The Niger Delta Region in Nigeria considered the oil mineral producing area in the country has become a breeding ground for various forms of violence. The inability of residents in these areas to directly gain appreciably from the resources generated by the exploration and exploitation of this natural resource has contributed to this problem. Although it is now recognized that violence severely undermines broader development goals of growth and sustainability, a lot of policy research is dominated by quantitative methodologies. While obviously important, such highly quantitative methodologies fail to capture how people actually experience violence and also how it had impeded their livelihoods. This study, while placing a lot of emphasis on qualitative methodology looks at the interrelationship between ethnicity and violence and their effect on livelihood (on gender basis) in oil mineral producing areas in Nigeria. Resume La region du Delta du Niger, au Nigeria, consideree comme la zone de production du petrole, a l'echelle nationale, est devenue un cadre propice a differentes formes de violence. L'incapacite des residents de cette zone a profiter des


: Patients presenting to hospital with unstable angina should be risk profiled on admission and categorized as low, intermediate or high risk based on demographics, the presence and duration of ischemia, electrocardiographic changes and biochemical markers such as troponins T and I. Patients categorized as low risk can be assessed as outpatients for confirmation of the diagnosis, institution of therapy, non-invasiveive testing for inducible ischemia, and modification of risk factors. Patients categorized as intermediate risk should be admitted and treated with antithrombotic therapy and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists while undergoing careful monitoring for ischemia. If any high-risk features occur during this period, the patient should be recategorized as high risk. Alternatively, if the symptoms and signs of ischemia settle, they can be recategorized as low risk and undergo noninvasiveive testing before discharge. Patients categorized as high risk should be treated with antithrombotic therapy and IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists with a plan to perform expeditious angiography and revascularization (if appropriate) before early discharge. Further studies are required comparing this approach in high-risk patients with one of IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist therapy without revascularization. The increased risk of cardiac events continues beyond the acute phase, and long-term strategies, including administration of either low molecular weight heparin or oral IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists, are being tested in ongoing clinical trials.


Early diagnosis of caries and tooth enamel microcracks is of great importance for preventing the destruction of healthy tooth enamel. In order to detect microcracks in the enamel and pathogenic microflora foci that can cause caries, nanoform of aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPc) can be used as a marker. In a colloidal solution, the nanoparticles do not fluoresce, unlike their molecular form. To convert the particle into its molecular form, it is necessary to have a solvent or specific environment (bacteria, macrophages, etc.). That is why the hydrophobic nanoparticles of aluminum phthalocyanine (nAlPc) can act as markers for detecting hidden pathogenic microflora during fluorescent diagnostics. Further reduction of the diagnosis time and increase the efficiency can be achieved by using biologically compatible surfactants as additional activators of nAlPc. In order to carry out local fluorescence spectroscopy of enamel microcracks and pathogenic microflora foci on the enamel surface, a model compound containing surfactants, auxiliary components and nAlPc colloid at a concentration of 10 mg/l was prepared. Studies on the interaction of the model compound with nAlPc and Protelan MST-35 with tooth enamel ex vivo have shown this surfactant to be a promising auxiliary activator of the nanoparticles, allowing conducting local fluorescence spectroscopy of the tooth enamel surface 3 min after application. In addition, statistical processing of the results showed the effectiveness of using the model compound for local fluorescence spectroscopy of the enamel surface in order to detect the enamel microcracks and the pathogenic microflora accumulation foci that can lead to the development of a cariogenic process.


The Migrant/Remittances and Aid/Bureaucracy (MIRAB) model developed by Bertram and Watters (1985) based on remittances and aid has dominated the small island economy literature. Recently, two challenges have surfaced: the People (immigration), Resources, Overseas Management (Diplomacy), Finance and Transport (PROFIT) formulation of Baldacchino (2006) emphasizing the 'resourcefulness of jurisdiction' and the Small Island Tourist Economies (SITE) model (McElroy, 2006) stressing the role of tourism. To date, there has been no comparative assessment of these different island models. This article partially addresses this gap by constructing comprehensive profiles across 24 variables for two small-island subgroups: 12 MIRAB and 17 SITE. Results indicate SITE islands exhibit a considerably more developed profile than their MIRAB counterparts.


In this paper, we propose a robust multiple digital watermarking technique for the copyright protection of digital color images. The watermark is a binary image, which is divided into four parts, each encrypted using a secret key and embedded using the spatial domain into four different regions of size 128×128 of the blue component of the color image. Watermark extraction is based on the comparisons between the original intensity pixel values and the corresponding watermarked intensity pixel values in blocks of size 8x8. The watermark extracted bits are determined using the probabilities of detecting bit '1' or bit '0'. The watermark can be extracted in sixteen parts but only four of these are selected by a correlation coefficient detector and used to reconstruct the extracted watermark. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme successfully makes the watermark perceptually invisible and robust for a wide range of attacks, including JPEG loss compression, median filtering, low pass filtering, rotation, rotation-scaling, rotation-crop, image cropping, image scaling and self similarity attacks.


Background Busulfan is an alkylating antineoplastic drug extensively used in myeloablative regimens prior to haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Administration every 6 hours for 4 consecutive days and the low stability of this product induces organisational problems for cytotoxic preparation units in hospital pharmacies. A few studies have already been conducted to investigate the stability of diluted busulfan solutions but published results showed important variability. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of busulfan solutions diluted to 0.54 mg/mL with 0.9% sodium chloride and stored in polypropylene (PP) syringes or PP infusion bags with a highly sensitive, specific and rapid (<2 min) method. Material and methods Busulfan solutions (0.54 mg/mL) were prepared from three Busilvex batch numbers and transferred into 50 mL PP syringes (n=12), or 100 mL (n=12) or 500 mL (n=4) PP infusion bags (stored at 2–8°C or 23–27°C). The chemical stability of busulfan was assessed by measuring in each container the percentage of the initial concentration remaining at each time point of analysis (max 100 hours) with an ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) method. Busulfan and [2H8]-busulfan (internal standard) were detected in selected ion recording mode as ammonium adducts at m/z: 264.1 and 272.1, respectively. Stability was defined as retention of at least 90% of the initial busulfan concentration. Physical stability was assessed by visual inspection. Results Busulfan in PP syringes proved to be stable for 30 hours at 2–8°C and 12 hours at 23–27°C. A reduced stability of 12 hours and 9 hours were obtained at 2–8°C for 100 mL and 500 mL PP bags, respectively. At 23–27°C, all PP bags presented stability for 3 hours. The main effects observed were hydrolysis at 23–27°C and precipitation at 2–8°C. Conclusion This study demonstrated that the stability of busulfan diluted solutions depends on the container type and storage temperature. Stability for 30 hours in PP syringes stored at 2–8°C is a considerable improvement compared with the manufacturer's recommendations (12 hours). The extended shelf life of busulfan infusion in syringes allows better organisation of the chemotherapy preparation unit by reducing the number of busulfan production to once a day. No conflict of interest


Data sets are often incomplete and lowquality at the end of a construction project. This creates rework or hinders opportunities to use data during future activities of the facility lifecycle (e.g. facility management, renovation, demolition). This research prototypes and evaluates a novel process to use blockchain and smart contracts in construction projects to incentivize high quality data sets. The proposed solution is defined in collaboration with construction professionals. The process traces and saves project data while incentivizing participants to create high-quality data sets through reward tokens. To validate the process, an Ethereum-based blockchain prototype is developed. A simple case study is conducted in collaboration with local industry professionals to simulate how the prototype can function in a typical design bid build process used in Switzerland. The early findings and possible subsequent research steps are presented. Overall, it was found that such a blockchain based incentive systems has the potential to not only incentivize highquality data sets, but also change the way of tendering and related construction processes.


This review of recent research data on application, effects and potential uses for antitranspirants in plant growth shows particular possibilities for conserving irrigation water, aiding plant survival under dry conditions, and protecting foliage against fungus, insects, smog, and salt spray. This information is not to be considered a recommendation of the University of California. Continued research is necessary to determine which materials offer the maximum reduction in transpiration with minimum reduction in photosynthesis, as well as optimum concentrations and application methods. A list of some antitranspirant materials (naming manufacturers and addresses) is available upon request to California Agriculture, Agricultural Publications, University Hall, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720.


The measurement of the production of CO2 from soils in incubation studies has been used for many years to gain information about the influence of different soils types, changing temperatures and water contents, as well as the addition of amendments on the soil respiration. While in the early years the kinetic modelling (or fitting) was restricted to the single or one pool model due to the possibility of solving the problem by log-transforming the observed data an using a linear regression for the estimation of the rate constant (by doing so an analytical solution can be applied), more recent publications chose multi-pool models (2, 3, and even 4-pools), which can will be fitted iteratively using appropriate computer software. In general, there are different methods used in literature to estimate the kinetic parameters resulting in different kinetic parameter values even for the same data set. Additionally, screening of existing literature revealed that the 2-pool model (or even higher pool models) were sometimes obviously wrong fitted or over fitted. In our presentation, we will show how different constrains in the fitting process will influence the results of the kinetic parameter values, how obviously wrong fitting and overfitting can be easily detected, and how the information content of the incubation data can be easily judged prior any fitting. Finally, we will provide recommendations how to extract information from incubation experiments.


