Fluid inclusions from ten Cenozoic (Eocene-Miocene) marine halites are used to quantify the major-ion composition (Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, Na+, SO42−, and Cl−) of seawater over the past 36 My. Criteria used to determine a seawater origin of the halites include: (1) stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and paleontologic observations; (2) Br− in halite; (3) δ34S of sulfate minerals; (4) 87Sr/86Sr of carbonates and sulfates; and (5) fluid inclusion brine compositions and evaporation paths, which must overlap from geographically separated basins of the same age to confirm a "global" seawater chemical signal. Changes in the major-ion chemistry of Cenozoic seawater record the end of a systematic, long term (>150 My) shift from the Ca2+-rich, Mg2+- and SO42−-poor seawater of the Mesozoic ("CaCl2 seas") to the "MgSO4 seas" (with higher Mg2+ and SO42−>Ca2+) of the Cenozoic. The major ion composition of Cenozoic seawater is calculated for the Eocene-Oligocene (36-34 Ma), Serravallian-Tortonian (13.5-11.8 Ma) and the Messinian (6-5 Ma), assuming chlorinity (565 mmolal), salinity, and the K+ concentration (11 mmolal) are constant and the same as in modern seawater. Fluid inclusions from Cenozoic marine halites show that the concentrations of Mg2+and SO42− have increased in seawater over the past 36 My and the concentration of Ca2+ has decreased. Mg2+ concentrations increased from 36 mmolal in Eocene-Oligocene seawater (36-34 Ma) to 55 mmolal in modern seawater. The Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio of seawater has risen from ∼2.3 at the end of the Eocene, to 3.4 and 4.0, respectively, at 13.5 to 11.8 Ma and 6 to 5 Ma, and to 5 in modern seawater. Eocene-Oligocene seawater (36-34 Ma) has estimated ranges of SO42− = 14–23 mmolal and Ca2+ = 11–20 mmolal. If the (Ca2+)(SO42−) product is assumed to be the same as in modern seawater (∼300 mmolal2), Eocene-Oligocene seawater had Ca2+ ∼16 mmolal and SO42− ∼19 mmolal. The same estimates of Ca2+ and SO42− for Serravallian-Tortonian seawater (13.5-11.8 Ma) are SO42− = 19–27 mmolal and Ca2+ = 8–16 mmolal and SO42− ∼24 mmolal and Ca2+ ∼ 13 mmolal if the (Ca2+)(SO42−) product is equal to that in modern seawater. Messinian seawater has an estimated range of SO42− ∼21–29 mmolal and Ca2+ ∼7–15 mmolal with SO42− ∼26 mmolal and Ca2+ ∼12 mmolal assuming the (Ca2+)(SO42−) product is equal to that in modern seawater. Regardless of the estimation procedure, SO42− shows progressively increasing concentrations from 36 Ma to the present values, which are the highest of the Cenozoic.


The Nabaztag is an ambient, internet-enabled device which is designed to introduce a young audience to web-based social interactions. It connects wirelessly to the internet, allowing users to access a variety of services, ranging from the audio relay of RSS feeds and text based messages, to visual displays of light sequences and ear rotations.
 Interaction with the Nabaztag relies upon the manufacturer's website and independently created desktop widgets. In this paper we present the design and analysis of a novel mobile phone widget, which provides a mobile interface to the Nabaztag. The widget provides a mobile solution allowing users to communicate more freely with the target device and ultimately extending user interaction. The results from a preliminary trial with young children using the widget and rabbits to interact with a parent in their workplace highlights the potential benefits of the use of a physical avatar for developing early social-technical experiences.


A Delay-Tolerant Network (DTN) is a necessity for communication nodes that may need to wait for long periods to form networks. The IETF Delay Tolerant Network Research Group is developing protocols to enable such networks for a broad variety of Earth and interplanetary applications. The Arctic would benefit from a predictive velocity-enabled version of DTN that would facilitate communications between sparse, ephemeral, often mobile and extremely power-limited nodes. We propose to augment DTN with power-aware, buffer-aware location- and time-based predictive routing for ad-hoc meshes to create networks that are inherently location and time (velocity) aware at the network level to support climate research, emergency services and rural education in the Arctic. On Earth, the primary source of location and universal time information for networks is the Global Positioning System (GPS). We refer to this Arctic velocity-enabled Delay-Tolerant Network protocol as "GPSDTN" accordingly. This paper describes our requirements analysis and general implementation strategy for GPSDTN to support Arctic research and sustainability efforts.


DNA molecular programs are emerging as promising pharmaceutical approaches due to their versatility for biomolecular sensing and actuation. However, the implementation of DNA programs has been mainly limited to serum-deprived in vitro assays due to the fast deterioration of the DNA reaction networks by the nucleases present in the serum. Here, we show that DNA/enzyme programs are functional in serum for 24h but are latter disrupted by nucleases that give rise to parasitic amplification. To overcome this, we implement 3-letter code networks that suppress autocatalytic parasites while still conserving the functionality of DNA/enzyme programs for at least 3 days in the presence of 10% serum. In addition, we define a new buffer that further increases the biocompatibility and conserves responsiveness to changes in molecular composition across time. Finally, we demonstrate how serum-supplemented extracellular DNA molecular programs remain responsive to molecular inputs in the presence of living cells, having responses 6-fold faster than cellular division rate and are sustainable for at least 3 cellular divisions. This demonstrates the possibility of implementing in situ biomolecular characterization tools for serum-demanding in vitro models. We foresee that the coupling of chemical reactivity to our DNA programs by aptamers or oligonucleotide conjugations will allow the implementation of extracellular synthetic biology tools, which will offer new biomolecular pharmaceutical approaches and the emergence of complex and autonomous in vitro models.


The author of the book discusses the essence and social consequences of the postmodern era in the field of psychology of work and technology. He describes the relationship between the human being and the goals achieved through the use of technical tools, which is of interest to the industrial and engineering psychology. The second chapter provides a detailed classification of operator-machine system models: technocentric, anthropocentric, and operator?machine interface. In the third chapter, the author focuses on psychological characteristics of the operator?machine?interface system based on the example of jet plane pilot's activity. The fourth chapter focuses on learning new operator activities and training of operator's action in comprehensive simulators as analogues of work experience. In the fifth chapter the author examines occupational safety and reliability of the operator-machine system. In the sixth chapter, the author discusses the computer as a virtual operator serving the optimization of the quality of life.


Urban environments belong to the most dynamic system on the earth's surface. Urban areas contain nearly half of the world's population. Understanding the growth and change brought on by urbanization is critical for urban planning, environmental studies, and resource management. This study is an attempt to present a satellite-based approach to modelling urban population growth from multitemporal and multispectral Landsat image data. The focus is placed on two aspects: detection of urban land cover changes and population prediction modeling associated with the urban expansion. The study consists of an experimental set-up to generate the land cover maps and to recognize the vegetation-impervious surface-soil (V-I-S) patterns followed by integrating population census data and remote sensing data at the city planning district level. This is done in conjunction with geographic information systems (GIS) in order to model population growth from 1996 to 2001 in the City of Mississauga, Ontario. The main findings of this research show that a total of 81.6 km² of built-up areas have been added with Mississauga's boundaries between 1985 and 2002. This accounts for 25.5% of the total area of Mississauga at the expense of non-built and water covered areas. The results show an increase of 6.5% in built-up areas in the last three years (1999-2002), which results in an average growth rate of 7 km²/year. The previous 14 years (1985-1999) have shown an increase of 19.0% in development, which equals 4.3 km²/year. The investigation also shows that a linear equation adequately describes the relationship between the population counts and the built-up area, or "C-442" area, of V-I-S components.


Background: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is the leading cause of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, which may follow an unfavorable disease course. Despite therapeutic advances, a number of patients with AAV will eventually develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Renal transplantation (RTx) is associated with a survival benefit and improves quality of life in patients with ESRD. Summary: In recent years, RTx has been increasingly used also in patients with vasculitis. The posttransplant patient- and graft-survival rates in AAV were at least comparable to other diagnoses in most studies. Prior to transplantation, patients should be in stable remission for 12 months. Persistent ANCA positivity does not exclude patients from the waiting list. Even though the recurrence risk is generally low with modern posttransplant immunosuppression, including mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus, patients with AAV, particularly those with positive antiproteinase-3 ANCA who may have increased risk of relapse or recurrence of the disease, require constant surveillance. Similar to treatment of relapsing disease in the nontransplant setting, rituximab may become treatment of choice for posttransplant recurrences. Key Messages: RTx is the preferred renal replacement therapy of choice for AAV patients with ESRD. It is recommended that patients should be in remission for about 12 months prior to proceeding with RTx. ANCA positivity alone is not a contraindication for transplantation. The risk of relapse posttransplantation is minimal with currently used posttransplant immunosuppressive regimen.


Objective : Assess diagnostic utility of combined magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRI, MRS) in differentiating focal neoplastic lesions from focal non- neoplastic (infective or degenerative) brain lesions. Design : Descriptive, analytical - prospective study. Setting : The Aga Khan University MRI department. Subject : Seventy four consecutive patients. Main outcome measures : Kappa measurement of agreement was used to determine the agreement between MRI and MRI, MRS with the final diagnosis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of the two tests were calculated. The difference between the number of indeterminate lesions in the two tests was determined. Logistic regression demonstrated the role of confounding factors in the diagnostic use of MRS. Results : MRI, MRS had a higher agreement with the final diagnosis than MRI in isolation. The sensitivity of MRI, MRS was 4.82 times greater than that of MRI. MRI, MRS had a 1.7% increase in accuracy. MRI, MRS reduced the indeterminate MRI lesions by 5.4%. Logistic regression showed that for lesions which were enhancing, MRS yield was more helpful if the voxel position included the enhancing part. Conclusion : MRI,MRS is better than MRI alone in characterisation of neoplastic from non- neoplastic focal brain lesions.


