Author(s): Lanette, Simone | Advisor(s): Mazmanian, Melissa | Abstract: In a mixed-methods approach of experimental and qualitative methods this dissertation examines the effects of the mere presence of mobile phones during parent-teen interactions and explores the role of mobile phones in everyday family life. Experimental design was a modification of previous works studying adult dyadic interpersonal interactions in the presence of mobile phones. Experimental data on the reported experiences of conversation quality, conversation closeness, and conversation partner listening in the presence or absence of mobile phones (parents' phone, childs' phone, both phones, stranger's phone, and no phone) provide empirical insight into current academic and social narratives that mobile phones are damaging interpersonal relationships. Results suggest that the mere presence or absence of mobile phones does not produce significant effects for parents' or teens' reported conversation quality or conversation partner listening. However, the mere presence of mobile phones did coincide with a significant decline in parents' reported conversation closeness when mobile phone saturation was high (both child and parent's phone present). Interview findings suggest that this difference could be representative of natural distancing that occurs during adolescence and that phones can become a symbol of teens' increased independence. Qualitative data regarding the role of mobile phones in family life suggests that both parents' and teens' possess widespread concerns of mobile phone use. I trace the origin of these concerns to mobile phone addiction narratives and explore how internalization of such media messaging could have an effect on individual well-being and family dynamics. I also explore how mobile phone concerns were reported during parent-teen descriptions of conflict and analyze the processes of parent-teen mobile phone conflict. From these data, I develop a model of parent-teen conflict to inform future work on mobile phone conflict mediation. This study has implications for parent-teen dynamics around technology use in the home and calls for the creation of more robust metrics designed to assess mobile phone use.


Is there more disruptive behavior in schools today? The simple answer to this often asked question is probably yes. But the reasons lie more outside teenagers than inside. For too many teachers there can be an attitude of: "I was a teenager once, therefor I know what it is like." But we all develop in a unique time and the issues are unique to that period. Pressures differ, fears differ. There are times when schools are seen to be part of the problem rather than the solution.


To deal with the effect of compressible fluid on the supercavitating flow over the subsonic disk cavitator of projectile, a finite volume method has been formulated based on the ideal compressible potential theory. By using the continuity equation and Tait state equation as well as Riabouchinsky closure model, an "inverse problem" solution has been presented for the supercavitating flow. According to the impenetrable condition on the surface of supercavity, a new iterative method for the supercavity shape has been designed to deal with the effect of compressibility on supercavity shape and pressure field. The supercavity shape changes from ellipse to taper, as well as the drag coefficient increases with Mach number increasing. The results compare well with the experiment data and empirical formula, and the numerical method is proven to be valid.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


In a recent Forum paper, Wardle (Journal of Vegetation Science, 2016) questions the value of biodiversity–ecosystem function (BEF) experiments with respect to their implications for biodiversity changes in real world communities. The main criticism is that the previous focus of BEF experiments on random species assemblages within each level of diversity has 'limited the understanding of how natural communities respond to biodiversity loss.' He concludes that a broader spectrum of approaches considering both non-random gains and losses of diversity is essential to advance this field of research. Wardle's paper is timely because of recent observations of frequent local and regional biodiversity changes across ecosystems. While we appreciate that new and complementary experimental approaches are required for advancing the field, we question criticisms regarding the validity of BEF experiments. Therefore, we respond by briefly reiterating previous arguments emphasizing the reasoning behind random species composition in BEF experiments. We describe how BEF experiments have identified important mechanisms that play a role in real world ecosystems, advancing our understanding of ecosystem responses to species gains and losses. We discuss recent examples where theory derived from BEF experiments enriched our understanding of the consequences of biodiversity changes in real world ecosystems and where comprehensive analyses and integrative modelling approaches confirmed patterns found in BEF experiments. Finally, we provide some promising directions in BEF research.


