PURPOSE
Constipation in children increases the likelihood of urinary incontinence, bladder overactivity, dyscoordinated voiding, a large capacity, poorly emptying bladder, recurrent urinary tract infection and deterioration of vesicoureteral reflux. We present a consensus related to the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of children with bowel dysfunction coexisting with a known disorder of urinary continence or voiding coordination.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A panel of international multidisciplinary clinicians working on pediatric continence care was invited to participate in the First International Children's Continence Society Bowel Dysfunction Workshop. The seminar sought to address the interrelationship of bowel dysfunction with disorders of urinary continence or voiding mechanics.

RESULTS
Constipation is an end point defined by a constellation of symptoms, including infrequent passage of stool, difficulty passing stool, feces that are either large and hard or in small pieces, abdominal pain, palpable stool in the abdomen, stool in the rectal vault, loading on x-ray or fecal soiling. Assessment was done to identify potential organic causes of constipation, clarify symptoms, and identify altered motor behavior and abdomino/pelvic floor muscle incoordination. Whether the underlying problem was one of stool consistency, poor cognition, motivation or fear on the part of the child, or whether it related to gut motility, rectal sensation, stool retention or disordered emptying mechanics, the definitive therapy begins with rectal emptying of impacted stool followed by maintenance of regular soft stools to eliminate fear of pain with defecation.

CONCLUSIONS
Constipation is a challenge to the clinician but with comprehensive assessment and systematic intervention children can achieve independent bowel emptying, which positively impacts bladder function.


The traditional pure nickel coatings and the Ni-Co alloy coatings were prepared with the same parameters on the type 316L stainless steel substrates by utilizing two-ways pulse current electroplating method. And then, we used atomic force microscope (AFM) to observe their surface morphologies and structures and obtained their 3D images. The results of AFM showed that the Ni-Co alloy coating were superior to the traditional pure nickel coating on mechanical and tribological properties respects. For example, the surface of the Ni-Co alloy coating is smoother and even than that of the traditional pure nickel coating. Direct current (DC) and two-ways pulse current electroplating two methods were adopted respectively to prepare the Ni-Co alloy coatings. Followed we observed their surface morphologies by using AFM. The result showed that under the same experimental parameters the coating of the two-ways pulse current electroplating is superior to conventional DC electroplating coating in the surface morphology, grain size and microstructure and so on.


We present ConvLab, an open-source multi-domain end-to-end dialog system platform, that enables researchers to quickly set up experiments with reusable components and compare a large set of different approaches, ranging from conventional pipeline systems to end-to-end neural models, in common environments. ConvLab offers a set of fully annotated datasets and associated pre-trained reference models. As a showcase, we extend the MultiWOZ dataset with user dialog act annotations to train all component models and demonstrate how ConvLab makes it easy and effortless to conduct complicated experiments in multi-domain end-to-end dialog settings.


Purpose: This study was intended to determine how the choice of music affects the physiological and psychological status of women college student during music therapy. Methods: A nonequivalent experimental group pretest-posttest design was used. 19 out of 54 subjects were assigned to listen to their favorite music and 17 to their unfavorite music for 20 minutes using MP3 players and headphones. Anxiety, blood pressure, pulse and blood glucose levels of the subjects were measured before treatment. The data was analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed rank test using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program. Results: The result showed that systolic blood pressure, blood glucose and anxiety level decreased significantly in the favorite music group. however systolic blood pressure, pulse rate and anxiety level increased significantly in the unfavorite music group. The favorite music group showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction than the unfavorite music group. Conclusion: Choice of music affects the physiological and psychological status of an individual. Favorite music listening would enhance the effect of music therapy. Therefore, selection of music must be considered in light of the subject's preference and characteristics.


The editors of Progress in Retinal Research are attempting to provide, for basic and clinical scientists, an update of advances made in our understanding of the normal and diseased retina. This is the fifth volume in the series and, similar to previous volumes, it contains a wide spectrum of topics ranging from more general clinical areas to quite specific biochemical subjects. The goal of this book is to provide an in-depth summary of our current knowledge and research directions in very specific topics, and the authors, who are recognized authorities in their fields, have accomplished this goal. The book is divided into 11 chapters, four of which deal with clinically related topics, such as retinal aging, specific retinal antigens and their immunologic responses, the genetics and immunology of retinoblastoma, and the plasticity of the retinal vasculature. Two chapters are concerned with possible neurotransmitters, namely, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and taurine, and


Short range wireless technology such as ultra-wideband (UWB) and 60 GHz millimetre wave (mm-wave) play a key role for wireless connectivity in indoor home, office environment or large enclosed public areas. UWB has been allocated at the frequency band 3.1-10.6 GHz with an emission power below -41.3 dBm. Mm-wave signals around 60 GHz have also attracted much attention to support high-speed data for short range wireless applications. The wide bandwidth and high allowable transmit power at 60 GHz enable multi-Gbps wireless transmission over typical indoor distances. Radio-over-fibre (RoF) systems are used to extend the propagation distance of both UWB and mm-wave signals over hundred of meters inside a building. UWB or mm-wave signals over fibre can be generated first at the central office before being distributed to the remote access points through optical fibre.

In this work, we investigate two new techniques to generate and distribute UWB signals. These techniques are based on generating Gaussian pulse position modulation (PPM) using a gain switched laser (GSL). The simulation and experimental results have been carried out to show the suitability of employing gain switching in UWB over fibre systems (UWBoF) to develop a reliable, simple, and low cost technique for distributing UWB pulses. The second part of this work proposes two configurations for optical mm-wave generation and transmission of 3 Gbps downstream data based on GSL. We investigate the distribution of these two methods over fibre with wireless link, and demonstrate the system simplicity and cost efficiency for mm-wave over fibre systems. Both configurations are simulated to verify our obtained results and show system performance at higher bit rates. In the third part, we generate phase modulated mm-waves by using an external injection of a modulated light source into GSL. The performance of this system is experimentally investigated and simulated for different fiber links.


During last decades, there have been a number of critical improvements for the treatment of rectal cancer. Since the milestone description of the abdominoperineal resection by Miles more than 100 years ago, for treatment of lower rectal tumors, surgical advances have progressed along the last century including low anterior resection with Knight and Griffen reconstruction, colonic pouches, etc. However, the most important advance was the description by Heald in the 80's of the concept of total mesorectal excision.


Integration of high porosity low-k dielectrics faces major challenges as the porosity weakens the dielectric, resulting in severe plasma induced damage (PID) and difficulties in profile control. Post porosity plasma protection (P4) integration strategy addresses those challenges by strengthening the dielectric via porosity refill during the integration steps. Realization of P4 integration at an advanced node is nontrivial. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of the P4 integration scheme in a dual damascene double patterning 48 nm pitch test vehicle with a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) k = 2.4 inter-layer dielectric (ILD). In addition, initial results of applying P4 with a PECVD k = 2.2 ILD show promise in reducing capacitance at 48 nm pitch and beyond.


The estimation accuracy of ensemble forecast errors is crucial to the assimilation results for all ensemble-based schemes. The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is a widely used scheme in land surface data assimilation, without using the adjoint of a dynamical model. In EnKF, the forecast error covariance matrix is estimated as the sampling covariance matrix of the ensemble forecast states. However, past researches on EnKF have found that it can generally lead to an underestimate of the forecast error covariance matrix, due to the limited ensemble size, as well as the poor initial perturbations and model error. This can eventually result in filter divergence. Therefore, using inflation to further adjust the forecast error covariance matrix becomes increasingly important. In this chapter, a new structure of the forecast error covariance matrix is proposed to mitigate the problems with limited ensemble size and model error. An adaptive procedure equipped with a second-order least squares method is applied to estimate the inflation factors of forecast and observational error covariance matrices. The proposed method is tested on the well-known atmosphere-like Lorenz-96 model with spatially correlated observational systems. The experiment results show that the new structure of the forecast error covariance matrix and the adaptive estimation procedure lead to improvement of the analysis states.


Estrogen deficiency in the postmenopausal woman results in numerous symptomatic and asymptomatic manifestations, including vasomotor symptoms, osteoporosis, heart disease, bladder and vaginal symptoms, and cardiovascular disease. Estrogen replacement therapy is associated with amelioration of these problems but has attendant risks. A newer class of drugs, the selective estrogen receptor modulators, provides both estrogen agonist and antagonist properties, depending on the target tissue. This article discusses the mechanism by which selective estrogen receptor modulators may vary in their end-organ effects and reviews the clinical studies associated with these compounds. Phytoestrogens are widely used in the United States, but little information is available regarding their potential long-term effects.


The deformation behaviour of martensite and its effect on tensile properties of a lowcarbon dual-phase (DP) steel were investigated. DP steel samples with different martensite contents and morphologies were produced after intercritical annealing at different temperatures using low and high heating rates. Two distinct martensite morphologies were obtained for low and high heating rates. The investigated steel showed the unusual results that the true fracture stress and strain were found to increase with the martensite volume fraction. The plastic deformation of martensite was considered to be responsible for these results. Experimentally, it was observed that the martensite in DP steels with greater than 25-30% martensite can deform plastically during tensile straining. Finally, the effect of tempering on the martensite plasticity was also evaluated. It was found that the tempering process and an increase in the martensite content have a similar effect on promoting martensite plasticity.


