Relationship between lumbar kyphotic deformity and gastroesophageal reflux disease has been indicated in recent years. But it remains unclear whether kyphotic deformity of the lumbar vertebrae affects gastric motility. Healthy young adults (n = 20) were analyzed by recording the electrogastrography (EGG) and heart rate variability (HRV) before and after meal with flexion and neutral postures. Dominant power (DP) and dominant frequency (DF) of EGG and low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) of HRV were analyzed in blocks of 10 minutes' duration. In neutral posture, DPs of all postprandial durations were significantly higher than those during fasting in two channels (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). However, in flexion posture, only DP at postprandial 20 (10-20 minutes after eating) in a channel was significantly higher than that during fasting (P < 0.05). DF in neutral posture was significantly higher than that in flexion posture at postprandial 20 in a channel (P < 0.05). The standard deviation of DF at postprandial 10 in flexion posture was significantly higher than that during fasting in a channel (P < 0.05). LF/HF in neural posture was significantly higher than that in flexion posture at postprandial 10 (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that inhibition of stomach myoelectrical activity was induced in the flexion posture in this lumbar kyphotic model, and autonomic activity as assessed by HRV did not accord with that expected from EGG.


This paper investigates the roles of focus, arguing that such a notion is too wide and can be applied to several phenomena. I show that focus needs to be further specified for (at least) another feature and is therefore made of smaller primitive traits. These can combine to create bundles of features, which give rise to the several types of foci we know. Moreover, these features are subject to parametrization and can thus account for cross-linguistic differences.


Background: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed medical education and is likely to have long-lasting effects on student learning, mental well-being, and eating behaviour. This study aimed to examine the learning behaviours of medical students at the American University of Integrative Sciences (AUIS), Barbados, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based on-line survey was administered to medical students at AUIS from July to November 2021. The data collecting instrument recorded students' demographic and learning behaviour information and eating disorders (SCOFF questionnaire). Results: The overall response rate was 55% (n = 120). In relation to learning behaviour, students agreed with the following statements: 'deterioration in work performance and studying' (48.4%), 'remember subject's contents appropriately' (40.4%), 'concentration on the studies' (40.3%), 'difficulty in performing two tasks simultaneously' (38.7%), 'difficulty in performing mental calculations' (33.9%), 'difficulty in recalling recent information' (32.3%), and 'difficulty in recalling old information' (38.7%). Among the eight dimensions of learning behaviours, deterioration in work performance or studying and difficulties in recalling recent information were found to be significantly associated with the gender of the students. For the SCOFF questionnaire, approximately 24.2% screened positive for eating disorders. Screening with the SCOFF test demonstrated that females, older (>25 years), overweight + obese, Clinical Sciences + PreMed, and non-USA-based students were at more risk of eating disorders. Conclusions: The results indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, AUIS students have developed learning difficulties and are likely to have eating disorders. University policymakers should take appropriate measures to support a healthy learning environment and improve students' mental well-being and eating behaviours.


Simpsonotus praecursor gen. et sp. nov. and Simpsonotus major sp. nov. (Notoungulata, Henricosborniidae) represent the first fossil mamrnals found in the lower part (Mealla Formation) of the Santa Barbara Subgroup (Salta Group). The occurrence of these particular fossils confirm a Tertiary age for the entire Santa, Barbara Subgroup. Based on these taxa the Mealla Formation is correlated, at least in part, with the Riochican Land-mammal age (conventionally Late Paleocene) of Patagonia. Simpsonotus remains are the most complete Henricosborniidae thus far known and, based on its auditory region, are now recognized as the most primitive South American Notoungulata yet discovered. The primitive auditory structure of Simpsonotus suggests a distant relationship with other South American Notioprogonia (i.e. family Notostylopidae). If the characters in Simpsonotus are shared by other Henricosborniidae, then the family would deserve recognition as a distinct Suborder of the Notoungulata.


Detecting the denial of service attacks that solely target the router is a maximum security imperative in deploying IPv6 networks. The state-of-the-art Denial of Service detection methods aim at leveraging the advantages of flow statistical features and machine learning techniques. However, the detection performance is highly affected by the quality of the feature selector and the reliability of datasets of IPv6 flow information. This paper proposes a new neuro-fuzzy inference system to tackle the problem of classifying the packets in IPv6 networks in crucial situation of small-supervised training dataset. The proposed system is capable of classifying the IPv6 router alert option packets into denial of service and normal by utilizing the neuro-fuzzy strengths to boost the classification accuracy. A mathematical analysis from the fuzzy sets theory perspective is provided to express performance benefit of the proposed system. An empirical performance test is conducted on comprehensive dataset of IPv6 packets produced in a supervised environment. The result shows that the proposed system overcomes robustly some state-of-the-art systems.


Heterosporous ferns (Salviniales) are a group of approximately 70 species that produce two types of spores (megaspores and microspores). Earlier broad-scale phylogenetic studies on the order typically focused on one or, at most, two species per genus. In contrast, our study samples numerous species for each genus, wherever possible, accounting for almost half of the species diversity of the order. Our analyses resolve Marsileaceae, Salviniaceae and all of the component genera as monophyletic. Salviniaceae incorporate Salvinia and Azolla; in Marsileaceae, Marsilea is sister to the clade of Regnellidium and Pilularia– this latter clade is consistently resolved, but not always strongly supported. Our individual species-level investigations for Pilularia and Salvinia, together with previously published studies on Marsilea and Azolla (Regnellidium is monotypic), provide phylogenies within all genera of heterosporous ferns. The Pilularia phylogeny reveals two groups: Group I includes the European taxa P. globulifera and P. minuta; Group II consists of P. americana, P. novae-hollandiae and P. novae-zelandiae from North America, Australia and New Zealand, respectively, and are morphologically difficult to distinguish. Based on their identical molecular sequences and morphology, we regard P. novae-hollandiae and P. novae-zelandiae to be conspecific; the name P. novae-hollandiae has nomenclatural priority. The status of P. americana requires further investigation as it consists of two geographically and genetically distinct North American groups and also shows a high degree of sequence similarity to P. novae-hollandiae. Salvinia also comprises biogeographically distinct units – a Eurasian group (S. natans and S. cucullata) and an American clade that includes the noxious weed S. molesta, as well as S. oblongifolia and S. minima. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 157, 673–685.


We experimentally determine the quantum discord present in two-mode squeezed vacuum generated by a four-wave mixing process in hot rubidium vapor. The frequency spectra of the discord, as well as the quantum and classical mutual information are also measured. In addition, the effects of symmetric attenuation introduced into both modes of the squeezed vacuum on the discord, the quantum mutual information and the classical correlations are examined experimentally. Finally, we show that due to the multi-spatial-mode nature of the four-wave mixing process, the quantum discord may exhibit sub- or superadditivity depending on which spatial channels are selected.


By means of the three-point bending impact equipment, with the measurement of ultrasonic velocity, the low velocity impact damage evolution of reactive powder concrete (RPC) with 0, 1%, 2% and 3% volume fraction of steel fiber were tested. In this study, the damage variable D pertaining to ultrasonic velocity had been selected to study the damage evolution process of RPC. The results indicate that the fatigue damage process of RPC is linear. The addition of fibers effectively improves the impact energy absorption behavior of RPC matrix, and the damage variable D of RPC with different fiber dosages increases by 1.1~3.5 times than that of plain concrete when it is ultimately destroyed.


OBJECTIVES
We evaluated a strategy for preventing tuberculosis (TB) in communities most affected by it.

METHODS
In 1996, we mapped reported TB cases (1985-1995) and positive tuberculin skin test (TST) reactors (1993-1995) in Smith County, Texas. We delineated the 2 largest, densest clusters, identifying 2 highest-incidence neighborhoods (180 square blocks, 3153 residents). After extensive community preparation, trained health care workers went door-to-door offering TST to all residents unless contraindicated. TST-positive individuals were escorted to a mobile clinic for radiography, clinical evaluation, and isoniazid preventive treatment (IPT) as indicated. To assess long-term impact, we mapped all TB cases in Smith County during the equivalent time period after the project.

RESULTS
Of 2258 eligible individuals, 1291 (57.1%) were tested, 229 (17.7%) were TST positive, and 147 were treated. From 1996 to 2006, there were no TB cases in either project neighborhood, in contrast with the preintervention decade and the continued occurrence of TB in the rest of Smith County.

CONCLUSIONS
Targeting high-incidence neighborhoods for active, community-based screening and IPT may hasten TB elimination in the United States.


We report the concept of a near-field memory device based on the radiative bistability effect in the system of two closely separated parallel plates of SiO$_2$ and VO$_2$ which exchange heat by thermal radiation in vacuum. We demonstrate that the VO$_2$ plate, having metal-insulator transition at 340 K, has two thermodynamical steady-states. One can switch between the states using an external laser impulse. We show that due to near-field photon tunneling between the plates, the switching time is found to be only 5 ms which is several orders lower than in case of far field.


This paper investigates the performance of digital correlated double sampling (DCDS) for processing of image sensor signals in the presence of white and 1/f noise. The DCDS is compared with the dual slope integrator, which is the optimal analogue processing technique when only white noise is present. Based on the concept of matched filters, the paper derives and explores the optimal signal processing algorithms for signals with dominant 1/f noise, resulting in the highest achievable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Experimental results based on optimal DCDS on artificially generated 1/f noise signals are presented and discussed, together with the limitations of the method for more realistic sensor signals. It is shown that the noise level of the optimal DCDS can get close to the theoretical minimum.


