A number of artificially generated earthquake time-histories (AGETH) fitting to a Eurocode 8 (EC8) response spectrum are randomly generated using SIMQKE software and the average generated spectrum compares well with the EC8 one. Two Finite element (FE) smeared crack models, named Multi-crack and Craft, are well validated against experimental data of concrete and Reinforced concrete (RC) structures under monotonic and cyclic loadings. They are then used in the analysis of RC bridge piers under the AGETH. Several techniques including Fourier analysis, normalised cumulative spectrum, energy dissipation, damage index as well as probability applications are applied to quantify the structural response and damage. Based on the convergence of the representative responses under different numbers of AGETH, a minimum representative number of AGETH from 6 to 11 may be sufficient depending on the confidence band width from the mean of all damage responses. Effects of several parameters of the earthquake and structure to the dynamic response and damage of the bridge pier are investigated. Throughout these parametric studies, several of the common circumstances that structural engineers face are addressed and the proposed number of artificial earthquake time-histories required for non-linear dynamic analysis is thereby validated.


In recent years, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has gained significant attention and is preferred for transmission over a dispersive channel. It is because of its several advantages such as high spectral efficiency, low implementation complexity, less vulnerability to echoes and non–linear distortion. However, it has few limitations such as peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) and bit error rate (BER), which determines the system's power efficiency. High PAPR is one of the major drawbacks in OFDM systems, which causes a significant level of signal distortions, when the modulated signals are amplified through high power amplifiers (HPAs). Also, a high PAPR and, in addition, high noise (e.g. AWGN) may significantly distort the signal, resulting in high BER on demodulation of the received signal. Therefore, PAPR & BER reduction is very essential. For this purpose, the research reported in this paper is focused on providing a solution to the same problem. More specifically, the proposed research focuses on developing a predistortion based algorithm. For this purpose, a non-linear polynomial based function is used. The signal is normalized to a scale of + 1 before feeding to this non-linear polynomial function. In this research, it is aimed to implement this approach and investigate the effect of various coefficients of the non-linear polynomial for reducing the PAPR in OFDM systems. From the analysis, it is inferred that the selection of value of coefficients of non-linear polynomial and constellation size depends upon the level of PAPR reduction required. Here in this paper, it is preferred to choose a fifth order non-linear polynomial with a small value of coefficients of higher order term.


This paper examines recent changes in collective bargaining and employer strategies in the German telecommunications industry following market liberalization in the late 1990s. Germany's distinctive co-determination and vocational training institutions encouraged large firms to adopt employment systems in technician and call center workplaces that relied on high levels of worker skill and discretion. However, organizational restructuring is undermining these gains, as firms use outsourcing and the creation of subsidiaries to escape or weaken company-level collective agreements. These trends have substantially weakened unions and contributed to the further disorganization of coordinated bargaining structures. Findings are based on interviews with union and works council representatives, managers, and employees at Deutsche Telekom and its major competitors conducted between 2003 and 2007, as well as secondary analysis of company documents and industry reports.


The boundary role conflict suggests two types of functions in negotiations: monitoring the other side for evidence of movement and monitoring one's own side for evidence of preferences. These functions differ in terms of focus and information-processing. This paper addresses these functions in terms of two general models, referred to as the negotiator as bargainer and the negotiator as representative. The negotiator-as-bargainer model assumes responsiveness between opposite-number negotiators. Two versions of this model showed that responsiveness can be based on both one's own previous concessions and the other's concessions or it can be a more complex function of expectations and evaluations. Each of the versions was supported in part by the data which suggested that these may be early and late processes in negotiation. The negotiator-as-representative model assumes responsiveness between the negotiator and his constituents. Such responsiveness is depicted in the form of a utility model where the negotiator attempts to balance n-components of value in the process of building a package. He is concerned with maximizing the value of the package in terms of both his own and his constituents' priorities. Experimental results suggest that the model accounts for a significant portion of variance in actual decisions. Finally, implications are drawn toward a reconceptualization of the boundary role conflict.


Detecting electricity price spikes is crucial as it helps market participants to gain confidence and formulate appropriate strategy to maximize their benefits. In this paper, a multi-feature based approach with the incorporation of variable thresholds is developed to detect electricity price spikes in the national electricity market of Australia. The variable thresholds, which are determined using a weighted sliding window average and an adjusted standard deviation, help to segregate spikes from normal price variations. Also, significant features are extracted from the market after thoroughly analyzing the underlying causes resulting into the price spikes. These features are employed as inputs to a support vector machine to classify electricity prices as spikes or non-spikes. A case study is conducted using a dataset acquired from the state of New South Wales, Australia. The results show that the proposed method can successfully detect the price spikes with high accuracy and confidence.


Recent global warming has greatly reduced the area of perennial sea ice in the Arctic
Ocean, caused mountain glaciers to retreat and allowed major ice streams draining the
Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets to approach and even exceed surge velocities. This
has brought new urgency to the concept that large ice sheets, past, present, and future,
may have the capacity to self-destruct causing rapid and permanent changes in global
climate and sea level. This possibility has focused attention on these ice streams,
beginning with Jakobshavn Isbrae, long the world's fastest ice stream and discharging
seven percent of Greenland ice, a discharge rate that has now doubled following
catastrophic disintegration of its buttressing ice shelf in Jakobshavn Isfjord in 1997. A
geometrical solution to the longitudinal force balance was combined with a simple mass
balance to obtain two solutions to the resulting force-and-mass balance from 1986 to
2006. The two solutions are obtained using two approaches to quantify the loss of
buttressing. The best match to changes in surface elevations and velocities along the ice
stream, especially the rapidly lowering surface during this timespan, is provided by the
solution that has the strongest reduction of ice-bed coupling up the ice stream, quantified
by a rapid increase in the ―floating fraction‖ of ice. This pattern seems to be repeating for
other Greenland and Antarctic ice streams. If rapid surface lowering and ice discharge
spreads to all major ice streams and lasts for centuries, even accelerating over time, selfdestruction
of these two remaining ice sheets seems inevitable. Without the high albedo
of ice sheets, global warming would increase until a new global equilibrium with the new
boundary conditions was established. The other possibility is the observed rapid ice
thinning and discharge may be transient and lead to a new stable equilibrium that keeps
these ice sheets largely intact with no significant change in global climate and sea level.
Our results from Jakobshavn Isbrae were unable to determine which scenario is most
likely, but time will tell, probably over the next few decades as observational data
accumulate and our modeling capability improves.


Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) are primarily designed to provide Safety of Life (SoL) services to aviation users as defined in ICAO SARPs [4] (Standards And Recommended Practices). SBAS' augment Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), broadcasting corrections and integrity information to aviation users via geostationary satellites. This not only improves the accuracy of the navigation solution, it also allows aeronautic receivers to compute a protection level, bounding the residual position error with the required level of confidence. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) provides service levels up to LPV200 (Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance), which enables aircraft approaches that are operationally equivalent to Category I (CAT-I) Instrument Landing System (ILS) using GNSS. In recent years, there have been increasing cases of radio frequency interference (RFI) and cyberattacks (spoofing) targeting navigation systems. The message stream broadcast by SBAS is currently not protected from message level cyber-attacks, providing a potentially hazardous backdoor for adversaries to affect navigation solutions. The European Commission (EC) is exploring the possibility of improving the security of SBAS, considering SBAS authentication as a possible barrier against this type of attack. The SPARC (Simulation Platform for Authentication Reliable Concept) project was financed by the EC with the objective of identifying viable solutions for SBAS authentication.

This paper focuses on the investigation of various SBAS authentication paradigms from the perspective of receiver processing, providing an overview of assumptions and a discussion on design considerations that impact the definition of an SBAS authentication capability.


Presents a method to analyze and filter digital signals of finite duration by means of a time-frequency representation. This is done by defining a purely invertible discrete transform, representing a signal either in the time or in the time-frequency domain, as simply as possible with the conventional discrete Fourier transform between the time and the frequency domains. The wavelet concept has been used to build this transform. To get a correct invertibility of this procedure, the authors have proposed orthogonal and periodic basic discrete wavelets. The properties of such a transform are described, and examples on brain-evoked potential signals are given to illustrate the time-frequency filtering possibilities.<<ETX>>


The new position statement of the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes on the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of antidiabetic treatment.It emphasises the necessity to individualise management based on patient needs.Glycaemic targets should also be pursued on an individualised basis.New therapeutic combinations are discussed,and the uncertainty surrounding the ideal choice is acknowledged.Above all,it is the mindful and experienced clinician who will implement the best available evidence towards flexible and efficacious treatment.Some areas of uncertainty may ensue,but it is expected that the new position statement will improve patient healthcare and treatment satisfaction.This now remains to be seen in practice.