Abstract In new generation PWR the annular fuel has been proposed as one of the options to achieve higher power density, larger safety margin and reduced electricity generation cost. In the current work, RELAP5 code is used to compare the thermal hydraulic parameters for both solid fuel and internally and externally cooled annular fuel in a core of a PWR. MCNP6 code is used to evaluate the neutronic design and basic safety parameters of the annular fuel. To accomplish this goal, RELAP5 input files for both solid and annular fuels are developed. In these files, a 13 · 13 array annular fuel design is used while the 17 · 17 standard array design is used for the solid fuel. A 100% core power, steady state normal operation is assumed in the current investigation. Also, MCNP6 code input files for both fuels are prepared. It is found that annular fuel has lower peak fuel temperature than the standard solid fuel, which is an important advantage of the annular fuel rather than the solid one. Also, comparisons were performed for reactivity feedback coefficients of the two fuel types at BOC. Burnup calculations were performed to study the energy conversion capability of the annular fuel as well as rim effects.


The chances, to carry out health-political innovations on the communal level, are actually in a close manner connected with the development of on health related cooperation structures. Whether health politicians, experts or scientists, they all set their hope on the instrument of cooperation and coordination, to be able to solve better the urgent questions of health promotion and health care in the communities or regions. Conferences of health are they key-term for the necessary organizational frame, which should render possible an improved cooperation and harmonization between the actors of the health system. On the background of selected examples of practice of health conferences here will be discussed the conception and the problems of transformation as well as the necessary conditions of development.


Knowledge productivity and value creation have changed and progressed significantly in our fast-changing knowledge economy during recent decades, presenting important challenges for managing businesses. Especially, knowledge productivity became the main factor for value creation, which is a priority objective of managing businesses. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate scales for the measurement of knowledge productivity and value creation. First, as a preliminary investigation, we conducted in-depth interviews with 39 executives and senior managers to develop the items for a questionnaire. Second, we conducted formal in-depth group interviews with 72 interviewees and collected completed questionnaires from 387 study participants. To test the convergent validity of the questionnaire items, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis using this sample.
The results for the scale measuring knowledge productivity showed that 28 items could be categorized into two factors (KP1: improvement and innovation of products, services, and work processes, and KP2: sustainable development of the future growth engine). The results for the scale measuring value creation also indicated that all 28 items could be categorized into four factors (VC1: corporate reputation, image, and corporate social responsibility, VC2: employee satisfaction with work environment, VC3: employee satisfaction with financial benefits, and VC4: sustainability). The reliability of the measurement instruments, containing two factors related to knowledge productivity and four factors related to value creation, was acceptable.
Results of a confirmatory factor analysis to verify the discriminant validity of the instrument items indicated that the two-factor model for knowledge productivity and the four-factor model for knowledge productivity fitted the data significantly better than other alternative models for both measures. Finally, as an additional test, the results of the correlation analysis for both knowledge productivity and value creation proved the validity of our study variables for measurement purposes. The results of these validation tests support the usefulness and practicality of these variables for future research.


The main lymphocyte subpopulations (T-, B-, T mu-, T gamma, and L-lymphocytes), serum immunoglobulins (A, M, G), and specific antibodies have been analyzed at different periods of the development of acute brucellosis. The heterogeneous pattern of changes in the main characteristics of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity has been revealed. A definite interrelation of cell-mediated and humoral reactions in the immunological process in brucellosis has been established.


This article focuses on differences between French secondary schools regarding how students are channelled into higher education (HE) and the impact of these processes on educational inequalities. The concept of channelling is used to analyse how school professionals adapt their guidance practices according to both students' academic and social status and their predicted futures. Drawing on ethnographic data from two schools in Paris, we provide a detailed examination of school professionals' discourses and of institutional devices orienting students' higher education choices. The interpretations involve four different themes: how and how much school professionals engage with the transition to HE; the explicit and implicit messages regarding HE guidance present in their words and actions; the routes they encourage students to take or to avoid; and the rationale behind these practices. The conclusions emphasise the inequalities across schools in terms of the amount and type of attention that students receive and the kind of educational horizons that are presented to them.


Failure conditions in soils at elevated temperatures appear to be strongly dependent on the history of the application of stress and temperature. Four cases of such history leading to various modes of failure are identified and interpreted in terms of thermal Cam-clay models. Particular attention is given to the influence of thermal variability on the coefficient of the critical state, M, or the angle of internal friction. A detailed analysis of the material history offers an explanation of an apparent confusion about whether the soil strength is decreased or increased by temperature. In a companion paper, numerical analysis of the development of axisymmetric thermal and stress fields around a cylindrical heat source suggests that thermal failure may arise in conditions that are far from any mechanically critical situation.


The Arkansas Soybean Research Verification Program (AR SRVP) has provided demonstrations of optimal management responses in soybean production for 30 years. This period has seen the adoption of early soybean production systems and increasingly widespread use of various irrigation approaches. Cooperating producers across the state have worked with county agents and state extension specialists to produce crops under top management conditions and refine extension recommendations. Individual field and cooperator agronomic and economic results have been published to benefit producers across the state and beyond. While considerable attention has been given to total costs of production, limited study has been made into the changes in distribution of these costs among expense categories. This study examines changes in magnitude of expenses and percentage distributions among major expense categories. Irrigated, early season soybean production system records are examined for a ten year period to identify expense changes that have been experienced. The distribution of expenses by commonly used categories is then calculated and compared to national results from periodic USDA/NASS surveys. A better understanding of the distributional changes in expenses borne by soybean producers can have benefits in crop enterprise decision making and facilitate financing procedures for both producers and land owners.


Rare earth metals have been investigated as anti-co rrosion of mild steel in produced water which resul ts during petroleum activity. The techniques utilized in this approach namely "massloss (WL), DC Tafel polarizat ion, AC electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM), AC impe dance spectroscopy (EIS) at25oC.Iron content (disso lved iron) is measured by spectroscopy and pH values of solutions arerecorded.Data declared that IE% rose w ith addition of rare earth metals and decreased with ra ising temperature. Langmuir's adsorption isotherm w as the best fit with the revealing data. The thermodynamic acti vation parameters are demonstrated. SEM & EDXtechni ques were employed for surface examination of uninhibite d and inhibited mild steel. The % inhibition demons trated from different methodologieswas in a goodtrend.


The role of sensory systems in the development of behavioral conditioned responses was investigated by recording multiple-unit activity in the auditory and somatosensory pathways during Pavlovian conditioning of the pupillary-dilation responses of paralyzed cats. Establishment of conditioned pupillary-dilation responses to a white noise CS+, pupillary discrimination between the CS+ and a tone CS-, and subsequent discrimination reversal provided the behavioral foundation for examining neural changes related to behavioral learning. Multiple-unit responses to the acoustic CS+ were significantly enhanced in the auditory cortex, cochlear nucleus, and somatic cortex, but not in the cuneate nucleus. The possibility that these effects could be due to changes in stimulus intensity at the sensory receptor, to mo-ement artifacts, or to feedback from skeletal responses were ruled out because the animals were immobilized. Nor could these neural changes be attributable to sensitization, as those brain areas which showed conditioned enhancement to the CS+ exhibited significantly larger responses to the CS+ than to the CS-. Furthermore, the changes in neural activity followed the significance of the CS; after reversal of the reinforcement contingencies, the amount of multiple-unit activity evoked by the stimuli gradually reversed too. Although the somatic cortex showed conditioning and discrimination, greater stimulus specificity was found in the auditory system. Only in the somatic cortex was there a significant increase in responses to the CS- as well as the CS4. Furthermore, both somatosensory loci exhibited enhanced responses to those tactile probes presented during the acoustic CS, suggesting a phasic increase in neural excitability to all stimuli. Analysis of the number of trials required to attain an acquisition criterion indicated that the neural changes occurred first in the auditory cortex, then the cochlear nucleus, followed in turn by the somatic cortex, and finally the cuneate nucleus. However, none of these neural changes preceded acquisition of conditioned pupillary dilations. These results suggest that sensory system changes are not essential for the initial associative process. These findings indicate that the study of autonomic conditioned responses may prove beneficial in seeking the critical neural events which underlie the initial association between two stimuli. A hypothetical model, which explains the development of pupillary and sensory system conditioned responses, was also presented.


Introduction Children often receive religious and other instruction in venues run by religious institutions such us churches, temples and mosques. Madressahs are complementary schools providing basic Islamic education, Quraan memorisation, Islamic languages and development of civic responsibility. They also address social issues. Safeguarding issue A few children attending some Madressahs in a UK district alleged they were sometimes hit by the teachers, or publicly ridiculed, or make to sit in a 'chicken position' or made to stand on one leg by way of disciplining them. Parents were not keen to pursue allegations and faced divided loyalties. Project A police and social care enquiry took place and 197 children were interviewed. Findings Significant issues and inconsistencies in practice that came to light were: ▶ Ustads were religious scholars and not teachers. ▶ There were no standard recruitment processes. ▶ No guidance on safe childcare practice for staff or parents. ▶ No evidence that the teaching methods were tailored to the age or ability of the child. Action A steering group was created involving representatives from the community, mosques and statutory agency. They agreed on a joint approach and negotiated consensus on key issues. The group developed clear terms of reference used a Project Management approach to provide appropriate cultural and religious advice and support. They published a report called 'Safeguarding Children in Madressahs – a good practice guide'. The guide aimed to provide information and guidance to parents, carers and mosques/Madressahs on how best to ensure safety of their children. ▶ Advised Madressahs on their legal obligations and best practice. ▶ Offered advice on safe recruitment and induction practices. ▶ Provide Child Protection training to the mosques/Madressahs. The Local Safeguarding Board is evaluating the success of the Project keeping a record of number of allegations. Early results are promising. Conclusion This project shows that it is possible for statutory public sector agencies to work in a sensitive and culturally appropriate manner with specific minority and special interest groups to ensure the safeguarding of children. There are plans to introduce a similar project to other religious places of instruction such as Hindu Temples and Sikh Gurudwaras.


