Accurate simulation runoff process can have a significant role in water resources management and related issues. The inherent complexity of this process makes difficult the use of physical and numerical models. In recent years, application of intelligent models is increased a powerful tool in hydrological modeling. The aim of this study was the application of the Gamma test to select the optimal combination of input variables for runoff modeling in Sofi Chay. Streamflow modeling was performed based on the optimum number of the selected variables using the artificial neural network (ANN) and Support vector machine (SVM) methods .Gamma test results showed that monthly runoff with six antecedent runoff values provide better results to predict. Runoff simulation using support vector machines and artificial neural network models also showed that the best input structure will be delayed until six to predict of next month runoff. Among to models with the same input structure, support vector machine have relatively high efficiency compared to artificial neural network.


[1] Satellite observations of CO2 offer new opportunities to improve our understanding of the global carbon cycle. Using such observations to infer global maps of atmospheric CO2 and their associated uncertainties can provide key information about the distribution and dynamic behavior of CO2, through comparison to atmospheric CO2 distributions predicted from biospheric, oceanic, or fossil fuel flux emissions estimates coupled with atmospheric transport models. Ideally, these maps should be at temporal resolutions that are short enough to represent and capture the synoptic dynamics of atmospheric CO2. This study presents a geostatistical method that accomplishes this goal. The method can extract information about the spatial covariance structure of the CO2 field from the available CO2 retrievals, yields full coverage (Level 3) maps at high spatial resolutions, and provides estimates of the uncertainties associated with these maps. The method does not require information about CO2 fluxes or atmospheric transport, such that the Level 3 maps are informed entirely by available retrievals. The approach is assessed by investigating its performance using synthetic OCO-2 data generated from the PCTM/ GEOS-4/CASA-GFED model, for time periods ranging from 1 to 16 days and a target spatial resolution of 1 � latitude � 1.25 � longitude. Results show that global CO2 fields from OCO-2 observations can be predicted well at surprisingly high temporal resolutions. Even one-day Level 3 maps reproduce the large-scale features of the atmospheric CO2 distribution, and yield realistic uncertainty bounds. Temporal resolutions of two to four days result in the best performance for a wide range of investigated scenarios, providing maps at an order of magnitude higher temporal resolution relative to the monthly or seasonal Level 3 maps typically reported in the literature.


A low-cost, portable acquisition system for monitoring and processing human biomechanical parameters is presented. It is equipped with 16 input channels, each one linked to an external transducer by a suitable connector. Input signals from sensors are converted into a digital form by a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter and stored in a removable memory (memory card) respecting the PCMCIA standard interface, allowing the download of acquired data toward the host computer. The acquisition operating mode is programmable by a host PC, writing proper values into the memory card; then, the instrument acquires the defined number of channels at the selected sampling rate. The instrument is battery powered; then, it can be used in all those applications, like rehabilitation and sports medicine, where the freedom for subject movement is a constraint for the test. In fact, this instrument does not require an arranged environment for measurements, and it is not connected to a PC. Three sample applications are presented in which the instrument is used to evaluate human motor capability, physical parameters in amputees, and motor performance in athletes.


In late 2013, Chinese premier Xi Jinping announced a pair of new development and trade initiatives for China and the surrounding region: the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "Twenty-First-Century Maritime Silk Road," together known as One Belt, One Road (OBOR). Along with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the OBOR policies represent an ambitious spatial expansion of Chinese state capitalism, driven by an excess of industrial production capacity, as well as by emerging financial capital interests. The Chinese government has publicly stressed the lessons of the 1930s overcapacity crisis in the West that precipitated the Second World War, and promoted these new initiatives in the name of "peaceful development." Nevertheless, the turn to OBOR suggests a regional scenario broadly similar to that in Europe between the end of the nineteenth century and the years before the First World War, when strong nations jostled one another for industrial and military dominance.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


Al2O3 and Si3N4 coatings have been extensively studied separately, showing excellent performance in resistance to corrosion and wear. In the present work, the structural, morphological, mechanical and tribological properties of Al2O3 and Si3N4 single-layer coatings deposited on AISI 316 stainless steel substrates were studied by means of the R. F. Magnetron Sputtering technique. By X-ray diffraction (XRD) The structures of the coatings were determined, the chemical composition was studied by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). By means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) the grain size and roughness were analyzed, through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) the wear surfaces produced by the Pin-On-Disk and the Scratch tests were studied. By nanoindentation technique the behavior in hardness and elastic modulus was evaluated, finding better performance in the Si3N4 coating. The friction coefficient was evaluated by Pin-On-Disk tests in dry and lubricated environments. The critical load against adhesive wear was determined for Al2O3 and for Si3N4. This study develops a comparison between the mechanical and tribological properties of the mentioned coatings, proposing their possible application in components of the food and pharmaceutical industry that are subjected to phenomena where Al2O3 and Si3N4 coatings could mitigate. © 2021 Published by Faculty of Engineering * Corresponding author: Erick Hernandez Rengifo E-mail: email@example.com Received: 1 September 2020 Revised: 12 October 2020 Accepted: 5 January 2021


Onomastics in Contemporary Public Space aims at analysing names and name-giving from an intercultural perspective, within the context of contemporary public space. As was the case of Name and Naming: Synchronic and Diachronic Perspectives (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012), the geographical areas investigated in the studies included in this volume are very diverse, referring not only to European cultural space, but also to American, Asian, African and Australian contexts. Being a collective work, the book brings together 49 specialists from 18 countries; namely Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA. Thematically, the volume is organised so that it may cover all the dimensions of public space, as far as onomastics is concerned. The specific areas studied are: the theory of names; names of public places (linguistic landscapes); names of public, economic, cultural, religious and sports institutions (names of business establishments, religious institutions - places of worship - and cultural associations, as well as names in journals and magazines); names of objects/entities resulting from various processes in public space (names of foods, drinks and food brands, code names of collaborators in secret service organisations, names in literature, nicknames/bynames/pseudonyms in the world of politics, high life, art and sport, names in virtual space, and zoonyms); and miscellanea. The originality and topicality of the subject lie in the multidisciplinary viewpoint adopted in the research, in which onomastics merges with adjacent linguistic disciplines, such as sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and pragmatics, as well as other sciences, such as history, literature, anthropology, politics, economy and religion.


The mechanical property of magnesium alloy depends on the alloy elements and microstructure strongly. The multiple dependency relations are studied by investigating magnesium alloys with different Al and Zn contents. The semi-continuous casting billets exhibit quite different microstructural morphologies between the centre and edge of the cross section. The centre shows fine and uniform microstructure while the edge is coarse and reticular. However the difference is almost eliminated when the billets were homogenized at 380°C for 15h. The generation mechanism of casting microstructure is also discussed in this paper. The results show that the morphology of second phase and the size of grain have greater effect on the mechanical properties than the element Zn. The alloys with uniform, fine and non-dendrite microstructure exhibit both high strength and elongation when Al content is about 6% and Zn content is various from 0 to 3%. In contrast, the strength increases and elongation decreases significantly as Al content increases from 0 to 6%.


BACKGROUND
The role of cardiac catheterization in pediatrics has progressed significantly over the last two decades, evolving from a primary diagnostic tool to a primary treatment modality in children with congenital heart disease. Vascular complications, particularly arterial thrombosis, are among the most common unwanted post-cardiac catheterization events. In 1974, unfractionated heparin proved to be superior to placebo in decreasing the incidence of arterial thrombosis in pediatric patients. However, the optimal dose of unfractionated heparin to be utilized in this setting remains a matter of controversy.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the use of low-dose (< 100 units/kg) versus high-dose (≥ 100 units/kg) unfractionated heparin administered as an intravenous bolus at the time of initiation of cardiac catheterization (that is, immediately after arterial puncture), with or without subsequent heparin maintenance doses, for the prevention of post-procedural arterial thrombosis in children.

SEARCH METHODS
The Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group Trials Search Co-ordinator searched the Specialised Register (last searched November 2013) and CENTRAL (2013, Issue 10). The authors searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Virtual Health Library. Clinical trials databases and sources of grey literature were searched. No language restrictions were applied.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized or quasi-randomized trials that compared low dose to high dose unfractionated heparin administered prior to cardiac catheterization were included. We selected studies conducted in children aged 0 to 18 years.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The first screening of potentially eligible studies was conducted by one of the authors (MLA). The second screening, quality assessment and data extraction were independently conducted by two authors (MLA, LRB). Outcomes (thrombotic events, bleeding complications, other complications) were treated as dichotomous variables. The effect measures used were risk ratio (RR), risk difference (RD) and number needed to treat (NNT), with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

MAIN RESULTS
Two studies with a total of 492 participants were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was low for all domains in one of the studies and unclear for the other. One of the trials was stopped early. The quality of evidence for our key outcomes was moderate. The CI for the risk of arterial thrombotic events was compatible with benefits of either high or low unfractionated heparin dose regimens (RR low-dose versus high-dose 1.06, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.92). Only one of the studies reported the frequency of bleeding events for the cohort of patients and found no statistically significant difference in the incidence of major and minor bleeding events between arms (RR low-dose versus high-dose 1.38, 95% CI 0.46 to 4.13 for minor bleeding; RR low-dose versus high-dose 2.96, 95% CI 0.12 to 71.34 for major bleeding events). This study also reported on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis when comparing the high versus low dose of heparin and reported a non-significant difference (RR low-dose versus high-dose 0.34, 95% CI 0.01 to 8.28). The other study lacked information about bleeding. Side effects of heparin other than bleeding complications were not reported in either of the studies.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Due to the limitations of the current evidence, small number of included studies, and lack of details reported in one study, we are unable to determine the effects of different dosing regimens of unfractionated heparin for the prevention of vascular thrombosis during cardiac catheterization in children. A further adequately powered, randomized clinical trial is needed.


