, and fibrous. There was little support for the supposition that Mg(+2) substitution or increased (Mg + Ca)/HCO3 ratios in the precipitating solution produced crystal elongation.


This article draws upon ethnographic research conducted with an Aboriginal family who own and operate a heritage tourism company, where presentation of space and place promotes environmental awareness, spirituality of place and social justice. It presents this particular example of heritage tourism as a dialogic zone of contemporary resistance inserted into the public realm. Although engagement with the market through commodification of place might be viewed as succumbing to hegemony through either consent or resignation, I show that by creating an eco-spiritual experience of place the group maintains a strategic interstitial location between cultures, while re-appropriation of memory-places serves as a source of self-esteem that is located in the ability of the Adnyamathanha to survive culturally. Tourists' physical engagement with sites freighted with ancestral importance creates linkages that serve to call into question place-bound cultural borders.


Dendritic cells (DC) are potent antigen presenting cells used in clinical trials to treat cancer and infectious diseases such as HIV. We have performed two types of clinical trials to evaluate their immunogenicity in vivo. First, we compared DC to conventional vaccine adjuvants. HLA-A2+ resected melanoma patients were enrolled into a randomized clinical trial to compare vaccines comprised of six HLA-A2-restricted peptide antigens and a foreign protein, KLH, either pulsed onto cytokine-matured, monocyte-derived DCs or emulsified in the mineral oil adjuvant Montanide ISA 51. The frequency, magnitude and quality of antigen-specific cellular immune responses in peripheral blood were found to be greater in patients receiving the Montanide vaccine. Furthermore, the primed cells were functionally superior, indicating a need to improve current DC-based vaccine approaches. Preclinical studies in mice were undertaken to evaluate the mechanism by which DC prime T cells. Contrary to previous assumptions, we found that DC vaccines have an insignificant role in directly priming CD8+ T cells, but instead function primarily as vehicles for transferring antigens to endogenous antigen presenting cells, which are responsible for the subsequent activation of T cells. This reliance on endogenous immune cells may explain the limited success of current DC vaccines to treat cancer and offers new insight into how these therapies can be improved. Future approaches will focus on creating DC vaccines that are more effective at directly priming T cells, by altering maturation factors, or abrogating the tumor induced suppression of endogenous DCs In a second approach, we used TLR agonists targeting TLR 7, 8 and/or 9 to prime immunity to melanoma associated antigens in a series of clinical trials. They include imiquimod, resiquimod and CpG, agonists for TLR7 and/or TLR 8 and TLR9 respectively. These adjuvants when combined with the cancer testis antigen NY-ESO-1, induced integrated immune responses which were characterized by the induction of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immunity as well as antigen-specific antibodies in patients with resected melanoma. Strategies to optimize these various approaches to induce immunity in cancer and other chronic diseases will be discussed. Citation Format: Nina Bhardwaj. Modulating innate and adaptive immunity through the manipulation of dendritic cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr SY03-03


