► Hegazy AN, West NR, Stubbington MJT, et al. Circulating and tissue-resident CD4+ T cells with reactivity to intestinal microbiota are abundant in healthy individuals and function is altered during inflammation. Gastroenterology 2017 Aug. pii: S0016-5085(17)35979-6. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.07.047. (Epub ahead of print). Intestinal immune responses are tightly regulated to provide the necessary protection against pathogenic organisms while controlling responses to commensal species. Characterising T cell responses to bacteria is an important aspect of the puzzle. In humans, circulating memory T cells recognise peptides derived from gut bacteria and can cross-react to pathogens. While the process may be beneficial during homeostasis, this potentially contributes to inflammatory conditions such as IBD when regulatory aspects are dysfunctional. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the type, frequency and functional phenotype of T cells that react to intestinal microbes in the gut and how these immune cells change during chronic intestinal inflammation. This study by Hegazy and colleagues used a combination of experimental approaches to address these questions. The data demonstrate that circulating enteric bacteria-reactive CD4+ T cells co-express chemokine receptors including CCR4, CCR6 and CCR7, with a smaller fraction also expressing gut-related homing receptors α4β7 and CCR9 promoting access to secondary lymphoid organs. The microbiota-reactive T cells displayed Th17 and Th1 characteristics and in some cases produced interleukin (IL)-10. A clear Th17 bias was seen in gut-resident cells in IBD although these observations were also evident in healthy individuals. The authors suggest that the continuous luminal sampling of the intestinal microbiota and response to epithelial breaches, such as during an infection, provides a plethora of memory T cells with potential reactivity towards newly encountered pathogens. Therefore, contrary to previous assumptions, these T cells may actually be promoting intestinal homeostasis rather than inflammation.


The laser dynamic speckle is a phenomenon caused by the fluctuant interference of the laser light reflected from an illuminated surface where some kind of activity is taking place. Signals generated by the intensity changes in each pixel through the sequence are processed with the finality of identifying underlying activity in each point. In this work we compare the performance of a Rough Fuzzy Granular Descriptor (previously published) against a set of dynamic speckle descriptors based in time and frequency processing. To perform this evaluation a numerical simulation is proposed to explore their linearity, robustness, sensitivity related to the samples quantity, as well as also by their computing time. Also the robustness to inhomogeneous spatial intensity was evaluated in an experiment performed with the illuminated surface of an actual biological object.


: Receptors for the constant part of IgG (Fc gamma R) are implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases. Children from mothers with an Fc gamma RIIIb deficiency may suffer from neonatal neutropenia due to an alloimmune reaction. Interindividual differences (polymorphisms) for a number of Fc gamma R represent risk factors for several infectious and autoimmune diseases. Immunotherapeutic use of several monoclonal antibody subclasses is affected by Fc gamma R polymorphisms. Fc gamma R can be used for cellular entrance by lymphotropic viruses (such as HIV) and appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of fulminant Dengue virus infections.


The silk handloom industry consumes two-thirds of the raw silk produced domestically in India. It was envisaged to develop a handloom silk saree using spun silk as warp and or weft and study the fabric characteristics in terms of low-stress mechanical properties using Kawabata analysis. Accordingly, a commercially available finer variety of Nm 210/2 spun silk was used as warp and or weft to produce three types of silk sarees and compared with regular reeled silk saree. Two types of spun silk sarees showed significantly lesser bending stiffness when compared to the reeled silk saree that implies, the fabric is less stiff with better drape-ability. The shear rigidity of all the spun silk sarees was significantly lower than that of reeled regular silk saree. It implies that the spun silk fabric can be easily distorted in laying up, marking and cutting. As such it is easy for folding and sleeve insertion during fabric stitching. Also, the spun silk saree possesses tensile, surface and compression properties at par with reeled silk saree. The analysis revealed that the Primary Hand Values (PHV), Koshi (Stiffness), Numeri (Smoothness) and Fukurami (Softness) including the Total Hand Value (THV) for the women's thin dress material were better than that of regular reeled silk saree. The results of thermal properties revealed that the Q-max, CLO and TIV of the spun silk sarees are significantly better than that of regular reeled silk saree.


California's black bear (Ursus americanus) population has tripled over the last 3 decades, causing an increased incidence of human–bear confl icts, many of which now occur in urban areas. Consequently, it is imperative that bear managers have the ability to monitor population parameters in both wildland and urban environments to help manage bears. Capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods using uniquely typed genetic samples (DNA) collected via hair-snares have been widely used to monitor bears in wildland areas. However, we are unaware of researchers applying this technique to bears occupying urban areas. We implemented a multi-year DNA-based CMR study to compare bear densities between an urban area and a nearby wildland area. We deployed hair-snares for 6 weekly capture occasions during June and July, 2011 and 2012. We uniquely typed DNA from snared hair follicles using 14 microsatellite loci and 2 sexing loci. We coupled unique identifi cation with robust-design closed-capture models and model averaging in Program MARK to estimate abundance. We identifi ed 41 and 62 individual bears on the urban and wildland study areas, with average densities of 3.8 and 1.8 bears/10 km2, respectively. Our data support the hypothesis that bears can occur at greater densities in urban areas. Based on these results, we recommend using DNA-based CMR methods to monitor populations of bears in urban areas, but we suggest increasing the density of sampling locations to account for greater bear densities. Furthermore, we contend that DNA-based CMR can also estimate survival, recruitment, rate of population change (λ), and identify movement patterns by incorporating additional survey years.


We present a computational model of human eye movements based on a genetic algorithm (GA). The model can generate elemental raw eye movement data in a four-second eye viewing window with a 25 Hz sampling rate. Based on the physiology and psychology characters of human vision system, the fitness function of the GA model is constructed by taking into consideration of five factors including the saliency map, short time memory, saccades distribution, Region of Interest (ROI) map, and a retina model. Our model can produce the scan path of a subject viewing an image, not just several fixations points or artificial ROI's as in the other models. We have also developed both subjective and objective methods to evaluate the model by comparing its behavior with the real eye movement data collected from an eye tracker. Tested on 18 (9 × 2) images from both an obvious-object image group and a non-obvious-object image group, the subjective evaluations shows very close scores between the scan paths generated by the GA model and those real scan paths; for the objective evaluation, experimental results show that the distance between GA's scan paths and human scan paths of the same image has no significant difference by a probability of 78.9% on average.


fatality rate) and the mortality rate per number of individual electrical treatments given (treatment-fatality rate). Using a questionary, Barker' 6 and Baker' investigated retrospectively nine deaths which had occurred over a two-year period in 55 hospitals as a result of E.C.T. These deaths were distributed over more than a quarter of a million treatments. Amongst the conclusions from this study (which must be one of the largest in existence) was that the E.C.T. mortality rate was extremely low-one death per 28,000 treatments, which is equivalent to a treatment-fatality rate of 0.003 %. This might imply that the mortality rates from E.C.T. and that arising from tranylcypromirne are of approximately the same order (0.003% as opposed to 0.001%), whereas it is of course impossible to compare the incidence of death resulting from tranylcypromine against a mortality which is expressed according to the number of E.C.T. treatments which have been administered. Also it would seem inappropriate to compare the fatality rate resulting from a monoamine oxidase inhibitor taken several times a day, alone or in combination with other powerful psychotropic drugs, over a period of several months or years, with that resulting from E.C.T., which may also be given alone or in conjunction with drugs (usually 2 or 3 times a week for much shorter periods). Too many variables are introduced. For instance, among many other considerations the age of the patient may be much more important in relation to the E.C.T. fatality rate than to the incidence of death associated with tranylcypromine. Far more information about this subject is required before any lasting conclusions may be drawn. The position of the elusive decimal point is, however, of considerable importance.-I am, etc., Shelton Hospital, J. C. BARKER. Shrewsbury.


Most of the recently developed malls in Saudi Arabia have provided poor acoustical environments. Assessment of such environments is dis‐ cussed in detail in this paper through a case study; Al‐Rashid Mall in Al‐Khobar. Physical characteristics of the mall are described along with the special acoustical systems that are incorporated within the mall. One of these systems is the public address system which has many loudspeakers and feedback microphones that allow the system to automatically adjust the loudness of the sound signal produced according to the noise level. Unfortunately, this system has failed to provide the functions for which it was built. Acoustical characteristics such as background noise levels, reverberation time, and the sound transmission index (STI) were measured and analyzed in many locations. It was found that the mall has unexpectedly provided high background noise levels and reverberation time, as well as very poor speech intelligibility. Causes of such problems along with possible s...