Encouraging work at older ages is a crucial policy goal for an aging society, but many features of the benefits and tax system discourage work. This study computes the implicit tax rate on work at older ages, broadly defined to include standard income and payroll taxes as well as changes in future Social Security benefits, employer-provided pension benefits, and health benefits associated with an additional year of employment. The results show that the implicit tax rate on work increases rapidly with age, rising from 14 percent at age 55 for a typical man to nearly 50 percent at age 70.


Abstract : Some airlines require that their pilots observe 24 hours of abstinence from alcohol before flying, and some require only 12 hours of abstinence. Some civilian (12) and some military organizations require only eight hours of abstinence before flying, and it has even been suggested (10) that no fixed period of abstinence need be required as long as the blood alcohol concentration is 20 mg per 100 ml or lower when flying starts. Confidence in the supposedly-innocuous influence of blood alcohol levels below 20 mg per 100 ml is apparently based on the inability to measure alcohol-induced performance decrements at blood alcohol levels below 20 (1,10), or below 45 during the decreasing phase of the blood concentration (18). Aside from the narrow validity of negative evidence, and aside from the possibility that important, although unmeasured, performance decrements occur with lower concentrations of blood alcohol, it has been shown that the effects of alochol on the vestibular system can be hazardous to flight safety while boold concentrations are falling below 40, below 20, and even for several hours after the blood concentration reaches zero (3,4,15,28,30). This effect of alcohol is revealed by positional alcohol nystagmus phase II (PAN II).


BACKGROUND
Whether insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in older Chinese differ from younger persons without diabetes has not been examined and is unknown to us.

METHODS
Oral glucose tolerance test was performed in a total of 32,245 Chinese without diabetes history. Insulin sensitivity was estimated by Matsuda's insulin sensitivity index (Matsuda ISI), and insulin secretion was measured by the insulinogenic index. The insulin secretion and sensitivity were compared among three age groups: 20-39 (the young), 40-59 (the middle), and greater than or equal to 60 years (the older).

RESULTS
A higher proportion of postchallenge hyperglycemia (PH), both in prediabetes and in diabetes stage, was associated with older age. In the young, middle, and older age groups, the insulinogenic index median was 10.64, 8.40, and 6.67, respectively, in individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT); it was 8.56, 6.12, and 4.98 in individuals with prediabetes, respectively (p < .001 vs the young group). In these three age groups, the Matsuda insulin sensitivity index was 8.20, 8.39, and 8.84 in individuals with normal glucose tolerance, and it was 5.23, 5.94, and 6.33 in individuals with prediabetes, respectively (p < .05 vs the young group). These differences were independent of body mass index and waist circumference.

CONCLUSIONS
Older Chinese without diabetes are characterized with worse insulin secretion and better insulin sensitivity. Insulin insufficiency and insulin resistance may contribute disproportionately to abnormal glucose tolerance in people of different age.


Melanin synthesis is a defense mechanism that prevents skin damage, but excessive accumulation of melanin occurs in the skin in various reactions such as pigmentation, lentigines, and freckles. Although anti-melanogenic effects have been demonstrated for various naturally occurring marine products that inhibit and control tyrosinase activity, most studies have not been extended to in vivo applications. Phlorofucofuroeckol-A (PFF-A, 12.5–100 µM) isolated from Ecklonia cava has previously been shown to have tyrosinase-mitigative effects in B16F10 cells, but it has not been evaluated in an in vivo model, and its underlying mechanism for anti-melanogenic effects has not been studied. In the present study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of PFF-A for anti-melanogenic effects in an in vivo model. We selected low doses of PFF-A (1.5–15 nM) and investigated their mitigative effects on pigmentation stimulated by α-MSH in vivo and their related-mechanism in an in vitro model. The findings suggest that low-dose PFF-A derived from E. cava suppresses pigmentation in vivo and melanogenesis in vitro. Therefore, this study presents the possibility that PFF-A could be utilized as a new anti-melanogenic agent in the cosmeceutical industries.


Background The novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) has led to a pandemic and affected people's lives greatly, including their health seeking behavior. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on characteristics and trends of emergency department (ED) visits in Shanghai, China.Methods This was a retrospective observational study using medical record databases from the Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital (East Campus) for years 2016 through 2020. All the patients referred to the ED between January 2016 and June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. January 1, 2020, was chosen as the cutoff date for the statistical analysis and data of January and February in 2020 was compared with the same period of 2019.Results During the first two months of 2020, there was a 60.9% decline in ED visits when compared with the same period of 2019 (9,904 vs. 25,316, respectively), and the waiting time in ED has been greatly reduced correspondingly (12±4 vs. 66±19 min, p < 0.001); ED visits for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and acute coronary syndrome(ACS) decreased by 53.9% and 41.2% respectively; proportion of intravenous thrombolysis for AIS has dropped(42.1% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.003), and percutaneous coronary intervention for ACS was similar (70.6% vs. 63.3%, p = 0.668); and onset-to-door time (ODT) of these patients increased significantly (AIS: 217(136-374) vs. 378(260-510)min, ACS: 135(85-195) vs. 226(155-368)min, all p < 0.001).Conclusion The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic was correlated with a significant decline in the number of ED visits including AIS and ACS patients when compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. ODT of AIS and ACS patients increased significantly. Raising public awareness is necessary to avoid serious healthcare and economic consequences of undiagnosed and untreated stroke and myocardial infarction attack.


Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is a primary vehicle through which
professionals acquire, increase, maintain, improve and enhance professional
competence and as a lifelong education in their career life. CPE improves government
auditors' knowledge and refines their auditing skills, allowing them to meet the
challenges of a complex and ever-changing audit environment. It enhances the
auditors' proficiency and helps to ensure the quality of audits, as the issue of
professional accountability is crucial to them.
This is a prediction model study on the government auditors' intention to participate
in CPE within the next three years. The study tested the utility of the Theory of
Reasoned Action (TRA), Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Bandura's Self-
Efficacy Theory in predicting the intention to participate in CPE. This study examined
whether variables of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural controls and
self-efficacy, as well as age and educational attainment predicted the auditors'
intentions to participate in CPE. A stratified random sampling was used to select 404
auditors of the National Audit Department. Data were gathered using group administered and mail questionnaires. Three hundred and seventy three auditors or
92% of them completed and returned the survey questionnaires in this study.
Pearson's correlational analysis showed that attitude, subjective norms, perceived
behavioural controls, self-efficacy, age, and educational attainment were significantly
related with the auditors' intentions to participate in CPE. The auditors showed a
moderate to high level of intentions to participate in CPE. They preferred short
courses and continuing education.
The auditors indicated significant positive attitudes toward intention to participate in
CPE. They perceived the importance of CPE factor as the highest attitude factor that
influenced their participation in CPE. Subjective norms moderately influenced their
intentions to participate in CPE. Subjective social norms have a higher correlation
than subjective personal norm. The auditors selected spouse, employer and
professional association as the three most important persons who influenced their
intentions to participate in CPE. Contrary to most studies, subjective norm was a
better predictor than attitude.
More than half of the auditors reported a relatively moderate level of perceived
behavioural controls. Cost, CPE course attributes and multiple roles were the three
perceived behavioural factors that constrained their intentions to participate in CPE.
The auditors displayed a significant positive self-efficacy towards participating in
CPE. Age has a moderate negative relationship with intention to participate in CPE.
The younger group of auditors was more interested in continuing education whilst the
older group of auditors preferred attending short courses.Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that attitude, subjective norms and
perceived behavioural controls as postulated by TPB and Bandura's Self-Efficacy
Theory as well as age were found to be predictive of the auditors' intentions to
participate in CPE. The TPB on its own explained 33 percent of the variance in
intention to participate. Self-efficacy has improved the research model and it
accounted for an additional three percent of the variance. The inclusion of age has
further explained the auditors' intention to participate in CPE by another three
percent. The TPB, Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory and age together accounted for 39
percent of the variance in intention to participate in CPE.
This study supported the explanatory and predictive utility of TPB as a reliable
predictor of intention. It indicated the behaviour being studied was not under
complete volitional control. All the hypotheses were supported except the hypothesis
on educational attainment. The results of this study provided a number of theoretical
and practical implications on participation in CPE. Several recommendations were
suggested to increase the intention to participate in CPE. This study also highlighted
the need for further research on the intention to participate in CPE by considering
other predictors of participation and in other populations.


For an erbium-doped fiber laser mode-locked by carbon nanotubes, we demonstrate experimentally and theoretically a new type of the vector rogue waves emerging as a result of the chaotic evolution of the trajectories between two orthogonal states of polarization on the Poincare sphere. In terms of fluctuation induced phenomena, by tuning polarization controller for the pump wave and in-cavity polarization controller, we are able to control the Kramers time, i.e. the residence time of the trajectory in vicinity of each orthogonal state of polarization, and so can cause the rare events satisfying rogue wave criteria and having the form of transitions from the state with the long residence time to the state with a short residence time.


Crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) were tagged with enumerated plastic streamers and released in 0.1-ha ponds to observe recapture frequency in stand-up traps. Also, crawfish were marked by a uropod punch, released and recaptured in 0.1-ha ponds for population estimation. Survival of streamer-tagged crawfish in indoor tanks averaged 46.7% after 25 days, indicating that tagging caused stress leading to mortality, especially during molt. Recapture frequencies of tagged crawfish indicated sampling bias which obviated use of the tagging method in population assessments. Short term (3-day) survival of marked crawfish (92%) and retention of the mark after molt indicated potential application inpopulation assessment studies. Population estimates intwo ponds were calculated using two methods: mark-recapture data and quadrant sampling. For both methods, crawfish were collected by seining. Population estimates using quadrant sampling averaged 25% lower than those using mark-recapture data. This discrepancy may have been due to escape during seining, which would lead to population under-estimation with quadrant sampling.