This article is a report of a study about the attitudes of librarians in the modern era. The study was conducted based on an ethical and cultural approach with librarians who attended seminars and workshops as its participants. Additionally, the study lasted from January to March 2016, and a case-study with qualitative research approach was employed. The results of the study show that: (1) the librarians carry out their duties maximally; (2) the librarians maintain and enhance their competencies; (3) the librarians collaborate each other to enhance their professional competencies; (4) the librarians enrich their knowledge and professional development through trainings and workshops; and (5) the librarians organize trainings and workshops that are congruent with local wisdoms.

 Key words: Librarians' roles, librarian's ethical code, organizational culture.


This new edition of Betsy Parrish's Teaching Adult ESL: A Practical Introduction, provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of teaching principles and practices for working with adult English language learners. It is a valuable guide for both novice and experienced teachers. It outlines good teaching practice and draws on classroom examples to offer practical guidance grounded in the latest research on language teaching. Addressing the diverse needs of adult English learners, it provides ideas on how to prepare all learners for the demands and opportunities of the 21st century. The book has been completely revised and updated for the second edition to reflect significant recent developments in the ESL landscape. Chapters are clear and informative. They include tasks and opportunities for teachers to reflect on and apply what they have learned. Each chapter also includes a list of recommended reading and resources to further develop knowledge of the subject.


Embedded systems, because of their application-specific characteristic, are one of the most widely used domains for reconfigurable systems. Aiming at the energy-saving problem, this paper presents a dynamic scheduling architecture. The contribution of this paper is twofold: First, this paper presents an Energy-efficient Architecture for Embedded Software (EAES), which uses a processor with dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) capability and FPGA modules as the hardware platform, and extends directed acyclic graph with AND and OR relationship as the task model. Second, this paper presents a dynamic energy-saving method, which combines the pre-assignment of tasks with dynamic runtime scheduling, minimizing the energy consumption of tasks while meets their deadline requirements. This is work in progress. So far, we have designed and implemented the required critical hardware and software functions. Currently, we are focusing on the rest functions and system integration.


The goal of this article is to study the etching properties as a function of various adsorbed surfactant thickness in wet anisotropic etching process of TMAH solution. The thickness of preferentially adsorbed surfactant molecules on Si{110} and Si{100} has been evaluated by using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The dependence of the etch rate in TMAH and the surface roughness on the layer thickness demonstrates that the surfactant is adsorbed at the interface during etching in TMAH+Triton. A thin pre-adsorbed layer is sufficient to dramatically improve the etching characteristics of silicon.


Building on the achievements of the CLIWOC project and its use of ships' logbooks for climatic reconstructions, this thesis examines more closely the conditions over the North Atlantic during the latter half of the eighteenth century. Furthermore, and importantly, this thesis provides additional verification of this largely untapped data source for scientific purposes.
 Such is the recent nature of this field that the logbook data required careful translation and manipulation before they could be used in climatological studies and a significant element of the thesis is devoted therefore to the important question of data verification and treatment.
 Indices were derived from the logbook data that described the wind patterns in the areas north and south of the Azores anticyclone, taking the form of vectors combining wind force and direction. These indices were developed at monthly resolution (although the original logbook data are presented in daily form on CD1, which accompanies this thesis) and also aggregated up to annual resolution. The indices showed good agreement with accepted climatological theory and the general character of wind flows in the two constituent sub-regions noted above could be identified at this scale of resolution for the very first time. Studies were developed using independently derived indices, including a grid-based North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI), the Central England Temperature series (CET), the England and Wales Precipitation series (EWP) and sunspot number, which were selected for their coverage of the study period at monthly resolution. A number of significant correlations were found between the logbook indices and also between the latter and the 'independent' series. Some of these, such as those between airflow and the Central England Temperature series were not unexpected, but welcome nonetheless by conforming to climatological theory. Others, however, especially those suggesting a solar signal in the climate record were new and more challenging. These require additional research, much of it beyond the scope of this thesis, and provide an inviting pointer for future studies using this demonstrably valuable data source.


In enteroaggregative hemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EAHEC) O104 the complex antibiotic resistance gene loci (CRL) found in the region of divergence 1 (RD1) within E. coli genomic island 3 (GI3) contains bla TEM-1, strAB, sul2, tet(A)A, and dfrA7 genes encoding resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and trimethoprim respectively. The precise arrangement of antibiotic resistance genes and the role of mobile elements that drove the evolutionary events and created the CRL have not been investigated. We used a combination of bioinformatics and iterative BLASTn searches to determine the micro-evolutionary events that likely led to the formation of the CRL in GI3 using the closed genome sequences of EAHEC O104:H4 strains 2011C-3493 and 2009EL-2050 and high quality draft genomes of EAHEC E. coli O104:H4 isolates from sporadic cases not associated with the initial outbreak. Our analyses indicate that the CRL in GI3 evolved from a progenitor structure that contained an In2-derived class 1 integron in a Tn21/Tn1721 hybrid backbone. Within the hybrid backbone, a Tn6029-family transposon, identified here as Tn6029C abuts the sul1 gene in the 3´-Conserved Segment (-CS) of a class 1 integron generating a unique molecular signature that has only previously been observed in pASL01a, a small plasmid found in commensal E. coli in West Africa. From this common progenitor, independent IS26-mediated events created two novel transposons identified here as Tn6029D and Tn6222 in 2011C-3493 and 2009EL-2050 respectively. Analysis of RD1 within GI3 reveals IS26 has played a crucial role in the assembly of regions within the CRL.


High-throughput electrode arrays are required for advancing devices for testing the effect of drugs on cellular function. In this paper, we present design criteria for a potentiostat circuit that is capable of measuring transient amperometric oxidation currents at the surface of an electrode with submillisecond time resolution and picoampere current resolution. The potentiostat is a regulated cascode stage in which a high-gain amplifier maintains the electrode voltage through a negative feedback loop. The potentiostat uses a new shared amplifier structure in which all of the amplifiers in a given row of detectors share a common half circuit permitting us to use fewer transistors per detector. We also present measurements from a test chip that was fabricated in a 0.5-mum, 5-V CMOS process through MOSIS. Each detector occupied a layout area of 35 mumtimes15 mum and contained eight transistors and a 50-fF integrating capacitor. The rms current noise at 2-kHz bandwidth is ap110 fA. The maximum charge storage capacity at 2 kHz is 1.26times106 electrons


Purpose – Based on a report to the non-profit organization, The Foundation for the Future, this article aims to review methodological approaches to forecasting the long-term future. Design/methodology/approach – This is not an analysis of the particular content of the next 500 or 1,000 years but a comparative analysis of methodologies and epistemological approaches best utilized in long-range foresight work. It involves an analysis of multiple methods to understand long-range foresight; literature review; and critical theory. Findings – Methodologies that forecast the long-term future are likely to be more rewarding – in terms of quality, insight, and validity – if they are eclectic and layered, go back in time as far as they go in the future, that contextualize critical factors and long-term projections through a nuanced reading of macrohistory, and focus on epistemic change, the ruptures that reorder how we know the world. Research limitations/implications – The article provides frameworks to study the long-range future. It gives advice on how best to design research projects that are focused on the long-term. Limitations include: no quantitative studies were used and the approach while epistemologically sensitive remains bounded by Western frameworks of knowledge. Practical implications – The article provides methodological and epistemological guidance as to the best methods for long range foresight. It overviews strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. Originality/value – This is the only research project to analyze methodological aspects of 500-1,000 year forecasting. It includes conventional technocratic views of the future as well as Indic and feminist perspectives. It is among the few studies to link macrohistory and epistemic analysis to study the long-term.


We have previously reported that inhibition of thromboxane synthesis results in an improvement in postischemic function in stunned myocardium of dogs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate further the mechanism by which thromboxane synthesis inhibition improves recovery of function in stunned myocardium (15 minutes of coronary occlusion and 3 hours of reperfusion) in barbital anesthetized dogs. The recovery of regional myocardial wall function (percent segment shortening, % SS) following treatment with two doses (0.5 and 10 mg/kg) of a thromboxane receptor blocker, BM 13.505, given prior to coronary occlusion, was not different from that of a control group (3-hour % SS of pretreatment control, PTC, 12 +/- 11) throughout reperfusion (3-hour % SS of PTC with BM 13.505: 0.5 mg/kg 14 +/- 10; 10 mg/kg, 27 +/- 9). In contrast, the specific thromboxane synthetase inhibitor, dazmegrel (3.0 mg/kg), significantly improved % SS throughout reperfusion (3-hour % SS of PTC, 66 +/- 8). In addition, while dazmegrel produced a marked decrease in thromboxane, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was significantly increased in coronary venous blood throughout the occlusion and reperfusion period. The cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, had no beneficial effect on functional recovery (3-hour % SS of PTC, 5 +/- 6), attenuated the dazmegrel induced shunting to prostacyclin, and completely prevented the beneficial effects of dazmegrel on functional recovery (3-hour % SS of PTC, 17 +/- 12). Thus, a redirection to endogenous cardioprotective prostanoids, such as prostacyclin, appears to be responsible for the beneficial effect of thromboxane synthesis inhibition on postischemic recovery in stunned myocardium whereas thromboxane does not appear to be an important mediator of the stunning phenomenon.