The United States' international trade laws strictly enforce antidumping ("AD") rules, and its antitrust laws effectively oversee private settlement agreements. However, these two distinct, yet related, areas of law both fail to adequately address the legality of private post-order settlement agreements that occur in the shadows of the AD process. This Comment investigates the legality of such settlements and reveals how domestic firms are exploiting the overlap between AD and antitrust laws so as to circumvent both. Being fully aware that AD administrative reviews create costly uncertainty for foreign firms, domestic firms exploit this uncertainty and pressure their foreign competitors into agreeing to lucrative cash settlement agreements. Though these settlements frustrate the object and purpose of AD laws by incentivizing unfairly priced imports, the settlements sidestep existing AD laws and are not prohibited. Normally, such collusive efforts to disrupt trade would create immediate antitrust liability, but the Noerr-Pennington Doctrine, with its First Amendment foundations, immunizes domestic firms from liability. This Comment takes a closer look at the legal implication of these settlement agreements in both antitrust and international trade contexts. It then suggests ways to restore the functional effectiveness of AD laws.INTRODUCTIONWithin the United States' international trade framework, domestic industries can exploit U.S. antidumping ("AD") laws to seek private monetary gain, restrain trade, and harm competition.1 Though this practice is not new, it operated almost entirely in secrecy until the International Trade Commission ("ITC") recognized its existence during a recent investigation.2 The discovery of this practice even caused one ITC Commissioner to proclaim, "I cannot figure out for the life of me how [this practice is] actually legal."3 The ITC, however, lacked the jurisdiction to address the legality of this practice.4The United States maintains a system of trade laws to facilitate international commerce and protect domestic industries from unfair competition.5 Specifically, AD laws strive to overcome the harmful effects of dumping, a practice that occurs when a foreign firm sells goods in the U.S. market at unfairly low prices.6 To prevent these artificially low-priced goods from affording an unfair competitive advantage to foreign firms at the expense of domestic industries, the U.S. government assigns AD duties to foreign goods that are dumped in the U.S. market.7The duty rates, however, are non-permanent and are subject to annual administrative reviews.8 These reviews create costly uncertainty for foreign firms, and domestic industries are quick to exploit this uncertainty by pressuring foreign firms into lucrative settlement agreements.9 Under these agreements, those foreign producers subjected to the AD order ("subject foreign producers") make cash payments to domestic producers, who then withdraw the petitions for administrative reviews, allowing foreign producers to avoid the costly review process.10These collusive settlement agreements raise important antitrust concerns because they involve private price and quantity agreements that actively restrain commerce, as well as efforts to use government processes for improper purposes.11 However, due to retrospective AD procedures and First Amendment exceptions to antitrust rules, these settlements are likely permissible under both AD and antitrust laws.12 Thus, though the ITC may be "very troubled by [such] settlement agreement[s],"13 an unlikely intersection of international trade and antitrust laws allows domestic industries to circumvent both sets of laws and thus immunize themselves from any actionable liability.This Comment addresses whether these private post-order settlement agreements are, in fact, legal under existing AD and antitrust frameworks and, if they are legal, how U.S. laws can adapt to account for these settlements. …


Cation exchange is often studied with disturbed and dried soils, but the applicability of the results to undisturbed soils is not straightforward. We investigated the value of exchange coefficients obtained from standard procedures for predicting cation exchange in soil. Columns of undisturbed and disturbed subsoil of a Luvisol (SBt horizon) were leached under saturated conditions with 0.4, 4, 20, 41, 102 and 205 mm BaCl2 at a Darcy velocity of 1400 mm day−1. The model PHREEQC was used to calculate one‐dimensional transport, inorganic complexation and multiple cation exchange. Two model variants were tested: m1 (exchangeable cations obtained by percolation with NH4Cl) and m2 (exchangeable cations obtained by shaking the soil with BaCl2). The exchange coefficients (Gaines–Thomas formalism) were calculated from the ion activities in solution and exchangeable cations obtained by NH4Cl percolation (m1) or shaking with BaCl2 (m2). Variant m1 predicted cation exchange of the disturbed (homogenized) soil for the entire BaCl2 concentration range, whereas variant m2 resulted in a two‐fold overestimation of desorbed K for all experiments, which was related to large amounts of K released from the soil by shaking with BaCl2. In experiments with undisturbed soil, variant m1 predicted the concentrations of Mg, Ca, K, and Na in the solution phase and the sum of cations released from exchange sites. However, variant m2 predicted changes in ion concentrations and exchangeable cations somewhat less well. This study suggests that the amounts of exchangeable cations and exchange coefficients obtained from experiments with homogenized soil by percolation are useful to predict cation concentrations in column experiments with undisturbed soils.


We are developing calibration artifacts for mesoscale metrology (especially vision probing) by using silicon bulk micromachining. We evaluate these artifacts on both high accuracy coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and on typical production vision-based measurement systems. This will improve the accuracy of vision-based measurement equipment used in production. Successful realization of these mesoscale artifacts will enhance both production metrology capabilities and reduce manufacturing costs.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


BACKGROUND
Neuropathic pain is reported to be common based on studies from specialty centers and survey studies. However, few prevalence estimates have been completed in a community population using clinical evaluation.

OBJECTIVE
To develop an estimate of the prevalence of neuropathic pain in community-dwelling adults.

METHODS
Data from a mailed survey (N = 3,575 community respondents), telephone interview (N = 907), and a clinical examination (N = 205) were linked to estimate the population prevalence of neuropathic pain. Using the clinical examination as the "gold" standard, estimates from several screening tools were developed and adjusted to the Olmsted County, MN adult population.