Making cheese on the farm has been a way of adding value to milk for many dairy farmers in the Netherlands through the centuries. It can be seen as a way of vertical enlargement of the farm. The author combines her cheese making and selling activities on the farm with her position as president of the Union of Farmhouse Dairy Processors in the Netherlands. In the paper the sector of farm made dairy products is analysed from both perspectives. Her conclusion is that there will be a good future for the production and selling of farm made dairy products. This will require: a. continuous efforts for guaranteeing product safety and product quality as conceived by consumers b. diversification of products c. open communication with the consumer on the basis of a clear message with craftsmanship and full and pure taste as strong points.


Soybean lipoxygenase (SLO) has served as a prototype for understanding the molecular origin of enzymatic rate accelerations. The double mutant (DM) L546A/L754A is considered a dramatic outlier, due to the unprecedented size and near temperature-independence of its primary kinetic isotope effect, low catalytic efficiency, and elevated enthalpy of activation. To uncover the physical basis of these features, we herein apply three structural probes: hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, room-temperature X-ray crystallography and EPR spectroscopy on four SLO variants (wild-type (WT) enzyme, DM, and the two parental single mutants, L546A and L754A). DM is found to incorporate features of each parent, with the perturbation at position 546 predominantly influencing thermally activated motions that connect the active site to a protein-solvent interface, while mutation at position 754 disrupts the ligand field and solvation near the cofactor iron. However, the expanded active site in DM leads to more active site water molecules and their associated hydrogen bond network, and the individual features from L546A and L754A alone cannot explain the aggregate kinetic properties for DM. Using recently published QM/MM-derived ground-state SLO-substrate complexes for WT and DM, together with the thorough structural analyses presented herein, we propose that the impairment of DM is the combined result of a repositioning of the reactive carbon of linoleic acid substrate with regard to both the iron cofactor and a catalytically linked dynamic region of protein.


The enantioselective extraction of hydrophobic oxybutynin (OBN) enantiomers by hydrophilic β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) derivatives was studied. The efficiency of extraction depends strongly on a number of process variables such as types of organic solvents and β-CD derivatives, concentration of selector, pH, and temperature. The experimental data were described by a reactive extraction model with a homogeneous aqueous phase reaction of R,S-OBN with β-CD. Important parameters of this model were determined experimentally. The physical distribution coefficients for molecular and ionic OBN were 4.96 × 10−3 and 9.52, respectively. The equilibrium constants of the complexation reactions were 1770 and 1340 L/mol for S- and R-OBN, respectively. By modeling and experiment, an optimal extraction condition with pH of 5 and HP-β-CD concentration of 0.1 mol/L was obtained with enantioselectivity (α) of 1.26, which was close to the theoretical maximum of 1.32 and performance factor (pfi) of 0.036. The model was verified experimentally with excellent results. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011


Central to understanding the exhumation history of the Himalaya is knowing the timing of slip and magnitude of displacement on the primary fault systems that bound the range. The widely accepted view that early Miocene deformation in the Himalaya is characterized by simultaneous shortening along the Main Central thrust and extension at shallower crustal levels in part developed on the basis of knowledge of the age of the Rongbuk granite and its apparent crosscutting relationship with the Qomolangma detachment. This key contact, however, has not previously been directly observed. Field mapping of the Qomolangma detachment and its footwall reveals that no leucogranite bodies crosscut the detachment. These observations together with Th-Pb monazite dating of leucogranites exposed in the footwall suggest that slip was occurring across the Qomolangma detachment shear zone ca. 17 Ma. Although there is no evidence that requires simultaneous shortening and extension in the High Himalaya, our observations are consistent with alternating periods of shortening and extension in the Himalaya since the early Miocene.


Emotional prosody shows a connection between meaning and expression, and constitutes a special case of non-arbitrariness in language. Emotional interjections are learned at an early age, and also have a biological basis for their expression. It is therefore possible that emotional prosody of interjections is part of the phonological and semantic representation in the mental lexicon, and hence can be expected to influence visual lexical decisions. If confirmed, this would have some bearing on the debate concerning the relations between 'linguistic' and 'affective' prosody. A priming experiment was performed on Swedish interjections with two emotional meanings: HAPPINESS (positive words) and DISGUST (negative words). The main question was whether emotional prosody primes written interjections with emotional content, through cross-modal priming, and the chosen method was to elicit lexical decisions in a cross-modal priming task and in isolation. The results show that there was an effect of priming, and that the effect was significantly greater for HAPPINESS words (and HAPPINESS prosody) than for DISGUST words (and DISGUST prosody). For individual words, there was a positive correlation between a high priming effect for the corresponding emotion and the degree of correct interpretations of emotional primes. Furthermore, there was a tendency for high-frequency words to be primed more than low-frequency words, when the emotion of the prosody was matched. There was no such effect for high-frequency words when the emotion of the prosody was mismatched. There was also a tendency to a negative correlation between degree of correct interpretations of emotional primes and high priming effect, when the prosody was mismatched. We interpret these results to mean that it is problematic to regard emotional prosody as non-linguistic and disconnected from the lexicon, since there was a gradual connection between spoken emotional prosody, written emotional interjections, and lexical frequency of interjections.


A field and glass house experiment was conducted with the aim of evaluatingRhizobium inoculation, molybdenum (Mo) and lime supply on growth and nitrogen fixation of nodulated Phaseolus vulgaris. The experiment was laid in a split-split plot design. The experimental treatments consisted of 2 levels ofRhizobium inoculation (with rhizobia and without rhizobia) 3 levels of Mo (0, 6 and 12 g kg-1 of seeds) and 3 levels of lime (0, 2 and 3 t ha-1). Rhizobiuminoculation showed significant increase in dry matter yield of different organs and decreased δ15N values in all organs assessed, thus resulting to improved % nitrogen derived from atmosphere (%Ndfa) in all organs and the amount of N derived from fixation. Molybdenum and lime were significantly effective in promoting plant growth in most organs and decreased δ15N values in all organs for glasshouse and field experiment. Lowest δ15N values were recorded in Mo and lime supplied at the highest rates of 6 and 12 g kg-1 of seeds and 2 and 3 t lime per ha, respectively. Molybdenum and lime application also significantly improved %Ndfa in all organs and N derived from N-fixation in most organs. Significant responses in N nutrition were also reported in treatments involving the combination of Rhizobium x Mo x lime with better result being recorded in treatments involving Rhizobium inoculation and higher levels of Mo and lime.

 Key words: Nodulated root, δ15N, %Ndfa, total N.


Adult influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations are grossly underutilized although there is clear benefit in reducing mortality and morbidity among those at risk. The aim of the study was to assess primary care physician's knowledge on adult influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations, their beliefs and barriers to vaccination. A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires was conducted at eight primary care centres in Kuching, Sarawak. A total of 108 primary care physicians participated in this study. Median age of participants was 29 years (IQR 4.0). The median knowledge score for influenza vaccine was 9 (IQR 3) and for pneumococcal vaccine was 8 (IQR 4). Female participants scored higher compared to their male counterparts for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines (P = 0.005 & 0.007). The highest percentage of correct responses for influenza vaccination was for side effects (75.3%) while the lowest was for contraindications (9.3%). The highest percentage of correct responses for pneumococcal vaccination was for side effects (69.1%) while the lowest was for advocated target groups (6.2%). Most participants believed that pneumococcal and influenza vaccines were safe (92.8 & 99%) and beneficial for patients (89.7 & 93.8%). Cost of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines (94.8% & 96.9%) and their availability (86.6% & 89.7%) were the main barriers to prescribing them. Primary care physicians in the public sector have moderate knowledge of both adult vaccinations. Areas of knowledge paucity and barriers need to be addressed to ensure a more comprehensive health care delivery to the aging Malaysian population.


On the basis of a long highway tunnel, this paper has worked out different fresh air demands in tunnel under various conditions—different driving speed; renewal of vehicles; different combination of motor vehicle emission standards; emission of NOx considered or not considered. From three aspects (calculation methodology, exhaust emission, design concentrations of pollutants) this paper has made a comparative analysis between the results calculated according to JTJ026.1-1999 and PIARC2007. The research findings show that there still exists a huge gap between JTJ026.1-1999 and PIARC2007. Domestic specifications should be adjusted and improved in terms of exhaust emissions and design concentrations of pollutants, so as to achieve the purpose of determining reasonable fresh air demand.


