Radio is part of our everyday life experience in various rooms around the home, in the car and as a portable device. Its impact and connection with the local community was immediate since its inception in Australia in 1923. Radio became directly part of the City of Ipswich in 1935 with the birth of 4IP (Ipswich). Local people were avid consumers of broadcast media and recognised that, in particular, 4IP was something that they could both participate in and consume. It gave people a voice; historically 4IP broadcast local choirs, soloists, produced youth programs and generally reflected the community in which it existed. The radio station moved out of Ipswich and established itself in Brisbane during 1970s. This move resulted in a loss of a voice in the local area through broadcast radio. Similarly, the place, Ipswich City changed dramatically and is confronted with significant population growth and the emergence of an old and new Ipswich that is potentially problematic for the local council to manage. The aim is to provide a sense of localism that was strongly present in the early decades of Ipswich as evidenced by the interactions with 4IP; the identity of the two is remarkable because of their parallel flux.

My thesis will provide a unique insight into the relationship between a community, that community's membership and local radio services. My research is carried out in an applied approach using aspects of critical ethnography, grounded theory and case study. The analysis features a triangulation model of place, people and conduit (radio) developed from the theoretical framework of Pierre Bourdieu where I overlay place and field, people and habitus and conduit (Radio) with practice.

The body of knowledge discovered and recovered in this research identifies a socio-cultural practice in Ipswich and reveals the fundamental human interactions between broadcaster, people and place. This has far reaching implications to inform the radio industry, community development and cities undergoing major growth and transformation.


seized to carry the factual descriptions into speculations about function and purpose. The seven excellent chapters include discussions on the analysis of MHC antigens at the protein and DNA levels, their organisation in the plasma membrane, restriction, properties of target cells, immune response genes and la antigens, MHC complement components, and finally speculations on evolution and function. This is not an easy book but it is certainly rewarding and brings together many of the threads of current research into the 'fine structure' of the MHC, surely itself the Rossetta stone of immunopathology.


Diabetes mellitus is a ubiquitous challenge and accounts for 387 million patients globally and this figure will ascent to over 590 million by the year 2035. α-Glucosidase inhibitors results in decrease in postprandial blood glucose level by delaying of glucose absorption. Two series of substituted benzopyran-2-one derivatives were appraised by molecular docking studies, drug-likeness and ADMET properties predictions. Compounds 8, 10, 19, 21 exhibited strong binding interactions such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions with 3D α-glucosidase modeled protein because of presence of OH group at R2 position. Top most active compound 21 (7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-3-[4-(4-methyl-phenylsulfonamido)benzoyl]-2H-1-benzopyran-2- one) interacted with protein by forming 3 hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacked, pi-pi T shaped, pi-alkyl and pi-anion interactions. The consequences of in silico pharmacokinetic inferred their potential as potent α-glucosidase inhibitor.


As a tool of complex shape, the manufacturing error of hobs can be classed into three kinds: the datum level error, the tooth thickness error and the parameter error of helicoidal surface. The parameter error of helicoidal surface, which is composed of tooth error and helix error, is the most importance among them. For precision of hob and convenience of measurement, several individual errors are instead of the helix error. How to set reasonable individual errors to guarantee the helix error within tolerance, the relationship between them in gear hob measurements is analyzed, and the approach to decompose the helix error into individual error has been discussed in the paper. On the basis of above theory, a high precision mode can be easily established using the soft ware.


Although high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation has been commonly used in turbocharged diesel engines for controlling the NOx formation, recent advances in after-treatment and material technology make possible using a low-pressure architecture, which recirculates the exhaust gas upstream the compressor. This brief article presents a basic study of control aspect related to the low-pressure architecture, emphasising the similarities and differences with the high-pressure system. Data from experimental tests with both configurations and from a one-dimensional wave action model simulations are combined for the analysis of the input–output paring, linearity and the transient performance of both systems.


Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) based on Yttria-stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) deposited by the solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) technique have been claimed to exhibit superior durability compared to conventional plasma spraying and even electron-beam physical vapor deposition. This has been attributed to the interesting features, like vertical cracks, nanosized pores, and fine splats that are inherent to SPPS-deposited YSZ coatings. However, the mechanism of coating formation during SPPS processing is not yet well understood. This study is aimed at understanding the influence of some key SPPS process variables on in situ generated particles and subsequent splat formation to augment the current level of understanding. The plasma power employed was found to play a major role in governing the morphology and phase constitution of in situ generated particles. The shape and size of the YSZ splats were also significantly influenced by the plasma power, but the substrate pre-heat was also noted to be a major determining factor. It was further observed that the SPPS typically involved in situ generation of very fine particulates (50–500 nm) and splats (typically 200–2000 nm), which lead to its nano-porous and homogeneous microstructure. The YSZ coating characteristics were also found to correlate well with the above results.


The need for alternative child care in Nigeria and other developing societies around the world is crucial given the increasing reports and studies on the negative impact of institutional care on child development. Children living in institutions often lack individual care and are cut-off from their communities and cultural identity. Such children also do not experience care in a family environment, hence the need for family-based alternatives. Alternative care such as adoption, community-based care, family strengthening, formal foster care, Islamic Kafalah, kinship fostering, and the likes may be considerably better for vulnerable children than institutional care. This paper is based on field work experience, review of relevant literature and studies on alternative child care system. The reviewers seek to rekindle not just an academic discourse in the field of social work but also a programme development innovation for social workers in the field of child welfare. Findings from the review suggest a range of family-based alternative child care that social workers in Nigeria and other developing societies may well consider in practice and programme intervention. Rethinking institutional care using suitable alternatives may help prevent unnecessary separation and reduce the number of vulnerable children going into institutional care.


A paper by Harley et al in Nature Genetics provides an important new perspective on the mechanisms by which infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can promote autoimmunity and, in particular, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).1 An interest in the role of EBV in lupus pathogenesis has a long history beginning in the 1970s with observations that patients with SLE have increased titres of anti-EBV antibodies.2 Subsequent studies have strengthened the link between EBV and SLE as well as other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS).3 To many investigators, the question has not been whether EBV infection can lead to autoimmunity but rather how since the evidence for causality appears high.

Like other autoimmune diseases, SLE is likely the outcome of an encounter of a genetically susceptible individual with an environmental trigger such as an infection. With EBV, classic epidemiology faces a major challenge since infection with this virus, a member of the herpes family, is almost invariable in the adult population.3 While the study of disease associations in children can be informative because of their lower infection rate,4 it is difficult if not impossible to sort adults into infected and uninfected bins to investigate disease associations. Furthermore, it is always possible that abnormalities that predispose to autoimmunity also predispose to infection with EBV, complicating the situation further.

Given the limitations of epidemiology, investigators have explored other mechanisms by which EBV can trigger disease. One of the …


Abstract. An innovative temperature sonde, equipped with an ultra thin tungsten wire (10 μm in diameter), has been developed to meet the scientific requirements suitable for climate change research. The response time, shorter than 40 ms achieved at the altitude of 30 km, enables the temperature observations with the radiation correction of less than 0.5 K in the whole observation range. Test flights during the development stage reveal significant artificial perturbations in the observed temperature profiles. They are identified as the thermal contamination arising primarily from radiosonde package box with some additional effect from the launching balloon. The modification of the sensor mount successfully removed the contribution from the former effect. On the other hand, some filtering procedure need to be applied to remove the latter, although the use of a long suspension line will be effective. There remain unavoidable small fluctuations (less than 0.4 K) that are brought about by the solid angle modulation of the illumination against the sensor body in the daytime. While conventional radiation correction may unintentionally have taken a part of such contaminations into account, they may not be properly corrected in existing radiosonde data, as the origin of errors has not been identified. Our tungsten sonde that scarcely relies on the ambiguous correction procedures will be ideal for serving as a kind of an international reference.


Introduction: Cluster of differentiation 64 (CD64) is expressed on neutrophils during bacterial infections and sepsis. The aim of our study was to assess the CD64 expression in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) with a triage diagnosis of acute respiratory failure (ARF) and/or dyspnea and to verify a relationship between its value and the presence of infection. Methods: We assessed neutrophil CD64 expression in peripheral blood of patients admitted to the ED with a diagnosis of ARF and/or dyspnea from September 2012 to April 2013. We measured CD64 index by flow cytometry (Leuko64™ kit) and classified patients as infected within 12 hours from admission, without an infection within 12 hours but infected within 72 hours from admission, and not infected. The primary outcome was differentiating CD64 values of patients with a diagnosis of infection within 12 hours and 72 hours from admission, from those of patients without a diagnosis of infection. The secondary outcome was verifying a relationship between CD64 values and patients' characteristics, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and intensive care unit admission. Results: Of 212 patients included in the study, 40.1% were classified as infected within 12 hours from admission, 20.3% were without an infection 12 hours after admission but were infected within 72 hours, and 39.6% were not infected. The median CD64 index was higher in patients with an infection on admission (CD64 index: 3.58) than in those not considered infected (CD64 index: 1.37), P,0.0001. Among patients not infected at admission, the CD64 index was higher in those with an infection detected during the following hours of observation (CD64 index: 2.75) than in patients without a diagnosis of infection (CD64 index: 1.28), P,0.0001. A CD64 index .3.65 showed a sensitivity of 94.6%, a specificity of 86.8%, and an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.952 for prediction of intensive care unit admission. Conclusion: CD64 index could represent a useful diagnostic tool for differential diagnosis of ARF in the ED.