The study examined stock market-economic growth nexus in the Nigerian economy. It specifically investigates the effects and the causal relationship between the two variables in Nigeria. This was with the view to providing empirical evidence for stock market operation to stimulate economic growth with maximising the welfare of the people. The study employed annual time series data from 1981 to 2008 collected from various issues of Central Bank of Nigeria's Statistical Bulletin and Annual Report and statement of Account of Nigeria Stock Exchange 2009 edition. An Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) Model was adopted in the analyses of the interaction between stock market and economic growth. The granger causality pairwise test was conducted in determining the causal relationship among the variables. The empirical results showed that, there was unidirectional causality between stock market and economic growth, which ran from economic growth (GDP) to stock market (MCAP) at 5 percent significant level., stock market has negative effect on economic growth in the short run but positive effect in the long run with (t=1.6, P>0.05) and (t = 4.6, P<0.05) respectively. However, the effect was statistically significant at 5% level of significance only in the long run. The study concludes that, the Nigerian stock market is no exception to other developing countries which are working towards reforming and deepening their financial systems through the expansion of its stock markets in order to improve their ability to mobilize resources and efficiently allocate them to the most productive sectors of the economy so as to enhance economic growth. Keywords: Market Capitalization, Total Value of Transactions, Total New Issues, Gross Domestic Product and Bank Total Asset


Abstract Braided fluvial reservoirs form some of the world's giant oilfields and are found in many petroleum provinces. At best, they have excellent characteristics, but where non-net intervals (shales and siltstones) form higher proportions, they are more difficult to appraise and develop. Geological characterization (lithological correlatability, vertical sequence and porosity/permeability variability) must be communicated effectively to the reservoir engineer, whose role is to formulate a development plan and predict the production profile for a field, and to monitor and optimise day-to-day field performance. He has at his disposal other techniques: cased hole neutron logging to monitor contact levels; well testing to determine reservoir flow capacity, boundary and layering effects; production logging to assess well inflow performance or injectivity; wireline pressure profiling, field pressure and production history analysis to define vertical permeability and to reveal reservoir compartmentalization and/or communication with aquifer or injected fluids. Computer reservoir simulation modelling, now an essential tool for management of most major fields, has provided the impetus for advances in geological reservoir characterization. The question is: how can we adequately represent braided fluvial reservoirs in such models? At one end of the spectrum, sheet sands (although laterally variable) can be adequately mapped and modelled as 'layered' systems based on conventional approaches. At the other are multiple low-sinuosity channel sand reservoirs which, being uncorrelatable at well spacings typical during appraisal of offshore fields, may be suitable targets for stochastic or network — type approaches. Although the behaviour of a hydrocarbon reservoir must be controlled at least in part by its sedimentological characteristics, the engineer's view of a field may be somewhat different to that of the geologist. This is as true for braided fluvial reservoirs as for those of other environmental origin. The geologist and reservoir engineer must be fully aware of each others' data, analytical methods and objectives in order to avoid wasted effort. In the future, despite greater computing power and better modelling software, specialist technical disciplines must not loose sight of the overall objectives of field development. Small-scale geological variability affects the viability of enhanced recovery processes such as miscible flooding. However, at the development planning stage, more generalized parameter assessments may be sufficient. Reservoir characterization at the small scale, such as geostatistical outcrop analogue studies, should be balanced by more geological involvement in the planning and interpretation of well tests, which often provide the only dynamic data available during the appraisal and development planning of offshore fields. Greater cross-disciplinary understanding of reservoir characteristics could in turn ensure that an engineer would not develop an incorrect view of a braided fluvial reservoir, perhaps by correlating shaley intervals which just happen to be present at about the same location in the section.


The integration of the dynamic line rating (DLR) of overhead transmission lines (OTLs) in power systems security constrained unit commitment (SCUC) potentially enhances the overall system security as well as its technical/economic performances. This paper proposes a scalable and computationally efficient approach aimed at integrating the DLR in SCUC problem. The paper analyzes the case of the SCUC with AC load flow constraints. The AC-optimal power flow (AC-OPF) is linearized and incorporated into the problem. The proposed multi-period formulation takes into account a realistic model to represent the different terms appearing in the Heat-Balance Equation (HBE) of the OTL conductors. In order to include the HBE in the OPF, a relaxation is proposed for the heat gain associated to resistive losses while the inclusion of linear approximations are investigated for both convection and radiation heat losses. A decomposition process relying on the Benders decomposition is used in order to breakdown the problem and incorporate a set of contingencies representing both generators and line outages. The effects of different linearization, as well as time step discretization of HBE, are investigated. The scalability of the proposed method is verified using IEEE 118-bus test system.


Recent technological advances in wireless communications offer new opportunities and challenges for wireless ad hoc networking. In the absence of the fixed infrastructure that characterizes traditional wireless networks, control and management of wireless ad hoc networks must be distributed across the nodes, thus requiring carefully designed Medium Access Control (MAC) layer protocols. In this article we survey, classify, and analyze 34 MAC layer protocols for wireless ad hoc networks, ranging from industry standards to research proposals. Through this analysis, six key features emerge: (1) channel separation and access; (2) topology; (3) power; (4) transmission initiation; (5) traffic load and scalability; and (6) range. These features allow us to characterize and classify the protocols, to analyze the tradeoffs produced by different design decisions, and to assess the suitability of various design combinations for ad hoc network applications. The classification and the tradeoff analysis yield design guidelines for future wireless ad hoc network MAC layer protocols. A SURVEY, CLASSIFICATION AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MEDIUM ACCESS CONTROL PROTOCOLS FOR AD HOC NETWORKS FIRST QUARTER 2004, VOLUME 6, NO. 1 www.comsoc.org/pubs/surveys


This thesis focuses on simple capacitive measurement techniques suitable for integration in CMOS technologies. The main motivation being: to realize simple frontends for capacitive sensors and microsystems for integration in high-density sensing applications, for example, in arrays of sensors for highresolution ultrasound imaging. In addition, there are many applications where a high accuracy in sensing is not essential; in such cases, a simple interface circuit can not only save the design time, but may also offer area and power advantages over the more complex circuits. Therefore, one of the main aims in this research has been to realize simple circuit topologies that may benefit such applications. Two different kinds of sensing circuits form the highlight of this thesis. The first interface circuit is the realization of a current-mode approach that has the main advantage of being able to produce a fully-differential output also from a single-ended sensor by using just a fixed reference capacitor. The circuit, prototyped in a commercial 0.8-µm CMOS process, was estimated capable of achieving an accuracy of around 0.2% relative to full-scale which may be sufficient in many applications. In the second prototype, the feedback biasing technique is rediscovered for nanoscale CMOS technologies. It is shown that some of the classic limitations imposed by the use of feedback biasing in CMOS circuits are removed in nanoscale technologies, and when using MOSFET as feedback resistor; it is possible to realize extremely compact amplifiers. Such feedback-biased cascaded CS amplifiers, designed in a commercially available CMOS technology, achieved a voltage gain of 28 dB, an output noise power spectral density of 0.11 (µV )2/Hz at center-frequency, and a total harmonic distortion of —30 dB at full-scale output. These specifications are acceptable for application of such amplifiers as CMUT frontends. By using subthreshold MOSFETs as feedback resistors, extremely compact amplifiers (measruring just 20 µm x 10µm) were obtained. However, by using the MOSFET feedback resistor, the linearity of the amplifier is affected by the non-linearity in the resistance of the MOSFET. A simple remedy is proposed that recovers a large part of the linearity degradation by sacrificing slightly on the input resistance. The linearity improvement was observed to be more than 100% in the best case. The area overhead due to the additional device is very small


Continuous Integration (CI) has become an established best practice of modern software development. Its philosophy of regularly integrating the changes of individual developers with the mainline code base saves the entire development team from descending into Integration Hell, a term coined in the field of extreme programming. In practice CI is supported by automated tools to cope with this repeated integration of source code through automated builds, testing, and deployments. Currently available products, for example, Jenkins-CI, SonarQube or GitHub, allow for the implementation of a seamless CI-process. One of the main problems, however, is that relevant information about the quality and health of a software system is both scattered across those tools and across multiple views. We address this challenging problem by raising awareness of quality aspects and tailor this information to particular stakeholders, such as developers or testers. For that we present a quality awareness framework and platform called SQA-Mashup. It makes use of the service-based mashup paradigm and integrates information from the entire CI-toolchain in a single service. To evaluate its usefulness we conducted a user study. It showed that SQA-Mashup's single point of access allows to answer questions regarding the state of a system more quickly and accurately than standalone CI-tools.


This paper investigates a paradox in the reception of Web 2.0. While some of its services are seen as creators of a new informational economy and are hence publicly legitimized, other features are increasingly under surveillance and policed, although in reality the differences between these services is far from obvious. Our thesis is that we are currently experiencing a temporary postponement of the law, in the context of Web 2.0. Agamben's work on the state of exception is here used to theorize the informational economy as an ongoing dispossession, under the guise of 'networked production'. This dispossession is seen as a parallel to the concept of 'primitive accumulation', as a means of moving things from the exterior to the interior of the capitalist economy. This theory lets us problematize the concept of free labor, the metaphor of the enclosure, and puts into question the dichotomy between copyright and cultural commons.


OBJECTIVE
The inflammatory idiopathic myopathies (IIM) are a group of rare autoimmune diseases defined by muscle weakness and characterized by pro-inflammatory infiltrates in muscle. Little is known about the immunological profile in peripheral blood of these patients and how this relates to IIM subtypes. This study aimed to stratify adult and juvenile-onset IIM patients according to immune cell profile.

METHODS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 44 patients with adult myositis (AM), 15 adolescent-onset juvenile dermatomyositis (a-JDM), and 40 age-matched healthy controls were analysed by flow cytometry to quantify 33 immune cell subsets. Adult myositis patients were grouped according to myositis subtype; DM and polymyositis; and also autoantibody specificity. Disease activity was determined by the myositis disease activity assessment tool and clinicians' decision on treatment.

RESULTS
Unique immune signatures were identified for DM, polymyositis and a-JDM compared with healthy controls. DM patients had a T-cell signature comprising increased CD4+ and TH17 cell frequencies and increased immune cell expression of IL-6. Polymyositis patients had a B-cell signature with reduced memory B cells. A-JDM had decreased naïve B cells and increased CD4+T cells. All patient groups had decreased CD8+central memory T-cell frequencies. The distinct immune signatures were also seen when adult myositis patients were stratified according to auto-antibody expression; patients with anti-synthetase-antibodies had reduced memory B cells and patients with autoimmune rheumatic disease overlap had an elevated Th17 profile.