The main objective of this thesis is to contribute to the existing literature by investigating
the effect of corporate governance on firm's information environment. The study explores
a number of governance mechanisms and examines their implication on the extent to
which information is impounded into stock prices. The empirical analyses are developed
from the existing theoretical and empirical literatures that build from the agency theory.
Further, institutional structure of countries covered in the sample provide unique
background that build foundation for the analysis.
The first empirical analysis studies the impact of firm-level and country-level governance
on firm's information environment proxy by stock price synchronicity. Using broad based
firm-level corporate governance score which derive its foundation from the national
corporate governance codes, the analysis investigate whether firms investment in better
governance enhance information content of stock prices. Further, proportion of outsiders
and board size are used to test for different governance mechanisms. In the analysis, a
number of empirical tests are undertaken and reasonable changes in methodology are
provided. The primary findings of this study are that better governed firms and proportion
of outsiders enhance production of firm specific information. The latter is more
pronounced with better country-level governance. On the other hand, firms with large
boards reduce firm-specific information.
The second empirical analysis examines the effect of different ownership categories on
synchronicity. First, it looks at the impact of the ownership by largest shareholder within
firm. Second, examines the implication of largest shareholder's relation with the firm.
Third, impact of block ownership and forth, the implication of multiple blockholders by
examining the number of block owners.
The analysis employ holding of true owner of shares in investigating the relations. Panel regression analysis is employed to examine
these relations. The study finds that ownership has significant implication on the
aggregation of firm-specific information. The negative relation between largest
shareholder and synchronicity is significant in countries with better institutional structure.
The study also show that when the largest institution is independent, firm-specific
information become more publicly available. Further, the study finds blockholders to have
significant effect in the production of firm-specific information.
The third empirical analysis explores the role of corporate governance on the amount of
information incorporated into stock prices and how that is reflected in firm value. As
such, the third empirical provides first attempt to provide direct empirical link between
firm-specific information and valuation. The analysis of corporate governance and firm
value is also examined. 1he study provides three main empirical findings. First, firms
with informative stock prices as measured by logarithmic transformation of the R2 statistic
of the market model have higher market valuation. Second, the study show· that better
governed firms receives higher market valuation. Third, the relationship between firmspecific
information and valuation stronger for firms with better firm-level governance
and large proportion of independent non-executive directors. In addition, the relation
between stock prices informativeness and firm value is stronger for firms with higher
concentration of block ownership.


This research conducts a competitive structure analysis of the Chinese soybean import market which leads to the hypothesis that China's soybean importers may have stronger market power in China's soybean import market. Then, this research develops and simultaneously estimates a two-country partial equilibrium trade model to test U.S.-China market power of soybean trade. The empirical result supports our hypothesis that Chinese soybean importers have stronger market power relative to U.S. soybean exporters. This Chinese market power can be countered by U.S. and South American companies through developing new and expanding existing markets for soybeans throughout the world and investing in Chinese soybean storage and crushing capacity.


In an original directed diffusion routing protocol, a sink requests sensing data from a source node by flooding interest messages to the network. Then, the source finds the sink by sending exploratory data messages to all nodes that generate incoming interest messages. This protocol signaling can cause heavy traffic in the network, an interference of the radio signal, collisions, great energy consumption of sensor nodes, etc. According to this research problem, this paper investigates the effect of sending interest and exploratory data messages on the performance of directed diffusion routing protocol. We demonstrate the research problem occurred from employing directed diffusion protocol in mobile wireless environments. For this purpose, we perform a set of experiments by using NS2 (network simulator 2). The radio propagation models; Two-ray ground reflection with and without shadow fading are included to investigate the effect of signaling. The simulation results show that the number of times of sent and received protocol signaling in the case of sending interest and exploratory data messages are larger than the case of sending other protocol signals, especially in the case of shadowing model. Additionally, the number of exploratory data message is largest in one round of the protocol procedure. Keywords—Directed diffusion, Flooding, Interest message, Exploratory data message, Radio propagation model.


The present view of medical environments, where isolated networks are used for IT and medical applications, is changing toward an integrated heterogeneous network scenario that can support a wide range of applications. WPAN and WLAN technologies play a fundamental role in enabling such integrated environment that is expected to support both medical and nonmedical applications. The ultimate goal is to exploit WPAN and WLAN technologies, as well as other wireless networks, such as 3G cellular systems and satellite networks, to support highly efficient medical care delivery, anytime and anywhere. However, the life-critical nature of some medical applications imposes additional challenges that have not been considered in nonmedical scenarios. This article discusses some future scenarios where WLAN and WPAN technologies can be used to provide an integrated and ubiquitous network in medical environments, and identifies the main issues to be addressed in order to meet the QoS requirements of different medical applications when operating in integrated environment


AbstractFrom a social-constructionist standpoint, emotional expressions are constitu-ents of lived narratives, and gain their meaning from their position within these narratives. These special forms of narrative, termed emotional scenarios, are themselves lodged within a broader cultural and historical landscape. This article compares major features of romantic love scenarios as they have changed from 19th century romanticist culture, through 20th century modern-ism, and into the contemporary postmodern context. We identify major ways in which the individual participant in romantic scenarios may identify the self, gender variations in performance, the character of sequencing in the scenario, and the vocabulary of emotional expression as these have evolved over the past century. Such transformations allow enormous freedom of expression to the contemporary "romantic," but also result in simultaneous loss in both the sense of authenticity and security. (Social Psychology)


The subject matter and imagery prevalent in Ian McEwan's early fiction are shockingly unpleasant and justifiably notorious for their portrayal of grotesqueries to the extent that their significance has been ignored or undermined compared to his later more successful works. In the present study, we discuss these grotesque representations and their implications in a number of his short stories from the two collections of In Between the Sheets (1975) and First Love, Last Rites (1978). Our discussion of the grotesque body in the aforementioned stories relies on a synthesis of Mikhail Bakhtin's notion of grotesque realism and John R. Clark's view of the modern satiric grotesque, which involves grim laughter and degradation reinforced through scatological imagery. We thus argue that the loss of a communal and regenerative sense of human existence in the modern life style can explain the sadism, masochism, violence or fatality prevalent in contemporary fiction as exemplified in McEwan's short stories.


This study describes the infection of fresh wounds on berries exposed to freshly deposited airborne Botrytis cinerea conidia, and on berries carrying previously deposited conidia and germlings (latent infections). Grapes at bunch closure and at the mature (harvest) stage, as well as mature, cold-stored grapes, were used. The grapes were dusted with dry conidia in a settling tower. The inocula were subjected to conditions commonly encountered by the pathogen in grape bunches: dry conidia on dry berries under dry conditions, dry conidia on dry berries under high relative humidity, and dry conidia exposed to a film of water on the berry surface.  The mean number of wounds that yielded B. cinerea decay 14 days after inoculation was calculated. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that conidia occurred evenly as single cells on the grape berry surface and seldom landed at the wound periphery. They remained dormant on dry berries, but germinated freely on the unbroken skin and at the wound periphery on moist and wet berries. In the case of berries inoculated at bunch closure and harvest stages, wounds were not infected by conidia deposited on berries four days prior to wounding. This finding indicated that, following adhesion and the first stages of growth, the pathogen did not survive for extended periods on surfaces of immature and mature grape berries.  Freshly deposited dry conidia were needed to infect the wounds. The freshly deposited conidia furthermore needed free water, and not high humidity or wound exudates, to infect the fresh wounds. Proportions of wounds infected were extremely low. According to these findings, this mode of infection should not contribute to a gradual build-up of secondary inoculum and to B. cinerea epiphytotics in the vineyard. The previously and freshly deposited conidia both infected wounds made on cold-stored mature berries. Of the two inocula, freshly deposited conidia were more successful in causing wound infection. Therefore, in the event of wounding, postharvest decay would be caused primarily by conidia occurring on the grape berry surface, and not by mycelia in the berry skin.


The concept of a congestion threshold is embedded in the definition of "congestion." Two basic approaches exist in current practice for setting the congestion threshold. One common approach uses the free-flow or unimpeded conditions. Another approach uses a variety of targets or acceptable conditions. The limited research conducted on the congestion threshold issue has focused on operational problems or policy debates, but there has been relatively little investigation of the effect of the congestion threshold on decision making for transportation investment and resource allocation. This research investigated the differences that might be seen in the worst freeway rankings for several threshold choices by using detailed freeway data from seven metropolitan areas. Specifically, this research examined the ranking values of two congestion measures under a variety of real-world travel time distributions. The congestion performance measures of delay per mile and travel time index were evaluated; these measures included different aspects of the congestion problem. The research results showed that the rankings of freeway congestion levels held steady across the set of congestion thresholds ranging from 60 to 30 mph. The same sections were ranked as very congested for all possible threshold values. From an investment point of view, therefore, the research found that congestion threshold speed should not be a concern for funding allocation. The data analysis found that the amount of delay was decreased by 10% for every 5 mph decrease in the congestion threshold speed. This decrease confirmed that thresholds were not irrelevant for all analyses.


Understanding the structural acoustics of stiffened shells with complexities is central to advancing the acoustic design of many aerospace and marine vehicles. Some of the mechanisms that have been studied to date include the scattering of structure-borne energy by discontinuities1–7 and the coupling of this energy into internal vibratory states leading to storage and dissipation phenomena1,8–9. Recently, we have reported the results of experiments where complex internal structure has been demonstrated to dramatically influence the scattering cross-section of fluid-loaded shells10–12 and that these effects can be predicted using spatially varying local admittance functions13. We report here for the first time measurements of the vibratory response of a ribbed fluid-loaded shell with a large number of internally attached oscillators (∼1000). Comparisons are made to the response of an identical framed shell with no internal complexity.


The literature on botnet-enabled cyber-attacks and the literature on botnet takedowns have progressed independently from each other. In this research, these two literature streams are brought together. Botnet-enabled cyber-attacks and botnet takedowns are conceptualized as collective actions carried out by individuals, groups, and organizations that are linked by the Internet and club theory is used to examine the inner workings of these collective actions. This research examines five scenarios of botnet-enabled cyber-attacks and five scenarios of botnet takedowns to develop a representation of cyber-attacks and infer capabilities of four club types: Attacker, Defender, Botnet beheader, and Botnet operator. The representation developed identifies the dimensions of the three constructs of club theory: club membership size; size of the facility that club members share; and arrangements to operate, purchase/rent and grow the shared facility. Club capabilities were organized into five types: relationships, attack infrastructure, skills, learning, and others.


