Background
 - Patients with atherothrombotic disease are prone to cognitive impairment. We tested whether high common carotid intima-media thickness (CC-IMT) and bilateral carotid plaques among patients with long lasting CHD are associated with poorer cognitive scores.

 Methods
 - Patients with CHD previously included in a secondary prevention trial were assessed after a period of 15±3 years for cognitive performance (Mindstream Computerized Cognitive Battery), for CC-IMT (M'Ath®-Std, Metris) and for carotid plaque using ultrasound (HDI 5000 SonoCT, Philips). We compared cognitive scores in patients with and without high CC-IMT values (top quartile of CC- IMT; >1.06 mm) and in patients with and without high CC-IMT and bilateral carotid plaques.

 Results
 - Among 448 non-demented patients (mean age 71.8±6.1 yrs, 96% men) mean±SD CC-IMT was 0.97±0.17 and 54.7% had bilateral carotid plaques. Linear regression models (
 Table
 ) adjusted for age, sex, education, BMI, smoking, diabetes and hypertension (Model 1) demonstrated that high CC-IMT and presence of high CC-IMT and carotid plaques were associated with lower cognitive scores. Additional adjustment for history of stroke and impaired cerebrovascular reactivity (Model 2) resulted in similar effects. Associations were only slightly altered after exclusion of patients with history of stroke.

 Conclusion
 - Among non-demented patients with long lasting CHD, high CC- IMT and presence of high CC-IMT and carotid plaques are associated with lower cognitive performance particularly in the executive function domain.


The conventional controllers used for DC machines are static and their parameters are fixed through proper design. The classical approach is to use a PID controller with constant parameters after analyzing the stability criterion. The modern approach is to use controllers based on fuzzy logic or other AI techniques. The authors have chosen a speed-tracking problem where a DC machine has to follow a time varying speed demand. The controller coefficients are fixed through an evolutionary algorithm. Representative values of steady state error, maximum overshoot and transient rise time are computed through feature extraction algorithms. Now, the fitness of each member is computed as a fuzzy value based on some predefined fuzzy functions involving the feature values. This fuzzy fitness value governs the selection of coefficients through a genetic algorithm until convergence is obtained. The performance has been studied with various fitness functions and the results are found to be satisfactory.


Background Stigma is one of the major impairments to social integration of people with mental disorders. The present research was aimed to study the psychometric properties and adapt the Link's Social Distance Scale (SD) in a sample from Chile. This scale assessed the public attitudes toward people with mental disorders by means of a vignette, followed by a set of questions. Method A total of two samples by convenience were taken. The first sample consisted of 399 people and the second of 350. Reliability was assessed by means of the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. In order to validate its structure, an exploratory factor analysis of the first sample was conducted. Like waise, a confirmatory analysis was conducted with the second sample. Finally, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to study the concurrent validity of the Orientation Scale to Social Dominance. Results Results indicate that the final instrument has two factors "proximity and social interaction," composed by three items, and "intimacy and confidence," composed by two. Despite the fact that the samples had different educational level, the adjustment indixes obtained from the confirmatory analyses, as well as the internal consistency of the instrument, were appropriate. Discussion and conclusion The existence of two factors can be related to the growth of the community mental health model in Chile. This has produced an impact on the amount of community centers and, therefore on the closeness on the subject. The results obtained support the possibility of using this instrument in different social groups.


An 8-month survey of the Upper Zambezi River, its associated floodplain and marginal upland habitats yielded 16 catfish (Siluriformes) species, among which Schilbe intermedius comprised over half of the 3534 specimens. Generally catfishes were most abundant in floodplain and river channel habitats, but three species (Clariallabes platyprosopos, Synodontis macrostoma, S. nigromaculatus) were most abundant in the river channel, and three species (Amphilius uranoscopus, Chiloglanis neumanni, Leptoglanis rotundiceps) were most abundant or restricted within small tributary streams. Diet analysis revealed low pairwise dietary overlaps, but there was no statistically significant pattern of community-wide niche segregation based on prey type. The 16 catfishes fell into four size/trophic guilds: large carnivores (Clarias gariepinus, C. ngamensis), medium-sized carnivores (C. stappersii, C. theodorae, Parauchenoglanis ngamensis, Clariallabes platyprosopos, Schilbe intermedius), medium-sized omnivores (Synodontis leopardinus, S. nigromaculatus, S. woosnami, S. sp. cf. woosnami), and small omnivores (S. macrostigma, S. macrostoma, Amphilius uranoscopus, Chiloglanis neumanni, Leptoglanis rotundiceps). No evidence of reproductive activity was detected in any of the catfishes during the survey period of falling and low water conditions. Although catfishes are not as highly valued for food as cichlid fishes, three species are significant components of local commercial and subsistence fisheries: the two large Clarias by virtue of their size, and Schilbe by virtue of its great abundance. Abundances of the heavily exploited Clarias gariepinus and C. ngamensis stocks appear to be lower in the Upper Zambezi compared with the Okavango floodplain system.


Magnesium sacrificial anodes are widely used in cathodic protection systems. In the present work, samples of Mg-0.7% Mn- x% Al- y% Ti (x,y = 0-0.6) alloys were electrochemically characterized to evaluate their performance as magnesium sacrificial anodes. The experiments focused on the influence of aluminium and titanium contents on the electrochemical behavior and efficiency of anodes. Aluminium and titanium was used in different concentrations ranging from 0.15 to 0.60 at.%. Short-term electrochemical tests, ASTM G97-89, as well as polarization curves were performed to obtain electrochemical behavior and efficiency and to reveal any tendencies to be passive. It is shown that by increasing titanium content an improvement of electrochemical properties of magnesium anode such as current capacity and electrochemical efficiency can be obtained.


Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease most commonly treated with riluzole, a small molecule considered to act at least in part via modulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission. However, riluzole affords only a modest extension of lifespan for people living with ALS and its precise mechanisms of action remain largely unclear. Likewise, the vast majority of ALS cases are characterised by the pathological accumulation of cytoplasmic TDP-43, but the effects of riluzole in an in vivo model of ALS with disease-reminiscent TDP-43 pathology have not been thoroughly studied. We therefore tested the effects of daily riluzole treatment on TDP-43 pathology and disease onset and progression in transgenic mice that inducibly express nuclear localisation sequence (NLS)-deficient human TDP-43 in neurons of the brain and spinal cord (NEFH-tTA/tetO-hTDP-43ΔNLS, 'rNLS', mice). We found that treatment of rNLS mice with riluzole beginning from the first day of hTDP-43ΔNLS expression failed to alter disease onset, disease-associated weight loss or performance on multiple motor behavioural tasks over a 6-week period. Riluzole treatment also did not alter soluble or insoluble TDP-43 protein levels or TDP-43 phosphorylation in rNLS mice. By quantifying levels of key proteins involved in glutamatergic signalling, we identified a dramatic loss in GluA3 protein in the rNLS mice after disease onset, however riluzole was unable to ameliorate this disease-associated molecular phenotype. Finally, we assessed the ability of riluzole to affect disease in a long-term post-disease onset study in rNLS mice, and found that riluzole similarly had no effect on progression of late-stage disease or animal survival. Together, our findings demonstrate that the rNLS mouse model recapitulates glutamatergic receptor alterations reminiscent of ALS, but the approved ALS therapeutic riluzole has no effect on disease phenotypes in these animals. These studies suggest that strategies directly targeting disease-relevant pathways, such as accumulation of TDP-43 pathology, may be needed for development of more effective ALS treatments.


BACKGROUND
Both peer and professional support have been identified as important to the success of breastfeeding. The aim of this metasynthesis was to examine women's perceptions and experiences of breastfeeding support, either professional or peer, to illuminate the components of support that they deemed "supportive."

METHODS
The metasynthesis included studies of both formal or "created" peer and professional support for breastfeeding women but excluded studies of family or informal support. Qualitative studies were included as well as large-scale surveys if they reported the analysis of qualitative data gathered through open-ended responses. Primiparas and multiparas who initiated breastfeeding were included. Studies published in English, in peer-reviewed journals, and undertaken between January 1990 and December 2007 were included. After assessment for relevance and quality, 31 studies were included. Meta-ethnographic methods were used to identify categories and themes.

RESULTS
The metasynthesis resulted in four categories comprising 20 themes. The synthesis indicated that support for breastfeeding occurred along a continuum from authentic presence at one end, perceived as effective support, to disconnected encounters at the other, perceived as ineffective or even discouraging and counterproductive. A facilitative approach versus a reductionist approach was identified as contrasting styles of support that women experienced as helpful or unhelpful.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings emphasize the importance of person-centered communication skills and of relationships in supporting a woman to breastfeed. Organizational systems and services that facilitate continuity of caregiver, for example continuity of midwifery care or peer support models, are more likely to facilitate an authentic presence, involving supportive care and a trusting relationship with professionals.


When considering numerical acoustic or elastic wave propagation in media containing small heterogeneities with respect to the minimum wavelength of the wavefield, being able to upscale physical properties (or homogenize them) is valuable mainly for two reasons. First, replacing the original discontinuous and very heterogeneous medium by a smooth and more simple one, is a judicious alternative to the necessary fine and difficult meshing of the original medium required by many wave equation solvers. Second, it helps to understand what properties of a medium are really 'seen' by the wavefield propagating through, which is an important aspect in an inverse problem approach. This paper is an attempt of a pedagogical introduction to non-periodic homogenization in 1-D, allowing to find the effective wave equation and effective physical properties, of the elastodynamics equation in a highly heterogeneous medium. It can be extrapolated from 1-D to a higher space dimensions. This development can be seen as an extension of the classical two-scale homogenization theory applied to the elastic wave equation in periodic media, with this limitation that it does not hold beyond order 1 in the asymptotic expansion involved in the classical theory.