CONCLUSION
Unique immune signatures were associated with adult vs juvenile disease. The Th17 signature in DM patients supports the potential use of IL-17 inhibitors in treatment of IIMs.


OBJECTIVE
Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (Hong Kong) and Osteoporotic Fractures in Women (Hong Kong) represent the first large-scale prospective population-based studies on bone health in elderly (age≥65 years) Chinese men (n=2,000) and women (n=2,000). We undertook the current study to investigate the prevalence of lumbar disc space narrowing in these subjects, and to identify the potential relationship between disc space narrowing and sex, bone mineral density (BMD), and other demographic and clinical data.

METHODS
On lumbar lateral radiographs, L1/L2-L4/L5 disc space was classified into 4 categories: 0=normal; 1=mild narrowing; 2=moderate narrowing; 3=severe narrowing. We compared demographic and clinical data between subjects with and those without total disc space narrowing scores≥3.

RESULTS
Disc space narrowing was more common in elderly women than in elderly men. The mean±SD disc space narrowing score for the 4 discs was 2.71±2.21 for men and 3.08±2.50 for women (P<0.0001). For the 3 age groups of 65-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥80 years, the average disc space narrowing score increased with increasing age in both men and women, and to a greater degree in women than in men. The average disc space narrowing score differences between women and men were 0.12, 0.40, and 0.90, respectively, in the 3 age groups. For both men and women, a disc space narrowing score≥3 was associated with older age, higher spine and hip BMD, low back pain, and restricted leg mobility.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence and severity of disc space narrowing are higher in elderly women than in elderly men. With increasing age, disc space narrowing progresses at a greater rate in women than in men. A disc space narrowing score≥3 is associated with higher spine and hip BMD.


A growing body of academic and popular literature considers the history of South African football. These and existing publications pay little or no attention to the emergence of white professional football in apartheid South Africa. The National Football League (NFL) challenged the amateur game and introduced professional football to the country. During its 17-year existence, the NFL grew each season with large attendances until its demise in 1977. In addition, the NFL imported a range of international players, invited foreign teams and actively engaged in the political debates in South African sport at the time. The NFL was instrumental in popularising the game across the country for all South Africans. The NFL became the most popular sports entertainment of choice for South Africans during this period. Finally, the NFL actively engaged in a campaign of destroying rival non-racial anti-apartheid leagues while simultaneously co-opting less progressive organisations.


This paper describes new load balancing algorithms for parallel database processing on shared memory multiprocessors. The goal of load balancing is to reduce overhead as well as load imbalance, but there is a tradeoff between them in ordinary algorithms. Unfortunately, optimum performance can hardly be obtained using ordinary algorithms because their performances depend on several factors such as database size, the number of processors and data distribution. The proposed algorithms solve these problems by varying the number of tasks allocated at a time ( which was fixed in ordinary algorithms ) according to the number of remaining tasks and the maximum and minimum processing times of a task. Performance evaluations show that the proposed algorithms achieve fair load balancing with lower overhead independent of the above factors.<<ETX>>


The authors report a case of an African American female, status post-EVAR one and a half years prior, who presented to the emergency department with sudden onset of abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed a type I endoleak and the presence of periaortic gas. The patient underwent an emergent open abdominal aortic endograft explant with in situ tube graft replacement. Blood and endograft tissue cultures grew Clostridium septicum . The patient died perioperatively of systemic multiple organ failure. C. septicum is a rare infection with lethal propensities and has a strong association with paraneoplastic syndromes. The underlying etiology of this patient's bacteremia was likely associated with an immunodeficiency secondary to myelodysplastic syndrome. Importantly, if periaortic gas is present, the disease is far advanced and the prognosis is poor regardless of treatment; however, a combination of antibiotics and surgery should be initiated immediately. J Med Cases • 2013;4(12):816-819 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/ jmc1608e


What can be said in the aftermath? Faced with legacies of conflict and the gross violation of human rights, the contemporary discourse of transitional justice has defended the work of confession as a way for deeply divided societies to "come to terms" with the past and move forward. Underwritten by a complex promise of recognition, this call for confessional truth-telling has proven controversial, not least at it risks undermining the testimony of victims and granting undue status to perpetrators. Giving voice to events that may prove unspeakable and performing a subjectivity that may defy accountability, the figure of confession imagined by transitional justice is perhaps best envisioned as a rhetorical question, a difficult inquiry into the response-ability of language in the wake of violence.


The results presented in this paper show that virus stocks enriched for defective particles are more effective in stimulating cellular DNA synthesis than are stocks relatively free of defective particles. Several lines of evidence support this conclusion: (1) Low levels of UV irradiation enhance the ability of standard virus stocks to stimulate cellular DNA synthesis. (2) Three different stocks derived from individual plaques (which presumably contain very few defective particles) and passaged only twice at low multiplicity, were found to be poor inducers of cellular DNA synthesis. (3) Stocks of virions obtained after serial undiluted passage which were shown to be enriched for defective particles were quite effective in stimulating cellular DNA synthesis.


In the paper, the problem of the variety of liberalisms in the Third Polish Republic is discussed. First of all, the objective is to determine the versions and shades of liberalism emerging in the Polish Parliament after 1989 and the characteristic features possibly attributed to them. The paper distinguishes the following types of liberalism: economic, modest, electoral and cultural. Within each of them, some main characteristics are attempted to be shown which are decisive for labeling a political party according to the above presented scheme of the analysis of the political thought. The analysis is accomplished with Szacki's idea of the liberal minimum in mind, as well as with that of the rights and liberty of individuals.


Marine environments are natural endowments, known to be "treasured hideouts" of novel molecules of biologically dynamic chemical species of potent activity, lingered largely uncharted, prospecting vibrant applications in pharmaco-dynamics and drug kinetics. Bioprospecting of marine microbes has discerned many astonishing milestones in pharmacology, drug designing, and therapeutics. Marine Bacillus are known to produce structurally diverse versatile secondary complexes such as lipopeptides, polypeptides, macrolactones, polyketides and coumarins showcasing a wide array of biological bustles, ranging from antimicrobial, antialgal and anticancer in nature, heavy metal detoxification, carotenoids production to biocontrol agents and biopesticides. In this respect, species of Bacillus aquimaris, isolated from the coastal water of Burmanallah, South Andaman and phenotypically characterized by routine biochemical tests. The antibacterial activity of its methanolic extract was assessed by agar well diffusion assay confirming the presence of active metabolites exemplified by LC-MS peaks, thereby, warranting a 'multiplex of approach' for applicative advances and pharma-settings.


Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) at the time of liver transplant (LT) has been argued to decrease resource utilization. However, larger studies examining outcomes are lacking. We aim to determine the outcomes of simultaneous SG and LT compared to LT alone. This is a retrospective cohort study using the 2011–2017 National Inpatient Sample (NIS). The primary outcome was the odds of inpatient mortality in patients undergoing simultaneous SG and LT compared with LT alone. Secondary outcomes included inpatient morbidity, resource utilization, hospital length of stay (LOS), and inflation‐adjusted total hospital costs and charges. A total of 45 361 patients underwent LT in the study period, 49 underwent simultaneous SG. Patients undergoing simultaneous LT and SG had lower crude mortality (0.0%) compared to LT alone (2.97%; P = 0.52). There were no statistically significant differences in morbidity, resource utilization, and hospital costs and charges. Patients undergoing simultaneous LT and SG did not have significantly different mortality rates, morbidity, resource utilization, or LOS during the index admission when compared to LT alone. SG may be feasible at the time of LT in very carefully selected patients. Studies should focus in determining which patients are the optimal candidates to undergo simultaneous LT and SG.


Portable electronic products such as cell phones are often subjected to drop tests to simulate consumer usage and to ensure required field reliability is met. Product-level drop tests can cause solder joint failures in both lead-free and tin-lead BGA packages due to the combination of highly localized strain created by high strain-rate mechanical shock. In order to understand this phenomenon at the package level, a 4-point dynamic bend test was developed to produce repeatable and scalable strain levels on printed circuit boards assembled with BGA packages deformed at high strain rates (surface strain rates >5/sec). This test method requires a very simple set up that can be easily replicated. Initial determination of board strain level at the point of BGA solder joint failure was characterized for lead-free (SnAgCu) BGA assemblies. This test, in conjunction with a Weibull failure model, provides a method to effectively evaluate BGA solder joint reliability in dynamic environments.


Much research investigating deception and its detection has focused upon face-to-face communication, but over recent years the variety and extent of new communication media has changed the contexts in which deception might take place. Although work has attempted to characterise communication media, a much smaller body of research exists which has investigated the frequency with which people lie with different media and the detection of deceit under different communication media conditions. Through questionnaires and experimental studies, this work investigated the perceptions that both deceivers (senders) and those attempting to identify lies (receivers) have about communication media and how this relates to their observed behaviour. Results from questionnaire studies suggested that both the characteristics of deception and media influence people's perceived discomfort and believability when lying and the media choices they might make if they are planning to deceive. Some important factors appeared to be the seriousness of the deception, who senders are lying to, and the general frequency with which they use particular means to communicate. Communication media were judged to be similar and dissimilar to each other on a range of characteristics which may impact their appropriateness for deception and lie detection. There was evidence that media used at low frequency in daily life may be more likely to be chosen for deception. In laboratory studies, senders were found to lie more frequently using audio-only media compared to audio-video. There was evidence from experimental studies that detection of deceit was more successful when communication was audio only compared to audio-video. There was little consistent evidence that judgement biases varied between media conditions, but a truth bias was identified in experimental studies. No evidence was identified that interactivity between senders and receivers significantly influenced response biases or lie detection accuracy. A small corpus of messages recorded under audio-video and audio-only conditions were selected for their detectability or believability from two senders, and presented in modified formats to receivers. Stimuli had video removed or introduced, and were presented as audio-only, audio-video, text-only and video-only. The results suggested that detectability of audio-video and audio-only stimuli was dependent upon the condition stimuli were recorded under rather than presented. When messages were only seen and not heard or read, accuracy of lie detection was compromised. There was evidence that judging transcriptions could allow successful detection, but the accuracy of lie detection was typically lower than demonstrated in richer media conditions. These findings may imply that a combination of information channels and/or paraverbal information is important for accurate classification of honesty and lies. Limitations of the studies and directions for further research were discussed.