This essay analyzes land tenure in the United States Territory of American Sâmoa. It reports the development of a new type of private land that withdraws lands from traditional descent groups and gives ownership rights to individuals. Although most American Samoans practice the indigenous kinship-based system of land tenure, the new system is legally recognized and upheld through court decisions. The essay reviews the geographic and political background of American Sâmoa as well as customary Samoan social organization and land tenure. The legal history of American Sâmoa's individual land tenure is recounted, and characteristics of the new system are detailed. A brief comparison with individual land in Sâmoa (formerly Western Sâmoa) is made, and three case studies of land tenure in other Polynesia countries are discussed. The findings show that American Sâmoa's land tenure systems are successful in supporting the needs of its people. Together, the traditional and the new systems of land tenure enable American Samoans to make their living in the economic system as it exists in the territory. While the traditional system sustains Samoan culture and identity, the individual land system supports alternative living arrangements and reintroduces returning Samoans to their native land. A prescription for continued success encourages both land systems and requires active membership in the landholding group as a condition for land use rights. keywords: American Sâmoa, land tenure, New Zealand, Rarotonga, Sâmoa, social change, Tahiti


Wave energy exploitation is of great interests nowadays due to its sustainability, reliability and large potential. This paper aims to firstly represent the turbine designs used in oscillating water column (OWC) system for wave energy conversion, and secondly to improve the rotor blade performances of a bidirectional radial impulse turbine which is in use in this system. Symmetrical blade profile based on use of circular arcs and straight lines has been adopted. A new procedure for optimizing the geometrical blade parameters has been introduced in this work. The design of experiments (DOE) method has been adopted with four blade geometrical parameters and two levels for reducing the number of numerical tests to determine the optimal profile in order to maximize and equilibrate the efficiency between exhalation and inhalation modes. Numerical tests in the whole turbine geometry have been carried out with ANSYS FLUENT 15.0. Significant differences have been noticed by varying the rotor blade profile. A flow analysis for the duct and the turbine elements; IGV, rotor and OGV has been performed. Performances of the turbine equipped with rotor designed with circular profiles in the present study have been compared to those of a previous design based on use of elliptical profiles. An increase of about 18% in terms of the peak efficiency in the inhalation mode has been noted for the improved design, and the performances have been equilibrated in both mode; inhalation and exhalation.


BACKGROUND
Studies have shown that coenzyme Q10 deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease. Hypertension is a commonly measured surrogate marker for non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular endpoints such as heart attacks and strokes. Clinical trials have suggested that coenzyme Q10 supplementation can effectively lower blood pressure (BP).

OBJECTIVES
To determine the blood pressure lowering effect of coenzyme Q10 in primary hypertension.

SEARCH STRATEGY
The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2009 Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966 -May 2008), EMBASE (1982 - May 2008), and CINAHL (1970 - May 2008) as well as the reference lists of articles were searched for relevant clinical trials in any language.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled parallel or crossover trials evaluating the BP lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for a duration of at least 3 weeks in patients with primary hypertension.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The primary author independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted the data. The second author verified data extraction.

MAIN RESULTS
Three clinical trials with a total of 96 participants were evaluated for the effects of coenzyme Q10 on blood pressure compared to placebo. Treatment with coenzyme Q10 in subjects with systolic BP (SBP) > 140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) > 90 mmHg resulted in mean decreases in SBP of 11 mmHg (95% CI 8, 14) and DBP of 7 mmHg (95% CI 5, 8).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Due to the possible unreliability of some of the included studies, it is uncertain whether or not coenzyme Q10 reduces blood pressure in the long-term management of primary hypertension.


X-linked hyper IgM syndrome is a condition that affects the immune system and occurs almost exclusively in males. People with this disorder have abnormal levels of proteins called antibodies or immunoglobulins. Antibodies help protect the body against infection by attaching to specific foreign particles and germs, marking them for destruction. There are several classes of antibodies, and each one has a different function in the immune system. Although the name of this condition implies that affected individuals always have high levels of immunoglobulin M (IgM), some people have normal levels of this antibody. People with X-linked hyper IgM syndrome have low levels of three other classes of antibodies: immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and immunoglobulin E (IgE). The lack of certain antibody classes makes it difficult for people with this disorder to fight off infections.


A new type rock bit floating ring journal bearing is designed to solve the current problems of large heat, excessive wear and short life of rock bit journal bearing in high-speed and heavy-loads conditions, and the experimental research on friction moment, temperature rising and friction loss of bearings are carried out in different parameters and different working conditions. The experimental results show that the floating ring speed is changed because of the influence of loads and cone speed, the mean speed of floating ring remains relatively constant when the loads and the cone speed are constant and the speed of floating ring slows down as the speed increases, the inner and outer clearance of rock bit floating ring journal bearing have much effect on the speed of floating ring, the bearing life can significantly extend when the inner clearance is 0.058-0.064 and the outer clearance is 0.024-0.030, the rock bit floating ring journal bearing have more excellent tribological properties compared to the traditional thrust bearings and can replace the silver mangansese alloy slot currently used for the thrust bearings. The research provides important basis for further develop working performance research of rock bit floating ring journal bearing and design the new type rock bit floating ring journal bearing.


Winding design methods have been a subject of research for many years of the past century. Many methods have been developed, each one characterized by some advantages and drawbacks. Nowadays, the star of slots is the most widespread design tool for electrical machine windings. In this context, this paper presents a simple and effective procedure to determine the distribution of the slot EMFs over the phases and of the winding configuration in all possible typologies of electrical machines equipped with symmetrical windings. The result of this procedure gives a Winding Distribution Table (WDT), which can be used to define coils and coil groups connections and also to simply implement winding optimizations techniques, such as zone widening, imbrication, etc. Moreover, this procedure can be easily implemented on a computer in order to perform automated winding designs for rotating electrical machines. Several examples are provided in order to validate the proposed procedure.


An inverse vibration solution was derived for single DOF systems (undamped and damped) using a method based on the least-squares determination of polynomial coefficients representing the unknown force excitation. Initially, a closed-form and generalized direct-solution to the Vibration Equation was derived using standard polynomials to represent the excitation; while simple polynomials and a single DOF system were chosen to demonstrate the method analytically, more sophisticated functions such as Splines, B-Splines, Basis Functions, and/or Finite-Element analysis can be used with the advocated method. In order to solve the inverse problem, the generalized solutions were then used to enforce measured displacement data and the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm employed to determine the unknown polynomial coefficients representing the base excitation. Results including random errors added to the data (up to ±5%) indicated that the method could be used to determine a time varying excitation; indeed, good agreement was seen between exact and polynomial solution (undamped), as well as an inversely predicted excitation for both damped and undamped systems subjected to a half-sine force history. Given the results, the method appears well suited for complicated scenarios provided the response can be approximated by a polynomial (or more sophisticated functions) and inverse calculations are restricted to the time interval bounding the measured data. In addition, the least-squares inverse approach should be adaptable to more complicated system and excitations by using general purpose finite-element codes. For the current analysis, the least-squares smoothing inherent in the process appears to have helped minimize the influence of measurement errors.


Field surveys were conducted in 45 stone fruit orchards in seven districts of Isparta Province located in western Mediterranean region of Turkey important for stone fruit production. Leaf samples were collected from 175 trees showing virus-like symptoms. These samples were first tested by ELISA for five different RNA viruses including Apple mosaic ilarvirus (ApMV), Prunus necrotic ringspot ilarvirus (PNRSV), Prune dwarf ilarvirus (PDV), Plum pox potyvirus (PPV), Apple chlorotic leafspot trichovirus (ACLSV). While no ApMV and PPV infection was found, 46, 24 and 16 samples were tested positive for PDV, ACLSV and PNRSV, respectively, in ELISA showing about 45% of symptomatic trees in the region were infected with at least one of these viruses. In addition, it was found that nine sweet cherry trees were mixed infected with two or three of these viruses and PDV with an infection rate of 26.3% was the most widespread virus in symptomatic trees in western Mediterranean region. Thirty samples were selected and tested by a multiplex RT-PCR (mRT-PCR) for simultaneous detection of these viruses. While PPV was not detected, more than half of the tested 20 samples were individually or mixed infected with ApMV, ACLSV, PNRSV and PDV. The mRT-PCR results were confirmed by detection of these viruses individually in some of the field samples using RT-PCR with primes specific to each virus. Comparison of ELSA and mRT-PCR results of 30 samples showed that numbers of infected and mixed infected samples as well as infection and mixed infection rates were significantly higher in RT-PCR (20 and 66.7%) than in ELISA (14 and 46.7%). The results confirm that mRT-PCR is more sensitive than ELISA.