Introduction The Informed Health Choices (IHC) project developed learning resources to teach primary school children (10 to 12-year-olds) to assess treatment claims and make informed health choices. The aim of our study is to explore the educational context for teaching and learning critical thinking about health in Spanish primary schools. Methods During the 2020-2021 school year, we will conduct 1) a systematic assessment of educational documents and resources, and 2) semi-structured interviews with key education and health stakeholders. In the systematic assessment of educational documents and resources, we will include state and autonomous communities' curriculums, school educational projects, and commonly used textbooks and other health teaching materials. In the semi-structured interviews, we will involve education and health policy makers, developers of learning resources, developers of health promotion and educational interventions, head teachers, teachers, families, and paediatric primary care providers. We will design and pilot a data extraction form and a semi-structured interview guide to collect the data. We will perform a quantitative and a qualitative analysis of the data to explore how critical thinking about health is being taught and learned in Spanish primary schools. Conclusion We will identify opportunities for and barriers to teaching and learning critical thinking about health in Spanish primary schools. We will formulate recommendations—for both practice and research purposes—on how to use, adapt (if needed), and implement the IHC resources in this context.


We consider an interference network with independent links, whose multi-antenna transmitters have access to an imperfect analog estimate of their local channels. Assuming that the receivers treat the interference as noise, we define the outage rate region as the set of rate-tuples that are achievable with a given probability and we characterize the boundary of the region for transmit beamforming. Our study shows that the Pareto-optimal beamforming vectors judiciously balance the desired signal power and the interference power based on the quality of the estimated channel state. Our analysis further reveals that, in contrast to the well-known results by Jorswieck , for the perfect channel side-information case, transmission at full power is not necessarily Pareto-optimal.


The leaders of European Union member states have declared that a European constitution should take "a clear, open, effective, democratically controlled Community approach." Their goal -- that within the Union, "European institutions should be brought closer to its citizens" -- raises many questions about implementation. What is the most effective procedure for connecting citizens' preferences to political action and policy choices at the EU level? The contributors to this CESifo volume, internationally prominent economists and other scholars, address the major issues that arise in the writing of a constitution. They do so with the underlying assumption that individuals are rational actors and the goal of the state is to advance their collective interests. The ten chapters consider such topics as how a constitution might be designed to prevent military conflict, whether the EU will evolve "by default" into a federal state, the apparent contradiction between the evolutionary development of the EU and the static structure of the constitution, the definition of citizenship and rights, the division and distribution of power, the budgetary deadlock on the provision of public goods and the redistribution of resources, coordinating policy, alternative methods for choosing an EU president, and the role of such direct democracy institutions as referenda and initiatives. The editors conclude by summing up the main arguments advanced to offer a unified approach to these issues.


In this paper, we investigate the impact of antenna orientation on the performance of wireless sensor networks. In the experiments conducted using Crossbow MicaZ motes we realized that the antenna orientation has a significant impact on the received signal strength (RSSI). It thus becomes important to incorporate the effects on RSSI due to variations in antenna orientations while performing simulations and analyzing the performance of wireless sensor networks. We have successfully validated the experimental results with an analytical model. The significant deviations have been explained based on other factors that affect the performance of wireless sensor networks, viz. mulitpath, interference etc. However, it must be noticed that we do not generalize the results obtained, as it depends upon the type of antenna used, and in our case, it is a quarter wavelength tilt and swivel antenna that is usually used for MicaZ sensor motes. In order to determine the routing path from one node to the other, we propose Distance and Orientation based Protocol for Energy conservation, or in short DOPE. Using this protocol, the data is routed based on the least energy consuming path. Matlab simulation of sensor network yields that if the data is routed from one node to the other based on antenna orientation consideration, a lot of energy (on an average 30 percent) can be saved as compared to the networks where antenna orientation is not taken into consideration.


This paper presents the Mobile Chedar peer-to-peer middleware for mobile peer-to-peer applications. The middleware is an extension to the Chedar peer-to-peer network allowing mobile devices to access the Chedar network and also to communicate with other Mobile Chedar peers. Currently, Mobile Chedar uses Bluetooth to connect to Chedar gateway peers, because Bluetooth is now the most widespread short-range radio technology in mobile phones. We also introduce in this paper one example of a mobile peer-to-peer application for cooperative lecture notes taking, which is based on Mobile Chedar.


From the new Facebook 'Oversight Body' for content moderation to the 'Christchurch Call to eliminate terrorism and violent extremism online,' a growing number of voluntary and non-binding informal governance initiatives have recently been proposed as attractive ways to rein in Facebook, Google, and other platform companies hosting user-generated content. Drawing on the literature on transnational corporate governance, this article reviews a number of informal arrangements governing online content on platforms in Europe, mapping them onto Abbott and Snidal's (2009) 'governance triangle' model. I discuss three key dynamics shaping the success of informal governance arrangements: actor competencies, 'legitimation politics,' and inter-actor relationships of power and coercion.


With the development of additional financial services centres across the globe it has become apparent that Ireland must keep its competitive advantage. Given the success of the Irish mutual hnds industry and the creation of the Irish Financial Services Centre, why is that the largest financial institutions are attracted to our country? Due to significant changes that the industry in Ireland has witnessed over the last fifteen years this thesis will outline why financial institutions will be attracted to Ireland and how Ireland can remain competitive in an ever changing and expanding marketplace. Studies have shown that leading professionals within the Irish industry are confident this trend will continue. Ireland's main competitors are currently at a disadvantage as their current infrastructure is not fully developed, it is estimated that a third of global hedge funds are serviced in Ireland making it the largest hedge fund administration centre in the world. Overall, Ireland is now servicing one trillion dollars worth of the global assets. How can the product Ireland offers remain current and competitive in such a vast changing global financial climate?

Given the fact that a number of minimum activities must remain in Ireland for the service provided to financial institutions, my argument is can Ireland sustain this in light of the more cost effective financial service centres in the world such as India and Dubai?

I have chosen this area due to my experience in the financial services sector in Dublin over the past nine years. This area has become more than a passing interest to me as I have chosen this as a career path.

I have completed this thesis by carrying out both secondary and primary research. Given that the Irish industry is only fifteen years old, the main source of information has come from journals, magazines, and articles. In order to get a first hand knowledge I interviewed a senior professional in the industry. This individual has worked both in the United States where the industry is well established and has been working in the Dublin industry now for the past ten years.

Upon completion of this paper I have learned that this industry has not only attracted highly educated people in our country but now the workforce consists of a broad range of professionals from across the globe. There are no signs of this industry slowing down as the assets under administration serviced in Ireland continue to grow at a record pace.

The financial services industry within Ireland contributes to the economic success Ireland has witnessed over the last fifteen years. Without the advent of the IFSC who knows if Ireland could have been a major European economic force as it is today.


Individual Income tax means a part of the income that is collected by government to developing the country. The idea of developing System Online Payment For Individual Income is caused by the weakness of the current system. The current system have a problem in inefficient of payment processing that user must take a long time to make a payment and there is a limitation of choice of bank in electronic system. Therefore System Online Payment For Individual Income Tax is developed to provide individual income tax calculation and also payment processing through the credit card in a more efficient and secure way. The user of system is focused to whom have a credit card from a certified bank. The main objective for the system is to provide an efficient and trusted way for people to make a payment for their individual income tax. This system is developed using methodology RUP (Rational Unified Process). The system has five subsystems such a login subsystem, an individual income tax calculation subsystem, an individual income tax payment subsystem, a payment status check-up subsystem and a print-document subsystem. Programming language Java and JSP, Secure socket layer and certificate digital used to develop the system. Finally, this project is expected to use by people as an alternative to pay their individual income tax through Internet.


Methods of solving the neuro-electromagnetic inverse problem are examined and developed, with specific reference to the human visual cortex. The anatomy, physiology and function of the human visual system are first reviewed. Mechanisms by which the visual cortex gives rise to external electric and magnetic fields are then discussed, and the forward problem is described mathematically for the case of an isotropic, piecewise homogeneous volume conductor, and then for an anisotropic, concentric, spherical volume conductor. Methods of solving the inverse problem are reviewed, before a new technique is presented. This technique combines prior anatomical information gained from stereotaxic studies, with a probabilistic distributed-source algorithm to yield accurate, realistic inverse solutions. The solution accuracy is enhanced by using both visual evoked electric and magnetic responses simultaneously. The numerical algorithm is then modified to perform equivalent current dipole fitting and minimum norm estimation, and these three techniques are implemented on a transputer array for fast computation. Due to the linear nature of the techniques, they can be executed on up to 22 transputers with close to linear speedup. The latter part of the thesis describes the application of the inverse methods to the analysis of visual evoked electric and magnetic responses. The CIIm peak of the pattern onset evoked magnetic response is deduced to be a product of current flowing away from the surface areas 17, 18 and 19, while the pattern reversal P100m response originates in the same areas, but from oppositely directed current. Cortical retinotopy is examined using sectorial stimuli, the CI and CIm ;peaks of the pattern onset electric and magnetic responses are found to originate from areas V1 and V2 simultaneously, and they therefore do not conform to a simple cruciform model of primary visual cortex.