Due to unbalance present in a rotating machinery, fluctuating stresses are generated leading to the formation of transverse cracks in rotors. The cracks propagate with the passage of time and increase the amplitude of vibration. High vibration amplitudes can give rise to rotor/stator rubs. During the rubbing phase, the crack propagation gets enhanced due to inter-connected nature of these faults. If left unattended, these faults can cause the premature failure of machine components. Hence, there is a need to develop fault detection mechanisms based on the vibration response so that these faults can be diagnosed during initial stages. The effect of gravity and the presence of cracks significantly changes vibration characteristics of the rotor, which is thoroughly investigated in this research for a two-degrees-of-freedom Jeffcott rotor. It has been observed that during rubbing, high harmonics are excited. These harmonics are integer multiple of the rotor spin frequency. Similar type of the response is also observed due to the presence of a transverse rotor crack. It is difficult to distinguish the type of faults based on the steady state dynamic response only. Instead of working only on a steady state vibration response, the transient vibration response during coasting up of the rotor is considered. During coasting up of the rotor, high harmonics are excited for both the crack as well as rotor/stator rubbing. The excitation of higher harmonics starts at much earlier in the spectrogram of the vertical response for the cracked rotor compared to that of rubbing. This fact is used in the development of a fault diagnosis technique based on Short Time Fourier Transform of the vibration response. The proposed technique can efficiently distinguish different types of faults even if multiple faults coexist.


The motivational basis for students' school outcomes remains an area of great concern. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether academic self-esteem mediates the influence of grades on psychological disengagement.  Data for 453secondary school students whose age ranged from 15-19 years (Mage = 17.20, SD = 1.09; 53.6% females) were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS. Findings show significantly higher discounting than discounting, and no significant differences in discounting and devaluing between the highest and lowest achievers. Academic self-esteem significantly mediated the influence of grades on discounting and devaluing. Practical implications of findings in school contexts are discussed.


The effect of live Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast added to the diet of rams on the digestibility of carbohydrates and protein in the total tract, retention of nitrogen and mineral elements, and concentration of biochemical parameters in blood serum was examined. The experiment was carried out on 12 Corriedale rams allocated to 2 groups of 6 animals each. The control group was fed meadow hay (45.4%), concentrate (53.2%), and a vitamin-mineral mixture (1.4%), while the second group was fed the same diet supplemented with 2 g day -1 live S. cerevisiae. Adaptation to feeding lasted 21 days; the sampling period lasted 7 days. The digestibility of carbohydrates, protein, nitrogen, macroelements (P, Na, Mg, K), and microelements (Cu, Mn, Zn) and their retention, as well as total protein, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, HDL, LDL, and VLDL in blood serum, were determined. Supplementation with live yeast caused a tendency towards decreasing (P = 0.066) the digestibility of N-free extract compared with animals fed the control diet. Magnesium retention showed a tendency to increase (P = 0.053) when rams were fed a diet supplemented with live yeast cells. Total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and LDL concentrations decreased significantly when yeast was added compared with animals fed the control diet.


Objectives: This study was done to establish the anatomical meaning of the term 'Geun(筋)'.Methods: Through analysis of ≪HwangJeNaeGyeong(黃帝內經)≫, the meaning of 'Geun(筋)', 'GeunMag(筋膜)', 'Yug(肉)', and 'Gi(肌)' were established. Based on analysis, the anatomical meaning of the 'Meridian-muscle(經筋)' was studied by comparing it with anatomy.Results & Conclusions: 'Gyeong(經)' is recognized as a metaphysical expression and "Geun(筋)" means myofascia in anatomy. The concept of 'Geun(筋)' includes the epimysium and perimysium, as well as tendons and ligaments, which are extensions of these.'Fascia', refers to the fascia of the whole body, and also appertain to 'Geun(筋)'. 'Yug(肉)' means endomysium, muscle fiber, and adipose tissue and layer. The word 'GeunMag(筋膜)' used in the ≪HwangJeNaeGyeong(黃帝內經)≫ means anatomically a 'tendon'. Therefore, 'Muscle' should be translated as 'GeunYug(筋肉)' in Traditional medicine. 'Meridian-muscle(經筋)' can be defined as the longitudinal muscle and fascia system, which is the basis of whole body encompassing dynamics.


P48

 Background:
 Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has been an undetermined cause of stroke with an obscure pathophysiology that differs from arterial stroke; its main pathophysiology consists of blood-brain barrier breakdown and coexistence of cytotoxic and vasogenic edema. Conventional MRI cannot allow a prospective differentiation between vasogenic and cytotoxic edema. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) has been reported to detect early ischemic damage (cytotoxic edema) as bright high signal intensity (SI) and vasogenic edema as heterogenous SI. We report various DWI findings in eight patients with CVT.
 Objectives:
 To determine the DWI findings and pathophysiology of CVT
 Results:
 From November 1998 to July 2000, eight consecutive patients (two men, six women, age 46 ± 11 years) with CVT underwent DWI, conventional MRI, MR venography and/or conventional cerebral angiography. DWI findings were grouped as three patterns. The first pattern was heterogenous SI (five patients). Bright high SI and low SI were mixed and the corresponding apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were inversely correlated to the DWI SI. The areas of prominent low SI were reversed with adequate treatment in follow-up MR imagings. Second, multifocal high SI, like acute arterial stroke, was found in two patients. The corresponding ADC values were decreased. The third type was intravascular clot high SI (two patients) with or without parenchymal lesions. In one patient, DWI demonstrated T2-negative lesion without correlative symptoms.
 Conclusions:
 Herein, we classified DWI abnormalities in CVT and these data suggest that DWI can be utilized for discriminating types of edema for tissue viability, detecting subclinical abnormality for preventing further deterioration, and furthermore basic research about the mechanisms of cell death in CVT.


Tau proteins are a class of low molecular mass microtubule-associated proteins that are specifically expressed in the nervous system. A cDNA clone of adult rat tau was isolated and sequenced. To analyze functions of tau proteins in vivo, we carried out transfection experiments. A fibroblast cell line, which was transfected with the cDNA, expressed three bands of tau, while six bands were expressed in rat brain. After dephosphorylation, one of the three bands disappeared, demonstrating directly that phosphorylation was involved in the multiplicity of tau. Morphologically, we observed a thick bundle formation of microtubules in the transiently and stably tau-gene-transfected cells. In addition, we found that the production of tubulin was prominently enhanced in the stably transfected cells. Thus, we suppose that tau proteins promote polymerization of tubulin, form bundles of microtubules in vivo, and play important roles in growing and maintaining nerve cell processes.


The world's present reserves in terms of fossil fuels are exhausting speedily. Such rapid energy consumption can be caused of unsustainable worldwide progress. Therefore, the researcher's challenge is to identify the most efficient and economical energy conversion method to provide a viable replacement for the ongoing conventional energy converters. In this context, fuel cell technology (solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs)) can play a key role and convert hydrocarbon energy into electrical energy. The conventional electrolyte YSZ based SOFCs work at high temperature ∼1000 °C. In this present research, the new ceramics electrolytes materials boron doped ceria (BDC) have been developed by auto-combustion technique. The prepared materials have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and TEM. The crystallite sizes of all prepared samples are in the range of 50–80 nm applying Scherer's formula. The electrical studies and fuel cell performance have been completed at temperature ≤ 700 °C. The doping of boron into ceria has significantly improved the electrical conduction of pure ceria oxide which has been studied using four-probe setup. The maximum ionic conductivity and power density of B0.20:Ce0.80 (molar ratio) electrolyte material named as E4 have been achieved and found to be 0.09 S/cm at 700 °C and 198.125 mW/cm2 at 650 °C. It has been observed that all electrochemical results are consistent with the doping of boron into ceria.


The effectiveness of the disinfectant hibitane on some microorganisms associated with nosocomial infections were assessed at various use-dilutions of 1: 10, 1: 100, 1: 200 and 1: 2000 constituted using aqueous ethanol and 10% serum solutions. The shapes of the death curves were qualitatively similar for all the organisms exhibiting an initial shoulder (lag), the duration of which depended on hibitane ® concentration used and this was closely followed by an exponential order of death. Alcoholic solutions were much more potent than aqueous solutions. Activity of the disinfectant was maintained in the presence of potable water and serum though to a lesser extent than deionized water. The order of resistance to the disinfectant was Escherichia coli (MBC 0.00008 - 0.0003) > Staphyloccocus aureus (MBC 0.00007 - 0.00026) > Candida albicans MBC 0.00006 - 0.00022).


