Purpose: Aurora kinases play a crucial role in cell-cycle control. Uncontrolled expression of aurora kinases causes aneuploidy and tumor growth. As conservative treatment options for advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET) are disappointing, aurora kinases may be an interesting target for novel therapeutic strategies. Experimental Design: Human GEP-NETs were tested for aurora kinase expression. The efficacy of the new aurora kinase inhibitor danusertib was evaluated in two human GEP-NET cell lines (BON1 and QGP) in vitro and in vivo. Results: The majority of ten insulinomas and all 33 nonfunctional pancreatic or midgut GEP-NETs expressed aurora A despite a mostly high degree of cell differentiation. Both human GEP-NET cell lines expressed aurora kinase A and B, and high Ser10 phosphorylation of histone H3 revealed increased aurora B activity. Remarkably, danusertib led to cell-cycle arrest and completely inhibited cell proliferation of the GEP-NET cells in vitro. Decreased phosphorylation of histone H3 indicated effective aurora B inhibition. In a subcutaneous murine xenograft model, danusertib significantly reduced tumor growth in vivo compared with controls or mice treated with streptozotocine/5-fluorouracil. As a consequence, decreased levels of tumor marker chromogranin A were found in mouse serum samples. In a newly developed orthotopic model for GEP-NET liver metastases by intrasplenic tumor cell transplantation, dynamic MRI proved significant growth inhibition of BON1- and QGP-derived liver metastases. Conclusions: These results show that danusertib may impose a new therapeutic strategy for aurora kinase expressing metastasized GEP-NETs. Clin Cancer Res; 18(17); 4621–32. ©2012 AACR.


Improvements in web technologies and artificial intelligence enable novel, more data-driven research practices for scientists. However, scientific knowledge generated from data-intensive research practices is disseminated with unstructured formats, thus hindering the scholarly communication in various respects. The traditional document-based representation of scholarly information hampers the reusability of research contributions. To address this concern, we developed the Physics Ontology (PhySci) to represent physics-related scholarly data in a machine-interpretable format. PhySci facilitates knowledge exploration, comparison, and organization of such data by representing it as knowledge graphs. It establishes a unique conceptualization to increase the visibility and accessibility to the digital content of physics publications. We present the iterative design principles by outlining a methodology for its development and applying three different evaluation approaches: data-driven and criteria-based evaluation, as well as ontology testing.


We explain the early excess emission of the Type Ia supernova 2018oh by an interaction of the supernova ejecta with disk-originated matter (DOM). Such DOM can form in the merger process of two white dwarfs (WDs) in the double degenerate scenario of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). We find that an ejecta-DOM interaction can fit the early light curve of SN 2018oh better than an ejecta-companion interaction in the single degenerate scenario. By composing the DOM from two components that were ejected in the merger process with two different velocities, we show that the ejecta-DOM interaction can account for the linear rise in the light curve, while the ejecta-companion interaction predicts too steep a rise. In addition, the ejecta-DOM interaction does not predict the presence of hydrogen and helium lines in nebular spectra, and hence does not suffer from this major drawback of the ejectacompanion model. We consider the ejecta-DOM interaction to be the most likely explanation for the early excess emission in SN 2018oh. By that we show that the double degenerate scenario can account for early excess emission in SNe Ia.


The eyeglass was a distinctive accessory of the long eighteenth century. Contrary to contemporary conduct advice, which enjoined a self-disciplined gaze and a polite use of the eyes, this accessory made a fashionable virtue out of staring. Using textual sources and the more abundant visual evidence of portraiture and satirical prints, this paper opens by exploring the origins, appearance, and naming of the object. It then turns to examine the different ways of looking enacted with the eyeglass: lascivious and voyeuristic, connoisseurial, and dandiacal. The distinct but intersecting contexts in which it appeared are considered, as well as its passage from male to female fashion in the nineteenth century. Finally, the paper situates the quizzing glass within the broader pattern of eighteenth-century developments: rapid urbanization, commercial expansion, the rise of the middle and aspirant classes, and an Enlightenment epistemology that grounded knowledge in empirically tested observation. In the midst of such developments, the eyeglass became a tool with which to enact visual criticality, the small piece of glass both arming the viewer and providing a way of deflecting the critical looks of others. In graphic satire however, its presence references a satirical gaze being directed from outside the frame of the print. In a small but significant way, the eyeglass came to stand for both the discerning eye, and its absence. O g lin g , Q ui zz in g , a nd S p yi ng : T he E ye g la ss


Current solutions for providing navigation instructions to users who are walking are mostly limited to 2D maps on smartphones and voice-based instructions. Mixed Reality (MR) holds the promise of integrating navigation instructions directly in users' visual field, potentially making them less obtrusive and more expressive. Current MR navigation systems, however, largely focus on using conventional designs such as arrows, and do not fully leverage the technological possibilities. While MR could present users with more sophisticated navigation visualizations, such as in-situ virtual signage, or visually modifying the physical world to highlight a target, it is unclear how such interventions would be perceived by users. We conducted two experiments to evaluate a set of navigation instructions and the impact of different contexts such as environment or task. In a remote survey (n = 50), we collected preference data with ten different designs in twelve different scenarios. Results indicate that while familiar designs such as arrows are well-rated, methods such as avatars or desaturation of non-target areas are viable alternatives. We confirmed and expanded our findings in an in-person virtual reality (VR) study (n = 16), comparing the highest-ranked designs from the initial study. Our findings serve as guidelines for MR content creators, and future MR navigation systems that can automatically choose the most appropriate navigation visualization based on users' contexts.


Modeling of the metal ion/ligand complexation reactions between divalent metal cations (M2 + ) and hydrophilic tridentate ligand murexide (Mu- ) in water, water+glycerol, and in glycerol was carried out. Kinetic studies showed that the rate of the reaction is very dependent on the metal ion, with Zn2 + > Ni2 + , but, reactions are slower in dispersed glycerol than in dispersed water. Theoretical calculations, which have shown a metal ion dependence, were consistent with the experimental observations. The entropy values calculated in all solvents were negative and were similar in value, indicating that these spontaneous reactions are enthalpy driven.


The effects of yttrium on the microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium alloy AZ81 have been investigated by alloy preparation, microstructure analysis and tensile tests. The results show that proper content of yttrium addition can obviously refine the microstructure of magnesium alloy AZ81, reduce the amount of β-Mg17Al12 phase, lead to the precipitation of Al2Y phase and improve the mechanical properties. After solid solution and aging treatment, the tensile strength and elongation of the alloy increase at first and then decrease with the increase of yttrium content, and reach the maxima at 2%Y. At room temperature, the maxima are 277MPa and 10.9% respectively. At 150 , the maxima are 220MPa and 12.4% respectively.


Background:
Allergic disease is uncommon in developing countries, especially in rural areas. A protective effect of helminth infection has been implicated as a potential explanation.

Objectives:
To determine whether reduced exposure to helminth infection is associated with a higher risk of allergen skin sensitisation and allergic disease, and whether such an association could be explained by a helminth-induced up-regulation of certain cytokines, in particular anti-inflammatory IL-10.

Methods:
We invited 1,742 rural Vietnamese schoolchildren to take part in a cross-sectional baseline survey followed by a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of anti-helminthic therapy at 0, 3, 6, and 9 months to compare the change in exercise-induced bronchospasm (primary outcome), wheeze, rhinitis, eczema, and allergen skin sensitisation (secondary outcomes) at 12 months. 244 secondary schoolchildren also had venous blood taken to measure helminth induced IL-10, IFN-gamma, IL-5, and IL-13. Out of these 244 children, 144 were infected with hookworm and had bloods taken again at 12 months.

Results:
Baseline survey
1,601 schoolchildren (92% of those eligible) in grades 1-9 aged 6-18 participated in the baseline survey. 0.4% (6/1601) of children had a fall in peak flow after exercise of at least 15%. Doctor-diagnosed asthma was equally rare (0.4%, 6/1601), while 5.0% (80/1601) of children had experienced wheezing over the past 12 months. 6.9% (110/1601) of parents reported that their children had suffered of hay fever in the past 12 months, and in 2.6% (41/1601) of cases this diagnosis was confirmed by a doctor. 5.6% of children (89/1601) reported an itchy rash over the past 12 months. 0.9% (14/1601) had a history of flexural involvement and on examination 0.5% (8/1601) proved to have flexural eczema on the day of the survey. Skin prick test positivity was commoner than allergic disease. 33.5% (537/1601) of children had at least one positive skin prick test (dustmites 14.4%, cockroach 27.6%). The cross-sectional analysis yielded only significant results for allergen skin sensitisation.

In univariate analysis, sensitisation was less frequent in children with hookworm or Ascaris infection, and increased in those with better santitation, including flush toilets and piped drinking water. In multivariate analysis, the risk of allergen skin sensitisation to house dust mite was reduced in those with Ascaris lumbricoides infection (adjusted OR=0.28, 95% CI 0.10-0.78) and in children with higher hookworm burden (adjusted OR for 350+ versus no eggs per gram faeces=0.61, 0.39-0.96), and increased in those using flush toilets (adjusted OR for flush toilet versus none/bush/pit=2.51, 1.00-6.28). In contrast, sensitisation to cockroach was not independently related to helminth infection but was increased in those regularly drinking piped or well water rather than from a stream (adjusted OR=1.33, 1.02-1.75).