Biofouling is an important factor to consider when calculating the energetic efficiency of tidal farms. Despite the fact that biofouling effects have been widely investigated in the past for naval applications, very few studies concern tidal turbines. This paper proposes a numerical approach to assess the impact of biofouling on tidal turbines, which is efficient for testing many configurations. Two turbulence models are tested (RANS k-ω SST and LES Smagorinsky) for the motionless blade case to validate them. Then we chose to use the Smagorinsky model for the case of a complete tidal turbine rotor with realistically fouled blades. The pressure coefficient is strongly affected by the barnacle in the motionless blade case and the power coefficient is slightly degraded in the complete rotor case. Motionless blade cases do not represent the real biofouling behaviour for two reasons. First, sessile species settle in the down flow part of the chord where their impact is less important. Then, the surrounding turbulence provoked by the blades rotation in the rotor case reduces the impact of biofouling. In the wake, biofouling generates small vortexes that propagate into the larger ones, causing them to spread their energy.


With seven operational colliders in the world and two under construction, the international particle physics community not only actively explores options for the next facil-ities for detailed studies of the Higgs/electroweak physics and beyond-the-LHC energy frontier, but also seeks a clear picture of the limits of the colliding beams method. In this paper, we try to consolidate various recent efforts in identi-fying physics limits of colliders in conjunction with societal sustainability, and share our thoughts about the perspective of reaching the ultimate collider that is at the quantum limit.


The Northern Rocky Mountain Trench and a number of other prominent lineaments, along and east of the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt, mark faults along which dextral transcurrent movements have been dominant. Offsets of shelf to off-shelf facies boundaries in lower Paleozoic rocks indicate a cumulative displacement of at least 750 km, and probably >900 km, within the system of faults related to those in the Northern Rocky Mountain and the Tintina Trenches. Farther west, another system of faults appears to offset plutons and stratigraphic assemblages along the eastern margin of the Intermontane Belt by as much as 300 km. These faults, including the Kutcho and the Pinchi, connect in part with the Teslin Suture Zone in Yukon Territory and probably with the Fraser River-Straight Creek fault zone in southern British Columbia. Although dextral transcurrent faulting may have taken place between the Middle Jurassic and early Cenozoic, the most convincing evidence points to middle Cretaceous and particularly to early Cenozoic (Eocene?) displacements. The Eocene(?) movements were temporally related to plutonism, volcanism, lamprophyre dike emplacement, high heat flow, sedimentation in grabens, and rapid uplift of northwesterly trending elongate ranges. Climactic episodes of granite emplacement, particularly in and near the northern Omineca Crystalline Belt, at ∼100 m.y., 70 m.y., and 50 m.y. ago may have been facilitated by changes from dominantly compressional to dominantly transcurrent and related tensional strain.


Angiotensin-II is a multifunctional hormone that regulates blood pressure, plasma volume, neuronal functions, electrolyte balance, thrust and various other vital mechanisms. It acts through its receptors AT1 and AT2. The involvement of angiotensin-II and its receptors in cognition is still ambiguous. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of angiotensin-II (2 µg/3 µl, i.c.v.), losartan (AT1 blocker) (20 mg/kg, i.p.) and PD123177 (AT2 blocker) (20 mg/kg, i.p.) on scopolamine (3 mg/kg, i.p), sodium nitrite (75 mg/kg, i.p.) and BN52021 (15 mg/kg, i.p.) induced amnesia in mice using water maze test. All the agents were administered 30 min prior to first acquisition trial for 4 consecutive days and on the 5th day during the retrieval trial. The study indicated that losartan significantly reversed the scopolamine and sodium nitrite induced anterograde amnesia. On the other hand losartan failed to produce any significant effect on sodium nitrite and BN52021 induced retrograde amnesia. Angiotensin-II and PD123177 did not exhibit any significant effect on scopolamine, sodium nitrite and BN52021 induced amnesia. The findings suggest that anterograde amnesia of scopolamine and sodium nitrite may be mediated through AT1 receptor subtype only. These receptors are not involved in retrograde amnesia of sodium nitrite and BN52021. The finding also indicates that the brain structures involved in learning and memory are insensitive to exogenous angiotensin-II and PD123177 or have very less density of angiotensin receptors particularly AT2 subtype.


Background Chronic stress or prolonged administration of glucocorticoids suppresses proliferation and/or survival of newborn cells in adult rat dentate gyrus. Earlier we showed that administration of the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone during the final 4 days of a 21 days period of corticosterone treatment fully normalized the number of newborn cells. Here we aimed to better understand how mifepristone achieves this effect and questioned whether an even shorter (single day) mifepristone treatment (instead of 4 days) also suffices to normalize neurogenesis. Methods We investigated various steps of the neurogenic process, using the immunohistochemical markers BrdU, doublecortin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen as well as glial fibrillary acidic protein, after 17 or 21 days of corticosterone (versus vehicle) treatment. Results Corticosterone primarily attenuates the proliferation of cells which subsequently develop into neurons; this is fully reversed by mifepristone. Surprisingly, the corticosteroid effects on neurogenesis can even be fully re-set by a single-day treatment with mifepristone (on day 18), despite the continued corticosterone exposure on subsequent days. Conclusions Our results emphasize that studies into the therapeutical efficacy of new antidepressants, especially those targeting HPA-activity or the glucocorticoid receptor, should explore the possibility to reduce treatment duration.


The gist of this study was to investigate the copping strategies applied by teachers and school managers to implement life skill education in secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia West District, Kenya. This study used Social Learning Theory or Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) by Albert Bandura (1986), which  explains that children learn to behave through both formal instruction (for example how parents, teachers and other authorities and  what role-models tell them to behave) as well as observation) amongst others. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. From the target population of 1800 students, 150 teachers and 37 principals in 37 public secondary schools in the district, stratified random sampling technique was adopted to draw 15 principals, 30 teachers and 180 students yielding 225 subjects. Questionnaires were used to collect data from teachers and students while interview schedules were used to collect data from the principals.  Quantitative data from questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) while qualitative data from interviews were analyzed thematically. The main findings were that: the teachers and school managers were not well prepared to implement lifeskills education because of the fact that not only were the teachers not specifically trained to handle LSE, but they also claimed that since LSE is not examinable subject, it was also an added burden in the context of the high student-teacher ratio due to inadequate teaching force. In addition, although instructional resources are fairly available in most schools visited, they were grossly inadequate. While the attitude towards LSE education was positive amongst students, the teachers had negative attitude. It was evident that teachers and school managers had adopted various largely appropriate and participatory copping strategies including discussion, debates, brain-storming, case studies and storytelling amongst students and teachers to implement the LSE curriculum. What remains to be established is the extent of effectiveness of the applied strategies in meeting the objectives of LSE curriculum.  It is thus recommended that relevant Government Ministries and semi autonomous  Agencies  (SAGAs) should fast track  staff development initiatives  through in-service training to equip teachers and school managers  with relevant knowledge,  skills and attitudes necessary for the implementation of LSE curriculum not only in the  study locale but in other counties experiencing similar constraints in the country.[374 words]. Keywords : Life skills education, Implementation, level of preparedness, teachers, school managers, Secondary schools, Copping strategies, Trans-Nzoia West District, Kenya.


Cradle-knoll microtopography has been shown to influence soil and vegetation. However, the scale of commonly used topographic maps is too coarse for representation of microtopography. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influence of cradle-knoll microtopography on the distribution of trees, to develop a method to quantify the spatial patterns and characteristics of cradle-knolls, and to test for pattern similarity of cradle-knolls within and among drumlins in the Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin. Six drumlins were selected for study. Tree species, tree diameter, and microsite location (e.g., cradle, knoll, or neither) within which each tree was found were inventoried in three, 10-m-radius plots across each drumlin. The spatial location, length, width, relief, and orientation of 220 cradle-knolls were inventoried along 200-m transects using a T-square sampling technique on summit and backslope positions of each drumlin. Sixty percent of the trees inventoried were growing on knolls and only 2% were growing in cradles. The same number of knolls and cradles occurred among drumlins and among backslopes and summits within drumlins. Cradle-knoll relief differed among drumlins, and knoll relief is greater on backslopes than on summits within drumlins. Cradle-knoll orientation differed among slope positions. These findings suggest that treethrow rates and the size of the uprooted trees are roughly the same among and within drumlins. Differences in relief among drumlins are probably an indication of how recently treethrow has occurred. Greater relief of knolls among backslopes and summits is probably because of slope-mediated differences in cradle-knoll formation. Slope position also affects cradle-knoll orientation in these landscapes.


Although regret is assumed to facilitate good decision making, there is little research directly addressing this assumption. Four experiments (N = 326) examined the relation between children's ability to experience regret and the quality of their subsequent decision making. In Experiment 1 regret and adaptive decision making showed the same developmental profile, with both first appearing at about 7 years. In Experiments 2a and 2b, children aged 6–7 who experienced regret decided adaptively more often than children who did not experience regret, and this held even when controlling for age and verbal ability. Experiment 3 ruled out a memory-based interpretation of these findings. These findings suggest that the experience of regret facilitates children's ability to learn rapidly from bad outcomes.


Placing 'immunologic' as an adjective before a collection of lung diseases implies that the host has responded to the illness by reacting with distinctive airway and/or alveolar space cells and proteins, i.e. lymphocytes, macrophages, inflammatory cells, immunoglobulin (antibodies), possibly complement components and various cytokine mediators. Also implicit in the usage of the term is that certain research methods have been used to study the host response. Direct immunologic investigation of the human lung has advanced greatly by the use of fiberoptic bronchoscopy, available for the past 20 years, which has permitted sampling of the airways and alveolar space with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Values for immune components in BAL have been established for normals and used to contrast abnormal findings in many forms of lung disease. Examples of these findings in pulmonary sarcoidosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis are given. In contrast an immunologic deficiency, as may be found with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, illustrates how a lack or imbalance in immune components can contribute to infection and chronic disease. Overall, the analysis of immune components in BAL fluid has contributed to improved concepts about the immunopathogenesis of many lung diseases.