PURPOSE
To compare the effects of the 16-wk training period (2 d.wk(-1)) of resistance training alone (S), endurance training alone (E), or combined resistance (once weekly) and endurance (once weekly) training (SE) on muscle mass, maximal strength and power of the leg and arm extensor muscles, and maximal workload (Wmax) by using a incremental cycling test in older men.

METHODS
Thirty-one healthy men (65-74 yr) were divided into three treatment groups to train 2x wk(-1) for 16 wk: S (N = 10), E (N = 11), or SE (N = 10; 1x wk(-1) S + 1x wk(-1) E). The subjects were tested at 8-wk intervals (i.e., weeks 8 and 16).

RESULTS
There were no significant differences between S- and SE-induced muscle hypertrophy (11% and 11%) and maximal strength (41% and 38%) gains of the legs as well as between E- and SE-induced Wmax (28% and 23%) gains. The increase in arm strength in S (36%) was greater than that recorded in SE (22%) and greater than that recorded in E (0%).

CONCLUSIONS
Prolonged combined resistance and endurance training in older men seemed to lead to similar gains in muscle mass, maximal strength, and power of the legs as resistance training alone and to similar gains in maximal peak power output measured in an incremental cycling test as endurance training alone. These findings may have an effect on how resistance exercise is prescribed to older adults.


Fossil medusoids identified as Cyclomedusa davidi?, Beltanelliformis brunsae, and cf. Sekwia excentrica are reported from Late Precambrian strata in the Wernecke Mountains. They are representatives of the Ediacaran fauna, the oldest assemblage of cosmopolitan metazoans, and are only the third such occurrence in Canada. In addition, specimens broadly resembling the problematic structure Rugoinfractus ovruchensis, previously known only from the Precambrian of the Ukraine, are reported from the Lower Cambrian of the nearby Mackenzie Mountains.


This paper presents two novel estimation methods that are designed to enhance our ability of observing, positioning, and physically transforming the objects and/or biological structures in micromanipulation tasks. In order to effectively monitor and position the microobjects, an online calibration method with submicron precision via a recursive least square solution is presented. To provide the adequate information to manipulate the biological structures without damaging the cell or tissue during an injection, a nonlinear spring-mass-damper model is introduced and mechanical properties of a zebrafish embryo are obtained. These two methods are validated on a microassembly workstation and the results are evaluated quantitatively.


Environmental pollution is an ever-growing problem in today's consumer world. Disposal of chemicals and their unwanted by-products into the natural environment poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health. The receiving natural environment is a sink to chemical mixtures and this triggers a range of potential environmental and health problems. It is therefore imperative to develop rapid reliable techniques for initial screening and establishment of toxic potential and risks. The selection of the catchment study locations in Tasmania (creeks stream and rivers) was the result of recorded observations following rainfall of anomalous oyster population mortality and adverse human health in the geographical catchment area. A biological impact was identified in the study area but the casual agents and environmental triggers were unclear hence the need for in vitro toxicology assessment techniques for identifying the triggers and risks associated with exposure to environmental contaminants. The aim of this paper is to present findings of in vitro cytotoxicity assays and their potential in assessing contaminated river water toxicity using human cell cultures. The key to the approach adopted was to investigate exposure to the environmental pollutants and generate human toxicity profiles with a high degree of confidence using cell viability and damage as end points. Furthermore, correlation of the toxicity results using human cell cultures as ecological receptors in the study area clearly indicated the usefulness of and sensitivity of human-derived cells in detecting the toxicity of unknown chemical mixtures.


Medical imaging is a relevant field of application of image processing algorithms. In particular, the analysis of white blood cell (WBC) images has engaged researchers from fields of medicine and computer vision alike. Since WBCs can be approximated by a quasicircular form, a circular detector algorithm may be successfully applied. This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic detection of white blood cells embedded into complicated and cluttered smear images that considers the complete process as a circle detection problem. The approach is based on a nature-inspired technique called the electromagnetism-like optimization (EMO) algorithm which is a heuristic method that follows electromagnetism principles for solving complex optimization problems. The proposed approach uses an objective function which measures the resemblance of a candidate circle to an actual WBC. Guided by the values of such objective function, the set of encoded candidate circles are evolved by using EMO, so that they can fit into the actual blood cells contained in the edge map of the image. Experimental results from blood cell images with a varying range of complexity are included to validate the efficiency of the proposed technique regarding detection, robustness, and stability.


In recent years, there has been an increasing demand from nuclear safety research for best estimate predictions to be provided with their confidence bounds. Consequently, a deep knowledge on Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of Models is needed. The present study, involved in the framework of international research of NEA-OECD, estimates confidence bounds of results of simulation and performs sensitivity and uncertainty analysis in real cases of Light Water Reactors (LWRs). The proposed technical approach is to establish a benchmark for uncertainties analysis in LWRs best-estimate modelling, coupling multi-physics and multi-scale analysis, using as bases, a complete sets of input specifications of boiling water reactors (BWR) and pressurized water reactors (PWR). The objective is to determine and quantify the uncertainty in all steps of calculation and propagate these uncertainties in LWR whole computation. Transport Calculations are carried out using the SCALE-6.2beta3 program (TRITON/NEWT and TRITON/KENO modules) as well as Monte Carlo SERPENT code. The uncertainties calculation for a PWR 15×15 and a BWR 7×7 fuel elements, in two different configurations (with and without control rod), and two different states, Hot Full Power (HFP) and Hot Zero Power (HZP), has been performed using the TSUNAMI module, which uses the Generalized Perturbation Theory (GPT), and SAMPLER, which uses stochastic sampling techniques for cross sections perturbations. Nuclear data are perturbed and finally the sensitivity coefficients are calculated to discriminate the most sensitive and influential parameters in results of the keff and macroscopic and microscopic cross sections. The results obtained and validated are compared with references results and similar studies presented in the exercise I-1 (Cell Physics) and I-2 (Lattice Physics) of UAM-Benchmark.


Boron (B) deficiency is widespread in the northeastern Anatolian region of Turkey. This could impact the production and quality of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Karaerik). A field experiment was conducted for determining the optimum economic B rate (OEBR), critical soil test, and tissue B values for yield and quality response of grapevine to B fertilizer application method (foliar and soil) at 5 doses (0, 1, 3, 9, and 12 kg B/ha) for 2 years. OEBR of foliar and soil application ranged from 6.4 to 8.5 kg B/ha with an average yield of 20.2-12.8 t/ha, respectively. The average soil B content at the OEBR was 0.32-2.52 mg/kg. Leaf tissue B content amounted to 98.9 and 64.4 mg/kg, and berry B content amounted to 21.4 and 12.9 mg/kg for foliar and soil application methods, respectively. Independently of application method, B application increased tissue N, Ca, Mg, P, K, and Zn, yet decreased Fe, Mn, and Cu content. We concluded that a B addition of 6.4 kg/ha for foliar application and 8.5 kg/ha for soil application is sufficient to elevate soil B to nondeficient levels.


Double-winding AC-DC Generator are being widely used in self-contained electrical power systems for their obvious virtues. On their stator, two separate windings are distributed, one three-phase winding delivers AC power and the other twelve-phase winding, termed DC windings, are connected to the bridge rectifier to supply DC power. Unlike ordinary three-phase machines, there are four layers winding in each stator slot of the Double-winding AC-DC Generator and the total gap magnetic potential produced by the twelve-phase winding is more complex than 3-phase machines. By analyzing the leakage magnetic flux and the magnetic potential, relevant formulas are derived to calculate the leakage reactance of the machines. All the stator leakage reactance of a realistic Double-winding AC-DC Generator was calculated through the methods presented and the simulation of a sudden shortcut test of the machine was carried out with the parameters calculated. The simulation and test results agree quite well, and show that the formulas presented are correct.


Recent experimental studies in animals and humans provide strong evidence that cholecystokinin (CCK) acts via cholinergic pathways to mediate pancreatic enzyme secretion. These studies indicate that the sites of CCK's action to stimulate pancreatic secretion are dose dependent. Doses of CCK that produce physiological plasma CCK levels act via stimulation of the vagal afferent pathway originating from the gastroduodenal mucosa, whereas doses that produce supraphysiological CCK levels act to stimulate intrapancreatic neurons and pancreatic acini. These CCK-sensitive fibers are also responsive to a wide range of chemical and osmotic stimuli. In this manner, gastrointestinal afferents responding to hormones such as CCK and the ever-changing chemical and physical luminal environment provide sensory information to the central nervous system, which in turn stimulates pancreatic secretion via a vagal cholinergic pathway.


Hirsutism affects 5-8% of the whole female population. It results either from an increase in circulating androgen concentrations, an increase in the sensitivity of the pilosebaceous unit to normal androgen concentrations or a combination of these factors. Polycystic ovary syndrome is the underlying cause in the vast majority of patients with hirsutism; however, it should be kept in mind that it can only be diagnosed after exclusion of some other diseases such as non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing's syndrome, hyperprolactinemia and acromegaly. The most important purpose for investigation is to identify those women with pathologies that can be potentially life threatening either due to their systemic effects or malignant potential. Specific causes of hirsutism such as Cushing's syndrome and adrenal/ovarian tumors should be treated by surgical excision of the tumor. In the other patients, pharmacological approach is the mainstay of the therapy. Antiandrogens can be competitive antagonists of the androgen receptor (spironolactone, cyproterone acetate, flutamide) or inhibitors of 5-α reductase, which decrease the conversion of testosterone to the more potent androgen 5-α dihydrotestosterone (finasteride). Antiandrogens should be used only after ensuring safe nonhormonal contraception to avoid fetal male pseudohermaphroditism in case of unplanned pregnancy.