Objectives: To evaluate the clinical conditions associated with absent ductus venosus (DV) in the sonography of the 11–14 weeks. Methods: Retrospective review of 5620 sonographies of screening of the first trimester, realized in a tertiary hospital during the last 4 years (2005–2008), in general population. There was valued the measure of the nuchal translucency, the nasal bone (present/absent), as well as the morphology of the wave of the DV, and the foetal morphology. Results: We have found a whole of 3 cases of ductus venosus absent. The following table shows the finds in every case. Conclusions: In our experience, the find of an absent ductus venosus in the sonography of the 11–14 weeks is strongly associated with a foetus affected by Down syndrome.


Mock board examinations in fixed prosthodontics were submitted to generalizability analysis in order to determine which sources of unwanted variance of measurement contribute to grade decisions and whether this lack of reliability is of practical significance. Students completed approximately three fixed prosthodontics test cases during their final year of clinic, and each case was scored by two faculty members. Of the subsamples of students where two test cases (trials) per student were graded by the same two raters, the subsamples with the highest and the lowest inter-rater reliability coefficients were chosen. Typical generalizability coefficients (reliability considering both raters and trials as sources of error) are much lower than the inter-rater reliability estimate, and the standard error of measurement is 80 percent of a grade interval on a five-point scale. In all analyses, the largest source of variance was the student-by-trial interaction, accounting for about 80 percent of the standard error of measurement or one-half a grade on a five-point scale. Even in the subsample with lowest inter-rater reliability, rater, rater-by-student interaction, and rater-by-trial interaction made no contribution to measurement error. Nor did students show evidence of improving over time. There is no possible improvement through the use of rater calibration or additional raters that would equal the improvement made by using two test cases rather than one. The concept of gradient of generalizability is introduced, and implications for initial licensure examinations are discussed.


In 1935, Stein and Leventhal first described the polycystic ovary (PCO) as a frequent cause of irregular ovulation in women seeking treatment for subfertility. Although the initial management was surgical with wedge resection of ovary, the availability of radioimmunoassay and increased clinical use of ultrasound made it clear that many women had the ultrasound characteristics of PCO with or without the biochemical or clinical features of PCOS and therefore that PCO were not associated with a single syndrome. The association between increased insulin resistance and PCOS is a consistent finding in all ethnic groups. Obesity is a common factor in the majority of women with PCOS. It is postulated that a woman may be genetically predisposed to developing PCOS but it is only the interaction of environmental factors (obesity) with the genetic factors that results in the characteristic metabolic and menstrual disturbances. Weight loss, altered diet and exercise have been shown to be effective in the management of PCOS. Importance of early recognition, proper intervention, long-term monitoring and health implications needs more concern.


The elderly population is growing rapidly, and this requires a greater awareness of visual and other health care services needed by this population. The study was undertaken to determine if there were unmet vision care needs in elderly patients in homes for the aged. Data was obtained by a questionnaire survey of interested nursing homes in Washington County, and other information on problems facing the elderly by a literature search. It was found that there is a large unmet need in homes for the aged for vision care services.


BACKGROUND
From an ecological viewpoint, the oral cavity, in fact the oro-pharynx, is an 'open growth system'. It undergoes an uninterrupted introduction and removal of both microorganisms and nutrients. In order to survive within the oro-pharyngeal area, bacteria need to adhere either to the soft or hard tissues in order to resist shear forces. The fast turn-over of the oral lining epithelia (shedding 3 x/day) is an efficient defence mechanism as it prevents the accumulation of large masses of microorganisms. Teeth, dentures, or endosseous implants, however, providing non-shedding surfaces, allow the formation of thick biofilms. In general, the established biofilm maintains an equilibrium with the host. An uncontrolled accumulation and/or metabolism of bacteria on the hard surfaces forms, however, the primary cause of dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, peri-implantitis, and stomatitis.

OBJECTIVES
This systematic review aimed to evaluate critically the impact of surface characteristics (free energy, roughness, chemistry) on the de novo biofilm formation, especially in the supragingival and to a lesser extent in the subgingival areas.

METHODS
An electronic Medline search (from 1966 until July 2005) was conducted applying the following search items: 'biofilm formation and dental/oral implants/surface characteristics', 'surface characteristics and implants', 'biofilm formation and oral', 'plaque/biofilm and roughness', 'plaque/biofilm and surface free energy', and 'plaque formation and implants'. Only clinical studies within the oro-pharyngeal area were included.

RESULTS
From a series of split-mouth studies, it could be concluded that both an increase in surface roughness above the R(a) threshold of 0.2 microm and/or of the surface-free energy facilitates biofilm formation on restorative materials. When both surface characteristics interact with each other, surface roughness was found to be predominant. The biofilm formation is also influenced by the type (chemical composition) of biomaterial or the type of coating. Direct comparisons in biofilm formation on different transmucosal implant surfaces are scars.

CONCLUSIONS
Extrapolation of data from studies on different restorative materials seems to indicate that transmucosal implant surfaces with a higher surface roughness/surface free energy facilitate biofilm formation.


In this paper, we connect the social network theory on centrality measures to the economic theory of preferences and utility. Using the fact that networks form a special class of cooperative TU-games, we provide a foundation for the degree measure as a von Neumann-Morgenstern expected utility function reflecting preferences over being in different positions in different networks. The famous degree measure assigns to every position in a weighted network the sum of the weights of all links with its neighbours. A crucial property of a preference relation over network positions is neutrality to ordinary risk. If a preference relation over network positions satisfies this property and some regularity properties, then it must be represented by a utility function that is a multiple of the degree centrality measure. We show this in three steps. First, we characterize the degree measure as a centrality measure for weighted networks using four natural axioms. Second, we relate these network centrality axioms to properties of preference relations over positions in networks. Third, we show that the expected utility function is equal to a multiple of the degree measure if and only if it represents a regular preference relation that is neutral to ordinary risk. Similarly, we characterize a class of affine combinations of the outdegree and indegree measure in weighted directed networks and deliver its interpretation as a von Neumann-Morgenstern expected utility function.


Abstract Predation is a pervasive force that structures food webs and directly influences ecosystem functioning. The relative body sizes of predators and prey may be an important determinant of interaction strengths. However, studies quantifying the combined influence of intra‐ and interspecific variation in predator–prey body size ratios are lacking. We use a comparative functional response approach to examine interaction strengths between three size classes of invasive bluegill and largemouth bass toward three scaled size classes of their tilapia prey. We then quantify the influence of intra‐ and interspecific predator–prey body mass ratios on the scaling of attack rates and handling times. Type II functional responses were displayed by both predators across all predator and prey size classes. Largemouth bass consumed more than bluegill at small and intermediate predator size classes, while large predators of both species were more similar. Small prey were most vulnerable overall; however, differential attack rates among prey were emergent across predator sizes. For both bluegill and largemouth bass, small predators exhibited higher attack rates toward small and intermediate prey sizes, while larger predators exhibited greater attack rates toward large prey. Conversely, handling times increased with prey size, with small bluegill exhibiting particularly low feeding rates toward medium–large prey types. Attack rates for both predators peaked unimodally at intermediate predator–prey body mass ratios, while handling times generally shortened across increasing body mass ratios. We thus demonstrate effects of body size ratios on predator–prey interaction strengths between key fish species, with attack rates and handling times dependent on the relative sizes of predator–prey participants. Considerations for intra‐ and interspecific body size ratio effects are critical for predicting the strengths of interactions within ecosystems and may drive differential ecological impacts among invasive species as size ratios shift.


The integrated synusial approach of the vegetation is based on the differentiation of several spatio-temporal or- ganization levels. A phytocoenosis (community of the second level) is considered as a complex of synusiae (communities of the first level) and is characterised by a strong tendency to self- organization. At each level, a typology of the communities can be performed. Ecological indicator values as well as different diversity indices are calculated for each vegetation unit. They are useful for understanding the spatial and temporal organiza- tion of the phytocoenoses. As an example, this approach is applied to wooded meadows.


Application of information on regional intestinal permeability has been identified as a key aspect of successful pharmaceutical product development. This study presents the results and evaluation of an approach for the indirect estimation of site-specific in vivo intestinal effective permeability (Peff) in humans. Plasma concentration-time profiles from 15 clinical studies that administered drug solutions to specific intestinal regions were collected and analyzed. The intestinal absorption rate for each drug was acquired by deconvolution, using historical intravenous data as reference, and used with the intestinal surface area and the dose remaining in the lumen to estimate the Peff. Forty-three new Peff values were estimated (15 from the proximal small intestine, 11 from the distal small intestine, and 17 from the large intestine) for 14 active pharmaceutical ingredients representing a wide range of biopharmaceutical properties. A good correlation (r(2) = 0.96, slope = 1.24, intercept = 0.030) was established between these indirect jejunal Peff estimates and jejunal Peff measurements determined directly using the single-pass perfusion double balloon technique. On average, Peff estimates from the distal small intestine and large intestine were 90% and 40%, respectively, of those from the proximal small intestine. These results support the use of the evaluated deconvolution method for indirectly estimating regional intestinal Peff in humans. This study presents the first comprehensive data set of estimated human regional intestinal permeability values for a range of drugs. These biopharmaceutical data can be used to improve the accuracy of gastrointestinal absorption predictions used in drug development decision-making.


Multilayer network design has received significant attention in current literature. Despite this, the explicit modeling of IP/MPLS over OTN over DWDM in which the OTN layer is specifically considered has not been addressed before. This architecture has been identified as promising that bridges integration and interaction between the IP and optical layers. In this paper, we present an integrated capacity optimization model for network planning of such multilayer networks that consider the OTN layer as a distinct layer with its unique technological sublayer constraints. We develop a heuristic algorithm to solve this model for large networks. Finally, we provide a detailed numeric study that considers various cost parameter values of each layer in the network. We analyze the impact of each layer's cost parameter values on neighboring layers and overall network cost.