Intervention study
1,566 children in grades 1-8 completed the baseline survey and all consented to be randomised to either anti-helminthic treatment or placebo. 1487 children (95%) completed the intervention study. There was no effect of therapy on the primary outcome, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (within-participant mean % fall in peak flow from baseline after anti-helminthic treatment 2.25 (SD 7.3) vs placebo 2.19 (SD 7.8, mean difference 0.06 (95% CI -0.71-0.83), p=0.9), or on the prevalence of the secondary clinical outcomes questionnaire-reported wheeze (adjusted OR=1.16, 0.35-3.82), rhinitis (adjusted OR= 1.39, 0.89-2.15), or flexural eczema (adjusted OR=1.17, 0.39-3.49). However, anti-helmithic therapy was associated with a significant allergen skin sensitisation risk increase in the treatment compared to the placebo group (adjusted OR=1.31, 1.02-1.67). In post-hoc analysis this effect was particularly strong for children infected with Ascaris lumbricoides at baseline (adjusted OR=4.90, 1.48-16.19), the majority of whom were co-infected with hookworm.

Cytokine profiles
Hookworm-induced IL-10 was inversely related to allergen skin sensitisation (any positive skin prick test) at baseline, but this result missed conventional statistical significance (univariate OR=0.70, 0.48-1.03; adjusted OR=0.72, 0.44-1.18). No other cytokine response was associated with skin prick test positivity at baseline (univariate OR IFN-gamma=1.15, 0.71-1.85; univariate OR IL-5=0.84, 0.53-1.33). Similary, no significant changes in any of the cytokine profiles were observed following anti-helminthic therapy in the treatment compared to the placebo group (p=0.3 for all three cytokines).

Conclusion
The baseline study suggested that hookworm and Ascaris infection, sanitation and water supply independently reduce the risk of allergic sensitisation. The intervention study confirmed that helminth infection and allergic sensitisation are inversely related and that the effect of Ascaris and hookworm infections on skin prick test responses is additive. However, we found little evidence to suggest that this effect was mediated by IL-10. There was also insufficient evidence to suggest that loss of exposure to gut worms for 12 months results in an increase in clinical allergic disease. The effect of more prolonged de-worming warrants further research.


Women's reproductive health is a major determinant of a nation's health and the health of its future generations. Studies have shown that women's health is a central feature of human development, as a mother's health has intergenerational impact on the health and well-being of her children. Greater attention is needed to understand the interplay of biological and social determinants in women's health to ensure that women are provided with comprehensive, quality healthcare tailored to their needs. This is especially true for women's reproductive health, as women suffer from diseases that lead to lifelong pain, infertility, abnormal menstrual bleeding, and a lower quality of life. Enhancing and reframing the narrative around reproductive health should be an urgent priority to not only lead to effective preventative strategies and care, but also to empower women to lead their healthiest life possible. This policy paper identifies women's reproductive health problems in the United Arab Emirates, and offers a number of recommendations related to providing an effective reproductive health policy to increase awareness, treat reproductive symptoms, and prevent diseases that may otherwise negatively impact women's daily health activities and their chances of motherhood.


Currently, the machining fluid includes several chemicals such as cutting oil and grinding oil is used for the machining. However, such the machining fluid that is caused enormous disposal cost and environmental load, should reduce using. Therefore, in this investigation, electric rust preventive machining method which uses only water for machining fluid is developed. Because using only water without extreme pressure agents, oil and so on, this method decreases disposal of waste machining fluid. In this paper, the system to remove impurities from a used machining fluid, and to reuse machining fluid is designed. To reproduce water efficiently, the order of arranging the filter is changed. In consequence, it has been efficient when the filtration filter is set up first, and the activated carbon filter is set up in the second. In addition, the reproduction of the water when the supply pressure is 0.75 MPa is verified by using this system. As a result, the water which passed a water recycle system, the impurities such as iron, conductivity, turbidity, colour decreased, and purification of the water is possible for this system. And, 5.2 L/min refined water recycle is achieved.


Linear and nonlinear filters, including morphological operators, play a significant role in the processing of remote sensing imagery. In particular, smoothing filters have been extensively used for noise removal and image restoration. In applications where linear and shift-invariant filters can be effectively employed, filtering is computationally efficient if implemented in transform domains. Nevertheless, in remote sensing applications, it is essential that smoothing filters be capable of handling missing and erroneous data without loss of information. In such cases, filtering requires the involvement of logical operations in order to determine which pixels should be used for processing, and thus takes the form of a nonlinear operator. Hence, transform-based methods cannot be used. Still, in applications where large volumes of data need to be processed, it is greatly desired that fast filtering algorithms are used. This letter introduces a computationally efficient spatial-domain-based implementation which is partially separable and steerable. The technique is general, and its efficiency has been demonstrated on weather radar data. It is shown that the proposed filtering approach is significantly faster compared to a recently introduced separable filter implementation.


Phagocytosis and phagosome maturation are crucial processes in biology. Phagocytosis and the subsequent digestion of phagocytosed particles occur across a huge diversity of eukaryotes and can be achieved by many different cells within one organism. In parallel, diverse groups of pathogens have evolved mechanisms to avoid killing by phagocytic cells. The present review discusses a key innate immune cell, the macrophage, and highlights the myriad mechanisms microbes have established to escape phagocytic killing.


This thesis proposes a city block farming structure that aims to implement strategies of neighbourhood self-sufficiency within the core of Toronto. It will research the new marketplace demand for local and fresh produce across North America as an alternative to the current globalized food model based on a "just-in-time" delivery system. This investigation is significant because cities such as Toronto are seeking different means to bring local produce and farming into the urban context. This thesis will analyze the past and present status of Toronto's food and agricultural industry in order
to propose a scheme that will maximize the economic and social benefits for urban neighbourhoods. The thesis project will suggest a tower design that will service the neighbourhood's intermediate needs through a podium level food market, create a relationship with its surrounding neighbourhood, as well as improve the quality of the community through integrated urban design strategies.


Objectives
The existence of a link between the intestinal microbiome and diet is well established. The demonstration that the microbiome information increases the prediction accuracy of postprandial blood glucose levels (Zeevi et al, 2015) is opening intriguing perspectives for developing personalized nutrition tools. However, reproducibly inferring the diet-induced microbiome changes and stratifying individual responses to dietary interventions based on the microbiome remain open challenges. The PREDICT I study aims to develop: (i) a protocol for gut microbiome sampling and analysis for large-scale nutritional studies and (ii) a microbiome-based machine learning integrative component for predictive personalized nutrition tools.

Methods
We performed three metagenomic investigations to; (i) identify the best combination for stool collection, sample storage, DNA extraction, and sequencing (n = 45); (ii) develop and validate the computational pipeline on an exploratory dietary interventional cohort (n = 1000); (iii) apply the validated pipeline on an independent validation cohort (n = 100). The generated total dataset (>8x10^12 sequenced bases) was analyzed with existing and newly developed computational tools and integrated with the metagenomic profiles of >10,000 samples processed from public repositories.

Results
Our resulting validated protocol involves a minimally time-demanding procedure for at-home sample collection, sample storage in a preservation buffer, and DNA extraction with a recently commercialized kit (Qiagen). Metagenomic sequencing proved substantially more accurate than 16S rRNA sequencing and was able to perfectly capture subject-specific strain-level features with longitudinal sampling. This method was also able to stratify by pre-intervention habitual dietary regimes. Our prediction algorithm showed that embedding the microbiome features in a 50-dimension space was sufficient to improve the prediction performance of postprandial blood glucose levels.

Conclusions
We present the largest investigation to date on the reproducible connections between the gut microbiome and dietary interventions. Further we describe our methods and results in using the microbiome as a component of a precise integrated postprandial blood glucose and blood lipid level predictor.

Funding Sources
Zoe Global Limited, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Wellcome Trust.


The location of the transition points for the three main Harrison's kinetics regimes (Type-A, B and C) for the measurement of grain boundary diffusivities from tracer concentration depth profiles (self-diffusion) has been extensively studied in (Divinski et al. Zeit. Metallk, 2002, Belova and Murch, Phil. Mag, 2001, 2009; Defect and Diffusion Forum, 2006, 2008, 2009) by making use of the phenomenological Lattice Monte Carlo numerical method. Those locations are mainly dependent on the dimensionality of the problem. For the case of impurity grain boundary diffusion, the segregation effect is very important. In the present study, the influence of segregation on the transition points is investigated for the parallel slab model (2-dimensional) of the grain boundary diffusion problem by making use of the tracer-type solution to the equivalent diffusion problem. It is shown that the Type-B regime is most likely not realized for the cases of fine-grain material with a strong segregation effect present.


The wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-rye (Secale cereale L.) chromosomal translocations 1BL.1RS and 1AL.1RS are widely reported to have detrimental effects on hard wheat quality. This study was designed to investigate the impact of these translocations on soft wheat milling and baking quality where information on their effects is limited. A set of backcross-six F 2 -derived F 6 near-isolines containing either the 'Kavkaz'-derived 1BL.1RS or Amigo'-derived 1AL.1RS translocation were developed in five soft red winter wheat backgrounds at Columbia, MO. A randomized complete block design, replicated four times, was grown in each of three Missouri environments. Treatments were arranged as a split-plot with genetic background as the mainplot factor and isolines as the subplots. Both the presence of rye and the source of the translocation (1BL.1RS vs. 1AL.1RS) were significant for all traits measured. 1BL.1RS was associated with a significant reduction in softness equivalent but had no overall effect, across backgrounds, on adjusted flour yield or milling quality, while 1AL.1RS was associated with significant reductions in all three traits. Both translocations were associated with reduced baking quality due to their association with increased alkaline water-retention capacity and reduced kernel softness. For all traits the negative effect of 1AL.1RS was more pronounced than that of 1BL.1RS. Background interaction effects were significant for both milling-quality and baking-quality traits, and often were large enough to offset the negative effects associated with the translocation. This suggested that breeders could develop soft red winter wheat cultivars carrying either translocation that had acceptable end-use quality.