Electrification is a potential solution for transport decarbonization and already widely available for individual and public transport. However, the availability of electrified commercial vehicles like waste collection vehicles is still limited, despite their significant contribution to urban emissions. Moreover, there is a lack of clarity whether electric waste collection vehicles can persist in real world conditions and which system design is required. Therefore, we introduce a multi-agent-based simulation methodology to investigate the technical feasibility and evaluate environmental and economic sustainability of an electrified urban waste collection. We present a synthetic model for waste collection demand on a per-link basis, using open available data. The tour planning is solved by an open-source algorithm as a capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP). This generates plausible tours which handle the demand. The generated tours are simulated with an open-source transport simulation (MATSim) for both the diesel and the electric waste collection vehicles. To compare the life cycle costs, we analyze the data using total cost of ownership (TCO). Environmental impacts are evaluated based on a Well-to-Wheel approach. We present a comparison of the two propulsion types for the exemplary use case of Berlin. And we are able to generate a suitable planning to handle Berlin's waste collection demand using battery electric vehicles only. The TCO calculation reveals that the electrification raises the total operator cost by 16–30%, depending on the scenario and the battery size with conservative assumptions. Furthermore, the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) can be reduced by 60–99%, depending on the carbon footprint of electric power generation.


Initial results are presented for a novel experimental arrangement which allows the successful study of laser-desorbed neutral species under matrix isolation conditions. In the current work, a pulsed carbon dioxide laser (10.6 μm) is employed for laser desorption. With the combination of a previously described cryogenic trapping technique with coaxial matrix isolation gas (xenon or argon) introduction, laser-desorbed neutrals have been matrix isolated and their Fourier transform infrared spectra recorded. Two different cinnamic acid derivatives (p-coumaric acid and sinapinic acid) typically employed for matrix-assisted laser ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry were utilized to demonstrate this new technique. Experimental conditions were determined for optimal matrix isolation of the laser-desorbed species. Two different desorption geometries were examined with respect to their effectiveness for matrix isolation of desorbed neutrals. A covalent dimer of p-coumaric acid produced in an external UV photoreactor and thought to be a possible photoreaction product in UV MALDI was studied by this technique. Thermal degradation of this dimer is shown to occur above threshold irradiance for laser desorption.


Fisher information is a very important and fundamental criterion in statistical inference especially in optimal and large sample studies in estimation theory. It also plays a key role in physics, thermodynamic, information theory and other applications. In the literature there have been defined two forms of Fisher information: one for the parameters of a distribution function and one for the density function of a distribution. In this paper, we consider a nonnegative continuous random (lifetime) variable X and define a time-dependent Fisher information for density function of the residual random variable associated to X. We also propose a time-dependent version of Fisher information distance (relative Fisher information) between the densities of two nonnegative random variables. Several properties of the proposed measures and their relations to other statistical measures are investigated. To illustrate the results various examples are also provided.


The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of acute anoxia on contractile and electrical activity in the heart of an anoxia-tolerant fish species, the crucian carp (Carassius carassius L.). Responses of atrial and ventricular tissue or isolated cells to NaCN, adenosine, and carbachol were determined to examine the effects of anoxia on cardiac performance and to clarify the possible role of local purinergic modulation and parasympathetic nervous control in the function of the anoxic fish heart. The contractility of the crucian carp heart is strongly decreased by acute anoxia. A rapid reduction in cardiac contractility is attained by reflex bradycardia and suppression of atrial contractility. These responses are mediated by muscarinic cholinergic receptors through the opening of inwardly rectifying potassium channels and are likely to protect the cardiac muscle from hypoxic/anoxic damage. The depletion of tissue oxygen content also directly depresses heart rate and cardiac force. Ultimately, an increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration occurs that activates sarcolemmal Ca(2+) extrusion through the Na(+)-Ca(2+)-exchange and generates an inward exchange current with consequent depolarization of the resting membrane potential and possible cell death. At physiological concentration, the effects of adenosine on contractile and electrical activity were relatively weak, suggesting that the purinergic system is not involved in the acute anoxia response of the crucian carp heart.


A key area of research in hydrologic modeling is the prediction of flood response in complex urban basins with hydraulic structures such as pump stations, canals, culverts, and spillways. The prediction of the basin's response to heavy rainfall is needed in order to assess the impacts of potential watershed management decisions, especially during high flow periods. In this study, the HEC-HMS model was adopted to predict the accumulated discharges in a small urban basin located in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA. The model was calibrated based on seven flood events and validated using seven independent events spanning a 5-year period. The results show that the accumulated flow of water released from the basin was simulated with high accuracy, and that the model can be used for various management scenarios involving high flow conditions in the south Florida urban basin.


Purpose: Lower eyelid retraction after trauma presents a challenging management problem. We postulated that a porous polyethylene (pPE) eyelid spacer coated with a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and triamcinolone acetonide (TA) matrix could deliver corticosteroid locally over extended periods and modulate inflammation and scar formation. We designed a pPE corticosteroid-eluting implant and evaluated its characteristics in vitro and in vivo. Methods: The release characteristics of pPE implants coated with a PVA/TA matrix of low, intermediate, and high doses of TA were studied in vitro. The implants were then placed in the posterior lamella of lower eyelids of Dutch Belted rabbits for 12 weeks. Clinical events were recorded and eyelids were examined for gross and histologic features, including capsular thickness and degree of vascularity, fibrovascular ingrowth, and inflammatory response. Results: In vitro, implants coated with the intermediate and high doses of TA released the drug at a steady rate for at least 78 days. In rabbits, the PVA and PVA/TA coating prevented fibrovascular ingrowth, except where breaks in the PVA/TA coat were present. Implants with PVA/TA coating demonstrated less inflammation and capsule vascularity. An inverse correlation between TA dose and capsule thickness was noted. Conclusions: We describe a novel drug-release pPE eyelid implant. The corticosteroid-eluting implant demonstrated antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties, which could prove beneficial in the treatment of lower eyelid retraction.


Compounds from various vegetables, particularly Cruciferous family including isothiocyanates show a wide variety of cytoprotection and cancer chemoprevention.  Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association of reduced cancer risk and amount of consumption of vegetables.  Glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables have to be hydrolyzed to release isothiocyanates, importantly, phenethylisothiocyanate (PEITC).  PEITC is well absorbed and metabolized by glutathione conjugation and excreted rapidly within 24 h with peak plasma concentration in man on the range of micromolar. PEITC kills various cancer cells including cancer of the bile duct with mechanisms by damaging mitochondria probably involving with translocation of Bcl2 family proteins to mitochondrial membrane and by activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) pathways.  The action may also be involved with an arrest of the cell cycle by inhibition of cyclin proteins.  PEITC induces oxidative stress and this may potentiate the mitochondria dysfunction leading to apoptotic cell killing.  Natural compounds from cruciferous family including PEITC possess a high potential of cancer prevention.


Alexander Pope was the towering figure of 18th century England. A poet and a wit he commanded unswerving loyalty from his friends and penetrating hatred from his enemies. His spinal deformity, either due to tuberculosis, trauma or congenital weakness, shaped his career. This brief report highlights the illness and the medical men who were involved in treating Alexander Pope.


The presence of impact damage in a carbon fibre composite can reduce its capacity to support an in-plane load, which can lead to an unexpected or premature failure. This paper reports on an investigation into two slender carbon/fibre epoxy panels, one un-damaged and one with an artificial delamination introduced using an embedded section of PTFE. The reported tests form part of a larger series of investigations using differing sizes of artificial delamination and real impact damage. An investigation of wave velocity propagation at varying angles to the composite lay up was completed to assist in source location. The specimens were loaded under, uniaxial in-plane loading and monitored using four resonant acoustic emission sensors. A full field optical measurement system was used to measure the global displacement of the specimens. Analysis of AE waveforms and AE hit rate were used to assess the buckling of the panel. The results compared favourably with the optical measurement results.


This article examines the mechanisms now available to tokenize real asset ownership and create active secondary markets in tokenized or fractionalized units. Real estate is lumpy and illiquid, and tokenization would allow participation in the market by a broader group of investors and the ability to build diversified portfolios with modest sums of money. However, two developments are necessary for the digital tokenization of single real estate assets: (1) an expressed demand for the fractionalization of single real estate assets, and (2) market participants need to be comfortable with blockchain, the digital underpinning of tokenization. Further, in many land markets fractionalization requires an intermediate structure to be established because the direct ownership of land cannot be shared amongst many, increasing the cost of tokenization. Larger assets already held in fund structures may eventually be tokenized successfully; there may also be an alternative market for tokenized residential, social impact, or community assets where investment regulation and risk/return are not the main drivers of behavior. The mass market for the tokenization of single commercial real estate assets, however, may be some way down the road. Key Findings ▪ The author examines the mechanisms now available to tokenize real asset ownership. ▪ The author presents new survey-based evidence of real estate tokenization deals. ▪ The author concludes that an intermediate structure is likely to be both necessary and convenient when fractionalizing a single asset. For that reason, funds are more natural targets for tokenization.


A competent citizenry is the key to the legitimacy of direct democratic decisions, but just how competent are citizens in direct democracy? Understanding how citizens reason and how they make their decisions is ever more important as the use of direct democratic instruments is growing throughout the world. I propose a concept of citizen competence based on reasongiving. A competent citizen is one who bases his or her decisions on substantive, policy-related arguments, and who considers a diversity of arguments before taking a decision. In this thesis I use a multi-method approach, combining three different datasets to analyze citizen competence in direct democracy: cross-sectional post-ballot surveys from 34 popular votes in Switzerland; a panel dataset covering two referendum campaigns in Switzerland; and a lab experiment conducted in Scotland during the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. I found, that citizens have a surprisingly accurate knowledge of the policy-related arguments of the debate. Furthermore, arguments are significantly associated with vote intention, even when controlling for party preference. This first results highlight the importance of meaningful arguments in political opinion formation. However, a second finding of my project is that citizens tend to process arguments in a biased way, preferring arguments compatible with their prior beliefs and partisan attachments, and disregarding or devaluing incompatible information. Yet this tendency for directional, motivated reasoning can be discouraged by holding individuals accountable for their views, that is, by making them justify their position to others. The conclusions I draw for the legitimacy of direct democratic decisions are mixed. While citizens are not as uninformed and minimalist as they are often depicted in public opinion research, they are still partisan and find it difficult to process information impartially. Therefore, in order to enhance the legitimacy of direct democratic procedure, providing citizens with diverse and balanced information is necessary, but not sufficient. They need to encounter an environment where they are motivated to be accurate, for example, by being expected to justify themselves to others in cross-cutting discussions.