The ontogeny of thymic B cells was determined by three-color flow cytometry and the presence or absence of B cell progenitors confirmed by cell culture experiments. In the thymus of young normal mice, CD117(+), B220(low) pro- and pre-B cells are present but disappear with age. B220(low), CD5(+), B-1 B cells are present in the thymus of older animals following the appearance of similar cells in the peritoneal cavity and blood. In CD3 epsilon gene-deleted mice, the phenotypic progression and number of thymic B cells remains unaltered, showing that blocking T cell development does not automatically result in an increase of thymic B lymphopoiesis. Pro-B cells in RAG-2 knockout mice are found in the fetal and neonatal blood, spleen and thymus, but with increasing age are only found in the bone marrow. B lymphopoiesis in adult IL-7 transgenic mice is dramatically altered with CD117(+) pro- and pre-B cells present in spleen, lymph node and blood. In the thymus of adult IL-7 transgenic mice, the fraction of CD117(+) thymic B cells is significantly increased. These results show that in the steady state, the phenotype of thymic B cells is critically dependent on both mouse age and the phenotype of circulating B cells.


Background: The incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP) is rising around the world, thus further increasing the burden on healthcare services. Approximately 20% of AP will develop severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) with persistent organ failure (>48 h), which is the leading cause of high mortality. To date, there is no specific drug in treating SAP, and the main treatment is still based on supportive care. However, some clinical control studies regarding the superiority of continuous blood purification (CBP) has been published recently. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of CBP in SAP treatment. Methods: Four databases (Medline, SinoMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) were searched for eligible studies from 1980 to 2018 containing a total of 4 randomized controlled trials and 8 prospective studies. Results: After the analysis of data amenable to polling, significant advantages were found in favor of the CBP approach in terms of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score (WMD = −3.00,95%CI = −4.65 to −1.35), serum amylase (WMD = −237.14, 95% CI = −292.77 to 181.31), serum creatinine (WMD = −80.54,95%CI = 160.17 to −0.92), length of stay in the ICU (WMD = −7.15,95%CI = −9.88 to −4.43), and mortality (OR = 0.60, 95%CI = 0.38–0.94). No marked differences were found in terms of C-reactive protein (CRP), alamine aminotransferase (ALT) and length of hospital stay (LOS). Conclusion: Compared with conventional treatment, CBP remedy evidently improved clinical outcomes, including reduced incidence organ failure, decreased serum amylase, APACHE II score, length of stay in the ICU and lower mortality rate, leading us to conclude that it is a safer treatment option for SAP. Furthermore, relevant multicenter RCTs are required to prove these findings.


In this paper, the presence of personality disorders in a forensic sample is analysed using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II). The sample was made up of 86 individuals from both civil and criminal settings: plaintiffs in family cases and complainants and defendants in various crimes, especially in partner abuse. The results reveal a great number of records of Compulsive Personality Disorder, reaching 70%, regardless of whether they were from the civil or the criminal setting or whether they were a plaintiff or a defendant. It is concluded that this inventory seems to lack statistical validity for this purpose. Moreover, this test may only describe the typical characteristics of forensic evaluation rather than the personality of the individuals assessed, and it is oversensitive to context; hence, the conclusions derived from the use of the MCMI-II in the forensic field may accept as valid a great deal of distorted or unspecific profiles.


Background: Diabetes is a significant social issue. Controlling diabetic complications such as nephropathy is very important for QOL of diabetic patients. One of the mechanisms which causes diabetic complications is the abnormal activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by increased diacylglycerol (DG) from hyperglycemia. Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) can attenuate PKC activity by converting DG to phosphatidic acid. Thus far, d-a-tocopherol (VtE) treatment has been shown to prevent early changes of diabetic renal dysfunctions by activating DGK. However, it is still unknown whether VtE derivatives improve diabetic nephropathy similarly to VtE, and which DGK subtype is activated by VtE and/or the derivatives.  Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate effects of VtE and its derivatives on diabetic nephropathy in rats, in addition to identifying the DGK subtype involved in the improvement of nephropathy in vivo.  Methods: To induce diabetes in rats, six weeks old male Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitonealy administrated 65 mg/kg streptozocin (STZ) in 20 mM citrate buffer. For two or eight weeks, 40 mg/kg VtE, 44 mg/kg acetate VtE (aVtE) or 49.3 mg/kg succinate VtE (sVtE) was intraperitonealy administrated every other day after STZ administration. The blood glucose level, body weight, and kidney weight, in addition to urinary volume, albumin, and BUN were measured every week after STZ administration. Additionally, in order to identify the DGK subtype activated by VtE and aVtE, the DGK subtype expressed in the rat glomerulus was checked by RT-PCR and western blotting, and the activity in the glomerulus from the rats before and after the VtE and aVtE treatments were measured in the presence or absence of EGTA. Results: Averages of kidney weight and BUN of rats treated with VtE, aVtE and sVtE for 8 weeks were reduced, compared to the control. However, the intraperitoneal administration of sVtE was toxic. Additionally, the amount of urine volume and urinary albumin significantly improved by the two-weeks treatment of VtE and aVtE. mRNA of DGKa, g, d, e, and z were detected in the glomerulus, but only the protein of DGKa and DGKd were detected as calcium-dependent and independent subtype respectively. Both VtE and aVtE activated DGK in the glomerulus. However, the calcium dependent DGK subtype was mainly activated by aVtE, with not only the calcium-dependent subtype but also the calcium-independent subtype being activated in the case of VtE. In other words, DGKa was activated by aVtE and DGKd was additionally enhanced in the case of VtE. Conclusion: These results clearly indicated that aVtE as well as VtE improved diabetic nephropathy, with the activation of DGKa and/or d being potentially involved with this improvement. Key words: diabetic nephropathy, diacylglycerol kinase, vitamin E


In this paper, the volatile compounds of the dorsal meat of cultured grass carp in different seasons were identified by SPME(solid phase micro-extraction)-GC (gas chromatography)-MS (mass spectrometry). The results showed that SPME was effective to analysis of the volatiles in grass carp. According to GC-MS, 21, 43, 42 and 42 volatile compounds were detected in dorsal meat of grass carp in spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively. The volatile components are mostly carbonyl compounds and alcohols, the respective relative contents are above 90%. The relative content of the volatile compounds of cultured grass carp in different seasons has the significance difference by ANOVA. Seasons have greater effect on the volatile compounds of dorsal meat of grass carp. The study will enrich the theoretical knowledge of flavor chemistry and provide an effective solution to the current situation of low proportion of fish processing.


The advent of dry chemistry techniques has made inexpensive glucose testing equipment available to physicians and their patients. The ability to measure blood glucose concentration quickly, in almost any setting, has eliminated urinary glucose monitoring as the parameter of choice for managing diabetic patients. Blood glucose monitoring has allowed improved control of diabetic patients who avail themselves of one of the techniques. The physician choosing to offer blood glucose testing in the office laboratory has a variety of test equipment from which to choose. Most physicians will want to own and operate an inexpensive, dedicated glucose reflectometer to test glucose samples in the office and to use in patient education. Machines used by both patients and physicians are about the same price. They are easy to learn to use. Office personnel must be trained to perform the procedure, teach it to patients, maintain the machine, and keep adequate quality control records.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the ability of elevated serum neopterin levels to predict independently mortality, progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and development of neurological disease.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of gay and/or bisexual men and parenteral drug users.

SETTING AND PATIENTS
Patients included human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative and -positive gay and/or bisexual men and parenteral drug-using men and women who volunteered for an outpatient study of the natural history of HIV infection.

RESULTS
Serum neopterin levels were significantly elevated in HIV-positive patients (mean, 18.0 nmol/L; SD, 19.2 nmol/L), compared with those in HIV-negative patients (mean, 7.5 nmol/L; SD, 5.5 nmol/L) (P < .001). No differences in the serum neopterin levels could be detected between gay men and parenteral drug users. In HIV-positive patients, women had a higher serum neopterin level than did men (P = .03). The elevated serum neopterin levels were associated with an advanced clinical stage of HIV infection. After adjusting for the CD4 lymphocyte count and other potential confounders, the serum neopterin level was a significant independent predictor of mortality. The elevated serum neopterin levels did not predict progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or development of clinically significant neurological disease.

CONCLUSION
An elevated serum neopterin level predicts mortality, but it does not predict progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or development of neurological disease among HIV-infected individuals.


Written by the author of the best-selling texts on nursing diagnosis and care plans, Understanding the Nursing Process is the first book to tutor students on the nursing process, concept mapping, and care planning all in one text. It guides students systematically through each step, focusing sharply on fundamental need-to-know concepts and using easy-to-understand case studies and learning activities. To teach care planning, the text presents selected nursing diagnoses and collaborative problems that are appropriate for beginning students and grouped from simple to complex. An Instructor's Resource CD-ROM shows how to use the book in a clinical nursing course.