In evaluating the consequences of the current technological revolution, most scientists, technologists, and engineers have failed to consider the role of human acceptance of new technology. The economists who have written this study have assumed that the social and economic consequences of new technology will be of overriding importance, with successful implementation dependent upon human adaptability. Because they are skeptical about the predictability of human behavior, the authors avoid speculation about the future and instead focus on what


Given a large homogeneous collection of switched systems, we consider a novel class of safety constraints, called mode-counting constraints, that impose restrictions on the number of systems that are in a particular mode. We propose an approach for synthesizing correct-by-construction switching protocols to enforce such constraints over time. Our approach starts by constructing an approximately bisimilar abstraction of the individual system model. Then, we show that the aggregate behavior of the collection can be represented by a linear system, whose system matrices are induced by the transition graph of the abstraction. Finally, the control synthesis problem with mode-counting constraints is reduced to a cycle assignment problem on the transition graph. One salient feature of the proposed approach is its scalability; the computational complexity is independent of the number of systems involved. We illustrate this approach on the problem of coordinating a large collection of thermostatically controlled loads while ensuring a bound on the number of loads that are extracting power from the electricity grid at any given time.


A wedlock is the main element in establishing a harmonious family with full of love and affection so that legal norm which regulates it is needed in marriage. It is needed to arrange the right, obligation, and responsibility of each family member in order to set up happy and prosperous family. However, there are, of course, many problems which occur in a family lif e which might about a divorce. A divorce can be claimed by a husband or a wife to Religious Court although there are also divorces which are claimed out of court which will do harm to the wife and the children since it is illegal according to law and KHI (Compilation of the Islamic law). The problems of the research were as follows: how about the regulation on a divorce which was claimed out of court, how about the legal consequence of a divorce which was claimed out of court according to KHI and the Islamic Fiqh, and how about a divorced claimed out of court could have its legality according to KHI and Law No. 1/1974. An out of court divorce is never regulated in KHI which requires a divorce to be claimed in court, as it is stipulated in Article 115, while in the Islamic Fiqh, there is no explanation about it in the Koran and Hadist so that it can be made a law through ijtihad (interpretation through reasoning and judgement of the Koranic code) in the form of ijma' (consensus of opinion) and qiyas (analogy). Thus, a divorce which is claimed out of court, according to KHI, is valid only in the religious law, but it is illegal in the State law because it is not claimed in the Religious Court. Here, both wife and husband do not have certificates of divorce which have legal force. Therefore, the divorce is valid in the Islamic law, and the relation between husband and wife is broken off. A divorced wife can still have mut'ah (enjoyment) from her ex-husband, and she can be remarried afte her iddah (period during which a divorced woman is not allowed to remarry) is over. According to four Imam Mahzabs, the mother has the right to take care of the under-age child, and the allocation of joint property depends on the agreement between the couples. KHI do not legalize an out of court divorce since it brings about disadvantage to the wife and her children and hampers the administration of residential affairs. Keywords : Divorce, Out of Court, Complication of the Islamic Law, Islamic Fiqh.


Background & Aim: Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) in the coronal plane before and after contrast is currently considered to be the most specific and sensitive technique for imaging pituitary gland. However, because of the false negative results of this method in the detection of pituitary microadenomas and the importance of finding these microadenomas, infundibular deviation or tilt in MRI is used to support the existence of pituitary microadenomas. This study was performed to determine the frequency of this tilt as a normal variant in adult Iranian population with no pituitary disease and to establish a normal base to facilitate the assessment of pituitary gland in neuroendocrine diseases and the detection of microadenomas. Material & Method: This study was a cross-sectional observational prospective survey performed on coronal brain MRIs of 60 patients who had been examined for reasons other than pituitary disease in Hazrat – e – Rasoul Hospital from March until September 2004. The obtained data concerned sex, age, existence and type of infundibular tilt. Results: 40% of the studied population had infundibular tilt of normal pituitary gland in MRI as a normal variation. This tilt was due to the lateral eccentricity of normal pituitary gland in relation to the midline of the brain in 26.7% of the abovementioned cases and due to the eccentric insertion of pituitary stalk off the midline of the normal gland in the other 13.3%. There was no significant relationship between existence and type of infundibular tilt of normal pituitary gland in MRI and


Many classical vaccines contain whole pathogens and, thus, may occasionally induce adverse effects, such as inflammation. Vaccines containing purified rAgs resolved this problem, but, owing to their low antigenicity, they require adjuvants. Recently, the use of several cytokines, including thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), has been proposed for this purpose. However, it is difficult to use cytokines as vaccine adjuvants in clinical practice. In this study, we examined the effects of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) on TSLP production and Ag-induced Ab production. Application of atRA onto the ear lobes of mice selectively induced TSLP production without inducing apparent inflammation. The effects appeared to be regulated via retinoic acid receptors γ and α. Treatment with atRA was observed to enhance OVA-induced specific Ab production; however, this effect was completely absent in TSLP receptor–knockout mice. An enhancement in Ab production was also observed when recombinant hemagglutinin was used as the Ag. In conclusion, atRA was an effective adjuvant through induction of TSLP production. Therefore, we propose that TSLP-inducing low m.w. compounds, such as atRA, may serve as effective adjuvants for next-generation vaccines.


: In 1990, we described the treatment of established adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with a sustained course of adrenocortical steroids (ACS). This report updates our experience with an uncontrolled prospective series. Patients with ARDS of more than 3 days' duration were initially given ACS in intravenous dosages of 125 to 250 mg every 6 hours, with tapering every 3 to 4 days. ARDS was present for 3 to 40 days before treatment. The PO2/FIO2 ranged from 45 to 211 (mean, 109) and the injury index from 2 to 4 (mean, 3.25). Nineteen gallium Ga 67 citrate lung scans were obtained in 18 patients. The scans showed diffuse abnormality in all 19 studies, but added no new diagnostic information. We have treated 26 patients, and overall survival was 81% (21/26). When complicating features were present, survival was 64% (9/14). Our uncontrolled, observational experience in treating established ARDS suggests that a sustained course of ACS may improve survival in these severely ill patients.


With more than 25 years of university teaching in technical careers behind them, book's authors have been observing for a long time Constructivism. It is an essential part in training students process and how interaction between them and Instruction are decisive in learning, being equal or greater importance than the content or the way information is presented. The authors carry out their teaching activities involved with GOMS, Learning by Doing and Situated Learning models, as well as Problem Based Learning and the Case Method. All have led them to reach high levels of performance among their students. The reader can discover numerous publications made in prestigious magazines in this book. The book you are holding makes a review of the most important theories and constructivism's models, attempting to shed light on the wide range of methodological proposals. Everything to achieve and develop higher quality teaching.


This paper presents the implementation of an Open Source SCADA system in a laboratory and discusses methods for PMU data integration into SCADA. SCADA BR is a web-browser based SCADA that enables the user to access monitoring, control and automation equipment over multiple protocols. For implementation, protection relays from SEL are configured as DNP3 outstations to act as slaves and SCADA BR which is installed in one of the workstations in the laboratory acts as master. The evaluation of SCADA BR has been performed by executing a power system model in a real-time simulator and coupling its analog outputs with the protection relays. The integration of PMU measurements in the SCADA system and their use for monitoring is discussed. The limitations of the SCADA systems to fully utilize PMU data are also presented.


BACKGROUND: Hemophilia A, characterized by deficiency of factor VIII (FVIII), is an X-linked bleeding disorder. It is graded as mild, moderate, or severe based on the FVIII level in plasma. Bleeding-related complications are often associated with severe form of the disease. Prophylaxis has now become the standard of care for severe hemophilia A patients. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to describe the effect of tertiary prophylaxis with low dose FVIII in quality of life in adult patients with severe hemophilia A. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A random 20 adult severe hemophilia A male patients aged 18–40 years with joint deformities, were included for this study. Long-acting recombinant FVIII, Fc Fusion protein (ELOCTATE, Biogen) was then given twice weekly at a dose of 15 IU/Kg/dose twice weekly for 3 months. Results were compared with the previous 3 months records of no prophylaxis. Efficacy was determined in terms of annualized bleed rate (ABR ) and absenteeism from work during this study period. Inhibitor screening was done at regular intervals during prophylaxis. RESULTS: There was significant decrease in mean ABR along with absenteeism from work during prophylaxis as compared to on-demand therapy (3.6 bleed/year and 9.4 days/year compared to 37.8 bleed/year and 64.7 days/year, respectively). The mean FVIII requirement during prophylaxis (1560 IU/kg) was also less than the on-demand therapy (2150 IU/Kg/year). Majority (85%) had a FVIII trough level of <1%. Only one patient complained of myalgia while on prophylaxis. No inhibitor development was found in any of the individuals. CONCLUSION: Low-dose recombinant long-acting FVIII prophylaxis can achieve a significantly lower bleeding rate in adult hemophilia A patients along with improved quality of life.


Abstract There was revealed the tendency of reduction of cancer mortality in the city of Tomsk. Average indices of the time series of total mortality (absolute growth and growth rate) in 1998-2003 outstripped the similar indices in 2004-2010 respectively 5.3 times and 1.6 times over. Mortality from cancer neoplasmas on localization decreased by 2 orders of magnitude. Mortality from cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung in the structure of total oncomortality is on the 1st place, on the 2nd--the death rate from cancer of the stomach, on the 3rd place in 1998-2003, mortality rate of colorectal cancer in 2004-2010. There was found the relationship of mortality of cancer of separate localizations with industrial emissions (leukemia), motor vehicles (cancer of the lips, mouth, pharynx, and colon) and stationary sources (cancer of the urinary organs). The air pollution with formaldehyde and particulate matter were established to affect the death rate for cancer of lips, mouth and throat, and other digestive organs and larynx.