The phenomenon of tarantism has ancient origins, dating back to the Bacchic rites in ancient Greece, though, many scholars date its beginnings, in the form we observe now, only in the late Middle Ages. The medical literature of the '600, through illustrious authors like Epifanio Ferdinando and Giorgio Baglivi, analyses carefully the phenomenon dealing with the causes, effects and remedies that the bite of the tarantula causes on the human body. The bite is intended, therefore, solely as a curable disease with music. Today, in light of studies developed by Ernesto De Martino and his team in Salento, tarantism is seen as a socio-cultural phenomenon to analyse. The reaction that the bite causes has various psychological and social aspects to be taken into consideration: the large number of illiterate people, the patriarchal family, the role of women, of the economy, of religion. After the sting, the dancing body with the movements of a spider on the notes of the pinch-pinch or tarantella to kick the aracnides poison through sweating. But the poison, which shakes the man's body, is that of the animal or of a poisoned society? The interplay that develops between music and the psyche, causing the trance, is very important to try to give an answer to doubts and questions by psychologists, medicine doctors, sociologists and ethnologists over the years. The resumption of the phenomenon, to which we are witnessing today, intends to rediscover past traditions and cultures, trying to update them in a context in which the young person needs to get away from social evils and find certainties.


Research has shown that there is a much more intimate and complex relationship between the "mind" and "body" than heretofore acknowledged within the predominant Western scientific paradigm; and that a "sense of control" may be one of the more important variables mediating that relationship. Furthermore, even when this "mind-body" relationship is studied, it is often done so in a reductionist way--at a psychophysiological level within the individual, thereby ignoring the socio-cultural context within which it is embedded. To address these issues, this article examines the mind-body relationship within the socio-cultural/spiritual context of Bali. Specifically examined are: (1) the culture's underlying assumptions about the mind-body-spirit connection across developmental and life cycle issues (including physical illness, and death); (2) the importance of maintaining a sense of control, harmony, and balance, within oneself, one's community, and the cosmos; and (3) the implications of those views for a control-based model of positive health. The article concludes with: (1) a discussion of why control seems to be such an important "construct" in human evolution; (2) an examination of the costs and benefits of different methods of maintaining a sense of control and orientation; and (3) and a call for efforts toward a unifying theory of human control.


Human societies have radically changed from the second half of the 20th century. Urban areas are increasingly concentrating more people and economic activities. Connections between market economies in different regions have increased exponentially the flow of people and goods at a global level. These movements are spatially organized through a hierarchical transportation network that connects different areas. The quality and coverage of such network vary greatly across regions. Territorial cohesion and accessibility within a region could be roughly evaluated through the existing level of connectivity between urban nodes. This can be easily done by estimating travel times between different points in the territory, which would show relevant differences based on both the territory itself and the existing infrastructure. Unfortunately, this information is not typically shown in traditional maps. In this paper, we propose a novel methodology for assessing the degree of territorial accessibility within and across urban networks, by using time-distorted maps. To this end, we consider multiple scenarios related to different public transport modes and times of the day. The study area corresponds to a Spanish region, where we set up a relatively extended network by considering its most relevant cities and towns. Final maps can clearly illustrate the deficiencies in transport infrastructure and/or connections from a spatial perspective. These maps can be excellent tools for supporting technicians, politicians, public managers, and other stakeholders in the decision-making process.


The synthesis of nickel(II) and palladium(II) salicylaldiminato complexes incorporating the water-soluble phosphine 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane(PTA) has been achieved employing two preparative routes. Reaction of the original ethylene polymerization catalyst developed by Grubbs and co-workers (Organometallics 1998, 17, 3149), (salicylaldiminato)Ni(Ph)PPh(3), with PTA using a homogeneous methanol/toluene solvent system resulted in the formation of the PTA analogues in good yields. Alternatively, complexes of this type may be synthesized via a direct approach utilizing (tmeda)M(CH(3))(2) (M = Ni, Pd), the corresponding salicylaldimine, and PTA. Yields by this method were generally near quantitative. The complexes were characterized in solution by (1)H/(13)C/(31)P NMR spectroscopy and in the solid-state by X-ray crystallography. All derivatives exhibited square-planar geometry with the bulky isopropyl groups on the aniline being perpendicular to the plane formed by the metal center and its four ligands. Such orientation of these sterically encumbering groups is responsible for polymer chain growth during olefin polymerization in favor of chain termination via beta-hydride elimination. Polymerization reactions were attempted using the nickel-PTA complexes in a biphasic toluene/water mixture in an effort to initiate ethylene polymerization by trapping the dissociated phosphine ligand in the water layer, thereby eliminating the need for a phosphine scavenger. Unfortunately, because of the strong binding ability of the small, donating phosphine(PTA) as compared to PPh(3), phosphine dissociation did not occur at a temperature where the complexes are thermally stable.


The exergy efficiencies of the components (compressor I and II, condenser, evaporator and flash tank) of a two stage vapour compression refrigeration cycle were analysed with respect to evaporator and condenser temperatures for various refrigerants such a R1234ze, R1234yf, R236fa, R227ea and R134a. In the analysis, a computer program was developed by means of engineering equation solver (EES). The exergy efficiencies of components such as the evaporator, condenser, flash tank and compressor I increased while the exergy efficiency of compressor II decreased for the refrigerants used in the cycle for the evaporator temperatures ranging between -30°C to 0°C. The exergy efficiencies of the components such as compressor I and II increased while the exergy efficiency of condenser decreased, and the exergy efficiency of the evaporator stayed almost constant for the refrigerants used in the cycle for the condenser temperatures ranging between 40°C and 55°C. For all refrigerants, the highest exergy efficiencies (around 0.99) were obtained in the flash tank of the cycle while the lowest ones (around 0.15) were obtained in the condenser.


Rapid microglial activation and associated inflammatory pathways contribute to immune-defense and tissue repair in the central nervous system (CNS). However, persistent activation of these cells will ultimately result in vast production of pro-inflammatory mediators and other neurotoxic factors, which may induce neuronal damage and contribute to chronic neurodegenerative diseases, as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, small molecules with immunomodulatory effects on microglia may be considered as potential tools to counteract their proinflammatory phenotype and neuroimmune dysregulation in such disorders. Indeed, reducing amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced microglia activation is believed to be effective in treating AD. In this study, we investigated whether dipeptidyl vinyl sulfone (VS) was able to attenuate Aβ-mediated inflammatory response using a mouse microglial (N9) cell line and a solution containing a mixture of Aβ aggregates. We show that low levels of VS are able to prevent cell death while reducing microglia phagocytosis upon Aβ treatment. VS also suppressed Aβ-induced expression of inflammatory mediators in microglia, such as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, as well as high-mobility group box protein-1 (HMGB1), nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)-inflammasome, and interleukin (IL)-1β. Interestingly, increased expression of the two critical inflammation-related microRNAs (miR)-155 and miR-146a in microglia upon Aβ treatment was also prevented by VS coincubation. Taken together, VS emerges as a potential new therapeutic strategy worthy of further investigation in improved cellular and animal models of AD.


ABSTRACT In recent years, the usage of hydrogels in tissue regeneration and controlled drug release systems have been increasing rapidly due to their water holding capacity and 3D structure. In this study chitosan and dextran sulphate sodium were prefered to form pH-sensitive hydrogel by physical interaction. The biodegradability of the chitosan and the therapeutic properties of dextran sulphate sodium make them suitable as wound dressing material. In addition to these good specifications of polymers, vitamin-C and quercetin, which have an accelerating effect on wound healing. The structural and morphological characterisation of hydrogels were performed by FT-IR and SEM. The sweeling behaviour of this hydrogel was examined in PBS at different temperatures (25°C and 37°C) and pHs (6,7,7.4,8). In vitro release pattern of quercetin and vitamin-C were investigated. It was seen from this experiment that at the end of the 7 days, cell viability on loaded and unloaded hydrogel were higher than control group.


This Professional Report explores the unique health needs of homeless individuals, how homeless individuals access medical and mental health services, and the impact that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have on medical services for homeless individuals. Homeless individuals are more likely to experience physical and mental health problems and earlier mortality rates than the general population. Common access points for homeless medical services include clinics, such as Community Health Centers, and emergency care centers, such as hospital emergency rooms. Homeless individuals often face barriers of access to medical services, including competing priorities to sustain life, strained relationships with medical providers, and an inability to pay for high health care costs. Through the expansion of Medicaid and the Community Health Center network, the ACA has the potential to increase access to medical services for homeless individuals . This report concludes by offering recommendations to ensure that homeless individuals benefit from health care reform through the ACA.


The rapid progress in medical technology makes it unavoidable to ration health care. In the discussion how to ration many people claim that principles of justice in distributing scarce resources should be applied. In this paper we argue that medical resources are not scarce as such but scarcity is a necessary by-product of collective financing arrangements such as social health insurance. So the right question to ask is the determination of the benefit package of such an institution. Hartmut Kliemt is currently involved in a commendable interdisciplinary research project in which principles of 'prioritization' of medical care are studied. This contribution adds a specific perspective to this endeavour: we ask how the goal of distributive justice can be interpreted in this context and compare different approaches to implementing 'just' allocation mechanisms.