T cell homeostasis commonly refers to the maintenance of relatively stable T cell numbers in the peripheral lymphoid organs. Among the large numbers of T cells in the periphery, T cells exhibit structural diversity, I.e., the expression of a diverse repertoire of T cell receptors (TCRs), and functional diversity, I.e., the presence of T cells at na(I)ve, effector, and memory developmental stages. Although the homeostasis of T cell numbers has been extensively studied, investigation of the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of structural and functional diversity of T cells is still at an early stage. The fundamental feature throughout T cell development is the interaction between the TCR and either self or foreign peptides in association with MHC molecules. In this review, we present evidence showing that homeostasis of T cell number and diversity is mediated through competition for limiting resources.The number of T cells is maintained through competition for limiting cytokines, whereas the diversity of T cells is maintained by competition for self-peptide-MHC complexes. In other words, diversity of the self-peptide repertoire limits the structural (TCR) diversity of a T cell population. We speculate that cognate low affinity self-peptides,acting as weak agonists and antagonists, regulate the homeostasis of T cell diversity whereas non-cognate or null peptides which are extremely abundant for any given TCR, may contribute to the homeostasis of T cell number by providing survival signals. Moreover, self-peptides and cytokines may form specialized niches for the regulation of T cell homeostasis.


The parameters necessary to define an elliptically polarized vibration, namely the azimuth, the shape, and the sense of rotation of the ellipse described by the light vector can be represented geometrically by a point on a sphere. The method was suggested by Poincare in 1892. The theory of the Poincare sphere is presented in detail, and its application to tracing the passage of light through doubly refracting and optically active media fully illustrated. A simple model, designed on the principles involved, is described: it is suitable for instruction and demonstration.


We examine how mutual fund ability varies across up and down market conditions by exploring the Upside and Downside Capture Ratios. We find convincing evidence that Capture Ratios persist and successfully identify mutual funds that subsequently outperform in their respective market conditions. We show that mutual funds that possess the ability to both outperform in up markets and reduce losses in down markets significantly outperform over the subsequent year, and we further show that mutual fund investors utilize Capture Ratios when allocating money to mutual funds. Our findings provide evidence that Capture Ratios provide valuable information to investors and that investors take this information into account when making mutual fund allocation decisions. TOPICS: Mutual funds/passive investing/indexing, mutual fund performance Key Findings • Capture Ratios provide information about fund performance in up and down markets. • A set of identified funds continues to outperform in both up and down markets. • Investors respond strongly to Capture Ratios demonstrated through fund flows.


The present study examined the reliability and validity of the Leuven Adolescent Perceived Parenting Scale (LAPPS), an instrument initially developed for use with Dutch-speaking adolescents in Belgium, in French-speaking adolescents living in that same country. The instrument was administered to a sample of French-speaking adolescents (N = 625) and a carefully matched sample of Dutch-speaking adolescents (N = 630). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), factor structure, and mean scores for the LAPPS subscales were highly similar across linguistic region. Finally, the LAPPS subscales showed a differential pattern of associations with an alternative measure of adolescent-parent relationships (i.e., the Emotional Autonomy Scale; EAS) in the French-speaking subsample. These results clearly show that the LAPPS is a reliable and valid measure of perceived parenting in French-speaking adolescents in Belgium. Suggestions for future research on the reliability and validity of the LAPPS are outlined.


This article analyzes what academic research has to say on equity factors. The objective is to understand what lessons can be learned from such research on designing and evaluating factor indexes. When analyzing academic publications on equity factor investing, five important lessons emerge, which provide useful perspective on practical questions about factor indexes. This article looks at the empirical analysis that is required to identify rewarded factors. It then turns to the economic rationale behind factors and looks into the role of diversification for a given factor tilt. Moreover, it discusses the issue of implementation costs and addresses the question of crowding risks. Finally, the article discusses how popular practical implementations relate to the academic grounding.


This paper deals with the solar photovoltaic (SPV) array fed water-pumping system using a Luo converter as an intermediate DC-DC converter and a permanent magnet brushless DC (BLDC) motor to drive a centrifugal water pump. Among the different types of DC-DC converters, an elementary Luo converter is selected in order to extract the maximum power available from the SPV array and for safe starting of BLDC motor. The elementary Luo converter with reduced components and single semiconductor switch has inherent features of reducing the ripples in its output current and possessing a boundless region for maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The electronically commutated BLDC motor is used with a voltage source inverter (VSI) operated at fundamental frequency switching thus avoiding the high frequency switching losses resulting in a high efficiency of the system. The SPV array is designed such that the power at rated DC voltage is supplied to the BLDC motor-pump under standard test condition and maximum switch utilization of Luo converter is achieved which results in efficiency improvement of the converter. Performances at various operating conditions such as starting, dynamic and steady state behavior are analyzed and suitability of the proposed system is demonstrated using MATLAB/Simulink based simulation results.


D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO, EC 1. 4. 3. 3) converts D-amino acid to a corresponding α-keto acid via deamination. D-amino acid oxidase is one of the most important enzymes responsible for maintenance proper level of D-amino acids, which play a key role in regulation of many processes in living cells. This paper summary the applications of D-amino acid oxidase in agricultural and industry practices, as the target in human disease treatments, etc. Most important of all, we demonstrate the importance of metagenomic library in exploring the novel D-amino acid oxidase from the environmental microbiology to optimize their applications.


We associate a dynamical system with input-output networks and study its spectral properties. Specifically, we develop a dynamic production network model featuring adjustment costs of changing inputs and thus gradual recovery from temporary TFP shocks. First, we explicitly solve for the output and welfare effects of temporary shocks. We show shocks to sectors that generate significant sales through distant linkages to the consumer are most damaging. Second, we eigendecompose the input-output matrix and show, because higher-order linkages take longer to recover, fewer eigenvectors are needed to represent the welfare impact of sectoral shocks in the dynamic economy compared to the Domar weights. Third, we analyze the U.S. input-output structure and show the welfare impact of temporary shocks has a low-dimensional, 4-factor structure (out of 171 eigenvectors). Finally, we revisit the historical use of input-output analysis in target selection for bombing Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during WWII.


The folding of a protein from a linear chain of amino acids into its functional native state is one of the most widely investigated yet enigmatic events to take place in the natural world. An ever‐increasing number of proteins and peptides are known to fold, or "misfold", into protease‐resistant amyloid fibrils that share a common cross‐β structure, despite having no apparent sequence homology. Self‐assembly of particular proteins or peptides into amyloid is believed to be the molecular basis of many diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease, Type II diabetes and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. More recent evidence suggests a functional, non‐pathogenic role for amyloid in certain organisms, which has inspired its use as a biomaterial. In order to understand these diseases and exploit amyloid for industrial use using a bottom‐up design approach, detailed knowledge of the assembly process and structure of amyloid is required. Many short peptides are known to assemble into amyloid‐like fibres in vitro that have very similar properties to those formed in vivo. These "model systems" can give deeper insight into what triggers, drives and influences self‐assembly. Furthermore, they can provide more detailed structural information than is often obtained from larger amyloid‐forming proteins. Using two short peptides (the yeast prion fragment GNNQQNY and the designed peptide KFFEAAAKKFFE), which form amyloid-like microcrystals that have been structurally characterised previously, the roles of particular residues in assembly and structure were investigated. Results reveal that aromatic residues are fundamental determinants of assembly and may contribute to polymorphic propensity. Furthermore, non‐aromatic sequence changes can have dramatic effects on fibril morphology both at a macromolecular level and in the underlying peptide packing arrangement. Structural variations were found between amyloid‐like fibres and microcrystals formed from the same peptide, which has implications for how to examine amyloid structure in the future. The balance of conditions required for proteins or peptides to adopt specific conformations is very fine. Polymorphism may be an inherent property of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides and detailing the structural intricacies of each form will be essential from both a biomedical and industrial perspective


We present a multiple-channel video transmission scheme in wireless CDMA networks over multipath fading channels. We map an embedded video bitstream, which is encoded into multiple independently decodable layers by 3D-ESCOT video coding technique, to multiple CDMA channels. One video source layer is transmitted over one CDMA channel. Each video source layer is protected by a product channel code structure. A product channel code is obtained by the combination of a row code based on rate compatible punctured convolutional code (RCPC) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) error detection and a source-channel column code, i.e., systematic rate-compatible Reed-Solomon (RS) style erasure code. For a given budget on the available bandwidth and total transmit power, the transmitter determines the optimal power allocations and the optimal transmission rates among multiple CDMA channels, as well as the optimal product channel code rate allocation, i.e., the optimal unequal Reed-Solomon code source/parity rate allocations and the optimal RCPC rate protection for each channel. In formulating such an optimization problem, we make use of results on the large-system CDMA performance for various multiuser receivers in multipath fading channels. The channel is modeled as the concatenation of wireless BER channel and a wireline packet erasure channel with a fixed packet loss probability. By solving the optimization problem, we obtain the optimal power level allocation and the optimal transmission rate allocation over multiple CDMA channels. For each CDMA channel, we also employ a fast joint source-channel coding algorithm to obtain the optimal product channel code structure. Simulation results show that the proposed framework allows the video quality to degrade gracefully as the fading worsens or the bandwidth decreases, and it offers improved video quality at the receiver.