This work has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences of the University of Alicante and the Office of the Vice President for Studies Planning and Training Actions within the Project Networks of research in High Education teaching 2016-2017.


This paper investigates existing methods for 3D point feature description with a special emphasis on their expressiveness of the local surface geometry. We choose three promising descriptors, namely Radius-Based Surface Descriptor (RSD), Principal Curvatures (PC) and Fast Point Feature Histograms (FPFH), and present an approach for each of them to show how they can be used to classify primitive local surfaces such as cylinders, edges or corners in point clouds. Furthermore these descriptor-classifier combinations have to hold an in-depth evaluation to show their discriminative power and robustness in real world scenarios. Our analysis incorporates detailed accuracy measurements on sparse and noisy point clouds representing typical indoor setups for mobile robot tasks and considers the resource consumption to assure real-time processing.


This paper shows how cross-border cooperation projects can play a significant role in the development of the local community and be an extremely important factor in launching new initiatives in the local community, if they are prepared taking into account certain critical factors. The case study of the "Adriatic Canyoning" project shows the key factors that enable a project to become a generator of development in the local community. Even in the case where the project has a tourist character, it can be a driver of infrastructural or urban development. The crucial role for a project to acquire such a character is the context of project preparation, the relationship between project objectives and planned activities, as well as the context of the project within the strategic development goals of a specific community. Also, the cross-border character of the project gives an additional dimension, not only in the transfer of knowledge and experience from cross-border regions, but also gives weight to a broader perspective that a particular local need gains through cross-border cooperation.


Sensory analysis is an important tool in new product development. There has recently been significant development in the methods used to capture sensory perception of a product. Rapid Sensory Profiling Techniques provides a comprehensive review of rapid methods for sensory analysis that can be used as alternatives or complementary to conventional descriptive methods. Part one looks at the evolution of sensory perception capture methods. Part two focuses on rapid methods used to capture sensory perception, and part three covers their applications in new product development and consumer research. Finally, part four explores the applications of rapid methods in testing specific populations.


The present book is an attempt to investigate on two important aspects of critical thinking i.e. critical reading and critical writing in the field of English language learning. These two significant skills have been studied through the use of research articles as one of the sources of knowledge in higher education. The Critical Reading and Critical Writing of Research Article's questionnaire, and also the strategy inventory developed are applicable to students of higher education and those interested in assessing and developing critical reading and writing skills. They could be considered as two significant contributions of this study.


The purpose of all service institutions, including banks is to provide appropriate services for the customers' satisfaction. In fact, the key to the success of these organizations relates to the customer-orientation and focus on the quality of services. Since the organizations providing financial service, especially banks operate in an environment with indistinct products, their quality services are known as the first competitive weapon. Therefore, due to the importance of quality in service industries and its significant effects on customer satisfaction, the question arises: how the quality of service can be evaluated? This case study also sought to assess the quality of banking services using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) techniques in Fuzzy environment in one of the branches of Melli Bank of Rafsanjan. In FMEA Technique the risk priority number (RPN) index was used for rating the failure items, which is the Multiplication of three risk factors: occurrence of failure, severity of failure and detectability of failure. In FMEA technique, the weights of risk factors weight are not taken into account such that the same weight value is assumed for each of those factors. To overcome this weakness, much research has been performed, recently. This paper uses of Wang and colleagues model in a Fuzzy Environment. The results illustrate that one of the most significant failure items is Lack of a good place to park the customers' car. Banks are one of the financial firms that different decisions are always minor system. An example of automation systems for human resources, finance, internal controls and so named. That is why banks are looking for a comprehensive system to integrate its activities are concentrated. So the Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) is one of the important applications of information technology in organizations, especially the banking industry of the country. There are a lot of providers of ERP software package inside and out so it is important to select suitable ones which cover all needs and aspects of our organization. We need to build a complete network of all factors involved in the decision and use right method to identify factors into the network.  We have used Analytic Network Process to make decision and Balanced Score card to identify effective factors .we have connected the two methods together by using questionnaires to the experts and professionals in bank and implementing experts of this software package in Iranian companies. We have applied SPSS and Super Decision software to solve proposed model and make valid research results. As a result, an ERP software package of SAP Company is proposed as the most appropriate one for Bank.


T he U.S. government has written yet another chapter in the prolonged ethical saga of embryonic stem cells and their use in biomedical research. The long-awaited report from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) establishes guidelines under which researchers may now apply for federal funds to support work on pluripotent stem cells derived from human embryos. The new rules, which follow earlier recommendations from the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, would allow support for work only on cell lines derived from embryos resulting from fertility treatments that would otherwise be discarded. Proposals for experiments on stem cells derived from embryos made solely for research purposes would not be considered.

This result owes much to a strong political coalition that brought health advocacy groups—those concerned with Parkinson's disease and other conditions that might benefit from stem cell research—together with the scientists themselves. Early reactions from the rest of the scientific community have been resoundingly positive and, as expected, anti-abortion groups have been equally quick to decry the prospect of any research on human embryonic cells. But the cheers and the expressions of dismay are both probably premature. The history of this saga is full of twists and turns, and the present political future of this particular chapter looks cloudy for all sorts of reasons.

There are, first of all, questions about whether existing human embryonic cell lines meet the new guidelines. This issue will be considered by an NIH review committee now in the act of being assembled but unlikely to be in full swing until year's end. More important, there is the Congress. For the past several years, a Republican-led majority in the House of Representatives has attached language to the appropriation bill that funds all work at NIH, forbidding the expenditure of its funds on such research. This "rider" must be renewed annually, but Congress has done so in each year since 1996. The next Congress could continue those restrictions—although if the majority changed in the November election, that would probably change as well.

The election will also bring a new U.S. president. Governor Bush, the Republican candidate, has already issued a statement criticizing the new guidelines; President Clinton and Vice-President Gore have both praised them. A new administration uncomfortable with the rule might seize upon the legal opinion offered up by NIH attorneys and reject the distinction it makes between use and production. Or it might seek a statutory solution, or simply require a change in the guidelines at the administrative level. It is therefore not at all certain that the decision issued last week will stick.

Even if the present guidelines were to survive their perilous political journey, there would be scant reason for complacency in the research community. In the view of many thoughtful scientists, the new rules do not go far enough in the right direction. For example, work may still not be pursued supported by federal funds if it uses cell lines created by nuclear transfer into oocytes from somatic cells—even cell lines that were originally created through privately funded research. That process, after all, involves cells never fertilized in the normal way; thus, the prohibition ignores a distinction obvious to most biologists, that between sexual and asexual reproduction. Other societies that are both scientifically sophisticated and morally scrupulous have taken a substantially more permissive path: The British government has recently asked Parliament to enact a law to liberalize research rules that are already less restrictive than the current NIH proposal. It would be an ironic outcome if even these improved guidelines left federally supported U.S. biologists (and their patients) well behind those in other countries.

In short, there is reason for the scientific community to be mildly pleased by the recent NIH rules, but unconfined joy is not in order. The political terrain is well planted with land mines—and the new guidelines, welcome though they are, fall short of perfection. The forces that have placed stem cell research in peril are powerful, and they are among a number of voices challenging science, whether the issue is research on embryos, reproductive biology, or the teaching of evolution in the schools.


The labor market effects of pension reform stem from retirement behavior and from job search and hours worked of prime age workers. This paper investigates the impact of four often proposed policy measures for sustainable pensions: strengthening the tax benefit link, moving from wage to price indexation of benefits, lengthening calculation periods, and introducing more actuarial fairness in pension assessment. We provide some analytical results and use a computational model to demonstrate the economic and welfare impact of recent pension reform in Austria. JEL Code: D58, D91, H55, J26, J64.


This paper undertakes an empirical assessment of Dollarization versus regional currency union as options for the economies of East Asia, South America and Central America. We use summary indicators of bilateral integration to examine the determinants of real exchange rate volatility within each region and between each region and the United States. While Europe is characterized by a high degree of regional integration, there is evidence of increasing integration in East Asia and persistently low integration in the Americas, especially as compared to the levels of bilateral integration vis-à-vis the United States. Our estimates confirm the patterns of regional integration above and reveal substantial regional differences as to the determinants of real exchange rate volatility.