In this study, the effects of different levels (0%, 8%, 16%, 23% and 32%) of Sorghum vulgare (0.7%) containing low tannen added to the rations of lambs in place of barley on live weight gain, concentrate consumption, feed efficiency, digestibility of total dry matter of feeds and wool quality in lambs were examined. Forty-five 2.5-month-old Akkaraman lambs were used in the study. The experiment lasted 56 days. The groups were fed 71% barley (control group), 62% barley + 8% sorghum (group 1), 53% barley + 16% sorghum (group 2), 48.3% barley + 23% sorghum (group 3), and 41% barley + 32% sorghum (group 4). The average final weights were 29.76, 32.62, 37.80, 38.24 and 37.72 kg, respectively in the groups. The average live weight in the control and group 1 was significantly lower than those of the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). The average daily live weight gains of the groups were 142, 199, 275, 273 and 262 g, respectively. The average final weight and daily live weight gain of the control group and group 1 were lower than those of the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). The average concentrate consumption of the groups was 873, 1184, 1484, 1417 and 1440 g, respectively. The average feed consumption per kg of live weight gain in the groups was 6.148, 5.950, 5.396, 5.190 and 5.496 kg, respectively. The digestibility rates of total dry matter in the groups were 62.18, 71.38, 68.09, 71.25 and 69.00%, respectively. There were significant differences between the groups in terms of digestibility rates (P < 0.05). The wool quality in samples obtained from the hip area was determined at the beginning and end of the study. In conclusion, the addition of sorghum low containing tannen to the concentrates at the rate of 16%, 23% and 32% has a positive effect on the live weight gain, feed consumption, feed efficiency and digestibility of total dry matter. Sorghum addition has no similar effect on wool quality.


The functional unit of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoproteins is a trimer composed of three gp120 exterior glycoproteins and three gp41 transmembrane glycoproteins. The lability of intersubunit interactions has hindered the production and characterization of soluble, homogeneous envelope glycoprotein trimers. Here we report three modifications that stabilize soluble forms of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers: disruption of the proteolytic cleavage site between gp120 and gp41, introduction of cysteines that form intersubunit disulfide bonds, and addition of GCN4 trimeric helices. Characterization of these secreted glycoproteins by immunologic and biophysical methods indicates that these stable trimers retain structural integrity. The efficacy of the GCN4 sequences in stabilizing the trimers, the formation of intersubunit disulfide bonds between appropriately placed cysteines, and the ability of the trimers to interact with a helical, C-terminal gp41 peptide (DP178) support a model in which the N-terminal gp41 coiled coil exists in the envelope glycoprotein precursor and contributes to intersubunit interactions within the trimer. The availability of stable, soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers should expedite progress in understanding the structure and function of the virion envelope glycoprotein spikes.


The 2015 Outburst of V404 Cygni is an unusual one with several X-ray and radio flares and rapid variation in the spectral and timing properties. The outburst occurred after $26$ years of inactivity of the black hole. We study the accretion flow properties of the source during its initial phase of the outburst using {\it Swift}/XRT and {\it Swift}/BAT data in the energy range of $0.5-150$ keV. We have done spectral analysis with the two-component advective flow (TCAF) model fits file. Several flow parameters such as two types of accretion rates (Keplerian disk and sub-Keplerian halo), shock parameters (location and compression ratio) are extracted to understand the accretion flow dynamics. We calculated equipartition magnetic field $B$ for the outburst and found that the highest $B \sim 900$~Gauss. Power density spectra (PDS) showed no break, which indicates no or very less contribution of the Keplerian disk component, which is also seen from the result of the spectral analysis. No signature of prominent quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) is observed in the PDS. This is due to the mismatch of the cooling timescale and infall timescale of the post-shock matter.


This comprehensive new study gives a full account of the formulation of British economic policy in the twentieth century, drawing on the most recent research based on documents made available under the thirty-year rule to give detailed insight into policy-making in the 1950s and bringing the narrative right up to the end of the 1980s. The book offers both a lucid narrative description of the evolution of policy from the turn of the century through the First World War, recovery, the Depression, the Second War and its aftermath, the `Keynesian Revolution', and the shifts and about-turns of more recent decades, and a coherent analysis of these processes. Covering both macro and micro issues, the text is structured in such a way as to give due weight to all the various influences at work: institutional aspects, such as the changing role of policy-making ministries, as well as political debate and economic theory.


DOI: 10.7764/RDLC.17.2.258 The major employer in Turkish construction sector is the public and the selection of contractor within the public sector is implemented in accordance with the regulations. Sound utilization of public resources in developing countries with certain development plans is very important; also the establishment of transparency and competition in public procurement increases saving and encourages the correct usage of tax revenues. Within this context, keeping the quality while increasing the level of competition and having successful public investments will be possible by selecting the most ideal contractor. The key for success in public investments on construction projects is to provide the minimum project cost with the ability to reach at the required quality level within the determined period; and therefore some criteria other than the amount of bid should be determined for construction tenders and the evaluation should be one within the scope of such criteria in order to select the contractor. A fuzzy logic methodology is used within the scope of this study, in which the criteria except the price are evaluated with the help of a model and the verbal terms are modeled.


Islamic religious settings (IRS) may be useful places to implement obesity interventions for Muslims. However, little is known about the level and nature of such activity in these settings. We searched bibliographic databases and grey literature, and requested grey information from Muslim organizations, local councils, and mosques in 13 selected areas in the United Kingdom. Thirty‐five interventions were identified; most were poorly described and not evaluated. Twenty‐seven interventions focused on physical activity behaviours, four on diet behaviours, one on both behaviours, and seven addressed long‐term conditions associated with obesity. Most interventions were led by volunteers from the congregation/faith leaders and were funded through donations from congregants or charity organizations. The evidence suggests that health promotion interventions in IRS have a relatively high reach. Obesity interventions are commonly delivered in UK IRS. Most target physical activity behaviours, are instigated and led by volunteers from the congregation or faith leaders, receive no public funding, and are only recorded in people's memories. High‐quality evaluations of well‐specified interventions in this context are needed. We suggest that the methods used in this review, including the learning around positionality of researchers, could be adopted by other researchers as a way to locate opportunities for effective community‐level interventions.


MERC Global's International Journal of Management (MERC Global's IJM) is an international peer-reviewed quarterly journal of managerial science , being brought out with a view to facilitating effective dissemination of the latest thinking and research with respect to various management issues and problem solving methodology relevant for practicing executives as well as for academicians and researchers working in the field of management around the globe. MERC Global's IJM publishes articles, research papers, abstracts of doctoral dissertations, book reviews, case studies, short communications and bibliography that are interdisciplinary in nature as well as those within the major disciplines, including: marketing, OB/HR, entrepreneurship, production, operations, accounting, finance,  business economics , international business, information technology management, social sector management, public sector management, healthcare management, management strategy, research methods, and so forth. MERC Global's International Journal of Management is a quarterly journal published each year in the month of  January ,  April ,  July and  October .


Gaslighting—a type of psychological abuse aimed at making victims seem or feel "crazy," creating a "surreal" interpersonal environment—has captured public attention. Despite the popularity of the term, sociologists have ignored gaslighting, leaving it to be theorized by psychologists. However, this article argues that gaslighting is primarily a sociological rather than a psychological phenomenon. Gaslighting should be understood as rooted in social inequalities, including gender, and executed in power-laden intimate relationships. The theory developed here argues that gaslighting is consequential when perpetrators mobilize gender-based stereotypes and structural and institutional inequalities against victims to manipulate their realities. Using domestic violence as a strategic case study to identify the mechanisms via which gaslighting operates, I reveal how abusers mobilize gendered stereotypes; structural vulnerabilities related to race, nationality, and sexuality; and institutional inequalities against victims to erode their realities. These tactics are gendered in that they rely on the association of femininity with irrationality. Gaslighting offers an opportunity for sociologists to theorize under-recognized, gendered forms of power and their mobilization in interpersonal relationships.


In recent years Mobile adhoc network (MANET) an infrastructureless network has gained popularity and lot of research is being done on different aspects of MANET. Routing protocols in MANET are classified as proactive protocol where in every node maintains routing table which contains information about the network topology even without requiring it and reactive protocol where route is discovered wherever it is needed. The Warning Energy Awareness clusterhead (WEAC) is one of the reactive protocol wherein a mobile node is elected from a set of nominees to act as a temporary base station for a period of time within its zone. In each cluster, a token is used to assign the channel among contending Mobile Terminals (MTs). After one or more transmissions, if the energy level of the base station gets low, then it will give warning to conduct another Election. The advantage of WEAC Protocol is the clusterhead which supports multiple classes of services and also manages to minimize collisions. It adopts well to large networks of mobile station and in non-real time traffic. Video transmission over MANET is very challengeable when compared to other wireless network, due to bandwidth fluctuation, frequency difference, channel fading etc. WEAC protocol is more suitable for video transmission. In this research work, the performance of video transmission through WEAC protocol has been enhanced using different methods. In the first method, Virtual Base Station (VBS) is designed to run on top of the WEAC Protocol to speed up packet delivery and improves throughput. In the second method the WEAC-VBS method is improved through zone routing approach to reduce the time. In the next method Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) mechanism is proposed in the WEAC protocol to reduce the errors. In order to achieve the required quality of service in video transmission, Priority Queuing mechanism is proposed in the WEAC protocol. Compression of data using Huffman code is proposed in the WEAC Protocol to reduce the storage space and to increase the speed of transmission. The performance evaluation of the proposed methods proves the efficiency of the algorithms developed. The significant results obtained in this research work ensures the improvement of WEAC Protocol for video transmission in MANET.