Based on generalized Hele-Shaw(GHS) model, numerical simulation of compression-molding flow of sheet molding compound (SMC) in complicated dies is realized by control volume/finite element method (CV/FEM). Finite element computing and post analysis programs have been written. The flow fronts of SMC charge during compression molding are tracked, and the time needed of mold filling in complicated dies is predicted. The results of simulation are helpful for the placement of SMC charge, the design of mold and the optimization of technological parameters.


Recent studies have examined the cost of raising parasitic cuckoos and highlighted the importance of "no extra cost" in explaining the low levels of defense in hosts. To clarify the reasons for parasitization in typical hosts, we present a simple model to explore the immediate and future costs of parasitism in shaping the evolution of defense behavior in hosts. Our results suggest that any cost of parasitization is maladaptive to the host and learned egg recognition is always favored to overcome these costs. Furthermore, although facing a potential cost of mis-imprinting, learned nestling recognition may still evolve when there is a non-zero immediate cost from raising a parasitic nestling. Therefore, we contend that "no extra cost" does not provide sufficient evidence to explain the low levels of defense behavior in hosts per se.


This paper presents results from comprehensive field surveys of jatropha projects in Mozambique, Tanzania and Mali in 2012. The article singles out the salient economic and social impact results and derives lessons. The results clearly demonstrate the weak business case for jatropha biofuel production at this time. Plantations were found to be unviable because of insurmountable up-front capital requirements in combination with slow and unreliable crop maturation, inefficient oil pressing owing to a lack of scale and experience, inadequate utilization of by-products, and competitively-priced fossil diesel and palm oil. For smallholders, jatropha only has limited value as a hedge crop in environmentally and economically disadvantaged areas. Better prospects have to wait for the advent of improved jatropha varieties. Social impacts from the perspective of project managers were rather mixed: overall, food security perceptions were positive and no massive forced human displacements were noted so far, though some disputes over land access and compensation were reported. Labor legislation was apparently respected on plantations, and positive gender effects, regional income/employment effects and better public facilities were also reported. The projects generated considerable employment, albeit mostly of a temporary nature, as lack of economic viability had caused many projects to close down again. When introducing next-generation biofuel projects, better monitoring by various actor groups is recommended, as well as long-term investment plans that include integral exit strategies.


Polarization measurements done using Imaging Polarimeters such as the Robotic Polarimeter are very sensitive to the presence of artefacts in images. Artefacts can range from internal reflections in a telescope to satellite trails that could contaminate an area of interest in the image. With the advent of wide-field polarimetry surveys, it is imperative to develop methods that automatically flag artefacts in images. In this paper, we implement a Convolutional Neural Network to identify the most dominant artefacts in the images. We find that our model can successfully classify sources with 98 per cent true positive and 97 per cent true negative rates. Such models, combined with transfer learning, will give us a running start in artefact elimination for near-future surveys like WALOP.


The Normalized Microwave Reflection Index (NMRI) measures the intensity of GPS reflections, which is affected by vegetation within ~100 m of GPS antennas. In a companion paper, the theoretical basis for NMRI and how it is derived from data archived at geodetic GPS installations are described. NMRI is calculated by normalizing the standard GPS metric MP1rms on a site-by-site basis to minimize terrain effects. Here, we validate NMRI as a metric for estimating vegetation water content (VWC) and evaluate the normalization procedure. In situ measurements of plant height, biomass, and VWC were taken on a biweekly basis during 2012 at four grassland sites in Montana. These measurements were compared to time series of MP1rms, NMRI, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from each site. At each site, a significant linear relationship exists between MP1rms and VWC. However, this relationship is not consistent across sites. Once normalized, a linear relationship exists between NMRI and VWC (r2=0.71) that is consistent across the four sites. This suggests that VWC could be predicted from NMRI at sites without in situ observations, as long as vegetation and climate are similar. There is no clear relationship between NMRI and either vegetation height or biomass. The importance of normalization is shown using data from eight additional sites. After normalization, a strong positive correlation is apparent between NMRI and NDVI across all grassland GPS sites in Montana.


Ecological, biological, psychological, sociological, economic and cultural conditions of the sick child and of his family restrict technical advances of pediatric surgery and must be known by the surgeon. Definition is made of malnutrition, infection, society and culture. Within this trilogy, clinical, paraclinical and experimental observations develop and a description is made as how they act. The interaction of the malnutrition-infection binomial is completely dynamic and characterized by a synergism between both factors.


SUMMARY Uncomfortable stalls and beds reduce the time that cows spend resting and are a risk factor for lameness. In Chile there is little information about the dimensions and bed stalls used for dairy cows. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of stalls and beds used for dairy cows in southern Chile. Fifty dairy farms with more than 100 lactating dairy cows were visited. Dimensions and bedding of 1,068 (10%) of all cubicles available, was recorded. Records were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results are presented as percentages, means, ranges and medians. An 84% (42) of the farms housed their cows for five months during winter; an 45.5% (29) of them had more than one stall/cow and 34% (15) had less than one stall/cow. The most frequently used stall-bedding combination was metal stall with mattresses filled with rubber or soil bedding, and wooden stall/soil bedding. More than 70% of cubicles were below the reference values for length of the stall, height of neck rail, height to upper stall division and distance from the wall to neck rail; 45% of stalls had values below the recommended guidelines for the lower stall division. Height of the curb and brisket board exceeded the recommendations in more than 20% of stalls. Dairy farms used mainly night confinement in winter and early spring months. Stalls most commonly used were metallic, North American model. Their dimensions and bedding do not comply with the recommendations of the literature.


Integrodifference equations are discrete in time and continuous in space, and are used to model the spread of populations that are growing in discrete generations, or at discrete times, and dispersing spatially. We investigate optimal harvesting strategies, in order to maximize the profit and minimize the cost of harvesting. Theoretical results on the existence, uniqueness and characterization, as well as numerical results of optimized harvesting rates are obtained. The order of how the three events, growth, dispersal and harvesting, are arranged also affects the harvesting behavior. Cholera remains a public health threat in many parts of the world and improved intervention strategies are needed. We investigate a key intervention strategy, vaccination, with optimal control applied to a cholera model. This system of differential equations has human compartments with susceptibles with different levels of immunity, symptomatic and asymptomatic infecteds, and two cholera vibrio compartments, hyperinfectious and non-hyperinfectious. The spread of the infection in the model is shown to be most sensitive to certain parameters, and the effect of varying these parameters on the optimal vaccination strategy is shown in numerical simulations. Our simulations also show the importance of the infection rate under various parameter cases.


"Schlank ohne Diät" ("Weight-Reduction Without Diet") is a strategy to normalize body weight, by influencing multiple factors that appear to influence and promote obesity. The base line of therapy is the modification of nutritional habits. Self-control, especially monitoring and recording of calorie intake and the loss of energy by physical activities is the key that trains every client to change his nutritional habits and helps to reduce body weight and keep normal body weight stable. In a retrospective study, including 134 persons, 84 clients (62,69%) were able to reduce body weight, 9 clients (6,72%) reached starting point of weight and in 30,60% (41 clients) during the participation in this methods an increase of body weight was seen. On an average 120 clients achieved a weight reduction of 5.98 kg during the participation in this method. The loss of weight ranged from 1 to 31 kg per person.


Molucca, in general and especially Ambon has  ground nut fields with low productivity  compared to national yield of ground nut. Brunizem has low levels of K and P nutrients. These conditions were interesting to be investigated.  The research took place in a plastic house for two months in Halong village, sub district Baguala. The research was done in a Completely Randomized Design with 2 Factors. The first factor was three levels of K fertilizer, ie K 0 (no K fertilizer application), K 1 ( 0.5 g KCl/pot) and K 2 ( 1.0 g KCl/pot). The second factor was three levels of P fertilizers, ie P 0 (no P fertilizer application), P 1 (0.6 g SP-36/pot), and P 2 (1.2 g SP-36/pot). The aim of the research was to investigate the availability and sorption of potassium, growth and dryweight-of ground nut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) seed due to the application of KCl and SP-36 fertilizers on Brunizem. The results of this research showed a high significant effect of potassium fertilizer treatment on soil-pH, availibility and sorption of K, plant height, stem diameter, and dry-seed weight of ground nut.  Treatment g P fertilizer has a significant effect on soil pH, available K, plant height, and dry weight of seed. The interaction of K and P fertilizers had no significant effect on K availability and sorption of K.  K availability  of 0.26 me/100 g and 4.95% of plant-K was attained at the treatment of 1.0 g KCl/pot. The high dry yield of ground nut (17.35 g/pot) was achieved at  dose of 1.0 g KCl/pot, meanwhile dose of 1.2 g  SP-36/pot gave the highest seed-dry yield of ground nut. Key words:  K availability, K sorption, phosphate, ground nut


Introduction: The supply of blood components in Pakistan far outstrips the demand. In addition, appropriate and rationale use of blood components is not widely practiced. To optimally utilize the limited supply of blood products, it is important to identify and define the gaps in practices and system. The specific aim of the study was to document the practices of the use of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in a premier tertiary care hospital of Islamabad, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 107 randomly selected patients who received FFPs in various clinical units of the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University Hospital from March to October 2014. Information was retrieved from the transfusion request forms and evaluated according to the American College of Pathologist guidelines for the use of FFP. A questionnaire was also developed for interviewing the senior doctors from each specialty to have their feedback about the transfusion services provided. Nineteen clinicians were randomly selected for this purpose. Results: Requests from 107 patients for 460 FFPs were studied (actual number of FFPs issued was 278). Nearly 68.3% (n = 73) of the patients were males and 31.7% (n = 34) were females. Majority of the units were requested from thalassemia and hemophilia center (40.6%). The patients enrolled in the study had multiple disorders, majority being with coagulation disorders at 40.1% (n = 43). Nearly 98.5% (n = 138) of the request forms were brought to blood bank by the patient attendants. Seventy-three (52%) FFP units were appropriately transfused while 67 (48%) were inappropriately transfused. The most inappropriate use of FFP was seen in Mother and Child Health Centre (MCHC), Oncology, Emergency and Casualty, and the most appropriate use was seen in thalassaemia centre, paediatric units, and medical intensive care unit. Clinician interviews indicate poor knowledge base and inappropriate practices. Conclusion: The study highlighted the inappropriate use of FFPs in a tertiary care hospital and threw light on poor transfusion practices and the lack of implementation of the principles of haemovigilance in the utilization of FFPs. Specific recommendations include, administrative intervention with regular screening of requests by blood bank doctors and senior doctors of the departments using FFP and establishment of guidelines in departments regarding the use of blood components including FFP.