Simulium ochraceum, S. metallicum and S. callidum are the three species of Simuliidae which are known to transmit onchocerciasis in Guatemala. Of these, S. ochraceum is often the most prevalent and displays the highest degree of anthropophily. Other potential vectors exist, but have never been found to harbour developing forms of Onchocerca.The average flight range of these insects was found to be about 7.5 miles, although they may be transported greater distances while feeding on horses.The Simuliidae are most prevalent in December, after which their density decreases, reaching its lowest level in June-August.Large-scale dissection of Simuliidae specimens has revealed the presence of metacyclic forms either in a free state in the abdomen or, as in the majority of cases, lodged in the Malpighian tubes. There was no indication of metacyclic forms in the cephalic region of the insect.


Effective energy management can provide an important tool to reduce energy consumption, which is crucial in the fight to protect natural resources and to have a clean environment. Reducing energy consumption can be achieved by reducing energy waste in residential building. Waste in energy can be a result of using energy wasting appliances as well as reckless human behavior such as not turning off unwanted electrical appliances or operating air conditioners or heaters at unnecessary temperature settings, just to name a few. This paper reviews a couple of studies which was conducted on the use of real-time feedback technology to improve energy consumption behavior and habits. The methodologies used will be described along with the results of each study. A list of challenges and limitations of such studies will be explained. The review should give guidance and recommendations on how to conduct a study on the use of real-time feedback technology. Using these recommendations, a study on the topic was conducted by one of the authors in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The results of the study are briefly described in the paper.


As the ocean environment changes over time, a paucity of long-term data sets and historical comparisons limits the exploration of community dynamics over time in natural systems. Here, we used a long-term experimental data set to present evidence for a reversal of competitive dominance within a group of crustose coralline algae (CCA) from the 1980s to present time in the northeast Pacific Ocean. CCA are cosmopolitan species distributed globally, and dominant space holders in intertidal and subtidal systems. Competition experiments showed a markedly lower competitive ability of the previous competitively dominant species and a decreased response of competitive dynamics to grazer presence. Competitive networks obtained from survey data showed concordance between the 1980s and 2013, yet also revealed reductions in interaction strengths across the assemblage. We discuss the potential role of environmental change, including ocean acidification, in altered ecological dynamics in this system.


This paper provides a novel mechanism for identifying and estimating latent group structures in panel data using penalized regression techniques. We focus on linear models where the slope parameters are heterogeneous across groups but homogenous within a group and the group membership is unknown. Two approaches are considered -- penalized least squares (PLS) for models without endogenous regressors, and penalized GMM (PGMM) for models with endogeneity. In both cases we develop a new variant of Lasso called classifier-Lasso (C-Lasso) that serves to shrink individual coefficients to the unknown group-specific coefficients. C-Lasso achieves simultaneous classification and consistent estimation in a single step and the classification exhibits the desirable property of uniform consistency. For PLS estimation C-Lasso also achieves the oracle property so that group-specific parameter estimators are asymptotically equivalent to infeasible estimators that use individual group identity information. For PGMM estimation the oracle property of C-Lasso is preserved in some special cases. Simulations demonstrate good finite-sample performance of the approach both in classification and estimation. An empirical application investigating the determinants of cross-country savings rates finds two latent groups among 56 countries, providing empirical confirmation that higher savings rates go in hand with higher income growth.


The aim of our study was to explore the perceptions of elementary teachers who routinely prioritized physical activity in their classrooms. Researchers are reporting improved student academic test results following physical activity sessions, however, classroom teachers are challenged in balancing curricular and other expectations. Hence, teachers who voluntarily implement physical activity have views that are unique and important for promoting the practice to others. We interviewed seven teachers from grades 1-6, using the qualitative constructivist approach to grounded theory qualitative research. Teachers valued physical activity because it enhanced their students' focus on classroom activities. Common attributes amongst the teachers were active lifestyles, previous employment experiences using physical activity, and a pedagogical approach prioritizing physical activity throughout the day. Additionally, the teachers perceived that belonging to schools with a culture of movement was important. Teachers view physical activity as a teaching asset when they perceive a positive impact on their students' ability to focus. Specific teacher attributes and a school environment that embraces physical activity may predispose teachers to these views, and represent areas that should be further explored. Pre-service courses could be one way to provide teachers with experience and a repertoire of easy physical activities.


Biochemical parameters of protein, carbohydrate, and fluid-electrolyte metabolism were measured in the blood of Bion 11 rhesus monkeys. The 14-day flight induced changes in total protein, BUN, and calcium, which were also seen in humans during long-duration space missions. It was concluded that protein and calcium metabolism changed while carbohydrate metabolism remained unaltered.


Feasibility of producing porous gradient structure by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process was examined. Adequate combination of porosity gradient and pore size distribution could be obtained by appropriately controlling the SPS parameter such as sintering temperature, sintering time, applied pressure, and stopper length. For the longitudinal porous gradient structure, pure W sample was prepared by specially shaped graphite mold. Stainless steel powder was employed for the radially layered porous structure with different pore size. The graded porous structure could be applied for the fabrication of W-Cu FGM by Cu-infiltration and high temperature filter with high filtration efficiency.


Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a familial, genetic disease caused by mutations in genes encoding sarcomeric proteins. It is characterized by various deGrees of left ventricular hypertrophy, usually diffuse, predominantly involving the interventricular septum. The asymptomatic forms with mild or no segmental hypertrophy makes it difficult to establish the diagnosis and screening for familial forms. Its high penetrance is often incomplete and, as a result, 20% to 30% of adults who carry disease-causing gene mutations do not express the phenotype. The susceptibility to sudden death and likelihood of late expression makes establishing a preclinical diagnosis all the more important. The use of Doppler echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, in conjunction with a detailed ECG analysis, may be useful in this process. Molecular genetic studies can identify mutations in 60% to 80% of the cases. However, its complex, time-consuming and costly nature, coupled with an inadequate assessment of genotype-phenotype relationships, limits its routine application. Major advances in imaging methods and the introduction of more simplified molecular techniques may contribute to clinical and preclinical diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in addition to allowing implementation of therapeutic strategies to prevent or delay the development of the disease.


Serial CT and MR imaging findings in a 44-year-old woman with Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) are reported. In the acute stage, CT studies disclosed subtle hypodensity in the splenium, and T2-weighted MR images revealed apparent high signal intensity of the splenium and the central portion of the corpus callosum. Treatment with vitamin B complex resulted in complete recovery. T2-weighted MR images obtained three weeks after admission revealed dramatic resolution of imaging abnormalities, with only faint high signal intensity remaining in the splenium. The sequential changes observed on CT and MR images provided early diagnosis of MBD and the resolution of the lesion considered as brain edema, which suggested that edema might, in addition to demyelination or necrosis, be involved in the acute progression of MBD.


The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program digisonde was operated in a fast mode to record ionospheric modifications by the HF heating wave. With the O mode heater of 3.2 MHz turned on for 2 min, significant virtual height spread was observed in the heater off ionograms, acquired beginning the moment the heater turned off. Moreover, there is a noticeable bump in the virtual height spread of the ionogram trace that appears next to the plasma frequency (~ 2.88 MHz) of the upper hybrid resonance layer of the HF heating wave. The enhanced spread and the bump disappear in the subsequent heater off ionograms recorded 1 min later. The height distribution of the ionosphere in the spread situation indicates that both electron density and temperature increases exceed 10% over a large altitude region (> 30 km) from below to above the upper hybrid resonance layer. This "mini cusp" (bump) is similar to the cusp occurring in daytime ionograms at the F1–F2 layer transition, indicating that there is a small ledge in the density profile reminiscent of F1–F2 layer transitions. Two parametric processes exciting upper hybrid waves as the sidebands by the HF heating waves are studied. Field‐aligned purely growing mode and lower hybrid wave are the respective decay modes. The excited upper hybrid and lower hybrid waves introduce the anomalous electron heating which results in the ionization enhancement and localized density ledge. The large‐scale density irregularities formed in the heat flow, together with the density irregularities formed through the parametric instability, give rise to the enhanced virtual height spread. The results of upper hybrid instability analysis are also applied to explain the descending feature in the development of the artificial ionization layers observed in electron cyclotron harmonic resonance heating experiments.


Clinical practice guidelines are developed to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients. Guidelines facilitate clinical decisions, promote efficient use of health care resources, and provide guidance to practitioners. For chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have changed the paradigm of therapy by lowering the disease burden and by providing more precise monitoring of response. These advances affect treatment guidelines for CML and inform CML clinical trial protocols.Guidelines developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and European LeukemiaNet (ELN) synthesize the best available evidence to support decision-making in the management of CML patients. Both guidelines recognize specific milestones for treatment response. At each time point, the ELN guidelines define overall response benchmarks, and the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) provide an algorithm that specifies the timing for evaluations of cytogenetic and molecular parameters during therapy. The NCCN Guidelines also include strategies for providing supportive care and for managing toxicities. Molecular monitoring now plays a greater role in CML management. Molecular response as a milestone is currently recommended by the ELN but has not yet been adopted by the NCCN. As evidence continues to accumulate, the NCCN and ELN Guidelines are likely to evolve to reflect new data and standards of care.