Abstract: Schistosoma mansoni glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (SG3PDH), peroxiredoxin (TPX), and other larval excretory–secretory products (ESP) essentially induce T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 immune responses during a non-protective natural infection. Such an immune environment promotes production of nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide by interferon-γ–activated monocytes and interleukin (IL)-17–mediated recruitment and activation of neutrophils; however, it also likely prevents engagement of eosinophils and basophils in the hunt for developing larvae. We reasoned that polarizing ESP-induced immune responses toward a Th2 phenotype, via the use of cysteine proteases or type-2 cytokines, would lead to almost total parasite elimination. Accordingly, outbred mice were immunized with 10 μg recombinant SG3PDH and 15 μg TPX-derived peptide together with 10 μg papain, or 200 ng thymic stromal lymphopoietin, IL-25, or IL-33 as an adjuvant. Two weeks later, untreated mice, adjuvant controls, and immunized mice were challenged with 100 or 125 cercariae. Results of 6 experiments indicated that these formulations elicited IgM, IgG1, and IgA specific antibodies, and an increase in ex vivo spleen cells release of IL-4 and IL-5 correlated with highly significant (up to P < 0.0001) reduction of 62 to 78% in challenge worm burden. Improvement of ESP selection, singly or in a combination, and immunization regimen, namely ESP and type-2 cytokine dose and injection site and schedule, could lead to a sterilizing schistosomiasis vaccine in the foreseeable future.


E-commerce sales surge represents a huge challenge for urban freight transport. Parcel lockers constitute a valid solution for addressing the challenges home deliveries imply. In fact, eliminating courier-consumer contact (also relevant for health-related issues, as made evident by COVID19 pandemic) and delivering in few predefined places might help coping with missed deliveries substantially. Furthermore, this option enables consolidated shipping and reducing delivery trip costs. This paper analyses and compares consumers' preferences for alternative collection strategies. It investigates home delivery vs parcel locker use and forecasts their future market shares. This is performed based on both customers' socio-economic variables and attributes characterising these alternative logistic fulfilment strategies. The case study considered rests upon a stated preference survey deployed in the city of Rome. The investigation specifically targets young people (i.e., population under 30 years) since they represent early adopters. Discrete choice models allow both quantifying the monetary value of parcel lockers attributes (i.e., willingness to pay measures) and estimating the potential demand for this innovative delivery scheme. Results show that distance and accessibility are the main choice determinants. Furthermore, there is an overall high propensity to adopt parcel lockers. This research can support policymakers when implementing such solutions.


We have performed an ab initio study of the structural, electronic, dynamical and thermal properties of the cubic AuCu3-type YSn3 and YPb3 by using the density functional theory, plane-wave pseudopotential method and a linear response scheme, within the generalized gradient approximation. An analysis of the electronic density of states at the Fermi level is found to be governed by the p states of Sn and Pb atoms with some contributions from the d states of Y atoms. The obtained phonon figures indicate that these material are dynamically stable in the cubic structure. Due to the metallic behavior of the compounds, the calculated zone-center phonon modes are triply degenerate. Also the thermal properties have been examined.


This report presents the results of the first archaeological surveys in Limpopo National Park (Parque Nacional do Limpopo - PNL) in Mozambique.We discuss the different categories of sites, their research potential, and the possible relative ages. Sites dating from the Early Stone Age (ESA) to the Later Stone Age (LSA) have been identified as farming community settlements from both the first and second millennium AD. PNL is of particular interest when it comes to hunter-gatherer and farmer interactions, as foraging communities were reported in the area until the 1870s, and we raise the potential of further studies to elucidate this interaction.


Whereas serotonin and substance P stimulate in‐vivo and in‐vitro myoelectric activity in the small intestine, their effects on transit are unclear. We used a validated in‐vivo transit model in the chloral hydrate‐anaesthetized rat to study the effects of serotonin, substance P and motilin, three putative mediators of carcinoid diarrhoea, on transit through the upper digestive tract. Intra‐arterial serotonin accelerated gastric emptying of a radiolabeled liquid, while motilin accelerated overall upper gastrointestinal transit. Substance P slowed overall upper gastrointestinal transit without altering gastric emptying. The antagonists to serotonin receptor subtypes, R‐zacopride (5‐HT3) and ketanserin (5‐HT2), also accelerated rat gastric emptying of liquids; in contrast, a 5‐HT4 agonist, SC53116, resulted in a less pronounced effect on gastric emptying at the dose tested. We conclude that circulating substance P is unlikely to be an important accelerator of transit through the upper digestive tract; in contrast, hyperserotoninaemia significantly accelerates transit through the stomach, and 5‐HT2 and 5‐HT3 receptor subtypes may play a role in the motor effects of serotonin in the stomach.


Cuttings from 10 cultivars of Vitis vinifera L., one of Vitis labrusca , and one French hybrid were taken, after cessation of winter dormancy, from six vineyards into seven controlled temperature regimes with day/night temperatures of 10/5°C to 30/25°C. Rates of budbreak and leaf appearance were used to estimate base temperatures for each cultivar. Base temperatures for budbreak ranged from 0.4°C to 4.6°C (mean 3.5°C), and for leaf appearance they ranged from 5.0°C to 8.0°C (mean 7.1°C). The two methods used to determine base temperature, extrapolation, and minimal coefficient of variation, gave similar results. Predictions were made of budbreak dates and of leaf numbers using relationships derived from the controlled-temperature results. Predicted dates of budbreak in four vineyards were within six days of observed dates in nine out of the 10 cases tested. Leaf numbers closely followed observed values up to the stage of flowering and fruit set. It is suggested that base temperatures of 4°C for the budbreak phase and 7°C for the leaf appearance phase should be used for grape in place of the currently accepted value of 10°C.


Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) manufactured in Anniston, Alabama, from 1929 to 1971 caused significant environmental contamination. The Anniston population remains one of the most highly exposed in the world. Objectives: Reports of increased diabetes in PCB-exposed populations led us to examine possible associations in Anniston residents. Methods: Volunteers (n = 774) from a cross-sectional study of randomly selected households and adults who completed the Anniston Community Health Survey also underwent measurements of height, weight, fasting glucose, lipid, and PCB congener levels and verification of medications. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the relationships between PCBs and diabetes, adjusting for diabetes risk factors. Participants with prediabetes were excluded from the logistic regression analyses. Results: Participants were 47% African American, 70% female, with a mean age of 54.8 years. The prevalence of diabetes was 27% in the study population, corresponding to an estimated prevalence of 16% for Anniston overall; the PCB body burden of 35 major congeners ranged from 0.11 to 170.42 ppb, wet weight. The adjusted OR comparing the prevalence of diabetes in the fifth versus first quintile of serum PCB was 2.78 (95% CI: 1.00, 7.73), with similar associations estimated for second through fourth quintiles. In participants < 55 years of age, the adjusted OR for diabetes for the highest versus lowest quintile was 4.78 (95% CI: 1.11, 20.6), whereas in those ≥ 55 years of age, we observed no significant associations with PCBs. Elevated diabetes prevalence was observed with a 1 SD increase in log PCB levels in women (OR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.28); a decreased prevalence was observed in men (OR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.33, 1.41). Conclusions: We observed significant associations between elevated PCB levels and diabetes mostly due to associations in women and in individuals < 55 years of age.


Understanding reflection is one of the key competences in graphic arts industry. A very popular approach was given by Kubelka andMunk [1931] who derived a simple relationship between the scattering and absorption coefficients and the overall reflectance. This paper presents an alternative approach which describes the behavior of light in matter as a special kind of random walk.


Labour relations in the West German and British chemical industries are investigated by means of a comparative empirical research design incorporating surveys of primary and secondary sources, unstructured focused interviews and a questionnaire survey. It was hypothesised that the technology, industrial organisation and economic development of the chemical industry significantly influence the practice of labour relations in the industry. However, other factors including political and legislative developments and management policies were also found to have a considerable influence on chemical industrial relations. Hence, no simple statement of the main factors which affect labour relations in chemicals is possible although the initial hypothesis was confirmed. The study concentrates upon an investigation of labour relations in the West German chemical industry. Particular emphasis is given to analysis of collective bargaining and workplace industrial relations, the latter based primarily on case study information. In addition, the development and current role of management, trade unions and employers' associations active in chemicals is investigated. Furthermore, the structure of the chemical industry and the importance of co-determination in this industry is reviewed. In Part Two, this analysis forms the basis for the comparison of labour relations in the West German and British chemical industries. The following conclusions emerge from this comparison; 1. Chemical labour relations are characterised in both countries by effective joint regulatory disputes procedures which contribute to the low incidence of official and unofficial stoppages. 2. Union organisation is generally weak, particularly at the workplace, unless management policies and state intervention provide support for the unions. 3. The state has played a crucial role in the development of chemical labour relations in both countries. 4. Management policies have until recently displayed remarkable similarities. In conclusion, general hypotheses on chemical labour relations are developed.