A hierarchical stepwise optimization process is developed for polarimetric synthetic aperture radar image segmentation. We show that image segmentation can be viewed as a likelihood approximation problem. The likelihood segment merging criteria are derived using the multivariate complex Gaussian, the Wishart distribution, and the K-distribution. In the presence of spatial texture, the Gaussian-Wishart segmentation is not appropriate. The K-distribution segmentation is more effective in textured forested areas. The validity of the product model is also assessed, and a field-adaptable segmentation strategy combining different criteria is examined.


This paper is a personal reflection of a student teacher's decisions and actions towards trying to support pupils in developing the belief that their intelligence is expandable through effort and strategy. Using action research in their last year of teacher training I researched my influence over 30, aged 7-8, pupils' attitudes towards maths learning over 8 weeks. Using Lucas and Claxton's (2010) Talking Toolkit framework, which claims to support the development of 'Expandable Intelligence', to promote a growth mindset. This was done over a period of 8 weeks. In a reflexive turn it was identified that the Talking toolkit framework tool could not be used in isolation, other strategies and approaches were adopted. This research illustrates a reflection on pupils' responses and my analysis against four habits of mind, chosen from Claxton (2002) Building Learning Power that supports the belief that intelligence is expandable. This research provides an example of a constant reflective log of my findings. The key finding from this research was that attitudes have the potential to be developed in the short term and expandable intelligence is a state of mind that transcends experiences and cannot be seen in just mathematics. This paper concludes with implications for future practice.


The Burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, fuel oil, natural gas, and diesel in power sector, has become one of the major sources of air pollutants, namely COX, NOX and SOX. These are thought to adversely affect the environment and human health. This paper assesses the external cost of electricity production from fossil fuel power plants in Iran using the Extern-E study. In addition, the future of average amount of emissions and their external cost was predicted according to the development of Iran's power generation system. Investigation of power generation planning in Iran from 2013 to 2023 shows that the average emissions of PM10, SO2, CO, and CO2 will reduce by 26.7%, 54.2%, 65.4%, and 20%, respectively, in fossil power plants. Moreover, it was predicted that the average external cost of power generation in 2023 would decrease up to 28.9%, 27.6%, and 23.1% in low, medium, and high scenarios, respectively. Moreover, analyzing the trend of Iran's electricity exportation and considering the prospect of Iran's energy sector, we claim that substitution of old gas power plants with high throughput combined cycle will help achieve the goal of Iran's power generation development more sustainably.


This book sheds new light on the memoir boom by asking: Is the genre basically about disability? Memoirs have enjoyed great popularity in recent years, experiencing significant sales, prominent reviews, and diverse readerships. "Signifying Bodies" shows that at the heart of the memoir phenomenon is our fascination with writing that focuses on what it means to live in, or be, an anomalous body - in other words, what it means to be disabled. Previous literary accounts of the disabled body had often portrayed it as a stable entity possibly signifying moral deviance or divine disfavor, but contemporary writers with disabilities are defining themselves and depicting their bodies in new ways. Using the insights of disability studies and source material ranging from the Old and New Testaments to the works of authors like Lucy Grealy and Simi Linton and including contemporary films like Million Dollar Baby, G. Thomas Couser sheds light on a broader cultural phenomenon, exploring topics such as the ethical issues involved in disability memoirs, the rhetorical patterns these memoirs frequently employ, and the complex relationship between disability narrative and disability law.


Historically, when a criminal conviction was introduced as evidence of guilt in a subsequent civil action, the convicted party was permitted to introduce rebuttal evidence to negate or mitigate the effect of the prior conviction. However, the Supreme Court of Canada's 2003 decision in Toronto (City) v Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 79 has resulted in an unprecedented restriction on the ability to rebut a prior conviction. As a result of the CUPE decision, the doctrine of abuse of process now precludes rebuttal evidence in most cases. CUPE 's expanded abuse of process doctrine is troubling because, to date, courts have applied it to all prior convictions—even convictions arising out of plea bargains. However, Canada's system of plea bargaining exerts significant coercive pressure on the accused, which may render such convictions less trustworthy. This paper argues that it is time that our civil courts recognize that all convictions are not the same: those based on plea bargains raise unique fairness concerns that warrant relaxing CUPE 's rigid bar on rebuttal evidence. Judges in our civil courts ought to be permitted to examine the circumstances surrounding guilty pleas to determine if the plea bargain appears to be coercive. If so, they ought to permit the convicted party to adduce rebuttal evidence. Such an approach remains true to the main principle underlying the CUPE decision—the integrity of the justice system—while at the same time preventing the unfairness of coercive plea bargains from spilling over into our civil courts.


A basic scan conversion for straight line and two developed algorithms are proposed in this paper. Different from other proposed algorithms, the basic algorithm is constructed with controlling iterations directly by residuals rather than intermediate measures. This makes the algorithm easier to be derived, and easier to be developed to an integral antialiasing drawing algorithm. Furthermore, a kind of simple and efficient run-length algorithm for scan conversion of line is derived. These algorithms are not only with a high speed for drawing a line, but also are easy to be derived and understood. All these algorithms are highly suitable for teaching too.


Abstract This research note presents a general approach for measuring the electoral safety of individual MPs across electoral systems that is based on predicted re-election probabilities estimated from multilevel logistic regression models. In contrast to existing measures, this method yields estimates on an intuitive and readily comparable probability scale, captures the higher sensitivity of re-election prospects to electoral change in the range of close races, and can accommodate regional differences in context conditions such as volatility. The paper implements the approach for two archetypical electoral systems – first-past-the-post (FPTP) systems and closed-list proportional representation (PR) – and estimates re-election prospects for the FPTP and PR tiers of the German mixed electoral system in all Bundestag elections since 1957. While the empirical data presented here is mainly illustrative, the concluding section highlights various questions that future research can address with the new measure.


The high iron content in the soils and resident parent material of the Georgia Piedmont results in significant transport of iron in runoff to receiving waterbodies. Phosphorus cycling in lakes can be significantly affected by the iron cycle. The work presented here describes experiments to test sorption and desorption of phosphate from Bt horizon soil to help illuminate the role of transported sediment in the cycling of phosphorus in Georgia Piedmont impoundments. We conducted sorption capacity experiments on Bt horizon soil, Lake Lanier sediments, and catalyst grade FeOOH. We also describe experiments to test release of phosphate from Bt horizon soil under elevated pH conditions. Sorption capacity of Bt soil and Lake Lanier sediments is greater than that of FeOOH. Phosphate desorption from Bt horizon soil at pH values of 8-10 fits a linear model with greater desorption at higher pH values. The results presented here further support the alternative phosphorus cycling pathway proposed in Parker and Rasmussen (2001).


We focus on the aggregation of citizen preferences for public projects through civic crowdfunding. Existing civic crowdfunding mechanisms consider only agents with positive valuation towards the public project. Moreover, these mechanisms assume that each agent has a symmetric belief about the project getting provisioned. As public projects aim to cater to the majority, they should be provisioned only if the majority prefers it. To incorporate negative valuations, we propose a methodology to convert existing civic crowdfunding mechanisms for positive preferences to cater to markets having both types of agents. Specifically, we adapt existing PPR and PPS mechanisms to design PPRN and PPSN, that incentivize agents to contribute towards or against the project's provision: based on their preference. Besides, to address asymmetric beliefs, we propose a novel reward scheme, Belief Based Reward (BBR) based on Robust Bayesian Truth Serum (RBTS) mechanism. BBR rewards agents based on their belief towards the project's provision. Using this reward scheme, we introduce a general mechanism for civic crowdfunding which allows for agents having asymmetric beliefs towards the project getting provisioned and incentivizes them to contribute towards the project's provision. We illustrate the general mechanism by designing two novel mechanisms, namely PPRx and PPSx, adapting PPR and PPS respectively, and prove that in both the mechanisms the project is provisioned at equilibrium.


SBM aims to present a novel ontology-based content-mining approach to cluster research proposals deep web search based on their similarities. The used method is efficient and effective for clustering research proposals with English texts. Text-mining methods have been proposed to solve the problem by automatically classifying text documents. Current search methods for grouping proposals are based on manual matching of similar search discipline keywords. The advantages of this method are that it can extract three types of data records, namely, synonyms data records, hypernymy data records, and hyponyms data records, and also provides options for aligning iterative and disjunctive data items. The proposed SBM is used together with statistical method and optimization models and consists of reference to the ontology; the new proposals in each discipline are clustered using a self-organized mapping (SOM) algorithm. The SOM algorithm is a typical unsupervised learning neural network model that clusters input data with similarities. Our new techniques used in data extraction from deep webs needs to be improved to achieve the efficiency and finally the result is given like the result comes for user query on multi view point like web links, news contents and the synonym hyponym and hypernym for the input term specified.


updating courses in e-learning systems is considered one of the main factors to ensure a relevant educational content. Basically, providing to the learner a dynamic learning path that contains the latest trends of information and software tools, and also tracking technological development. For this reason, we proposed an automatic mechanism that facilitates the integration of the latest updates in e-learning system in order to keep it to date in one hand, and reduces time and labor devoted for this operation in the other hand. To realize this process, we opted to use intelligent agent technology in order to manage these updates. Namely, Updater Agent (UA) ensuring their introduction in the courseware, and Search Content Agent (SCA) which looks for new ones. In this article, we focused on the contents' integration process by describing the behavior of UA. Then, we will explain life cycle of course, in order to show its different states in the system, and the role of each one to reach the performance of our updating process. Finally, we will describe the software implementation of the UA allowing the management of updates. Namely, tests and experimentation done in this field proved the effectiveness of the proposed solution and revealed a positive results in term of learning process.