Abstract Cataract surgery is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures worldwide. Patients usually experience strong negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety. A systematic review of the recent literature regarding the emotional states experienced during cataract surgery under local anaesthesia was performed based on the PubMed and Scopus databases. The objective of this review was to determine the causes and frequency of fear and anxiety, as well as methods for improving intraoperative experience and supporting the patient prior to surgery. Anxiety is mainly caused by fear of the surgery itself, fright of pain, and loss of vision. Abstaining and visual sensations experienced during cataract surgery also increased the preoperative anxiety. Women and hypochondriacs showed higher levels of anxiety. The greatest intensity of negative emotions occurred on the day of the cataract surgery. Patients operated on both eyes experienced greater fear and anxiety before the operation of the first eye surgery. In order to reduce patients' negative experiences, pharmacological sedation, preoperative education and counselling, manual massage immediately before surgery, and listening to music during surgery are used. Taking this information into consideration allows the introduction of effective methods of eliminating the patient's negative feelings in connection with cataract surgery, which leads to an improvement in the results of the operation and an increase in the patients' sense of satisfaction and quality of life.


Global climate change alters the dynamic of natural ecosystems and directly affects species distributions, persistence and diversity. The impacts of climate change may lead to dramatic changes in biotic interactions, such as pollination and seed dispersal. Life history traits are extremely important to consider the vulnerability of a species to climate change, producing more robust models than those based primarily on species distributions. Here, we hypothesized that rising temperatures and aridity will reduce suitable habitats for the endemic flora of the Caatinga, the most diverse dry tropical forest on Earth. Specifically, species with specialized reproductive traits (e.g. vertebrate pollination, biotic dispersal, obligatory cross-pollination) should be more affected by climate change than those with generalist traits. We performed two ecological niche models (current and future) to simulate the effects of climate change on the distribution area of endemic species in relation to life-history traits. We used the MIROC-ESM and CCSM4 models for both intermediate (RCP4.5) and highest predicted (RCP8.5) GHG emission scenarios, with a resolution of 30' (~1 km2). Habitat with high occurrence probability (>80%) of endemic species will be reduced (up to ~10% for trees, ~13% for non-arboreous, 10–28% for species with any pollination/reproductive system), with the greatest reductions for species with specialized reproductive traits. In addition, the likely concentration of endemic plants in the extreme northeastern portion of the Caatinga, in more mesic areas, coincides with the currently most human-modified areas of the ecosystem, which combined with climate change will further contract suitable habitats of endemic species. In conclusion, plant species endemic to the Caatinga are highly vulnerable to even conservative scenarios of future climate change and may lose much of their climatic envelopes. New protected areas should be located in the northeastern portion of the Caatinga, which hosts a more favorable climate, but is currently exposed to escalating agricultural intensification.


We study theoretically the perpendicular electrostatic field effect (the quantum confined Stark effect) for excitons and interband surface plasmons in small-diameter (~1nm) semiconducting carbon nanotubes. We show that the quantum confined Stark effect allows one to control the exciton-plasmon coupling strength in individual nanotubes. This effect may be used for nanotube based tunable optoelectronic device applications in areas such as nanophotonics, nanoplasmonics, and cavity quantum electrodynamics.


Annual Review of Medicine: Selected Topics in the Clinical Sciences, Vol. 34,1983. Edited by W. P. CREGER, C. H. COGGINS and E. W. HANCOCK. Pp. 577, illustrated. Annual Reviews, Palo Alto, California, 1983. $30.00. Autonomic failure: a textbook of clinical disorders of the autonomic nervous system. Edited by SIR ROGER BANNISTER. Pp. xiv+ 666, Illustrated. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York, Toronto, 1983. £45.00. Beta Blockade in the 1980s: Focus on Atenolol. Proceedings of an International Symposium, Monte Carlo 7-lOth June, 1982 Drugs, Supplement 2, Vol. 25, March 1983. Edited by J. I. S. ROBERTSON, N. M. KAPLAN, A. D. S. CALDWELL and T. M. SPEIGHT. Pp. ix+346, illustrated. Adis Press, New York, Tokyo, Mexico, Sydney, Auckland, Hong Kong, 1983. Price not given. The Health Care Manual: a Family Guide to Self-Care and Home Medicines. Edited by JOHN FRY and GORDON FRYERS with contributions from ERIC GAMBRILL, ALISTAIR MOULDS, GILLIAM STRUBE and KEN YOUNG. Pp. vii+ 320. MTP Press, Lancaster, Boston, The Hague, 1983. Hospice care. Principles and Practice. Edited by C. A. CORR and D. M. CORR. Pp. xix+ 364, illustrated. Faber and Faber, London, 1983. £4.95 (paperback). Modern Emergency Department Practice. Edited by DAVID K. BROOKS and ANTHONY J. HARROLD. Pp. xii+431, illustrated. Edward Arnold, London, 1983. £50.00. The Nature of General Family Practice. 583 Clinical Vignettes in Family Medicine. An Alternative Approach to Syllabus Development. Edited by W. E. FABB and J. R. MARSHALL. Pp. xx+660. MTP Press, Lancaster, Boston, The Hague, 1983. £19.95. Postgraduate Medicine. By I. J. T. DAVIES. 4th edn. Pp. x+563, illustrated. Lloyd-Luke (Medical Books), London, 1983. £17.00. Sudden Death in Infancy. The 'cot death' syndrome. By BERNARD KNIGHT. Pp. 172, illustrated. Faber and Faber, London, 1983. £3.50 (paperback). 100 Short Cases for the MRCP. By K. GUPTA. Pp. xii+106. Chapman and Hall, London, New York, 1983. £4.75.


An inflation-deflation propulsion system inspired by the jet propulsion mechanism of squids and other cephalopods is proposed. The two-dimensional squid-like swimmer has a flexible mantle body with a pressure chamber and a nozzle that serves as the inlet and outlet of water. The fluid-structure interaction simulation results indicate that larger mean thrust production and higher efficiency can be achieved in high Reynolds number scenarios compared with the cases in laminar flow. The improved performance at high Reynolds number is attributed to stronger jet-induced vortices and highly suppressed external body vortices, which are associated with drag force. Optimal efficiency is reached when the jet vortices start to dominate the surrounding flow. The mechanism of symmetry-breaking instability under the turbulent flow condition is found to be different from that previously reported in laminar flow. Specifically, this instability in turbulent flow stems from irregular internal body vortices, which cause symmetry breaking in the wake. A higher Reynolds number or smaller nozzle size would accelerate the formation of this symmetry-breaking instability.


This paper explores the concept of using the resonant
nature of complementary frequency selective surfaces
(CFSS) placed in a waveguide to characterise the
permittivity of homogenous dielectric materials.
Electromagnetic simulations using the 3D FDTD
software, Empire XCcel® have been used to characterise
some of the properties of this CFSS-Waveguide
technique and used in the extraction of the permittivity
of these materials. The simulation setup, well-known
extraction equations and their modified versions, along
with the extracted results are presented in this paper.


Semaphores are software mechanisms designed to synchronize processes. The name seems to recall a traffic signal but diversely from the original idea behind them, different implementations can be found in popular Operating Systems as well as different definitions in the most adopted introductory books. Due to these differences, care is necessary in knowing if an implementation of semaphores is compatible with the definition found in the adopted book, otherwise could become confused to students. This article presents and compares semaphores definitions and implementations, rescuing three types of them. It is a warning to teachers on semaphore semantics and implementations, considering that they are usually used by applications programmers where kernel mechanisms cannot be used.


This book was originally published in 1979. This reviewer is not certain why it has been re-published in 2020—possibly because a very popular, relatively current, text by Dr. Jim Tucker of the same name has been on the market since 2008—of course a reprint of a past life research classic is always welcome. The current book by Helen Wambach being reviewed is also quite different from Tucker's and consists of a compilation of answers from individual questionnaires (750) filled out by participants who gathered for a group workshop in Chicago with Dr. Wambach. Nearly all of the data that Wambach analyzes was acquired though these questionnaires which were distributed to the participants of the workshop after undergoing extensive hypnosis. The book begins with an introduction where Wambach shares a bit of her history as a psychologist and researcher in the field of past life regression hypnosis. The reader must keep in mind she wrote this book in 1979 regardless of the 2020 copyright and the "new release" feel of the book. 1979 was over 40 years ago and quite a few advances have been made in both medical science (she mentions her interest in doing work in the area of biofeedback "so we can begin to relate specific EEG recordings with subjective phenomena experienced…" (Wambach, 2020, p. 7)) as well as past life regression work. Although not a serious hindrance in assimilating the material she presents, it is something worth keeping in mind while reading Life Before Life.


As a result of the rise of online communication and political divisions based on symbols, rather than structure (decrease in the importance of class-based voting), citizens are increasingly linked to news outlets that articulate and reinforce their views. The process is facilitated by the spontaneous processes of bottom–up communication that excludes, in an iterative process, people who express views that are inconsistent with the prevailing opinion. The emergence of "information verticals" is a significant influence on attitudes to some issues covered in political debate. These effects operate with regard to so-called easy issues, that is, those rooted in emotions and in the symbolic sphere. Our article is an empirical test of our hypotheses about the effects of media framing of "hard" and "easy" issues. We apply a survey experiment method to verify whether contact with news coverage has an effect on attitudes, taking into account the political orientation and cognitive skills of citizens. Our empirical analyses confirm that a hostile media framing of migration changes respondents' attitudes no matter their level of cognitive engagement. The data come from Poland.