Virkisjökull is a rapidly retreating outlet glacier draining the western flanks of Öræfajökull in SE Iceland. Since 2011 there have been continuous measurements of flow in the proglacial meltwater channel and regular campaigns to sample stable isotopes δH and δO from the river, ice, moraine springs and groundwater. The stable isotopes provide reliable end members for glacial ice and shallow groundwater. Analysis of data from 2011 to 2014 indicates that although ice and snowmelt dominate summer riverflow (mean 5.3–7.9 m s), significant flow is also observed in winter (mean 1.6–2.4 m s) due primarily to ongoing glacier icemelt. The stable isotope data demonstrate that the influence of groundwater discharge from moraines and the sandur aquifer increases during winter and forms a small (15–20%) consistent source of baseflow to the river. The similarity of hydrological response across seasons reflects a highly efficient glacial drainage system, which makes use of a series of permanent englacial channels within active and buried ice throughout the year. The study has shown that the development of an efficient year round drainage network within the lower part of the glacier has been coincident with the stagnation and subsequent rapid retreat of the glacier.


Federal criminal law permits the prosecution of business organizations for crimes committed by their employees acting within the scope of their employment with the intent to benefit the organization. This means that United States Attorneys must decide when to bring charges against business organizations as collective entities. They do so on the basis of guidance provided by The Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations, which, in its current incarnation, is known as the Filip Memorandum. How good is this guidance? Does this document correctly identify the conditions that justify the prosecution of an organization in addition to or instead of its individual employees? What are the goals of prosecuting business organizations? Is current Department of Justice ("DOJ") policy well-designed to realize them? Can it be reformed to do so more effectively? The purpose of this symposium is to answer these questions. Doing so requires both an understanding of the normative purposes of the criminal law and a high level of empirical expertise in the science of human behavior. Although I can lay claim to the requisite normative understanding, I do not possess the equally necessary empirical expertise. Fortunately, that expertise is being supplied by my fellow symposiasts. This situation suggests that my most valuable contribution to the symposium would be to provide a normative context for the empirical information supplied by my fellow contributors. I attempt to do that in what follows. To evaluate the merits of any policy, one must know what purpose it serves— what goals the policy is designed to help its adherents achieve. Hence, in Part II, I begin my analysis by identifying the purpose of imposing criminal liability on business organizations. With this knowledge in hand, in Part III, I explore the


Objectives: Healthcare systems have primary responsibility for treating tobacco dependence. Despite its proven effectiveness, international studies have shown that smoking cessation advice to patients in primary health care is suboptimal. This study aimed at assessing Palestinian PHC physicians' compliance and attitude towards smoking cessation counseling and their determinants.Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional study design using a self-reported questionnaire targeted general practitioners, family medicine doctors, obstetrics & gynecologists, and dentists working at PHC Centers in Palestine from April to September 2019. A proportional stratified random sampling method was used. Socio-demographic, medical experience, if received any training in smoking cessation counseling, smoking history, practice compliance, knowledge, confidence, and attitude, were assessed.Results: Two-hundred ninety-four PHC physicians participated in the study with a high response rate. More than half (53%) were between 31-45 years of age. Most of them (76.5%) were general practitioners seeing more than 30 patients per day (66%), and only 15% (n = 40) get training about smoking cessation counseling. Practice compliance was low; only 39 (13.3%) reported adherence to smoking cessation practice. The participant physicians' attitude level was good as the overall attitude score mean 75.1 ± 9.6. A positive attitude, assigned as any score ≥ 65, was observed in 87.7% (n = 258) of physicians. Job title, experience, and knowledge are predictors of a positive attitude towards smoking cessation counseling.Conclusions: Building a supportive environment, improving physicians' capabilities will reflect on their self-efficacy and their confidence level and enhance their practice in smoking cessation counseling.


This paper proposes a designing framework for down-sampling compressed images/video with arbitrary ratio in the discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain. In this framework, we first derive a set of DCT-domain down-sampling methods which can be represented by a linear transform with double-sided matrix multiplication (LTDS) in the DCT domain and show that the set contains a wide range of methods with various complexity and visual quality. Then, for a preselected spatial-domain down-sampling method, we formulate an optimization problem for finding an LTDS to approximate the given spatial-domain down-sampling method for a trade-off between the visual quality and the complexity. By modeling LTDS as a multiple layer network, a so-called structural learning with forgetting algorithm is then applied to solve the optimization problem. The proposed framework has been applied to discover optimal LTDSs corresponding to a spatial down-sampling method with Butterworth low-pass filtering and bicubic interpolation. Experimental results show that the resulting LTDS achieves a significant reduction on the complexity when compared with other methods in the literature with similar visual quality.


Meteorological processes that are measured at high temporal frequencies require nonstandard statistical models to adequately characterize their observed behavior. We examine this problem through the specific example of a nonstationary, bivariate process—the high-frequency changes in surface temperature and dew point—conditionally on the average hourly level of relative humidity, magnitude of minute-to-minute changes in wind direction, and presence of sunlight. One particularly interesting aspect of this process is that dew point is bounded above by temperature, and so a part of the modeler's challenge is to characterize the joint behavior as temperature approaches dew point (or equivalently as relative humidity approaches 100%). The data analyzed are from early May from the years 2003 through 2012 at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's Southern Great Plains site in Northern Oklahoma, at the central facility near Lamont, Oklahoma. Our model gives a parametric description of how the spectral matrix of the process varies with covariates over blocks of time. The spectral approach allows for convenient and interpretable models of bivariate processes in time, and our model captures many of the observed changes in the behavior of the process. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Influenza virus particles are able to fuse with liposomes composed of negatively charged or neutral phospholipids, as shown by using fluorochrome-labelled virions and fluorescence dequenching methods. Fusion with liposomes composed of only phosphatidylcholine (PC) was dependent on the presence of cholesterol (Chol), whereas fusion with liposomes containing negatively charged phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine (PS), or of PC and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) occurred in the absence of Chol. Fusion of influenza virions with PC:Chol liposomes was observed at pH 5.0, but not at pH 7.4, whereas a low degree of fusion with negatively charged liposomes or those containing PE was observed at pH 7.4. In addition, non-fusogenic influenza virions or HA0 influenza virions fused with PS- or PE-containing liposomes, especially at pH 5.0. Influenza virus particles were also able to induce the release of the fluorochrome calcein from negatively charged calcein-loaded liposomes at pH 5.0, as well as at pH 7.4, but failed to do so with PC:Chol liposomes. Lysis of PC:Chol by influenza virions was dependent on the presence of virus receptors, namely gangliosides (sialoglycolipids), and was observed only at pH 5.0. The results show that fusion of influenza virions with negatively charged or PE-containing liposomes does not reflect the biological activity of the virus needed for penetration and infection of living cells. On the other hand, fusion with PC:Chol liposomes is probably due to the activity of the viral fusion protein, the haemagglutinin glycoprotein.


This paper presents findings from a study of U.S. healthcare organizations and the role that their organizational challenges play in their efforts to fully deploy security-related measures. Specifically, we examined organizational antecedents of healthcare organization's assimilation of security policies and practices. The study examined perceived complexity related to the initiatives, the organization's compatibility with adopting and assimilating the measures, and the structure of the organization as measured by the degree of centralization and decentralization. As such, we examine the effect of complexity, compatibility, and centralization-decentralization on the assimilation of security-related measures. The model demonstrates that complexity related to the assimilation of security measures presents challenges for healthcare organizations, as it predicts lower levels of assimilation. Organizational compatibility and structure were not found to be significant. Our model controlled for the level to which these organizations had assimilated internet-related technologies and strategies in order to account for their level of sophistication with IT and their exposure to the risk of cyber threats. We conclude that complexity related to assimilation of security-related measures is a significant challenge.


Binders, though often used in small doses, play a crucial role in determining the electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries with high energy density. The traditional PVDF binder, which interacts with electrode materials via weak Van der Waals forces and consequently lacks the necessary capabilities (e.g., the suppression of significant volume variations, the interface maintenance etc.), could not fulfill the high demands of batteries with high energy density. Besides, extensive usage of the PVDF binder in the lithium ion battery is cost‐ineffective and may raise environmental concerns as its handling often needs the assistance of organic solvents. Herein, recent progresses on the development of novel eco‐friendly, low‐cost and water‐soluble binders which recently have gained increasing attention as a promising performance booster for lithium ion batteries with high energy density are reviewed. Such water soluble polymer binders are either natural, or modified, or synthesized, and they were observed with profoundly enhanced chemical/physical interactions with the electrode materials, stronger mechanical adhesion and evidently improved volume variation durability, leading to dramatic improvements in the electrochemical performances of Si‐based anodes, spinel/layered oxide cathodes and S cathodes. Perspectives for future research directions on water soluble binders are also discussed.


5.9 million Children under the age of 5 died in 2015. More than half of these early child deaths are due to conditions that could be prevented or treated with access to simple, affordable interventions. Leading causes of death in under-5 children are preterm birth complications, pneumonia, birth asphyxia, diarrhoea and malaria. About 45% of all child deaths are linked to malnutrition.The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the variation in average under-5 child mortality rates among the countries of Asia on the basis of available statistical data for the period 1995-2013 and shed some light for under-5 child mortality rate management. Using the linear discriminant function analysis technique, the study has shown that significant discriminating factors responsible for the variation in child mortality rate are GDP per capita, access to the improved water and sanitation, number of physicians, and number of nurses and midwifery persons. Multinomial logistic regression shows the variables like immunization rate, general government health expenditure , number of physicians per 10,000 population, number of hospital beds per 10,000 population, access to improved water and sanitation shows significant negative sign for categories 2 and 3 indicating that increasing the value of these predictors is associated with decreased odds of achieving lower under-5 child mortality.