In the spring of 1917 the United States entered the First World War. Switzerland and the other neutral European countries came under increasing pressure as the US wanted to embargo their economies. Switzerland had to adapt quickly to the new political order and sent a diplomatic mission to the United States to secure its food and commodity supply. Even though an agreement with the US authorities could be concluded, the policy outcome was strongly influenced by the economic and political agenda of the belligerents. Thus the scope for Swiss foreign policy was limited. The Swiss case shows the increasing influence of the United States and sheds light on the politics of neutrality during the First World War. JEL-Codes: N 44, N 64


The main objective of this study was to compare the anti-hypertensive efficacy and safety of nebivolol (5 mg once daily) and lisinopril (20 mg once daily) given for 12 weeks in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. Fourteen centres participated in this randomized, double-blind parallel group study. Sixty-eight patients with uncomplicated mild-to-moderate hypertension were randomized, and sixty-five were eligible for the analysis of efficacy (intention-to-treat). Hypertensive patients were newly diagnosed, or previous antihypertensive therapy was withdrawn at least 1 month before active treatment, and were included in the study if their diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was >95 and <114 mmHg. The age range was 24-65 years. The primary endpoints of the study were: (i) response rate: patients were defined as "normalized" responders if their blood pressure values were <140/90 mmHg, or as "non-normalized" responders if the reduction in blood pressure was 10 mmHg or more, compared with baseline; (ii) changes in sitting blood pressure at the end of the study. The secondary endpoints were: standing blood pressure and sitting or standing heart rate (HR). Results showed that baseline sitting DBP was significantly different between groups. Analysis of covariance of the raw data performed with baseline as covariate demonstrated that the DBP and HR values were significantly lower in the nebivolol group at the 8th week. However, when an analysis of variance for repeated measures was performed, a significant reduction in sitting systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p < 0.0001), DBP (p < 0.0001) and HR (p < 0.0001) was observed throughout the study in both groups. No difference was observed between treatments, although for DBP, a significant interaction between treatment-weeks was observed (p = 0.016). There was also a statistically significant difference in favour of the nebivolol group in the distribution of responders and non-responders at week 8. Lisinopril and nebivolol were equally well tolerated. In conclusion, nebivolol was slightly more effective, in comparison with lisinopril, in terms of reduction in DBP. This greater efficacy was obtained without any increase in adverse effects, since both treatments were equally well tolerated.


Leading commentators on Europe and the Middle East explore many of the key issues which have informed the relationship between the two regions. Ranging from Europe's colonial legacies to an uncertain economic future in the region the book covers: * the Cold War and after * the profound influence of the US * the rise of political Islam * case studies including Europe and the Iranian revolution, France's experiences in Algeria, and Turkey's position between the two regions. The EU, it is argued, has more influence over economic strategies than security issues in the Middle East. These strategies have in turn promoted stability in the form of free trade zones, ensuring vital economic development between the Middle East and Europe.


In this paper, the problem of vibration transmission from slab track structures into bridge is studied by theoretical analysis. A vehicle–track–bridge coupling system dynamics model is established based on a multibody dynamics theory and a finite element method. The system model consists of vehicle model, track–bridge model and wheel/rail theory, and the tack–bridge model is established by the finite element method. The vehicle model and track–bridge model are coupled through wheel/rail interaction model, and the track irregularities are included. The system dynamic responses are calculated, and the effectiveness of elastic materials in vibration reducing is discussed. The results demonstrate that elastic materials like slab mat layer inserted between slab track and bridge can reduce vibration transmitted from track into the bridge. Some suggestions for the design and application of slab mat are provided in the end of the paper. & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Lesions of the tibial anterior tendon have been seldom described in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, no report analysing the diagnostic role of ultrasound as a diagnostic method has been published so far. Clinically, these lesions are regularly misdiagnosed as ganglions or even tumors. In the first case, ultrasound showed well known signs of tendon rupture as disorganization of the fibers, swelling, and presence of an anechoic zone corresponding to hematoma. In the second case, ultrasound showed an even more scarce lesion, i.e. insertion tendonitis on the medial cuneiform, sometimes misdiagnosed as a stress fracture. Once again, ultrasound is the method of choice, showing the spindle-like swelling characteristic of these lesions.


OBJECTIVES: To report a case of synchronic neoplasia--chromophobe renal cell carcinoma and low grade non Hodgkin lymphoma--in a 38-year-old male patient, because, although association of these two neoplasias is known, the fact of renal neoplasia being a chromophobe carcinoma is rarely referred to in medical bibliography (3 cases described after Med-Line search). METHODS/RESULTS: The diagnostic study included ultrasound and CT scan in a patient presenting with in non specific abdominal symptoms and neck adenopathy; patient underwent left radical nephrectomy and excision of neck adenopathy. Histologic and immuno-histochemical studies revealed the coexistence of chromophobe type renal cell carcinoma and diffuse centrocytic lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: Column in the association between chromophobe histological type renal cell carcinoma and non Hodgkin lymphoma is very rare. Presence of these two tumors in the same patient may pose problems for clinical staging, prognostic predictions, and treatment. Then, due to the fact that it is not usual and that a local stage renal carcinoma presents with neck adenopathies, when they appear possible coexistence of these tumors should be suspected.


The research activity was focused on the optimization of heat treatment parameters for C355 (Al-Si-Cu-Mg) cast aluminum alloy and on its microstructural and mechanical characterization in T6 condition, also evaluating the effect of subsequent high temperature exposure. Differential thermal analyses were carried out to identify the solution heat treatment optimal temperature. After solution heat treatment and quenching, samples were subjected to artificial aging, at different times and temperatures, as to obtain the corresponding hardness curves. Samples for successive hardness and tensile tests were subjected to hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and T6 heat treatment, according to the parameters optimized in the foregoing research phase. Some of the T6 heat treated samples were also characterized after overaging, induced by holding at 210 °C for 41 h. Aiming to carry out a comparative study, tensile properties of C355 alloy, both in T6 and overaged conditions, were compared to those of A356 alloy (results from a previous study), which is currently more widely employed than C355. Experimental results showed how C355-T6 alloy is characterized by superior mechanical properties as compared to A356-T6, especially in the overaged condition, due to the higher thermal stability induced by Cu-based strengthening precipitates.


The photoexcitation and photoionization dynamics of sodium atoms deposited on the surface of helium nanodroplets and aromatic molecules (aniline, phenol and toluene) embedded in the interior of droplets have been investigated by a variety of spectroscopic techniques. The mean droplet sizes varied in the range of ≈ 2 000 - 20 000 atoms. For the first time, the excitation spectra of Na-doped helium droplets corresponding to Rydberg states of Na atoms have been measured from the lowest excited 3p state up to the ionization threshold. All lines in the excitation spectra are shifted and broadened with respect to atomic lines. The desorption of bare excited Na atoms and NaHen, n=1-4, exciplexes was observed upon excitation. The experiments revealed that the relative abundance of desorbed species, their internal energy states, their speed and angular distributions are specific to the state of sodium atom to which it was excited to on the droplet's surface. In the lowest excited states (3p, 4s, 3d and 4p), we observed rather regular dynamics. The photoelectron spectroscopy of products revealed the desorption of excited sodium atoms in the initially excited state and in lower lying states which were populated by radiative decay of the higher ones. The velocity distributions showed interesting characteristics: the mean kinetic energy of desorbed sodium increased linearly with excitation frequency, while angular anisotropy varied monotonically. In contrast, the recorded velocity distributions of exciplexes did not manifest systematically such regular properties. It was found that the excitation spectra and relative abundances of exciplexes depended on the mean droplet size, while the velocity distributions of desorbed species were, in general, not dependent on size. The tentative explanation of the observed features is based on the approximation that "Na-helium nanodroplet" interaction potentials can be described by a sum of Na-He pair potentials over the helium atoms constituting the nanodroplet. The shapes and shifts of the transitions to low excited states of Na obtained within this model are in a good agreement with experimental observations. The velocity distributions of desorbed Na atoms can be qualitatively interpreted by the overall interaction potentials of sodium with a helium nanodroplet where they act as counterparts in a diatomic system. In contrast, the NaHen exciplex formation on the surface of nanodroplets appears to be mainly governed by the Na-He pair potentials. The excitation to higher than 4p states of Na on the droplet's surface revealed complex situations. The experimental spectra correlated poorly to those calculated within the pair-wise interaction model. The velocity distributions of desorbed sodium and exciplexes often consisted of two components compared to one in the lower states. The photoelectron spectra disclosed the presence of species in the states that could not be populated by radiative decay of the higher ones, indicating that relaxation plays an important role during the detachment. The experiments on the photoionization of Na-doped helium droplets revealed that their ionization threshold is red-shifted with respect to a free sodium atom. The time-of-flight mass spectra showed that the directly created Na+ ion was solvated in the droplet. The indirect evidence of creating special Na-droplets in high Rydberg states, when the ionic core remains inside the cluster and the weakly bound electron orbits outside, was obtained. The shape of ionization transition and the droplet size dependence of the ionization threshold are in line with the model of a pair-wise additive interaction of the created sodium ion with helium atoms in the nanocluster. The photoionization of aromatic molecules (aniline, phenol, and toluene) in helium droplets was studied with photoelectron spectroscopy. The photoelectron spectra resemble closely those of gas phase molecules except for the droplet size dependent shift. This shift is caused by the lowering of the ionization threshold upon solvation and can be readily estimated. The individual peaks in photoelectron spectra are broadened, which is thought to partially reflect the rearrangement of helium upon ion solvation. The droplet size and kinetic energy dependences of the peak broadening towards lower energy may be attributed to the relaxation of the photoelectrons as they pass through a helium droplet.


A new kind of vibration analysis uses the three-dimensional graininess of light produced by a diffusing surface illuminated by a coherent beam of light as an indicator of the vibration mode. The image of the vibrating surface shows unblurred speckles in the nodal areas of the vibrating surface only. The resulting patterns resemble the classical Chladni sand patterns. Theoretical calculations of the average grain size of the light field are presented. These calculations allow an estimate to be made of the sensitivity of the vibration-analysis method reported. It is shown that the sensitivity can be adapted for vibration amplitudes in the range from 1 to 100 wavelengths. A description of the experimental setup is given. The results show good agreement between theory and experiment.