Twenty-first century Jamaican authors have a rich cultural heritage to draw upon. Their literary heritage has been influenced by the many peoples who have lived on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The first of these, the Arawakan people who have become known as the Taino, lived on the island when Columbus arrived in 1494 (Woodley). By 1509, the Spanish had begun colonizing Jamaica, and they brought the first African slave laborers to the island in 1640 (McArthur 539). In 1670, the British took control of the island from the Spanish and maintained control until Jamaica gained its independence in 1962 (McArthur 539). The disparate influences of these preceding cultures manifest themselves in a variety of ways in the language and folklore of Jamaica. Most view the language spoken in Jamaica on a continuum. In this model, the acrolect (Standard Jamaican English) is a direct result of the British's presence and is "essentially a regional dialect of English associated with upper- and upper-middle-class speakers and spoken in the capital of Kingston and other metropolitan areas" (Wassink and Dyer 15). In contrast, the basilect (known as Jamaican Creole) contains "the greatest number of West African retentions, [is] spoken mostly in rural areas, and [is] associated with working-class speakers" (Wassink and Dyer 15). The mesolect denotes the "intermediate forms" that consist of features from the English, West African, and Spanish languages (Wassink and Dyer 15). In addition to their linguistic influences, the island's various occupants have left their mark on Jamaican folklore as well. For example, many traditional Jamaican stories reflect an African emphasis on singing to praise God, conjuring, and trickster tales (Byerman 2) that portray "important ethical dilemmas for both the individual and society" (Thury and Devinney 342). As a result of slavery, churches, spirituals, and sermons became important because they "functioned to give blacks some dignity" (Thomas 16). From the Spanish and British, salvation through Jesus, baptism, and other elements of Christian beliefs and rituals began to emerge in Jamaican folk stories. Linguistic and folkloric features such as these identified continue to appear in modern Jamaican literature such as John Crow's Devil, a twenty-first century novel by Marlon James. John Crow's Devil, set in a small Jamaican village called Gibbeah during 1957, begins with Gibbeah's drunkard pastor, Hector Bligh, being run out of his church by a man who calls himself "Apostle" York. The young Widow Mary Greenfield takes Pastor Bligh in and cares for him while Lucinda, Mary's rival since childhood, helps the Apostle settle in. The narrative continues as the Apostle begins to isolate the village, turn its residents upon themselves, and harm or kill those who oppose his beliefs. In response, the Pastor redeems himself by spiritually struggling and wrestling with the Apostle for control of the village. By the end of the novel, Pastor Bligh, Apostle York, Lucinda, and at least seven other characters are dead. In the final chapter, Widow Greenfield emerges as hope personified. Throughout this multi-narrated novel, James uses a variety of rhetorical strategies that combine the continuum of Jamaican English and traditional Jamaican folklore. For instance, the principal third-person, limited-omniscient narrator uses Standard Jamaican English. A second, first-person narrator interprets events from the perspective of Gibbeah's villagers in Jamaican Creole. A variety of other linguistic features appear in the characters' dialogue: Lucinda and the Widow speak mesolect; the Pastor and the Apostle speak near Standard Jamaican English when speaking to each other, but they incorporate more basilect features when speaking to village members. Some of the folkloric aspects include the importance of spirituals and sermons that praise God, the centrality of the church where James sets much of the action, and numerous biblical references such as the intertextuality of Gibbeah with the Old Testament book of Judges. …


The association between disruptive behaviours in children and depression in
mothers is well-established (Cummings & Davies, 1994). Both are associated
with social isolation, socio-economic deprivation, marital conflict, and overgeneral
recall of memories. Maternal depression is also associated with poorer
treatment outcome in parent-training programmes (Webster-Stratton & Herbert,
1995), although some parent-training intervention studies have reported
improvements in maternal depression following intervention (e. g. Hutchings,
1996a, 1996b). Given some similarities between parent-training programmes and
cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) techniques, this pilot study proposed to
investigate the relationship between a CBT intervention for depressed mothers
and its effects on the maternal reporting of disruptive behaviours in their children
in comparison to an observational measure. The combination of measures used
were Beck Depression Inventory-2°d Edition, Beck Anxiety Inventory, General
Health Questionnaire-30, Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory, Child Behaviour
Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, Autobiographical Memory Test, Community
Contacts Questionnaire, and The Brown Circles Task with Standardised
Observation Codes -III B as the observational measure. Ten depressed mothers
referred to an Adult Mental Health team for treatment, who also had children
between the ages of 2 and 7 years who were reported to be exhibiting clinically
significant disruptive behaviours (as measured by ECBI) participated in the
study. Demographic data suggested that the sample were a `high risk' group for
the development of depression and disruptive behaviours. Following the CBT
intervention both self-reported depressive symptoms and maternal report of child
disruptive behaviours decreased significantly on all standardised measures.
However, no significant differences were shown on the observational measure in
either maternal or child behaviours and interactions, although child behaviours
changed in the predicted direction. Supportive social networks were predictive of
better outcome for maternal depression (as measured by BDI-II). The limitations
of the study, and the clinical implications of the results are discussed.


A directly modulated photonic crystal (PhC) laser with a wavelength-scale cavity is a key component for chip-to-chip and on-chip optical interconnections because it enables us to achieve ultralow operating energy. A buried heterostructure, where the wavelength-scale active region is buried with an InP layer, is essential for achieving ultralow operating energy because it improves both carrier and photon confinement in the active region and the InP layer improves the thermal conductivity of the device. We call this a lambda-scale embedded active-region PhC, or LEAP, laser. We have already developed an electrically driven LEAP laser with a threshold current of 4.8 μA and operating energy of 4.4 fJ/bit. However, to employ the LEAP laser in chip-to-chip optical interconnects, the output power should be increased. To increase it, we increase the number of multiple quantum wells and reduce the device series resistance. The device exhibits 39.3-μW output power with threshold current of 36 μA. As a result, we measure the bit error rate with 10-Gb/s signal without using an optical amplifier. For an on-chip optical interconnect, the monolithic integration of a laser, waveguide, and photodetector is the main issue because on-chip optical interconnect requires extremely small energy consumption to overcome its electrical counterpart; therefore, unwanted optical loss such as coupling loss should be minimized. We have fabricated a monolithic optical link, in which a LEAP laser exhibits a threshold current of 22 μA. The integrated optical link operates at an ultralow energy of 28.5 fJ/bit. These results indicate that the LEAP laser is highly suitable for use as a transmitter in computercom applications.