Spatial and temporal processing are combined to increase the capacity of CDMA-based wireless communications systems. Degrees of freedom provided by space-time processing are exploited to combat both fading and co-channel interference (the near-far effect). The following methods are formulated and studied: (1) space-time diversity, (2) cascade optimum spatial-diversity (RAKE) temporal, (3) cascade optimum spatial-optimum temporal, and (4) joint domain optimum processing. It is shown that due to its interference cancellation capability, optimum combining provides significantly better performance than diversity processing. In particular, in a typical CDMA scenario with two antennas, the joint domain optimum combining system provides at least a 30% increase in capacity over diversity processing. Optimum combining may also be applied to compensate for imperfect power control of the signals received at the base station.


Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) may be active in the ovary at ovulation and may be produced by immune and non-immune cells. This study evaluates the production of IL-1 beta by granulosa cells and macrophages from the human ovulatory follicle. The concentrations of IL-1 beta and IL-1 beta mRNA were measured in follicular aspirates taken from patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization and in cultures of cells from aspirates. Macrophages were detected by immunocytochemistry and by the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The macrophages were removed from granulosa cell preparations immediately or after the cells have been cultured for 24 h. IL-1 beta was detected by radioimmunoassay and transcripts were detected by RT-PCR and by in-situ hybridization on cytospun preparations using a [35S]IL-1 beta riboprobe. IL-1 beta and IL-1 beta mRNA were found in follicular aspirates, in granulosa luteal cell preparations containing macrophages and in highly purified granulosa cell preparations after removal of macrophages by all the methods used. Both macrophages and granulosa cells contained high concentrations of IL-1 beta transcripts. Moreover, the number of IL-1 beta reactive cells in granulosa cell preparations cultured for 24 h with 10-15% macrophages before removal was twice that of granulosa cells cultured without macrophages. Thus, both granulosa cells and macrophages are actively involved in the ovarian production of IL-1 beta at ovulation and the ability of granulosa cells to produce IL-1 beta may require ovarian macrophages.


The purpose of this work is to assess the dynamic mechanical behaviour of a commercial glass similar to that of the laminated glass structures used for protection and security applications in buildings. In particular, the study has been focussed on the influence of the strain-rate on the compressive (standard compression test) and tensile (splitting tensile test) strength of this glass. Tests at different strain-rates have been performed in the range between 10-3 to 103 s-1 using standard test equipment for quasi-static tests and a SHPB equipped with a high-speed camera for the dynamic ones. Test data for compression tend to show that there is no substantial sensitivity to the strain-rate concerning ultimate strength and Young modulus. An appreciable increase in the ultimate tensile strength is revealed at higher strain-rate.


The thesis focuses on the ecological thought of Gregory Bateson and the contributions that such epistemology can offer nowadays to the educational scene, connecting in particular to the problematicistic perspective of Giovanni Maria Bertin with the aim of rethinking and updating it.
The writing explicates the meaning of education to an ecological knowledge, that privileges connections, creativity and solidarity with the living world. The work
analyzes, moreover, the cultural and epistemological value of relations focusing on ethic commitment as an instrument of promotion of the right to difference.
A final part of the work is dedicated to some ecological aspects such as environmental safeguard and development, fundamental topics especially for the educational context.


We present an approach to control resistive switching in metal-ferroelectric contacts using a radially symmetric electric field. In ferroelectrics with significant polarization along the corresponding field lines, the field above a critical threshold will induce polarization discontinuity, a corresponding nanoscale volume of space charge, and a conducting junction. We demonstrate this principle using nanoscale polarization switching of a conventional (001)-oriented thin film of BiFeO3. Without any optimization, the conducting state created in this regime of resistive switching exhibits local currents of ∼1–10nA, approaching the ∼100nA threshold required for device implementation [J. Jiang et al., Nat. Mater. 17, 49 (2018)]. The corresponding electronic function is that of a volatile resistive switch, which is directly compatible with neuristor functionality that encodes the functioning basis of an axon [M. D. Pickett et al., Nat. Mater. 12, 114 (2013)]. Phase-field modeling further reveals that in the strongly charged local configuration, BiFeO3 locally undergoes a rhombohedral-tetragonal (R-T) phase transition, in part due to substantial piezoelectric expansion of the lattice. The estimated local charge density can be as high as ∼1021cm−3, which would be extremely difficult to achieve by conventional doping approaches without altering other material properties. Therefore, this method for creating stable and reproducible strongly charged ferroelectric junctions enables more systematic studies of their physical properties, such as the possibility of structural and electronic phase transitions, and it can lead to new ferroelectric devices for advanced information functions.


Scientific figures, captions and accompanying text provide a valuable resource that comprise the evidence generated by a published scientific study. Extracting information pertaining to that evidence requires a pipeline made up of several intermediate steps. We describe machine reading analysis applied to papers that had been curated into the European Bioinformatics Institute's INTACT database describing molecular interactions. We unpack multiple steps in an extraction pipeline that ultimately attempts to identify the type of experiments being performed automatically. We apply machine vision and natural language processing to classify figures and their associated text based on the type of methods used in the experiment to a level of accuracy that can likely support future biocuration tasks.


This article examines the doctrine of Maria de los Angeles Sorazu, an important mystic, in order to get a better understanding of her mystical experience. The Holy Spirit is the Unknown God . He is the personification of that love which the Father and the Son profess towards each other. He is the pure potentiality that unites the Father to the Son. He is ever present in the Incarnated Word and the santification of souls. Christ and the Holy Spirit are two wings that take us to the Father. Such action is particularly witnessed in Mary, especially in her divine maternity and in her co-operation in salivific work for the Church. This explains her continued and motherly intercession for the Church before the Holy Spirit.


In French, an utterance-final fall is often associated to commitment on speaker's behalf and it is typically used in assertions. Final rises and final rise-fall-rises signal that the speaker does not commit to the proposition of the sentence. Hence, they are often used to convey incredulity. This study tested whether listeners use earlier prosodic cues as well as the final contour in the sentences to achieve a pragmatic interpretation of an utterance. Sixteen Subject-Verb-Object sentences were presented as assertions and incredulity questions. Both prenuclear (e.g., expanded pitch range) and nuclear (e.g., final boundary tone) differentiated the intentions. Twenty-two listeners matched each auditory stimulus with one of the two facial expressions, while their eye movements were monitored. For assertions, listeners looked at the congruent picture only after listening to the whole sentence. However, for incredulity questions, anticipatory fixations to the referent picture gradually increased from the beginning of the sentence. The findings suggest that the interaction between prenuclear and nuclear contours in processing speaker commitment may vary across different tunes.


Purpose The provision of early enteral (gut) nutrition to critically ill patients, started within 24 hours of injury or intensive care unit admission, is accepted to improve health outcomes. However, not all patients are able to receive early enteral nutrition. The purpose of the economic analysis presented here was to estimate the cost implications of providing early parenteral (intravenous) nutrition to critically ill patients with short-term relative contraindications to early enteral nutrition. Materials and methods From the perspective of the US acute care hospital system, a cost-minimization analysis was undertaken based on large-scale Monte Carlo simulation (N = 1,000,000 trials) of a stochastic model developed using clinical outcomes and measures of resource consumption reported in a 1,363-patient multicenter clinical trial combined with cost distributions obtained from the published literature. The mean costs of acute care attributable to each study group (early parenteral nutrition versus pragmatic standard care) and the mean cost difference between groups, along with respective 95% confidence intervals, were obtained using the percentile method. Results and conclusion The use of early parenteral nutrition in critically ill patients with short-term relative contraindications to early enteral nutrition may significantly and meaningfully reduce total costs of acute hospital care by US$3,150 per patient (95% confidence interval US$1,314 to US$4,990). These findings were robust, with all sensitivity analyses demonstrating significant savings attributable to the use of early parenteral nutrition, including sensitivity analysis conducted using European cost data.


The written thesis is presented in conjunction with a documented body of
curatorial practice that together seek to examine and develop a proposed notion of
'the island' as a conceptual model for the staging and analysis of exhibitions of art
beyond a gallery setting. The initial conception of 'the island' as model follows from
a discussion of the function of the setting of islands in literature that identifies and
abstracts their unique spatial and structural properties before reapplying them in a
different context. On both a practical and discursive level, the ensuing research
arrives at a thesis that puts forward the island model as an innovative and
productive tool for contemporary curatorial practice.
The initial research presents the literary island as a contained site where
subversive, fantastical or critical alternatives to a dominant norm are enacted.
Appearing unexpectedly through the event of storm, shipwreck or loss at sea, the
literary island interrupts the intended trajectory of the castaway who finds himself
severed from the customs and routines associated with a homeland. In doing so,
the setting of the island in literature often comes to figure as a test-site for new
possibilities upon which a blurring between the real and the imaginary readily
occurs. Retaining the identified properties of the literary island but divorcing it from
its geographical setting, the proposed notion of the island as curatorial model
conceives a space located within, yet always at the slightest remove from, the
everyday itself – disrupting the familiar to facilitate a playful or subversive
alternative to the status quo. Here, the structural effect of the island no longer
depends on its physical distance to a 'mainland', but describes a spatial practice
that facilitates a process of distancing from familiar norms.
Occurring outside of the confines of a gallery, the presented curatorial practice
stages artworks that are physically situated within a given location whilst
simultaneously providing an experience of the virtual possibilities for its
transformation. In so doing, the thesis argues, these and similar artworks invite a
re-imagination of familiar and everyday culture by blurring the distinction between
the real and the imaginary in a manner that reflects - and can thus be productively
modelled upon - the function of the literary island. In proposing an alternative
strategy for the discussion and development of curatorial practices beyond the
gallery, as well as putting into play a new mode of analysis and an innovative space
of discourse, the thesis presents an original framework for contemporary curatorial
practice.