Snow lotus (Saussurea involucrata (Kar. & Kir.) Sch. Bip.) is an economically important medicinal herb increasingly grown in China in recent years. During the summer and autumn of 2005, 2006, and 2007, a necrosis of unknown etiology was observed on leaves in commercial production areas in Xinjiang Province of China. Disease incidence was approximately 40 to 50% of the plants during the 2005 and 2007 growing seasons. Initial symptoms consisted of pronounced water-soaked, dark brown-to-black spots that were 1 to 2 mm in diameter on young, expanding leaves. Later, some leaf spots on older leaves enlarged and coalesced, causing leaf desiccation. Leaf samples were collected in 2005, 2006, and 2007 from the affected hosts. Bacterial streaming was evident from these samples, and 28 strains were isolated on nutrient agar or King's medium B (KMB). All strains were gram negative and fluoresced bluegreen under UV light after 48 h of growth at 28°C on KMB. On the basis of LOPAT tests, the strains were identified as Pseudomonas syringae (1). The identity of two strains was confirmed by sequencing the 16S rDNA gene, which revealed 98% similarity to P. syringae strains in NCBI (Accession Nos. FJ001817 and FJ001818 for XJSNL 111 and 107, respectively). Infiltration of tobacco leaves with bacterial suspensions resulted in typical hypersensitivity reactions within 24 h. Pathogenicity of the strains was confirmed by spray inoculating five snow lotus leaves of a six-leaf stage plant with 108 CFU ml-1 bacterial suspensions in sterile water and five plants sprayed with sterile distilled water served as controls. Inoculated and sterile water-sprayed controls were maintained in the growth chamber with 90% relative humidity for 15 days at 15 ± 2°C. Symptoms similar to the original symptoms were observed on inoculated plants after 2 weeks. No symptoms developed on controls. Bacteria reisolated from inoculated plants were identified as strains of P. syringae. Isolates were deposited at the Key Laboratory for Oasis Crop Disease Prevention and Cure, Shihezi University. Rust caused by Puccinia carthami and leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria carthami of snow lotus have been reported (2,3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. syringae as the cause of bacterial leaf spot on snow lotus in China. References: (1) A. Braun-Kiewnick and D. C. Sands. Pseudomonas. Page 84 in: Laboratory Guide for the Identification of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria. 3rd ed. N. W. Schaad et al., eds. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 2001. (2) S. Zhao et al. Plant Dis. 91:772, 2007. (3) S. Zhao et al. Plant Dis. 92:318, 2008.


While design-led innovation may have huge potential to change both tangible outcomes of design, such as products and services, and the intangible ones such as values, mindsets and organizational cultures, the approach has not been broadly investigated in the organizational settings, especially when it comes to building in-house design capabilities. The paper reflects on both practical and theoretical concerns around building of design capabilities in academic libraries. The making and sustaining design capabilities was supported by design interventions in the form of design workshops and other design activities, and repeated re-enforcements of constructivist and experiential organizational learning leading to integration of design proto practices with daily routines and established work practices. The findings are articulated as a set of guidelines toward building design capabilities in academic libraries through design thinking. At the conceptual level, the work highlights the importance of openness, dialogical spaces and temporal aspects of such processes.


This paper presents the background for developing the Sense of Humor Questionnaire (SHQ), including ideas that guided the ambition to design a tool for assessment of individual differences in sense of humor that was relatively neutral to variations in culture, content and technique. The test was first organized into three dimensions of items, based on face validity of content, with items oriented to openness to ambiguity, preference for humorous situations and emotional suggestibility. The first revision reduced items from twenty-seven to twenty-two. A second revision presented seven items on each of three dimensions that were theoretically founded on ideas of person-situation interactions. Research found that items on meta-message sensitivity (M-items) and liking of humorous situations (L-items) yielded fair alphas, whereas those on mirthful expression (E-items) did not. A review of research is presented based on scores from the M- and L-items of the SHQ. The SHQ-6 is a short form including three items from the M- and the L-dimensions, respectively. This scale has proven effective in research across a vide range of applications including the role of sense of humor in mood, coping, morbidity and mortality. An ultra-short version (SHQ-3) was included in a population health survey and provided descriptive evidence on the prevalence of sense of humor as well as the positive role for sense of humor in surviving into retirement. After age seventy this protective effect of sense of humor faded away.


Context. An unambiguous identification of the carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) would provide important clues to the life cycle of interstellar matter. The so-called C2-DIBs are a class of very weak bands that fall in the blue part of the optical spectrum and are associated with high column densities of the C2 molecule. DIB profile structures constrain potential molecular carriers, but their measurement requires high signal-to-noise, high-resolution spectra and the use of sightlines without Doppler splitting, as typical for a single-cloud situation.
Aims. Spectra from the ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey (EDIBLES) conducted at the Very Large Telescope (ESO/Paranal) were explored to identify single-cloud and high C2 column sightlines, extract the corresponding C2-DIBs and study their strengths and profiles, and to investigate in detail any sub-structures.
Methods. The target selection was made based on profile-fitting of the 3303 and 5895 Å Na I doublets and the detection of C2 lines. The C2 (2–0) (8750–8849 Å) Phillips system was fitted using a physical model of the host cloud. C2 column densities, temperatures as well as gas densities were derived for each sightline.
Results. Eighteen known C2-DIBs and eight strong non-C2 DIBs were extracted towards eight targets, comprising seven single-cloud and one multi-cloud line-of-sights. Correlational studies revealed a tight association of the former group with the C2 columns, whereas the non-C2 DIBs are primarily correlated with reddening. We report three new weak diffuse band candidates at 4737.5, 5547.4, and 5769.8 Å. We show for the first time that at least 14 C2-DIBs exhibit spectral sub-structures which are consistent with unresolved rotational branches of molecular carriers. The variability of their peak separations among the bands for a given sightline implies that their carriers are different molecules with quite different sizes. We also illustrate how profiles of the same DIB vary among targets and as a function of physical parameters, and provide tables defining the sub-structures to be compared with future models and experimental results.


The number of reported property thefts has dropped steeply in many European countries over the last 15 years. One reason for this could be that people have become more honest, which would imply that fewer resources should be allocated to the police and to crime prevention measures. In this paper, we have elaborated upon some alternative explanatory factors behind the decrease in the number of reported crimes within a utility-maximizing model where both thefts and victims are behaving rationally. Increased time and travelling costs for reporting, economic growth and a lower rate of solving crime could all explain the development in the reported crime rate. Within this theoretical approach, the nominal crime rate could decrease, while the real crime rate either remains constant or even increases. Applying the number of reported thefts as the sole or main parameter for allocating resources for crime prevention measures may result in a sub-optimal resource allocation. Developments in the number of reported thefts must therefore be supplemented by other indicators to provide a better basis to ensure an optimal allocation of police resources to combat theft. Estimates of unreported crimes must also be included as part of the basis of these allocation decisions.


Fish spoilage can cause a lot of problems to the consumers of seafood products. These consumers could include the retailers, restaurants, and families. It is thus important to monitor the quality of fish during its shelf life due to the consequences of the sale, and consumption of seafood products that have prematurely expired. Turmeric dye-based sensors were fabricated by extracting dye from turmeric powder and adsorbing it on titanium dioxide to be used as the sensing element. In this study, the turmeric dye-based sensors were evaluated using FTIR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results show that using 2g of turmeric powder yields the more sensitive sensor. Exposure to tilapia fillet for 4, 8, and 12 hours showed the capability of the sensor to distinguish fish that have been spoiling for different durations.


Amici curiae law professors filed this brief to urge the Court to reverse the Seventh Circuit and to apply a fiduciary standard under Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act with modest scope but forceful effect to counterbalance the structural and behavioral vulnerabilities preventing market forces alone from imposing competitive discipline upon mutual fund advisory fees. The brief addresses the Seventh Circuit's decision to disavow the long-established Gartenberg precedent and to hold, instead, that so long as an adviser make[s] full disclosure and play[s] no tricks, a plaintiff cannot prevail in a Section 36(b) action. Amici argue that the Seventh Circuit's decision disregards Section 36(b)'s legislation, legislative history, and judicial precedent. With a greater appreciation for the unique structure and operation of mutual funds, the Supreme Court should emphasize comparisons between retail and institutional fees in the Section 36(b) fiduciary duty. Amici: Barbara Bader Aldave, William Birdthistle, Barbara Black, Douglas Branson, James Cox, Steven Davidoff, Lisa Fairfax, James Fanto, Jesse Fried, Theresa Gabaldon, Joan MacLeod Heminway, Donald Langevoort, David Millon, Lawrence Mitchell, Charles Murdock, Donna Nagy, Elizabeth Nowicki, Alan Palmiter, Frank Partnoy, Margaret V. Sachs, William Sjostrom, Marc Steinberg, Ahmed Taha, Steven Thel, Randall Thomas, Manning Warren


Rubin's model for causal inference in experiments and observational studies is enlarged to analyze the problem of "causes causing causes" and is compared to path analysis and recursive structural equations models. A special quasiexperimental design, the encouragement detsign, is used to give concreteness to the discussion by focusing on the simplest problem that involves both direct and indirect causation. Rubin's model is shown to extend easily to this situation and to specify conditions under which the parameters of path analysis and recursive structural equations models have causal interpretations.