High-strength and zero-strength defects have been observed for the first time in degenerate hybrid aligned nematic films. The defects possess complex asymmetrical structures, and their existence is the consequence of the splay cancelling principle. The relation between the strength of defects and the number of dark brushes in the textures is violated.


Phase noise must be carefully considered when designing an OFDM-based communication system since an accurate prediction of the tolerable phase noise can allow the system and RF engineers to relax specifications. This paper analyzes the performance of OFDM systems under phase noise and its dependence on the number of sub-carriers both in the presence and absence of a phase correction mechanism. Besides some practical results are provided so as to give some insight into the phase noise spectral specifications that should be required of the local oscillator.


Ceasefires play a role in almost all civil war peace processes. Yet existing studies undertheorize the ways in which different logics drive the design of ceasefire agreements, and the effect this has on violence suspension. Building on bargaining theory and existing ceasefire literature, we identify different bargaining problems conflict parties face over the course of a conflict, and three classes of ceasefire design they use to address these problems. We argue that the effect of ceasefires is driven both by these underlying logics and by the provisions they contain. Building on the PA-X data to capture the provisions included within all written civil war ceasefires between 1990 and 2019, and using Uppsala Conflict Data Program georeferenced event data, we estimate models of ceasefire survival, with conflict deaths as the main measure of whether a ceasefire remains in place. We find that definitive ceasefires (i.e., agreements with demobilization and incompatibility provisions), followed by preliminary ceasefires (i.e., agreements with compliance mechanisms), are associated with longer periods of violence suspension than cessation of hostilities agreements that lack such provisions. We discuss the implications of our results for conflict parties and third parties seeking to facilitate the transition from war to peace.


Exposure to cement dust has been associated with deleterious health effects in humans. This study investigated whether residing near a cement factory increases the risk of irritations to the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory system. A cross sectional study was conducted in Freedom Compound, a community bordering a cement factory in Chilanga, Zambia and a control community, Bauleni, located 18 km from the cement plant. A modified American Thoracic Society questionnaire was administered to 225 and 198 respondents aged 15–59 years from Freedom and Bauleni, respectively, to capture symptoms of the irritations. Respondents from Freedom Compound, were more likely to experience the irritations; adjusted ORs 2.50 (95% CI: 1.65, 3.79), 4.36 (95% CI (2.96, 6.55)) and 1.94 (95% CI (1.19, 3.18)) for eye, nose and sinus membrane irritations respectively. Cohort panel studies to determine associations of cement emissions to mucous membrane irritations and respiratory symptoms, coupled with field characterization of the exposure are needed to assess whether the excess prevalence of symptoms of mucous membrane irritations observed in Freedom compound are due to emissions from the cement factory.


Abstract Although bovids have been studied for decades, debate still exists about their diets. To address this problem, we examined bovid dietary ecology through analysis of stable carbon isotopes. We analyzed tooth enamel, bone collagen, and hair from 312 individual bovids, representing 27 species from southern Africa. Although dietary information from the literature is usually supported by this technique, our results and the literature are sometimes highly divergent. For instance, our results indicate that Taurotragus oryx and Raphicerus campestris eat less grass than is widely believed. Furthermore, contrary to most theoretical expectations, our data indicate no relationship between body size and percentage of monocots consumed by southern African Bovidae. Although many researchers have abandoned the idea that bovid soft-tissue anatomy is strongly indicative of diet, we demonstrate a strong relationship between the percentage of grass in a bovid's diet and several hard-tissue craniodental indices.


Electrical, forming and switching characteristics of metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) memory switches of ion bombarded hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and its alloys are presented. MSM devices for memory switching applications are known to be characterised by instabilities as well as non-uniformity and irreproducibility of the forming and switching characteristics. It is believed that the presence of defect states in the semiconductor layer plays a significant role in the observation of memory switching in these MSM devices. Gas-phase doping and current stressing of the semiconductor are some of the techniques that have been used in the past to introduce mid-gap defect states. In this work, we use for the first time, ion bombardment as a novel tool for defect introduction into the semiconductor material of the MSM devices and we compare the electrical, forming and switching characteristics of these devices to those fabricated using the previous techniques mentioned above. A significant observation is that as the density of defects is increased in the semiconductor film with increasing implantation dose, conduction in the devices changes from barrier-controlled thermionic emission to bulk controlled where carriers hop through the defect states in a Poole-Frenkel manner. This transformation eliminates problems associated with Schottky barriers such as quality of contacts, oxidation, etc. In the forming characteristics, not only do we report enhanced uniformity of the forming voltages (VF) but also the magnitude of VF is observed to vary systematically with the implantation dose used. The ON states and switching characteristics in the bombarded devices are also observed to be much more stable presumably as a result of the uniformity of the defects introduced by ion bombardment. We report also an enhanced switching ratio in the ion bombarded devices, especially after partial annealing of the bombardment induced Si dangling bond defects.