The traditional approach adopted towards road safety is the analysis of risk factors that contribute to frequency or severity of traffic crashes. Many distinct elements play a role, simultaneously, in a crash occurrence, and, undoubtedly, geometric design of highways and its effect on human behavior are part of that equation. A valuable tool to investigate this interaction is the driving simulator. Nevertheless, experiment design, participants' features, and data acquisition are detrimental factors for the effective use of this tool. This systematic review protocol is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) Statement and presents a method to find evidence on driving simulator studies of road geometry effects on drivers´ behavior.


At the Advanced Light Source there are several projects being proposed that will require high field insertion devices. It is important that these devices do not significantly impact the performance of the machine. In particular they should not degrade the beam lifetime or injection efficiency. It is known that high field devices with large field roll off can impact the beam lifetime. It is therefore important to model the effect of the insertion devices including both transverse and longitudinal field roll off. In this paper we present the result of tracking studies using an explicit symplectic integrator with both transverse and longitudinal field roll off. The simulations show where sufficiently large field roll off will impact the beam lifetime.


Recent patterns of labor exit in late life in the United States are increasingly heterogeneous. This heterogeneity stems from diverse employment careers that are emerging in the workplace where job security is declining. Individuals' structural locations in the labor market expose them to diverse risks for employment and income security at older ages. Among those risks are access to institutional mechanisms for retirement saving and the requirement to assume full responsibility for decisions about retirement savings that involve market risks. The spread of these individualized pressures to invest in retirement has elevated the importance of financial literacy in the 21st century. Late employment careers and patterns of financial literacy are studied in this article using the premier U.S. longitudinal dataset from the National Institute of Aging, the Health and Retirement Study initiated in 1992, which is linked to restricted Social Security earnings records that extend over several decades. These merged data afford the opportunity to observe continuous work histories in this sample from 1981 through 2006 to identify latent trajectories of employment in late life. In addition, a supplementary module attached to the 2004 wave of the HRS provides valuable information on the financial literacy of subgroups. The work-retirement trajectories and financial literacy patterns observed reflect persistent patterns of inequality amplified by modern risks in the labor market.


This month's installment of Generally Physiological considers co-release of antagonistic neurotransmitters and insights into vesicle replenishment and the mechanism of neurotrans-mitter release at ribbon synapses. Brain function depends on the appropriate balance between excitatory and inhibitory signals, with gluta-mate acting as the most common ex-citatory neurotransmitter and GABA (-aminobutyric acid) acting as the most common inhibitory neurotran-smitter. Typically, inhibitory signaling mediated by GABAergic interneu-rons counterbalances glutamatergic excitation. However, two studies from different research groups used a combination of approaches, including electrophysiology, optogenetics, and immunohistochemistry, to identify neurons from the basal ganglia that co-release GABA and glutamate onto individual neurons in the lateral habenula (Root et al., 2014; Shabel et al., 2014), a brain region lacking GABAergic interneurons. Both groups concluded that GABA and glutamate were present in the same nerve terminals, with Shabel et al. (2014) providing evidence from immunogold labeling consistent with colocalization of the two transmitters in individual vesicles. Root et al. (2014), who studied co-transmission from neurons from the ventral tegmen-tal area, observed complex patterns of response to in vivo optical stimulation of the co-releasing neurons. With stimulus parameters designed to evoke burst firing (10-ms pulses of light presented every 2 s), they observed that a majority of spontaneously active habenular neurons showed inhibition (which could be followed by excitation) and a minority showed excitation (which could be followed by inhibition). Using pharmacolog i-cal analysis of cell-attached record ings in brain slices, Shabel et al. (2014), who investigated co-transmission from entopeduncular neurons, determined that GABA had a greater effect on limiting habenular firing rate during high-frequency than low-frequency stimulation. Intriguingly, the latter group also found that the ratio of GABA-to glutamate-mediated synaptic responses was lower in a rat model of depression and higher after chronic treatment with a sero-tonin-based antidepressant, suggesting that mani pulation of GABA/ glutamate co-transmission could potentially provide a new approach to treating mood disorders. Neurotransmitter release from vertebrate photoreceptors, like that from auditory and vestibular hair cells and various other cells mediating early stages of sensory processing, is Of transmission at unconventional synapses Proposed model for the vesicle cycle at the ribbon synapse of cone photoreceptors. Calcium acts through calmodulin to enhance a fast mechanism whereby vesicles attach to the ribbon and thereby accelerates replenishment. A much slower process of vesicle attachment is calcium-calmodulin independent. Blue vesicles represent the immediately releasable pool, responsible for the fast phase of exocytosis, and yellow vesicles represent …


George Herbert Mead is widely recognized as one of the most brilliantly original American pragmatists. Although he had a profound influence on the development of social philosophy, he published no books in his lifetime. This makes the lectures collected in Mind, Self, and Society all the more remarkable, as they offer a rare synthesis of his ideas. This collection gets to the heart of Mead's meditations on social psychology and social philosophy. Its penetrating, conversational tone transports the reader directly into Mead's classroom as he teases out the genesis of the self and the nature of the mind. The book captures his wry humor and shrewd reasoning, showing a man comfortable quoting Aristotle alongside Alice in Wonderland. Included in this edition are an insightful foreword from leading Mead scholar Hans Joas, a revealing set of textual notes by Daniel R. Huebner that detail the text's origins, and a comprehensive bibliography of Mead's other published writings. While Mead's lectures inspired countless students, much of his brilliance has been lost to time. This definitive edition ensures that Mead's ideas will carry on, inspiring a new generation of thinkers.


OBJECTIVE
The choroid plexus is an important physiological barrier and produces CSF and neurotrophic, angiogenic, and inflammatory factors involved in brain development. Choroid plexus abnormalities have been implicated in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A previous choroid plexus transcriptomic analysis of schizophrenia identified an upregulation of immune and inflammatory genes that correlated with peripheral inflammatory markers. The purpose of this study was to examine choroid plexus volume in probands across the psychosis spectrum and in their first-degree and axis II cluster A relatives, as well as choroid plexus familiality and choroid plexus covariance with clinical, cognitive, brain, and peripheral marker measures.

METHODS
Choroid plexus volume was quantified (using FreeSurfer) in psychosis probands, their first-degree and axis II cluster A relatives, and healthy control subjects, organized by DSM-IV-TR diagnosis. Analyte, structural connectivity, and genotype data were collected from a subset of study subjects.

RESULTS
Choroid plexus volume was significantly larger in probands compared with first-degree relatives or healthy control subjects; first-degree relatives had intermediate enlargement compared with healthy control subjects; and total choroid plexus volume was significantly heritable. Larger volume was associated with worse cognition, smaller total gray matter and amygdala volume, larger lateral ventricle volume, and lower structural connectivity in probands. Associations between larger volume and higher levels of interleukin 6 in probands was also observed.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest the involvement of the choroid plexus across the psychosis spectrum with a potential pathophysiological mechanism involving the neuroimmune axis, which functions in maintaining brain homeostasis and interacting with the peripheral immune and inflammatory system. The choroid plexus may be an important target in future research.


Green microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis is best known for astaxanthin production. The cultivation of H. pluvialis involves two main phases, namely green vegetative stage and cyst stage with astaxanthin accumulation. In fact, the growth of H. pluvialis in the vegetative stage is one of the most important parts in the entire cultivation process. The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of temperature, inoculum size, CO2 concentration and light emitting diodes (LEDs) on the specific growth rate, cell density and dry weight of H. pluvialis in the vegetative stage. Results indicated that the temperature from 25 to 280C and the inoculum size from 3×104 cells.ml-1 were suitable for the growth of the studied strain. Illumination with red light LEDs (630 nm) at 80 μE.m-2.s-1, the highest specific growth rate (μ) was 0.197 day-1 and the maximal density was of 2.87×105 cells.ml-1. A concentration of 5% CO2 (v/v) was the optimal dose for the growth of this strain. Under the condition of both 5% CO2 and illumination with red light LEDs at 80 μE.m-2.s-1, the specific growth rate was 0.242 day-1 and the cell density was 4.28×105cells.ml-1. Illumination with only blue LEDs (430 nm) at 120 μE.m-2.s-1 stimulated the astaxanthin accumulation with a maximum content at 2.36 μg.ml-1.


Lack of awareness of deficits is a common problem after traumatic brain injury (TBI), and is associated with worse functional outcome and poor compliance with rehabilitation. Little is known, however, about the course of awareness of deficits after TBI. Using a longitudinal design, we examined changes in self-awareness between the subacute stage (about 45 days after injury) and one-year follow-up in a sample of 123 individuals with moderate to severe TBI. Awareness of deficits was operationalised as the discrepancy between patient and family ratings on the Awareness Questionnaire (AQ) and Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS). Compared to baseline, awareness was improved at one year, as evidenced by smaller discrepancy scores and stronger correlations between participant and family ratings. Changes in awareness were most pronounced for the behavioural/affective domain and least pronounced for the motor/sensory domain, which showed best agreement at baseline. Even at one year, participants rated themselves as higher functioning than did their relatives. Awareness at baseline and, for the AQ, time to follow commands, significantly predicted awareness at one year. These results suggest that awareness of deficits improves between the subacute and post-acute stages after TBI, and highlight the need for effective interventions for persons with impaired awareness and for flexible timing of rehabilitation efforts.