Date of Award Spring 2001 Document Type Thesis Department Languages & Literature First Advisor Debra Bernardi Second Advisor Kay Satre Third Advisor Murphy Fox Abstract This paper is divided into three sections. The initial portion of this project looks to scholarly historians and literary critics for insight into western women's stereotypes and those elements that contribute to women's disillusionment, betrayal and ultimate crisis. I investigate those environmental factors integral to the western landscape: the climate and natural phenomena that add to the difficulties women run up against in this place. Finally I examine theorists' and historians' perspectives on creativity and the western woman as a means of coping with the strains of living in the West. The second section of the project offers analysis of B. M. Bower's Lonesome. Landand her protagonist, Valeria Peyson Fleetwood, and then turns to the papers ofPearl Unglesbee Danniel, a homesteader to eastern Montana in the early 1900s. The final component of the paper is memoir: the story of my mother's western experience as seen through my eyes. One wonders about truth or validity in such a narrative and I can only answer —it is my truth. It is how I witnessed and interpreted happenings as a young child, until now. My mother's experience varies from the others as it doesn't exactly follow the script of the traditional western woman, but it is no less valuable and no less disturbing. It is a love story gone wrong and all that follows. This thesis invites the reader to rethink and redefine the "frail western woman" so as to validate her experience and her frailty, in fact and fiction. Recommended Citation Burgoyne, Cathi, "The Emotional Unraveling of Women In Selected American Western Narratives Fact and Fiction" (2001). Languages and Literature Undergraduate Theses. 6. https://scholars.carroll.edu/langlit_theses/6  Download


This little book contains plot summaries of the comedies of Aristophanes, accompanied by a small amount of background information, some of which is misleading, ('the people sat on the hard stone seats from dawn till dusk'), and a helping of literary interpretation, ("When Dionysus compares his need for Euripides to Heracles' longing for pea soup, he trivializes and therefore dispels the seriousness of human pain'). The summaries are for the most part accurate, although it is disturbing to see that Aeacus still has a role at Frogs 738 ff., but quite unhelpful to anyone who has actually read the plays. The valuable parts of the book are those in which S. is very dependent, and rightly so, upon Dover's Aristophanic Comedy.


A total of 108 patients with heart failure-complicated disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis were followed up. Fifty eight patients received combined therapy including the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril in a daily dose of 0.25-0.50 mg for 1.5-2 months. Fifty ramipril-untreated patients comprised a control group. Examinations revealed the benefits of the agent in decompensatory chronic cor pulmonale as improved right ventricular systolic and diastolic functions and health in the patients.


Many of the collective activities performed by social insects result in the formation of complex spatio–temporal patterns. Without centralized control, workers are able to work together and collectively tackle tasks far beyond the abilities of any one individual. The resulting patterns produced by a colony are not explicitly coded at the individual level, but rather emerge from nonlinear interactions between individuals or between individuals and their environment. We present a few selected examples to illustrate some of the basic mechanisms used by social insects, such as templates, stigmergy and self–organization. These mechanisms can be used in combination to organize pattern formation at the colony level.


With the opening of more Arctic shipping routes, the motivation to design safe and
efficient ice-going ships has increased. Recently, knowledge of ship-ice interactions
and the mechanics of icebreaking processes has improved through numerous fullscale
studies; however, the understanding of precise ice-induced pressures and load
heights requires refinement to improve design methods.
This thesis aims to further the development of an inverse engineering method to
determine the nature of ice loads experienced by ships. The method uses full-scale
strain measurements to estimate local pressures on the ship's structures. The data
studied in this thesis was collected on the oblique icebreaker Baltika while operating
in the Russian Arctic over a two-year period.
The inverse method uses an influence coefficient matrix to relate the measured strain
to the input pressure load. Using FEM, strain response functions are fitted at each
sensor to generate the terms of the influence coefficient matrix. An optimisation
routine is used to solve the inverse force-strain relationship and predict the load
patch shape and pressure induced by the ice impact.
The hourly maximum strain measurements are identified and analysed to estimate
the applied load and contact area during ice impact events. A general analysis of
250 significant impact events reveals that the applied pressure is on the order of
10-25 MPa and the load height is on the order of 1-3 cm. The detailed analysis of 98
individual impact events demonstrates that the load height during impact remains
markedly constant for the duration of the contact. Furthermore, the pressure distribution
between load carrying structures is investigated. Based on the results, the
pressure distribution between structural members is random and independent of the
supporting structure.


Neutrophils play a crucial role in establishing inflammation in response to an infection or injury, but their production rates, as well as blood and tissue residence times, remain poorly characterized under these conditions. Herein, using a biomaterial implant model to establish inflammation followed by in vivo tracking of newly formed neutrophils, we determine neutrophil kinetics under inflammatory conditions. To obtain quantifiable information from our experimental observations, we develop an ordinary differential equation-based mathematical model to extract kinetic parameters. Our data show that in the presence of inflammation resulting in emergency granulopoiesis-like conditions, neutrophil maturation time in the bone marrow and half-life in the blood reduces by about 40%, compared to non-inflammatory conditions. Additionally, neutrophil residence time at the inflammatory site increases by two-fold. Together, these data improve our understanding of neutrophil kinetics under inflammatory conditions, which could pave the way for therapies that focus on modulating in vivo neutrophil dynamics.


This study contributes to the construction of a theory on humanistic leadership in the context of Japanese culture. Although the Japanese management system has been described as human-oriented, there has been limited research on this subject, especially regarding top leaders. This case study focuses on Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic), who devoted his life as a businessperson to investigating human nature. The authors examined how the humanistic approach influenced his beliefs and behaviors, as well as his company's performance. The authors then show how current employees at Panasonic have implemented and interpreted his philosophy.,This research is a qualitative case study. Data were gathered from transcriptions of archived recordings, interviews and Internet documents. They were then coded for analyses.,The findings show how humanistic leadership can succeed via seven behaviors: building a company philosophy aimed at the prosperity of society and the well-being of people, being aware of one's own weaknesses, listening to others, improving oneself, developing people, respecting people and making a profit for society.,The study identifies the behavioral aspects of humanistic leadership for building a leadership theory and provides insight into how Matsushita's leadership characteristics and behaviors are connected to Japanese cultural values.


Developing deep learning techniques for geometric data is an active and fruitful research area. This paper tackles the problem of sphere-type surface learning by developing a novel surface-to-image representation. Using this representation we are able to quickly adapt successful CNN models to the surface setting. The surface-image representation is based on a covering map from the image domain to the surface. Namely, the map wraps around the surface several times, making sure that every part of the surface is well represented in the image. Differently from previous surface-to-image representations, we provide a low distortion coverage of all surface parts in a single image. Specifically, for the use case of learning spherical signals, our representation provides a low distortion alternative to several popular spherical parameterizations used in deep learning. We have used the surface-to-image representation to apply standard CNN architectures to 3D models including spherical signals. We show that our method achieves state of the art or comparable results on the tasks of shape retrieval, shape classification and semantic shape segmentation.


Chemical weathering influences the detrital composition of sand-size sediment derived from source areas subject to different amounts of precipitation in the Coweeta Basin, North Carolina. Of the grain types studied, rock fragments are most sensitive to chemical degradation; therefore, their abundance is the best indicator of cumulative weathering effects. Destruction of sand-size rock fragments by chemical weathering is a function of both the intensity and duration of chemical weathering experienced by grains in regoliths of the source area. In the Coweeta Basin, the intensity of chemical weathering is directly related to the climate via effective precipitation in individual subbasins, whereas the duration of chemical weathering is inversely related to the relief ratio of the watershed. Therefore, soils in watersheds with low-relief ratios and high discharge per unit area experience the most extensive chemical weathering, and sediments derived from these watersheds contain the lowest percentage of rock fragments. The effects of climate alone cannot explain the systematic variation of rock fragment abundance in sediments from the Coweeta Basin. The compositional imprint left on these sediments by chemical weathering is a function of both climate and topographic slope in the sediment source area.


Plasma histamine concentrations (PHCs) were measured serially over 9 months or until death in 11 dogs with mast cell tumors (MCTs). Eight dogs had grossly visible disease and the other 3 dogs had microscopic disease. Initial PHCs in the dogs with gross disease were significantly higher than PHCs in healthy dogs (median, 0.73 ng/mL and 0.19 ng/mL respectively; P < .009), whereas initial PHCs in dogs with microscopic disease showed no difference from controls. Seven dogs subsequently had progressive increases in PHC, and developed hyperhistaminemia (median, 14.0 ng/mL; range, 5.11-30.1 ng/nL). These 7 dogs died from MCTs, and 1 had general weakness with rapid lysis of a large tumor burden after radiation therapy. PHCs of the other 4 dogs were less than 1 ng/mL during the study. These 4 dogs were still alive with adequate control of the tumor at the conclusion of the study. Four of the 11 dogs initially had gastrointestinal (G1) signs, which abated soon after administration of histamine-2 (H-2) blockers. No significant difference was found between PHCs in dogs with GI signs and those without GI signs (median, 0.86 ng/mL and 0.35 ng/mL. respectively). Thereafter, 7 dogs had serious GI complications for which H-2 blocker therapy was ineffective. PHCs in these 7 dogs were extremely high (median, 12.2 ng/mL; range, 3.42-30.1 ng/nL). Results of this study demonsrated that PHC was one factor related to disease progression, and indicated that marked hyperhistaminemia was associated with the GI signs refractory to H-2 blocker therapy in dogs with MCTs.