The available animal carcinogenicity data on hair dye components was reviewed. From this review it became clear that certain hair dye components, some of which are still in hair dye formulations now on the market, are animal carcinogens. The compounds of concern that are still in use are: 3-amino-4-methoxyaniline, 2-nitro-4-aminoaniline and 3-nitro-4-hydroxyaniline. Certain azo dyes formerly used, and related compounds still in use, contain the benzidine moiety. Two of these compounds, Direct Blue 6 and Direct Black 38, have been shown to be metabolized in animals to the human carcinogen benzidine. Furthermore, skin absorption studies carried out with radiolabeled hair dye components applied to animal or human skin have conclusively shown that these compounds are systemically absorbed and excreted. Known cocarcinogens such as catechol and pyrogallol, which enhance benzo(a)pyrene carcinogenicity on mouse skin, are used as hair dye components. It is not known whether such compounds will enhance the carcinogenicity of substituted aniline hair dye chemicals. The available epidemiologic data are not sufficient to link hair dye use with an increased incidence in human cancer.


This paper uses an agent-based real options approach to analyze whether stronger vertical integration reduces investment reluctance in pork production. A competitive model in which firms identify optimal investment strategies by using genetic algorithms is developed. Two production systems are compared: a perfectly integrated system and a system in which firms produce either the intermediate product (piglets) or the final product (pork). Simulations show that the spot market solution and the perfectly integrated system lead to a very similar production dynamics even with limited information on production capacities. The results suggest that, from a pure real options perspective, spot markets are not significantly inferior to perfectly integrated supply chains.


The influx of international students studying abroad has generated numerous studies on cross-cultural problem concerning students' learning approaches. Acknowledging these issues, the objective of this paper is to explore the social anxiety among international students in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and its influence on their learning approach. A sample of 94 students studying at UUM was randomly selected from population of 124 students. Survey research method with questionnaires using Interaction Anxiousness Scale (Leary & Kowalski, 1987) and Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, Kember, & Leung, 2001) were chosen to measure the key variables. The findings show that international students studying at UUM have a moderate level of social anxiety and tend to adapt to surface approach in learning, which may associate with their academic performance. The results support some findings on cross cultural learning and refute others. The results also provide implication to policies and programs for supporting internationalization of higher education institution at UUM.


An unknown Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium was isolated from skin scrapings from the infected head of a sheep and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Chemical analysis revealed the presence of straight-chain and monounsaturated fatty acids and short-chain (C32-C36) mycolic acids consistent with the genus Corynebacterium. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing confirmed that the unknown rod was a member of the genus Corynebacterium, with the organism forming a distinct sub-line and displaying greater than 3% sequence divergence with established species. The unknown Corynebacterium isolate was readily distinguished from recognized species of the genus by biochemical tests and electrophoretic analysis of whole-cell proteins. Based on phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence, it is proposed that the unknown bacterium from a sheep be classified in the genus Corynebacterium, as Corynebacterium capitovis sp. nov. The type strain of Corynebacterium capitovis is CCUG 39779T (= CIP 106739T).


Data on physical properties of steels have been collected from the open literature and put into a database. The influence of composition on the density of steels has been analyzed. An overview over former studies is given. The steels have been investigated by regression analysis in two groups, i) ferritic and low alloy steels, and ii) austenitic steels. For ferritic steels two models are provided. The first model is based on the assumption that all C is bound in cementite and other solutes are insoluble in cementite, The second model employs the result of a thermodynamic analysis where the amount of cementite and the solubilities in ferrite and cementite were determined with computational thermodynamics. The non-linear effect of Cr and Mn in cementite was computed and regression analysis of the effect of solutes on the density of ferrite was performed. For Ti-stabilized austenitic steels, the amount of TiC and the solubilities were assessed in a thermodynamic analysis. The effect of solutes on the density of austenite was studied by regression analysis. For estimations of the density of steels containing components that are not covered by the regression analysis, the regression coefficients can be supplemented with literature data or theoretically determined values. The results obtained by the present regression analysis are: Cu and Mo increase the density of ferritic steels, and C, Cr, Mn, S, Si, and V decrease it. TiC. C, Cr, Mn, N, Si, and Ti reduce the density of austenitic steels and Cu, Co. Mo, and Ni increase it.