Several fundamental requirements must be met so that NMR-based metabolomics and the related technique of metabonomics can be formally adopted into environmental monitoring and chemical risk assessment. Here we report an intercomparison exercise which has evaluated the effectiveness of 1H NMR metabolomics to generate comparable data sets from environmentally derived samples. It focuses on laboratory practice that follows sample collection and metabolite extraction, specifically the final stages of sample preparation, NMR data collection (500, 600, and 800 MHz), data processing, and multivariate analysis. Seven laboratories have participated from the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., and Australia, generating a total of ten data sets. Phase 1 comprised the analysis of synthetic metabolite mixtures, while Phase 2 investigated European flounder (Platichthys flesus) liver extracts from clean and contaminated sites. Overall, the comparability of data sets from the participating laboratories was good. Principal components analyses (PCA) of the individual data sets yielded ten highly similar scores plots for the synthetic mixtures, with a comparable result for the liver extracts. Furthermore, the same metabolic biomarkers that discriminated fish from clean and contaminated sites were discovered by all the laboratories. PCA of the combined data sets showed excellent clustering of the multiple analyses. These results demonstrate that NMR-based metabolomics can generate data that are sufficiently comparable between laboratories to support its continued evaluation for regulatory environmental studies.


Universal Access and Design for All Assistive Technologies Mobile and Ubiquitious Interaction Adaptation and Personalization Access to Information User Diversity Accessibility and Usability Applications and Services Non-Visual Interaction Interaction Devices, Techniques and Modalities Design and Evaluation Tools.


: Growth guiding is currently widely practiced for deformity correction in the growing child. Different methods have been developed. In 2007 Stevens described a tension band device (8-plates) as a simple growth control method. Since then it has been widely used, e.g. in hemiepiphysiodesis to correct varus or valgus deformities or extension defect in the knee. Temporary epiphysiodesis can also be used to correct leg length discrepancy more accurately. Complications after treatment with 8-plates are well-described. Stress fracture after the usage of this device has to our knowledge not yet been described. We present a case with a fracture in the distal femur through 8-plates screw holes.


Purpose: To assess the anatomical and functional results after surgical removal of peripapillary choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with optic nerve head drusen. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on four eyes (four patients) undergoing vitrectomy, retinotomy, and removal of CNV associated with optic disk drusen. CNV was preoperatively demonstrated by fluorescein angiography in all cases. In three cases, the CNV had a subfoveal extension, and a serous-hemorrhagic retinal detachment was the cause of the central vision disturbance in the remaining one. Optic nerve head drusen were bilateral and were confirmed with computed tomography scan. Results: Visual acuity (VA) improved in all cases after a follow-up ranging from 12 to 42 months. Preoperative VA was 20/200, 20/200, 20/50, and count fingers and final VA was 20/50, 20/25, 20/25, and 20/30, respectively. There was no evidence of CNV recurrence during the follow-up period. Conclusion: The results of surgical removal of peripapillary CNV with macular involvement associated with optic nerve head drusen are very encouraging, especially if we consider the variable outcome of the natural course in these cases.


A patient with sudden onset of conduction aphasia in the context of an ischaemic stroke is reported. Other neurological and neuropsychological findings included bilateral ideomotor apraxia, right hemisensory defect and paradoxical left ear extinction on a dichotic listening test. Lesion location, as inferred from magnetic resonance imaging, involved a restricted subcortical area in the left parietal lobe, near the lateral wall of the cerebral ventricle. The anatomical correlate for each of the clinical findings is discussed in the light of classical anatomo-clinical correlations. It is concluded that this tetrad constitutes a specific syndrome which may be easily recognised and ascribed to a single lesion in the deep white matter of the left parietal lobe.


Selecting a representative core collection (CC) is a proven and effective strategy for overcoming the expenses and difficulties of managing genetic resources in gene banks around the globe. Because of the diverse applications available for these sub-collections, several algorithms have been successfully implemented to construct them based on genotypic, phenotypic, passport or geographic data (either by individual datasets or by consensus). However, to the best of our knowledge, no single comprehensive dataset has been properly explored to date. Thus, researchers evaluate multiple datasets in order to construct representative CCs; this can be quite difficult, but one feasible solution for such an evaluation is to manage all available data as one discrete signal, which allows signal processing tools (SPTs) to be implemented during data analysis. In this research, we present a proof-of-concept study that shows the possibility of mapping to a discrete signal any type of data available from genetic resource collections in order to take advantage of SPTs for the construction of CCs that adequately represent the diversity of two crops. This method is referred to as 'SPT selection.' All available information for each element of the tested collections was analysed under this perspective and compared, when possible, with one of the most used algorithms for CC selection. Genotype-only SPT selection did not prove as effective as standard CC selection algorithms; however, the SPT approach can consider genotype alongside other types of information, which results in well-represented CCs that consider both the genotypic and agromorphological diversities present in original collections.Furthermore, SPT-based analysis can evaluate all available data both in a comprehensive manner and under different perspectives, and despite its limitations, the analysis renders satisfactory results. Thus, SPT-based algorithms for CC selection can be valuable in the field of genetic resources research, management and exploitation.


A comprehensive study of displacement damage and total ionisation dose effects on 4H-silicon carbide power devices is presented. Power diodes and transistors produced by different manufacturers were irradiated by high-energy particles (protons, alphas, electrons and neutrons). The influence of radiation on device characteristics was determined, the introduced radiation defects were identified, and the main degradation mechanisms were established. Results show that radiation leads to the creation of acceptor traps in the lightly doped drift regions of irradiated devices. Devices then degrade due to the removal of the carriers and the decrease in carrier mobility and lifetime. For unipolar devices, the gradual increase of the forward voltage is typical while the blocking characteristics remain nearly unchanged. In bipolar devices, high introduction rates of defects cause a sharp reduction of carrier lifetime. This results in shorter carrier diffusion lengths and subsequent loss of conductivity modulation leading to a sharp increase of the forward voltage drop. The irradiation also shifts the threshold voltage of power switches. That is critical, namely for metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. According to the authors' study, the junction barrier Schottky diode and junction field-effect transistor (JFET) can be considered the most radiation-resistant SiC power devices.


Background Mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein type II receptor (BMPR-II) underlie the majority (>80%) of familial and up to 25% of 'sporadic' cases of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Recently, homozygous recessive mutations in GCN2 (also known as EIF2AK4) were identified as causative in a rare cause of PAH, pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) and pulmonary capillary haemangiomatosis (PCH). The mechanisms by which GCN2 deficiency contributes to the development of PAH remain unknown. GCN2 is a serine/threonine protein kinase, one of a family of 4 kinases that phosphorylate the α-subunit of the translation initiation factor eIF2α. Phosphorylation of eIF2α at serine 51 results in an inhibition of eIF2B (the eIF2 guanine nucleotide exchange factor), which ultimately leads to loss of eIF2α function. This results in inhibition of protein synthesis while enhancing the translation of a small number of mRNAs encoding proteins involved in the response to cellular stress. Methods We characterised the pulmonary vascular phenotype of the homozygous null Gcn2 (Gcn2−/−) and wild-type controls at 6 months of age. This mouse was chosen because it mimics the homozygous loss-of-function genotype of patients with familial PVOD/PCH. In addition, we investigated the phenotype of Gcn2−/− mice crossed with bmpr2-deficient mice. In complementary in vitro studies, pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were extracted from patients with PVOD and idiopathic/heritable PAH and studied with wild-type controls. Findings The Gcn2−/− mouse displayed mild pulmonary hypertension. Mean right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) was 28.3 ± 1.2 mmHg in Gcn2−/− mice compared with 24.7 ± 1.1 mmHg in wild-type mice. GCN2−/− mice crossed with bmpr2-deficient mice demonstrated a further increase in RVSP (32.8 ± 4.1 mmHg). Exposure of human PASMCs derived from a PVOD patient, and patients with mutations in BMPR2, to L-histidinol, which increases the phosphorylation of eIF2α, resulted in proliferation of these cells but had no effect on control PASMCs. Conclusions GCN2 deficiency promotes the development of pulmonary hypertension in mice, an effect that is exaggerated by BMPR2 deficiency. Increased phosphorylation of eIF2α resulted in PASMC proliferation. Further elucidation of these mechanisms may reveal new treatments for this devastating disease.


The present work aimed to develop nanoemulsion of mefenamic acid for improving its efficacy, stability, and permeability for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A nanoemulsion was prepared using aqueous titration method composed of capmul oil as the oil phase, tween 60 as surfactant and Polyethylene glycol 400 as cosurfactant and evaluated. The aqueous phase titration method was employed for constructing the existing zone of nanoemulsion in pseudoternary phase diagrams representing three axes of the aqueous phase, oil, and mixture of surfactant and cosurfactant. The prepared nanoemulsions were placed in tightly closed glass vials and stored at ambient temperature. These drug-loaded formulations were subjected to physical stability tests [centrifugation stress (5000 rpm, 30 min), heating cooling stress (0 and 45oC, eight cycles) and freeze-thawing stress (-21 and 25 oC, ≥48 h)], appearance, percent transmittance, refractive index, Electrical conductivity. In conclusion, nanoemulsion of mefenamic acid was developed to a satisfactory level in terms of physical stability tests, appearance, percent transmittance, refractive index, Electrical conductivity , lower surfactant concentration. The present study endorsed nanoemulsion of mefenamic acid to be a promising choice over conventional formulations for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.