The outgoing neutron energy spectra from neutron-induced fission of various actinides are important for basic understanding of the fission process near the scission point as well as playing a large role in neutron transport codes, which are heavily relied upon in the design of advanced nuclear reactors and simulations of critical assemblies. The reliability of the results of neutron transport models is a strong function of the quality of the nuclear data used as input. Currently, the world's experimental database of fission neutron spectra is severely incomplete (especially for higher incident neutron energies) with large uncertainties in key portions of the outgoing energy spectra. Many transport codes use evaluated data libraries, which are based on the approach of the Los Alamos model. Other theoretical models have been developed, but the available data cannot distinguish the results of different models (as is the case for 239Pu). Better measurements are needed for all incident and outgoing neutron energies, but most urgently in the low-energy (below 1 MeV) and high-energy (above 6 MeV) portions of the outgoing spectra where theoretical model results differ greatly. We present the design considerations (and some characterization results) of the two Chi-Nu neutron detector arrays: one array of 6Li-glass detectors and one array of liquid-scintillator detectors. These detector arrays are being constructed to meet the challenge of measuring the prompt fission neutron spectra (for a few common actinides) to a higher accuracy and precision than achieved previously and over a larger incident energy range than has been covered by previous experimenters. We see a significant reduction in neutron-scattering backgrounds with our new array designs.


We demonstrate a 4 mum silicon microdisk modulator with a reverse-biased, vertical p-n junction. The modulator demonstrates a power consumption of 85 fJ/bit at a data rate of 10 Gb/s, 3.5 V drive, BER<10-12, and without signal pre-emphasis. High-speed silicon bandpass switches are constructed from pairs of modulators.


This article examines the effects of age, cognition, and discourse skills on the clinical manifestations of formal thought disorder in 31 children with schizophrenia, 14 with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), and 70 who were normal. The communication deficits of the 31 children with schizophrenia have three characteristics: illogical thinking, loose associations, and impaired discourse skills. Loose associations and illogical thinking reflect different aspects of impaired attention/information processing in children with schizophrenia. Only certain aspects of the discourse deficits of the children with schizophrenia are associated with the cognitive measures used in this study. The children with SPD have similar illogical thinking and loose associations scores but a narrower range of discourse deficits than the children with schizophrenia. Implications of the interaction between the clinical, cognitive, and discourse manifestations of the communication deficits of children with schizophrenia are discussed. The possible relationship between these manifestations and positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia are also reviewed.


Objectives: To compare the value of transvaginal ultrasonographic measurement of the cervical length versus the Bishop score, prior to induction of labour, in predicting the mode of delivery within four days. Materials and Methods: This longitudinal study included 110 women (at term, singleton, vertex presentation) in whom induction of labour was performed at 37-42 weeks of gestation. Cervical length on transvaginal ultrasound and the Bishop score were assessed prior to induction according to standard protocol. Medical records were reviewed for relevant demographic and clinical data. Primary outcome criterion was successful vaginal delivery within 96 h. Univariate analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to examine differences between variables possibly predicting outcome. Results: Of the 110 women 66 were nulliparous and 44 multiparous. Vaginal delivery within 96 h was successful in 48 (73%) nulliparous and in 40 (91%) multiparous women ( i.e. in 80% of the total population). The overall rate of caesarean delivery was 17%. There was a significant difference between nulliparous and multiparous women in age, cervical length (mean in mm in nulliparous women: 29.31, range: 5.00-56.00; in multiparous women: 37.04, range: 12.00-56.00), Bishop score and successful induction, but no significant difference between these subgroups in neonatal outcomes. Only the Bishop score in nulliparous women showed a significant relationship between this variable and predicting successful labour induction (area under the ROC curve 0.679; standard error 0.73; p < 0.05; 95% CI: 0.536-0.823). The best cut-off value for the Bishop score was 3, with a sensitivity of 56.3% and a specificity of 72.2%. Conclusion: In this study group significant independent prediction of vaginal delivery within 96 h is provided by the Bishop score but only in nulliparous women. Transvaginal ultrasonographic measurement of cervical length is not a significant independent predictor of vaginal delivery within 96 h.


The article analyzes the main possible dynamics of innovationsystem in enlarged European Union (EU). Thegovernance of the EU innovation policies, underlining thecooperation and emergence of national innovation culturesand governance structures are shown by presenting threepossible scenarios. The main issues concerned in the articleare: the challenges and opportunities in the innovationand science research fields of enlarged EU; the EuropeanResearch Area (ERA) creation, highlighting three componentsof knowledge management: production, disseminationand exploitation of knowledge. Also the article informsabout the Sixth Framework Programme (FP-6) and itsimplementation instruments that are focused on researchand technology activities and innovation. Based on theoreticalassumptions, were examined factors explaining thedifferences of innovation diffusion process in differentcountries, analyzing the impact of country, culture andtime to innovation diffusion. This study emphasizes that theERA is the broad heading for a range of connected policiesthat attempt to ensure the development of European researchand facilitate the research policies of MemberStates in order to improve the efficiency of European researchcapabilities. The final issue identified was to encourageR&D and innovation as part of corporate strategiesand management policies so that they were fully integratedinto the government, education and business sectorsacross the whole EU.


Studying the 8th–12th-century iconography of the Creation offers a possibility to follow the logicof spreading of the iconographic patterns fully or partially on a wide territory of Mediaeval Europe. The most influential of all Early-Christian protographs for Western Europe was the so-called Cotton Genesis. It was the ultimate source of cycles, singular compositions or some separate elements that could be integrated in other scenes with similar subjects belonging to other traditions, e.g. "Roman-type" monuments (frescoes and book illumination of Rome and Lazio) etc. Thus, in the scenes of the First Day of Creation and the Creation of Adam in Carolingian and some later monuments, the figures of angels standing by the Creator may be related to the personifications of the Days of Creation in the Cotton Genesis. The recently discovered 8th–9th-century Langobard frescoes in the Crypt of the Fall near Matera allow us to attribute the first examples of this kind of separate motive migration to Carolingian period. They also mark the Southern border of 'Сottonian' expansion area in Western Europe. The monuments of Rhein-Maas region, including the Verdun homiliary (first quarter of the 12th century), mark the Northern border of this type's expansion.


Abstract Blind signature schemes can prevent the information of a signature and message pair from leaking to the signer. Partially blind signature is a signature of which the message containing some information agreed by the signer and the signature requester is in an unblinded form. To protect the privacy of partially blind signature holders from leaking out by verifiers, we introduced universal designated-verifier partially blind signatures, in which any holder of a partially blind signature can convert the partially blind signature into a designated-verifier signature. Given the designated-verifier signature, only the designated verifier can verify that the message is signed by the signer, but he is unable to convince anyone else of this fact. In this paper, we also proposed a universal designated-verifier partially blind signature scheme from bilinear pairings based on Chow et al.'s public key infrastructure (PKI)-based partially blind signature scheme. Finally, we illustrate the application of the universal designated-verifier partially blind signatures that they can be used in untraceable electronic commerce systems and other trust negotiation systems.


The academic debate about European cooperation on immigration has focused on big
treaty negotiations, presented an undifferentiated picture of the subfields of immigration,
and has only recently begun to make use of the abundant literature on national
immigration policies. As a macrostructure, this study uses a bureaucratic politics
framework to understand the preference formation of national governments on liberalising
economic migration policies. This allows unpacking the process of preference formation
and linking it to a number of causal factors, which, by influencing the cost and benefits
distribution of the relevant actors – intra-ministerial actors, employer associations, trade
unions, and other sub-state actors – shape the position of the government. The influence
of the causal factors is underpinned by different theories derived from the literatures on
Europeanisation, immigration policy-making, and foreign policy. Germany is used as a
longitudinal case study with four cases within it, as it has undergone a U-turn in a way no
other relevant Member State has, from a keen supporter of EU involvement to being highly
sceptical with regard to economic migration policies at the EU level. The empirical data is
based on 43 open-ended interviews, archival research and newspaper analysis.
The bureaucratic politics framework supplanted with the theoretical strands of domestic
politics and foreign policy concerns provides a number of themes that can explain why and
under what conditions a Member State supports liberalising economic migration policies at
the EU level from 1957 until the Treaty of Lisbon. The thesis argues that if the European
policy measure applies to a particular group of sending countries and the domestic
salience of immigration is low, sending countries can lobby Member State governments to
support EU-level liberalisation of immigration policies. The misfit between the existing
national regulations for economic migration and European-level policies cannot be significant as otherwise the economic and political adaptation costs for actors involved are
too high. A heated national debate on immigration is negatively related to governmental
support for such measures as the political costs of support skyrocket. Conversely, if the
decision-making process happens bureaucratically, this helps to attain governmental
support as the political costs of doing so are kept minimal.


Self-organized criticality (SOC) has attracted considerable interest due to its possible wide ranging implications on a broad range of subjects. However, the experimental observation of SOC using stringent criteria has been difficult and the question of the critical parameters to observe SOC remains open. This is partly due to the fact that there are different criteria applied in order to claim SOC. Here we endeavour to study two aspects of this. First of all, we study the influence of the presence of quenched disorder on the appearance of SOC in the vortex dynamics in niobium by changing the amount of hydrogen impurities. Furthermore, we study whether the roughness properties of the pile surface can be used as a criterion for the appearance of SOC on a par with the observation of finite-size scaling. For this purpose, we compare the roughness and dynamic exponents of the vortex landscape to the avalanche size distribution for different amounts of disorder. The absence of a transition to SOC in the roughness exponent implies that the presence of a rough surface by itself cannot be used as a sufficient criterion for the observation of SOC. A determination of the dynamics of the surface properties, however, shows a transition similar to that of the avalanche properties.