Understanding the functional role of mutated genes in cancer is required to translate the findings of cancer genomics into therapeutic improvement. BTG1 is recurrently mutated in the MCD/C5 subtype of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which is associated with extranodal dissemination. There, we provide evidence that Btg1 knock-out accelerates the development of a lethal lymphoproliferative disease driven by Bcl2 overexpression. We further show that the scaffolding protein BCAR1 is a BTG1 partner. Furthermore, following BTG1 deletion or expression of BTG1 mutations observed in DLBCL patients, the overactivation of the BCAR1-RAC1 pathway confers increased migration ability in vitro and in vivo. These modifications are targetable with the SRC inhibitor dasatinib, which opens novel therapeutic opportunities in BTG1 mutated DLBCL.


Stress is a state of threatened homeostasis which mobilizes a composite spectrum of adaptive physiologic and behavioral responses with an aim to restore the homeostasis of the body. Stress is initiated by diverse type of adverse stimuli and responses to the stress include activation of the sympathetic nervous system, glucocorticoid secretion and emotional behaviours. Deregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the hallmark of complex and interrelated changes triggered in the body in response to stress. Persistent stress is associated with different type of diseases such as anxiety, mood disorders and other neuropsychiatric diseases; skin diseases such as psoriasis, urticaria, alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis; gastrointestinal tract diseases such as peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome; inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis; cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy and acute coronary syndrome. The present review discusses the role of different stress mediators and different type of diseases resulting due to stress.


The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of reversal of the flow direction, when used the surface flow as an operating criteria, on hydrodynamic characteristics and plants grown in horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetland systems (HSF-CWs). For this purpose, six HSF-CWs were used: two non-cultivated (HSF-CWs 1 and 4), two cultivated with Tifton 85 grass ( Cynodon spp.) (HSF-CWs 2 and 5) and two cultivated with Alternanthera ( Alternanthera philoxeroides ) (HSF-CWs 3 and 6). It was made a reversal in the flow direction of the HSF-CWs 1, 2 and 3. The reversal of the wastewater flow direction was performed when the superficial flow of the wastewater applied ( SF ) reached 50% of the length of the HSF-CWs. There was a single reversal for each system, on different dates. Reversing the flow direction promoted distinction on the dry matter yield of Tifton 85 grass. This was not observed in HSF-CWs cultivated with Alternanthera. The reversal of the wastewater flow direction promoted, in principle, the extinction of the SF advance in the HSF-CWs, but did not prevent its return. Waiting for the SF to reach 50% of the length was not the best criterion for reversing the flow direction.


Objective Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is one of the most frequent and persistent physical symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and develop in more than 50% of this population. This study aimed to investigate the periaqueductal grey (PAG)-seeded functional connectivity (FC) in patients with mTBI with acute post-traumatic headache (APTH) and further examine whether the FC can be used as a neural biomarker to identify patients developing chronic pain 3 months postinjury. Methods 70 patients with mTBI underwent neuropsychological measurements and MRI scans within 7 days postinjury and 56 (80%) of patients were followed up at 3 months. 46 healthy controls completed the same protocol on recruitment to the study. PAG-seeded resting-state FC analysis was measured in 54 patients with mTBI with APTH, in comparison with 46 healthy volunteers. Results The mTBI+APTH group presented significantly reduced PAG-seeded FC within the default mode network (DMN), compared with healthy volunteers group. The connectivity strength can also predict patients' complaints on the impact of headache on their lives. Crucially, the initial FC strength between the PAG-right precuneus as well as the PAG-right inferior parietal lobule became the important predictor to identify patients with mTBI developing persistent PTH 3 months postinjury. Conclusions Patients with mTBI+APTH exhibited significant PAG-related FC differences mainly within the DMN. These regions extended beyond traditional pain processing areas and may reflect the diminished top-down attention regulation of pain perception through antinociceptive descending modulation network. The disrupted PAG-DMN FC may be used as an early imaging biomarker to identify patients at risk of developing persistent PTH.


Abstract The role of phonology in bilingual word recognition has focused on a phonemic level especially in the recognition of cognates. In this study, we examined differences in metrical structure to test whether first language (L1) metrical structure influences the processing of second language (L2) words. For that, we used words of Romance origin (e.g., reptile, signal), which both German and English have borrowed extensively. However, the existing metrical patterns are not identical nor are the borrowed vocabularies the same. Rather, those identical words differ systematically in their foot structure. We conducted a cross-modal form fragment priming EEG experiment (auditory–visual) with German native speakers who were highly proficient in English. Both behavioral and ERP results showed an effect of the native phonology and the loan status, that is, whether the loan exists only in the speaker's L2 or is shared across languages. Priming effects (RTs) were largest for nonshared loanwords indicating some interference from German (L1). This was also evident in a reduced N400 but only if the metrical structure aligned with German patterns for Germanic words, that is, two light syllables as in pigeon. If the words exist in both languages, metrical structure also mattered shown by the modulation of different ERP components across conditions. Overall, our study indicates that metrical phonology plays a role in loanword processing. Our data show that the more similar a word is in terms of its metrical phonology across L1 and L2, the more effortful the processing of a word within a priming paradigm indicating interference from the L1 phonology.