Climate change has become one of the most pressing environmental concerns and the greatest challenges to global infrastructure today. It has been demonstrated by many researchers that Victoria along with other Australian States and Territories has been experiencing a drying trend over the last several decades. Numerous lightly-loaded residential buildings constructed on expansive soils are subjected to distortions arising from differential ground movements caused by seasonal soil moisture changes. The climatic parameter, Thornthwaite Moisture Index (TMI) has been widely used by geotechnical engineers and practitioners as a means of classifying climatic zones and estimating the depth of design soil suction changes. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate changes of TMI index in Victoria in the past 60 years. Long-term (1 954-201 3) meteorological data from 70 weather stations across Victoria were employed to develop TMI isopleth maps for the three 20-year periods ( i.e. 1954-1973, 1974-1993 and 1994-2013). The methodology and equations employed for TMI computation are presented and a worked example is provided as well.


Over the past two years, Teach na Daoine Family Resource Centre has received many requests from concerned residents both within the area of Mullaghmatt/Cortolvin and from outside this catchment area for support in dealing with the physical, psychological and social effects of the use of "Herbal" products (Synthetic Cannabinoids).

In the last 12 months alone, our community has lost two of its young people as a direct result of "Herbal" use. In response to this, a series of public meetings and stakeholder consultations were held in late 2014 and out of that process Teach na Daoine commissioned this piece of research to investigate the extent of the problem.

It makes stark reading and outlines the challenges ahead for all within this community, and the County of Monaghan. It is very clear that there is a need for collaboration across a wide range of agencies if we are to affect change on this issue. Teach na Daoine will continue to work with Community, Voluntary and Statutory agencies locally to assist in the implementation of the recommendations contained within this report. We will also advocate for legislative change to address the legal status of these substances.


Cooperation between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the British Red Cross has traditionally been limited to the National Society providing cash, delegates and contributions in kind for ICRC programmes. At most, actual Society involvement in ICRC operations has extended to earmarking contributions for a particular country or programme; the Society has not been involved in planning, implementing or reviewing ICRC work. However, it has consistently contributed at least 25% of its budget for international activities to the ICRC and provided it with field delegates. The proportion is growing and, over the past three years, British Red Cross contributions to the ICRC have increased to over 50% of its international budget, more than £15 million in 1996. In addition, the Society currently provides 12% of the ICRC's delegates.


Objective: The aim of the study was to describe conceptions of everyday life among people living alone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Background: COPD is a long-standing, chronic condition. As COPD progresses, it commonly affects all aspects of life. The disease creates a complex life situation for the person living alone, as they experience a wide range of difficulties and must adapt to the demands of their brittle body. They report more psychiatric distress than do those with other chronic diseases and appear to have an increased risk of depression. No previous studies have been conducted focusing on people's conceptions of everyday life when living alone with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods: A phenomenographic study was conducted in the south of Sweden with 15 women and 9 men who were living alone and suffering from different grades of COPD, ranging from mild to very severe. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Results: An overall descriptive category was found, when life changes direction, with three subcategories: COPD creates obstacles in daily life, when the body refuses and loneliness. The disease changed their lives dramatically and both physical and psychological strains appeared. Conclusions: The present study highlights the particular challenges facing people living alone with COPD. To live alone and manage a chronic disease such as COPD is more problematic, than living with a spouse, as they have the option to ask for help when needed and someone to talk to. New technology can reduce social isolation among older people and may act as a potential solution for people living alone with COPD. Through e-health, these people may have the opportunity to be more involved in their own care. To ensure greater security, information, participation, self-care and independence, person-centred care must be systematically implemented within health and social care systems in Sweden.


Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding protein found in milk, mucosal secretions, and the secondary granules of neutrophils in which it is considered to be an important factor in the innate immune response against microbial infections. Moreover, LF deficiency in the secondary granules of neutrophils has long been speculated to contribute directly to the hypersusceptibility of specific granule deficiency (SGD) patients to severe, life-threatening bacterial infections. However, the exact physiological significance of LF in neutrophil-mediated host defense mechanisms remains controversial and has not yet been clearly established in vivo using relevant animal models. In this study, we used lactoferrin knockout (LFKO) mice to directly address the selective role of LF in the host defense response of neutrophils and to determine its contribution, if any, to the phenotype of SGD. Neutrophil maturation, migration, phagocytosis, granule release, and antimicrobial response to bacterial challenge were unaffected in LFKO mice. Interestingly, a stimulus-dependent defect in the oxidative burst response of LFKO neutrophils was observed in that normal activation was seen in response to opsonized bacteria whereas an impaired response was evident after phorbol myristate-13-acetate stimulation. Taken together, these results indicate that although LF deficiency alone is not a primary cause of the defects associated with SGD, this protein does play an immunomodulatory role in the oxidative burst response of neutrophils.


Abstract Malaoxon, the first and main metabolite of malathion, unlike its parent compound, can damage DNA in human lymphocytes, by mechanism(s) including oxidative action. Vitamin C may inhibit the DNA-damaging effect of malaoxon. To explore this effect further, we investigated the action of malaoxon on DNA in lymphocytes pretreated with a potent antioxidant, α-tocopherol (vitamin E), using the single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Addition of α-tocopherol to a final concentration of 20 and 80 μM reduced a dose-dependent DNA damaging effect of a 1-h incubation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes at 37°C with malaoxon at 25, 75, or 200 μM, measured as the increase in the comet tail moment of the lymphocytes. Lymphocytes treated with α-tocopherol displayed faster kinetics of removing damage to their DNA, and α-tocopherol abolished the cytotoxic effect of malaoxon at 200 μM. The protective action of α-tocopherol followed from its interaction with DNA or with malaoxon bound to DNA or lymphocytes rather than from chemical inactivation of malaoxon by it. Catalase, an enzyme inactivating hydrogen peroxide, decreased the extent of DNA damage induced by malaoxon. Lymphocytes exposed to malaoxon and treated with formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase and 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase II, enzymes recognizing oxidized and methylated bases, displayed a greater extent of DNA damage than those not treated with these enzymes. The results suggest that hydrogen peroxide and reactive oxygen species may be involved in the formation of DNA lesions induced by malaoxon. Malaoxon can also methylate DNA bases, and α-tocopherol can be considered a protective agent against DNA damage in persons occupationally exposed to malathion/malaoxon.


Th17 cells are a lineage of CD4 (cid:1) T cells characterized by IL-17 secretion, which plays a crucial role in immune responses against important respiratory pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis . In this study, we demonstrated that intranasal (i.n.) immunization leads per se to Th17-biased immune responses, regardless of the adjuvant used. The activated CD4 (cid:1) T cells also showed an up-regulated expression of the chemokine receptor CCR6, which is a marker for murine Th17 cells. These results have important implications in the context of optimizing rational vaccine design, since i.n. immunization appears to be the strategy of choice for situations where the induction of a Th17 phenotype would be beneficial. The Journal of Immunology, 2009, 183: 6933–6938.


Catastrophic fracture in ductile solids is usually preceded by a certain amount of quasistatic crack growth that occurs as a result of void expansion and coalescence process associated with large deformations localized in the narrow zone adjacent to the crack leading edge. This zone is subject to a tri-axial state of stress, and its local properties may vary from those of the bulk material. To describe this condition a modified cohesive crack model is suggested based on the mesomechanical law of the S-stress distribution and equipped with the "fine structure" feature that is lacking in the standard model. Subcritical crack growth may be likened to the phenomenon of "preliminary displacements" known in the studies encountered in the physics of tribology. Microscopic sliding of a solid block placed on an elastic-plastic substrate located on the inclined plane is observed to begin at angles somewhat smaller than the critical angle θ = tan-1(μ), where μ denotes the coefficient of friction. With careful observational techniques these displacements can indeed be measured. Likewise, in the course of the early stages of ductile fracture, quasistatic crack growth is detected between the lower bound KI = Kini, tantamount to the onset of stable growth, and the upper bound KI = Kf, equivalent to occurrence of the catastrophic failure. While Kini is believed to be a material constant, the other quantity, Kf, is determined not only by the material properties, but it also depends on specimen geometry, crack configuration and type of the external loading. The exact shape of the terminal instability locus represented in the plane (load, crack length) must be established by employment of the R-curve technique, in which the second variations of the energy terms are involved. When the Liapunov criterion is invoked, then it appears that the propagation of a stable crack should be viewed as a sequence of local instability states, while transition to an unstable propagation becomes equivalent to the loss of global stability, as then the entire component breaks up. A moving quasistatic crack is described on the basis of the Wnuk criterion of final stretch, which leads to the nonlinear differential equations governing the resistance curves for various materials. Both the ductile and brittle limits of material response are discussed. One of the essential results of this study is the partition of energy available for fracture within the end zone, accomplished by means of considerations of the pre-fracture states developed at the meso-level. This, in turn, leads to a discovery of the energy screening effect, which manifests itself by a significant enhancement of material fracture toughness prior to the catastrophic failure state. Such phenomena are being confirmed by the brilliant experimental work of the Panin group in Tomsk, and Popov's team in Berlin.