Here is the unabridged version of the classic theoretical study of voting behavior, originally published in 1960. It is a standard reference in the field of electoral research, presenting formulations of the theoretical issues that have been the focus of scholarly publication. No single study matches the study of "The American Voter."


Many social animal species produce vocalizations believed to facilitate group contraction when one or more group members have become distant. However, the mechanisms underlying this function remain unclear for many species. We examined this question with data on a semi-free ranging group of 16 adult domesticated goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) inhabiting Tsaobis Nature Park, Namibia. All goats wore dataloggers consisting of a GPS and audio recorder for 5-6 hours per day for 10 days, providing continuous data on their geolocations and vocal communication. We found that callers were farther from the group centroid than expected by chance and that call production was associated with the cessation of group expansion and subsequent group contraction. We did not find strong evidence for antiphonal call exchange between distant and core group members. Rather, we found that (i) call production by distant group members is associated with a significant reduction of group movement away from the caller, and (ii) call production by core group members is associated with greater, though not significantly greater, group movement towards the caller. These findings suggest that calls may be used by distant, and potentially core, group members to facilitate the contraction of group spread. Results from our study clarify the mechanisms through which social animals can regulate collective movement behavior and the specific role that vocalizations play in this process.


Objective: To estimate the burden of fungal infections in Jordan for the first time. Material and Methods: Population data was from UN 2011 statistics and TB cases from WHO in 2012. Fewer than 100 patients with HIV were recorded in Jordan in 2013. Approximately 100 renal transplants and eight liver transplants are performed annually. There were 12,233 major surgical procedures in Jordan in 2013, of which 5.3% were major abdominal surgeries; candidemia was estimated in 5% of the population based on other countries, with 33% occurring in the ICU. Candida peritonitis/intra-abdominal candidiasis was estimated to affect 50% of the number of ICU candidemia cases. No adult asthma rates have been recorded for Jordan, so the rate from the Holy Land (8.54% clinical asthma) from To et al. has been used. There are an estimated 49,607 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in Jordan, with 64% symptomatic, 25% Gold stage 3% or 4%, and 7% (3472) are assumed to be admitted to hospital each year. No cystic fibrosis cases have been recorded. Literature searches on fungal infections revealed few data and no prevalence data on fungal keratitis or tinea capitis, even though tinea capitis comprised 34% of patients with dermatophytoses in Jordan. Results: Jordan has 6.3 million inhabitants (65% adults, 6% are >60 years old). The current burden of serious fungal infections in Jordan was estimated to affect ~119,000 patients (1.9%), not including any cutaneous fungal infections. Candidemia was estimated at 316 cases and invasive aspergillosis in leukemia, transplant, and COPD patients at 84 cases. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis prevalence was estimated to affect 36 post-TB patients, and 175 in total. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS) prevalence in adults with asthma were estimated at 8900 and 11,748 patients. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis was estimated to affect 97,804 patients, using a 6% rate among women 15–50 years of age. Conclusion: Based on local data and literature estimates of the frequency of mycoses in susceptible populations, at least 1.9% of Jordanians have some form of serious fungal disease.


ABSTRACT In this study an attempt is made to develop a method of analysis dealing with a multilayer composite continuous beam , for linear material and shear connector behavior in which the slip (horizontal displacement) and uplift force (vertical displacement) are taken into consideration. The cross-sectional area for the beam consists of three layers varying in thickness and shear stiffness. The analysis is based on a approach presented by Roberts[1], basically for two layer simply supported beam, under uniform and point loads , which takes into consideration horizontal and vertical displacement in interfaces. The analysis led to a set of eight differential equations containing derivatives of the fourth and third order. A program based on the present analysis is built using finite difference method using boundary conditions. A comparison between the present analytical solution and previous studies shows close agreement. Continuous composite beams are very important element in construction of high rise buildings , multi-story frames and bridges, due to great advantages that can be obtained by using this sort of structural elements, such as reducing the beam moments, suitable reduction in deflections. The model deals with continuous beam consisting from three layers as a cross-sectional area with inter-layer slip. The cross-sectional area consist of composite material including intermediate layer from concrete and an upper and lower material with high strength in tension and compression ( i.e. steel plates or steel beams )


Energy markets are expected to change. One interesting new market design is a local electricity retail market for prosumers. Such local energy markets provide interesting opportunities to accommodate major dynamics in the energy industry. However, business modeling for such local electricity retail markets is a challenge. Not only do emerging local energy markets differ from established markets, but they are also likely to differ among each other in regard to local regulations, local technical system set-ups, or local patterns of social acceptance. New business models for these markets can be developed for different owners - such as utilities, start-ups, or new entrants - or even for new forms of organizations, such as energy cooperatives. Within this case study students explore the emergence of a decentralized energy world as an opportunity for business modeling. Students learn about strategic issues in the energy business that shape current and future markets. They practice business modeling which accounts for the multi-level drivers that shape this market transition. The students in particular engage in business model composition for local electricity markets and compose new business models for empowering prosumers with smart grid power services and "energy managers from the hood".
Ref.: 315-351-1 / 8
http://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/products/view?id=131609


The first aim of this study is to analyze the impact behavior of pre-loaded composite. Indeed, a bi-axial load is applied to the composite specimen, in order to keep in touch with a real case of composite fuselage. Then, this pre-loaded specimen is impacted by a pendulum. The used energy and velocity are weak in order to be in the case of low-energy and low-velocity impact. The second aim of this study is to develop and design a pendulum device to be integrated to the bi-axial fatigue loading. Moreover, two Non Destructive Inspections (Sonoscan and InfraRed Thermography) is used in order to establish links between pre-load and induced impact damage.


The paper introduces the basic connotation of peasant organization and agricultural management organization in China, analyzes the importance of agricultural management organization and puts forward the dilemma it faced with, which contains poor awareness and unbalanced organization development, small size of the agricultural management organization and inapparently driven effect, low level of standardization of organization and low operational efficiency, imperfect related supporting system and high running cost. Based on this, the paper put forward proposals to improve the level of agricultural management organization in our country. First, enhance publicity and education and strive to transform the peasants' awareness of agricultural management organization. Second, deepen the market-oriented reform, improve the ability of information service and increase the standardization of agricultural management organization. Third, widen the value chain of agricultural products, build carrier of ideal agricultural organization and ensure the peasant's benefits. Fourth, perfect multiple operation mechanism and advance the process of agricultural management organization of China in multi-channel.


The objective of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the profession of neuropsychology in Mexico, including the background, professional training, current work situation, evaluation and diagnosis procedures, rehabilitation, teaching, and research. 171 professionals from Mexico completed an online survey between July 1 2013 and January 1 of 2014. 76% indicated having obtained their training in neuropsychology in a postgraduate program, also to be very satisfied with their jobs but less satisfied with their salary. The majority works with individuals with learning difficulties (78%) and attention and hyperactivity disorder (74%). 91% works in evaluation and diagnosis, 61% in rehabilitation, 67% in teaching, and 60% in research. Some of the most common problems with the instruments were the lack of normative data (63%) and their high cost (58%). The most common barriers for the development of neuropsychology in Mexico were the lack of collaboration between professionals and, the lack of clinical training programs. Even though there have been important progresses in the field of professional neuropsychological practice during the last past decades in Mexico, there are still some aspects to improve, like the establishment of standards for the regulation in the country.


Abstract. In the literature, authors have made contributions in the area of partially
compliant slider-crank (rocker) mechanisms possessing rigid joints that may
cause backlash inherently. On contrary, fully compliant mechanisms offer no
backlash which is a valuable property for the cases where high precision is
required. In this paper, we proposed a fully compliant slider-crank
mechanism that performs large stroke. Kinematic performance of the mechanism
is investigated analytically. Dimensions of the mechanism are optimized to
obtain maximum translational output, while keeping deflections of flexible
hinges equal to each other and as small as possible. A design table
displaying stroke, axis drift of the output segment, and critical stresses
of compliant segments are presented. As an example, a compliant mechanism is
designed by using rigid body replacement technique. Then, via nonlinear
finite element analysis technique, analytical results are verified. Finally,
a prototype is built to compare output stroke and axis drift with analytical
approaches. The results of experiments verified that the theoretical
approaches are consistent.


Five years of freshwater bivalves survey using environmental DNA analysis: which conclusions, which perspectives? Freshwater species surveys using environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis have developed over the last decade. We present here the application of this method to inventory freshwater bivalves of France. From 2015 to 2018, we conducted several field tests in France, choosing different environmental conditions. We compared the results of eDNA analyzes with knowledge on bivalves distribution at the scale of France mainland, at the scale of the Meuse and the Rhône watersheds, and with sites that were the subject of intensive surveys, involving several malacologists using traditional methods (observations with bathyscopes, scuba diving, sediment sorting). Our results show the effectiveness of eDNA analyzes for the detection and distinction of almost all freshwater bivalve taxa in France (except for the different species of Corbicula and the subspecies of Unio mancus Lamarck, 1819). The method has been commercialized since 2018 and at the end of 2020 our database contains more than 300 sites inventoried by eDNA analysis. The analysis of these results shows that some little studied species, in particular downstream ecosystem species, suffer from extirpation in France. They argue in favor of the implementation of conservation actions, in particular for the Witham Orb Mussel Sphaerium solidum (Normand, 1844), the Nut Orb Mussel Sphaerium rivicola (Lamarck, 1818) and the Depressed River Mussel Pseudanodonta complanata (Rossmässler, 1835).


Circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are elevated in obesity and diabetes, and recent studies support a causal role for BCAAs in insulin resistance and defective glycemic control. The physiological mechanisms underlying BCAA regulation are poorly understood. Here we show that insulin signaling in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) of rats is mandatory for lowering plasma BCAAs most probably by inducing hepatic BCAA catabolism. Insulin receptor deletion only in AgRP neurons in the MBH impaired hepatic BCAA breakdown and suppression of plasma BCAAs during hyperinsulinemic clamps in mice. In support of this, chemogenetic stimulation of AgRP neurons in the absence of food significantly raised plasma BCAAs and impaired hepatic BCAA degradation. A prolonged fasting or ghrelin treatment recapitulated DREADD-induced activation of AgRP neurons and increased plasma BCAAs. Acute stimulation of vagal motor neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus (DMV) was sufficient to decrease plasma BCAAs. Notably, elevated plasma BCAAs were associated with impaired glucose homeostasis. These findings suggest a critical role of insulin signaling in AgRP neurons for BCAA regulation, and raise a possibility that this control may be mediated primarily via vagal outflow. Further, our results provide an opportunity to closely examine the potential mechanistic link between CNS-driven BCAA control and glucose homeostasis.


While screening off-target effects of rigid (N)-methanocarba-adenosine 5′-methylamides as A3 adenosine receptor (AR) agonists, we discovered μM binding hits at the δ-opioid receptor (DOR) and translocator protein (TSPO). In an effort to increase OR and decrease AR affinity by structure activity analysis of this series, antagonist activity at κ-(K)OR appeared in 5′-esters (ethyl 24 and propyl 30), which retained TSPO interaction (μM). 7-Deaza modification of C2-(arylethynyl)-5′-esters but not 4′-truncation enhanced KOR affinity (MRS7299 28 and 29, Ki ≈ 40 nM), revealed μ-OR and DOR binding, and reduced AR affinity. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations located a putative KOR binding mode consistent with the observed affinities, placing C7 in a hydrophobic region. 3-Deaza modification permitted TSPO but not OR binding, and 1-deaza was permissive to both; ribose-restored analogues were inactive at both. Thus, we have repurposed a known AR nucleoside scaffold for OR antagonism, with a detailed hypothesis for KOR recognition.


OBJECT
In clinical practice, schwannomas are among the most common types of nerve sheath tumors. Their clinical presentation, imaging characteristics, and operative features are well known. Over the past 20 years, clinical outcomes have improved due to resection of these tumors at a fascicular level. Despite these advances, a subgroup of patients with schwannomas is associated with a disappointing neurological outcome following resection. The purpose of this study was to correlate the imaging and histological features in this group of patients with more anatomically complex forms of schwannomas.

METHODS
In a retrospective review performed at their institution over a 10-year period, the authors found a subgroup of patients with complex multinodular/plexiform schwannomas affecting major peripheral nerves. Eleven patients were identified, and the clinical, imaging, and pathological features of their disease were reviewed.

RESULTS
The clinical presentation of multinodular/plexiform schwannomas of major peripheral nerves may be similar to that of conventional schwannomas, but their imaging features, operative appearance, and outcomes differ.

CONCLUSIONS
Preoperatively and intraoperatively, the distinguishing features of multinodular/plexiform schwannomas of major peripheral nerves may be subtle and can easily go unrecognized, thus explaining the often suboptimal surgical results. Familiarity with the imaging and operative features of multinodular/plexiform schwannomas will no doubt alter treatment approaches and improve neurological function in this subgroup of patients.


Morphing wings offer potential efficiency and performance benefits for aircraft fulfilling multiple mission requirements. However, the design of shape adaptable wings is limited by the inherent design trade-offs of weight, aerodynamic control authority, and load-carrying capacity. A potential solution to this trilemma is proposed by exploiting the stiffness adaptability of thin, curved structures which geometric instability results in two statically stable states. We design and manufacture a morphing wing section demonstrator composed of two compliant 3D printed ribs monolithically embedded with the proposed bi-stable elements. The demonstrator's structural response is numerically modelled and compared with experimental results from a static loading test. A deflection field of the response under mechanical actuation is obtained through digital image correlation. Numerical and experimental results indicate the capability of the wing section to achieve four distinct stable configurations with varying global stiffness behavior.


[Introduction] Millennial Readers: An Analysis of Young Adult Escapism The emphasis on the generational identity of American millennials and their portrayal in the current cultural landscape of the twenty-first century furthers the idea that millennials are exhibiting escapist tendencies by engaging themselves as a majority (fifty-five percent) of young adult readership ("New Study"). Born within 1981 and 1996, millennials (also known as Generation Y) are defined, as those that are—for reasons such as student debt, cost of living, and the financial crisis—delaying typical milestones of adulthood like obtaining a degree, securing a career, purchasing a house, and starting a family. This examination of the social and cultural factors that have affected twenty-first century American society exposes how authors have navigated a world increasingly defined by evolving identity, displacement, discrimination, and a generational lack of agency for the age-diverse young adult market. These themes—including Black Lives Matter, socio-economic hardships, and totalitarian power—have been written with younger audiences in mind, as authors attempt to mimic societal pitfalls within literature in an approachable narrative. The regression of adulthood and millennial priorities have evolved the young adult genre over the last twenty years (since the first millennials became adults), and as a result, they have generationally transitioned into a redefined version of adulthood that requires an escapist outlet.


A promising strategy to cure HIV infected individuals is to use latency reversing agents (LRAs) to reactivate latent viruses, followed by host clearance of infected reservoir cells. However, reactivation of latent proviruses within infected cells is heterogeneous and often incomplete. This fact limits strategies to cure HIV which may require complete elimination of viable virus from all cellular reservoirs. For this reason, understanding the mechanism(s) of reactivation of HIV within cellular reservoirs is critical to achieve therapeutic success. Methodologies enabling temporal tracking of single cells as they reactivate followed by sorting and molecular analysis of those cells are urgently needed. To this end, microraft arrays were adapted to image T-lymphocytes expressing mCherry under the control of the HIV long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter, in response to the application of various LRAs (prostratin, iBET151, and SAHA). In response to prostratin, iBET151, and SAHA, 30.5 %, 11.2 %, and 12.1 % percentage of cells respectively, reactivated similar to that observed in other experimental systems. The arrays enabled large numbers of single cells (>25,000) to be imaged over time. mCherry fluorescence quantification identified cell subpopulations with differing reactivation kinetics. Significant heterogeneity was observed at the single cell level between different LRAs in terms of time to reactivation, rate of mCherry fluorescence increase upon reactivation, and peak fluorescence attained. In response to prostratin, subpopulations of T lymphocytes with slow and fast reactivation kinetics were identified. Single T-lymphocytes that were either fast or slow reactivators were sorted, and single-cell RNA-sequencing was performed. Different genes associated with inflammation, immune activation, and cellular and viral transcription factors were found. These results advance our conceptual understanding of HIV reactivation dynamics at the single-cell level toward a cure for HIV.


The purpose ot this study is to investigate how two teachers of fifth grade say they are working with reading comprehension in their teaching. Furthermore the aim is to investigate how the teachers' instruction in reading cmprehension expresses itself. The study was conducted from a teachers perspective and the questions that the stydy will answer are: How do two teachers in fifth grade believe they should teach in order to develop reading comprehension among their own students, and what methods, activities and materials are the teachers using in order to develop students' reading omprehension in the educational practise. The methods used during the study were interviews and observations. The observations were made in order to complete the picture from the interviews. The result show that two teachers in the same munipicality represent two different teaching methods. One teacher represents the reciprocal method and the other teacher represents a practise where the focus is on the individual to develop their own reading comprehension through individual work. The conclusions are: all students need support and help from other students and teachers to develop their reading comprehension and a system should be developed to enable all teachers to receive training and knowledge of successful methods for developing reading comprehension based on resarch.