The Topological Tverberg Theorem claims that any continuous map of a (q-1)(d+1)-simplex to \R^d identifies points from q disjoint faces. (This has been proved for affine maps, for d=1, and if q is a prime power, but not yet in general.) The Topological Tverberg Theorem can be restricted to maps of the d-skeleton of the simplex. We further show that it is equivalent to a ``Winding Number Conjecture'' that concerns only maps of the (d-1)-skeleton of a (q-1)(d+1)-simplex to \R^d. ``Many Tverberg partitions'' arise if and only if there are ``many q-winding partitions.'' The d=2 case of the Winding Number Conjecture is a problem about drawings of the complete graphs K_{3q-2} in the plane. We investigate graphs that are minimal with respect to the winding number condition.


Rice blast caused by Pyricularia oryzae Cav.is one of important and destructive disease on rice in most areas where susceptible rice cultivars are grown. This study was done in order to find alternative measure to control the disease by using leaf extract of Piper caninum Blume. Antifungal activity of P. caninum against P. oryzae was done under laboratory condition on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Results of this study showed that the crude extract of P. caninum exhibited a very strong inhibitory activity against P. oryzae with diameter of inhibition zone by 44 mm. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of this extract was 0.5% (w/v). Treatment with leaf extract of P. caninum significantly (P<0.05) inhibited fungal radial growth, spores formation, and biomass formation. The growth inhibition resulted from this extract is due to the lysis of fungal cells indicated by the zize of  mycelia, in which the size of mycelia treated with extract is obviously smaller than that of control. It is necessary to purify and identify the substances in the leaf extract of P. caninum that responsible the most for the antifungal activity against P. oryzae . In addition, a field trial is necessary to be done to evaluate the effectiveness of the leaf extract of P. caninum to control rice blast disease under field condition. Keywords :  Piper caninum , rice blast disease, antifungal activity, cell lysis


Asymmetric price transmission in production institutes can be a reason for the existence of market power. In this regard, by the help of an integrative sample, this study simultaneously analyzes the price transmission between production markets and retails markets of sugar in the presence of the parameter of market power. For this purpose, the seasonal data of the required variables during the years 1995-2013 was used. In order to meet the study objectives, the behavior of the retails price of sugar was evaluated in the framework of two regimes of different changes which were compatible with nature of presenting agricultural products that are widely supplied in the harvest seasons. Also, the inverse elasticity of product supply was used as the parameter of market power. Considering the more probable regime (second regime), it was realized that the marketing elements at the wholesale level intend to price transmission increase more intensively than price decrease to the retail trades level. In this regime, asymmetric price transmission and existence of market power were approved. In the first regime, market power was much more and considering the fact that it has the 30% probability of happening, it has more compatibility with the seasons when supply is abundant. In these seasons, sugar production and refining units increase the market power and create a monopsony market in buying the inputs.


This workshop continues the trajectory of a series of prior workshops. At ICLS 2008 ("A Common Framework for CSCL Interaction Analysis"), we explored dimensions along which analytic efforts can be characterized, and attempted to identify a common framework that would enable comparison of analyses and building shared analytic tools. Confronted with the multivocality that makes such unification difficult, we shifted our focus at CSCL 2009 ("Common Objects for Productive Multivocality in Analysis") to identifying the basis for dialogue between different traditions. One major conclusion was that multiple analyses of shared data sets provide a promising basis for discussion, these data sets constituting "boundary objects" (rather than "common objects") that make discourse possible. At the Alpine Rendez-vous 2009 ("Pinpointing Pivotal Moments in Collaboration"), we followed up on this conclusion by having researchers from different theoretical and methodological traditions analyze the same data sets. The analyses were focused on the identification of "pivotal moments" in collaboration. Different conceptions of pivotal moments were identified, but in all cases they provided good starting points for further analysis of how learning arises from interaction. At ICLS 2010 ("Productive Multivocality in the Analysis of Collaborative Learning"), we expanded the corpora on which researchers from different theoretical and methodological traditions performed their analyses and we proposed an initial structure for a book focused on the multiple analyses of shared data, arising from our different gatherings. The objective of this new workshop proposal "Leveraging Researcher Multivocality for Insights on Collaborative Learning" is twofold. First, we will discuss how the multiple analyses carried out on each paradigmatic corpus we chose from previous workshops contributed to specific new insights on collaborative learning. Secondly, we will build dialogue between complementary researcher views that can be introduced into the book.


Abstract This article presents two constructions motivated by a conjecture of van den Dries and Miller concerning the restricted analytic field with exponentiation. The first construction provides an example of two o-minimal expansions of a real closed field that possess the same field of germs at infinity of one-variable functions and yet define different global one-variable functions. The second construction gives an example of a family of infinitely many distinct maximal polynomially bounded reducts (all this in the sense of definability) of the restricted analytic field with exponentiation.