For the first ever American Music Masters event sponsored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, musicians and folkies came together to salute the life and legacy of Woody Guthrie, America's folk troubadour. With contributions from Guthrie's son Arlo and his longtime friends Pete Seeger and Harold Leventhal, and with new appreciations and insights provided by scholars and critics, Hard Travelin' continues that celebration, offering a new understanding of Guthrie's contribution to America's music and culture. It is illustrated with photographs and drawings, many never-before-seen, from the Woody Guthrie Archives. Guthrie's songs -- such as "This Land Is Your Land," "Pretty Boy Floyd," or "Roll on Columbia" -- are still known and sung by many Americans, while the story of his life has taken on a mythic cast -- the modern troubadour, the hobo balladeer and union supporter, the wandering folk singer who heard and wrote in the voice of the people. Guthrie's influence is felt not only whenever someone sings one of his songs, but any time a modern folk group or rocker sings a protest song or joins a social or political cause. In this book, Guthrie's family and friends offer personal and often poignant recollections of his life. Noted writers such as Dave Marsh, David Shumway, and Robert Cantwell shed new light on the Guthrie legacy, including an expanded appreciation of his impact on rock and roll, through such figures as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. They also assess Guthrie's place in the political and social movements of his time, especially his support for unions and for the communist party; his attitudes toward race; and the little-studied topic of his visual art, the often very personal drawings, doodles, sketches, and paintings that he produced throughout his life. The book concludes with a valuable biblio/discography.


Purpose: To identify the donors' profile and evaluate the factors influencing the quality of the donated corneas in Santa Casa Eye Bank, from July, 2000 to January, 2004. Methods: Data from the charts of 151 patients submitted to penetrating keratoplasty, registered in Santa Casa Eye Bank, from July, 2000 to January 2004 resulted in 180 surgeries. Results: Mean age of the donors was 57.57 ± 19.74 years old (varied from 9 months to 97 years old) and 54.44% were male. The cause of death was predominantly cardiovascular (50.55%), followed by consumptive diseases (17.77%), trauma (14.44%) and others (17.22%). Considering the quality of the cornea, there was no statistically significant difference among the three main groups of cause of death (p=0.527) and time from death to corneal preservation (p=0.053). There was a statistically significant difference between quality of donated corneas above 61 years old and other ages (p=0.037). Conclusion: The most frequent cause of death was cardiovascular, followed by pulmonary diseases and trauma. We could also note that factors inherent to donor like age (>60 years old) predisposed to a worse anatomical quality of the cornea and factors like cause of death and time between death and preservation did not influence the quality of the cornea.


Microgrids represent one of the best candidates to redesign the architecture of the future distribution network. Such a model, in fact, is promising to be able to properly manage a larger penetration of distributed energy resources while improving the local production and utilization of energy. On the other hand, the control of a microgrid is quite challenging since the system has to be particularly reliable and flexible due to the required multiple and concurrent tasks to be performed. In this scenario, this paper proposes a novel solution that is able to synchronize the phase and the frequency of all of the devices connected to the microgrid through the combined use of different phase-locked loops and the 1 pulse per second signal, provided by a Global Positioning System device. Extensive experimental tests, performed also in critical operating conditions of the grid, have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Purpose: The purpose of this focused review was to explore the etiologies of corneal blindness worldwide and compare them with the indications and type of keratoplasties (eg, full-thickness penetrating keratoplasty, anterior lamellar keratoplasty, or endothelial keratoplasty) performed. Methods: A literature search of the articles published in the top 10 journals (based on the Altmetrics score) relevant to corneal transplantation within the past 20 years was performed to determine how the focus within corneal transplantation has changed over time. These data were compared with the prevalence and etiology of corneal blindness in each respective region worldwide. Results: The leading etiologies of corneal blindness worldwide are primarily due to anterior corneal pathology with a normal endothelium, and the prevalence is highest in developing countries. In addition, the number and type of corneal transplantations performed globally indicate that current practices are disproportionately skewed in favor of endothelial keratoplasty, which is targeted for the pathology prevalent in developed countries. Despite the large number of individuals who would benefit from anterior lamellar keratoplasty, this technique seems to be infrequently performed. Conclusions: Most corneal blindness worldwide is secondary to anterior corneal pathology because of infections and trauma. However, this does not align with the current trends and practices in the field of corneal transplantation. We discuss potential solutions to address the current leading causes of global corneal blindness, including increasing the number of anterior lamellar keratoplasties performed, using long-term preserved corneas by trained surgeons, and improving eye bank handling and distribution of procured tissues.


Calibration weighting can be used to adjust for unit nonresponse and/or coverage errors under appropriate quasi randomization models. Alternative calibration adjustments that are asymptotically identical in a purely sampling context can diverge when used in this manner. Introducing instrumental variables into calibration weighting makes it possible for nonresponse (say) to be a function of a set of characteristics other than those in the calibration vector. When the calibration adjustment has a nonlinear form, a variant of the jackknife can remove the need for iteration in variance estimation.


Since last month, the yield curve has shifted a bit downward and steepened slightly, with short rates dropping a bit faster than long rates. The difference between these rates, the slope of the yield curve, has achieved some notoriety as a simple forecaster of economic growth. The rule of thumb is that an inverted yield curve (short rates above long rates) indicates a recession in about a year, and yield curve inversions have preceded each of the last seven recessions (as defined by the NBER). In particular, the yield curve inverted in August 2006, a bit more than a year before the current recession started in December, 2007. There have been two notable false positives: an inversion in late 1966 and a very flat curve in late 1998.


Glucose metabolism in insulin-sensitive tissues such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue is tightly regulated by external stimuli. Metabolic changes in these tissues have direct effects on whole body metabolism. Such metabolic changes can be induced or influenced by adrenergic stimulation.In L6 skeletal muscle cells, we have seen that the β2-adrenergic receptor increases glycogen synthesis to the same extent as insulin. The β2-adrenergically mediated effect is independent of cyclic AMP but dependent on PI3K.In brown adipocytes, our data suggest that signaling from the β-adrenergic receptors consists of an acute cyclic AMP effect that is rapidly desensitized and then a prolonged signal involving PI3K.In skeletal muscle cells in culture, we have shown that DPI (a NADPH oxidase inhibitor) increases glucose uptake through a signaling pathway independent of NADPH oxidase and insulin signaling. DPI instead inhibits complex 1 in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, which lowers ATP levels. This activates AMPK, an activator of glucose uptake.Furthermore, we have developed a model system for ordered fusion of skeletal muscle cells in culture. In this system, differentiating skeletal muscle cells can be studied separately. This system is optimal for microscopy techniques and easily adaptable for micromanipulations. We have seen that the myogenic factor MyoD can have different expression of the protein in different nuclei within the same myotube. This system could be used with advantage for intracellular signaling and metabolic studies.


In spring 1979 the Wader Study Group organised a co-operative project to study the spring migration of Siberian Knots Calidris c. canutus from their west and south African wintering grounds to the breeding grounds in central Siberia. S. African wintering birds migrate via the western seaboards of Africa and Europe. Siberian Knots seem to use only a few staging sites between W. Africa and Siberia. Most birds only use the W. German Wadden Sea. Staging areas of lesser importance are the Tejo Estuary in Portugal, the Vendee coast in France and, probably, the Westerschelde in SW Netherlands. At the latter three sites in early May, birds appear to arrive with lower body weights than in Schleswig-Holstein (W. Germany) at the same time. The migration from W. Germany to central Siberia is most probably made in one flight via the Gulf of Finland. Detailed information on the timing of migration is presented. A model on body weight changes during migration in a fixed time schedule is employed to discuss the energetic constraints on the migration strategy of Siberian Knots.


The increased use of ultraviolet (UV) nail lamps in recent years has generated safety concerns of this device. A UV nail lamp is a source of artificial UVA radiation, often used to dry, harden, and cure the nails at home and in the salon. UVA radiation is known to be mutagenic and can cause damage to the DNA, resulting in cutaneous malignancy. Currently, there are only a few studies that have evaluated UV nail lamp irradiation and its potential carcinogenic risk. We review the literature on UV nail lamps, its safety, effect on nails and hands, and the potential role in increasing the risk of cutaneous malignancy. Based on available data, the carcinogenic risk is low; nonetheless, the use of a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF >30 before UV nail lamp exposure is recommended.


In this paper, we present a novel framework for quality control in cinematic VR (360-video) based on Voronoi patches and saliency which can be used in post-production workflows. Our approach first extracts patches in stereoscopic omnidirectional images (ODI) using the spherical Voronoi diagram. The subdivision of the ODI into patches allows an accurate detection and localization of regions with artifacts. Further, we introduce saliency in order to weight detected artifacts according to the visual attention of end-users. Then, we propose different artifact detection and analysis methods for sharpness mismatch detection (SMD), color mismatch detection (CMD) and disparity distribution analysis. In particular, we took two state of the art approaches for SMD and CMD, which were originally developed for conventional planar images, and extended them to stereoscopic ODIs. Finally, we evaluated the performance of our framework with a dataset of 18 ODIs for which saliency maps were obtained from a subjective test with 17 participants.