Na+ uptake in the roots of K+-starved seedlings of barley, rice, and wheat was found to exhibit fast rate, low Km, and high sensitivity to K+. Sunflower plants responded in a similar manner but the uptake was not K+ sensitive. Ba2+ inhibited Na+ uptake, but not K+ uptake in rice roots. This demonstrated that Na+ and K+ uptake are mediated by different transporters, and that K+ blocked but was not transported by the Na+ transporter. The genome of rice cv. Nipponbare contains seven HKT genes, which may encode Na+ transporters, plus two HKT pseudogenes. Yeast expressions of OsHKT1 and OsHKT4 proved that they are Na+ transporters of high and low affinity, respectively, which are sensitive to K+ and Ba2+. Parallel experiments of K+ and Na+ uptake in yeast expressing the wheat or rice HKT1 transporters proved that they were very different; TaHKT1 transported K+ and Na+, and OsHKT1 only Na+. Transcript expressions in shoots of the OsHKT genes were fairly constant and insensitive to changes in the K+ and Na+ concentrations of the nutrient solution. In roots, the expressions were much lower than in shoots, except for OsHKT4 and OsHKT1 in K+-starved plants. We propose that OsHKT transporters are involved in Na+ movements in rice, and that OsHKT1 specifically mediates Na+ uptake in rice roots when the plants are K+ deficient. The incidence of HKT ESTs in several plant species suggests that the rice model with many HKT genes applies to other plants.


The catalytic domain of cellobiohydrolase I from Trichoderma reesei has been obtained by papain treatment of the native enzyme adsorbed onto the surface of microcrystalline cellulose. Both the intact and the truncated enzyme are almost equally active toward soluble fluorogenic derivatives of cellobi-, -tri-, -tetra-, and -pentaose, the fastest and the slowest fluorophore liberation being observed for MUF-cellopenta- and -tetraose, respectively. Titration of the active centers of the intact enzyme and its catalytic domain with MUF-cellotetraose showed their molecular masses to be 49 and 39 kD, respectively, the dissociation constants of the enzyme-soluble ligand complexes being almost equal (65 and 70 nM at 20 degrees C, respectively). In contrast, the intact enzyme and its catalytic core have been shown to significantly (50-60 times) differ in their affinity to insoluble microcrystalline cellulose at low enzyme loading (up to 10 mg per g of the substrate). At 20 degrees C the dissociation constants for the two forms of the enzyme are estimated to be 10 and 500 nM, respectively. Surprisingly, under these conditions the reaction product and inhibitor, cellobiose (Ki = 10 microM), at the concentration 10 mM, increased 3-4-fold the affinity of both the intact cellobiohydrolase and its catalytic domain to cellulose.


We observe that the fully nonlinear evolution equations of Rosenau and Hymann, often abbreviated as K(n, m) equations, can be reduced to Hamiltonian form only on a zero-energy hypersurface belonging to some potential function associated with the equations. We treat the resulting Hamiltonian equations by the dynamical systems theory and present a phase-space analysis of their stable points. The results of our study demonstrate that the equations can, in general, support both compacton and soliton solutions. For the K(2, 2) and K(3, 3) cases one type of solutions can be obtained from the other by continuously varying a parameter of the equations. This is not true for the K(3, 2) equation for which the parameter can take only negative values. The K(2, 3) equation does not have any stable point and, in the language of mechanics, represents a particle moving with constant acceleration.


Glacier retreat from areas of moderate to high relief typically occurs along a lobate ice margin controlled by underlying topography, as was the situation on the Appalachian Plateau of central New York. Stagnation of entire valley ice lobes is attributed to restricted glacier flow across headward divides. Detachment of stagnant ice blocks is also related to limited flow through deeply incised valley meanders.

Melting of a detached ice block, several thousand metres across and hundreds of metres thick, within a valley train creates a depression referred to as a dead-ice sink. Ice-lobe stagnation involving several closely spaced sinks results in a chain of depressions called a dead-ice moat.

Topographic evidence of the dead-ice sink environment is an anomalously broad flood plain that spans most of the valley width and is bounded upvalley and downvalley by dissected valley-train outwash. Dead-ice sink sedimentation results in a stratigraphic sequence typical of an ice-contact environment and includes interstratified silt, sand, and gravel hundreds of metres thick. Juxtaposed water-well logs reveal stratigraphic units of highly variable texture and thickness that defy lateral correlation.


As high rise buildings with 100 or more stories are being constructed, it is inevitable to use high performance materials including high performance concrete. What is most important in high performance concrete is extremely high strength in order to reduce the section of members in high rise buildings. During the last several years, there have been active researches on Ultra high strength concrete. While these researches have been mostly focused on strength development, however, other accompanying physical properties have not been studied sufficiently. Thus, the present study purposed to obtain and analyze data on the physical mechanical properties of Ultra high strength concrete through experiments and to use the results as basic information on required performance of concrete used in high rise buildings.


This study was undertaken to investigate the total plasma fatty acid composition and the relationship between plasma triacylglycerol (TG) levels and liver delta 9 desaturase activity in mice fed n-3 and/or n-6 fatty acid or hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO) (maximum 25 mg/g) supplemented diets. Generally, plasma TG levels and delta 9 desaturase activity were inversely correlated with the ratio of the sum of long chain n-6 fatty acids to 18:2n-6 and to the ratio of the sum of long chain n-3 fatty acids to 18:n-3, but they were positively correlated with the ratio of products and substrates (18:1/18:0) of the enzyme in plasma total lipids. The n-3 fatty acid (mainly 20:5n-3) enriched diet, when compared to the HCO diet at 21 d, caused a significant reduction in plasma TG levels but not in delta 9 desaturase activity. However, a marked reduction in plasma TG content (50-60%) and delta 9 desaturase activity (55-70%) was observed when both 20:5n-3 and 18:3n-6 were supplemented in the diet. The plasma TG levels and delta 9 desaturase activity rose again when the animals were fed the HCO diet or chow. The results suggest that low dose supplementation of a mixture of n-3 (mainly 20:5n-3) and n-6 (18:3n-6) fatty acids modified both plasma TG content and liver delta 9 desaturase activity, in parallel.


It is the primary task to ensure the safety of lives and property of underground workers with the increasing amount of coal mining. Under the actual complex environment of coal, all kinds of uncertian factors should be considered except for the distance for the selection of the optimal path to reduce casualties. Aiming at the defect of the lower solution accuracy and tending to fall into local optimal solution of the basic ant colony algorithm(ACA), an improved ant colony algorithm is presented based on the model of ACA. Experiment results show that the new algorithm can get better results.


Vascular complications (stenosis or thrombosis of the hepatic artery, portal vein or hepatic vein) are a relatively common occurrence following liver transplantation. Routine screening with ultrasound is critical to early detection of these complications. Careful application of standard interventional techniques (diagnostic catheter angiography, balloon angioplasty with selective stenting) may be used to confirm the ultrasound findings, treat the underlying lesions, and contribute to long-term graft survival.


Background and ObjectivesSesame is one of the most valuable crops in human nutrition and is cultivated in different regions of Iran, including Khorasan Razavi province. In this plant, various pathogens cause vascular wilt and reduce crop yield. This study aimed to detect the fungal pathogens causing vascular wilt in sesame and control its diseases using the antagonistic fungus Trichoderma harzianum under in vitro and in vivo conditions.Materials and MethodsTwenty-one suspected sesame samples were collected and transferred to the laboratory to be studied using valid morphological identification keys. Media such as PDA, WA, and CLA were used for the isolation, purification, and identification of the fungal samples isolated from the infected sesame plants, respectively. Pathogenicity test was conducted by the root inoculation of sesame plants grown under greenhouse conditions. The biocontrol activity of Trichoderma harzianum (Isolate TR5) isolated from the rhizosphere of sesame roots was evaluated against the pathogenic isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.  sesami under in vitro (dual culture) and greenhouse conditions by the root inoculation of the plants.ResultsAccording to the result, 17 isolates were related to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.  sesami. The pathogenicity test was performed on the sesame plants at the 5-8-leaf stage. All F. oxysporum f. sp.  sesami isolates were pathogenic as they revealed a significant difference at p=0.05. The highest level of pathogenicity was noticed for the isolates BA15 and BA16, both with 87.5% wilting, and the lowest pathogenicity was observed in the isolates AN7 and KA33, both with 12.5% wilting on the sesame plants. Regarding the antagonistic properties, the highest inhibition rate in dual culture with T. harzianum was observed for the BA1 isolate with 88.45% mycelial inhibition, while the lowest inhibition rate during interaction with the antagonist was exhibited in the AN2 isolate with 71.33% mycelial inhibition.Moreover, the disease severity reduction rates were different among all isolates of the pathogen tested under greenhouse conditions, and a significant difference was observed at p= 0.05. The highest antagonistic activity of T. harzianum was observed in the BA1, AN7, and K33 isolates with 100% disease severity reduction; however, the lowest activity was related to the AN2 isolate with 54. 54% reduction.DiscussionThe present study indicates that the TR5 isolate belonging to T. harzianum has a high biocontrol potential for controlling vascular wilt on the sesame plants. Consistent with this finding, previous studies have also reported the potentials of Trichoderma spp. for controlling Fusarium wilt in tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans.


Abstract:

Purpose - This study examines the devolution of HRM functions, the rationale and problems of such devolution to line management in the context of applications and processes in two major Japanese multinational companies in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach� The research used mixed methodology via case studies and questionnaire surveys. Overall 29 questionnaires from two companies were analyzed, a response rate of 58 percent. In addition, the views of the Executive Director, Head of HR, and line managers were sought regarding their role, involvement and problems of devolvement to line managers. Findings � Analysis of questionnaire responses and interviews shows that devolution of HRM functions to the line managers was adopted by both organizations, though their approaches varied in terms of process. The study revealed a high degree of devolution of responsibility to line managers for recruitment and selection and training and development. The devolution of training and development functions specifically to a separate department resulted in their increased effectiveness. Extensive participation and a close working relationship on HR-related issues between HR managers and line managers jointly contributed to the effectiveness of the companies� devolution of HRM functions. Practical implications - Devolution of HRM functions to line management is a growing trend internationally. However, despite the positive outcomes of devolution, the process is never unproblematic.