This paper presents a probabilistic approach to the characterization of dynamical models of induction machine clusters. The authors' method derives bounds on eigenvalue variations for linearized models expressed in terms of stochastic norms. In their examples of the modeling of power system loads, this characterization tends to be less conservative than alternative deterministic approaches. They consider examples of induction machines with different ratings (classes), and allow for wide variations of electrical and mechanical parameters. They describe a stochastic norm approach to: (1) efficiently describe the dynamical model variations for a cluster of similar machines without having to perform repeated eigenvalue calculations, e.g. in a wind farm application; and (2) suggest the order of the reduced model in power system load modeling where the tightness of the bounds of eigenvalue variations is used for guidance in decisions regarding the number of different classes that would efficiently represent a given composite load.


After the Revolution of 1933, the Cuban Communist Party reflected an intersection of labor organizers, members of prestigious black fraternal organizations, and the intelligentsia—groups that have previously been framed as distinct bodies of black political activism. I argue that the Communist Party successfully reintroduced critical discussions of racial discrimination on the island during the 1939 Club Atenas colloquium and the 1940 constitutional assembly. Public engagement with race and discrimination had previously been silenced due to the island's famous rhetoric of a raceless nation, created by the writings of José Martí and enforced during the Race War of 1912. Between the Revolution of 1933 and the constitution of 1940, the political landscape of Cuba transformed dramatically. As the traditional two-party system splintered, the Communist Party coalesced to establish themselves as a unique site for black political leadership and operated as the island's most outspoken critic of racial discrimination.


Study Design. Analysis axial magnetic resonance images (MRIs) identifying the position of the aorta in left thoracic scoliosis and normal patients. Objectives. To determine the position of the aorta in patients with left thoracic scoliosis and to compare these findings with those seen in normal patients. Summary of Background Data. Screws placed during an anterior spinal fusion and instrumentation for right thoracic scoliosis are in proximity to the aorta, which is primarily due to the position of the aorta on the posterolateral left aspect of the vertebra. There are no studies that have evaluated the aorta in left thoracic scoliosis. Methods. A retrospective review of all patients with an MRI with left thoracic scoliosis (Group LTS) was performed and compared with patients with a normal straight spine (Group N). Axial MRI images from T4 to L3 in both groups were analyzed to include the aorta-vertebral angle (AVA), where 0° = aorta directly lateral to the left and 180° = directly lateral to the right. Results. There were 20 patients in Group LTS and 43 patients in Group N. There were no differences in age (13.1 vs. 14.0 years) or gender (52% vs. 62% females) between the LTS and N groups. The aorta was positioned more anterior (larger AVA) to the vertebral body at levels T4 thru T11 (average, 70.1° vs. 40.6°) and L3 (77.1° vs. 70.9°) in Group LTS compared with group N (P < 0.05). With increasing thoracic coronal Cobb angle, the aorta was positioned more laterally to the right (larger AVA) at T8 and T10 (P < 0.05). In the LTS group, curves greater than 40° had a larger AVA (91.4° vs. 57.7°) at apical levels (T7–T10) than for curves ≤40° (P < 0.05). Conclusions. In left thoracic LTS, the aorta is positioned more anteriorly and to the right (toward the concavity) compared with patients with a straight spine. This position will allow full access to the convexity of the left curve to perform an anterior fusion/release as well as instrumentation and is not in the trajectory of a well-placed anterior screw. This relative safety was not seen at the apex of larger curves (>40°).


Motivation: Target prediction is a crucial step in modern drug discovery. However, existing
experimental approaches to target prediction are time-consuming and costly. Results: The LigTMap server provides a fully automated workflow to identify targets from 17
target classes with >6000 proteins. It is a hybrid approach, combining ligand similarity search
with docking and binding similarity analysis, to predict putative targets. In the validation
experiment, LigTMap achieved a top-10 success rate of almost 70%, with an average precision
rate of 0.34. The class-specific prediction method improved the success rate further with enhanced
precision. In an independent benchmarking test, LigTMap showed good performance compared to
the currently best target prediction servers. LigTMap provides straightaway the PDB of a
predicted target and the optimal ligand binding mode, which could facilitate structure-based drug
design and the repurposing of existing drugs.


Atropine was used to examine the role of cholinergic mechanisms in the pancreatic secretory response to food intake. Unanesthetized rats with gastric, jugular vein, bile-pancreatic, and duodenal cannulas were used; bile-pancreatic juice was recirculated. The maximal response to bethanechol (4 mg.kg-1.h-1) was similar to cholecystokinin (CCK)-8-induced maximal secretion. Atropine (25-200 micrograms.kg-1.h-1) markedly inhibited basal amylase output and caused dose-related inhibition of the incremental response to a maximal dose of bethanechol. Atropine (50 micrograms.kg-1.h-1) shifted the dose-response curve to bethanechol (1-32 mg.kg-1.h-1) to the right but did not alter maximal amylase output. L 364718 (0.5 mg/kg), a CCK receptor antagonist, had no effect on bethanechol-stimulated pancreatic secretion. Atropine (50 micrograms.kg-1.h-1) did not affect the incremental responses to low doses of CCK-8; the maximal response occurred at a higher CCK-8 dose because atropine decreased basal secretion. Atropine (50 or 200 micrograms.kg-1.h-1) did not decrease the amylase response to ingestion of a liquid meal. We conclude that 1) bethanechol is a full agonist for stimulation of pancreatic enzyme secretion and its effects are not mediated by CCK release; 2) atropine is a competitive antagonist of bethanechol-induced pancreatic secretion in vivo but does not directly affect responses to CCK-8; 3) cholinergic mechanisms do not mediate the pancreatic enzyme response to a liquid meal in rats.


Two distinct processes contribute to the spectrum of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-induced pathology. In the first instance, cytopathic effects appear to occur as a direct result of virus replication. This type of disease is characterized by persistent HCMV infection of neural or gastrointestinal tissue, which results in HCMV retinitis, encephalitis, hepatitis, or gastroenteritis. Direct cytopathic effects of HCMV are associated with congenitally acquired or acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related manifestations of HCMV infection. A second type of HCMV-associated disease process is driven by immunopathologic mechanisms and results in variable mononucleosis-like syndromes and/or pneumonia in normal or partially immunosuppressed individuals. Human cytomegalovirus-associated interstitial pneumonia appears to derive from a combination of these two types of disease processes. Here, persistent viral infection, immunopathologic mechanisms, and virus-induced expression or repression of cellular genes each constitutes an important factor in pathogenesis. An understanding of the multiple underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis is crucial to devising optimum treatment approaches.


In this work, four different transition plate elements are derived and used for the finite element analysing of plate bending problems. The Mindlin plate theory is used in the element formulations. So the transverse shear is also included in the solutions. The coefficients of trial functions are selected from the Pascal triangle using a practical rule. An existing finite element program is improved by adding new type transition plate elements. All Fortran IV codes are changed to Fortran 95 codes in the existing program. To verify the developed elements, a cantilever plate and plate bending problems are solved. Their results are compared with ANSYS results.


Quantitative and descriptive imaging data are a vital component of the radiology report and are frequently of paramount importance to the ordering physician. Unfortunately, current methods of recording these data in the report are both inefficient and error prone. In addition, the free-text, unstructured format of a radiology report makes aggregate analysis of data from multiple reports difficult or even impossible without manual intervention. A structured reporting work flow has been developed that allows quantitative data created at an advanced imaging workstation to be seamlessly integrated into the radiology report with minimal radiologist intervention. As an intermediary step between the workstation and the reporting software, quantitative and descriptive data are converted into an extensible markup language (XML) file in a standardized format specified by the Annotation and Image Markup (AIM) project of the National Institutes of Health Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid. The AIM standard was created to allow image annotation data to be stored in a uniform machine-readable format. These XML files containing imaging data can also be stored on a local database for data mining and analysis. This structured work flow solution has the potential to improve radiologist efficiency, reduce errors, and facilitate storage of quantitative and descriptive imaging data for research.


Feedstock heterogeneity is a key challenge impacting the deconstruction and conversion of herbaceous lignocellulosic biomass to biobased fuels, chemicals, and materials. Upstream processing to homogenize biomass feedstock streams into their anatomical components via air classification allows for a more tailored approach to subsequent mechanical and chemical processing. Here, we show that differing corn stover anatomical tissues respond differently to pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis and therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to chemical processing biomass is inappropriate. To inform on-line downstream processing, a robust and high-throughput analytical technique is needed to quantitatively characterize the separated biomass. Predictive correlation of near-infrared spectra to biomass chemical composition is such a technique. Here, we demonstrate the capability of models developed using an "off-the-shelf," industrially relevant spectrometer with limited spectral range to make strong predictions of both cell wall chemical composition and the relative abundance of anatomical components of the corn stover, the latter for the first time ever. Gaussian process regression (GPR) yields stronger correlations (average R2 v = 88% for chemical composition and 95% for anatomical relative abundance) than the more commonly used partial least squares (PLS) regression (average R2 v = 84% for chemical composition and 92% for anatomical relative abundance). In nearly all cases, both GPR and PLS outperform models generated using neural networks. These results highlight the potential for coupling NIRS with predictive models based on GPR due to the potential to yield more robust correlations.