This paper examines the tying of lending to investment banking business by universal banks. Tying may alleviate credit rationing by assuring the lender of an adequate share of the social surplus that its lending generates; however, tying raises the profitability of loans to troubled entrepreneurs, softening entrepreneurial budget constraints and reducing effort levels. When investment banking is uncompetitive, the former effect dominates, and there is too little tying; when investment banking is competitive, there is too much tying. We relate our results to the authority structure of the universal bank, which we argue is the appropriate focus for regulation. Copyright 2012, Oxford University Press.


This paper presents a haptic rendering scheme based on distance maps over implicit surfaces. Using the successful concept of support planes and mappings, a support plane mapping formulation is used so as to generate a convex conservative representation and efficiently perform collision detection. The proposed scheme enables, under specific assumptions, the analytical reconstruction of the rigid 3D object's surface, using the equations of the support planes and their respective distance map. As a direct consequence, the problem of calculating the force feedback can be analytically solved using only information about the 3D object's spatial trasnformation and position of the haptic probe. Moreover, several haptic effects are derived by the proposed mesh-free haptic rendering formulation. Experimental evaluation and computational complexity analysis demonstrates that the proposed approach can reduce significantly the computational cost when compared to existing methods.


ABSTRACT A number of Western countries such as the United States, Britain and France have been waging war continuously since the 'terrorist' attacks of 11 September 2001. Although these wars have resulted in a massive loss of life, only a few scholars have tried to understand the determinants and motives behind this violence. This article aims to shed some light on this blind spot by studying the interpretive 'frames' (Judith Butler) that mediate the Western military's relation to violence. It does so by relying on a qualitative inquiry with the French airmen who bombed Afghanistan (2001–2011), Libya (2011) and Mali (2013). The article argues that the classical explanation in terms of 'de-humanization' is only partially heuristic. Indeed, airmen sometimes see the human 'face' – in Levinas' term – of the people they kill, and these moments of 'recognition' do not alter their will to wage war and drop bombs. I explain this apparent paradox by relying on Eyal Weizman's notion of 'humanitarian violence'.


To the Editor: With great interest, we read the article by Le Manach et al.1 The article presents a prediction model for postoperative in-hospital mortality with very good discriminative abilities (C statistic of 0.93 in a validation cohort). However, we contend the conclusion that the predictive model is well calibrated. A prediction model should first and foremost provide accurate predicted probabilities. When validating a prediction model, it is essential to answer the question whether predicted probabilities correspond to observed probabilities, especially for patients who may have a clinically relevant risk of the predicted outcome. The reported calibration plot (fig. 2 in the article1) seems to show a well-calibrated model. However, the calibration plot is truncated at a predicted probability of 0.10, and the plot shows only 9 out of 10 deciles. Patients with the highest risks seem to have been omitted from the reported calibration plot. Figure 3 of the article1 shows the observed mortality in the validation cohort for a wider range of risk scores. Supplemental Digital Content 3 reports the predicted probabilities for all Preoperative Score to Predict Postoperative Mortality (POSPOM) scores. If we overlay the predicted probabilities for all POSPOM scores onto figure 3 of the article,1 we observe that the prediction model greatly overestimates the in-hospital mortality risk in the high-risk patients (fig. 1). Although the high-risk patients form only a small group, they are in fact the patients for whom the prediction model is most clinically relevant. We would not want to be the physician who communicates a 62% risk of death to a patient (POSPOM value of 40) while the actual risk is 23%. From the results presented in the article, it is impossible to deduce what the reason is for the discrepancy in the results. There are several inconsistencies in the reporting of the predicted probabilities. The text of the article mentions a predicted probability of 5.65% for a POSPOM value of 30, whereas the Supplemental Digital Content reports a predicted probability 7.403%. There is no way to reconstruct the predicted probability as the model's intercept is not reported. It is possible that the predicted probabilities in Supplemental Digital Content 3 are wrong, which then could explain the overestimation of the in-hospital mortality risk. Even then, it would still be a necessity to report a continuous calibration plot of the model for the entire range of predicted probabilities, with a histogram within that calibration plot. We believe that the prediction model may be of great value to both physicians and patients, but only after the overestimation of the high-risk patients has been addressed.


The dramatic rise in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by a substantial increase in public school inclusion. A growing body of research supports the need for teachers proficient in evidence-based practices to support such students. One strategy involves using peer support networks like Circle of Friends (CoF) for ASD adolescents. A collective case study was used to investigate experiences of stakeholders relative to a CoF community. Four themes emerged from a cross-case analysis: the influence a CoF partnership initiative has on inclusion, social skills improvement, empowerment, and sense of wellbeing. For the purposes of this article, findings relative to inclusion are discussed. CoF fostered an attitude of peer acceptance for classmates with ASD and helped alleviate feelings of fear peers experienced toward ASD classmates. CoF peers developed empathy and understanding for the CoF target student, and those qualities extended to students outside the circles. CoF seemed to have fostered true social inclusion, altering traditional divisions between special education and typical education populations. Peer acceptance generalized outside the school setting, even in the absence of CoF adult facilitators, and fostered long-term, genuine friendships. Findings from the larger study led to the development of an interactive website to foster a virtual learning community to enhance this ongoing partnership. The website might promote a deeper understanding of peer support networks for improved social skills, increased school involvement, decreased isolation, and decreased bullying in youth with ASD, as well as a successful community agency–public school partnership model.


Abstract This paper uses a sample of Chinese firms to examine the impact of corporate opacity on the relationship between family control and firms' cost of debt. We find that family control is associated with a lower cost of debt on average, and a negative impact exists mainly in firms with relatively low corporate opacity. We further provide evidence that the moderating effect of corporate opacity becomes more pronounced when investors' perception of controlling families' moral hazard of expropriation is higher. Our results are robust to alternative opacity proxies and controlling for endogeneity of family control using the instrumental variable method. Our study highlights that controlling families are heterogeneous in their impact on the shareholder–debtholder relationship in family firms, and debtholders view corporate opacity as an important reference in assessing the extent of potential agency conflicts in China.


Abstract: The Pinellas County landfill site is on a flat, coastal area characterized by a nearsurface water table. Part of the site is subject to tidal flooding; altitudes within the study area range from 8 to 12 feet above sea level. Three geohydrologic units underlie the landfill site. In descending order, these are: a surficial aquifer about 19 feet thick composed of sand and shell, a confining bed about 35 feet thick composed of marl and clay, and the Floridan aquifer composed of limestone. Landfill operations have not altered surface-water quality. Although leachate movement downward into the Floridan _aquifer is not indicated, vertical movement through the confining bed is about 0.005 foot per year. The rate of lateral movement of ground-water away from the site is about 1.2 feet per year; . however, the rate of movement along the boundary from the oldest section of the landfill through the surficial aquifer is about 20 feet per year. Peaks in concentration of selected chemical parameters and flow-rate analysis of water from trenches indicate the possibility of intermittent release of leachate from the landfill.


College students now use various forms of unsecured credit such as private student loans and credit cards to finance college. Access to these credit lines and the interest rates charged on these loans can vary significantly across credit scores. In this paper, we analyze if credit status, as measured by self-reported characteristics of an individual's credit standing, affects college investment. Using data from the Survey of Consumer Finances, we study a sample of young high school graduates to estimate how three different measures of credit status affect college attainment and completion rates. After correcting for selection and endogeneity issues, we find that credit status is more important the longer the student stays in college. For example, having bad credit significantly lowers the probability of completing a four-year college degree, but has a smaller (but significant) impact on attaining some college. We find robust evidence that credit status affects the intensive margin of college investment, but is less important for the extensive margin. Our results suggest that bad credit status, which lowers the availability of unsecured credit to finance college and thereby makes college investment more expensive, significantly reduces college completion rates.


This study looks at how far consumers are involved in the decisions they make on purchases. It explores the relationship between the person and the product in terms of cognitive structures and the meanings and concepts that lie behind a product which influence consumer choice. Pirjo Laaksonen starts by defining the social psychological background to the area before identifying ways to research and define the nature of consumer involvement and conceptual development. She lays emphasis on the measurement issues, developing a procedure for conducting a conceptual analysis. Using research that studied consumer reaction to products from cars to chocolate this study offers a thorough analysis of the meanings underlying product evaluation and consumer involvement. This book should be of interest to all those studying marketing and consumer psychology at an advanced level.


Coordination polymers are well known organic–inorganic hybrids which can be of different dimensionalities; 1D, 2D and 3D. Based on the geometry of the inorganic metal ions and coordination mode of the organic linkers/clusters the polymers extend to different dimensions and adopt versatile topologies. Frameworks can be built with one linker or more than one linker (mixed linkers) with assembly of different metal ions. Use of a single linker is a well known and accepted methodology to generate high surface area frameworks such as isoreticular metal–organic frameworks (IRMOFs), zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), HKUST and MILs (Material Lavoisier Laboratory). In this context, MOFs composed of mixed linkers provide greater flexibility in terms of surface area, modifiable pore size and chemical environment. In general, one anionic linker and one neutral linker connect with the metal ion/cluster to generate a mixed linker framework. Depending on the binding mode of the anionic linker, the framework extends in different dimensions; a V-shaped anionic linker would not grow in two dimensions, rather a 1D chain will form. The neutral linkers mostly serve as pillars and further increase the dimensionality. Depending on the length of the linkers, porosity can be achieved and systematic control is possible. The extent of entanglement in a 3D framework can also be tuned by altering the neutral or anionic linker. Moreover the linkers can be functionalized extensively to meet the aimed applications such as gas separation, catalysis, magnetism and molecular sensing. Such modulation over functionality and porosity is not possible with a single linker system. In this highlight we aimed to discuss mixed linkers based framework structures, their versatile topologies and tunable porous properties.