: Pedal puncture wounds are a relatively common injury seen predominantly during the warm weather months and in children. Although most of these injuries heal completely with no sequelae, up to 10% may become infected and produce late complications. Of these, osteomyelitis caused by P. aeruginosa is the most devastating, and it may progress to bone destruction that will require extensive surgical debridement. If instituted early, adequate primary care usually provides the best chance of prevention of these infections.


The prevalence of smoking is greater and smoking restrictions are less common in rural areas in comparison to urban areas. Consequently, rural smokers and their families are at increased risk for adverse health consequences from smoking. The presence of home smoking restrictions (i.e., limiting or banning cigarette smoking in the home) can be a mediator for smoking cessation and can reduce health risks for those who live with smokers. The purpose of the present study was to identify correlates of home smoking restrictions among rural smokers. We surveyed 472 smokers from 40 rural Kansas primary care practices who were enrolled in a smoking cessation intervention study. We assessed the prevalence of home smoking restrictions and examined the relationship between such restrictions, demographic variables, comorbid diagnoses, and psychosocial measures of smoking abstinence self-efficacy and motivation to quit. Complete home smoking restrictions were found among 25.4% of rural smokers with an additional 28.3% reporting some restrictions. Restrictions were associated with younger age, higher controlled motivation to quit (i.e., motivation from external pressure), the presence of children under age 6 years living in the home, fewer friends who smoke, and a partner who does not smoke. Smokers with a comorbid diagnosis of high cholesterol, chronic lung disease, or heart disease were less likely to have restrictions. Most smokers in rural primary care practices do not have home smoking restrictions, particularly those without children or a nonsmoking partner and those with significant risk factors for smoking-related illnesses. These patients may be critical targets for broaching issues of home smoking restrictions.


The immunologic effects of developmental exposure to noninherited maternal Ags (NIMAs) are quite variable. Both tolerizing influence and inducing alloreaction have been observed on clinical transplantation. The role of minor histocompatibility Ags (MiHAs) in NIMA effects is unknown. MiHA is either matched or mismatched in NIMA-mismatched transplantation because a donor of the transplantation is usually limited to a family member. To exclude the participation of MiHA in a NIMA effect for MHC (H-2) is clinically relevant because mismatched MiHA may induce severe alloreaction. The aim of this study is to understand the mechanism of NIMA effects in MHC-mismatched, MiHA-matched hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although all offsprings are exposed to the maternal Ags, the NIMA effect for the H-2 Ag was not evident. However, they exhibit two distinct reactivities, low and high responder, to NIMA in utero and during nursing depending on the degree of maternal microchimerism. Low responders survived longer with less graft-versus-host disease. These reactivities were correlated with Foxp3 expression of peripheral blood CD4 + CD25 + cells after graft-versus-host disease induction and the number of IFN- g –producing cells stimulated with NIMA pretransplantation. These observations are clinically relevant and suggest that it is possible to predict the immunological tolerance to NIMA. The Journal of Immunology , 2010, 185: 000–000.


To provide a more integrated framework for the study of work engagement, the literature on this concept was reviewed in order to develop a clearer definition of this construct that (instead of being based on the separate construct of burnout) is based on the original theory of work engagement, which allowed a new, more precise measure of work engagement to be created. The new work engagement items were tested to assess their psychometrics. Their integrity was tested via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which retained 18 items for a three-component model having satisfactory fit indexes with three 6-item subscales named Cognitive, Emotional, and Physical Work Engagement. The reliabilities and validities of the new scales were also empirically tested, with reliabilities ranging from .78 to .91; and correlation tests yielded statistical support for the convergent, divergent, and concurrent validities of the new measure. The scales were also tested for application to organizations, with Self-Efficacy as a positive predictor that explained 10% to 16% of the variance for all three work engagement measures. Also, the three work engagement scales were all negative predictors of, and, together, explained 12% of the variance for Turnover Intention. Moreover, work engagement and burnout were empirically shown to be independent constructs.


This research study explores how prostitution laws correspond with the discourse surrounding sex work by applying the terminology of the academic dispute and legal framing on the way it is socially discussed. The examination of the public discourse was conducted by analyzing the narratives and portrayals of prostitution as they appear in the news media in three cities, each of which is subjected to a different legal regime: New York (criminalization of prostitution), Tel Aviv (decriminalization of the sexual transaction), and Vancouver (criminalization of the purchase). The results of this research indicated that different legal approaches, and their degree of regulation, may influence the extent and sense of urgency demonstrated in the public discourse. However, highly limited congruence was identified between the notions that underlie two of the three examined cities. Consequently, this research recommends further investigation on the effect of prostitution laws on the applicable society in order to provide a deeper and broader groundwork for addressing the complexities and needs of this phenomenon.


A vertical autonomous hydrophone (VAUH) array useful for a long-term low-frequency underwater acoustic propagation study was developed at Oregon State University (OSU), North Carolina State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Pacific Environmental Lab (PMEL). To analyze the arrival structure of the hydroacoustic signals in deep water, we needed a multichannel vertical hydrophone array with relative timing accuracy of as good as 10 ms/year where no GPS or Network Time Protocol (NTP) is available. A new scheme takes advantage of Inductive Modem Modules (IMM® from Sea-Bird Electronics) and a low-power accurate clock (QT2001® from Q-Tech Corporation). With the master unit sending an accurate 1-PPS pulse train once a day to slave instruments over a single wire inductive modem/mooring cable, it synchronizes the other slaves' clocks and keeps the timing errors among the instruments less than 10msec. As compared to the timing synchronization methods based on three-wire serial or NTP network interface, it only requires an insulated single wire mooring cable using seawater as a return. It is robust, low power and useful for longterm time synchronization of multiple instruments serially connected. As a trial, an array consisting of three vertical autonomous hydrophones (VAUH) was deployed in the Lau Basin from December 2009 to April 2010 at 21° 25'12.60"S, 176° 12'45.50"W. Each unit was fastened on a 1000-m long 5/16" jacketed cable with a 500 m of separation. All three VAUHs recorded continuously the low frequency acoustic signal at 250-Hz sampling rate and maintained a relative timing accuracy of less than 10 ms. The acoustic record shows that the entire region is active with seismicity and submarine eruptions. The results of the four-month long monitoring and comparison with other single hydrophone moorings in the area are discussed.


Intensive experiences show and confirm that grid environments can be considered as the most promising way to solve several kinds of problems relating either to cooperative work especially where involved collaborators are dispersed geographically or to some very greedy applications which require enough power of computing or/and storage. Such environments can be classified into two categories; first, dedicated grids where the federated computers are solely devoted to a specific work through its end. Second, Volunteer grids where federated computers are not completely devoted to a specific work but instead they can be randomly and intermittently used, at the same time, for any other purpose or they can be connected or disconnected at will by their owners without any prior notification. Each category of grids includes surely several advantages and disadvantages; nevertheless, we think that volunteer grids are very promising and more convenient especially to build a general multipurpose distributed scalable environment. Unfortunately, the big challenge of such environments is, however, security and trust. Indeed, owing to the fact that every federated computer in such an environment can randomly be used at the same time by several users or can be disconnected suddenly, several security problems will automatically arise. In this paper, we propose a novel solution based on identity federation, agent technology and the dynamic enforcement of access control policies that lead to the design and implementation of trusted volunteer grid environments.


One major problem in deep learning-based solutions for medical imaging is the drop in performance when a model is tested on a data distribution different from the one that it is trained on. Adapting the source model to target data distribution at test-time is an efficient solution for the data-shift problem. Previous methods solve this by adapting the model to target distribution by using techniques like entropy minimization or regularization. In these methods, the models are still updated by back-propagation using an unsupervised loss on complete test data distribution. In real-world clinical settings, it makes more sense to adapt a model to a new test image on-the-fly and avoid model update during inference due to privacy concerns and lack of computing resource at deployment. To this end, we propose a new setting - On-the-Fly Adaptation which is zero-shot and episodic (i.e., the model is adapted to a single image at a time and also does not perform any back-propagation during test-time). To achieve this, we propose a new framework called Adaptive UNet where each convolutional block is equipped with an adaptive batch normalization layer to adapt the features with respect to a domain code. The domain code is generated using a pre-trained encoder trained on a large corpus of medical images. During test-time, the model takes in just the new test image and generates a domain code to adapt the features of source model according to the test data. We validate the performance on both 2D and 3D data distribution shifts where we get a better performance compared to previous test-time adaptation methods. Code is available at https://github.com/jeya-maria-jose/On-The-Fly-Adaptation


During the 1980s in Chile, activist protest against the Pinochet dictatorship grew in force and number, with street protests and encounters with police becoming regular events. This protest movement also included increased political documentary activity as a number of collectives and activist groups began producing documentary videos and screening them clandestinely as well as distributing them through informal networks. In this paper, I look at three different exhibition sites for 1980s activist documentary in Chile, one in the later years of the dictatorship, and two in the postdictatorship. The three scenes, all educational in nature, are: 1.) The screening of a political documentary in a poblacion (shantytown) outside Santiago, as part of a children's cinema workshop, as captured in Ignacio Aguero's film Cien ninos esperando un tren (1988); 2.) The present-day exhibition of various clips from 1980's video documentaries at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in downtown Santiago; and 3.) The inclusion of Por la vida (Pedro Chaskel and Pablo Salas, 1987) as one of a series of documentaries for which lesson plans were created by the Chilean National Human Rights Institute in 2013, as part of an initiative to guide educators in their use of documentaries to teach the history of the Pinochet dictatorship and facilitate classroom conversations about it. In tracing activist '80s documentary through these three contexts, I argue that some (but not all) exhibition in the context of education risks consigning the events of the 1980s captured in the documentaries too cleanly to a past that is viewed as isolated from the present. I also make a comparison between the idealization of the exhibition space as a site of mobilization during the New Latin American Cinema of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and the way the representations of the combative spaces of 1980s Chile play out in the contemporary neoliberal spaces of Chile.