More than 99% of the UK construction sector includes businesses that are defined within the category of SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises). Of these, most are categorised as micro-businesses that have less than ten employees (Department for
Business, Innovation & Skills, Business Population Estimates for UK and the Regions, 2015). Therefore, it is an essential part of the construction sector that requires attention. A large part of their business depends on collaboration and partnering with other
businesses. Online technologies are the latest trend to achieve innovative collaboration. Such technologies could improve the collaboration methods within construction SMEs and make them more competitive in the marketplace. By minimising the cost of their
hardware and software systems, this will provide them with greater security and accessibility, thereby helping construction SMEs to focus more towards their core business and enhance productivity.
This research has sought to achieve the aim of developing a collaboration framework specifically for construction SMEs based on online technologies. The objectives that were followed included reviewing the associated literature with regards to differences
between SMEs and larger enterprises in the construction industry, assessment and evaluation of the related literature in connection with success factors in the construction industry, observation and inspection of the attributes of exiting online technologies and
their prospective advantages for collaboration working, identification and recognition of the current collaboration issues occurred within the construction industry, examining the
key requirements pertaining to effective collaboration within construction SMEs and, finally, to develop a collaboration framework for construction SMEs based on online technologies.

A total of 17 interviews were carried out and the interviewees were selected carefully from several different construction SMEs, ensuring that a variety of SME sizes were selected to identify various associated issues that may occur within the construction
SMEs regardless of their sizes. The extracted information from all interviews confirmed numerous aspects that caused similar issues within the associated companies regardless of their sizes. The gathered data, along with the related literature review, helped to
achieve the aim and objectives of this research and to develop the final framework.


This report describes how blob features can be used for automatic estimation of the fundamental matrix from two perspective projections of a 3D scene. Blobs are perceptually salient, homogeneous, compact image regions. They are represented by their average colour, area, centre of gravity and inertia matrix. Coarse blob correspondences are found by voting using colour and local similarity transform matching on blob pairs. We then do RANSAC sampling of the coarse correspondences, and weight each estimate according to how well the approximating conics and colours of two blobs correspond. The initial voting significantly reduces the number of RANSAC samples required, and the extra information besides position, allows us to reject false matches more accurately than in RANSAC using point features.


Summary Multiple research studies address the anti-insulinemic effect of growth hormone (GH). We report a case of a patient with anterior hypopituitarism on GH replacement who later developed type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy was discontinued at the time of growth completion. Because of significantly improved glycemic control, this patient was weaned off subcutaneous insulin. He regressed from stage 3 to stage 2 T1DM and remained in this status for at least 2 years and until the writing of this paper. The diagnosis of T1DM was established based on relatively low C-peptide and insulin levels for the degree of hyperglycemia as well as seropositivity of zinc transporter antibody and islet antigen-2 antibody. Additional laboratory data obtained 2 months after discontinuing rhGH revealed improved endogenous insulin secretion. This case report calls attention to the diabetogenic effect of GH therapy in the setting of T1DM. It also demonstrates the possibility of regression from stage 3 T1DM requiring insulin therapy to stage 2 T1DM with asymptomatic dysglycemia after discontinuing rhGH. Learning points Given the diabetogenic effect of growth hormone, blood glucose levels should be monitored in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) on insulin therapy and recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) replacement. Clinicians should closely monitor for risk of hypoglycemia after discontinuing rhGH among T1DM patients who are on insulin treatment. The discontinuation of rhGH in the setting of T1DM may cause regression of symptomatic T1DM to asymptomatic dysglycemia requiring no insulin treatment.


Piezoelectric materials are widely used for many applications such as sensors, actuators. Today, their integration in microelectronics processes like CMOS requires the development of advanced realistic behavioral models. Until now, these models were limited to only one ceramic's operation mode, i.e., thickness or planar. Moreover, the robustness of piezo-electronic systems cannot be adequately addressed as long as models are not improved in particular by taking into account further real phenomena. This article proposes to merge, in a new KLM model, the two operation modes. It is demonstrated that the behavior of the proposed model is in very good agreement with the real ceramic behavior.


A novel two-objective optimization design model for pulsed power supply (PPS) is proposed in this paper. The objectives are the muzzle velocity and the stored-to-kinetic energy efficiency. The design variables include the operating voltage and the trigger delay times between segments. The acceleration of the armature is constrained to lower than 106 m/s2. The optimization results for the muzzle velocity and the efficiency separately show the following: 1) The acceleration constraint has great influence on the performance; 2) wide current pulse yields high velocity but low efficiency; and 3) the operating voltage has to be increased to accelerate a heavier projectile to a certain velocity or at a certain efficiency. Pareto solution fronts for various projectile masses are found using the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) under the integration environment of iSIGHT software. Numerical results show that the NSGA-II can provide a set of feasible Pareto solutions for the two-objective optimization design model of PPS, among which the "best" one is to be extracted according to the designer's requirements.


Introduction A recent national survey of carers found that only half of family carers providing end of life care received the support they needed and this support was less likely to be provided in hospital.1 Similarly, a study of discharge in older adults found that most family caregivers are not involved in discharge decisions.2 Aims This study aims to understand and support family in the work they do to facilitate end of life discharge. The study objectives are to: Design and assess the usability of the intervention for family members supporting a person being transferred from hospital to their preferred place for end of life care. Implement the intervention in hospital practice to reveal the factors that promote and inhibit implementation of the intervention; and develop toolkits to facilitate transfer of the intervention between settings. Methods The intervention integrates tested support components (reduction of uncertainty, information provision and coaching) within the framework of Family Sense of Cohesion Theory, to promote family resilience and, thereby, facilitate effective 24/7 care. The intervention has been clinically modelled with practitioners as conversational prompts, each addressing an intervention component (meaningfulness, uncertainty, comprehensibility and manageability). Using Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methodology the study will be conducted in five developmental cycles. Results The intervention will be piloted at three clinical sites from July 2016. Following this, there will be further roll out to 7 additional sites across England (through to September 2017). References National Council for Palliative Care.Who Cares? Support for carers of people approaching the end of life. London: The National Council for Palliative Care; 2013 Waring J, Marshall F, Bishop S, et al. An ethnographic study of knowledge sharing across the boundaries between care processes, services and organisations: the contribution to 'safe' hospital discharge. Health Services and Delivery Research 2014;2(29)


The object of this research is to study about the liquidity influence compare to the efficiency and working capital requirement by using balance sheet and income statement data. The location is at PT. Industri Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PT. INTI), one of the states telecommunications company. This research is a descriptive analysis and use a case study method where by obtained data during research will be analyzed, and then processed furthermore with existing theory bases and later conducted the measurement of performance to the variables. The result of this research shows the influence of liquidity rate compare to working capital efficiency 49,8%. The influence of liquidity rate compare to working capital requirement 19,7% and the rest influenced by other factors not examined in this study.


This study investigates the through-thickness behaviour of carbon/epoxy laminates. A through-thickness compression test regime was conducted utilising three specimen designs, which are waisted, hollow cylindrical and cubic specimens. An assessment and comparison of each specimen is given regarding their advantages and disadvantages in characterising the through-thickness response of [+45/-45/90/0]s quasi-isotropic AS4/8552 carbon/epoxy laminates. A finite element (FE) study of the three specimens is presented which results in specimen geometries that provided a macroscopically uniform stress response throughout the gauge length whilst also minimising other features such as stress concentrations. Further to the final geometries being presented, the method of manufacture for the laminate and machining processes for each of the specimens is given. A mesoscopic FE study is presented relating to the free-edge effects induced by through-thickness loading in quasi-isotropic laminates. The results presented show that free-edge effects will be present in the test specimens and will have a larger overall impact on the hollow cylindrical specimen. The free-edge effects also increase the stress concentrations present in the corners of the waisted and cubic specimens. Characteristic stress strain curves are presented for each specimen with strain data taken from post yield strain gauges attached to the specimens. The extracted initial Young?s modulus Ez and Poisson?s ratios vzx and vzy show a small variation between specimens. The strength values for the three specimens vary greatly with the waisted specimen being the strongest and cylindrical specimen the weakest, indicating that the chosen specimen geometry dominates failure. The experimental data will be used for test case 12 in the Second World Wide Failure Exercise (WWFE-II). A study is presented to predict the effective elastic properties of Z-pinned laminates. The materials under consideration are UD and [0/90]s cross-ply AS4/3501-6 carbon/epoxy laminates. Estimates on the effective properties are provided by two FE approaches and two analytical bounding approaches; namely Voigt and Reuss bounds and Walpole?s bounding theory. The two FE approaches are based on extreme assumptions about the in-plane fibre volume fraction in the presence of Z-pins and provide a tight range of values in which the real result should lie. Furthermore, whilst the bounding methods are simple and in the case of Young?s moduli produce very wide bounds the selection of the suitable bound result can lead to a good estimate in comparison with the FE data. Typically the best bounding method result for each elastic property is within 10% of the FE predictions.


s 15 Methods: From the outpatient hypertensive cohort (NZ773) two groups were chosen e (1) white coat effect patients "WCHT" with systolic office blood pressure (OSBP) > 140 mmHg, and 24-hour systolic blood pressure < 130 mmHg; and (2) patients with normal OSBP but 24-hour SBP > 130 mmHg "MHTN". Anthropometric measurements, together with basic cardiovascular risk factors and target organ damage assessment were performed. Results: In univariate analyses age, weight, BMI, waist circumference, as well as biochemical markers (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL-C, triglycerides, glucose levels) were comparable between the groups (PZNS, for all comparisons). MHTN patients presented with more pronounced target organ damage markers (eGFR, LVH, IMT) except for cfPWV (11.4 vs. 9.6 m/s for WCHT vs. MHTN, respectively; P<0.001). Nevertheless, the multivariate analysis adjusted to the levels of OSBP, HR and age showed marked attenuation of the observed PWV difference (PZ0.84 for the model). Conclusion: Single time office pulse wave velocity measurement in white coat effect presenting patients may not be a sufficient tool for the accurate assessment of subclinical damage. Thus sequential PWV measurement or other methods should be considered in this group of patients.