In today's business conditions, where business activities are spreading over a wide geographical area, fraud auditing processes have crucial importance especially for the retailing sector which has a high branch network. In the retailing sector, especially purchasing processes are subject to high fraud risks. This paper shows that it is possible to detect fraudulent processes by applying data mining techniques on operational data related to purchasing activities. Within this scope, in order to detect the fraudulent purchasing operations, support vector machine (SVM) models with different kernels and artificial neural networks methods have been used and successful results have been achieved. The results of the two methods have been examined comparatively and it shows that optimized SVM classifier outperforms others. Besides, in this study, it is presumed that the detected fraud data can be proactively used in the struggle against fraud with fraud-governance risk and compliance software by converting it into scenario analysis.


In order to study and compare the correlation between the quantitative and qualitative traits of sugar beet genotypes, using multivariate methods under Rhizoctonia disease a trial was carried out at Miandoab Agricultural and Natural Resources Station in 2014.The experimental design was randomized complete block design with four replications. The experimental materials were sixteen sugar beet genotypes. Analysis of variance showed significant differences among the genotypes for all traits, except root sodium content. Based on stepwise regression analysis, gross sugar yield, molasses sugar content and gross sugar content by justifying %89.99 of changes in white sugar yield were considered as the most effective traits in justification of white sugar yield. Factor analysis identified five factors by justifying 81.62% of total data variances. Finally, the three groups were set up in the cluster analysis at similarity distance of 10. The cluster 2 was subjected to groups a (the highest rate) for yellowing score, uniformity score, growth score, healthy plant number, root yield, gross sugar yield, white sugar content, white sugar yield and extract percentage, and was placed in group b (the lowest rate) for root potassium content and alkalinity. Eventually, based on path analysis and regression analysis, the gross sugar yield was determined as the most effective trait on the white sugar yield and the genotypes in cluster 2 were identified suitable for cultivation under the conditions of Rhizoctonia infestation.


This report presents the master thesis proposal for a development of an interface for visualization of large music collections. By proposing a new paradigm for navigation and visualization of these collections, we intend to enhance user experience and music discovery. This is achieved by generating a geographic interface to display the music collection contents as if they were spread out in a globe or map. Music collection information is retreived from widely known web services such as Wikipedia and Last.FM. Content is displayed according to number of plays and genre. Tags retrieved from Last.FM were used to identify different genres for each artist. Music discovery is encouraged by a playlist implementation. Users trace a route in the world map, and through triangulation techniques, GeoMuzik samples the route and retrieves artists and songs that are close to the pathway defined. In order to evaluate the results a survey was applied to a certain number of subjects and its results are presented as part of this piece of work. Conclusions and future work present the impacts obtained from the use of the interface and the possible extensions that would improve this new approach.


> Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale. Medicine, as a social science—as the science of human beings—has the obligation to point out problems and to attempt their theoretical solution. The politician, the practical anthropologist, must find the means for their actual solution.1

More than a century ago Rudolf Virchow, pathologist, physician and politician, argued that progress in public health—while dependent on knowledge generated within specific disciplines—requires, principally, integrated and interdisciplinary approaches, especially if we are to move from the theoretical to the practical.

Heeding this principle, a diverse group of researchers and practitioners sought to understand the drivers of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, in Pakistan. The results of the research, presented in this supplement, suggest three central messages. First, a window—which is likely closing—exists to prevent a more widespread HIV epidemic in the country. Second, the need for massively scaled-up interventions is pressing: awareness and knowledge are low, measures to reduce risk are low and levels of vulnerability are high. Third, efforts to ramp up service delivery will need to be matched by deliberate yet ingenious and sensitive work from civil society. Such work will need to confront the social and cultural factors which are at the root of many of the vulnerabilities which will fuel a potential epidemic—from the position of women to the values which drive homosexuality underground to the regulations concerning human rights and the manner in which they are enforced.

The multidisciplinary research presented here was commissioned by the National AIDS Control Programme in Pakistan and funded by …


This paper presents an optical receiver with a monolithically integrated photodetector in 0.18-μm CMOS technology using a combination of spatially modulated light (SML) detection and an analog equalizer. A transimpedance amplifier employing negative Miller capacitance is introduced to increase its bandwidth without causing gain peaking. To provide sufficient reverse-bias voltage to the photodetector's p-n junction, the transimpedance amplifier is operated with a 3.3-V supply, while the rest of the circuit blocks is powered with a 1.8-V supply. The on-chip SML detector achieves a net responsivity of 0.052 A/W. Occupying a core area of 0.72 mm2, the fully integrated optical receiver achieves 4.25 and 5 Gbits/s with power consumption values of 144 and 183 mW, respectively.


Objectives Since the 1970s studies have shown that vehicle collision repair workers are at risk of exposure to organic solvent mixtures and their neurotoxic effects. Solvent exposures in this industry have generally declined in the past 20 years, but it is unclear whether this has been sufficient to prevent health effects. We have conducted a cross-sectional study to assess contemporary solvent exposures and neurotoxic symptoms in workers from the collision repair industry in New Zealand. Methods Neurobehavioural symptoms were assessed in 370 collision repair workers (spray painters and panel beaters) and 215 reference workers from the construction industry using the EUROQUEST questionnaire. Full-shift solvent exposure levels were also determined in a subset (n = 92) of collision repair workers. Results Current solvent exposures were higher in spray painters than in panel beaters, but levels were well below current exposure standards. Collision repair workers were more likely to report neurobehavioural symptoms than reference workers with ORs of 2.0, 2.4 and 6.4 (p < 0.05) for reporting ≥5, ≥10 and ≥15 symptoms respectively. Panel beaters generally had the greatest number of symptoms. Associations with specific symptom domains showed increased risk for neurological (OR 4.2), psychosomatic (OR 3.2), mood (OR 2.1), memory (OR 2.9) and memory and concentration symptoms combined (OR 2.4). Regardless of duration of employment in the industry collision repair workers were at higher risk of neurobehavioural symptoms than reference workers and some evidence of a dose-response trend was observed. However, this was likely weakened by a 'healthy worker survivor bias'. Conclusions Despite general reductions in solvent exposure in the collision repair industry and low measurements in the workshops involved, spray painters and panel beaters still appear to be at significant risk of neurobehavioural symptoms.


The self-assembly mechanism has been studied in poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamate)−poly(ethylene glycol)−poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamate) (PBLG−PEG−PBLG) triblock copolymer melts using X-ray scattering, polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and FTIR spectroscopy. Intrinsic competing interactions (crystallization, hydrogen bonding, liquid crystallinity, microphase separation) give rise to different levels of organization. Depending on the peptide volume fraction f, two cases can be discussed:  for low peptide volume fractions, microphase separation results in PBLG and PEG phases rich in all secondary structures (α-helices, β-sheets, and chain-folded PEG) notwithstanding the large undercooling necessary to induce PEG crystallization. For f > 0.4, interfacial mixing results in the destruction of the less coherent peptide secondary structures (β-sheet). Interfacial mixing may prove to be a key factor in controlling the appearance of β-sheets in low molecular weight peptides.


90 Shockley partial dislocations in GaN are investigated by first-principles calculations. This work is focussed on the electrical properties of dislocation cores, and on investigating the electrical fields around these defects. The band structure analysis shows that both the and core partials possess a midgap state. The -core dislocations give rise to a donor level Ev +0:87 eV that might explain the absorption peak at 2.4 eV revealed by energy loss spectroscopy measurements. The acceptor level Ev + 1:11 eV localized at the -core dislocations might contribute to the yellow luminescence. These dislocations experience a substantial charge polarization along the [0001] growth axis. In addition, we show that these dislocations tend to charge in a high stress field.


The goals of this study were to evaluate the microbial activity, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and inoculation of woody plants (Caesalpinia ferrea, Mimosa tenuiflora and Erythrina velutina) in lead contaminated soil from the semi-arid region of northeastern of Brazil (Belo Jardim, Pernambuco). Dilutions were prepared by adding lead contaminated soil (270 mg Kg-1) to uncontaminated soil (37 mg Pb Kg soil-1) in the proportions of 7.5%, 15%, and 30% (v:v). The increase of lead contamination in the soil negatively influenced the amount of carbon in the microbial biomass of the samples from both the dry and rainy seasons and the metabolic quotient only differed between the collection seasons in the 30% contaminated soil. The average value of the acid phosphatase activity in the dry season was 2.3 times higher than observed during the rainy season. There was no significant difference in the number of glomerospores observed between soils and periods studied. The most probable number of infective propagules was reduced for both seasons due to the excess lead in soil. The mycorrhizal colonization rate was reduced for the three plant species assayed. The inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi benefited the growth of Erythrina velutina in lead contaminated soil.


We propose a novel algorithm to decompose a 3D object into an atlas of disk-like charts. Decomposition into charts with controlled shape and topology is relevant in many engineering areas, such as spline fitting, compression and re-meshing. We produce our chartifications by jointly exploiting the Reeb graph of a guiding function and its gradient aligned flow paths. The key advancements of our method with respect to similar approaches are: (i) a novel strategy to provably remove all T-junctions; (ii) a stable system to trace flow paths starting far from critical points; (iii) the exploitation of the regularity of certain functions under isometries (e.g., harmonic ones) to produce structurally equivalent chartifications for families of objects posed differently. The charts produced by our system can be of two types: topological quads and topological octagons. Both of them can be easily gridded to produce full quadrilateral meshes, as we demonstrate in the second part of the article.