Mitochondrial and nuclear genes have different inheritance, thus studies of fungal populations should use both mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Using nuclear markers, the S238N strain of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Laccaria bicolor ((Maire) Orton) has been previously shown to persist for at least 10 yr after outplanting in a plantation of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mir.) Franco) inoculated with this strain. In the present study, we have sampled 539 sporophores of Laccaria spp. from this plantation, some of which had the S238N nuclear genotype, to study mitochondrial DNA polymorphism and persistence of the inoculated S238N mitochondrial genome. Length polymorphism in fragments of the large subunit of mitochondrial ribosomal DNA (LrDNA) allowed distinction of the haplotypes present in the plantation at the species level. In addition, heteroduplex analysis and sequencing revealed intraspecific polymorphism of LrDNA among the L. bicolor sporophores and enabled specific identification of S238N LrDNA. This haplotype was only retained in sporophores carrying the S238N nuclear genome, confirming the survival of this introduced strain in a natural population.


The incentive for scientists to disclose their research data hinges on the extent to which data disclosure brings academic credit (the credit effect) compared to the dissipation of academic credit through intensified scientific competition (the competition effect). In this study, we examine the net effect on the academic credit received by research publications of data-providing researchers publicly disclosing research data. To accomplish this, we compared the citation impact of scientific journal articles that disclosed original data with those that did not. An analysis of metadata of over 310,000 Web of Science (WoS)-indexed journal articles published in 2010 shows that in the early period after publication, more citations accrued to articles that disclosed original data than to those that did not. However, this difference faded over time and the pattern was later reversed. Additional analysis shows that the credit effect dominates for data-disclosing research published in journals with higher scholarly reputations, whereas the competition effect dominates for research published in journals with lower scholarly reputations. This study contributes to on-going policy discussion concerning the need for institutional measures to promote open science and the disclosure of research data by scientists.


Developing and training deep learning models is expensive, so software engineers have begun to reuse pre-trained deep learning models (PTMs) and fine-tune them for downstream tasks. Despite the wide-spread use of PTMs, we know little about the corresponding software engineering behaviors and challenges. To enable the study of software engineering with PTMs, we present the PeaTMOSS dataset: Pre-Trained Models in Open-Source Software. PeaTMOSS has three parts: a snapshot of (1) 281,638 PTMs, (2) 27,270 open-source software repositories that use PTMs, and (3) a mapping between PTMs and the projects that use them. We challenge PeaTMOSS miners to discover software engineering practices around PTMs. A demo and link to the full dataset are available at: https://github.com/PurdueDualityLab/PeaTMOSS-Demos.


Measurement of rhenium (Re) and osmium (Os) concentrations and Os isotopic compositions in Ivory Coast tektites (natural glasses with upper crustal compositions that are ejected great distances during meteorite impact) and rocks from the inferred source crater, Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana, show that these tektites incorporate about 0.6 percent of a meteoritic component. Analysis of elemental abundances of noble metals alone gives equivocal results in the detection of meteoritic components because the target rocks already have relatively large amounts of noble metals. The Re-Os system is ideally suited for the study of meteorite impacts on old continental crust for three reasons. (i) The isotopic compositions of the target rocks and the meteoritic impactor are significantly different. (ii) Closed-system mixing of target rocks and meteorites is linear on Re-Os isochron diagrams, which thus permits identification of the loss of Re or Os. (iii) Osmium isotopic compositions are not likely to be altered during meteorite impact even if Re and Os are lost.


Outsourcing is a business process term for what has literally become known as hiring a consultant, independent contractor, or free lancer to do a specific task or tasks for an organization in which the organization does not have either the time or the expertise to do on their own. Banks in Kenya dedicate condiderable financial and management resources to the ongoing operation and support of their ATM channel. In recent years, most banks have been taking a closer look at alternative ways of managing their ATM networks. As banks work to minimize costs in the current global economic environment, one key way of achieving longterm and sustainable success is through the outsourcing and maintenance of a bank's ATM services. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between outsourcing of management of ATM services and the organizational performance. The study shall adopt a descriptive survey design. The population studied was all the Co-op bank branches in Nairobi area. The branches were clustered based on their geographical location in Nairobi. Sampling was done using Stratified Random Sampling method. The, instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. Data collected was by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Frequency tables, averages and percentages were used for data analysis and then the data was presented using tables, graphs and charts.. The key findings of this study IS that by outsourcing ATM management to specialist organizations, Cooperative bank may better focus on their most value-creating activities, thereby maximizing the potential effectiveness of those activities. In addition, as outsourcing increases, costs may decline, and investment in facilities, equipment, and manpower can be reduced. The conclusion of the study is that contracting out is now broadly becoming an attractive option, its specific impact on the bank's performance, i.e. outsourcing result, has been well confirmed by research. The recommendations from this study is that the bank should consider outsourcing the remaining ATMs managed by the branches countrywide in order to further reduce their ATM maintenance expenses, to improve their ATM operations and to achieve a competitive advantage over other banking institutions thereby improving overall organization performance.