Web servers must be protected from overload since server overload leads to low server throughput and increased response times experienced by the clients. Server overload occurs when one or more server resources are overutilized. We present an adaptive architecture that performs admission control based on the expected resource consumption of requests. By dynamically setting the maximum rate of accepted requests, we avoid overutilization of the critical resources. We also provide mechanisms for service differentiation. We present our admission control architecture and experiments that show that it can sustain low response times and high throughput for premium clients even during high load.


The recent rapid growth of the 'fitness industry' has created new knowledge about the body influenced by technologies of fitness that are informed by science, health imperatives, consumer markets and social constructions of the fit (or ideal) body (Pronger 2002). These new forms of knowledge generate complex relationships of power that are expressed internally and externally by individuals. However, these relationships of power are not presented as acts upon other individuals, they are, as Foucault (1978) suggests, actions upon another actions. Foucault provides a useful theoretical model to assist further understanding of the contemporary healthy body, where surveillance is operated in a range of complex ways both by the individual and upon the individual by society. Central to the formation of 'knowledge' about the body are technologies of fitness that are legitimised and sanctioned through claims of scientific 'truths'. By incorporating historical analysis of the emergence of ideas that were constructed in arbitrary ways, Foucault's genealogical approach revealed 'regimes of truth' (Foucault 1980:131) that were not consciously imposed by one dominant group over another but are constantly being reformulated through new ways of thinking. While it is not the intention in this paper, to present a genealogy of power within the context of health and fitness, the focus is, nevertheless, an attempt to understand the will to truth operating in relation to 'wellbeing' and individual pursuits of fitness. By using the example of CrossFit, and recent auto-ethnographic research conducted whilst taking part in a period of intensive CrossFit training, the three central questions that Foucault (1985) considered crucial in the process of forming enunciative modalities are considered. Posing these questions allows us to reveal the relationships of power that are informed by contemporary public policy, body politics, medical and scientific theory and broader discourses of contemporary western capitalism.


The aim of the experimental study was to determine which iron(II) sulphate form, the monohydrate or the heptahydrate, is more suitable for formulation of a retard dosage form with melt technology, and to control the suitable compound from a thermostability aspect according to the ICH (International Conference on Harmonization). Iron(II) sulphate is susceptible to oxidation and a rise in temperature increases the rate of this redox change. The presence of Fe 3 + is definitely harmful in the case of enteral administration. First, the activation energy of the oxidation process was quantified for both iron(II) sulphate forms. It was found that the monohydrate is oxidized four times more slowly than the monohydrate form. It follows from this that the monohydrate well resists short-lived high temperature. The thermostability tests on the monohydrate showed that samples, stored at high temperature and high relative humidity for a long time, oxidized only slowly. On the basis of all these findings, the monohydrate form may be suggested for melt technology.


This paper studies the effect of foreign-owned companies (FOCs) in the region on establishment survival and growth in the Finnish business sector. We analyze whether the presence of the FOCs has asymmetric effects among the local businesses. Foreign presence in the region is measured in a novel way by using the regional links between establishments and their workers in the local labour markets. Evidence for small service establishments suggests that the presence of the FOCs contributes to aggregate productivity by cleansing inefficient units. The FOCs do not seem to stimulate productivity-enhancing restructuring among large, manufacturing or continuing establishments.


The energy transfer from basin‐scale internal waves to internal nonlinear waves was investigated in a large, deep subalpine lake through a combination of field data and three‐dimensional hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic modeling. The response of the internal wave field induced by two storm events, with distinct characteristics, showed that, for the whole lake, around 15% of the total potential energy contained in the basin‐scale internal waves was transferred to nonlinear internal waves in response to moderate forcing, the large transfer being the direct result of the small surface layer thickness compared with the depth of the lake. Locally, the energy transfer to nonlinear waves was up to 30% for the more severe forcing. To model such energy transfers, a nonhydrostatic three‐dimensional hydrodynamic model was required; this implies that the inclusion of nonhydrostatic effects is essential for accurate modeling of ecological processes in deep large lakes, which is a challenge considering currently available computational resources.


We present a characterization of the configuration and operation of an intracavity-frequency-doubled femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on the new nonlinear crystal RbTiOAsO4. Using a Brewster-cut 200-μm-thick crystal of β-BaB2O4, we have generated transform-limited visible pulses tunable from 620 to 660 nm by tuning the Ti:sapphire pump laser alone. Average output powers of 170 mW in pulses with durations as short as 60 fs have been generated at a 85-MHz repetition rate.


Are there gender differences in the willingness to pay (WTP) for safer jobs? Using a laboratory experiment, we elicit participants' WTP for an early (perceived 'safer') on-site shift. We find that women forego larger earnings in order to secure an early shift more than men do, with a safety concern about the late shift being a key driver, explaining up to 20% of the estimated gender gap. We do not observe a gender gap if the job can be completed remotely. Results are robust to controlling for morning-types, household and demographic characteristics, attitudes toward risk and uncertainty, victimization, and information provision about crime. Controlling for crime exposure reduces the estimated gender gap. Thus, our results suggest that policies that reduce gender disparities in safety concerns may affect women's labor supply.


In order to improve the modernization of textile production, single off-line testing will miss a lot of information of work-field. It is necessary to improve the yarn quality testing methods to make it more perfect. So the production will grow toward the rapid, high yield, high-quality. In this study, only a sensor that is Intelligent laser sensor is used to finish the yarn quality on line testing. Experimental device is easy to install and carry. It can print images and data at all times. The accurate information of equipment state and yarn can be got from the experimental curve and the trend figure, which improved the inspection efficiency and accuracy of yarn quality.


Abstract We examined the influence of solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B; 280–320 nm) on the growth, biomass production and phenylpropanoid concentrations of Deschampsia antarctica during the springtime ozone depletion season at Palmer Station, along the Antarctic Peninsula. Treatments involved placing filters on frames over potted plants that reduced levels of biologically effective UV-B either by 83% (reduced UV-B) or by 12% (near-ambient UV-B) over the 63 day experiment (7 November 1998–8 January 1999) when ozone depletion averaged 17%. Plants growing under near-ambient UV-B had 41% and 40% lower relative growth rates and net assimilation rates, respectively, than those under reduced UV-B. The former plants produced 50% less total biomass as a result of having 47% less aboveground biomass. The reduction in aboveground biomass was a result of a 29% lower leaf elongation rate resulting in shorter leaves and 59% less total leaf area in plants grown under reduced UV-B. p-Coumaric, caffeic and ferulic acids were the major hydroxycinnamic acids, and luteolin derivatives were the major flavonoids in both insoluble and soluble leaf extracts. Concentrations of insoluble p-coumaric and caffeic acid and soluble ferulic acids were 38%, 48% and 60% higher, respectively, under near-ambient UV-B than under reduced UV-B. There were no UV-B effects on concentrations of insoluble or soluble flavonoids.


This paper presents a method of optimizing sensor node coordination in order to reassign the nodes in linear array arrangement to form a linear antenna array. This linear sensor node array (LSNA) is constructed within random sensor node deployment. The LSNA should be optimized as closely comparable as a conventional uniform linear array (ULA) to minimize the beamforming performance errors. Beamforming has been introduced in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in order to increase the transmission range of individual sensor nodes. The performance of the two methods: LSNA and ULA are compared in adaptive manner. The results of the constructed adaptive LSNA demonstrated an excellent agreement compared to the conventional ULA.


An asymmetric PI (aPI) controller based on a control algorithm, which is the modification of the PI control method, has been suggested. The principal characteristic feature of the aPI controller is that different values of proportional and integral constants are used at positive and at negative errors. Contrary to the classical PI controller, the proposed controller allows us to improve the positive disturbance rejection of control systems without sacrificing the unit step response dynamics. Results of the investigation of the concrete control systems based on the aPI controller are also presented. Using the dynamic system simulation program Simulink performed the investigation.


In this paper, the problem of forming desired transients for systems which are governed by partial differential equations is discussed. It is assumed that information about external disturbances is incomplete and that there are finite dimensional controls. The design method called the localisation method is used. Such problems as choices of structure of the control law, realisability conditions, control accuracy, influence of the differentiating filters and noises, are considered. Simulation results are also presented.


We developed an orange fiber laser as the light source for an ophthalmic photocoagulator with superior beam quality and focusing ability. An optical system was also fabricated to verify the spot size of the newly developed laser. It is a simple optical system without the zoom lenses of a conventional delivery system. The laser focal spot has a diameter of 6.8 μm as measured by the knife-edge method. We verified that the laser spot could be reduced to less than that of conventional systems by removing optical system aberrations using wavefront analysis and knife-edge method. However, the effect of laser irradiation cannot be verified with a conventional observation system of photocoagulator. Therefore, we fabricated a laser irradiation device to examine micro spots by modifying an optical microscope. We used our unique pseudo-biological tissue to verify the effect of high-brightness laser irradiation on a human eye. The pseudobiological tissue is comprised of albumin and human gelatin. The laser irradiation caused coagulation and heat denaturation to the pseudo-biological tissue. We evaluated the relationship of the irradiated area with the power intensity and irradiation time. As a result, the coagulation spot size was only slightly dependent on power intensity and irradiation time while the heat denaturation size was strongly dependent on them, especially on irradiation time. The effects of highbrightness laser irradiation will be thermally analyzed in a future paper.