Actually determining the value of liquidity is one of the unsolved problems in finance. Firms hold liquidity for a variety of different reasons. Generally, liquidity balances held in a firm can be called considered, precautionary, speculative, transactional and intentional. The first are the result of management anxieties. Managers fear the negative part of the risk and hold liquidity to hedge against it. Second, liquidity balances are held to use chances that are created by the positive part of the risk equation. Next, liquidity balances are the result of the operating needs of the firm. Having information about value of liquidity we can better dissolve the problem of liquidity management. The liquidity management leaning on the information about the value of liquidity drives to increase of the value of the firm.


Background: To perceive the prototypical unhealthy eater more negative (prototype-distancing) represents a relevant target in the promotion of healthy eating. What, however, if adolescents perceive high similarity to the unhealthy eater? Two intervention studies were conducted to test how and when prototype-distancing can be reached. Methode: Study 1 (n=211) conveyed a negative unhealthy eater image via feedback of pilotstudy results. Study 2 (n=93) used imaginary Facebook-profiles with an instruction to contrast from the profile person. The control groups received no feedback or healthy eater profiles with an instruction to identify with the profile person. Perceived prototype similarity was tested as moderator of intervention effects. Findings: In adolescents perceiving high similarity to the unhealthy eater, the perception of the unhealthy eater did not became more negative after receiving negative image information only (Study 1) but if contrasting was initiated (Study 2). Discussion: Prototype-distancing can be reached in adolescents perceiving high similarity to the unhealthy eater prototype by presenting a negative prototype and initiating adequate comparison processes.


The conditions were optimized for the recovery of F(ab')2- and Fab'-fragments from monoclonal antibodies produced by the HSV.A.3.3 clone and production on their basis of peroxidase conjugates by periodate and maleimide methods to be used in the enzyme immunoassays. The immunoglobulins isolated from the monoclone HSV.A.3.3 were found to belong to the subclass IgG1. The conditions were chosen to derive a homogeneous F(ab')2-fragment from intact IgG by means of restricted proteolysis and purification on protein A-sepharose CL-4B. A highly sensitive test system was developed for diagnosis of herpes simplex virus antigens using F(ab')2- and Fab'-fragments as sorbents and conjugates. The sensitivity of the system was 0.2 ng virus protein.


Residual stresses are well known to affect the fatigue, fracture and creep failure of metals; tensile stresses can contribute to driving crack growth whilst compressive stresses are inhibitive. Compressive surface stresses have been shown to influence toughness and crack path followed during fracture. Controlled plasticity burnishing allows concentrated regions of surface residual stress to be generated with a high degree of spatial resolution. This technique was applied to modified double cantilever beam specimens (mDCB) to provide discontinuous 1D residual stress fields. Investigations were conducted into the fracture behaviour of mDCB specimens with discrete burnished regions; CTOA measured using direct techniques has been used to characterise fracture toughness and observe its variation with stress field. Additionally, variations in the stress-strain relationship are monitored in conjunction with crack path stability. Results from this study demonstrate that direction of the residual stress field alters constraint levels and therefore fracture toughness and crack path stability.


Abstract. Shortwave cloud radiative effects (SWCREs), defined as the difference
of the shortwave radiative flux between all-sky and clear-sky conditions
at the surface, have been reported to play an important role in
influencing the Earth's energy budget and temperature extremes. In
this study, we employed a set of global climate models to examine the
SWCRE responses to CO2 , black carbon (BC) aerosols, and
sulfate aerosols in boreal summer over the Northern Hemisphere. We
found that CO2 causes positive SWCRE changes over most of
the NH, and BC causes similar positive responses over North America,
Europe, and eastern China but negative SWCRE over India and tropical
Africa. When normalized by effective radiative forcing, the SWCRE from
BC is roughly 3–5 times larger than that from CO2 . SWCRE
change is mainly due to cloud cover changes resulting from changes
in relative humidity (RH) and, to a lesser extent, changes in cloud
liquid water, circulation, dynamics, and stability. The SWCRE response
to sulfate aerosols, however, is negligible compared to that for
 CO2 and BC because part of the radiation scattered by clouds
under all-sky conditions will also be scattered by aerosols under
clear-sky conditions. Using a multilinear regression model, it is
found that mean daily maximum temperature ( Tmax ) increases
by 0.15 and 0.13  K per watt per square meter ( W m−2 ) increase in local
SWCRE under the CO2 and BC experiment, respectively. When
domain-averaged, the contribution of SWCRE change to summer mean
 Tmax changes was 10 %–30 % under CO2
forcing and 30 %–50 % under BC forcing, varying by region,
which can have important implications for extreme climatic events and
socioeconomic activities.


Returning to optimal performance can be achieved through balancing training stress and recovery (Kellmann [2010]. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 20, 95-102). Insufficient recovery can leave individuals feeling muscle pain and discomfort (DOMS), lasting for up to 5-7 days after exercise (Valle et al [2013] Muscles Ligaments Tendons Journal, 3, 295–302). In recent years, interest in compression garments (CG) has grown as a non-invasive recovery modality. CG create an external pressure gradient, reducing space for swelling thus reducing muscle damage (Jimenez et al [2016] Physiology and Behaviour, 153, 133-148). CG have also been found to improve performance through improved blood flow to the muscles (Hill et al [2013] British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48, 1340-6). Previous research has focused on 'off-the-shelf' CG, with limited research of made-to-measure CG, tailored to fit the individual athlete. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of made-to-measure CG on performance and recovery indicators, during and after high intensity running. Eleven recreationally trained runners performed two time to exhaustion treadmill trials (TTE) at 110% of their identified critical speed. One trial was performed in running shorts and the other in compression garments. Trials were presented in a counter-balanced order. CG were a full-length lower limb design, custom made to each participant (Kurio Compression, Nottinghamshire, UK). Performance CG were worn during the trial and recovery CG were worn for 12 hours, immediately after the completion of the CG trial. A variation in applied pressure distinguished between the garments. TTE, pre and post blood [lactate] and running economy were recorded. Participants recorded their perceived level of DOMS through a visual analogue scale (VAS), pre, post, 12hr and 24hr after running trials, thus assessing recovery. TTE was significantly improved (P=0.01; d=0.39) when wearing CG (687±254s vs 599±189s), along with a reduced perception of DOMS after 12hr (14.4±12.9mm vs 22.7±15.2mm; P=0.01; d=0.59) and 24hr (5.8±6.0mm vs 13.27±11.9mm; P=0.01; d=0.79). No significant differences between conditions, in response to the running trial, were found in blood [lactate] or heart rate, however a small effect (38.89±11.6ml.kg.min vs 42.6±10.2ml.kg.min; g=0.34) for improved running economy was reported during the CG trial. This data confirms CG improved high intensity running performance and recovery, however mechanisms remain somewhat unclear. It should be noted that improvements might be a result of individual's self-belief or a potential placebo effect.


Formanyyears Tayside has benefitedfrom a successful opportunistic cytology screening programme. In recent years, however, the decrease in mortality due to cervical cancer has levelled off, with most cases of severe disease arising in women who have not been screened. In view of this the health board developed a new computer system for call and recall based on the community health index. This facility allowed the unscreened population to be identified and located on an individual general practice basis. The findings of the call programme in the 3136 women aged 50-60 were studied. The 29 practices in Perth and Kinross participated in the scheme. Before the call started 4287 out of 7423 (58%) women had been screened, and after the call programme this had risen to 5109 (69%). Moreover, a further 1158 (15%) women were identified who had a valid reason for exclusion from the programme. This meant that 6267 (84%) women of the study population were accounted for by the system. The call programme in Tayside will be completed in 1989 and will include all


Cells of all mammals recognize double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) as a foreign material. In response, they release interferons (IFNs) and activate a ubiquitously expressed pseudokinase/endoribonuclease RNase L. RNase L executes regulated RNA decay and halts global translation. Here we developed a biosensor for 2',5'-oligoadenylate (2-5A), the natural activator of RNase L. We found that 2-5A was acutely synthesized by cells in response to dsRNA sensing, which immediately triggered cellular RNA cleavage by RNase L and arrested host protein synthesis. However, translation-arrested cells still transcribed IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) and secreted IFNs of types I and III (IFN-β and IFN-λ). Our data suggests that IFNs escape from the action of RNase L on translation. We propose that 2-5A/RNase L pathway serves to rapidly and accurately suppress basal protein synthesis, preserving privileged production of defense proteins of the innate immune system. Significance RNase L is a mammalian enzyme that can stop global protein synthesis during interferon response. Cells must balance the need to make interferons (which are proteins) with the risk to lose cell-wide translation due to RNase L. This balance can most simply be achieved if RNase L was activated late in the interferon response. However, we show by engineering a biosensor for the RNase L pathway, that on the contrary, RNase L activation precedes interferon synthesis. Further, translation of interferons evades the action of RNase L. Our data suggest that RNase L facilitates a switch of protein synthesis from homeostasis to specific needs of innate immune signaling.


A method is developed for generating pseudopotentials for use in correlated-electron calculations. The paradigms of shape and energy consistency are combined and defined in terms of correlated-electron wave-functions. The resulting energy consistent correlated electron pseudopotentials (eCEPPs) are constructed for H, Li-F, Sc-Fe, and Cu. Their accuracy is quantified by comparing the relaxed molecular geometries and dissociation energies which they provide with all electron results, with all quantities evaluated using coupled cluster singles, doubles, and triples calculations. Errors inherent in the pseudopotentials are also compared with those arising from a number of approximations commonly used with pseudopotentials. The eCEPPs provide a significant improvement in optimised geometries and dissociation energies for small molecules, with errors for the latter being an order-of-magnitude smaller than for Hartree-Fock-based pseudopotentials available in the literature. Gaussian basis sets are optimised for use with these pseudopotentials.