An optimum design of box cuts in soil formations is very crucial in order to obviate the major risk factors originating from the collapse of sidewalls and flooding of excavations during storm rainfall. The present paper aims to present a holistic classification of the Kalahari Formation stratigraphy in Zone 5 and define engineering properties of each lithological unit, in order to establish a safe working design. For the present objectives, collection of data was carried out through logging core from selected geotechnical boreholes drilled within vicinity of the proposed Northern mine box cut. Hydrogeological assessments and feasibility studies within the purview of study region were also considered. Geotechnical logging parameters gathered on site were derived from the Rock Mass Rating system (RMR) for design requirements [1]. Input parameters and material characteristics taken from laboratory test results provided by KCM were incorporated in the analysis. The box cut slopes were modelled in "Rocscience software" for evaluation of safety factor using "limit equilibrium method". Slope optimization required the slope surface to be as steep as possible while maintaining an adequate factor of safety ranging from 1.5 - 1.8. For the box cut design with optimum safety, the recommended parameters are: stable slope angle—35° - 40°; ramp angle—8°, depth of pit—60 meters; bench width—4.9 meters and the bench length—13.25 meters.


This is an account of the trial of three policeman involved in the Guildford Four case. They were acquitted, but Bennett's essay, which was originally published in an abbreviated form in "The London Review of Books", highlights many disquieting aspects of the case. In particular, he recounts his own experiences as somebody who was once charged with murder - and subsequently acquitted - in Belfast, to show why prisoners confess to crimes they haven't committed.


As it turns out, the publication of this collection of essays considering Jacob Klapwijk's 2008 work, Purpose in the Living World? Creation and Emergent Evolution, takes place in this 75th year of the Association for Reformational Philosophy. What is contained in this volume are the contributions by the various authors to this Jubilee celebration. As Editor, I am the "luckie felowe"1 with the pleasant task of introducing this collection of articles. They have been written during 2010 in response to this important publication of an esteemed "elder" of the Association for Reformational Philosophy.


Background: Genomic tumor profiling is a novel technique that led to the identification of many genomic alterations in tumor tissues that could be exploited to deliver precise therapy to individual patient. Lack of data from Saudi Arabia about the utilization of that technology and its potential impact on clinical outcome has prompted this study.
Patients and Methods: Tumor tissues from 50 consecutive adult patients with metastatic solid cancer that is refractory to standard of care, were gnomically profiled.
Results: Patients' median age was 56 years, and female constituted 76% of the series. All patients were heavily pretreated, with 52% having either breast, lung cancer, or ovarian cancer. In 88% of patients at least one genetic alteration was detected. Tumor profiling has guided the management decisions in 58%, 87%, and 14% of the overall patient population, breast cancer patients, and lung cancer patients, respectively. Meaningful disease response rates (complete remission, partial remission, and stable disease) were similar among those whose therapy decision was guided by tumor profiling (25 of 29 patients; 86%) and those where the therapy decision was not guided by the genomic findings (25 of 29 patients; 86% vs. 17 of 21 patients; 81%; P = 0.72). On the other hand, the median progression-free survival (PFS) determined from the time of making therapy decision based on the tumor profiling results was significantly longer among those whose management was supported by the findings (12.0 vs. 5.2 months, respectively; the hazard ratio and its 95% CI was 0.32 [0.13-0.81]; P = 0.017). While overall survival difference could not be estimated, the 12-months survival was 64% vs. 53% in the supported and the unsupported groups, respectively.
Conclusion: This preliminary experience demonstrated the feasibility and the clinical benefit of tumor profiling for cancer patients in Saudi Arabia. Tumor profiling is a promising novel technology; however, further research is required to address some of the inherent challenges to achieve the desired benefit.


This work investigates the influence of the gradual opening of the glottis along its length during the production of fricatives in intervocalic contexts. Acoustic simulations reveal the existence of a transient zone in the articulatory space where the frica-tion noise level is very sensitive to small perturbations of the glottal opening. This corresponds to the configurations where both frication noise and voiced contributions are present in the speech signal. To avoid this unstability, speakers may adopt different strategies to ensure the voiced/voiceless contrast of frica-tives. This is evidenced by experimental data of simultaneous glottal opening measurements, performed with ePGG, and audio recordings of vowel-fricative-vowel pseudowords. Voice-less fricatives are usually longer, in order to maximize the number of voiceless time frames over voiced frames due to the crossing of the transient regime. For voiced fricatives, the speaker may avoid the unstable regime by keeping low frication noise level, and thus by favoring the voicing characteristic, or by doing very short crossings into the unstable regime. It is also shown that when speakers are asked to sustain voiced fricatives longer than in natural speech, they adopt the strategy of keeping low frication noise level to avoid the unstable regime.


Using a panel dataset from Zhejiang province in China over the period 1995-2002, we propose a two-step estimation procedure to investigate the links between land lease activity and production efficiency. We find that the output elasticity with respect to land, the scale effect and the technical efficiency are higher for farmers involved in land-lease activities. In addition, technical efficiency and land-lease activity are endogenous, and farmers with higher technical efficiency are more likely to lease more land and adopt advanced technologies to achieve higher profits, which in turn alters the technical efficiency.


This paper proposes a rate control algorithm for lossless region of interest (RoI) coding in HEVC intra-coding. The algorithm is developed for digital pathology images and allows for random access to the data. Based on an input RoI mask, the algorithm first encodes the RoI losslessly. According to the bit rate spent on the RoI, it then encodes the background by using rate control in order to meet an overall target bit rate. In order to increase rate control accuracy, the algorithm uses an R-λ model to approximate the slope of the rate-distortion curve, and updates any related model parameters during the encoding process. Random access is attained by coding the data using independent tiles. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm attains the overall bit rate very accurately while providing lossless reconstruction of the RoI.


No products of the biotechnology revolution will likely have a greater legacy than recombinant vaccines. Clinical efficacy trials of new acellular pertussis vaccines have recently been completed; among them, a vaccine containing a genetically modified pertussis toxin showed superior effectiveness in protection against disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. The foundations for this vaccine derive from the work of many investigators, but most notably: Japanese researchers who demonstrated the potential for subcomponents of B. pertussis, and particularly pertussis toxin, to confer protective immunity; research teams in Italy and the United States who cloned and sequenced the pertussis toxin operon; and our own group who molecularly dissected the toxin molecule to produce recombinant analogs of this heterohexameric protein that retained protective immunogenicity yet lacked the intrinsic enzyme activity that results in the adverse reactogenic effects of immunization. Another result of the research leading to this new pertussis vaccine is an intimate understanding of the relationship between form and function in the ADP-ribosylating toxins with AB5 architecture, including the structure of their catalytic domains their immunologic and adjuvant properties, characteristics and possible pathologic consequences of host cell receptor recognition, and the assembly and subunit interactions of these complex multimeric proteins.


As bases for object-orientation, both class-based and prototype-based organization have limitations. We argue that roles have significant benefits as a foundation for organizing objects. We further argue that these benefits can be realised most flexibly using logic meta-programming. Additional benefits from this approach are to reduce redundancy and subsume aspects.


Local control rates for T1b-T2 glottic carcinoma are not satisfactory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with T1-T2 glottic carcinoma treated with radiotherapy and to evaluate the effects of chemoradiotherapy for T1b and T2 disease. At Hiroshima City Asa Citizens Hospital, 49 patients with early glottic carcinoma underwent radiotherapy from July 2006 to December 2015. Of these, 46 patients were enrolled and evaluated. The median age was 70.5 years (range, 39-88 years), and 43 patients (93.5%) were men and 3 patients (6.5%) were women. All patients presented with squamous cell carcinoma. Twenty-eight (60.1%) had T1a, 6 (13%) had T1b and 12 (26.1%) had T2 disease. In T1 and T2 patients, 2 Gy/fraction was used and the total prescribed dose ranged from 60 to 66 Gy and from 60 to 70 Gy, respectively. The patients with T1b and T2 were administered chemotherapy. The patients with T1 disease had a 5-year local control rate of 90.9%, while patients with T2 disease had a local control rate of 80.0%. The patients with T1a disease had a 5-year local control rate of 88.9%, while patients with T1b disease had a local control rate of 100%. Chemoradiotherapy for patients with T1b-T2 glottic carcinoma is feasible and may contribute to improved local control of patients with T1b disease.


The research topic, presented in the paper, is dedicated to the possibilities of managing the district healthcare element, i.e. central district hospital (CDH), focusing on the methods of setting up an information-and-analytical department at the CDH. An algorithm is designed for collecting and condensing the data meant for the CDM management needs; approaches to defining the managerial parameters and to creating a district data base are described. The topicality of the paper and of the algorithms outlined in it are highly favorable for recovering the managerial structure and for ensuring a high-quality medical care provided by rural patient-care facilities. The paper's concepts are also aimed at advancing the accessibility and quality of specialized medical care at the CDH and at ensuring the up-to-date standards of communications and management with the resources being shared rationally and with the cost-saving medical-care mode being maintained within district limits.