RESULTS
The estimated community prevalence of neuropathic pain from the clinical examination (gold standard) was 9.8%. Most other estimates were lower, including a 3.0% population prevalence using the Berger criteria and 8.8% using the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs. Only the prevalence rate based on self-report of nerve pain was higher (12.4%). Overlap among the groups each tool identified as having "neuropathic predominant pain" was only modest and the groups had significantly different rates of depressive symptoms, anxiety, limited functional ability, and use of complementary and alternative medicine.

CONCLUSIONS
The estimated rates and personal characteristics of community residents with "neuropathic pain" vary widely depending on the tools used to identify neuropathic pain. None of the screening tools compared well with clinical evaluation. The differences in the groups identified by alternative screening methods become of major importance when reporting neuropathic pain epidemiology, studying therapies for neuropathic pain, or attempting to translate neuropathic pain research into clinical practice.


Background: Boys are heavily over-represented in the 'EBD population' and school provision reflects this. Little has been written about the general and specific needs of girls or the support which they require. While all pupils experiencing EBD are likely to have common needs, it is also possible that girls' and boys' needs may differ in certain specific areas. Aim: This study aims to access girls' views in order to investigate the educational provision that is made for girls with EBD, and whether this provision is meeting girls' needs. Samples: The research has involved conducting 40 face-to-face, structured interviews with staff and female pupils in two educational settings (a mainstream secondary school and a pupil referral unit). Methods: Interviews were structured around the following questions: What are pupils' and staffs beliefs about girls' behaviour? What do girls and boys need to help them manage their behaviour better? Is there anything that would specifically help girls to manage their behaviour better? The data was analysed using grounded theory methodology. Results: Analysis of the data suggests that behavioural interventions for girls need to include whole school, small group and individual approaches. The data also suggest that girls respond best to social and language-based interventions. Conclusions: These findings can be explained in terms of the proposal by Underwood (2003) that there are differences between girls' and boys' ESD, not in a simplistic dichotomy between internalising and externalising aggressive behaviour as has been previously thought, but because girls' aggression tends to be social, aimed at achieving social harm. Effective interventions are therefore likely to be those that utilise social forces: peer pressure, role models and language.


The quassinoid-rich standardized extract of Eurycoma longifoia extract (TAF2) was found to possess various biological activities. However, the poor oral bioavailability of the bioactive quassinoids, 13α(21)-epoxyeurycomanone (EP) and eurycomanone (EN) in TAF2 necessitated a new formulation design to be developed. A lipid-based solid dispersion was formulated and the bioavailabilities of EP and EN were significant improved compared with the conventional powder-filled capsules. A double peak phenomenon was identified in the plasma concentration-time curve. The gastric emptying and variability of GIT absorption, the probable causes of the double peak phenomenon, were studied by administering TAF2 solid dispersion to Sprague Dawley rats. As marker compounds, theophylline and sulfasalazine were used to determine the gastric emptying and variability of GIT absorption. The percentage absorbed of the markers was calculated using Wagner-Nelson method. The results showed that 50 % of theophylline was absorbed at 3 h, indicating the transit time of TAF2 solid dispersion from the stomach to the small intestine. Whereas, the 50 % of sulfapyridine, the metabolite of sulfasalazine, was absorbed at 8 h, reflected time of TAF2 solid dispersion to reach the colon. The concentration of TAF2 in colon was 74.36 % for EP and 80.27 % for EN, respectively. The results indicated that the delayed gastric emptying and colon absorption were the causes of double peak phenomenon. Thus, the delayed onset of in vivo activity of the quassinoids in E. longifolia was probably due to the delay of gastric emptying and colon absorption.