Aluminum titanate ceramics (Al2TiO5) is a synthetic ceramic material of potential interest for many structural applications. A critical feature, which greatly limits the mechanical properties of polycrystalline Al2TiO5, is considerable intergranular microcracking, which occurs due to the high thermal anisotropy of individual grains. In this study, the temperature dependencies of mechanical properties were discussed along with the microstructure observation. Both of fracture strength and fracture toughness increased considerably with increasing the temperature. These phenomena were explained on the basis of the stress redistribution and unique microscopic feature on the fracture surface of aluminum titanate ceramics. The experimental results also revealed that the repeated heat treatments resulted in the change of fracture strength and fracture toughness due to the stress redistribution in the Al2TiO5 matrix.


Objective Pain associated with third molar (wisdom) teeth is a common cause of morbidity for soldiers in the United Kingdom and on operational deployments. This study compared the incidence of third molar symptoms between soldiers serving in Iraq and soldiers stationed in barracks in Northern Ireland and assessed if pre-deployment screening could be improved. Method Data was collected in a prospective cohort study over five consecutive months. Dental officers recorded each time an Army soldier presented with third molar related symptoms. Results 1% of soldiers in Iraq had third molar related symptoms in this time compared to 1.4% of those stationed in Northern Ireland. The range of pathologies and teeth affected were similar between locations. In both locations approximately 40% of teeth that caused problems had been symptomatic before and 13 -16% had untreated decay. Conclusions This study suggests that soldiers experience a lower incidence of symptoms related to third molars when in Iraq compared to Northern Ireland (P<0.033) possibly due to pre-deployment treatment. If ideal pre-deployment screening of third molars was carried out and National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines applied 38% of the Operation Telic group of patient's problems could have been prevented.


In the past two decades, the use of management tools have revolutionized the management and governance of educational systems. These tools of management are the result of a new market-managerial logic (known as the new public management NPM) infused into the public sector and made the State as a company using a performance-based government. For rationality, effectiveness and efficiency the new public management recommend being injected into the public sector the principles and instruments/tools of the private sector, in particular indicators. This article proposes an evaluation of the effect of indicators on the performance of schools in Morocco, a country which has undertaken administrative reform in recent years with a new performance approach inspired by the NPM movement. The objective is to examine the impact of the practice of indicators on the performance of schools. We used a quantitative method to test our research hypothesis. The results of this study are based on a sample of 189 schools principals from the four provincial directorates of Regional Academy of Education and Training of Guelmim Oued Noun. To collect empirical research data we used the questionnaire. The data analysis was done by ANOVA method using XLSTAT software.
Our literature review will show that the main mission of indicators is the measurement and contribution to the continuous improvement of the performance, the use of an indicator device can contribute to the school's improvement. Based on this literature review, we have are formed our hypothesis on the likely impact of the use of indicators on school performance.
On a practical level, we used a quantitative method to test our research hypothesis. A survey was carried out among 189 schools using a questionnaire to collect the data necessary for our empirical study. Data analysis was done by ANOVA method using XLSTAT software. The results obtained respond in particular to our research problem. Two hypotheses have not been confirmed: the computerization of indicators and their integration into balanced scorecards does not have a significant impact on the performance of the schools that are the subject of our study. Contrarily, three hypotheses are confirmed: the frequency of use of the indicators, the use of specific indicators and the involvement of the school community in indicators practice have a significant impact on the performance of schools in our own context.


A B S T R A C T We built up a stochastic linear programming crop structure model. We assume the sale prices as well as the yields of the cultivation sectors as stochastic variables and the variables of cost data calculations as deterministic. A farm operating in the Loszhat in Hajdusag provided the data for resources and cultivation technologies. For searching the optimal risk management variety we performed Monte Carlo simulations by using Risk Optimizer 4.5 software. Values of the goal functions were analyzed by statistically. In terms of the measurement of risks we provide different decision alternatives for the crop structure. Evaluating the results of the simulation runs decision makers could choose from alternatives that most suit their risk attitudes.


The viscosity of injection fluid is a critical parameter that should be considered for the design and evaluation of polymer flood, which is an effective and popular technique for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). It is known that the shear-thinning behavior of EOR polymer solutions is affected by temperature. In this study, temperature dependence (25–70 °C) of the viscosity of a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solution, the most widely used EOR polymer for oil field applications, was measured under varying conditions of the polymer solution (polymer concentration: 500–3000 ppm, NaCl salinity: 1000–10,000 ppm). Under all conditions of the polymer solution, it was observed that the viscosity decreases with increasing temperature. The degree of temperature dependence, however, varies with the conditions of the polymer solution. Martin model and Lee correlations were used to estimate the dependence of the viscosity of the polymer solution on the polymer concentration and salinity. In this study, we proposed a new empirical model to better elucidate the temperature dependence of intrinsic viscosity. Analysis of the measured viscosities shows that the accuracy of the proposed temperature model is higher than that of the existing temperature model.


Physical separation is one of the key technologies in the field of resources recycling for concentrating targeted component(s) and could create an environment friendly recycling process because of their relatively low energy consumption and low cost required. Physical separation process involves two kinds of stages, one is comminution for achieving the liberation of targeted component(s) and the other is real separation of target component(s) from the others. Recently a variety of smart comminution processes, involving mechanical and electrical disintegration as well as the pre-treatment, is developed for aiming selective breakage of phase boundaries of the solid materials to be recycled. The paper indicated several examples of such processes, (1) selective mechanical comminution for effective utilization of aluminum dross, (2) two-stage comminution for recovering minor rare metals from electronic appliances, and (3) concentration of platinum group metals from spent automobile catalyst. The paper also mentioned a sensor based sorting (SBS) process by combining several sensing systems, XRT and XRF, to achieve a horizontal recycling of scrap aluminum.


The current paper describes the author's experience conducting virtual interviews with sexual assault survivors and their informal supports (e.g., family, friend, partner) during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on past and present interviewing experiences with this population, and the recent literature on best practices for virtual interviewing and survivor/trauma-informed research methods. The experience of pivoting from past projects using face-to-face interview methods to doing virtual interviews with this population is presented and critically analyzed. Potential advantages and drawbacks of various methods and adaptations for doing virtual interviews in a dyadic sample of survivors and their informal supports are described to facilitate future research using virtual methods with sexual assault survivors and their informal supporters. Issues related to access (e.g., e.g., age, gender, race, ability, poverty) to interview participation are also noted as in need of more consideration. Finally, the impact on interviewers of doing this work in virtual versus face-to-face contexts is discussed.


Tuberous sclerosis (TS) or Bourneville's disease is a rare, multisystemic genetic disorder. It involves alterations to ectodermal and mesodermal cell differentiation and proliferation, causing benign hamartomatous tumors, neurofibromas and angiofibromas in the brain and other vital organs including the kidney, heart, eyes, lungs, skin and mucosa. It also affects the central nervous system and produces neurological dysfunctions such as seizures, mental retardation and behavior disorders. Tuberous (rootshaped) growths develop in the brain, and calcify over time, becoming hard and sclerotic, hence the name given to the disease. Although inheritance is autosomal dominant, 60-70% of cases occur through spontaneous mutations. The disease is related to some mutations or alterations in two genes, named TSC1 and TSC2. Discovered in 1997, TSC1 is located on chromosome 9q34 and produces a protein called hamartin. TSC2, discovered in 1993, is located on chromosome 16p13 and produces a protein called tuberin. The prevalence of the disease is 1/6000-10,000 live newborns, and it is estimated that there are 1-2 million sufferers worldwide. This paper presents a literature review and a family case report of a mother and two of her daughters with oral features of TS.


Last and nearest GRB-XRF 080109 has been an exceptional lesson on GRB nature. After a decade (since 25 April 08) we know that Supernovae may often contain a Jet. Its persistent activity may shine on axis as a GRBs. Such a persistent, thin beamed gamma jet may be powered by either a BH (Black Holes) or Pulsars. Late stages of these jets may loose the SN traces and appear as a short GRB or a long orphan GRB (depending on jet angular velocity and view angle). XRF are peripherical viewing of the jets. These precessing and spinning jet are originated by Inverse Compton and-or Synchrotron Radiation at pulsars or micro-quasars sources, by ultra-relativistic electrons. These Jets are most powerful at Supernova birth, blazing, once on axis, to us and flashing GRB detector. The trembling of the thin jet explains naturally the observed erratic multi-explosive structure of different GRBs. The jets are precessing (by binary companion or inner disk asymmetry) and decaying by power law t o t on time scales to a few hours, but they keep staying inside the observer cone view only a few seconds duration times (GRB); the jet is thinner in gamma and wider in X band. This explain the wider and longer X GRB afterglow duration and the rare presence of X-ray precursors.


This article challenges a common view of delinquents as asocial and amoral regarding their support of other people. Support is measured through indications of the willingness to extend assistance to persons at various social and physical distances who are victims of crime. Delinquents seem indeed to be less supportive than other juveniles of people in general. However, when the nature of intervention (direct as opposed to indirect) is taken into account in situations of conflict, delinquents show more loyalty than other juveniles to family and friends. In this respect, delinquents' loyalty is undivided, suggesting that the social cohesion of delinquents may be more particularistic and intense than the more extensive and universalistic support given by other juveniles. Contact with other delinquents is directly related to in-group loyalty and may account for part, but not all, of the relationship between it and delinquency. Further analysis reveals an important departure from an additive model: Delinquents who are involved in dyadic relationships with other delinquents are "too" loyal. The findings are interpreted in terms of Simmel's view of conflict, group structure, and group cohesion.