Optical spectroscopy and imaging diagnostics in next-step fusion devices will rely on metallic mirrors. The performance of mirrors is studied in present-day tokamaks and in laboratory systems. This work deals with comprehensive tests of mirrors: (a) exposed in JET with the ITER-like wall (JET-ILW); (b) irradiated by hydrogen, helium and heavy ions to simulate transmutation effects and damage which may be induced by neutrons under reactor conditions. The emphasis has been on surface modification: deposited layers on JET mirrors from the divertor and on near-surface damage in ion-irradiated targets. Analyses performed with ion beams, microscopy and spectro-photometry techniques have revealed: (i) the formation of multiple co-deposited layers; (ii) flaking-off of the layers already in the tokamak, despite the small thickness (130–200 nm) of the granular deposits; (iii) deposition of dust particles (0.2–5 μm, 300–400 mm−2) composed mainly of tungsten and nickel; (iv) that the stepwise irradiation of up to 30 dpa by heavy ions (Mo, Zr or Nb) caused only small changes in the optical performance, in some cases even improving reflectivity due to the removal of the surface oxide layer; (v) significant reflectivity degradation related to bubble formation caused by the irradiation with He and H ions.


With the recent release of low-cost depth acquisition devices, there is an increasing trend towards investigation of depth data in a number of important computer vision problems, such as detection, tracking and recognition. Much work has focused on human action recognition using depth data from Kinect type 3D cameras since depth data has proven to be more effective than 2D intensity images. In this thesis, we develop a new method for recognizing human actions using depth data. It utilizes both skeletal joint information and optical flows computed from depth images. By drawing an analogy between depth and intensity images, 2D optical flows are calculated from depth images for the entire action instance. From the resulting optical flow vectors, patches are extracted around each joint location to learn local motion variations. These patches are grouped in terms of their joints and used to calculate a new feature called 'HOOFD' (Histogram of Oriented Optical Flows from Depth). In order to encode temporal variations, these HOOFD features are calculated in a pyramidal fashion. At each level of the pyramid, action instance is partitioned equally into two parts and each part is employed separately to form the histograms. Oriented optical flow histograms are utilized due to their invariance to scale and direction of motion. Naive Bayes and SVM classifiers are then trained using HOOFD features to recognize various human actions. We performed several experiments on publicly available databases and compared our approach with state-of-the-art methods. Results are quite promising and our approach outperforms some of the existing techniques.


A new ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) material was synthesized by copolymerization of 4-vinylpyridine(VP) as monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate(EGDMA) as crosslinking agent and 2,2΄-azobisisobutyronitrile(AIBN) as initiator in the presence of Pb–1,5-diphenylcarbazone(Pb-DHCB) complex. Blank non-imprinted polymer (NIP) were prepared under identical conditions without the use of lead imprint ion. The synthesized polymers were characterized by IR spectroscopy and elemental analyzer techniques. Of the several polymers synthesized, only the imprinted polymer formed with binary complex of Pb2+–DHCB showed quantitative enrichment of lead ion from aqueous solution. The relative standard deviation of the five replicate determinations of Pb (II) was3.26%. The detection limit for 150 mL of sample was 1.6 µg L-1 using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of trace lead in environmental samples with satisfactory results.


This thesis offers a fresh angle on the history of neuroscience by highlighting that the human-animal boundary has since Antiquity been a vital component of all philosophical, anatomical and experimental discourses on the nervous system and its associated properties. I argue that in this regard, the history of neuroscience is not as straightforward and progressive as traditional accounts convey; rather, the constant negotiation of what makes us differ from animals and the need to assert human bodily and mental superiority not only influenced philosophical debates, but at times even distorted the actual observation and description of corporeal structures. By focussing on key historical figures whose research helped shape our understanding of the nervous system, I want to show how crucial the model function of animals has been in establishing the importance of the brain and nerves as the executive members of the human mind and sensation. The aspect of the human-animal boundary is thereby the one thread that connects ancient philosophical and anatomical investigations with those of the early modern period. My overall aim is accordingly to assert that the negotiation of the difference vs. the similitude between humans and animals is a neglected but fundamental aspect that needs to be taken into account for a more comprehensive history of neuroscience.


The most long-lived radioactive wastes must be managed in a safe way for human health and for the environment. That is the raison why the French agency for the management of radioactive waste (ANDRA) is engaged to study the feasibility of a deep geological repository in the low permeable Callovo-Oxfordian clay . The long-term safety performance of such a repository is indirectly related to the evolution of heat and water saturation in the repository and in the host rock. For instance, the corrosion of metals and gas generation, which can affect repository safety are dependent on water saturation (or vapor) and temperature within the repository system. In the perspective of taking into account the gas generation in the system, we developed a sequential model to predict the coupled thermo-hydraulic processes at a cell-scale radioactive waste repository for different operating phases.The results show a significant impact of the radiation heat transfer on the temperature profiles. The proposed model that captures quite well the transition between different operating stages can be then used to predict the gas generation in the waste repository.


Low-lying coastal areas in the mid-Atlantic region are prone to compound flooding resulting from the co-occurrence of river floods and coastal storm surges. To better understand the contribution of non-linear tide-surge-river interactions to compound flooding, the unstructured-grid Finite Volume Community Ocean Model was applied to simulate coastal storm surge and flooding in the Delaware Bay Estuary in the United States. The model was validated with tide gauge data in the estuary for selected hurricane events. Non-linear interactions between tide-surge-river were investigated using a non-stationary tidal analysis method, which decomposes the interactions' components at the frequency domain. Model results indicated that tide-river interactions damped semidiurnal tides, while the tide-surge interactions mainly influenced diurnal tides. Tide-river interactions suppressed the water level upstream while tide-surge interaction increased the water level downstream, which resulted in a transition zone of damping and enhancing effects where the tide-surge-river interaction was prominent. Evident compound flooding was observed as a result of non-linear tide-surge-river interactions. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis was carried out to evaluate the effect of river flooding on the non-linear interactions. The transition zone of damping and enhancing effects shifted downstream as the river flow rate increased.


Land Surface Remote Sensing: Environment and Risks explores the use of remote sensing in applications concerning the environment, including desertification and monitoring deforestation and forest fires. The first chapter covers the characterization of aerosols and gases by passive remote sensing. The next chapter presents the correlation of optical images for quantifying the deformation of the Earth's surface and geomorphological processes. The third chapter is examines remote sensing applications in the mining environment. The fourth chapter depicts the strong potential of radar imagery for volcanology and urban and mining subsidence studies. The next two chapters deal respectively with the use of remote sensing in locust control and the contribution of remote sensing to the epidemiology of infectious diseases. In the last ten years, spatial observation of the Earth?particularly continental surfaces?has expanded considerably with the launch of increasing numbers of satellites covering various applications (hydrology, biosphere, flow of surface, snow, ice, landslide, floods). This has paved the way for an explosion in the use of remote sensing data. This book offers essential coverage of space-based observation techniques for continental surfaces. The authors explore major applications and provide a corresponding detailed chapter for the physical principles, physics of measurement, and data processing requirements for each technique, bringing you up-to-date descriptions of techniques used by leading scientists in the field of remote sensing and Earth observation.Provides clear and concise descriptions of modern remote sensing methodsExplores the most current remote sensing techniques with physical aspects of the measurement (theory) and their applicationsProvides chapters on physical principles, measurement, and data processing for each technique describedDescribes optical remote sensing technology, including a description of acquisition systems and measurement corrections to be made


In the present work, the effects of laser surfacing aiming at modifying the surface roughness on NiTi sheets prior to the application of ultrasonic welding (USW) were investigated. Three different configurations joining original and laser surfaced specimens were performed: original/original (referred as O/O), original/treated (referred as O/T), and treated/treated (referred as T/T). The influence of surface roughness on the interface formation, diffusion, and mechanical properties was investigated. It is observed that when both bonding surfaces becomes rougher (T/T configuration), the joint strength is the highest, followed by both smooth bonding surfaces (O/O configuration), and the strength of the joint is the lowest when only one of the bonding surfaces was roughened (O/T configuration), which is related to the degree of plastic deformation at the joining interface. The main joining mechanism of NiTi to the Al interlayer was a metallic bonding caused by shear plastic deformation and formation and growth of micro welds at the joining interfaces. Laser surfacing facilitates the metallic bonding, which is directly reflected in the change of the thickness of the Al interlayer after USW. This also helps to produce a mechanical interlocking at the interface, although there is no significant difference in the elemental diffusion. Interfacial failure occurred in all joints tested under different surface contact conditions and exhibited ductile-like fracture characteristics.


INTRODUCTION
This is the first part of a research work into primary and secondary language disorders (LD) in the stages of minimum to mild pathological deterioration in the degenerative process of cortical dementias. AIMS. In this first part, in the light of recent models of symbolic computation of language processing, we review the most significant publications on the subject matter.

DEVELOPMENT
We begin with an introduction to the historical development of the approaches used to deal with the subject. Following that, we briefly describe the components of the language processing system (LPS) in the light of symbolic computation models. We then analyse the publications dealing with those models. Our aim was to determine whether the LD reported in those publications are the result of a primary involvement of any of the LPS components, or whether they are only the result of disorders affecting other components of the cognitive system. In this case, the supposed LD would be secondary and thus a communication, but not language, disorder.

CONCLUSIONS
Despite the important variations from one individual to another that have been systematically observed by different authors, it seems that only LD belonging to so called primary progressive aphasia are actually cases of this disorder. In all the other dementias in the above mentioned stages of the development process these disorders are secondary to the involvement of other subsystems of the LPS.