Introduction Six reviews/inquiries into housing adaptations/home modifications processes occurred in Wales between 2004 and 2015. One resulted in the removal of the means test for children's Disabled Facilities Grants. This research investigated families' and professionals' experiences of the adaptations/home modification process to gain an understanding of their views and experiences. Method Mixed methods of an online questionnaire for professionals, and semi-structured interviews or an online questionnaire for families (depending on their preference), were employed. Forty-eight families participated and an additional 16 families responded to an online questionnaire. Analysis of qualitative data identified emergent themes, which are discussed in this article. Findings The themes were: poor information and communication mainly aimed at older adults; negative experience of the process; and the positive impact of the completed adaptation. Additionally, whilst undergoing the process, families felt that they needed a contact to guide them through the process. This contact was often by default the community occupational therapist. Conclusion A single contact person should be made available for families; occupational therapists should consider their part in that role; more specific information on children's needs should be provided; families need to recognize the part they can play in adding to delays in the delivery of adaptations.


Abstract : We present new algorithms for the k-means clustering problem. They use the kd-tree data structure to reduce the large number of nearest-neighbor queries issued by the traditional algorithm. Sufficient statistics are stored in the nodes of the kd-tree. Then an analysis of the geometry of the current cluster centers results in great reduction of the work needed to update the centers. Our algorithms behave exactly as the traditional k-means algorithm. Proofs of correctness are included. The kd-tree can also be used to initialize the k-means starting centers efficiently. Our algorithms can be easily extended to provide fast ways of computing the error of a given cluster assignment regardless of the method in which those clusters were obtained. We also show how to use them in a setting which allows approximate clustering results, with the benefit of running faster. We have implemented and tested our algorithms on both real and simulated data. Results show a speedup factor of up to 170 on real astrophysical data, and superiority over the naive algorithm on simulated data in up to 5 dimensions. Our algorithms scale well with respect to the number of points and number of centers allowing for clustering with tens of thousands of centers.


Focusing on Turkey, this article analyzes the role of polarization on news users' perception of misinformation and mistrust in the news on social media. Turkey is one of the countries where citizens complain most about misinformation on the internet. The citizens' trust in news institutions is also in continuous decline. Furthermore, both Turkish society and its media landscape are politically highly polarized. Focusing on Turkey's highly polarized environment, the article aims to analyze how political polarization influences the users' trust in the news and their perceptions about misinformation on social media. The study is based on multi-method research, including focus groups, media diaries, and interviews with people of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. The article firstly demonstrates different strategies that the users develop to validate information, including searching for any suspicious information on search engines, looking at the comments below the post, and looking at other news media, especially television. Secondly, we will discuss how more affective mechanisms of news assessment come into prominence while evaluating political news. Although our participants are self-aware and critical about their partisan attitudes in news consumption and evaluation, they also reveal media sources to which they feel politically closer. We propose the concept of "skeptical inertia" to refer to this self-critical yet passive position of the users in the face of the polarized news environment in Turkey.


Recent advances in laser scanning technology have made it possible to faithfully scan a real object with tiny geometric details, such as pores and wrinkles. However, a faithful digital model should not only capture static details of the real counterpart but also be able to reproduce the deformed versions of such details. In this paper, we develop a data-driven model that has two components; the first accommodates smooth large-scale deformations and the second captures high-resolution details. Large-scale deformations are based on a nonlinear mapping between sparse control points and bone transformations. A global mapping, however, would fail to synthesize realistic geometries from sparse examples, for highly deformable models with a large range of motion. The key is to train a collection of mappings defined over regions locally in both the geometry and the pose space. Deformable fine-scale details are generated from a second nonlinear mapping between the control points and per-vertex displacements. We apply our modeling scheme to scanned human hand models, scanned face models, face models reconstructed from multiview video sequences, and manually constructed dinosaur models. Experiments show that our deformation models, learned from extremely sparse training data, are effective and robust in synthesizing highly deformable models with rich fine features, for keyframe animation as well as performance-driven animation. We also compare our results with those obtained by alternative techniques.


In public debate the term "minimum pricing" has been used generically to refer to two different policies. The first is to set a minimum price per unit of alcohol. The second is to ban the sale of alcohol below cost price.

The UK Government's Alcohol Strategy (March 2012) included a commitment to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol. There would be consultation on the actual price but, once introduced, it would be illegal for alcohol to be sold for less than the set price.

In November 2012, the UK Home Office published A consultation on delivering the Government's policies to cut alcohol fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour. This recommended a minimum unit price of 45p, to be introduced through primary legislation. The paper claimed that a unit price of 45p would lead to an estimated reduction in consumption across all product types of 3.3%, a reduction in crime of 5,240 per year, a reduction in 24,600 alcohol-related hospital admissions and 714 fewer deaths per year after ten years.

On 17 July 2013, following analysis of the consultation's responses, the Government announced that it would not be proceeding with minimum unit pricing. The policy would "remain under consideration", but at present there was not enough "concrete evidence" that it would be effective in reducing the harms associated with problem drinking "without penalising people who drink responsibly". The Government would instead ban the sale of alcohol below the level of alcohol duty plus VAT. This would mean that it would no longer be legal to sell a can of ordinary-strength lager for less than 40p.


This casebook is designed to introduce law students to transactional lawyering and to encourage stimulating student dialogues. At the same time it includes enough material from finance and economics literature to give students an understanding of how the market for corporate control operates. The casebook contains examples of documentation, as well as leading cases in each area. It is divided into four parts, including: (1) the source of gains in business combinations; (2) duties and risks of sellers; (3) buyers' risks in acquisitions; and (4) takeover contests.


Background: Violence or violent imagery, defined as any image that conveys an imminent physical or existential threat to person(s), property, or society, with or without weaponry, is often featured in advertising. However, the effects of exposure (sporadic or chronic) to such imagery are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and types of violence portrayed in advertising on public buses in New York City (NYC). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, from April to July 2019, researchers catalogued and coded the print advertising images present on the passenger entry side of all Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) bus lines in Manhattan to determine whether images of violence or violent acts were present. Unlike images of alcohol and tobacco products (banned from MTA property in 2017 and 1992, respectively), there are no similar restrictions on violence or violent imagery. Results: A total of 23 out of 136 (17%) observed advertisements included images of violence and/or actual or imminent violent acts. One hundred percent of images involving violence were embedded in advertisements for mass media/entertainment purposes often featuring well known and favorably regarded actors and entertainment personalities or companies. Conclusion: People of all ages and backgrounds are passively exposed to bus advertisements in a variety of settings. This study contributes to the literature regarding the extent to which the public is passively exposed to violent advertising. Additional study is required to further understand the link between violent imagery and attitudes toward/tolerance of violence.


This research aims to investigate the conditions of gender-based payment inequality and its influences on job satisfaction. Theoretical reviews lay a solid foundation for primary research on investigating the dimensions of payment inequality, the factors that influence job satisfaction, and the actual conditions of gender-based payment inequality in China. The primary results show that the income of all the employees is largely determined according to the job responsibility and the evaluation of the performances, and female employees are not given equal opportunities for important jobs and proof of performances. Female employees consider that it is difficult to change the perception that males are ought to be paid more. Both primary and theoretical reviews conclude that the gender-based payment inequality has become a common issue that causes the low job satisfaction rate. The primary results highlight that the financial payment inequality is only one aspect that leads to low job satisfaction, and fill the research gap that not being trusted about their ability to deliver is the higher level of needs and motivations that lead to low job satisfaction that would make them to quit the job. The primary research concludes the reasons to the gender-based payment inequality rooted deeply in social, cultural, and political beliefs and concepts in China, and individual efforts from females would not change the current conditions. Thus, the suggestions from the female employees are common agreements that the government should take the responsibility to create the policy to compensate the company that hires young female employees during maternity leave for even the cost to realize payment equality, and to create the policy that makes male employees take the maternity leave as their wives are pregnant to realize payment equality.


This article discusses the role of progestational hormones in cancer of the endometrium in menopausal women and indicates the type of progestin and the doses which appear necessary to prevent anomalies of the endometrium. It is in fact established that the incidence of endometrial adenocarcinomas is augmented by the application of a continuous oestrogenic without countervailing progestational-stimulus. Progestogens have an antimitotic action on endometrial cells, which leads to reduction of the oestrogenic stimulus and the probability of the occurrence of tissue anomalies. However, it is probable, and theoretically possible, that the regular disintegration of the endometrium may be capable of removing the potentially anomalous cells before they develop into carcinomas. Any oestrogenic treatment, however, whatever the dose and mode of administration, is not more certain than any other. The association of a progestogen is necessary but the choice of the individual progestogen is dictated by custom or fashion. It seems that administration during 12 days per month in a manner designed to obtain rhythmic bleedings may be the best solution.