In order to maximize student development in an interdisciplinary context, we implemented and evaluated a business-biology team teaching approach. The class project involved teams of environmental science and business students analyzing an industry stakeholder interested in participating in the development of a community composting network. We compared the results of this team-taught section with a more traditionallytaught business section with a sustainability emphasis, with the objectives of identifying student learning gains and reflecting, as faculty, upon the experience. In the affective domain, there was initial discomfort with the interdisciplinary team teaching method on the part of both faculty and students. In the cognitive domain, both team-taught and traditional sections perceived significant gains in understanding both business and natural systems, although the treatment group alone made significant (P < 0.10) gains in linking interdisciplinary thinking and an understanding of both business and natural systems to future success. These findings suggest that the affective and cognitive transformations experienced in team-taught settings are important for teaching expanded worldviews and diverse perspectives.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) is an important mediator of tumor cell growth, survival and proliferation. In particular, PI3K alpha is important for signaling downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases and is also frequently amplified or mutationally activated in tumors, suggesting that selective inhibitors of this isoform may have therapeutic utility in the treatment of cancer. Downstream of PI3K, the mTOR kinase also plays a critical role in cellular growth and metabolism, and inhibitors of mTOR have demonstrated clinical benefit in several tumor types. We report here the discovery and characterization of [PWT33597][1], a dual inhibitor of PI3K alpha and mTOR. [PWT33597][1] inhibits PI3K alpha and mTOR in biochemical assays with IC50 values of 19 and 14 nM respectively, and is approximately 10-fold selective with respect to PI3K gamma and PI3K delta. Profiling of [PWT33597][1] against 442 protein kinases (Ambit Kinomescan) revealed little or no cross-reactivity with either serine/threonine or tyrosine kinases, and there was little cross-reactivity with an additional panel of 64 pharmacologically relevant targets. In NCI-H460 and HCT116 tumor cells with mutationally activated PI3K alpha, [PWT33597][1] inhibits phosphorylation of PI3K and mTOR pathway proteins with cellular IC50 values similar to its biochemical IC50 values. [PWT33597][1] has good pharmacokinetic properties in multiple preclinical species, is not extensively metabolized in vivo and shows little potential for interaction with cytochrome P450 enzymes. Following a single oral dose in vivo, [PWT33597][1] shows durable inhibition of PI3K and mTOR pathway signaling in xenograft tumors. High compound distribution into tumors and potent anti-tumor activity has been observed in multiple tumor xenograft models with activated PI3K/mTOR pathways. Also, administration of [PWT33597][1] in mice is associated with transient increases in plasma insulin, consistent with an effect on PI3K/AKT signaling. A robust PK/PD relationship has been defined, which will guide interpretation of the planned phase I clinical study. IND-enabling studies with [PWT33597][1] are currently in progress.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4485. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4485

 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=GENPEPT&access_num=PWT33597&atom=%2Fcanres%2F71%2F8_Supplement%2F4485.atom


Data aggregation is one of the most important techniques in wireless sensor networks to save energy through reducing lots of transmission. However, plaintext aggregation is insecure since eavesdropping or modifying messages is possible. Due to this, concealed data aggregation schemes based on homomorphic encryption have been proposed. Ciphertexts can be operated algebraic computations without decryption in those schemes. Unfortunately, they only provide data confidentiality. While compromising secret in captured sensor nodes, an adversary can still create forged ciphertexts. In this paper, we combines Boneh et al.'s aggregate signature scheme and Mykletun et al.'s concealed data aggregation scheme to overcome the above problems. The proposed scheme aggregates not only ciphertexts but also signatures. Through verifying aggregated signature, data integrity of each plaintext can be guaranteed. Furthermore, the communication overhead for each cluster head is still constant. Each cluster head sends an aggregated signature and an aggregated ciphertext to the base station. For resource constrained environment, the proposed scheme is secure and efficient practically.


Sulfur K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used to determine the electronic structures of a series of Mo tris(dithiolene) complexes, [Mo(mdt)3] (where mdt = 1,2-dimethylethene-1,2-dithiolate(2-) and z = 2-, 1-, 0), with near trigonalprismatic geometries (D3h symmetry). These results show that the formally MoIV, MoV, and MoVI complexes actually have a (dz2) configuration, that is, remain effectively MoIV despite oxidation. Comparisons with the XAS data of another set of Mo tris(dithiolene) complexes, [Mo(tbbdt)3] (where tbbdt = 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzene-1,2-dithiolate(2-) and z = 1-, 0), show that both neutral complexes, [Mo(mdt)3] and [Mo(tbbdt)3], have similar electronic structures while the monoanions do not. Calculations reveal that the "Bailar twist" present in the crystal structure of [Mo(tbbdt)3] (D3 symmetry) but not [Mo(mdt)3] (D3h symmetry) is controlled by electronic factors which arise from bonding differences between the mdt and tbbdt ligands. In the former, configuration interaction between the Mo dz2 and a deeper energy, occupied ligand orbital, which occurs in D3 symmetry, destabilizes the Mo dz2 to above another ligand orbital which is half-occupied in the D3h [Mo (mdt)3] complex. This leads to a metal d1 configuration with no ligand holes (ie. d[L3]) for [Mo (tbbdt)3] rather than the metal d2 configuration with one ligand hole (ie. d[L3]) for [Mo (mdt)3]. Thus, the Bailar twist observed in some metal tris(dithiolene) complexes is the result of configuration interaction between metal and ligand orbitals and can be probed experimentally by S K-edge XAS.


ABSTRACT Background: Patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) often suffer weight loss, which can be used to predict prognosis. Few reports have assessed the correlation between weight loss during chemotherapy and survival in patients with AGC. Methods: Fifty-three patients with histologically proven AGC, who started systemic chemotherapy from September 2010 to March 2014, were retrospectively examined for body weight, inflammatory status, and survival. Correlation analyses were performed between weight change and survival. Correlations between weight loss and the patient characteristics were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression analyses. Results: The mean age of the patients was 64.4 years; 64% of the patients were males. Initial chemotherapy included fluoropyrimidine plus cisplatin (62%), fluoropyrimidine alone (26%), and other medications (12%); 72% of the patients exhibited weight loss during the initial therapy. Poorer mean overall survival and mean progression-free survival were observed in patients with weight loss of higher-than-average values than in those with weight loss of lower-than-average values. Serum C-reactive protein levels were significantly correlated with weight loss. Conclusions: Weight loss during initial chemotherapy for AGC may predict survival. Systemic inflammation is suggested to be associated with weight loss.


Background: Several risk factors have emerged for novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection and severity. Yet, it is unknown to what degree these risk factors alone or in combination can accurately predict who is most at risk. It is also worthwhile to consider serological antibody titers to non COVID-19 infectious diseases, which may influence host immunity to COVID-19. Methods: In this retrospective study of multicenter UK Biobank participants, as of May 26th 2020, all COVID-19 testing data was collected by Public Health England for older adult in- and out-patients (69.6 {+/-} 8.8 years). We used linear discriminant analysis with cross-validation and bootstrapping to determine the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of baseline data from 2006-2010 to predict COVID-19 infection and presumptive severity (i.e., testing at hospital). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to derive the area under the curve (AUC). Findings: This retrospective study included 4,510 unique participants and 7,539 testing instances (i.e., test cases). Testing resulted in 5,329 negative cases and 2,210 positive cases, split into 996 mild and 1,214 severe disease outcomes. Baseline data including demographics, bioimpedance-derived body composition, vitals, serum biochemistry, self-reported illness/disability, and complete blood count. A randomized subset of 80 participants with 124 test cases also had antibody titers for 20 common to rare infectious diseases. Among all test cases, accuracy was modest for final diagnostic models of COVID-19 infection (70.2%; AUC=0.570, CI=0.556-0.584) and severity (58.3%; AUC=0.592, CI=0.568-0.615). In the sub-group with serology, by contrast, final models predicted infection and severity with an accuracy of 93.5% (AUC=0.969, CI=0.934-1.000) and 74.4% (AUC=0.803, CI=0.663-0.943) respectively. Models included titers to common pathogens (e.g., human cytomegalovirus), age, blood cell counts, lipids, and other biochemical markers. Interpretation: Serological titers for infectious diseases and other risk factors could help policy makers and clinicians better identify who may get COVID-19 and require hospitalization.


When considering disputes over copyright infringement on works of fine art, it becomes necessary to establish the fact of the use of works. In Ukraine, the study of properties, features, patterns of creation and use of works of art as objects of copyright is included in the subject of expertise in the field of intellectual property.
Based on generalization of expert practice, the main tasks of forensic examination of works of fine art have been identified. They are:
– definition in the research object of the characteristics of the copyright object;
– determination in the object of research or part of it (including the name) of the signs of originality and creative nature;
– establishment of the fact of reproduction of a work or part thereof, which has an independent meaning; establishment of the fact of processing of a work.
As a result of the research, approaches have been developed to solve expert problems related to works of fine art. The main approaches are highlighted by examples of the study of animated characters and paintings.
The following algorithm of actions is proposed when establishing the fact of reproduction of works of fine art - characters:
1) to analyze the properties and characteristics of the objects under study;
2) highlight the elements that relate to the elements of the form and content of the work;
3) identify common and distinctive features; conduct its comparative analysis;
4) to find out the nature of changes in the attributes of these objects;
5) to establish whether the coinciding attributes form a set that is sufficient to identify a certain object.
Based on the results of the study, the author concludes that when establishing the fact of reproduction or processing of a work of painting, special attention should be paid to the analysis of coincidences and differences in the elements of the form and content of the studied works. If you find matches in the elements of the form, it is necessary to determine whether these elements are individualizing for this work (whether they are original). When it is established that the found coincidences in the elements of the studied works of painting are due to the reflection of objective reality (properties and features of the objects of the image), the use of generally accepted (standard) techniques and methods of creation, there will be no reason to conclude that there is a reproduction or processing of the work. Such elements do not individualize the work of a particular author (they are not original) and, according to the provisions of copyright, can be freely used in the works of different authors.


Rice root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola causes yield losses of up to 18% in rainfed upland rice in eastern India, and seedling blight disease of rice, caused by Sclerotium rolfsii , is seen to be associated with it (Mathur 1973). This observation led to the investigation of the nature and type of association among rice cultivar IR8, M. graminicola , and S. rolfsii . Samples of IR8 plants with an intact root system and rhizosphere soil collected from the 0-5-cm depth of a rainfed upland rice field served as a source of inoculum for the greenhouse experiments.