We present a study on the automatic acquisition of semantic classes for Catalan adjectives from distributional and morphological information, with particular emphasis on polysemous adjectives. The aim is to distinguish and characterize broad classes, such as qualitative (gran 'big') and relational (pulmonar 'pulmonary') adjectives, as well as to identify polysemous adjectives such as econòmic ('economic ∣ cheap'). We specifically aim at modeling regular polysemy, that is, types of sense alternations that are shared across lemmata. To date, both semantic classes for adjectives and regular polysemy have only been sparsely addressed in empirical computational linguistics.Two main specific questions are tackled in this article. First, what is an adequate broad semantic classification for adjectives? We provide empirical support for the qualitative and relational classes as defined in theoretical work, and uncover one type of adjective that has not received enough attention, namely, the event-related class. Second, how is regular polysemy best modeled in computational terms? We present two models, and argue that the second one, which models regular polysemy in terms of simultaneous membership to multiple basic classes, is both theoretically and empirically more adequate than the first one, which attempts to identify independent polysemous classes. Our best classifier achieves 69.1% accuracy, against a 51% baseline.


Climate regulates fire activity through the buildup and drying of fuels and the conditions for fire ignition and spread. Understanding the dynamics of contemporary climate–fire relationships at national and sub-national scales is critical to assess the likelihood of changes in future fire activity and the potential options for mitigation and adaptation. Here, we conducted the first national assessment of climate controls on US fire activity using two satellite-based estimates of monthly burned area (BA), the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED, 1997–2010) and Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS, 1984–2009) BA products. For each US National Climate Assessment (NCA) region, we analyzed the relationships between monthly BA and potential evaporation (PE) derived from reanalysis climate data at 0.5° resolution. US fire activity increased over the past 25 yr, with statistically significant increases in MTBS BA for the entire US and the Southeast and Southwest NCA regions. Monthly PE was strongly correlated with US fire activity, yet the climate driver of PE varied regionally. Fire season temperature and shortwave radiation were the primary controls on PE and fire activity in Alaska, while water deficit (precipitation – PE) was strongly correlated with fire activity in the Plains regions and Northwest US. BA and precipitation anomalies were negatively correlated in all regions, although fuel-limited ecosystems in the Southern Plains and Southwest exhibited positive correlations with longer lead times (6–12 months). Fire season PE increased from the 1980's–2000's, enhancing climate-driven fire risk in the southern and western US where PE–BA correlations were strongest. Spatial and temporal patterns of increasing fire season PE and BA during the 1990's–2000's highlight the potential sensitivity of US fire activity to climate change in coming decades. However, climate-fire relationships at the national scale are complex, based on the diversity of fire types, ecosystems, and ignition sources within each NCA region. Changes in the seasonality or magnitude of climate anomalies are therefore unlikely to result in uniform changes in US fire activity.


Electric vehicles (EVs) are the most promising alternative to replace a significant amount of gasoline vehicles to provide cleaner, CO2 free and climate friendly transportation. On integrating more electric vehicles, the electric utilities must analyse the related impacts on the electricity system operation. This paper investigates the effects on the key power distribution system parameters like voltages, line drops, system losses etc. by integrating electric vehicles in the range of 0-50% of the cars with different charging capacities. The dump as well as smart charging modes of electric vehicles is applied in this analysis. A typical Danish primary power distribution system is used as a test case for the studies. From the simulation results, not more than 10% of electric vehicles could be integrated in the test system for the dump charging mode. About 40% of electric vehicle loads could be accommodated in the network with the smart charging mode. The extent of integrating EVs in an area is constrained by the EV charging behavior and the safe operational limits of electricity system parameters.


Technology plays a pivotal role in the ESL teaching and education sector. In language teaching, gender and language research mostly favors the idea of potential differences in language use between men and women. This paper explores different indicators of gender in the writing of males and females in a large subset of the British National Corpus (BNC) covering the domain of fiction with the application of the Corpus tool. Robin Lakoff's four key linguistic terms that mark female language have been used as benchmarks against which the study has been conducted. Previous researchers like Argamon, Koppel, and Shimoni claim that females use more pronouns and a smaller number of nouns as compared to men. The hits and frequencies of Lakoff's terms and researchers' claims have been checked on BNC to get at the empirical findings. Taking general corpus BNC, corpus research method has been used to answer the research questions. The study found a substantial difference in the documents authored by male and female written text. It was also found that females use many more pronouns and males use many more nouns. Assumptions made regarding Lakoff's terms have been partially substantiated since the results vary a little concerning the use of empty adjectives like 'cute' and 'divine'. The work is a valuable addition to the existing corpus of knowledge about gender differences in language and it provides space for researchers to work in even broader perspectives.


This study examined the relationship between manpower development and organisational effectiveness in AKADEP. It was necessary to carry out this research because despite AKADEP's decades of existence and sustained funding by Akwa Ibom State Government, the Federal Government of Nigeria, as well as International Donor Organisations (The World Bank, UNDP, and IFAD), there is still manpower gap in AKADEP, basic food items consumed in Akwa Ibom State are sourced externally, prices of food stuffs are on the increase, the poorly trained farmers are hungry and poor which raises concern on the effectiveness of AKADEP – agency established exclusively to provide extension services to farmers. Survey data were collected through simple random sampling of 237 respondents drawn from the eight subprogrammes of AKADEP. Measures of the study were of good quality after assuring reliability and validity. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson's Product Moment on SPSS. The result of the analysis showed that manpower development in AKADEP is related positively to effectiveness of the organisation. A dependency relationship was also established between adoption of modern farming techniques by small scale farmers and increased farm yield in the study area. Impact of internally arranged training programmes was significant. Farmers and the Local Governments were encouraged to support AKADEP extension officers through provision of transport allowance, mobility or even phone calls to sustain agent's interest, bridge the missed cycle, and guarantee food sufficiency. The study also recommended the immediate establishment of Resident Extension Officers to reside in each clan within the study area. They are expected to provide on the spot and on-going training to small scale farmers.


Most books catalog patterns either by motif or historical period. This handbook takes a different approach by revealing the structural anatomy of patterns, showing how they are generated and how their parts interrelate. It demonstrates how designers and artists, whether students or professionals, can play limitless variations upon a few fundamental patterns and structural arrangements.The book explores these configurations step by step, starting with simple symmetries of mirror reflections, rotations, translations, and glide-reflections, building to point groups and the seven distinct band or linear arrays, and culminating in the seventeen full-fledged wallpaper patterns. A concluding chapter presents a visual synopsis of the basic patterns.


This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of a cyclo-oxygenase and a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor on duodenal mucosal alkaline secretion (DMAS), motility and mucosal permeability in inactin-, urethane- and alpha-chloralose anaesthetized rats. Proximal duodenum was perfused with a 150 mM NaCl solution and DMAS was determined by back titration. Mucosal permeability was assessed by measuring blood to lumen clearance of 51Cr-EDTA and duodenal motility by measuring intraluminal pressure. Mean arterial blood pressure and mucosal permeability were significantly lower in urethane- than in inactin- or alpha-chloralose anaesthetized rats (urethane: 90 +/- 2 mm Hg and 0.15 +/- 0.02 mL min-1 100 g-1; inactin: 112 +/- 5 mm Hg and 0.62 +/- 0.15 mL min-1 100 g-1; alpha-chloralose: 111 +/- 4 mm Hg and 0.61 +/- 0.06 mL min-1 100 g-1, respectively). Basal (pre-drug) DMAS was significantly lower in urethane rats (6.2 +/- 1.0 mumol cm-1 h-1) than in alpha-chloralose (9.3 +/- 1.2 mumol cm-1 h-1), but not different from that in inactin-anaesthetized rats (7.5 +/- 0.8 mumol cm-1 h-1). No or very few spontaneous duodenal contractions occurred under the control (pre-drug) conditions in any group. All animals responded to the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin or the NOS inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine-methyl-ester (L-NAME) with induction of duodenal motility and an increase in DMAS. The effect of indomethacin or L-NAME on mucosal permeability was similar in all anaesthetic groups except that L-NAME induced a transient increase in the inactin and alpha-chloralose groups but a sustained increase in urethane-anaesthetized animals. It is concluded that inactin- and alpha-chloralose anaesthetized rats do not differ regarding the studied basal values. Urethane-anaesthetized animals differed from rats given the other two anaesthetics in that basal mucosal permeability and mean arterial blood pressure were lower. Endogenous prostaglandins and NO contribute to the postoperative ileus and the low rate of DMAS also in urethane- and alpha-chloralose.


This paper discusses the findings of a collaborative research project between the National University of Samoa (NUS) and Unitec New Zealand, which examined the concept of 'Samoan pedagogy' and the learning processes of Samoan students. The study is based on the experiences of 24 Samoan students (Samoan and New Zealand born) who had been studying for education qualifications. It concludes that Samoan students learn in a variety of diverse ways, and that there are no differences between Island born and New Zealand born Samoans, other than in the use of the English language. This study also emphasises the significant roles of families (socialisation) and lecturers, and the impact on achievement at tertiary level.


We present preliminary results in porting our multi-contact non-gaited motion planning framework to operate in real environments where the surroundings are acquired using an embedded camera together with a depth map sensor. We consider the robot to have no a priori knowledge of the environment, and propose a scheme to extract the information relevant for planning from an acquired point cloud. This yield the basis of an egocentric on-the-fly multi-contact planner. We then demonstrate its capacity with two simulation scenarios involving an HRP-2 robot in various environment before discussing some issues to be addressed in our quest to achieve a close loop between planning and execution in an environment explored through embedded sensors.