Originality/value � This study thus builds on the existing literature and also contributes to overcoming the dearth of empirical research on devolution which has been predominantly Western in context. Furthermore, no study examining devolution of the HRM functions in Malaysia.


The dynamics of finite energy Airy beams modeled by the fractional Schrodinger equation (FSE) with a linear potential are numerically investigated. Different from the propagation properties of Airy beams described by the standard Schrodinger equation, the splitting phenomenon, which is presented under the FSE without potential, is influenced by the quadratic chirp and the Levy index. As the linear potential is considered, the periodic evolution of Airy beams is shown, and the period is inversely proportional to the linear potential coefficient. The beam width can undergo an abrupt decrease or increase depending on the sign of potential coefficient. The beam deviation distance increases with the beam width greatly changed if the Levy index increases. Moreover, the quadratic chirp does not influence the evolution period but the intensity distribution. In addition, the intriguing properties are analytically clarified. All these features confirm the promising applications of Airy beams in optical manipulation and optical switch.


We consider a network where users can issue certificates that identify the public keys of other users in the network. The issued certificates in a network constitute a set of certificate chains between users. A user u can obtain the public key of another user v from a certificate chain from u to v in the network. For the certificate chain from u to v, u is called the source of the chain and v is called the destination of the chain. Certificates in each chain are dispersed between the source and destination of the chain such that the following condition holds. If any user u needs to securely send messages to any other user v in the network, then u can use the certificates stored in u and v to obtain the public key of v (then u can use the public key of v to set up a shared key with v to securely send messages to v). The cost of dispersing certificates in a set of chains among the source and destination users in a network is measured by the total number of certificates that need to be stored in all users. A dispersal of a set of certificate chains in a network is optimal if no other dispersal of the same chain set has a strictly lower cost. In this paper, we show that the problem of computing optimal dispersal of a given chain set is NP-complete. Thus, minimizing the total number of certificates stored in all users is NP-complete. We identify three special classes of chain sets that are of practical interests and devise three polynomial-time algorithms that compute optimal dispersals for each class. We also present two polynomial-time extensions of these algorithms for more general classes of chain sets


ERP systems have the potential to provide value across multiple dimensions: from operational and managerial to strategic. As with any other information technology, the value of ERP systems can be assessed using different metrics. The available methods of ERP value assessment such as financial performance indicators for the organization do not provide multidimensional contribution of ERP systems. Very few studies in ERP value literature have quantitatively measured and validated ERP value across multiple dimensions. Using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach, this study conceptualizes and validates measures of ERP value across four dimensions of BSC: internal business oriented ERP value, customeroriented ERP value, learning and growth-oriented ERP value, strategic and financial-oriented ERP value. The measurement model for ERP value indicates the robustness of measures used in the study.


The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. Bioactive phytochemicals in food supplements are a trending approach to facilitate dieting and to improve patients' adherence to reducing food and caloric intake. The aim of this systematic review was to assess efficacy and safety of the most commonly used bioactive phytochemicals with appetite/hunger-suppressing and/or satiety/fullness-increasing properties. To be eligible, studies needed to have included at least 10 patients per group aged 18 years or older with no serious health problems except for overweight or obesity. Of those studies, 32 met the inclusion criteria, in which 27 different plants were tested alone or as a combination, regarding their efficacy in suppressing appetite/hunger and/or increasing satiety/fullness. The plant extracts most tested were derived from Camellia sinensis (green tea), Capsicum annuum, and Coffea species. None of the plant extracts tested in several trials showed a consistent positive treatment effect. Furthermore, only a few adverse events were reported, but none serious. The findings revealed mostly inconclusive evidence that the tested bioactive phytochemicals are effective in suppressing appetite/hunger and/or increasing satiety/fullness. More systematic and high quality clinical studies are necessary to determine the benefits and safety of phytochemical complementary remedies for dampening the feeling of hunger during dieting.


The enormous scale of the available information and products on the Internet has necessitated the development of algorithms that intermediate between options and human users. These algorithms do not select information at random, but attempt to provide the user with relevant information. In doing so, the algorithms may incur potential negative consequences related to, for example, "filter bubbles." Building from existing algorithms, we introduce a parametrized model that unifies and interpolates between recommending relevant information and active learning. In a concept learning paradigm, we illustrate the trade-offs of optimizing prediction and recommendation, show that there is a broad parameter region of stable performance that optimizes for both, identify a specific regime that is most robust to human variability, and identify the cause of this optimized performance. We conclude by discussing implications for the cognitive science of concept learning and the practice of machine learning in the real world.


that some home pregnancy tests appeared unreliable.2 A trial was instigated to evaluate one of these methods of home pregnancy testing. The test (Predictor) is based on the Pregnosticon "all-in" method. This is an immunological test in which all the necessary reagents are provided in a freeze-dried form in a disposable test tube, and is based on a haemagglutination inhibition reaction. A positive pregnancy test is shown by the presence of a ring of non-agglutinated erythrocytes which forms after two hours in the bottom of the tube and is seen through an angled mirror in the base of the tube stand. Any vibration or movement of the tube may disturb this ring formation and give an erroneous result. In the instructions patients are advised to seek medical advice, whatever the result of the test, should amenorrhoea persist. Women who considered that they might be pregnant were provided with a home pregnancy testing kit; they were told to return with the result of the test which they had ,perfJte4, at home and the tested sample of' urine. This specimen was then retested by a trained nurse using the Predictor method and also sent for a standard pregnancy test (Pregnosticon). The amount of "stress" from which the patient suffered was also recorded. A stress factor was defined as a suspected pregnancy (a) in an unmarried woman; (b) in a woman after a prolonged period of infertility; or (c) in a patient who was considering a pregnancy termination. Of the 86 women given the testing kit, 83 (96%) were able to perform the test satisfactorily and reach the correct result, as judged by the standard pregnancy testing method. There were no false positives and of the three cases in which the test failed, two were due to the patient moving the test before the required two hours had elapsed. The average duration of amenorrhoea was 54 days from the date of the last normal menstrual period. A positive pregnancy test was found in 57 cases (66%) and a stress factor was present in 18 cases (21 %); no stress factors were involved in the three test failures. It may be assumed that this test provides reliable results in the hands of the general public. We wish to acknowledge the support of Chefaro Proprietaries Ltd., who kindly provided the Predictor pregnancy testing kits.


It is possible to model life contingency insurances with the lifecontingencies R package, which is capable of performing financial and actuarial mathematics calculations. Its functions permit one to determine both the expected value and the stochastic distribution of insured benefits. Therefore, life insurance coverage can be priced and portfolios risk-based capital requirements can be assessed. This paper briefly summarizes the theory regarding life contingencies that is based on financial mathematics and demographic con- cepts. Then, with the aid of applied examples, it shows how the lifecontingencies package can be a useful tool for executing routine, deterministic, or stochastic calculations for life-contingencies actuarial mathematics.


In this paper, different customized systems for microwave permittivity measurements on liquid samples, based on reflectometric measurements, are presented and analyzed. Their performance is compared against the one deriving from the most widely adopted commercial measurement setup. The systems are designed with the aim of providing less expensive solutions without compromising measurement accuracy. The purpose of the first proposed solution is to replace the commercial measurement software exploiting a reformulation of the classical theory. Based on this alternative formulation, a "homemade" probe is built by properly modifying an N-type coaxial connector, thus providing a system requiring a lower quantity of liquid under test. Moreover, a different experimental approach which uses time-domain reflectometry (TDR) instrumentation is presented. Such solution is by far the least expensive, as it allows avoiding the use of costly instrumentation (such as a vector network analyzer). In order to metrologically characterize the proposed solutions, a series of repeated measurements is performed on a set of well-referenced liquids. After extracting the Cole–Cole parameters through each of the considered measurement methods, the resulting type A uncertainty is evaluated. Finally, comparison with literature data allows the estimation of measurement bias. The analysis evidences that custom solutions generally exhibit an accuracy comparable to the one of the commercial solution, with a slight degradation of performance for the TDR-based setup, which, however, compensates for this drawback with its appealing low cost.


Elderly and frail patients, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and ineligible to undergo intensive treatment, have a dismal prognosis. The small molecule inhibitor volasertib induces a mitotic block via inhibition of polo-like kinase 1 and has shown remarkable anti-leukemic activity when combined with low-dose cytarabine. We have demonstrated that AML cells are highly vulnerable to cell death in mitosis yet manage to escape a mitotic block through mitotic slippage by sustained proteasome-dependent slow degradation of cyclin B. Therefore, we tested whether interfering with mitotic slippage through proteasome inhibition arrests and kills AML cells more efficiently during mitosis. We show that therapeutic doses of bortezomib block the slow degradation of cyclin B during a volasertib-induced mitotic arrest in AML cell lines and patient-derived primary AML cells. In a xenotransplant mouse model of human AML, mice receiving volasertib in combination with bortezomib showed superior disease control compared to mice receiving volasertib alone, highlighting the potential therapeutic impact of this drug combination.