\s=b\The efficacy and safety of topical 1.5% erythromycin solution and 1% clindamycin phosphate solution were compared in the treatment of acne. The number of inflammatory lesions was significantly reduced at 12 weeks by 62% and 59% and the number of noninflammatory lesions by 43% and 39% in the erythromycin and clindamycin groups, respectively. The reduction in lesions was also reflected in the clinical evaluation of the overall facial condition; 73% of the 74 patients treated with erythromycin solution and 62% of the 80 patients treated with clindamycin solution had excellent or good responses at 12 weeks. The results of this study show that topically applied 1.5% erythromycin and 1.0% clindamycin solutions are both effective and comparable in reducing the clinical manifestation of acne in patients with moderate disease. (Arch Dermatol 1984;120:351-355) Oral erythromycin therapy has been in use sys¬


Sedative and analgesic medications may impact physiologic function resulting in adverse effects especially in patients with co-morbid diseases. We present the successful use of a combination of dexmedetomidine and ketamine to provide sedation and analgesia in a 9-month-old patient with dilated cardiomyopathy undergoing hemodynamic cardiac catheterization with angiography. Co-morbid conditions included depressed myocardial function, hypertension, right renal artery agenesis, and narrowing of the abdominal aorta. A combination of dexmedetomidine and ketamine was used to provide procedural sedation while maintaining spontaneous ventilation. A review of previously published reports of dexmedetomidine and ketamine for procedural sedation is reviewed and the potential efficacy of this combination for procedural sedation in patients with depressed myocardial function is presented. J Med Cases. 2017;8(10):293-296 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc2851w


The recently introduced multislice data acquisition for computed tomography (CT) is based on multirow detector design, increased rotation speed, and advanced z-interpolation and z-filtering algorithms. We evaluated slice sensitivity profiles (SSPs) and noise of a clinical multislice spiral CT (MSCT) scanner with M = 4 simultaneously acquired slices and adaptive axial interpolator (AAI) reconstruction software. SSPs were measured with a small gold disk of 50 microm thickness and 2-mm diameter located at the center of rotation (COR) and 100 mm off center. The standard deviation of CT values within a 20-cm water phantom was used as a measure of image noise. With a detector slice collimation of S = 1.0 mm, we varied spiral pitch p from 0.25 to 2.0 in steps of 0.025. Nominal reconstructed slice thicknesses were 1.25, 1.5, and 2.0 mm. For all possible pitch values, we found the full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the respective sensitivity profile at the COR equivalent to the selected nominal slice thickness. The profiles at 100 mm off center are broadened less than 7 % on the average compared with the FWHM at the COR. In addition, variation of the full-width at tenth maximum (FWTM) at the COR was below 10% for p < or = 1.75. Within this range, image noise varied less than 10% with respect to the mean noise level. The slight increase in measured slice-width above p = 1.75 for nominal slice-widths of 1.25 and 1.50 mm is accompanied by a decrease of noise according to the inverse square root relationship. The MSCT system that we scrutinized provides reconstructed slice-widths and image noise, which can be regarded as constant within a wide range of table speeds. With respect to this, MSCT is superior to single-slice spiral CT. These facts can be made use of when defining and optimizing clinical protocols: the spiral pitch can be selected almost freely, and scan protocols can follow the diagnostic requirements without technical restrictions. In summary, MSCT offers constant image quality while scan times are reduced drastically. Volume scans with three-dimensional (3-D) isotropic resolution are routinely feasible for complete anatomical regions.


Clutch fill control is the key enabler for a smooth clutch-to-clutch shift, which is critical for the performance and fuel economy of both automatic and hybrid transmissions. While a precise and robust clutch fill is crucial, its control is very challenging as the traditional approach is still in the open-loop fashion due to the lack of a feedback sensor. To address this challenge, a new clutch actuation mechanism is proposed, which realizes an internal feedback structure without any sensor measurement. The proposed mechanism is novel as it embeds all the control elements in the orifice area regulation, which successfully solves the precise and robust control of the hydraulic system with nonlinear dynamics. In this paper, we first present the working principle of the new clutch actuation mechanism. Then, the mechanical system design is shown and the system dynamic model is built. To this end, the proposed internal feedback control mechanism is fabricated and validated in a transmission testing fixture. The new mechanism performance is finally presented through a series of simulation and experimental results.


Corruption in higher education is the focus of growing international concern among governments, educators, students, and other stakeholders. Those working in higher education institutions now face a unique convergence of pressures that is creating a heightened threat to the integrity of the higher education enterprise worldwide. This paper draws on recent measures of the perceived magnitude of corruption, studies of respondents' direct experience with corruption, and case studies of specific instances of corruption to illustrate the nature and extent of corruption in higher education. The authors suggest that the impact of corrupt practices in higher education can have a wider negative influence to the extent that it breaks the link between personal effort and anticipation of reward. The risk is that employees and students come to believe that personal success comes, not through merit and hard work, but through cutting corners.


In order to determine whether slip during an earthquake on the 26th September 1997 propagated to the surface, structural data have been collected along a bedrock fault scarp in Umbria, Italy. These collected data are used to investigate the relationship between the throw associated with a debated surface rupture (observed as a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock fault scarp) and the strike, dip and slip-vector. Previous studies have suggested that the surface rupture was produced either by primary surface slip or secondary compaction of hangingwall sediments. Some authors favour the latter because sparse surface fault dip measurements do not match nodal plane dips at depth. It is demonstrated herein that the strike, dip and height of the surface rupture, represented by a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock scarp, shows a systematic relationship with respect to the geometry and kinematics of faulting in the bedrock. The strike and dip co-vary and the throw is greatest where the strike is oblique to the slip-vector azimuth where the highest dip values are recorded. This implies that the throw values vary to accommodate spatial variation in the strike and dip of the fault across fault plane corrugations, a feature that is predicted by theory describing conservation of strain along faults, but not by compaction. Furthermore, published earthquake locations and reported fault dips are consistent with the analysed surface scarps when natural variation for surface dips and uncertainty for nodal plane dips at depth are taken into account. This implies that the fresh stripe is indeed a primary coseismic surface rupture whose slip is connected to the seismogenic fault at depth. We discuss how this knowledge of the locations and geometry of the active faults can be used as an input for seismic hazard assessment.


This note shows that the aggregate fiscal expenditure stimulus in the United States, properly adjusted for the declining fiscal expenditure of the fifty states, was close to zero in 2009. While the Federal government stimulus prevented a net decline in aggregate fiscal expenditure, it did not stimulate the aggregate expenditure above its predicted mean. We discuss the implications of limitations on states' ability to run deficits for the design of fiscal stimulus at the federal level. We devote particular attention to intertemporal moral hazard concerns in a federal fiscal system, and ways to address these concerns.


This article addresses how Indonesian hijabers—a term for fashion-conscious hijabwearing women—participate in expressing and negotiating their authentic selves through the photo-sharing culture on Instagram. Twenty-one hijabers' self-portraits were examined through a digital ethnographic method that used semistructured face-to-face interviews and participant observations at various hijabers' community events in Indonesia. Findings reveal that "being the real me" is the hijabers' claim to project their self-portrait authenticity. This claim is shaped by Indonesian social norms and Islamic values. The hijabers are curating a version of authenticity that is designed to be culturally acceptable. Therefore, this study provides a new understanding of how Indonesian hijabers' negotiation of authenticity on Instagram is subjected to a collectivistic culture.


A novel nanocomposite of MGO-NGC, composed of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (M), graphene oxide (GO), and N-methyl-d-glucamine functionalized calix[4]arene (NGC), was synthesized and applied as an effective adsorbent for the removal of two selected pesticides, namely hexaconazole and chlorpyrifos from water samples. The adsorbent was characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, and XRD. The main parameters affecting the adsorption process such as adsorbent dosage, pH of sample solution, salt effect, pesticide concentration, and adsorption time were investigated. The data from kinetic studies fitted well to the pseudo-second order kinetic model with R2 > 0.99. Among the isotherm models of Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich, the Langmuir isotherm fitted well to the adsorption process and demonstrated the monolayer adsorption pattern of the pesticides. Moreover, high adsorption capacities of 78.74 and 93.46 mg g-1 were obtained for chlorpyrifos and hexaconazole, respectively. Thermodynamic and free energy data indicated the physisorption mechanism for the adsorption process. The new adsorbent can be employed as an efficient, environment friendly, and highly reusable alternative for the removal of chlorinated pesticides from aqueous media.


Uniform parallel pores and controllable pore diameter make Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) membrane one of the best materials in synthesis of one-dimensional nano-structured material. High orderly AAO template was prepared by anodic-oxidation. The prepared AAO membrane's apertures ranged from 30 nm to 75 nm. Within a few microns, holes were orderly arranged. The fabricating methods of AAO template in different electrolyte were studied and the factors which affect the pore distribution, such as electrolyte types, voltage and concentration were discussed.


This paper first very briefly discusses different kinds of alcohol control measures, and after that reviews the available studies of the effects of control measures on alcohol consumption. During recent years the field of evaluation of alcohol control measures has matured and drawn on new technologies. The new prevention evaluation literature has also taken several directions. Taken together, the results of various studies have very clearly shown that control measures can influence drinking patterns, and in turn the rate of drinking problems. However, effects of changes in alcohol prices and availability are also determined by the social, cultural, and economic circumstances characteristic to each country and period.


When animals explore spatial environments, their representations often fragment into multiple maps. What determines these map fragmentations, and can we predict where they will occur with simple principles? We pose the problem of fragmentation of an environment as one of (online) spatial clustering. Taking inspiration from the notion of a contiguous region in robotics, we develop a theory in which fragmentation decisions are driven by surprisal. When this criterion is implemented with boundary, grid, and place cells in various environments, it produces map fragmentations from the first exploration of each space. Augmented with a long-term spatial memory and a rule similar to the distance-dependent Chinese Restaurant Process for selecting among relevant memories, the theory predicts the reuse of map fragments in environments with repeating substructures. Our model provides a simple rule for generating spatial state abstractions and predicts map fragmentations observed in electrophysiological recordings. It further predicts that there should be "fragmentation decision" or "fracture" cells, which in multicompartment environments could be called "doorway" cells. Finally, we show that the resulting abstractions can lead to large (orders of magnitude) improvements in the ability to plan and navigate through complex environments.