The development of new organic materials with nonlinear optical properties (NLO) was one of the aims of research over the past decades due to their potential use in the field of telecommunications, optical computing and processing and optical data storage, among others. The advantages of organic compounds compared to inorganic crystals are its low cost, ease of processing and high number of structural variability, which makes them very attractive to industry. Most organic compounds with non-linear optical (NLO) properties are based on highly conjugated molecules with donors and acceptors substituted at the two ends of the molecule, called donor-acceptor ("push-pull") systems, and these are amongst the most interesting structures for new compounds with efficient NLO responses. The PhD project presented in this report is framed in the context of a search for new molecules push-pull type, based on heteroaromatic cations as acceptors of the system (for these systems has been appointed a new name as "NLO-catiophores), and partly in the development of the synthesis of new macrocyclic rigid cationic nature. First we describe the synthesis and study of nonlinear optical properties by Hyper-Rayleigh Scattering (HRS) of new push-pull system based on heteroaromatic cations. They were obtained through the development of the Suzuki, Heck and Sonogashira reactions. We have demonstrated that organotrifluroborates are better efficient partners than boronic acids for the Suzuki coupling reaction with pyridinium and, Moreover, the ease with which these potassium organotrifluoroborates reacted with azinium and quinolizinium salts in water and the coupling products can be isolated is a further advantage of the procedure and provides a new means for accessing to a great variety of substituted cations. It has proved possible to Heck coupling with aryl iodides with the four isomers of vinilquinolizinium. We have achived the synthesis of a series of D-A and D-A-D catio-phores by Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction from aziniun and quinolizinium bromoderivatives. Noting the overall study ONL values of selected molecules can be obtained the following conclusions: a) heteroaromatic cations type azinium and quinolizinium have good NLO properties (sHRS values between 25-500 10-30 esu). In general, for the pyridinium cation, substitution at the C4 produces best response NLO and in case of cation quinolizinium position C2 is best. b) electrodonating substituent favor the charge transfer on the system Donnor-Acceptor. Moreover it was found that the quinolizinium cation is better acceptor increasing the value of hyperpolarizability. On the other hand, in this context of development of new materials, we considered introducing the quinolizinium system on macrocyclic structures shape-persistent type, i.e. a rigid skeleton formed by aryl units linked together by triple bonds, which resulting in large molecular surfaces. These properties make the AEMs (arylene-ethynylene macrocycles), structures of interest in the field of organic materials.


Most scholars will readily agree that people who regularly eat homecooked meals tend to be happier and healthier, but the agreement ends on the answer to the question: how can we find the time and money to cook? Instead of cooking at home, we are relying on convenience foods to fill our tables; this is affecting our relationship to food itself, to our natural surroundings, to others, to ourselves, and most importantly to God. I advocate for home-cooking through a Christian lens: when we cook as Christians, we enter into a spiritual realm where we acknowledge the sacredness of food and its beauty from our Creator—essentially, cooking is a spiritual practice.


None
Unpleasant dreamlike mentation can occur during NREM parasomnias, leading to associated panic attacks. The mentations are rarely remembered, and are likely underreported. However, they may lead to significant personal distress, and if not addressed, may contribute to poorer clinical outcomes. Cotard's 'Le Délire de Negation', are very rare nihilistic delusions, historically described with psychotic disorders. Their association with variety of neurologic disorders, including migraine and cluster-headache, has also been reported. Here we present three cases of Cotard's parasomnia during which distinct states of consciousness defined by nihilistic ideation are reported. Patients described believing to be dead or dying, whilst unable to perceive or experience their bodies in whole, or in part, as their own. The source analysis of electroencephalographic fingerprint of these mentations suggests right hemispheric hypoactivity subsequent to confusional arousals. Mechanistically, an aberrant activation of two major intrinsic brain networks of wakefulness, the salience and the default-mode-network is argued.


Abstract. The mass flux of air lifted within the updrafts of shallow convection was thought to be compensated outside the cloud through either large scale subsidence or stronger downdrafts in a thin shell surrounding the cloud. Subsiding shells were postulated based on large eddy simulation and are experimentally tested in this study for shallow convection over land. Isolated cumulus clouds were probed with a small research aircraft over flat land, mountains, in different wind situations and at different levels of the clouds. The subsiding shell varies considerably between individual cloud transects. A shell-like narrow downdraft region was present on at least one edge in 105 out of 191 transects and on both edges in 29 transects. However, the average over all cloud transects shows a narrow downdraft region outside the cloud boundaries. The ensemble-mean subsiding shell is narrower on the upwind side of the cloud, while it is at least half a cloud diameter wide and more humid on the downwind side. At least half of the upward mass transport in the cloud is compensated within a distance of 20 % of the cloud diameter. A shell is not uniform. Distinct regions of downdrafts and updrafts with high variability of the vertical wind are frequent and randomly distributed in the vicinity and also within the cloud. Based on these findings, a subsiding shell is, however, a valid concept to describe an ensemble of shallow cumulus clouds over land.


A three-year field trial was conducted to study the effect of plant population and harvesting dates on the yield of cleaned 2.0-6.0 mm seed and the seed yield (g) per plant. The highest seed yield was obtained with a spacing of 50 × 12 cm, or 160,000 plants/ha. A decrease in the plant-to-plant spacing to 9 cm decreased the yield by an average of 70 kg/ha over the three study years. The seed yield decreased to an even greater extent when the plant-to-plant spacing was 16 or 24 cm. The seed yields increased the most between the first and second harvesting dates: 400 kg/ha, or 50 kg/ha a day. On the last harvesting date, the seed yield was as low as 5-8 kg/ha. The yield loss was somewhat higher in the most densely sown treatment. The effect of spacing and harvesting date on seed yield per plant was similar to that on total seed yield.


There is a strong concern about the environmental and social impacts of land use changes caused by sugarcane expansion. This research aims to assess the land use changes caused by sugarcane expansion in the State of Sao Paulo in the last five years, as well as predicting land use changes in the coming years. In addition, this research evaluates the social impacts of sugarcane expansion. The assessment of land use changes was made through GIS analysis. First, the changes during the last five years were evaluated. Based on this information, the land use changes for the coming years were estimated. The social impacts of sugarcane expansion were evaluated by studying the correlation between Human Development Index (HDI) and the sugarcane expansion. The results confirm that sugarcane crop expanded about 1.85 million hectares between 2003 and 2008. About 62% of this expansion replaced areas used for agricultural crop in 2003, and about 34% replaced areas used for pasture in 2003. Three scenarios were created in order to estimate sugarcane expansion in the coming years. In the first scenario, sugarcane would expand about 0.9 million hectares in three years; in the second scenario, 1.1 million hectares in four years; and in the third scenario, 1.4 million hectares in six years. In each scenario, about 70% of the expansion would take place in areas used for agricultural crops in 2003, and 40% in areas used for pasture in 2003. The sugarcane expansion caused a significant and positive impact on the income dimension of HDI for regions with a very low level of development. For regions of medium and high level of development, the HDI impact was not significant. In addition, a slightly negative impact on the longevity dimension of HDI was observed.


Since the publication of the book of Russell and Burch in 1959, scientific research has never stopped improving itself with regard to the important issue of animal experimentation.
The European Directive 2010/63/EU "On the protection of animals used for scientific purposes" focuses mainly on the animal welfare, fixing the Russell and Burch's 3Rs principles as the foundations of the document. In particular, the legislator clearly states the responsibility of the scientific community to improve the number of alternative methods to animal experimentation.
The swine is considered a species of relevant interest for translational research and medicine due to its biological similarities with humans. The surgical community has, in fact, recognized the swine as an excellent model replicating the human cardiovascular system.
There have been several wild-type and transgenic porcine models which were produced for biomedicine and translational research. Among these, the cardiovascular ones are the most represented.
The continuous involvement of the porcine animal model in the biomedical research, as the continuous advances achieved using swine in translational medicine, support the need for alternative methods to animal experimentation involving pigs.
The main purpose of the present work was to develop and characterize novel porcine alternative methods for cardiovascular translational biology/medicine.
The work was mainly based on two different models: the first consisted in an ex vivo culture of porcine aortic cylinders and the second consisted in an in vitro culture of porcine aortic derived progenitor cells. Both the models were properly characterized and results indicated that they could be useful to the study of vascular biology. Nevertheless, both the models aim to reduce the use of experimental animals and to refine animal based-trials.
In conclusion, the present research aims to be a small, but significant, contribution to the important and necessary field of study of alternative methods to animal experimentation.


The high temperature resistant polymers and metal composites are used widely in aviation, space, automotive and electronics industry. The high temperature resistant polymers and metals are joined together using high temperature adhesives. Polyimide and epoxy adhesives that can withstand high temperature (200 °C-300 °C) are commonly used for joining high temperature metals and polymers. The performance of adhesively bonded metals and polymers depends upon physical properties of these high temperature adhesives. The physical properties like modulus, Tg. coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) etc., are affected by external factors such as force, temperature, humidity etc. The external factors play a vital role in the adhesive bond strength and the durability of bond between metal and polymer. In this investigation moisture absorption analysis of polyimide adhesive is performed using Q5000 moisture absorption analyzer. The moisture absorption data of polyimide at different temperatures and humidity level is obtained. Further, the moisture absorption data is fitted to well known Fickian-fit model to determine the diffusion coefficient (D) and saturated moisture gain Msat. Diffusion coefficient (D) and Msat of polyimide and epoxy adhesive are calculated at different temperature and different humidity level. It is observed that diffusion coefficient changes with the change in temperature and humidity level. The diffusion coefficient (D) and M sat data are used in Fick's second law of diffusion to estimate the time needed for preconditioning of the adhesively bonded titanium samples in humidity chamber at elevated temperature and higher moisture level. After preconditioning of adhesively bonded Titanium samples in moisture chamber for estimated time, samples will be subjected to lap shear tensile test to study the effect of these elevated conditions on adhesive bond strength.