The objective of this study was to review how accurately micronutrient intakes in infants, children, and adolescents were assessed with validated food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) to which study quality criteria had been applied. The methodology and the analysis presented were based on several research activities carried out within the European Micronutrient Recommendation Aligned Network of Excellence. The analysis was limited to vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin B₁₂, folate, selenium, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and copper. A search strategy was defined in MEDLINE and EMBASE literature for studies validating FFQs that estimated intakes of micronutrients being evaluated. Identification of at least three validation studies per micronutrient was required to be included in the analysis. A total score for each nutrient was calculated from the mean of the correlation coefficients weighted by the quality of the study, which included a quality score that was based on sample size, statistics used, data collection procedure, consideration of seasonality and supplement use, an adjustment/weighting of the correlation coefficient according to the quality score, and a rating of the adjusted/weighted correlation. When the mean weighted correlation coefficient was equal to or higher than 0.5, micronutrient intake was considered as adequately estimated. Sufficient validation studies were identified for vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B₁₂, iron, zinc, and calcium for infants and pre-school children, and vitamin C, calcium, and iron for older children and adolescents. Results showed that the FFQ was a good instrument for estimating intake of vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, zinc and iron in infants and pre-school children, and for estimating calcium and vitamin C in children and adolescents.


INTRODUCTION: The long-term prognosis in Henoch-Schönlein purpura is determined principally by the development of progressive glomerulonephritis (>10% progress to end-stage renal failure). OBJECTIVE: In this study we aimed to investigate the long-term prognosis of Henoch-Schönlein nephritis (HSN) in childhood. METHODS: Between 1991 and 2003, 156 patients with HSN were investigated retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 86 boys and 70 girls with a mean age of 9.6 years. They were graded according to the degree of renal involvement: grade 1, isolated microscopic hematuria (n = 31); grade 2, hematuria and mild proteinuria (n = 60); grade 3, acute nephritic syndrome (n = 4); grade 4, nephrotic syndrome ± hematuria (n = 18); grade 5, acute nephritic and nephrotic syndrome (n = 43). Renal biopsy was performed on 43 patients with grade 4 or 5 disease. Twenty patients had extensive crescent formation (>50%) as shown by the renal biopsy and were given triple therapy (intravenous pulse methylprednisolone [30 mg/kg per day for 3 days] followed by oral prednisolone [OP], oral cyclophosphamide [2 mg/kg per day for 2 to 3 months], and dipyridamole). The other 23 patients with <50% crescent formation were given methylprednisolone followed by OP and dipyridamole. The patients with grade 3 or 4 disease were given OP and dipyridamole. Those with grade 1 or 2 disease were not given any immunosuppressive agent. During the follow-up period (mean: 30 ± 3.5 months; range: 12–96 months), 23 patients with grade 1, 38 patients with grade 2, 2 patients with grade 3, 8 patients with grade 4, and 21 patients with grade 5 disease showed complete remission (59%). Of the 5 patients with extensive fibrosis shown by renal biopsy, 2 (1%) had persistent nephropathy and 3 (2%) developed end-stage renal failure. The remaining 59 patients showed near-complete recovery with minimal urinary abnormalities (38%). CONCLUSIONS: Although initial presentation of renal involvement determines the prognosis for those with HSN, intensive treatment with triple therapy seems to be effective for severe renal disease, especially if started before the development of fibrotic changes in crescents and tubulointerstitial tissue.


Match cost functions are common elements of every stereopsis algorithm that are used to provide a dissimilarity measure between pixels in different images. Global stereopsis algorithms incorporate assumptions about the smoothness of the resulting distance map that can interact with match cost functions in unpredictable ways. In this paper, we present a large-scale study on the relative performance of a structured set of match cost functions within several global stereopsis frameworks. We compare 272 match cost functions that are built from component parts in the context of four global stereopsis frameworks with a data set consisting of 57 stereo image pairs at three different variances of synthetic sensor noise. From our analysis, we infer a set of general rules that can be used to guide derivation of match cost functions for use in global stereopsis algorithms.


In this study, polysaccharide based edible films were prepared and characterized. Also water vapour sorption, diffusion and permeability characteristics of these films were studied. For these purposes cellulose ethers such as sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) and hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) were used as a film forming materials. Distilled water and glycerin were used as solvent and plasticizer respectively. To determine the effect of polymer concentration of the film forming solution on the film properties, NaCMC and HPC films were prepared from three different concentrations (3, 4, 5g polymer/100ml distilled water) of film forming solutions. During the characterization studies of the films, to determine the elements and structural composition of the films, energy dispersive X-Ray and scanning electron microscopy analyze were applied to NaCMC and HPC based edible films. Also, X-Ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry analysis were applied to determine the form of elements, functional groups and glass transition temperature. Water vapour sorption capacities of NaCMC and HPC based films were measured nearly 70%w and 25%w respectively. GAB and Halsey models were found to give the best fit for the water vapour sorption data of both NaCMC and HPC films. Diffusion coefficient of water vapour in vacuum microbalance test was higher than that determined using the humidity chamber, this case could be result of the structural changes of films such as formation of porous structure in microbalance tests due to the fast drying of films by high vacuum. NaCMC based edible films showed higher diffusion coefficient values than HPC based films, due to the heterogeneous structure and bigger pore dimensions of the NaCMC films that was observed in the scanning electron micrographs. Water vapour permeability (WVP) of both films increased with increasing thickness and increasing film forming solution concentration and WVP values of NaCMC based films were higher than the WVP values of HPC films. In mechanical properties, while NaCMC films have brittle, stronger and stiffer structure, HPC films show elastic and ductile property.


Biogas can be seen as a flexible and storable energy carrier, capable of absorbing intermittent energy production and demand. However, the sustainability and efficiency of biogas production as a flexible energy provider is not fully understood. This research will focus on simulating biogas production within decentralised energy systems. Within these system several factors need to be taken into account, including, biomass availability, energy demand, energy production from other decentralised energy sources and factors influencing the biogas production process. The main goal of this PhD. research is to design and develop a method capable of integrating biomass availability, energy demand, biogas production, in a realistic dynamic geographical model, such that conclusions can be drawn on mainly the sustainability, and additionally on the efficiency, flexibility and economy of biogas production in the near and far future (2012 to 2050), within local decentralised smart energy grids. Furthermore. This research can help determining the best use of biogas in the near and far future.


Computing systems in which the consequences of failure are very serious are termed safety-critical. Many such systems exist in application areas such as aerospace, defense, transportation, power-generation, and medicine. The software in these systems is typically large and complex, critical to system safety, and difficult to implement and verify. Even when great effort is expended to develop the software, there is no assurance that the software will operate with the required level of dependability.
We have investigated a safety kernel architecture that addresses part of the problem of building and verifying dependable safety-critical software. An analogous construct, the security kernel, has been used successfully to enforce security policies in classified-information systems. Similar requirements known as safety policies must be enforced in safety-critical systems. Other researchers have developed some basic safety kernel concepts and have proposed safety kernel designs. However, many feasibility issues have not been addressed previously. Thus, the focus of this research has been the evaluation and development of the safety kernel as a software architecture for enforcement of safety policies.
We have evaluated the feasibility of the safety kernel in four areas: policy enforcement, reliable enforcement, implementation, and verification. The first area addresses the role of the safety kernel and assesses its support for safety-critical systems. The second, area examines the requirements for reliable policy enforcement by the safety kernel. The third area focuses on the feasibility of a reuse-oriented implementation strategy. The fourth area considers the verification or the safety kernel. Work in each of these areas has been supported by our involvement with two case studies: the Magnetic Stereotaxis System and the University of Virginia Reactor.
The results presented in this dissertation demonstrate that it is feasible for the safety kernel to enforce a significant set of safety policies--policies that are directly related to device operation. Furthermore, operating in the system context, it can enforce policies reliably in spite of certain component failures. We demonstrate that a special-purpose specification language can be used to describe the safety kernel and that a source code representation of the safety kernel can be mechanically generated from this policy specification. Finally, we define the issues in verification of the safety kernel and demonstrate the feasibility of several analysis and testing techniques.


Early secreted antigenic target protein 6 (esat6) is one of the genes present on region of difference 1 (RD1) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) genome. This RD1 is a characteristic of virulent strains of M. tb and Mycobacterium bovis and this is one of the major differences between the disease causing strains and Bacillus-Calmat Guerin (BCG) vaccine strains. Studies have proved the presence of large number of memory T cells in M. tb infected individuals and these memory cells are reactive towards Esat6 antigen, which highlighted the importance of this gene especially in early infections. In this study, numbers of esat6 gene constructs were made in order to get a suitable construct to be used as good DNA vaccine. First esat6 gene construct was made in pND vector without Kozak sequence upstream the gene, second construct was made in pcDNA3.1 vector with Kozak sequence upstream the gene, third construct was made again in pND vector with Kozak sequence, fourth construct was made with Kozak sequence upstream and GGG downstream the ATG as a second codon of gene first in pcDNA3.1 and later in pND vectors respectively which was designated as construct five. Sixth construct was a fusion and in pcDNA3.1 vector with Kozak upstream the gene and epitope V and poly histidine tail sequence provided by vector down stream the gene through inframe cloning of esat6 gene with sequences provided by vector by removing stop codon through PCR based primers. Seventh and final construct was prepared in pND14 vector also as a fusion construct and gene was cloned under tissue plasminogen activator sequence in an in-frame through PCR based primers. All these constructs were subjected to 293T human embryonic kidney cell lines to evaluate their level of expression. Although none of the constructs gave detectable level of expression in cultured cells when tested through Western blots (WB) but tpa-esat6-pND14 construct was selected as potential DNA vaccine candidate to inject intramuscularly and interadermally to balb/c mice along with controls to obtain detectable response in vivo. Animals were tested nine weeks post vaccination and found positive against tpa-esat6-pND14 vaccine through WB and multiplex micro bead immunoassay (MMIA).