Hydatid cyst disease induced by Echinococcus granulosus is a parasitic disease known since ancient times. Today, it continues to be seen in many countries and creates serious problems. The lung is the second most frequently affected organ by hydatid cysts after the liver. Lung involvement is more prevalent in children than adults, and the growth of the cyst is faster in children. Hydatid cysts are mostly seen in the right lower lobe of the lung. Common symptoms are chest pain, cough, and shortness of breath, with the most diagnostic symptom being the expectoration of cyst fluid or membranes. In endemic areas, the diagnosis of hydatid cysts can usually be made easily by clinical findings, serology tests, and radiological findings. When the hydatid cyst ruptures and becomes complicated, it is clinically and radiologically confused with many diseases, especially lung cancer. Surgery is accepted as primary treatment of lung hydatid cysts all over the world. The surgical approach is related to several factors such as the size of the cyst, whether it is intact or complicated, unilateral or bilateral, solitary or multiple, and the presence of destruction of the lung parenchyma. Although it is stated by some surgeons that capitonnage is not required, the most frequently applied surgical technique is cystotomy and capitonnage. Pulmonary resection should be avoided as much as possible, particularly in children. Albendazole or mebendazole treatment in pulmonary hydatid cyst is generally used after surgery and to prevent recurrences.


In many countries, FDI is considered an important component of development, therefore many
developing countries have sought investment and designed policies to attract FDI. Countries
seek FDI with the expectation that MNEs would bring new technology and know-how to their
economy or spillovers. Evidence of this in existing research is contradictory; while some
studies have proven the existence of positive spillovers, others have found no trace of such
effects in the host country of FDI. Positive spillovers can be seen in, among others, technology
and knowledge spillover in the form of innovation activities. Fagerberg et al (2010) suggest
that innovation is not limited to high-tech activities; is an aspect in all aspects of economic
activities, not only new products and process but also improvements in logistics and
distribution, for example. Simple innovations in these areas may have large-scale economic
effects. Therefore, innovation is important for developing countries, including the developing
Asia. The present research aims to explain the relationship of FDI and innovation in selected
Asian countries, and identify the condition in which FDI can have a positive effect on
innovation activities.
Using the absorptive capacity theory with moderating variables human capacity, infrastructure
and institutional environment, the result of statistical analysis is that evidence of this
relationship exists, although it is rare and inconsistent across models. The relationship between
FDI and innovation depends on the moderating variables and the type of investment. It is found
that human capital positively determines the relationship between FDI and innovation. This
finding is in line with previous research in this subject. For example, Hall and Mairesse (2006)
found that firms with a greater share of highly educated employees are more likely to innovate.
Education is necessary for the host country in order to absorb and internalize knowledge from
foreign firms and apply it locally. Additionally, investment in the services sector is positive for
innovation activities compared to investment sectors such as manufacturing and natural
resources. FDI in the service sector may have a positive relationship with innovation activities
because much of nature of the investment in this sector is high-tech.


In recent years, the stock of rental housing in Canada has decreased as purpose-built rental
starts have slowed and existing stock has been converted from rental to ownership. The
objectives of this research project were to compare the Canadian rental market to those in
other countries, and to explore the private rental housing programs and initiatives adopted in
other countries. An overview of the rental housing stock in 13 countries found widely differing
situations: from Spain where less than 10% of the housing stock was private rentals, to
Germany where 60% of dwellings were rentals, most in the private market. Country specific
literature reviews were completed for Australia, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, United
Kingdom, and United States. Only three countries recorded recent significant growth in the size
of their private rental sectors: the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand. The
literature suggested two factors that contributed to growth of rental markets: weakened
ownership markets and deliberate policies to encourage rental investment. Examination of
policies and programs in other countries showed that favourable tax treatment of rental
investors, and deregulation of the private rental sector can have some impact on the growth of
the sector. Yet, perhaps the most compelling evidence for a strong, stable rental sector came
from Germany, where policy has not shown a bias towards home ownership and instead has
emphasised renting through favourable tax treatment, exception of longer-term rental
properties from capital tax gains, and balanced regulation.


Many international playwrights, directors, and screen writers have cited August Strindberg as having had a major influence on their work. This influence can to a large extent be attributed to translation, without which his works and ideas would not have spread outside of Sweden.The article looks at Strindberg from a translational point of view and focuses on his autobiographically inspired novel Le Plaidoyer d'un fou. Written by Strindberg directly in French in 1887−88, it first appeared in German in 1893 before being translated into Swedish not from the French original, but indirectly via German. The first English translation appeared in 1912 under the title The Confession of a fool. It, too, was a secondary translation, based on the second German translation published in 1910, which had as source text not Strindberg's original from 1887−88, but a heavily revised French version published in 1895. Several other German and English translations followed in the 20th century, turning Le Plaidoyer into an interesting object of study for translation researchers, linguists and literary critics.Every text serving as source text can be regarded as a legacy that influences the translator's decisions and choices. By analyzing selected passages from several early and later translations of Le Plaidoyer d'un fou into German and English, the article shows how the conception of Strindberg and his novel in particular and of translation in general changed through the years.


The paper examines the question of the emergence of multinational firms from Eastern Europe in Austria on different levels of aggregation: The first part uses aggregated data on inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in Austria from Central- and East European Countries (CEECs). These data show the importance of outward FDI from CEECs directed to Austria. The second part analyses survey data on the basis of a mailing survey sent to 210 firms from CEECs registered in Austria. Although the response rate was low, an interesting picture emerges of outward FDI directed to Austria. Overall, Austria is an important host country for outward foreign direct investment from Central- and East European Countries, yet not a bridgehead to other Western markets.


In the advancing world, it is very crucial to protect our environment. Many incidents of man-made and natural disasters were happening around the world. Forest fires are one such catastrophe for environment. Once the fire inside deep forest starts, it burns and destroys everything and spreads everywhere within the forest. Fire spreads on hot days destroys trees and grasses due to drought conditions peaks in a forest region. Such forest fires disasters should be curbed in order to protect fauna and flora habitats in the forest. The objective of this work is to design and implement an IoT based system which is self-sustaining and would predict and detect the forest fires and sends the exact location to concerned officials which would help fire fighting personnel to extinguish the fire in the location where it starts slowly. This would prevent the fire to spread over a huge area and also able to take precautionary measures in order to prevent the fire which may occur in near future.


Lung cancer poses the greatest cancer-related death risk and males have poorer outcomes than females, for unknown reasons. Patient sex is not a biological variable considered in lung cancer standard of care. Correlating patient genetics with outcomes is predicted to open avenues for improved management. Using a bioinformatics approach across non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subtypes, we identified where patient sex, mutation of the major tumor suppressor gene, Tumour protein P53 (TP53), and immune signatures stratified outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), among datasets of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We exposed sex and TP53 gene mutations as prognostic for LUAD survival. Longest survival in LUAD occurred among females with wild-type (wt) TP53 genes, high levels of immune infiltration and enrichment for pathway signatures of Interferon Gamma (INF-γ), Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) and macrophages-monocytes. In contrast, poor survival in men with LUAD and wt TP53 genes corresponded with enrichment of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGFB1, hereafter TGF-β) and wound healing signatures. In LUAD with wt TP53 genes, elevated gene expression of immune checkpoint CD274 (hereafter: PD-L1) and also protein 53 (p53) negative-regulators of the Mouse Double Minute (MDM)-family predict novel avenues for combined immunotherapies. LUSC is dominated by male smokers with TP53 gene mutations, while a minor population of TCGA LC patients with wt TP53 genes unexpectedly had the poorest survival, suggestive of a separate etiology. We conclude that advanced approaches to LUAD and LUSC therapy lie in the consideration of patient sex, TP53 gene mutation status and immune signatures.


objective of the present study was to assess changes in SOC stocks, quality and C fluxes to and from the soil along a climatic gradient occupied by two dominant and important stand types: balsam fir and black spruce. The more intensive aspects of the study leverage four black spruce and three balsam fir sites along the climate gradient, and flux measurements occurred between 2-4 years in duration, with some variation in frequency across the sites. While the climate for the study region is deemed "humid" throughout, there appears to also be a gradient in precipitation (Table The data presentation and objectives are fairly straightforward and broad to boreal ecologists. There are a few areas that should be clarified in minor revision prior to publication, however. (I) There are some methodological aspects that were not clear to evaluate, at least to me. It could be these are better explained in prior works by this team (e.g., is soil n only n=5, and is this enough power to assert changes?; why was a fixed value of 2 used for Q10, and yet Q10 was also determined directly?), but it would be good to clarify in this text. (II) There are now quite a few gradient studies examining C fluxes and soil C stocks in boreal conifer forests, including other work briefly mentioned in the text for Canada (for example, Boreal Forest Transect Case Study- Price and Apps), but also for Alaska and Fennoscandia, which would be great to discuss for context. This context would help in explaining co-variates with temperature along the gradient. As such


When you shift from the role of manager to coach you empower others to find their own solutions so you have time for other priorities. You begin to support the development of those around you, maximizing their performance and increasing productivity.


This study aims to evaluate quantitatively the land surface temperature (LST) derived from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) MOD11A1 and MYD11A1 Collection 5 products for daily land air surface temperature (Ta) estimation over a mountainous region in northern Vietnam. The main objective is to estimate maximum and minimum Ta (Ta-max and Ta-min) using both TERRA and AQUA MODIS LST products (daytime and nighttime) and auxiliary data, solving the discontinuity problem of ground measurements. There exist no studies about Vietnam that have integrated both TERRA and AQUA LST of daytime and nighttime for Ta estimation (using four MODIS LST datasets). In addition, to find out which variables are the most effective to describe the differences between LST and Ta, we have tested several popular methods, such as: the Pearson correlation coefficient, stepwise, Bayesian information criterion (BIC), adjusted R-squared and the principal component analysis (PCA) of 14 variables (including: LST products (four variables), NDVI, elevation, latitude, longitude, day length in hours, Julian day and four variables of the view zenith angle), and then, we applied nine models for Ta-max estimation and nine models for Ta-min estimation. The results showed that the differences between MODIS LST and ground truth temperature derived from 15 climate stations are time and regional topography dependent. The best results for Ta-max and Ta-min estimation were achieved when we combined both LST daytime and nighttime of TERRA and AQUA and data from the topography analysis.