The nongravitational motion of six \erratic" short-period comets is studied on the basis of published astrometric observations. We present the precession models which successfully link all the observed apparitions of the comets: 16P/Brooks 2, 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, 31P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 2, 32P/Comas Sol a, 37P/Forbes and 43P/Wolf-Harrington. We used the Sekanina's forced precession model of the rotating cometary nucleus to include the nongravitational terms into equations of the comet's motion. Values of six basic parameters (four connected with the rotating comet nucleus and two describing the precession of spin-axis of the nucleus) have been determined along the orbital elements from positional observations of the comets. The solutions were derived with additional assumptions which introduce instantaneous changes of modulus of reactive force, and of maximum cometary activity with respect to perihelion time. The present precession models impose some constraints on sizes and rotational periods of cometary nuclei. According to our solutions the nucleus of 21P/Giacobini-Zinner with oblateness along the spin-axis of about 0.29 (equatorial to polar radius of 1.41) is the most oblate among six investigated comets.


The purpose of this study was to examine whether smoking frequency and cigarette consumption were related with obesity in Korean adolescents. A total of 72,399 adolescents from 1st grade middle-school to 3rd grade high-school participated in the 5th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS) project in 2009. The relationship between the body mass index (BMI), smoking frequency, and cigarette consumption was assessed using multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for covariate variables like age, frequency of alcohol consumption and severe alcohol intoxication, amount of alcohol consumed, parents' education level, economic status, sedentary activities during the week, mental stress, sleep duration, frequency of vigorous and moderate physical activities, and muscular strength exercises during the week. We concluded that both smoking frequency and cigarette consumption had positive effects with regard to weight loss in adolescents. However, because smoking has negative side effects on general health, including an increase in abdominal fat and morbidity rates of obesity-related diseases, we recommend that adolescents should not smoke (Tab. 3, Ref. 26).


The basic narrative of bargaining theory predicts that, all else equal, anarchy favors concessions to challengers who demonstrate the will and ability to escalate against defenders. For this reason, post-9/11 political science research explained terrorism as rational strategic behavior for non-state challengers to induce government compliance given their constraints. Over the past decade, however, empirical research has consistently found that neither escalating to terrorism nor with terrorism helps non-state actors to achieve their demands. In fact, escalating to terrorism or with terrorism increases the odds that target countries will dig in their political heels, depriving the non-state challengers of their given preferences. These empirical findings across disciplines, methodologies, as well as salient global events raise important research questions, with implications for counterterrorism strategy.


Useful thermal bridge performance indicators (ITBs) of existing buildings may differ from calculated thermal bridge performance derived theoretically due to actual construction conditions, such as irregular shapes and aging. To fill this gap practically, a more realistic quantitative evaluation of thermal bridge on-site needs to be considered to identify thermal behaviors throughout exterior walls and thus improve the overall insulation performance of buildings. In this study, a case study is conducted using an infrared thermal imaging method to evaluate the thermal bridge of an existing building practically. The study's main purpose is to review the thermal bridge performance indicators measured by the steady-state model under field conditions in terms of convergence and uncertainty. Bayesian MCMC is used to examine the validity of the results by deriving evaluation results in the form of distribution, including uncertainty. After the measurement was completed, an analysis of the results was conducted. As a result of measurement for 3 days, it was found that the thermal bridge part had 1.221 times more heat loss than the non-thermal bridge part, which showed a 6.7% deviation from the numerical method. However, the uncertainty was 0.225 (18.4%, CI 95%), a large figure. This is due to the influence of field conditions and shows the limitations of the steady-state measurement model. Regarding the convergence of the results, the measurement results were found to converge continuously as the measurement time increased. This suggests that valid results can be obtained in the field if the measurement is performed for a sufficient time, even with a thermal bridge measurement method assuming a steady-state.


OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the sex ratio of children varies between fathers of different occupations. METHODS: The sex ratio (the ratio of the number of boys to the number of girls at birth) was calculated in relation to paternal occupation in the cohort of all 253,433 live births in Cumbria, north west England, from 1950-89. Exact binomial confidence intervals were used to estimate whether the sex ratio in each occupational category was significantly different from that for the rest of the cohort. RESULTS: There were fewer occupational categories with significantly different sex ratios at the 5% level than expected by chance alone, assuming the same binomial distribution of sexes at birth within each paternal occupation. CONCLUSIONS: Significant variation of the sex ratio with fathers' occupations was not found. There is some evidence that the sex ratio shows less variance than expected under a binomial model which assumes independence of the sex of each child; a possible explanation of this may be parental preference for limiting family size after children of both sexes have been born or some other factor which results in children within a family being more likely to be of both sexes rather than the same sex.


In this study, the fatty acids constituents of both Strawberry and Carica papaya Leaves were identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The results showed that fatty acid of Strawberry mainly contained about 30.28 % of,12,15- Octadecatrienoic acid methyl ester and 23.37%Palmitic acid methyl ester, but for Carica papayamainly contained about 35.6%Palmitic acidmethyl ester and 14.527%Eicosanoic acidmethyl ester.Antimicrobial activitieswere studied against five bacterial strains and five fungal species. 0.3 ml of plant extract (10 mg / 1 ml) had inhibitory effect for all bacterial spp. and fungal spp., but 0.1 ml of two fatty acid extracts (10 mg / 1 ml) showed inhibitory effect against some bacterial spp. and fungal spp. indicating that the inhibitory effect increase with increasing the concentration of the extract.


Results of diagnosis and treatment of 1337 patients with esophageal and gastroduodenal hemorrhages were analyzed. The diagnostic and curative endoscopy is recommended. Variants of tactics of the operative and conservative treatment are proposed for the conditions of specialized hospitals of emergency medical service.


In this work, state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) estimation algorithms for battery management system are proposed and compared. These algorithms are developed on a battery pack designed specifically for light electric vehicle (electric scooter or bicycles) applications. The advanced battery management system is designed in order to evaluate the instantaneous charge available in the battery and at the same time to monitor the slowly varying battery aging parameters. Two SOC estimation algorithms are proposed: an extended Kalman filter (EKF) and an adaptive extended Kalman filter (AEKF). With the adaptive version of Kalman filter a proper value of the model noise covariance is adaptively set using the information coming from the online innovation analysis. In the second part of this paper, a new estimation algorithm based on least squares is proposed to estimate the battery SOH. A general framework for a combined evaluation of SOC/SOH is discussed.


This investigation presents axial ratio bandwidth enhancement for a quarter-wave polarizer composed of mutilayered uniaxial anisotropic media and chiral media using a genetic algorithm. In our design, the constitutive parameters of materials can be arbitrary. This broadband polarizer can be realized through the adjustment of the thickness of materials. The nearly optimal and suitable thickness of each cell is determined by using a genetic algorithm. Two numerical examples with three and five cells are presented to validate the design. The axial ratio bandwidths of about 84.1% and 92.8% can be achieved, more than the double of the maximum theoretical bandwidth for the case of the single uniaxial anisotropic slab


In this essay the development, since 1992, of the concept of European citizenship is traced, alongside the changing attitude of the author towards this novel status. The blurred edges of the concept are explored. Connecting factor to European citizenship is the possession of the nationality of a member state. Is nationality identical with 'peoples' in the Treaties? And: are member states the masters of definition of who are their nationals? And is the status of European citizen really dependent on the nationality of member states, or is it gradually the other way round, given the view of the ECJ that the first is 'intended to be the fundamental status'? Although there is no transfer of competence of nationality law, nevertheless domestic laws should have 'due regard to European law.' In Rottmann a decision by national authorities was subjected to the European principle of proportionality, in Tjebbes a whole legal provision in the national law of the Netherlands was, according to the AG, not in line with Union law. This is a constitutional battle, as the definition of its nationals is a constituent part of being a (member) state. Brexit sheds a new light on the importance of Union citizenship, primarily as its entrance to the freedom of movement. Finally, a number of loose ends are identified and questions formulated.


In this paper, we outline a diffractive practice of machine learning (ML) in the frame of material-centered interaction design. To this aim, we review related work in ML, HCI, design, new interfaces for musical expression, and computational art, and introduce two practice-based studies of music performance and robotic art based on interactive machine learning tools, with the hope of revealing the computational materiality of ML, and the potential of embodiment to craft prototypes of ML that reconfigure conceptual or technical approaches to ML. We derive five interference conditions for such art-based ML prototypes—situational whole, small data, shallow model, learnable algorithm, and somaesthetic behaviour—and describe their widening of design and engineering practices of ML prototyping. Finally, we sketch how a process of intra-active machine learning could complement that of interactive machine learning to take materiality as an entry point for ML design within HCI.


Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a field of continuous research. In order to answer various questions regarding SCD, several animal models have been developed. The aim of the present study is to describe our experimental model of inducing cardiac arrest in Landrace/Large White pigs, and then resuscitated according to the International Guidelines on resuscitation. Fifteen Landrace/Large White pigs were anaesthetized and intubated while spontaneously breathing. The left and right jugular veins, as well as the femoral and the carotid arteries, were surgically prepared. Induction of cardiac arrest was achieved by using an ordinary rechargeable lithium battery, through a pacemaker wire inserted into the right ventricle. The typical Advanced Life Support (ALS) protocol was followed, and in case of restoration of spontaneous circulation, the animals were further evaluated for 30 min. Seven animals were successfully resuscitated using this protocol, whereas eight failed resuscitation efforts. Successful resuscitation was contingent on the restoration of the levels of coronary perfusion pressure and PETCO2 during chest compressions. Among the different ways of inducing cardiac arrest, the ordinary lithium battery is a simple, safe and valuable technique. Landrace/Large White pigs' baseline haemodynamics closely resemble human haemodynamics, making the breed a favourable model for resuscitation.