Automatic discrimination of speech and music is an important tool in many multimedia applications. Previous work has focused on using long-term features such as differential parameters, variances and time-averages of spectral parameters. These classifiers use features estimated over windows of 0.5-5 seconds, and are relatively complex. We present our results of combining the line spectral frequencies (LSFs) and zero crossing-based features for frame-level narrowband speech/music discrimination. Our classification results for different types of music and speech show the good discriminating power of these features. Our classification algorithms operate using only a frame delay of 20 ms, making them suitable for real-time multimedia applications.


Continuous biopharmaceutical manufacturing is currently a field of intense research due to its potential to make the entire production process more optimal for the modern, ever-evolving biopharmaceutical market. Compared to traditional batch manufacturing, continuous bioprocessing is more efficient, adjustable, and sustainable and has reduced capital costs. However, despite its clear advantages, continuous bioprocessing is yet to be widely adopted in commercial manufacturing. This article provides an overview of the technological roadblocks for extensive adoptions and points out the recent advances that could help overcome them. In total, three key areas for improvement are identified: Quality by Design (QbD) implementation, integration of upstream and downstream technologies, and data and knowledge management. First, the challenges to QbD implementation are explored. Specifically, process control, process analytical technology (PAT), critical process parameter (CPP) identification, and mathematical models for bioprocess control and design are recognized as crucial for successful QbD realizations. Next, the difficulties of end-to-end process integration are examined, with a particular emphasis on downstream processing. Finally, the problem of data and knowledge management and its potential solutions are outlined where ontologies and data standards are pointed out as key drivers of progress.


OBJECTIVE
To describe a serious adverse event of gastrointestinal obstruction requiring surgery following routine administration of multiple doses of activated charcoal (AC) granules, which were prescribed for carprofen toxicosis.

CASE SUMMARY
A 2-year-old female neutered Airedale Terrier presented for ingestion of 207 mg/kg of carprofen. Decontamination was initiated with apomorphine to induce emesis. Along with additional supportive care, the dog received an initial dose of 75 mL of AC suspension containing sorbitol by mouth (15.6 g of AC, or 0.6 g/kg), followed by 50 g of AC granules every 8 hours for 4 additional doses. While hospitalized, the dog experienced clinical signs, including vomiting and black diarrhea, as well as bloodwork changes including mild to moderate elevations in kidney and liver enzymes. Given clinical improvement after 72 hours of hospitalization, the patient was discharged for monitoring and ongoing care at home. Two days later, the patient presented again for nausea, dark diarrhea with frank blood, and panting. Abdominal ultrasound showed findings suspicious for partially obstructive foreign material or atypical impacted fecal material partially occluding the distal ileum. Despite medical management overnight, recheck ultrasound the following day demonstrated persistent obstruction with ileal foreign material. Exploratory laparotomy and enterotomy revealed moderate distension and obstruction of the distal ileum with black granular foreign material consistent with charcoal granules. The patient remained in hospital for supportive care for 4 days following the procedure, and all clinical signs were resolved at the time of discharge.

NEW OR UNIQUE INFORMATION PROVIDED
This report documents a serious adverse event of gastrointestinal obstruction associated with routine multidose AC administration, which has been occasionally reported in people but not in dogs. The potential for this complication should be taken into account when prescribing multiple doses of AC granules.


Abstract. We implement a new stomatal conductance scheme, based on the optimality approach, within the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLEv2.0.1) land surface model. Coupled land–atmosphere simulations are then performed using CABLEv2.0.1 within the Australian Community Climate and Earth Systems Simulator (ACCESSv1.3b) with prescribed sea surface temperatures. As in most land surface models, the default stomatal conductance scheme only accounts for differences in model parameters in relation to the photosynthetic pathway but not in relation to plant functional types. The new scheme allows model parameters to vary by plant functional type, based on a global synthesis of observations of stomatal conductance under different climate regimes over a wide range of species. We show that the new scheme reduces the latent heat flux from the land surface over the boreal forests during the Northern Hemisphere summer by 0.5–1.0 mm day−1. This leads to warmer daily maximum and minimum temperatures by up to 1.0 °C and warmer extreme maximum temperatures by up to 1.5 °C. These changes generally improve the climate model's climatology of warm extremes and improve existing biases by 10–20 %. The bias in minimum temperatures is however degraded but, overall, this is outweighed by the improvement in maximum temperatures as there is a net improvement in the diurnal temperature range in this region. In other regions such as parts of South and North America where ACCESSv1.3b has known large positive biases in both maximum and minimum temperatures (~ 5 to 10 °C), the new scheme degrades this bias by up to 1 °C. We conclude that, although several large biases remain in ACCESSv1.3b for temperature extremes, the improvements in the global climate model over large parts of the boreal forests during the Northern Hemisphere summer which result from the new stomatal scheme, constrained by a global synthesis of experimental data, provide a valuable advance in the long-term development of the ACCESS modelling system.


A hard particle interacting with a slider and a disk in the head/disk interface of hard-disk drives can produce a scratch on the disk and result in data loss. Our work emphasizes modeling and simulation of slider, particle, and disk interactions, scratch generating mechanisms, and linking of scratch to interface design parameters. Two models are presented. The Monte Carlo method was used to calculate scratch probabilities and parametric studies were performed to determine the effect on scratch probability of various parameters, such as friction coefficients, particle mean size, slider wall angles, the ion-milling (IM) etch depth from the air-bearing surface (ABS) of the slider, and the efficacy of additional ABS structures acting as particle shields. Simulation results show that the friction coefficient is a dominant parameter. If the disk friction coefficient is smaller than the slider friction coefficient, scratches are not produced. Using shallow IM depths is an effective and practical way to reduce the scratch probability. Experimental results are very close to the simulation predictions.


In the present study, ionizing radiation (IR)-induced bystander effects were investigated in two lung cancer cell lines. A549 cells were found to be more resistant to radiation-conditioned medium (RCM) obtained from A549 cells when compared with the H460 exposed to RCM procured from H460 cells. Significant release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was observed in A549 cells after IR/RCM exposure, and the survival was reversed with neutralizing antibody against TNF-alpha. In H460 cells, significant release of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), but not TNF-alpha, was observed in response to IR, RCM exposure, or RCM + 2Gy, and neutralizing antibody against TRAIL diminished clonogenic inhibition. Mechanistically, TNF-alpha present in RCM of A549 was found to mediate nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) translocation to nucleus, whereas the soluble TRAIL present in RCM of H460 cells mobilized the nuclear translocation of PAR-4 (a proapoptotic protein). Analysis of IR-inducible early growth response-1 (EGR-1) function showed that EGR-1 was functional in A549 cells but not in H460 cells. A significant decrease in RCM-mediated apoptosis was observed in both A549 cells stably expressing small interfering RNA EGR-1 and EGR-1(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. Thus, the high-dose IR-induced bystander responses in A549 may be dependent on the EGR-1 function and its target gene TNF-alpha. These findings show that the reduced bystander response in A549 cells is due to activation of NF-kappaB signaling by TNF-alpha, whereas enhanced response to IR-induced bystander signaling in H460 cells was due to release of TRAIL associated with nuclear translocation of PAR-4.


Objective Computational simulations were carried out to evaluate the appropriateness of several psycholinguistic theories of spoken word recognition for children who use cochlear implants. These models also investigate the interrelations of commonly used measures of closed-set and open-set tests of speech perception. Design A software simulation of phoneme recognition performance was developed that uses feature identification scores as input. Two simulations of le-ical access were developed. In one, early phoneme decisions are used in a le-ical search to find the best matching candidate. In the second, phoneme decisions are made only when le-ical access occurs. Simulated phoneme and word identification performance was then applied to behavioral data from the Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten test and Le-ical Neighborhood Test of open-set word recognition. Simulations of performance were evaluated for children with prelingual sensorineural hearing loss who use cochlear implants with the MPEAK or SPEAK coding strategies. Results Open-set word recognition performance can be successfully predicted using feature identification scores. In addition, we observed no qualitative differences in performance between children using MPEAK and SPEAK, suggesting that both groups of children process spoken words similarly despite differences in input. Word recognition ability was best predicted in the model in which phoneme decisions were delayed until le-ical access. Conclusions Closed-set feature identification and open-set word recognition focus on different, but related, levels of language processing. Additional insight for clinical intervention may be achieved by collecting both types of data. The most successful model of performance is consistent with current psycholinguistic theories of spoken word recognition. Thus it appears that the cognitive process of spoken word recognition is fundamentally the same for pediatric cochlear implant users and children and adults with normal hearing.


Background and Objectives: Womanish barber shop is one of the public places that looking into health conditions (personal and environmental) are important. Because, the lack of health standards and inadmissible activities such as tattooing and Threat to the health of the community. As one of the public place can barber shop will carry a variety of diseases Like HIV hepatitis B&C-bacterial infections viral fungal skin diseases such as eczema trachoma wart – ringworm Often is transported because use of contaminated equipment. This study was conducted to determine the Health Conditions of Womanish Beauty Shops and female makeup knowledge about the infection disease transferable in this Profession in Gorgan in 2012. Methods: In this descriptive study for determine individual health status and their knowledge about diseases associated with profession and environmental health condition, all of womanish barber shop in Gorgan in 2012 were inspected. Information collected from observation, interview and completed of questionnaire and checklist in all of the Gorgan city womanish barber shops. Results: Barbers mean Age was 32.98±7.51 years.80.7 % of barbers has License. 84% have participated in retraining hairdressers. 89.33% have participated in the training of public health. 50.66 %had medical card. All structural conditions parameter were cceptable.41.3% use disinfectant. Knowledge of barbers about related diseases like HIV Hepatitis trachoma tetanus and ringworm were moderate. 84% were aware that HIV and hepatitis are contagious disease. 94 %believed that hairdressing equipment can be transmitted hepatitis and HIV. Conclusion: In general, structural conditions in womanish barber shop in Gorgan were acceptable. Some parameters, such as medical cards and certificates of public health and personal health care were not appropriate and more training is needed and Monitoring should be more from environmental health inspectors. Barber knowledge about the related diseases in the D ow nl oa de d fr om r sj .iu m s. ac .ir a t 2 0: 27 IR D T o n W ed ne sd ay S ep te m be r 16 th 2 02 0 67 نز نارگشیارآ یهاگآ و ناگرگ رهش هنانز یاههاگشیارآ یتشادهب تیعضو یسررب ... 72 three diseases (trachoma tetanus and ringworm) is not good and need more education is Necessary.