This paper discuss the relationship between traditional parametric tests for market integration such as causuality tests and tests of the Law of One Price and cointegration tests for market integration. We show that cointegration tests are a natural extension of the traditional methods taking into account that prices are nonstationary, and not an alternative approach. By using the Johansen test, one can both test for causality and provided that prices are cointegrated, for the Law of One Price. An empirical analysis is provided for the whitefish market in France.


STRATIGRAPHY OF THE STASSFURT ANHYDRITES IN THE VICIMTIES OF LUBIN AND SIEROSZOWICE (FORE-SUDETIC MONOCLINE) Summary The present paper deals with a subdivision of the Stassfurt anhydrites that occur in the areas of Lubin and Sieroszowice. Stassfurt anhydrites are called basal anhydrites, as well. Drill cores from 14 wells (Fig. 1) were a basis for the stratigraphical elaboration of the anhydrites here considered. Structural differences observed on drill core surfaces of the Stassfurt anhydrites allowed to distinguish, in the series under discussion, the following members (Fig. 2): upper breccia of anhydrite and clay, upper cavernous anhydrites, lower breccia of anhydrite and clay, lower cavernous anhydrites, laminated anhydrites. The laminated anhydrites, 4,0 –18,3 m in thickness, occur in the lowermost part of the basal anhydrites. They are alternately bedded by grey anhydrite laminae, and by dark grey dolomitic anhydrite with clay admixture (Table I, Figs. 3, 4 and 5, and Table II, Fig. 6). In the bottom part, the laminae usually disclose, anhydrite beads. The laminate anhydrites are covered, with the lover cavernous anhydrites, 7,1–15,7 m in thickness (Table II, Figs. 7. and 8, and Table III, Fig. 9). On the drill core surfaces of these anhydrites  numerous caverns occur passing into narrow fissures that are filled in with clayey material, or are void. After sawing a core we can observe its smooth surfaces with some caverns completely filled in with grey clayey material. Hence, a conclusion may be drawn that the empty caverns occurring at the drill core surfaces, are secondary, mechanical phenomenon, and that clay material has been brought away by drill mud during drilling operations. The lower breccia of anhydrite and clay, 0,3–2,0 m in thickness, is a successive member here (Table IV, Figs. 10 and 11). It consists of dark-grey clay, irregularly disseminated anhydrite fragments of various shapes, from several millimeters to some centimetres in diameter. Horizontal, cross and wavy beddings are stressed by 1 m thick white-grey anhydrite laminae that alternate with dark-grey clay laminae. Last but one horizon in the Stassfurt anhydrites is represented by the upper cavernous anhydrites, 1,5–9,5 m in thickness (Table IV, Figs. 12 and 13). Like the lower cavernous anhydrites, they also reveal numerous caverns communicated with fine fissures. The upper breccia of anhydrite and clay, 1–4,5 m in thickness, is the last member ending the sedimentation of the Stassfurt anhydrites (Table IV, Fig. 14). It contains more clay material than the lower breccia, and towards the top it grades into a salt clay, grey in colour. Microscope analysis demonstrates that the basal anhydrites of the area in study are built up of columnar forms (0,01–0,6 mm) chaotically arranged, and of granular forms, 0,002–0,5 mm in diameter. In certain thin slides made of laminated anhydrites aphanite mass can be observed. Dolomite bands with grains from 0,002 to 0,01 mm m diameter are visible, too. Comparing the basal anhydrites from the Lubin–Sieroszowice area with the basal anhydrite series elaborated by W. Jung (1960) in Germany, I think that the laminated anhydrites correspond to the zone a, and the lower cavernous anhydrites – to the zone b. The lower breccia  of anhydrite and clay, the upper cavernous anhydrites, and the upper breccia of anhydrite and clay – to the zone g. In the area of study, the Stassfurt anhydrites are from 21,3 to 33,0 m in thickness.


Domain adaptation is an important technique to alleviate performance degradation caused by domain shift, e.g., when training and test data come from different domains. Most existing deep adaptation methods focus on reducing domain shift by matching marginal feature distributions through deep transformations on the input features, due to the unavailability of target domain labels. We show that domain shift may still exist via label distribution shift at the classifier, thus deteriorating model performances. To alleviate this issue, we propose an approximate joint distribution matching scheme by exploiting prediction uncertainty. Specifically, we use a Bayesian neural network to quantify prediction uncertainty of a classifier. By imposing distribution matching on both features and labels (via uncertainty), label distribution mismatching in source and target data is effectively alleviated, encouraging the classifier to produce consistent predictions across domains. We also propose a few techniques to improve our method by adaptively reweighting domain adaptation loss to achieve nontrivial distribution matching and stable training. Comparisons with state of the art unsupervised domain adaptation methods on three popular benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of our approach, especially on the effectiveness of alleviating negative transfer.


This study expertly assesses the evolving relationship between Norway and the European Union, the centrepiece of which is the European Economic Area (EEA). Faced with an increasingly outdated network of relationships with the EU, Norway finds itself marginalised from policy-making and subject instead to policy-taking. This report evaluates Norway's position in relation to the 'future of Europe' debate as well as a range of hypothetical options that Norway may contemplate, focusing on several key policy areas including the single market, the macroeconomic agenda, justice and home affairs, and foreign security and defence policies.


Temporomandibular disorders are common maxillofacial disturbs of different etiologies (traumatic, inflammatory, degenerative, or congenital) that course with pain and dysfunctions of the temporomandibular joint. The treatment of these disorders includes systematically administered drugs (especially nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs and corticoids), physical therapies, and minimally invasive therapies that require intraarticular injections. These techniques are directed to clean or drain the articular cavity, to deliver intraarticularly drugs, biologically active compounds (as platelet-rich plasma), or to enhance lubrication (hyaluronic acid). Moreover, minimally invasive strategies are used in regenerative medicine for to deliver cells and stem cells, and nano- or micro-biomaterials. Surgery of temporomandibular disorders is only used in grave diseases that require arthrodesis or remotion of the temporomandibular joint. This review updates the nonsurgical therapeutic strategies to treat temporomandibular disorders, focusing the attention in the articular delivery or hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma, two minimally invasive widely used at present.


Many foreign medicinal materials that were imported to China via the Silk Road and maritime trade have enriched Chinese medicine. Imported foreign medicines reached a high point by the Tang and Song Dynasties, particularly in the case of aromatic medicines, which supplemented domestic Chinese aromatics and were widely employed in official dispensaries in the Song Dynasty. This study investigated historical records related to imported Chinese medicines in the Tang and Song periods, focusing on their varieties, quantity, use, and localization trends. Foreign medicines were assimilated as Chinese medical theory was applied to interpret their effects, and aromatics such as frankincense that were extremely expensive in the Tang Dynasty became accessible to common people by the Song Dynasty. By the Song Dynasty, some foreign medicines began to be domestically cultivated and the boundary between foreign and traditional Chinese medicines became blurred; foreign medicines gradually transformed into Chinese medicines. The importation of foreign medicines during the Tang and Song Dynasties was a historical turning point that contributed greatly to the development of traditional Chinese medicine.


Intoduction Paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) is considered to be a multifactorial disease with both genetic and acquired factors involved in its aetiology. The acquired factors include lifestyles and environmental factors of both patients in paediatric period and their mothers in perinatal period. Parental smoking, not breast-feeding (human milk substitute), mental stress, lack of sleeping time, low body activity, appendectomy, preterm delivery, and some genetic variants concerning pathways of immune responses such as CARD15/NOD2, DLG5, TLR4, OCTN1/2, MYO9B, IL23R, ATG16L, have reported to be possible risk factors for PIBD. However, to date, there has been no study analysing these factors simultaneously and clarifying their confoundings. The present study tries to elucidate genetic and acquired risk factors for PIBD and their confounding. Methods PIBD cases and controls were recruited from affiliated hospitals of the Japan workshop for paediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Saliva sample of patients for genotyping and self-administrated questionnaire for their mothers were obtained with written informed-consent. Result and conclusion This paper will report interim results of the study starting from 2011. The present study is expected to develop early and individualised measures to prevent PIBD, intervention for lifestyles and environmental factors of expectant mothers possessing genetic risk factors for baby's future PIBD manifestation. Further, the results may contribute to clarify new pathogenesis of PIBD manifestation and more useful disease classification.


The aim of this paper is to address two critical aspects involved in the stamp forming of a thermoplastic composite wing rib: tooling design and process development. A commercial finite element code has been used for forming simulation in the early phase of tooling design and process development to study the material deformation of a blank and a variety of tooling design concepts. In this paper, two selected design concepts are presented and compared. An extensive experimental investigation was carried out to assess the quality of numerical simulation results and also to evaluate the relationship between process parameters and resulting quality of a stamp formed wing rib. The design-of-experiments has been utilized to generate sampling points required for the physical experiments.


To explore the design of solar power management circuit, the fuzzy logic control algorithm based on MPPT (max power point tracking), which has fast control speed and good environment robustness, is adopted as the control algorithm. In addition, the MPPT solar battery charge and discharge power management circuit is designed and successfully applied in the on-line measurement projects of dielectric loss of wireless sensor network in Jilin Province LG Electronics Company. The results show that the charging efficiency of solar battery charge and discharge power management circuit can reach above 80%, and the current of static power management circuit is less than 1mA. In different light intensities, the dynamic power management is intelligently carried out. At last, it is concluded that the stability and reliability of circuit are quite high.