The story of Pierre Samuel Du Pont de Nemours has often been described as one of success. The man was a well-known statesman, economist and entrepreneur in late eighteenth-century France and his main legacy, the famous and still thriving Du Pont company, suggests a brilliant trajectory. The aim of this paper, however, is to analyze Du Pont's failure in performing the political and economic doctrine of which he was an active promoter all through his life: physiocracy. In all of his very diverse activities, be they scientific, political, or entrepreneurial, Du Pont indeed deliberately attempted to enact this original liberal doctrine. He tried, along with fellow physiocrats, to introduce freedom of trade and enterprise in Old Regime French minds and economic practices. Later, when emigrating to the United States, he devised a plan for a physiocratic colony. But none of these ventures was actually a success during Du Pont's lifetime: the performation of some of physiocracy's main propositions only came later, in a diffuse and partial way. We contend that this relative failure of performativity can be explained by Du Pont's specific type of agency: one relying mainly on political engineering, based on personal ties and reputations, as well as on a strict distinction between ends and means.


DNA detection has revolutionized medical and biological research fields. It provides a wealth of medical information for each individual, which can be used in a personalized medicinal procedure in the future. Genome sequence helps to enhance our perception of inheritance, disease, and individuality. This work aims to improve DNA sequencing accuracy and the overall current signal using a novel nano pore based sensor that is developed to detect and identify the DNA bases. Herein, a novel z-shaped field effect transistor with a nano pore for the aim of DNA detection is studied, where a gate terminal is added below the center of the z-shaped graphene nano ribbon. First-principle transport calculations are used to identify the DNA bases and electronic signature. An efficient density functional theory approach combined with non-equilibrium Green's function formalism (DFT + NEGF) are utilized to detect the transmission spectrum and current for DNA nucleo bases: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine. Using transmission current, a distinctive electronic signature is generated for each DNA base to detect each DNA sequence. Various orientations and lateral position for each DNA base are considered. Moreover, the effect of decorating the developed DNA sensor with gold and silver nanoparticles on the sensor's electrical current and transmission spectra is studied and analyzed. The results suggest that the z-shaped sensor could achieve DNA sequencing with high accuracy. The practical implementation of this work represents the capability to anticipate and cure diseases from the genetic makeup perspective.


The paper presents a study that examines older Finnish adults' self-perceived capability to access, evaluate, understand and use health-related information, and their perceived ability to influence their health themselves, and the relationship between these factors and their current health, health behaviour and information seeking. Questionnaires were mailed by post to 1000 Finns aged 65–79 years, and a total of 281 completed questionnaires (28%) were returned. Of these, 273 were included in the study. Cross-tabulation and chi-square tests were used for the analysis. Results showed that both a stronger belief in one's capability to master health information and to act in a healthy manner were positively linked to better health and health behaviour as well as more active information behaviour. These beliefs can be important factors for influencing certain health behaviours and even behaviour change.


An infinitely long hollow cylinder containing isotropic linear elastic material is considered under the effect of arbitrary boundary stress and thermal condition. The two-dimensional coupled thermoelastodynamic PDEs are specified based on equations of motion and energy equation, which are uncoupled using Nowacki potential functions. The Laplace integral transform and Bessel-Fourier series are used to derive the solution for the potential functions, and then the displacements-, stresses- and temperature-potential relationships are used to determine the displacements, stresses and temperature fields. It is shown that the formulation presented here are identically collapsed on the solution existed in the literature for simpler case of axissymetric configuration. A numerical procedure is needed to evaluate the displacements, stresses and temperature at any point and any time. The numerical inversion method proposed by Durbin is applied to evaluate the inverse Laplace transforms of different functions involved in this paper. For numerical inversion, there exist many difficulties such as singular points in the integrand functions, infinite limit of the integral and the time step of integration. With a very precise attention, the desired functions have been numerically evaluated and shown that the boundary conditions have been satisfied very accurately. The numerical evaluations are graphically shown to make engineering sense for the problem involved in this paper for different case of boundary conditions. The results show the wave velocity and the time lack of receiving stress waves. The effect of temperature boundary conditions are shown to be somehow oscillatory, which is used in designing of such an elements.


Rest's hypothesis that the components of morality (i.e., sensitivity, reasoning, motivation, and implementation) are distinct from one another was tested using evidence from a dental ethics curriculum that uses well-validated measures of each component. Archival data from five cohorts (n = 385) included the following: (1) transcribed responses to a measure of ethical sensitivity collected at the end of the third year; (2) pre- and post-test moral judgment scores; (3) pre- and post-test motivation scores; and (4) implementation scores – performance on eight cases completed during the third and fourth years. Because the ethical sensitivity test had been scored by multiple raters, and interrater reliability did not meet acceptable standards, 120 portfolios were randomly selected from the five cohorts and responses were rescored prior to analysis. Correlations among the measures were low, ranging from − .08 to .34, supporting Rest's contention that the processes are distinct from one another and competence in one does not predict competence in another. The findings have implications for moral and character education programs.