We review the change produced in pediatric training in the last few years. To unify teaching criteria in the European Union, a minimum of 2 years practical training after the 6 years of undergraduate education were introduced. The number of students is not equally distributed among the 30 faculties with pediatrics departments. This number should be adapted to health requirements and teaching capacity and evaluation should be improved. Among the teaching staff, training, methodology and teaching hours should continue to be brought up to date. Student self-learning should be stimulated. "Clinician-teachers" still predominate, followed by "teacher-researchers" and a smaller number of "teacher-clinician-researchers". We recommend better evaluation of teacher training and teaching ability. The program aims at state, and even European, unification and emphasizes primary care and the implementation of new methods. It also gives greater prominence to social, preventive and adolescent pediatrics, child psychology and the normal child.


Ubiquitous use of real-time video communication on the Internet requires adaptive applications that can provide different levels of quality depending on the amount of resources available. For video coding this means that the algorithms must be designed to be efficient in bandwidth usage, processing requirements and quality of the reconstructed signal. Of most algorithms developed, SPIHT algorithm ever since its introduction for image compression has received a lot of attention. Though SPIHT is considerably simpler, efficient, completely inserted codec provides good image quality, large PSNR, optimized for modern image transmission, efficient conjunction with error defense, form information on demand but still it has some downsides that need to be taken away for its better use. One of the main drawbacks is its slow processing speed. To overcome this drawback, a modified SPIHT algorithm called block based pass parallel SPIHT for video compression is used. The video is separated into individual frames and dual tree complex wavelet transform is applied to the individual frames. Then the wavelet coefficients are encoded using Block based pass parallel SPIHT encoder. The bit stream generated is decoded using Block based pass parallel SPIHT decoder. Inverse wavelet transform is applied to reconstruct the original frame from the decoded result. The frames are concatenated to reconstruct the video. The quality of the reconstructed video is measured in terms of PSNR, MSE and Compression ratio.


This paper describes some recent work on the stress analyses and failure prediction of some typical pressurised high temperature components under creep conditions, including plain pipes, pipe bends, branch connections and welds etc, in the main steam pipework of power plant. The materials used are typically low alloy ferritic CrMoV steels. Experimental creep testing methods, and the procedures used for generating the material properties in creep and damage constitutive equations, are briefly described. Some typical numerical results are presented to illustrate the main characteristics of the behaviour of these components and to demonstrate the effects of geometry, material properties and loading modes on stress distributions and failure life predictions. The emphasis of the paper is on welded components.


Compilers are a prime target for formal verification, since compiler bugs invalidate higher-level correctness guarantees, but compiler changes may become more labor-intensive to implement, if they must come with proof patches. One appealing approach is to present compilers as sets of algebraic rewrite rules, which a generic engine can apply efficiently. Now each rewrite rule can be proved separately, with no need to revisit past proofs for other parts of the compiler. We present the first realization of this idea, in the form of a framework for the Coq proof assistant. Our new Coq command takes normal proved theorems and combines them automatically into fast compilers with proofs. We applied our framework to improve the Fiat Cryptography toolchain for generating cryptographic arithmetic, producing an extracted command-line compiler that is about 1000 × faster while actually featuring simpler compiler-specific proofs.


Objectives: Determining the effect of membrane-impermeant thiol/disulfide exchange inhibitors on rhesus rotavirus infectivity in MA104 cells and investigating protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) as a potential target for these inhibitors. Methods: Cells were treated with DTNB [5,5-dithio-bis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid)], bacitracin or anti-PDI antibodies and then infected with virus. Triple-layered particles (TLPs) were also pretreated with inhibitors before inoculation. The effects of these inhibitors on α-sarcin co-entry, virus binding to cells and PDI-TLP interaction were also examined. FACS analysis, cell-surface protein biotin-labeling, lipid-raft isolation and ELISA were performed to determine cell-surface PDI expression. Results: Infectivity became reduced by 50% when cells or TLPs were treated with 1 or 6 mM DTNB, respectively; infectivity became reduced by 50% by 20 mM bacitracin treatment of cells whereas TLPs were insensitive to bacitracin treatment; anti-PDI antibodies decreased viral infectivity by about 45%. The presence of DTNB (2.5 mM) or bacitracin (20 mM) was unable to prevent virus binding to cells and rotavirus-induced α-sarcin co-entry. Conclusions: It was concluded that thiol/disulfide exchange was involved in rotavirus entry process and that cell-surface PDI was at least a potential target for DTNB and bacitracin-induced infectivity inhibition.


Abstract In humans, nicotine is extensively metabolized via multiple pathways that are catalyzed by genetically variable enzymes. As a result, there is large interindividual and interethnic variability observed in nicotine pharmacokinetics. Twin studies suggest an important role for genetic factors, although environmental and physiological factors also contribute to this variability. The present chapter focuses on the genetics of nicotine metabolism and its impact on smoking behaviors with specific emphasis on the adolescent period. Enzymes involved in nicotine metabolism include cytochromes P450 (CYPs), aldehyde oxidase (AOX1), UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), and flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3). CYP2A6 is the main enzyme involved in nicotine's metabolic inactivation; CYP2A6 genetic variants contribute substantially to the observed variability in nicotine metabolism. In addition, genetic variation in CYP2A6 has been associated with multiple smoking behaviors in adults (e.g. risk of smoking, level of cigarette consumption, depth of inhalation, and ability to stop smoking). Among adolescents, two longitudinal cohort studies showed a consistent effect of CYP2A6 genetic variation on level of smoking among dependent adolescents but found different effects with respect to the association of CYP2A6 with onset versus progression of nicotine dependence. We re-examined these two studies in detail in order to more fully understand these findings. Understanding variability in nicotine metabolism assists in understanding variability in response to nicotine and liability to smoking, providing the potential of identifying individuals at greater risk for smoking, sustained smoking and smoking related disorders and also may assist in personalizing treatment to improve efficacy of nicotine replacement therapies.


Abstract. In mid-October 2017 Storm Ophelia crossed over western coastal Europe, inducing the combined transport of Saharan dust and Iberian biomass burning aerosols over
several European areas. In this study we assess the performance of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) forecast systems during this complex aerosol
transport event and the potential benefits that data assimilation and regional models could bring. To this end, CAMS global and regional forecast data are analysed
and compared against observations from passive (MODIS: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard Terra and Aqua) and active (CALIOP/CALIPSO:
Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization aboard Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) satellite sensors and ground-based measurements (EMEP: European
Monitoring and Evaluation Programme). The analysis of the CAMS global forecast indicates that dust and smoke aerosols, discretely located on the warm and cold fronts of
Ophelia, respectively, were affecting the aerosol atmospheric composition over Europe during the passage of the Storm. The observed MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD)
values are satisfactorily reproduced by the CAMS global forecast system, with a correlation coefficient of 0.77 and a fractional gross error (FGE) of 0.4. The comparison
with a CAMS global control simulation not including data assimilation indicates a significant improvement in the bias due to data assimilation implementation, as the
FGE decreases by 32 %. The qualitative evaluation of the IFS (Integrated Forecast System) dominant-aerosol type and location against the CALIPSO observations overall reveals
a good agreement. Regarding the footprint on air quality, both CAMS global and regional forecast systems are generally able to reproduce the observed signal of increase
in surface particulate matter concentrations. The regional component performs better in terms of bias and temporal variability, with the correlation deteriorating
over forecast time. Yet, both products exhibit inconsistencies on the quantitative and temporal representation of the observed surface particulate matter enhancements,
stressing the need for further development of the air quality forecast systems for even more accurate and timely support of citizens and policy-makers.


Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with proximal pulmonary arterial remodeling characterized by increased vessel diameter, wall thickening, and stiffness. In vivo assessment of wall shear stress (WSS) may provide insights into the relationships between pulmonary hemodynamics and vascular remodeling. We investigated the relationship between main pulmonary artery (MPA) WSS and pulmonary hemodynamics as well as markers of stiffness. As part of a prospective study, 17 PH patients and 5 controls underwent same-day four-dimensional flow cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (4-D CMR) and right heart catheterization. Streamwise velocity profiles were generated in the cross-sectional MPA in 45° increments from velocity vector fields determined by 4-D CMR. WSS was calculated as the product of hematocrit-dependent viscosity and shear rate generated from the spatial gradient of the velocity profiles. In-plane average MPA WSS was significantly decreased in the PH cohort compared with that in controls (0.18 ± 0.07 vs. 0.32 ± 0.08 N/m2; P = 0.01). In-plane MPA WSS showed strong inverse correlations with multiple hemodynamic indices, including pulmonary resistance (ρ = –0.74, P < 0.001), mean pulmonary pressure (ρ = –0.64, P = 0.006), and elastance (ρ = –0.70, P < 0.001). In addition, MPA WSS had significant associations with markers of stiffness, including capacitance (ρ = 0.67, P < 0.001), distensibility (ρ = 0.52, P = 0.013), and elastic modulus (ρ = –0.54, P = 0.01). In conclusion, MPA WSS is decreased in PH and is significantly associated with invasive hemodynamic indices and markers of stiffness. 4-D CMR-based assessment of WSS may represent a novel methodology to study blood-vessel wall interactions in PH.


There is significant interest in the data mining and network management communities about the need to improve existing techniques for clustering multivariate network traffic flow records so that we can quickly infer underlying traffic patterns. In this paper, we investigate the use of clustering techniques to identify interesting traffic patterns from network traffic data in an efficient manner. We develop a framework to deal with mixed type attributes including numerical, categorical, and hierarchical attributes for a one-pass hierarchical clustering algorithm. We demonstrate the improved accuracy and efficiency of our approach in comparison to previous work on clustering network traffic.