Seasonal variation in surface water quality of Dal Lake was assessed using multivariate statistical techniques. Water quality data collected from 4 sampling sites during 4 seasons was analysed for 13 parameters. Significant variation (p<0.05) in temperature, pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, K, DO, BOD5, COD, PO4-P, NH4N and NO3-N of sampling sites during different seasons was observed. Cluster analysis grouped 4 sampling sites during 4 seasons into three clusters of similar water quality as relatively less polluted (LP), medium polluted (MP) and highly polluted (HP) sites. The principal component analysis/factor analysis applied to extract and recognize the factors responsible for water quality variations in four seasons of the year resulted in three principal components for each season accounting for 75.78%, 83.25%, 87.33% and 78.96% of total variance for winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons respectively. Parameters like NH4-N, NO3N, BOD5 and COD have strong positive loading whereas temperature and dissolved oxygen has strong negative loading. Thus, from the principal component/factor analysis it is clear that the domestic wastewaters, agricultural runoff and catchment geology play significant role in water quality variations in the Dal Lake for all the four seasons.


Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (NES) are commonly encountered in clinical practice, and they may pose difficult diagnostic problems. For appropriate evaluation and treatment of NES, a multidisciplinary team approach is needed; typically, a neurologist with expertise in epilepsy, a psychologist or psychiatrist, and a support staff should be involved. Psychogenic NES have no single initial clinical manifestation, and various etiologic factors may contribute to their development. Of importance, psychogenic NES are "real" seizures that may be as disabling as epileptic seizures. Most often, they occur on a subconscious level, and the patient may have no control over their occurrence. Precipitation or termination of a habitual seizure during video-electroencephalographic monitoring has often been used to distinguish NES from epileptic seizures, but the results can sometimes be misleading. Numerous additional diagnostic techniques can be used to assist in making the diagnosis. Treatment is based on the type of psychiatric disorder present. Favorable prognostic factors include being female and having an independent lifestyle, normal electroencephalographic findings, higher intelligence, and no prior psychotherapy.


Pollinators provide key services to both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Agricultural productivity depends, in part, on pollinator populations from adjacent seminatural habitats. Here we analysed the diversity of pollinator insects and its effect to seed set of mustard (Brassica rapa) planted in agricultural ecosystem near the Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park, West Java. At least 19 species of insects pollinated the mustard, and three species, i.e. Apis cerana, Ceratina sp., and Apis dorsata showed a high abundance. The higher abundance and species richness of pollinators occurred at 08.30-10.30 am and the diversity was related to the number of flowering plants. Insect pollinations increased the number of pods, seeds per pod, seed weights per plant, and seed germination. Key words: diversity, pollinator insects, social bees, solitary bees, seed set, Brassica rapa


of the original article: Maximization theory, which is borrowed from economics, provides techniques for predicting the behavior of animals including humans. A theoretical behavioral space is constructed in which each point represents a given combination of various behavioral alternatives. With two alternatives behavior A and behavior B each point within the space represents a certain amount of time spent performing behavior A and a certain amount of time spent performing behavior B. A particular environmental situation can be described as a constraint on available points (a circumscribed area) within the space. Maximization theory assumes that animals always choose the available point with the highest numerical value. The task of maximization theory is to assign to points in the behavioral space values that remain constant across various environmental situations; as those situations change, the point actually chosen is always the one with the highest assigned value. Maximization theory is an alternative to reinforcement theory as a description of steady-state behavior. Situations to which reinforcement theory has been directly applied (such as reinforcement of rats pressing levers and pigeons pecking keys in Skinner boxes) and situations to which reinforcement theory has occasionally been extended (such as human economic behavior and human self-control) can be described by maximization theory. This approach views behavior as a quantitative outcome of the interaction of the putative instrumental response, the reinforcer, and the other activities available in the situation. It provides new insight into these situations and, because it takes context into account, has greater predictive power than reinforcement theory. Is nonresponding behavior?


If nutrient removal is to be obtained in ponds treating sewage, the pH must be raised so that ammonia can desorb and phosphates can precipitate. In this paper it is shown that the pH increase in ponds can be predicted quantitatively from simple stoichiometry, taking into consideration physical and biological carbon dioxide removal, ammonia stripping and calcium carbonate precipitation. Biological CO2 removal by photosynthesis is identified as the main process to effect pH increase in ponds. The rate of pH increase and consequently the required retention time depend on the net rate of CO2 consumption, the extent of ammonium stripping, the characteristics of the influent (alkalinity and pH) as well as factors concerning the environment (temperature) and dimensions (depth) of the pond. A high pH (range 9 to 10) can be obtained in about 5 days if digested sewage is used (low organic material concentration), climate conditions are favourable and the pond is shallow (< 0.5 m deep).


1. Germination and early seedling development were compared in two mistletoe species that parasitize and sometimes kill their eucalypt hosts. Germination in cohorts inoculated on host branches at different times of the year was 77-100% and 95-100% for Amyema miquelii and A. pendulum, respectively. Germination was not affected by host species, but germination of A. miquelii seeds varied significantly between cohorts. 2. Mistletoe seedlings of both species inoculated on dead branches survived for a maximum free-living period of 5 months. Accordingly, establishment was measured 6 months after inoculation and was 13-53% and 0-60% among A. miquelii and A. pendulum cohorts, respectively. A. miquelii seedlings inoculated in November and December 1990 experienced higher mortality during the first 2 months than those inoculated in other months. Desiccation appeared to be a major cause of high summer mortality. 3. In most cohorts, post-dispersal predation by rosella parrots (Platycercus spp.) was a major cause of early seedling mortality. Predation varied between 3 and 100% among cohorts, and averaged 23% for A. miquelii and 85% for A. pendulum. The low establishment of A. pendulum cohorts was primarily due to seedling predation. 4. Both mistletoe species were inoculated on usual hosts with the exception of A. pendulum on Eucalyptus blakelyi. Surprisingly, establishment of A. pendulum seedlings after 6 months did not differ significantly between E. blakelyi and E. bridgesiana (a usual host). The rarity of natural occurrences of A. pendulum on E. blakelyi appears to be due to post-seedling incompatability between mistletoe and host. 5. A. miquelii seedling establishment on E. blakelyi and E. melliodora hosts did not vary significantly with branch diameter (range, 3-40 mm) in three out of four host-cohort combinations. However, maximum establishment tended to occur on intermediate-sized branches (7-20 mm diameter).


External dimensions of Indian economy in the age of globalisation are viewed in this paper in terms of unabated opening up of the economy with respect to both trade and foreign capital flows. This paper empirically shows that with more opening up of the economy there is more and more transfer of financial resources abroad from the Indian economy. So opening up through neoliberal globalisation is a ploy of global capitalism to extract super duper surplus from India. Analytically also the paper makes an attempt to negate the recent policy reforms (as is imminent in allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, aviations and insurance and in relentless efforts of the Government in slashing down fiscal deficit) as anti-growth and more attuned to the interests of global finance and capital.


Adiponectin is an important adipokine that promotes insulin sensitivity and stimulates glucose and lipids metabolism. Whether maternal and fetal adiponectin influence fetal growth is not fully understood. We examined the association of maternal (at entry and 3rd trimester, 16 and 30 weeks of gestation) and cord serum adiponectin levels with fetal growth in a nested case-control study in 100 healthy mother (age 21.5±5 yr., BMI 25.7±7) and infant pairs selected from a large prospective cohort. The samples included large for gestational age (LGA, n=32) , small for gestational age (SGA, n=26) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA, n=42) newborns. Adiponectin levels (µg/ml) were analyzed by ELISA. Multivariate analyses adjusted for potential confounding variables were performed. Adiponectin level in cord serum was 2.75 and 3.3-fold higher than that in maternal serum at entry and 3rd trimester respectively (p<0.00for each) . Maternal and cord serum adiponectin were not significantly correlated at entry (r=-0.065, p>0.05) and in the third trimester (r=0.066, p >0.05) . Fetal adiponectin was significantly and positively correlated with infant birth weight, birth length, head and chest circumferences (r=0.254 to 0.337, p<0.to p<0.0001) . Moreover, the highest tertile of fetal adiponectin (highest tertile, >78.0) was associated with an increased risk of LGA (AOR 3.13, 95% CI 1.18, 8.31) , and a reduced risk of SGA (AOR 0.20, 95% CI 0.05, 0.77) . In contrast, maternal adiponectin levels at entry and 3rd trimester were not associated with infant birth weight or sizes (r=-0.132 to 0.146, p>0.for each) . Differences in maternal adiponectin among 3 groups of LGA, SGA and AGA were not statistically significant (p>0.05) . Our data suggest that increased cord adiponectin level is associated with an increased risk of LGA in healthy pregnant women. It may implicate that maternal and fetus adiponectin have opposite roles in regulating and maintaining a normal fetal growth.

 X.Chen: None. J.A.Whiting: None.

 National Institutes of Health (R01MD007828)