Taking, modifying and displaying human body parts as trophies have been observed in several human groups since prehistoric times. Although there are many skeletal collections that present evidence for this practice, the existence of both skeletal material and written records referring to the same group is quite rare. Nevertheless, this is a case of 112 human skeletal remains collected by Charles Hose in Borneo in the late 19th century, which represents a unique opportunity to understand the vanished headhunting tradition and warfare practice in this area, as well as to compare the written records with the bioarchaeological evidence. Although Hose claims that all individuals collected by him were beheaded, our study shows that only 50.5% of the studied material show clear osteological signs of decapitation. Other practices which were part of the ritual of headhunting described by Hose could be observed, like widening of foramen magnum, burning of skulls, mandible tied to the cranium with a strip of rattan or cotton, as well as drilled perforations to suspend skulls in longhouses. Adult females and non-adults comprised more than one third of the total number where sex and age could be determined, showing that males were not the sole targets for trophy heads. Overall, this study on the trophy skulls from Borneo is valuable as it combines and compares ethnographic accounts and osteological data to provide us with a broader scenario of a vanished practice. It draws attention to some aspects that should be taken into account when working exclusively with either written records or skeletal materials, as both present limitations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


60 GHz millimeter wave technology has become an attractive solution for wireless communication in the most recent market. In the draft of IEEE 802.11ad standard, two modulation schemes are being considered in the design of physical (PHY) layer, namely, Single-Carrier (SC), and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). In this paper, the error performances of both coded modulation schemes under different channel models with hardware impairment are investigated. This hardware impairment includes non-linear distortion induced by 60 GHz power amplifier (PA) and phase noise of 60 GHz Phased Locked Loop (PLL) circuit. The channel models include Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) conference room models. Simulation results demonstrate that OFDM requires a much higher back-off power than SC to achieve the system requirement. In a realistic 60GHz channel based on measurements provided by 802.11ad, OFDM has gained better performance than SC with hardware impairment under NLOS situation using directional antennae.


Best and Brouwer proved that triply-shortened and doubly-shortened binary Hamming codes (which have length 2m-4 and 2m-3, respectively) are optimal. Properties of such codes are here studied, determining among other things parameters of certain subcodes. A utilization of these properties makes a computer-aided classification of the optimal binary one-error-correcting codes of lengths 12 and 13 possible; there are 237 610 and 117 823 such codes, respectively (with 27 375 and 17 513 inequivalent extensions). This completes the classification of optimal binary one-error-correcting codes for all lengths up to 15. Some properties of the classified codes are further investigated. Finally, it is proved that for any m ≥ 4, there are optimal binary one-error-correcting codes of length 2m-4 and 2m-3 that cannot be lengthened to perfect codes of length 2m-1.


A new method for inversion of surface-wave dispersion data is introduced. This method successfully utilizes recently developed genetic algorithms as a global optimization method. Such algorithms usually consist of selection, crossover, and mutation of individuals in a population. To facilitate convergence to an optimal solution, we added elite selection, which ensures that the "best" individual with the smallest misfit value is not excluded from the succeeding generation, and dynamic mutation, which contains a generation-variant mutation probability. Using synthetic and observed earthquake data, we examined the applicability of this genetic surface-wave inversion method in deducing an S-wave profile for sedimentary layers from short- and intermediate-period surface-wave dispersion data. We demonstrated that the method is robust and can be used to interpret surface-wave dispersion data.


This paper describes a method for building interpolating or approximating implicit surfaces from polygonal data. The user can choose to generate a surface that exactly interpolates the polygons, or a surface that approximates the input by smoothing away features smaller than some user-specified size. The implicit functions are represented using a moving least-squares formulation with constraints integrated over the polygons. The paper also presents an improved method for enforcing normal constraints and an iterative procedure for ensuring that the implicit surface tightly encloses the input vertices.