Collagen is a widely studied natural polymer for use as a scaffold material for various tissue engineering applications. Untreated collagen, however, has a fast biodegradation rate and low mechanical strength. Additionally, collagen cross-linking has been studied extensively and different cross-linking agents and methods have been explored. Although glutaraldehyde (GA) is the most convenient and traditional chemical agent currently used for this purpose, it nevertheless poses potential cytotoxicity. Therefore, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) is widely being studied as well, due to its characteristic of being a zero-length cross-linker that does not remain in the collagen's structure. Nevertheless, cross-linking with EDC can be implemented in several ways. In this study, two methods of cross-linking with EDC, prior to and post freeze-drying, were examined for freezedried collagen scaffolds. Four different collagen concentrations between 0.3 and 2.0 w% were inspected and different cross-linking methods were examined by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) to determine the collagen's denaturation temperature (Td). Furthermore, the water uptake abilities of the scaffolds were tested in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and the scaffolds' pore structure was examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). As assumed, the DSC measurements demonstrated that collagen Td values increased with increasing collagen concentration. With lower collagen concentrations, the cross-linking post freeze-drying enhanced the Td values, but with higher collagen concentrations, the Td values were increased only with cross-linking prior to freeze-drying. The water uptake measurement showed increased water uptake ability when cross-linking post freezedrying. The pore sizes of the different collagen scaffolds were between 50 and 120 mum.


It was recently demonstrated in that the nonlinear bilateral filter can be efficiently implemented using a constant-time or O(1) algorithm. At the heart of this algorithm was the idea of approximating the Gaussian range kernel of the bilateral filter using trigonometric functions. In this letter, we explain how the idea in can be extended to few other linear and nonlinear filters . While some of these filters have received a lot of attention in recent years, they are known to be computationally intensive. To extend the idea in , we identify a central property of trigonometric functions, called shiftability, that allows us to exploit the redundancy inherent in the filtering operations. In particular, using shiftable kernels, we show how certain complex filtering can be reduced to simply that of computing the moving sum of a stack of images. Each image in the stack is obtained through an elementary pointwise transform of the input image. This has a two-fold advantage. First, we can use fast recursive algorithms for computing the moving sum , , and, secondly, we can use parallel computation to further speed up the computation. We also show how shiftable kernels can also be used to approximate the (nonlinearshiftable) Gaussian kernel that is ubiquitously used in image filtering.


Placenta accreta in association with placenta previa and previous cesarean delivery is a condition of increasing clinical significance. A case report of a woman with placenta percreta is presented. Risk factors, incidence, and management are discussed. Recommendations for preoperative and intraoperative management are presented.


In a course in college, I was assigned the task of compiling a bibliography on ''exotic species''. With access to a very good technical library, 90% of my citations concerned animals, and most of those concerned either Australia or Hawaii. The world has changed considerably since then, as has our knowledge of it. This is the book I should have had in college. This book is sectioned into easily digestible chapters, with numerous real world examples, plenty of charts and graphs, and an extensive list of references. It is likely that better or more thorough explorations of the various subjects are available elsewhere, but few will provide the type of overview found here. It touches on nearly every facet of the invasive plant issue, making it suitable for use as a textbook for those in need of one. In addition to the usual background material one would expect, the book has chapters which explore, fairly in-depth, how plants reproduce and disperse their propagules, population ecology of introduced plants, and even the question that wouldn't die ''What makes a plant community susceptible to invasion?'' There are two themes that pop up throughout the book. The first is modeling, with an entire chapter, and parts of several others devoted to it. Models of invasive plant spread, community invasion, biological control, the impact of seed predators, and several competing models for predicting invasiveness are explored. Models are both informed by, and the basis of, the science of ecology, and whether one is a fan of models or not, the authors conclude ''the process of modeling a population forces one to think about the important interactions in the biological system''. The other theme is biological control of invasives. Biocontrol is mentioned by way of example in many of the book's chapters, and merits its own full chapter as well. Some of the most ''successful'', or at least most well known, eradications of invasive plants have come by way of biocontrol. No exploration of invasive plant ecology or control would be complete without an acknowledgement of the role it has and will likely continue to play. A short essay on GMO plants and their potential to be the invasives of the future at first seems a bit misplaced, but the warning is timely nonetheless. An appendix includes brief primers on sampling methodologies, measuring biodiversity, and GPS/GIS. There are 29 pages of references, which for some readers will be more than worth the price of the book.—TIM WENSKUS, City of New York Parks & Recreation, Natural Resources Group, 1234 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029.


Seeking Spatial Justice begins with an account of the 1996 class-action lawsuit brought by the Bus Riders Union of Los Angeles against the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, a lawsuit that produced a consent decree forcing the MTA to make investments in its neglected bus system. Soja sees this case—and the struggle that led to it—as a paradigm for establishing spatial justice. In Soja's view, scholars fail to understand both the nature of injustice, and the possibilities for remedying it, if we do not take seriously its spatial dimensions. Seeking Spatial Justice seeks to establish and help define the idea of "spatial justice" and demonstrate its relevance in practical political struggles, while also showing how academic work informed by a spatial justice framework can contribute to those same struggles. How are justice and space interrelated? Soja takes a strong position on this question, asserting that the "spatiality of (in)justice . . . affects society and social life just as much as social processes shape the spatiality or specific geography of (in)justice" (p. 5). Soja wants scholars and activists to take geography as seriously as they do social processes in analyzing social justice, and to recognize that there is a "dialectical" relationship between spatial arrangements and social processes. The degree to which Soja pushes this idea, however, strains plausibility. It is one thing to argue that space is an important mechanism by which social injustices are realized or perpetuated, and that the specific ways space is organized has implications for social life. It is another thing to suggest that "spaciality, sociality and historicality are mutually constitutive, with no one inherently privileged a priori" (p. 18). Soja repeatedly critiques not only the "space-blinkered social historicism" of many social scientists and historians (p. 19), but also the work of scholars who while giving attention to spatial questions continue to "privilege" social processes in their analyses. But if social processes and human choices are responsible for converting raw geographical elements into "socialized lived space," it seems natural that most analysts will privilege the study of social processes, because it is through such processes that spaces have been created and that spaces might in the future change. In Chapter Three, Soja provides a short review of theories of social and spatial justice, beginning with the work of John Rawls and culminating with particular attention to the work of David Harvey and Henri Lefebvre. Soja correctly points out that since social processes are necessarily realized in particular places and spaces, we must be attentive to the


Multilayered composite specimens consisting of Al2O3 / Al2O3+ 3Y-TZP (A/AZ) layers with different compositions and thicknesses were prepared starting from ceramic sheets obtained by tape casting. Residual stresses arisen from mismatch in thermal expansion coefficient during sintering were evaluated using luminescence piezo-spectroscopy. The stress in the superficial A layer was found to be compressive, and its value depended on the ratio between thickness of A and AZ layer. The influence of the superficial compressive stress on the abrasive wear resistance was investigated using microscale ball cratering test; results were correlated with the superficial compressive stress and compared with a specimen of pure unstressed Al2O3 prepared both by lamination and by cold isostatic pressing. Experiments show an improvement of performances in the samples containing compressive residual stress in the surface.


Of 370 NWT Inuit or Dene who were HBsAg-positive, only 31 had HBeAg. Persons who were PPD negative were 6.2 times more likely to be HBeAg-positive than those who were PPD positive, but this inverse association applied only to those 30 years of age. We further analyzed a group of 3,378 Inuit whose status was known for HBV serologic markers and PPD reactivity. Overall, a significantly greater proportion (76.2%) of HBsAg positives were PPD reactive in comparison to those positive for anti-HBs (67.2%) or who had no HBV markers (43.2%). For persons 30 years of age who were positive for HBsAg or anti-HBs there was no significant difference between the proportions with PPD reactivity but a significantly smaller proportion of PPD reactivity was found in the no marker group. Among persons 30 years of age, the proportions of those who were PPD reactive were statistically equivalent across all three HBV marker groups. We conclude that patterns of HBV infection in NWT are random with respect to tuberculin reactivity resulting from either exposure to M. tuberculosis or administration of BCG vaccine.


casts of a partially edentulous mandibular arch made by two condensation silicones, two addition silicones and three impression techniques (1-step putty/light-body, 2-step putty/ light-body and monophase technique). A partially edentulous standard stainless steel mandibular arch cast was obtained with reference points on the permanent mandibular right and left canines, and permanent mandibular right and left second molars. The anteroposterior distances (between the mandibular left canine and second molar and between the mandibular right canine and second molar) and transverse distances (between the mandibular left and right canines and between the mandibular left and right second molars) of stainless steel cast were measured by a microscope at 30× magnification and 0.5 μm accuracy. All impressions were made with condensation or addition silicones. The 1and 2-step putty/light-body impressions were accomplished with putty and light-body materials and the monophase impressions with light-body material only. After the impression procedures, accuracy of each material and technique was assessed measuring the stone casts poured (n=5) from the impressions, by the same microscope. The differences between the values of stone cast and stainless steel cast were calculated, presented as percentages and analyzed statistically by two-way ANOVA and the means compared by Tukey's test (α=0.05). All distances measured on stone casts showed altered dimensions with significantly negative linear changes (shrinkage) as compared to those of the stainless steel cast. The stone casts made from the addition silicones were dimensionally more accurate. No differences were found among the impression techniques. Dimensional Accuracy of Stone C a s t s M a d e f r o m S i l i c o n e Based Impression Materials and Three Impress ion Techniques


This analysis focuses on the support functions of a social network consisting of the families, educational staff, and peers of 33 adolescent females. These women were lower-class school dropouts who joined the Israeli Army and--toward the end of their service--participated in a six-month intensive program of educational upgrading. The program was administered by the Israeli Army and operated by female soldiers close in age, but not in social background and education, to the program's participants. Data were collected by a semi-structured interview and analyzed in terms of the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral support functions of the social network. Analysis shows that (1) whereas the educational staff and the peers provide the young women with all three types of support, their parents' is limited to some aspects of emotional support, and is conditional (to success); (2) the educational staff also induced the peers to act as supporters; and (3) as a result, the participants had access to a "double layer" of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral support, and benefited from being both recipients and providers of support, in the coping-enhancing conditions of sociocultural and situational similarity.