Just like any other profession, dentistry requires ethical and moral responsibilities that must be fulfilled, and the duty of every professional is to meet his obligations under the law. In light of the Código de Ética Odontológica (CEO-Code of Dental Ethics), this research aims to expound on the ethical violations committed by dentists in their practice, according to the ethical review process proposed by the Conselho Regional de Odontologia do Estado do Espírito Santo (CRO/ES-Regional Council of Dentistry of the State of Espírito Santo). The study is both retrospective and descriptive, using a quantitative approach. Data collection comprised all the ethical proceedings filed at the CRO/ES, between the years 2000 and 2011. Considering the 529 cases examined, the most frequent reason for infringement was illicit advertising (39.7%), followed by technical error (18.7%), irregular registration (16.8%), patient/professional relationship (11.3%) tax lien foreclosure (6.6%), professional/professional relationship (4.0%), irregular/illegal cover up practice (0.9%), consumer relations (0.8%), failure to provide care (0.6%), false certification (0.4%), and disrespect for authority and colleagues (0.2%). Most (59.2%) of the dental surgeons (DSs) involved were male, 35.5% were between 31 and 40 years of age, 85.8% had graduated over five (5) years prior, and 73.2% were general practitioners. Only 22 (4.2%) cases went to trial, resulting in 8 (36.4%) acquittals and 14 (63.6%) convictions. The most commonly applied penalties were private warning+pecuniary penalty (8 or 57.1%). It was concluded that the CEO must be followed with more discipline, and that professionals should seek information about their duties and obligations under the law, on behalf of patient welfare.


Direct effects of islet-activating protein (IAP), pertussis toxin, on membrane preparations from rat heart tissues were studied. The native IAP was without effect, but its A-protomer, an active subunit, was effective after reduction of disulfide bonds in the peptide chain; it catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of the membrane Mr = 41,000 protein. Simultaneously, muscarinic receptor-mediated inhibition of adenylate cyclase was abolished. Carbachol, an agonist of muscarinic receptors, bound to membranes with the Hill coefficient smaller than unity. The affinity for the carbachol binding was lowered and the Hill coefficient was increased by guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p), reflecting the muscarinic receptor coupling to the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (N). Carbachol bound to the A-promoter-treated membranes with a lower affinity and a higher Hill coefficient, and these kinetic values were not altered by Gpp(NH)p, indicating that treatment of membranes with the A-protomer of IAP uncoupled muscarinic receptors from N. This IAP-sensitive N is Ni involved in the cyclase inhibition. Neither beta-adrenergic activation of adenylate cyclase nor beta-agonist binding to membranes was affected by the A-protomer of IAP. Thus, N (Ns) coupled to beta-receptors is not the site of its action. Although the affinity and the Hill coefficient for beta-agonist binding was not affected by preactivated cholera toxin either, the effect of Gpp(NH)p to alter these kinetic parameters was much smaller in the cholera toxin-treated membranes than in non-treated membranes. Thus, cholera toxin modified beta-receptor coupling to Ns in a manner quite different from IAP-induced modification of muscarinic receptor coupling to Ni.


Most work in relation extraction forms a prediction by looking at a short span of text within a single sentence containing a single entity pair mention. However, many relation types, particularly in biomedical text, are expressed across sentences or require a large context to disambiguate. We propose a model to consider all mention and entity pairs simultaneously in order to make a prediction. We encode full paper abstracts using an efficient self-attention encoder and form pairwise predictions between all mentions with a bi-affine operation. An entity-pair wise pooling aggregates mention pair scores to make a final prediction while alleviating training noise by performing within document multi-instance learning. We improve our model's performance by jointly training the model to predict named entities and adding an additional corpus of weakly labeled data. We demonstrate our model's effectiveness by achieving the state of the art on the Biocreative V Chemical Disease Relation dataset for models without KB resources, outperforming ensembles of models which use hand-crafted features and additional linguistic resources.


Recently it has been demonstrated that nanolayered hcp/bcc Zr/Nb composites can be fabricated with a severe plastic deformation technique called accumulative roll bonding (ARB) [1]. The final layer thickness averaged to approximately 90 nm for both phases. Interestingly, the texture measurements show that the textures in each phase correspond to those of rolled single-phase rolled Zr and Nb for a wide range of layer thickness from the micron to the nanoscales. This is in remarkable contrast to fcc/bcc Cu/Nb layered composites made by the same ARB technique, which developed textures that strongly deviated from theoretical rolling textures of Cu or Nb alone when the layers were refined to submicron and nanoscale dimensions. To model texture evolution and reveal the underlying deformation mechanisms, we developed a 3D multiscale model that combines crystal plasticity finite element with a thermally activated dislocation density based hardening law [2]. For systematic study, the model is applied to a two-phase Zr/Nb polycrystalline laminate and to the same polycrystalline Zr and polycrystalline Nb as single-phase metals. Consistent with the measurement, the model predicts that texture evolution in the phases in the composite and the relative activities of the hcp slip modes are very similar to those in the phases in monolithic form. In addition, the two-phase model also finds that no through-thickness texture gradient develops. This result suggests that neither the nanoscale grain sizes nor the bimetal Zr/Nb interfaces induce deformation mechanisms different from those at the coarse-grain scale.


SUMMARY The increased use of antibacterial and antifungal agents in recent years has resulted in the development of resistance to these drugs. The significant clinical implication of resistance has led to heightened interest in the study of antimicrobial resistance from different angles. Areas addressed include mechanisms underlying this resistance, improved methods to detect resistance when it occurs, alternate options for the treatment of infections caused by resistant organisms, and strategies to prevent and control the emergence and spread of resistance. In this review, the mode of action of antifungals and their mechanisms of resistance are discussed. Additionally, an attempt is made to discuss the correlation between fungal and bacterial resistance. Antifungals can be grouped into three classes based on their site of action: azoles, which inhibit the synthesis of ergosterol (the main fungal sterol); polyenes, which interact with fungal membrane sterols physicochemically; and 5-fluorocytosine, which inhibits macromolecular synthesis. Many different types of mechanisms contribute to the development of resistance to antifungals. These mechanisms include alteration in drug target, alteration in sterol biosynthesis, reduction in the intercellular concentration of target enzyme, and overexpression of the antifungal drug target. Although the comparison between the mechanisms of resistance to antifungals and antibacterials is necessarily limited by several factors defined in the review, a correlation between the two exists. For example, modification of enzymes which serve as targets for antimicrobial action and the involvement of membrane pumps in the extrusion of drugs are well characterized in both the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.


In a previous issue of this Law Review, Johan D. van der Vyver proffered an insightful, profound, and markedly exhaustive perspective of the evolution of church-state relations in South Africa.1 He painted an instructive picture of historical developments that shaped church-state relations in South Africa prior to the advent of constitutionalism in 1994. He then assessed developments since 1994 against this historical backdrop. It would be fruitless to duplicate this tour de force-especially its historical (pre-1994) dimension. Consequently, this article will supplement van der Vyver's post-1994 exposition with an overview of more recent developments. Additionally, the article will revisit issues that van der Vyver raised, putting a thematic spin on them. The first thematic concern is the extent to which the protection of religious human rights and freedom in South Africa's Constitution2 serves to enhance tolerance among a religiously, ethnically, economically, and politically diverse population. Religious pluralism, in and of itself, has never been a major source of inter-individual and inter-group intolerance in South Africa. However, racial and ethnic conflict (including tensions between modernism and traditionalism), class tension, and political strife have found expression in the religious life of a nation where the vast majority profess some kind of religious affiliation.3 The second concern is whether, in light of South Africa's post-- 1994 constitutional case law, it is realistic to expect that judicial constructions of religious freedom might proceed beyond the mere allowance of a passive toleration of individual religious free exercise. Is it realistic to hope that constitutional warranties may be forthcoming in order to sustain the identity and integrity of dissimilar religious groups and communities, in a country where incongruities intertwined with religious life are rife? This expectation is premised on the cultivation of active religious tolerance in a state that abstains from favoring any particular religious communities or sentiments. II. THE TRANSITION TO CONSTITUTIONALISM A. The Transitional Constitution The product of intense negotiation, South Africa's first justiciable Constitution (the "transitional" or "1993 Constitution"),4 entered into force on April 27, 1994 (coinciding with the first fully democratic elections in the country's history). This Constitution was a transitional one, "provid[ing] a historic bridge between the past of a deeply divided society characterized by strife, conflict, untold suffering and injustice, and a future founded on the recognition of human rights, democracy and peaceful co-existence and development opportunities for all South Africans, irrespective of colour, race, class, belief or sex."5 The transitional Constitution paved the way for the final Constitution. It also made generous provision for the protection of fundamental freedoms, including religious rights6 and other rights conducive to the realization of the same. These other rights include the right to equality,7 freedom of expression,8 freedom of association,9 and others.10 Moreover, religious rights were immune from suspension during a state of emergency,11 and the limitation of these rights was subject to a stricter form of scrutiny than the limitation of most other rights.12 Thus, in spite of its transitional nature, the 1993 Constitution effectively protected an impressive catalogue of rights, thereby laying a sound foundation for the eventual protection of rights, including religious rights, in the final Constitution. Finally, the transitional Constitution trail-blazed the rise of a South African constitutional jurisprudence. B. The Final Constitution The final Constitution (or the "1996 Constitution") was agreed on by a Constitutional Assembly and adopted by Parliament. After its adoption, compliance with the transitional Constitution's "Constitutional Principles"13 had to be certified by the Constitutional Court. …