An epidemic of obesity, fueled in large part by increased consumption of diets enriched in saturated fat, has heightened interest in the pathways and mechanisms that modulate the uptake and utilization of individual dietary lipid components. Emerging evidence has implicated members of the intracellular fatty acid binding protein (FABP) multigene family as important metabolic sensors that may regulate substrate trafficking and metabolic compartmentalization. Among these, liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP, Fabp1) is an abundant cytosolic protein expressed in both mammalian small intestinal enterocytes and hepatocytes. L-Fabp -/- mice were protected against hepatic steatosis following a prolonged fast, suggesting a role in modulating hepatic FA trafficking in response to augmented lipid mobilization from adipose stores. In addition, L-Fabp -/- mice are protected against obesity and hepatic steatosis when fed a high saturated fat diet or a high saturated fat diet containing cholesterol (ie Western diet), but not when fed a high fat diet containing polyunsaturated fat. These findings imply substrate specificity in the lipid sensing functions of L-FABP. Together the data suggest that L-FABP regulates elements of both intestinal and hepatic FA trafficking as well as cholesterol metabolism and in turn exerts an important role in the pathogenesis of diet- induced obesity and hepatic steatosis through specific diet- gene interactions.


THE BYZANTINE FAMILY OF THE HAGIOTHEODORITES (I): NIKOLAOS HAGIOTHEODORITES, ALL-HOLIEST METROPOLITAN OF ATHENS AND HYPERTIMOS The present article consists in a prosopographical study on Nikolaos Hagiotheodorites. Nikolaos, didaskalos tou evangeliou , maistor ton rhetoron and metropolitan of Athens (1160/66-1175), was one of the most prominent scholars under the service of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. His brother Michael acted as a Logothetes tou dromou (1166-1180) and mesazon in the court of Manuel I Comnenus. Both of them are the most renowned members of the Hagiotheodorites family. Nikolaos Hagiotheodorites was the typical busy public figure of his time. Having initially a succesful church career, he then accomplished an impressive professional activity by combining many secular and ecclesiastical offices.


Abstract The financial market interest several researchers, especially in the domain of assessment of the financial assets and their performances. The previous research identified several anomalies of the market, as size, Monday, January, PER effects, etc. putting in question the notion of market efficiency and thereafter the predictability of assets returns. In the same context, W.F.M. De Bondt and R. Thaler [1985] disclosed one stock course overreaction: assets having recorded bad performances in the past in stock market would know performances subsequently superior to the average and vice-versa for assets having recorded excellent performances. In this paper we study the overreaction effect on the Tunisian stock market and we show that the hypothesis of basis that consists at exploiting the negative dependence of returns is a necessary condition but not sufficient so that a market reacts giving an explanation thus to the results contradictory of the different authors on the overreaction effect.


It has been shown that runtime estimation errors have a large impact on scheduler performance. In previous research, scheduling algorithms were mainly used in a homogeneous environment. In this paper, we investigate several scheduling heuristics that are commonly used in the grid environment.

We systematically study how runtime relative estimation errors affect the scheduler performance in different grid scenarios by conducting experiments using simulation. We choose Dynamic-selection, Min-min, Seg-min-min, Max-min, and Sufferage as our scheduling algorithms for the experiments. Our results show interesting trends: (1) increased estimation error results in degrading performance of all tested scheduling heuristics, making them even worse than the basic "Round-Robin" approach if errors are large; however, locally, performance is sometimes better and, in some special cases, estimation errors do not affect scheduler performance; (2) unlike in general, increased estimation errors diminish the performance difference among individual heuristics; (3) there is a performance threshold, no matter how large the estimation errors are; (4) increased accuracy of runtime estimation improves performance in general.


One of the principle efforts in cosmic microwave background (CMB) research is measurement of the parameter fnl that quantifies the departure from Gaussianity in a large class of nonminimal inflationary (and other) models. Estimators for f_(nl) are composed of a sum of products of the temperatures in three different pixels in the CMB map. Since the number ~N_(pix)^2 of terms in this sum exceeds the number N_(pix) of measurements, these ~N_(pix)^2 terms cannot be statistically independent. Therefore, the central-limit theorem does not necessarily apply, and the probability distribution function (PDF) for the f_(nl) estimator does not necessarily approach a Gaussian distribution for N_(pix)≫1. Although the variance of the estimators is known, the significance of a measurement of fnl depends on knowledge of the full shape of its PDF. Here we use Monte Carlo realizations of CMB maps to determine the PDF for two minimum-variance estimators: the standard estimator, constructed under the null hypothesis (f_(nl)=0), and an improved estimator with a smaller variance for f_(nl) ≠ 0. While the PDF for the null-hypothesis estimator is very nearly Gaussian when the true value of f_(nl) is zero, the PDF becomes significantly non-Gaussian when f_(nl) ≠ 0. In this case we find that the PDF for the null-hypothesis estimator f_(nl) is skewed, with a long non-Gaussian tail at f_(nl)>|f_(nl)| and less probability at f_(nl)<|f_(nl)| than in the Gaussian case. We provide an analytic fit to these PDFs. On the other hand, we find that the PDF for the improved estimator is nearly Gaussian for observationally allowed values of f_(nl). We discuss briefly the implications for trispectrum (and other higher-order correlation) estimators.


The concentration of LDL cholesterol in plasma is strongly influenced by the amount and type of lipid in the diet. Our studies have shown that positional changes in the fatty acids in blended oil introduced using lipase-catalyzed interesterification differentially modulate circulating LDL levels in rats compared with those observed in rats given a physical blend of oils. To investigate the molecular basis of these differences, transcriptional profiling of genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis was studied after feeding rats with a semipurified diet containing 10% fat from native oils; coconut oil (CNO), rice bran oil (RBO), or sesame oil (SESO); blended (B); CNO+RBO(B) or CNO+SESO(B) and interesterified oil (I); CNO+RBO(I) or CNO+SESO(I) for 60 d. Hepatic LDL receptor (LDL-R) expression significantly increased in rats fed interesterified oils by 100-200% compared with rats fed blended oils and by 400-500% compared with rats fed CNO. Positional alteration in fatty acids of oils used in the diet induced changes in LDL-R expression, which was accompanied by parallel changes in cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and SREBP-2 genes. This suggested that not only the fatty acid type but also its position in the TG of dietary lipids play an important role in maintaining plasma cholesterol levels by suitably modulating gene expression for LDL-R in rat liver.


The network service providers (NSP) of the future Internet Protocol (IP) network will provide network transport services with multiple quality of service (QoS) levels by using QoS technologies such as integrated services (IntServ) and differentiated services (DiffServ). We call this network the multi-service-network. It seems obvious that each class can be offered with a different price according to the network resources consumed. In the multi-service-network, the following factors are correlated: the service-list showing the prices and QoS details of all classes; users' behavior in terms of service choice; total required network resources; ISP profit. For example, when a user has some communication need, the price and QoS of each service influences the user's service selection. His choice impacts not only the network resources required to provide the service but also the profit of the NSP. We propose a framework for the multi-service-network that maximizes the profit of the NSP through the control of the service-list.


Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) are actuators that lend themselves well to microfluidic applications due to their lightweight, flexibility, ability to tailor their geometry, as well as the capability to be miniaturized and implanted into microelectro-mechanical systems devices. The major issue with implementing IPMCs into such devices is the ability to control their actuation and, hence, their reliability over a long period of time. This paper presents a novel iterative feedback tuning (IFT) algorithm that tunes the system online using experimental data during normal system operation. The controller adaptively tunes the highly nonlinear and time varying IPMC for a newly proposed micropump. This demonstrates the ability of the system to have a reliable performance over a long period of time without the need of any offline tuning or system identification. The system was run for 20 controller updates. This corresponds to 10 and 20 min of operation for the 0.1 and 0.05 Hz reference inputs, respectively. 100 and 300 μm amplitudes were tested to demonstrate the ability of the system to adaptively tune to different input signals. Experimental results show the newly proposed IFT algorithm has successfully tuned the controller to achieve up to 92% better performance when compared with a conventional model-based tuned controller.


Fractal and aggregate structures of porous materials were studied by a variety of the structure characterization techniques (TEM, small angle X-ray scattering, nitrogen sorption). Scattering data (SAXS, USAXS) for porous materials measured with laboratory equipment and synchrotron technique were interpreted in terms of Guinier, Emmerling, Freltoft, modified Freltoft theories, and simple power law expressions. The evaluation of scattering measurements resulted in fractal dimensions, sizes of the elementary units, the fractal domains or the aggregates. TEM images confirmed the sizes of the elementary building units, while the pore size distributions could be obtained by nitrogen adsorption. The specific surface area was calculated with respect to the possibility of multilayer formation during nitrogen absorption.