Cassava production in India is drastically affected by cassava mosaic disease (CMD) caused by the Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) and Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV). An attempt was done to develop transgenic cassava lines resistant to SLCMV through RNAi vector targeting a conserved 440 bp of 5' end of SLCMV Rep (AC1) gene which also overlaps with part of AC4 gene, and functions as a viral RNAi suppressor protein. The partial Rep gene of SLCMV was cloned in sense and anti-sense orientations in the RNAi intermediate vector, pHANNIBAL and finally mobilised into binary vector pART27, to construct pSCR1 which contains the kanamycin-resistance gene as a plant selectable marker. In order to use hygromycin as selection agent in cassava genetic transformation, Rep-RNAi gene cassettes of SLCMV was cloned into pCAMBIA1305.2 and the constructs was named pSCR2. Agrobacterium mediated cocultivation of cassava embryogenic calli was done with the developed RNAi constructs using two different explants namely, immature leaf lobes and somatic cotyledons. In total, 48 putative transgenic cassava shoots were regenerated on a regeneration medium containing 30 mgl/l hygromycin, of which 2 putative transgenic plants were transferred for hardening. All the putative transgenic cassava plants were PCR-positive for hph gene and Rep gene indicating integration of transgenes of interest.

 Key words: RNAi constructs, cocultivation, cassava mosaic disease (CMD).


In the form the nation-state is known until now, it formed in Europe and North America in the Early Modern time and flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, being adequate to realities of the world of industrial capitalism and cultural nationalism. However, other trends, related to super-intensive globalization and post-industrialism, are dominating in the world nowadays. At present, the Western states have to depart from the classical concept of the nation and seek solutions to a completely different problem - of supporting their citizens' unity at preservation of cultural diversity brought by migrants from all over the world in recent decades. Under the current circumstances, it should not be ruled out that post-colonial states, most of which are multicultural initially due to their unique history of formation, can find themselves in an advantageous position, if they abandon attempts to build nations according to the outdated classical Western pattern. While irreversible globalization is associated with Modernity started in the West half a millennium ago, nation-building in contemporary post-colonial countries shows that globalization is by no means equal to Westernization, and that Modernity as a historically specific type of society and culture, splits into multiple modernities.
The theoretical analysis is proved by comparison of the evidence from three post-colonial African states: Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda. Although today, Tanzania is closer than Zambia and Uganda (as well as most other African countries) to formation of the nation in the classical Western sense, the author admits that the global trend towards multiculturalization of nations may become no less advantageous for countries like Zambia and Uganda. However, it is emphasized in the paper that proper leadership based on an ideology of multicultural nation is a necessary prerequisite for realization of these favorable conditions.


Wolbachia is a common heritable bacterial symbiont in insects. Its evolutionary success lies in the diverse phenotypic effects it has on its hosts coupled to its propensity to move between host species over evolutionary timescales. In a survey of natural host–symbiont associations in a range of Drosophila species, we found that 10 of 16 Wolbachia strains protected their hosts against viral infection. By moving Wolbachia strains between host species, we found that the symbiont genome had a much greater influence on the level of antiviral protection than the host genome. The reason for this was that the level of protection depended on the density of the symbiont in host tissues, and Wolbachia rather than the host‐controlled density. The finding that virus resistance and symbiont density are largely under the control of symbiont genes in this system has important implications both for the evolution of these traits and for public health programmes using Wolbachia to prevent mosquitoes from transmitting disease.


The first industrial revolution began with the mechanisation of tasks accomplished previously by hand. The second one was started by mass production and resulting consumer economy. Now a third industrial revolution seems to herald a new age, in which consumers do not only consume but also produce products and services tailored to their individual requirements. This is facilitated mainly through people's access to open digital networks, in which everyone can express their wishes. Crowdsourcing is such a digital tool that allows the expression of personal demands and online collaboration to reach a common purpose. Manuel de Landa's philosophical thoughts have predicted that such open networks will cause disruptive paradigm shifts. This led me to formulate the following question: How disruptive have been the creative results reached so far through the deployment of crowdsourcing tools?An extensive research has uncovered that the results are not that innovative, let alone disruptive. The possible reasons for this are manifold. The main cause could lie in the sponsors of crowdsourcing initiatives. On one hand they do not follow this type of purpose. It is mainly utilised to create promotional campaigns and new product or service development with incremental character. On the other hand innovative outputs are rejected due to its misalignment with the prevailing order of things.Another possible reason is the programmatic way in which crowdsourcing initiatives form a small component of a a linear, milestone-based change process. It is used as a tool only for sourcing ideas. No information has indicated that the crowdsourcing tool is being used for exploration of a problem, gaining insights into human behaviour, or experimentation with conceptual prototypes. Initiatives are usually one-off events. Sponsors don't seem to engage more than once to launch reiterative challenges in order to allow for a concept to develop.Furthermore research has shown that the tools need to be adjusted in order to render more innovative results. The necessary diversity of the crowd contributing ideas is rather low and the tools do not have mechanisms that ensure a higher degree of diversity. In addition the tools do not motivate the participants to initiate and maintain a fruitful creative interaction. This is made evident through the possibility to give final judgments early in the interactive process and the lack of mechanisms that allow concurrent and private work streams.Single outputs, however, have proved that crowdsourcing has a high disruptive potential. In order to profit from this potential three things need to change: First sponsoring organisations will need to change their attitude and become more experimental and ready to embrace risk and failure; second, the tools will need to reach a higher degree of sophistication, and lastly the crowdsourcing tool needs to be deployed including design processes.Last but not least the research has also uncovered that the crowdsourcing in general is a disruptive tool in itself because it can and does actually replace already many functions performed by established organisations. A combination of these could lead to a fully crowdsourced enterprise.


This action research study investigates the use of visual activity schedules (VAS) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) charts in a first-grade classroom in Washington State to increase the amount of time that students are on-task during independent and whole group assignments. Students tend to display decreased on-task behavior when transitioning from one activity to another within the academic day, leading to a decreased amount of time spent learning within the classroom. Current research shows that by utilizing VAS and AAC charts within the classroom will positively impact on-task behaviors regardless of transition. Based on current research, implementing VAS and AAC charts throughout the classroom with every student should increase on-task behavior within the classroom throughout the entire academic day. THE IMPACT OF VAS AND AAC CHARTS ON STUDENT FOCUS 3


Recent success of immunotherapy strategies such as immune checkpoint blockade in several malignancies has established the role of immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer. Cancers use multiple mechanisms to co-opt the host-tumor immune interactions, leading to immune evasion. Our understanding of the host-tumor interactions has evolved over the past few years and led to various promising new therapeutic strategies. This article will focus on the basic principles of immunotherapy, novel pathways/agents, and combinatorial immunotherapies.


This paper presents analytical solutions for the long-term analysis of composite steel-concrete members considering different shrinkage profiles through the cross-section of the slab. This situation is particularly important for members in the presence of steel deck. In fact, the non-uniform shrinkage profile develops through the slab thickness because of the lack of moisture egress on its bottom side due to the presence of the sheeting. In practice the main advantage of composite flooring systems relies on the ability of the profiled sheeting to act as permanent form work and, once the concrete has hardened, as
external reinforcement. The weak form of the partial interaction problem is derived by means of the principle of
virtual work and is integrated by parts to produce the local balance condition. The long-term behaviour of the concrete is modeled by means of the simplified methods while the remaining materials are assumed to remain linear-elastic. The general solution is then applied to the
particular cases of sim ply supported and propped cantilever for which closed form solutions are presented. --Conference held: , Hong Kong, 16-18 December 2009


SUMMARY Even range charts from the best graptoloid-bearing sections can be improved by adding information from nearby sections. Traditionally this is achieved on a scale of discrete biozones. Zonal composites improve upon the taxon richness of individual sections but lose resolving power; they artificially cluster range-end events at zone boundaries. Graphical and numerical methods allow composite sections to be constructed on continuous scales that match or exceed the resolving power of individual sections. Using a database of 582 graptoloid-bearing sections that together preserve 2214 distinct graptoloid taxa, we show that constrained optimization algorithms can construct objective, reproducible, global time-lines for the entire Ordovician to early Devonian graptoloid clade. The underlying database of locally observed ranges allows standardization for sampling unevenness. The quality and geographic origins of support for composite taxon ranges are explicitly revealed. A high precision, interval-free, standing species richness curve derived by this approach reveals the diversity trajectory of the graptoloid clade and of the families of which it is composed. Major reorganizations of the clade at the family level took place after diversity minima in the late Darriwilian and Hirnantian. Glacial events recognized on sedimentological evidence coincide with diversity minima.