In this study, we investigate the responses of soil organic carbon (C) to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions along a soil P stock gradient of five beech forest stands in Germany, using a modeling approach. Two different soil models with coupled C, N, and P cycles are used to simulate fertilization experiments conducted at the study sites. The first model, the stand-alone soil module of QUINCY (QUINCY-soil, Thum et al., 2019), is a conventional soil model that uses first-order kinetics to describe soil organic matter (SOM) turnover and represents microbial biomass only implicitly. The second model, the Jena Soil Model (JSM) (Yu et al., 2020), is a novel microbial soil model, which explicitly simulates microbial dynamics and describes the turnover of SOM as the consequence of several interactive processes, such as microbially mediated depolymerization of litter and SOM, organo-mineral association, and vertical transport. We applied both site-level models to five study sites and compared the modeled soil profile with observations. In addition, model scenarios were conducted to simulate the fertilization of N and P, and we further evaluate the effect of soil P stock, plant litter quality, and SOM CNP stoichiometry, on the responses of soil (heterotrophic) respiration (Rs) to nutrient addition. We found that the fitness between simulated and observed SOM profiles (defined as normalized root mean square ratios, Knrmsr) were generally better in JSM than in QUINCY-soil (Knrmsr larger by 0.03 ± 0.10 to 0.16 ± 0.06 for various soil measurements at all sites); The general pattern of observed Rs responses to nutrient fertilization, that N addition decreases Rs whereas P addition increases it, can be reproduced by JSM but not by QUINCY-soil. Our results indicated that a detailed explicit description of microbial processes and organo-mineral association is required to model plant-soil-microbial interactions, thus to better reproduce SOM profiles and their responses to nutrient additions. It highlights the need to better represent these processes in future model developments.


Software systems that structure conversation (and vice versa), formalise the roles of interactors, process their interactions, and provide other forms of 'support' are the object and subject of design and evaluation in CSCW, and its related fields of research and practice. E-democracy is a relatively recent addition to them, and can be characterised as the use of network technologies to promote collaboration between actors for policy-making purposes, whether acting as citizens, their elected representatives, or on behalf of administrations, parliaments or opposition groups. This paper explores the applicability to edemocracy evaluation of sociological approaches to conversation that have been widely used in CSCW studies to demonstrate how relations between human and non-human actors are constructed in online and offline settings. Two brief examples are given from the evaluation of software in the projects EDEN and AVANTI, under the European Commission's programme of research and development of Information Society Technologies. In both projects ethnographic analysis has had a role in evaluating the risks and benefits of software that mediates conversation between citizens and administrations. These examples are used to argue for the value of 'pragmatist/culturalist' approaches in e-democracy evaluations, which may otherwise lack the richness of CSCW studies of technology usage. Such approaches demonstrate how edemocracy development entails 'politics' in the re-allocation of representational roles from human actors to software ones. Attending to the detail of conversation between actors, human or otherwise, can help to make design and deployment choices more transparent than they would otherwise be.


Cutting samples from evaporite deposits of Member Two of Gachsaran Formation in well #1 at Ab-Teymure Oil Field have been studied by petrographic microscope, SEM with EDX attachment and XRD to identify the halite crystal shapes. This study led to recognition of three stages, including flooding, concentration and desiccation, for the formation of halite in salt pan. In the flooding stage, the flooding water dissolves the saline crust in the floor of salt pan, which are flat and vuggy. At the second stage, dissolution of halite and evaporation continued. As the concentration of brine increased, rafts, plates and hopper shapes of halite crystals form at the air-brine interface. Finally, these crystals precipitated to the bottom of the salt pan as the weight of crystals increased. At the last stage, salt pan was dried and hyper saline condition was dominated below the surface during lowstand. During this stage, halite crust formed on the surface of salt pan and clear crystals of halite in cubic and cumulative form may have been precipitated in vuggy pores that formed during dissolution of salt.


A method of preparing modified surfaces, referred to as soft-landing, is described in which intact polyatomic ions are deposited from the gas phase into a monolayer fluorocarbon surface at room temperature. The ions are trapped in the fluorocarbon matrix for many hours. They are released, intact, upon sputtering at low or high energy or by thermal desorption, and their molecular compositions are confirmed by isotopic labeling and high-resolution mass measurements. The method is demonstrated for various silyl and pyridinium cations. Capture at the surface is favored when the ions bear bulky substituents that facilitate steric trapping in the matrix.


In Nigeria, from the colonial period to the present, the employment of strikes and protests by nationalists, Nigerian workers and civil society groups has been established as one of the potent means of conveying viewpoints, positions as well as the demand for equality, fairness, social justice and reforms. It has been used as dialogue by other means. This paper explores the adoption of industrial actions and general strikes in Nigeria, during the nationalist struggle, post independence politics and political agitations in Nigeria's democratic process. The paper attempts to establish the nexus between this pattern and strategy utilized by the nationalists, civil society and the Nigerian workers and the culture of militancy, restiveness and aggression of labour unionism in contemporary Nigeria, especially since the return to democratic rule. It concludes that this trend was accentuated by several years of dictatorship and misrule, which has built into the consciousness of organized labour the culture of agitation and restiveness as a democratic option. This study adopted the historical method in terms of data collection, analysis and presentation. Both primary and secondary data were used for the study. These include archival materials, newspaper reports, journal articles and books.


Abstract. Tropical montane forests (TMFs) are recognized for the provision of hydrological services and the protection of biodiversity, but their role in carbon storage is not well understood. We synthesized published observations (n = 94) of above-ground biomass (AGB) from forest inventory plots in TMFs (defined here as forests between 23.5° N and 23.5° S with elevations ≥ 1000 m a.s.l.). We found that mean (median) AGB in TMFs is 271 (254) t per hectare of land surface. We demonstrate that AGB declines moderately with both elevation and slope angle but that TMFs store substantial amounts of biomass, both at high elevations (up to 3500 m) and on steep slopes (slope angles of up to 40°). We combined remotely sensed data sets of forest cover with high resolution data of elevation to show that 75% of the global planimetric (horizontal) area of TMF are on steep slopes (slope angles greater than 27°). We used our remote sensed data sets to demonstrate that this prevalence of steep slopes results in the global land surface area of TMF (1.22 million km2) being 40% greater than the planimetric area that is the usual basis for reporting global land surface areas and remotely sensed data. Our study suggests that TMFs are likely to be a greater store of carbon than previously thought, highlighting the need for conservation of the remaining montane forests.


Sciatic nerve stimulation, which strongly activates noradrenergic locus coeruleus (NA‐LC) neurons, was used in anaesthetized rats as a model to study the transneuronal control of catechol metabolism in this nucleus. We show, using in vivo electrochemistry and biochemical post‐mortem assays, that a prolonged (20 min) unilateral sciatic nerve electrical stimulation led to a reversible enhancement (80 – 130%) of both endogenous and in vivo extracellular levels of 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) within the contralateral LC region. An elevation in DOPAC levels was also observed in the ipsilateral nucleus but was always significantly lower. The response was abolished by a pretreatment with kynurenic acid, a non‐selective excitatory amino acid (EAA) antagonist known to block footshock‐induced excitations of NA‐LC neurons: in antagonist‐treated rats, the stimulation induced a non‐significant effect (+ 30%) on endogenous DOPAC levels, which contrasted with the highly significant effect (+ 113%) observed in vehicle‐treated animals. As the major source of EAA afferents to the LC originates in the nucleus paragigantocellularis, we made an attempt to suppress activation by a section of these fibres. An incision performed obliquely (45°) between LC and PGi greatly and significantly attenuated, but did not totally suppress, the increase in DOPAC endogenous content due to the stimulation. These experiments indicate that a peripheral stimulus provokes an activation of catecholamine metabolism within the soma ‐ dendritic region of the NA‐LC cells. They suggest that this effect may be mediated, at least in part, by afferent pathways originating from the medulla which utilize an EAA as transmitter.


Introduction: There is currently no standard forensic medicine training program for emergency medicine residents. In the advent of sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) programs aimed at improving the quality of care for sexual assault victims, it is also unclear how these programs impact emergency medicine (EM) resident forensic medicine training. The purpose of this study was to gather information on EM residency programs' training in the care of sexual assault patients and determine what impact SANE programs may have on the experience of EM resident training from the perspective of residency program directors (PDs). Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey. The study cohort was all residency PDs from approved EM residency training programs who completed a closed-response self-administered survey electronically. Results: We sent surveys to 152 PDs, and 71 responded for an overall response rate of 47%. Twenty-two PDs (31%) reported that their residency does not require procedural competency for the sexual assault exam, and 29 (41%) reported their residents are required only to observe sexual assault exam completion to demonstrate competency. Residency PDs were asked how their programs established resident requirements for sexual assault exams. Thirty-seven PDs (52%) did not know how their sexual assault exam requirement was established. Conclusion: More than half of residency PDs did not know how their sexual assault guidelines were established, and few were based upon recommendations from the literature. There is no clear consensus as to how PDs view the effect of SANE programs on resident competency with the sexual assault exam. This study highlights both a need for increased awareness of EM resident sexual assault education nationally and also a possible need for a training curriculum defining guidelines for EM residents performing sexual assault exams.


The first part of the paper deals with the computation of stress intensity factors for pyramidal indentation cracks with a ratio of crack length c to indentation half-diagonal a between 1 and 2. The residual stress field due to quasi-plastic deformation below the indenter is described by using the Hill model of an expanding sphere. It is found that the proportionality factor in the relation for KIc decreases with c/a→1 and confirms experimental results with nanoindents on sapphire and fused quartz. In the second part, the crack opening displacement of such cracks is determined.