One particular challenging environment for multicast is a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET). Existing studies show that tree-based and mesh based on-demand protocols are not necessarily the best choice, since associated overhead will be more. Several algorithms based on the ant colony optimization (ACO) approach minimizes the cost of the tree under multiple constraints. These algorithms treat the traffic engineering multicast problem as a single-purpose problem with several constraints. The main disadvantage of this approach is the necessity of a predefined upper bound that can exclude good trees from the final solution. This paper presents a design on ant-colony based multicast routing (AMR) algorithm for MANETs, to solve the traffic Engineering multicast problem that optimizes several objectives simultaneously. The algorithm calculates one more additional constraint in the cost metric, which is the product of average-delay and the maximum depth of the multicast tree and try to minimize this combined cost metric. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms all previous algorithms by forming the multicast tree with varying sizes.


Challenges Faced by Adolescent Girls in Urban Areas of Uganda and the Case for Targeted Social Protection Programmes Adolescent girls in urban areas of Uganda suffer unique challenges that affect their safe transition to adulthood. These challenges include; early school dropout, domestic and sexual violence, child labour and exploitation, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, among others. These vulnerabilities increase social and economic exclusion and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures to slow down its spread, for instance, the countrywide lockdown and the school closures. This policy brief provides a snapshot of the unique challenges faced by adolescent girls in urban areas and makes the case for transformative social protection programmes that address structural barriers to the economic and social inclusion of adolescent girls. In light of the findings, the brief recommends the need for community sensitization against sexual and physical abuse, and enforcement of laws to protect adolescent girls in urban settings. Challenges Faced by Adolescent Girls in Urban Areas of Uganda and the Case for Targeted Social Protection Programmes


The study evaluated the concentration of homocysteine in the most numerous groups of indigene population of Priamurye (Even, Ultch, Nanai) as compared with adjacent to them outsider population. The technique of random sampling was applied to select 82 Even, 89 Ultch, 95 Nanai and for comparing the representatives of outsider male and female population in statistically comparable numbers. The concentration of homocysteine was determined with luminescence immunoassay using the analyzer immulite 1000 (Diagnostic Products Corporation, USA) and applying Siemens kits (USA). The mean population values of homocysteine were reliably lower among indigene males and females as compared with representatives of outsider population. The lowest values of homocysteine were established among Even males and females, dwelling on the shore of Sea of Okhotsk. Whereas no reliable differences in concentrations ofhomocysteine in blood serum were established among Ultch dwelling in downstream of Amur river and Nanai dwelling in middle course of Amur river 240 km from Khabarovsk.


Conformers generally deviate structurally from their starting X-ray crystal structures early in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Studies have recognized such structural differences and attempted to provide an explanation for and justify the necessity of MD equilibrations. However, a detailed explanation based on fundamental physics and validation on a large ensemble of protein structures is still missing. Here we provide the first thermodynamic insights into the radically different thermodynamic conditions of crystallization solutions and conventional MD simulations. Crystallization solution conditions can lead to nonphysiologically high ion concentrations, low temperatures, and crystal packing with strong specific protein--protein interactions, not present under physiological conditions. These differences affect protein conformations and functions, and MD structures equilibrated or simulated under physiological conditions are usually expected to differ from their X-ray structures at a local scale, while the global fold is usually maintained. To quantify this property, we performed conventional MD simulations for over 70 different proteins spanning a broad range of molecular size and structural and functional families. Our analysis shows that crystal structures are good starting points; however, they do not represent structures in their physiological environment. This fact has to be taken into consideration when computational methods dependent on atomic coordinates, such as substrate/ligand docking, are used to guide experimental analyses.


The representation of the visual field in the second and third visual cortical areas (V II and V III) of the cat was examined by microelectrode recording. The position of the field maps and the arrangement of the map within V II were found to vary greatly from one cat to another so that no single composite map can be made. The horizontal meridian of the visual field was found to run laterally and forward from V I across V II to V III. The reversal of field sequence, which indicates the V II/V III boundary, was very variable both from cat to cat and in the same cat for points above and below the horizontal meridian. The commonest situation was one in which the reversal point was 40° for some lines of latitude, but for others the reversal point was only 6- 15° out. This means an 'island' of representation of points 40° out was bounded by areas of representation much closer to the vertical meridian. In some cats one 'island' was plotted, in one there were two completely plotted and in others there were two 'islands', one complete, one incompletely plotted. In one cat no 'island' was found, and the boundary between V II and V III seemed to be formed anteriorly and posteriorly by the vertical (longitudinal) meridian 20° out. The islands contain many units with markedly elongated receptive fields whose particular function is not yet clear. The arrangement of the V II/V III boundary found in these experiments is compared to that previously suggested and to present knowledge of the mapping in primate visual cortex.


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OBJECTIVE: We report one case of ovarian metastasis secondary to a renal clear cell carcinoma. METHODS/RESULTS: 52 year-old consulting for metrorrhagia with the initial diagnosis of primary ovarian carcinoma. Tumor dissemination work up tests reported a renal mass suggestive of ovarian metastasis. Surgery included hysterectomy, double annexectomy, and radical nephrectomy. Final diagnosis was renal clear cell carcinoma with ovarian metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Metastases to the ovary pose a diagnostic problem in their interpretation, especially when they show a similar histology to the primary ovarian tumor. Due to therapeutic and prognostic implications, it is very important to differentiate if it is a primary ovarian tumor or a metastasis from a renal carcinoma.


Intraoperative 3D recognition of the motor tract is indispensable to avoiding neural fiber injury in brain tumor surgery. However, precise localization of the tracts is sometimes difficult with conventional mapping methods. Thus, the authors developed a novel brain mapping method that enables the 3D recognition of the motor tract for intrinsic brain tumor surgeries. This technique was performed in 40 consecutive patients with gliomas adjacent to motor tracts that have a risk of intraoperative pyramidal tract damage. Motor tracts were electrically stimulated and identified by a handheld brain-mapping probe, the NY Tract Finder (NYTF). Sixteen-gauge plastic tubes were mounted onto the NYTF and inserted in the estimated direction of the motor tract with reference to navigational information. Only the NYTF was removed, leaving the plastic tubes in their places, immediately after muscle motor evoked potentials were recorded at the minimum stimulation current. Motor tracts were electrically identified in all cases. Three-dimensional information on the position of motor tracts was given by plastic tubes that were neurophysiologically placed. Tips of tubes showed the resection limit during tumor removal. Safe tumor resection with an arbitrary safety margin can be performed by adjusting the length of the plastic tubes. The motor tract positioning method enabled the 3D recognition of the motor tract by surgeons and provided for safe resection of tumors. Tumor resections were performed safely before damaging motor tracts, without any postoperative neurological deterioration.


The suspected measles case definition captures rubella cases. Therefore, measles surveillance will be improved in the course of the control and eventual elimination of rubella transmission. One aspect of rubella control, virologic surveillance, is reviewed here. A systematic nomenclature for rubella viruses (RVs) based on 13 genotypes has been established and is updated when warranted by increases in information about RVs. From 2005 through 2010, the genotypes of RVs most frequently reported were 1E, 1G, and 2B, and genotypes 1a, 1B, 1C, 1h, 1j, and 2C were less frequently reported. Virologic surveillance can support rubella control and elimination. Synopses of rubella virologic surveillance in various countries, regions, and globally are given, including characterization of viruses from imported cases in a country that has eliminated rubella and studies of endemic viruses circulating in countries without rubella control objectives. Current challenges are discussed.


Using gradient gel electrophoresis, the levels of major classes of rabbit blood sera lipoproteins were studied over a period of 28 days. Hypercholesterolemia persisted up to the 4th day with a subsequent decrease. This was paralleled with an increase in the levels of triglyceride-rich and apoB-containing particles. The decrease of the electrophoretic mobility of low density lipoproteins correlated with an increased content of the intermediate fraction. On the 28th day after the beginning of experiment the concentration of total high density lipoproteins showed an increase. The subfractional redistribution of HDL3 and HDL2 subclasses pointed to the stimulation of the accepting process and the overall reverse cholesterol transport system. A comparison of experimental results with literary data allowed to conclude that the relative decrease of the serum cholesterol level typical of hypercholesterolemia of one month duration is due to the activation of specific and nonspecific preventive mechanisms.


Recent developments in bipolar analog arrays are reviewed. The use of tiles, their characteristics, and impact on design is evaluated. The progression from breadboarding to computer-aided simulation of array circuits with sophisticated transistor models is discussed. Design layout tools and functional libraries for the user are also reviewed in terms of their importance to analog array design. The increased use of arrays has revealed new problems and responses to them are discussed. Limitations of analog arrays with respect to full custom IC design are delineated. The paper concludes with a short discussion of future trends.


In this contribution we give an overview of the recent development of metal-halide perovskite solar cells. We focus on the mixed electronic-ionic conductivity of this material, which causes hysteresis in the current-voltage curve. We discuss latest results on recombination obtained by electroluminescence measurements. We report on high luminescence yields (1%) and open-circuit voltages larger than 1.2 V, which are exceptional for a material with a bandgap of 1.6 eV and yield to efficiencies >21%. We identify the efficiency limiting processes and propose measures to overcome those.