Jordan is the 4th poorest country in the world in terms of water resources. Although, Jordan receives an average annual rainfall of 8194 million cubic metre, it can only collect 360 million cubic meters in its existing dams. There is an urgent need to construct more dams in order to harvest the obtainable runoff which might help in overcoming the shortage in its water resources for domestic and agricultural uses.  Site selection of dams must be carried out using sophisticated tools and techniques. One of these techniques is GIS, which could be integrated with multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) to select the optimum sites for dams. In this research vector-Based GIS and multi-criteria decision making were used to select the optimum sites of dams in Karak governorate/ South Jordan. Rainfall, soil, slope, urban areas and roads comprise the selection criteria used in this research based on the use of weighted linear combination (WLC). Wadis, Roads, Urban Centres, Faults and Wells comprise the constraint factors used to erase the unsuitable areas for constructing dams based on the Boolean technique. The outcome of this research showed that there are 9 potential sites that could be utilized for constructing dams to harvest the surface water in the study area. Keywords: Jordan; Karak; Dams; Vector-Based; GIS; MCDM


Since the 1980s, the European Community has become an engine for liberalization and re-regulation in the network industries of the transport, energy and telecommunications industries. This paper describes major lines of reform in European infrastructure and regulation policy. Both, changes in the substantial policies (with regard to the liberalization and regulation of network access, the establishment and development of trans- European networks and the promotion of Services of general economic interest) and accompanying changes in the allocation of powers between the European Community and its member states in the field of infrastructure and regulation policy are described. Against this backdrop some normative questions are derived, which should be answered in order to evaluate current developments.


In this paper, through the establishment of the experiment test platform, the synchronous test of crankshaft rotation angle, cylinder pressure and valve motion of reciprocating refrigeration compressor is realized. And the factors affecting the performance of reciprocating refrigeration compressor and the performance of compressor are studied. The rotary encoder is used for monitoring transient pressure variation of suction and discharge valve port and internal cylinder during compressor running. And it can measure precisely the displacement of valve movement by optical fiber sensor. Through the study analysis on P-V diagrams under different conditions, compressor suction and discharge process of work and work loss are given to present relation between work and the refrigeration compressor condensing temperature. And also analyzing suction and discharge valve movement curve is to study the delay phenomenon while valve opening and closing, and present the most optimal proposal for valve plate structure design.


Fernandez, M. R., Fox, S. L., Hucl, P., Singh, A. K. and Stevenson, F. C. 2014. Root rot severity and fungal populations in spring common, durum and spelt wheat, and Kamut grown under organic management in western Canada. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 937-946. A 3-yr field study (2010 to 2012) was conducted in the Brown soil zone of southwest Saskatchewan to determine the reactions of common, durum and spelt wheat cultivars currently registered in western Canada, and of Kamut wheat, to common root rot (CRR) under organic management. The genotypes selected for this study are often grown by organic producers in this region. Over the 3 yr of this study, Cochliobolus sativus, the main causal agent of CRR, was the fungus most frequently isolated from discoloured subcrown internodes, followed by Fusarium spp. The latter constituted an overall total of over 19% of all isolations and consisted of at least 12 different species, the most frequently detected of which were F. equiseti, F. avenaceum, F. acuminatum and F. oxysporum. The relative prevalence of the most commonly isolated genera/species agrees most closely with previous studies conducted under organic management. In general, C. sativus was less common in Kamut than in durum and spelt wheat, and it was more frequently isolated from durum than common wheat. In contrast, there were few differences in the isolation of Fusarium spp. among wheat species. Their isolation was greater for common wheat and Kamut than for durum wheat. For all 3 yr, the greatest mean CRR severity was observed in spelt wheat, followed by durum wheat and Kamut, with common wheat having the lowest average severity. For individual cultivars, the durum wheat AC Avonlea, Kyle and Transcend had the greatest CRR severity of all cultivars in this species and CDC Verona the lowest. Common wheat cultivars AC Elsa, CDC Kernen and Red Fife had the greatest CRR severity and Superb and Unity the lowest severity within their species. Under organic conditions, avoiding growing cultivars with high susceptibility to CRR is recommended given the expected presence of this disease in most fields and environments.


BACKGROUND
The presence of fungi and bacteria in the paranasal sinuses may contribute to ongoing inflammation. Lysozyme is an innate immune peptide with bactericidal and fungicidal activity. The expression of lysozyme in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is poorly understood and deficiencies in lysozyme expression may contribute to the ongoing inflammation in CRS patients.

OBJECTIVE
Determine lysozyme expression in sinus mucosa of normal and CRS patients with (CRSwNP) and without (CRSsNP) nasal polyps.

METHODOLOGY
Sinus mucosa specimens (n = 82) were processed for standard histology, immunohistochemical localisation of lysozyme, immunofluorescent localisation of fungi, and qPCR analysis of lysozyme expression.

RESULTS
CRS specimens displayed high-levels of lysozyme immunoreactivity in many of the abundant serous cells. Moderate levels were detected in some epithelial cells and inflammatory cells. Low levels were detected in some subepithelial glands of control specimens. No difference in immunoreactivity was detected between CRSwNP and CRSsNP specimens. Fungal elements were not visualised in any sinus specimen. qPCR analysis demonstrated variable lysozyme expression between individuals.

CONCLUSIONS
Lysozyme protein expression is increased in patients with CRS, suggesting a defect in lysozyme expression is not responsible for the microbial colonisation often associated with CRS. The functional activity of lysozyme in CRS patients needs to be further investigated.


The Rosetta orbiter carried three dedicated dust analysis instruments to investigate the properties of the comet andits dust at smallest scales. The images with the highest resolutions were obtained by the MIDAS (Micro-ImagingDust Analysis System) atomic force microscope [1,2]. It collected dust particles of one to tens of micrometresin size and imaged their surface in 3D. Nominal images had approximately hundreds of nanometres resolutionand were used to study the particle morphology at the micrometre scale. It was shown that the majority ofcollected particles were fragile agglomerates [3] with a moderate packing density of subunits at the surface [4].Exceptions were one extremely porous particle with a fractal structure that is suggested to be pristinely preservedfrom early agglomeration processes in our Solar System [4], and the particles of about one micrometre size thatshow less fragility. To study these smallest detected particles a special scanning mode, called 'reverse imagingmode', was developed that reached resolutions down to eight nanometres [5]. In the reverse imaging mode dustparticles were picked up with the tip and imaged with the help of a sharp spike on a calibration sample. Theresulting images opened the possibility to identify the agglomerate structure of the dust down to the nanometrescale and to determine smallest features with mean sizes of about 100 nanometres. Whether these smallestfeatures are surface related or true subunits comprising the dust will be discussed on the basis of comparisons tosmallest subunit sizes identified by indirect Rosetta measurements and by investigations of other cometary material.References:[1] W. Riedler, K. Torkar, H. Jeszenszky, et al., MIDAS – The Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System for theRosetta Mission. Space Science Reviews 128, 2007.[2] M.S. Bentley, H. Arends, B. Butler, et al., MIDAS: Lessons learned from the first spaceborne atomic forcemicroscope. Acta Astronautica 125, 2016.[3] M.S. Bentley, R. Schmied, T. Mannel et al., Aggregate dust particles at comet 67P/Chruyumov-Gerasimenko,Nature, 537, 2016.[4] T. Mannel, M.S. Bentley, R. Schmied et al., Fractal cometary dust – a window into the early Solar system,MNRAS, 462, 2016.[5] T. Mannel, M.S. Bentley, P.D. Boakes, et al., MIDAS results: classification and extension to the nanometrescale, submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics, Rosetta special issue, 2018.


Abstract A new paradigm that increases the efficiency of whole-core neutron transport calculations without lattice homogenization is introduced. Quasi-reflected interface conditions are formulated to partially decouple periodic lattice effects from global flux gradients. The starting point is the finite subelement form of the variational nodal code VARIANT that eliminates fuel-coolant homogenization through the use of heterogeneous nodes. The interface spherical harmonics expansions that couple pin-cell–sized nodes are divided into low-order and high-order terms, and reflected interface conditions are applied to the high-order terms. Combined with an integral transport method within the node, the new approach dramatically reduces both the formation time and the dimensions of the nodal response matrices and leads to sharply reduced memory requirements and computational time. The method is applied to the two-dimensional C5G7 problem, an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency pressurized water reactor benchmark containing mixed oxide (MOX) and UO2 fuel assemblies, as well as to a three-dimensional MOX fuel assembly. Results indicate the new approach results in very little loss of accuracy relative to the corresponding full spherical harmonics expansions while reducing computational times by well over an order of magnitude.


The narcotic antagonist naltrexone (NTX) has both depressant and excitatory effects on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activity, and the present study was primarily concerned with mechanisms involved in the latter modulatory action. Single channel data were recorded in cell-attached mode from cultured embryonic chick skeletal muscle myotubes at 10 degrees C under control conditions (0.15 or 0.3 microM acetylcholine, ACh) or in the presence of NTX (0.15 microM ACh plus 0.1-5 microM NTX). Distributions of open and closed times indicated that there were at least two open and four closed channel states in all cases, and evidence for at least two gateways between the open and closed classes was provided by autocorrelation data. In the absence of NTX the proportion of long (greater than 2 msec) openings increased with increasing ACh concentration, suggesting that the channel in both the mono- and biliganded forms of the receptor could open. Three possible six-state models of channel kinetics which were compatible with these findings could not be distinguished on the basis of conventional Markov modeling of open and closed times; however when account was taken of burst distributions, one model was clearly superior. Estimated transition rates in this model showed that enhanced receptor activity in the presence of NTX was due mainly to increased cooperativity of ACh binding. The results suggest that in the chick nicotinic ACh receptor, low micromolar concentrations of NTX may cause enhancement and blockade of activity by binding to a site which is allosterically coupled to several activation and gating processes.