Examination of the systemic properties and forms of interaction that characterize classification and categorization reveals fundamental syntactic differences between the structure of classification systems and the structure of categorization systems. These distinctions lead to meaningful differences in the contexts within which information can be apprehended and influence the semantic information available to the individual. Structural and semantic differences between classification and categorization are differences that make a difference in the information environment by influencing the functional activities of an information system and by contributing to its constitution as an information environment.


Many online applications, such as online social networks or knowledge bases, are often attacked by malicious users who commit different types of actions such as vandalism on Wikipedia or fraudulent reviews on eBay. Currently, most of the fraud detection approaches require a training dataset that contains records of both benign and malicious users. However, in practice, there are often no or very few records of malicious users. In this paper, we develop one-class adversarial nets (OCAN) for fraud detection with only benign users as training data. OCAN first uses LSTM-Autoencoder to learn the representations of benign users from their sequences of online activities. It then detects malicious users by training a discriminator of a complementary GAN model that is different from the regular GAN model. Experimental results show that our OCAN outperforms the state-of-the-art one-class classification models and achieves comparable performance with the latest multi-source LSTM model that requires both benign and malicious users in the training phase.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. OBJECTIVES: In patients with coronavirus disease 2019–associated acute respiratory distress syndrome, sedatives and opioids are commonly administered which may lead to increased vulnerability to neurologic dysfunction. We tested the hypothesis that patients with coronavirus disease 2019–associated acute respiratory distress syndrome are at higher risk of in-hospital mortality due to prolonged coma compared with other patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome matched for disease severity. DESIGN: Propensity-matched cohort study. SETTING: Seven ICUs in an academic hospital network, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, MA). PATIENTS: All mechanically ventilated coronavirus disease 2019 patients between March and May 2020 were identified and matched with patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome of other etiology. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Using clinical data obtained from a hospital registry, we matched 114 coronavirus disease 2019 patients to 228 noncoronavirus disease 2019–related acute respiratory distress syndrome patients based on baseline disease severity. Coma was identified using the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale less than or equal to –3. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analyses were used to assess the percentage of comatose days, sedative medications used, and the association between coronavirus disease 2019 and in-hospital mortality. In-hospital mortality (48.3% vs 31.6%, adjusted odds ratio, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.34–3.44; p = 0.002), the percentage of comatose days (66.0% ± 31.3% vs 36.0% ± 36.9%, adjusted difference, 29.35; 95% CI, 21.45–37.24; p < 0.001), and the hypnotic agent dose (51.3% vs 17.1% of maximum hypnotic agent dose given in the cohort; p < 0.001) were higher among patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Brain imaging did not show a higher frequency of structural brain lesions in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (6.1% vs 7.0%; p = 0.76). Hypnotic agent dose was associated with coma (adjusted coefficient, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.45–0.78; p < 0.001) and mediated (p = 0.001) coma. Coma was associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 5.84; 95% CI, 3.58–9.58; p < 0.001) and mediated 59% of in-hospital mortality (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with matched patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome of other etiology, patients with coronavirus disease 2019 received higher doses of hypnotics, which was associated with prolonged coma and higher mortality.


The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) web site is a comprehensive resource for individuals and their families and friends who suffer from anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, panic attacks, and related conditions. The web site provides detailed information on disorders in English and Spanish, including symptoms and treatment options, resources for finding help, information for managing the conditions, donation and organizational support, and a wide range of materials for health professionals.


A classic of investment literature, The Handbook of Mortgage-Backed Securities provides unparalleled coverage of every aspect of the mortgage-backed securities market. Authoritative and comprehensive, the book explains both the fundamentals and investment characteristics of mortgage-backed securities, as well as state-of-the-art strategies for capitalizing on opportunities. The fourth edition of The Handbook is very much a new book. It fully reflects the most recent developments in the market in terms of both product development and financial technology. Topics covered in much greater depth in this edition include: prepayment behavior and modeling; whole-loan CMOs; commercial mortgage-backed securities; and option-adjusted spread analysis. Moreover, sections on stripped mortgage-backed securities, risk management, and taxation have been updated and revised.


The purpose of this paper is to review current information and opinions on the structures of the concealed Palaeozoic rocks of southeastern England and adjacent parts of northwestern Europe. The authors attempt a regional synthesis, which suggests that certain structural trends in these older rocks have been reactivated several times in the subsequent history of the area, and in some cases control the alinement of present-day surface features. We have drawn on the accumulated data of field surveys, deep boreholes and geophysical investigations carried out by the Institute of Geological Sciences, and also information obtained during the commercial search for coal and oil. The results of marine gravity measurements recently made by I.G.S. and the Admiralty in the eastern English Channel and southern North Sea are presented for the first time. Similarly, we are glad to include data from M r P. L. Rumsby's recent analyses of fault trends in the Kent collieries, for the National Coal Board. Reference is also made to some of the results of the Channel Tunnel site investigation 1964 5 (Destombes & Shephard-Thorn 1971). Published literature and maps form the basis of our remarks on northern Europe, though we are grateful to Destombes for unpublished information on the Boulonnais.


The role of human resources that is affirmed in the outlines of the State Policy that the essence ofIndonesia's national development is to build a complete Indonesian people and the entire Indonesian people. Inaddition, in the General Pattern of Long Term Development II it is also emphasized that the main objective ofnational development is to improve the quality of people and the people of Indonesia. Human resources is thedriving force of the activities of a country, where the citizens of the country concerned that run all the activitiesof the state, such as politics, economy and others. In addition to running the wheels of government, residentsalso manage all natural resources that become wealth for the country concerned. The population of a goodquality country will strive to cultivate and utilize existing natural resources, to meet the needs of life andimprove their welfare and to manage their country's wealth properly and efficiently. Development ofcompetency-based and professional-based human resources is conducted in order to deliver results inaccordance with organizational goals and objectives with predefined performance standards. Professionalhuman resources are those who have the competence, in accordance with the profession that ditekuni. Theobjective to be achieved by human resource management is to form professional human resources, which havecharacteristics, noble, competent, and motivated.


Created wetlands are often limited in soil organic matter, usually a long-term product of ecosystem succession. Although many studies have tested the effect of adding organic material to these systems, few if any, have quantified the effect of various loadings of organic matter in created wetlands. The goal of this study was to determine how vegetation composition, standing crop biomass, woody vegetation development, and ecosystem gas exchange varied in a created freshwater wetland along a gradient of soil organic carbon (0 to 336 Mg ha'1 loading rates). Plot surface elevation varied positively with OM loadings, suggesting that inundation/aeration may modify OM effects. Soil nutrients (C, N, C:N, and P) also positively correlated with loading rate. Vegetation measurements suggested an overall similarity of plant assemblage composition and biomass regardless of loading rate, and a slight increase in tree size with loading rate. Gross primary production and net ecosystem exchange were weakly positively and negatively correlated with loading rate, respectively. Respiration was strongly positively correlated with loading rate, and was likely the controlling factor of CO2 gas flux among treatments. Soil nutrient values and vegetation composition, as well as ecosystem gas flux balance appear to be the best parameters upon which to base an organic matter loading rate decision. In this study, adding an organic matter amendment between LR 2 (56 Mg ha'1) and 3 (112 Mg h a 1) seems most appropriate, and may provide a "jumpstart" for the created non-tidal wetlands while also minimizing changes in surface elevation due to the added bulk material.


Paleocurrent direction analysis is an important aspect of sedimentology and paleoenvironment reconstruction. The paper presents two major categories of paleocurrent direction analysis, which was classified according to the avaiable information, such as rock composition, heavy mineral analysis, the various sedimentary structures, sedimentary facies, seismic facies and so on, one is qualitative method, and the other is semi-quantitative and quantitative method. Meanwhile, the principle, application, advantages and disadvantages of each method were described in detail. It is worthy to note that the suitable method shoud be chosen to conduct the paleocurrent direction research and specific geological background should be thinked over, reasonable conclusion should be drawn only through the combination of various analysis.


The article offers an overview of exoglossic situations in the German literary language history, which resulted in exoglossic stratification of the system, presented by foreign lexis layers at the lexical-semantic level of the German literary language, defined as exoglossic strata herein. Strata are "imprints" of the borrowings wave, which intensity is directly proportional to a scale of lexical-semantic groups, thus representing an exoglossic influence. The largest of them includes "imprints" of so-called exoglossia cases in the German language history. The well-known examples of exoglossia are Latin, French and British-American, the latter is still ongoing. State of the language idiom after several exoglossic influences is defined as polyglossia. Evidence of the German literary language functioning in the exoglossic context is discussed. Method of diasystematic analysis of languages and linguistic forms was used for the description. It involves the allocation of diaphastic, diastratic and diafunctional aspects, acting simultaneously as exoglossic aspects. Most arguments are concerning the tendencies in the German literary language system, fixed within the exoglossic language situation in Germany since 1945. The most obvious evidence of exoglossic development in the considered language system is the asymmetry of borrowed and autochthonic language material, which conditions have situationally specified and stylistically differentiated use of the contacting languages – English and German - within the language situation in Germany. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1s1p500