A novel flowrate sensor based on a couple of fiber Bragg gratings( FBGs) has been proposed, consisting of fiber grating pressure sensing setup and Venturi tube. The expression of relationship between the flowrate and the wavelength shift difference of the FBGs is derived. The pressure that two sides of the cross section of the aluminum foil tube in the pressure sensing setup results in the distortion of an isosceles triangle cantilever structure. The distortion results in the wavelength shift of a couple of FBGs that are mounted at either side of the cantilever. By monitoring the wavelength shift difference of the two FBGs, the flowrate can be obtained. The cross-sensitive problem of the FBGs sensor can be solved by compensating the temperature effect. The preliminary experiments have been carried out, and the results verify the feasibility of the proposed sensor with a measurement range from 8 to 200 mm/s.


Cases of human exposure to veterinary injectable anaesthetics were reviewed following a literature search and completion of an online questionnaire in an attempt to provide an objective approach to the problem. The modified Glasgow Coma Scale was used to rank cases according to their severity. From the cases examined, results showed that intoxication with potent opioids, such as etorphine, carfentanil and thiafentanil, need to be treated with antagonists such as naloxone, nalmefene or naltrexone, and not with antagonists with agonistic properties, such as diprenorphine. With regard to the α2-agonists xylazine, detomidine, medetomidine and romifidine, no antagonist is currently accredited for human use. Atipamezole, a specific α2-antagonist, is widely used in veterinary medicine and has been used experimentally to reverse dexmetomidine in a study in human medicine. The high concentrations of α2-agonists being used in zoo and wildlife medicine warrant the accreditation of atipamezole for use in cases of human exposure. Knowledge and availability of the appropriate antagonist are essential in cases of human intoxication with injectable anaesthetics. Preventive measures, such as wearing gloves and eye protection, need to be used more regularly to reduce the risk of exposure.


The study of programmable logic devices (PLDs) is one of the more accessible branches of microelectronics, given the conceptual simplicity and relative ease with which implementation resources can be found that enable fairly large projects to be undertaken. The Circuit and Electronic Systems Design course-offered as part of the telecommunication engineering study plan at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain-teaches digital design methods based on PLDs. This subject implies an understanding of structures and resources and design methods based on hardware description languages (HDLs). Given the broad and essentially practical nature of the course, it was decided to develop new resources to aid active classroom teaching. These resources include material for self-teaching so that the student can acquire practical design skills when working away from the classroom. A procedure has been designed for student evaluation that is based on moderately difficult practical designs that have been developed using design tools and logical synthesis. This methodology provides added motivation for students as they find themselves tackling real problems associated with digital design. Evaluation is structured around three methods: completely specified designs, partially specified designs, and hardware-oriented physical implementation


Tberiophonum injaustum N.E.Br. (Araceae), an endemic species of SW India, consists of small tuberous plants. The species was found to have protogynous inflorescences and to be visited by several kinds of beetles. Beetles belonging to the species Anotylus rubidus Cameron (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) are found to be the main potential pollinators. Other species observed were only casual visitors. A detailed account on the process of cantharophily in this species is given with explanatory illustrations.


Based on the optimal velocity car-following model, in this paper, we propose an improved model for simulating train movement in an urban railway in which the regenerative energy of a train is considered. Here a new additional term is introduced into a traditional car-following model. Our aim is to analyze and discuss the dynamic characteristics of the train movement when the regenerative energy is utilized by the electric locomotive. The simulation results indicate that the improved car-following model is suitable for simulating the train movement. Further, some qualitative relationships between regenerative energy and dynamic characteristics of a train are investigated, such as the measurement data of regenerative energy presents a power-law distribution. Our results are useful for optimizing the design and plan of urban railway systems.


In this paper we present the web platform JURI SAYS that automatically predicts decisions of the European Court of Human Rights based on communicated cases, which are published by the court early in the proceedings and are often available many years before the final decision is made. Our system therefore predicts future judgements of the court. The platform is available at jurisays.com and shows the predictions compared to the actual decisions of the court. It is automatically updated every month by including the prediction for the new cases. Additionally, the system highlights the sentences and paragraphs that are most important for the prediction (i.e. violation vs. no violation of human rights).


Based on reviewing the applications and machining of the stainless steels, the cutting performance of the austenitic stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti is analyzed through the contrastive experiments. This paper studies drilling minipore mechanics of hard-to-cut material—Austenitic Stainless Steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti by simulation and experiment, analogy results displays the trend that drill thrust, torque and temperature changed with amount of feed, it matches with test result in the same cutting condition well. The research results would be of great benefit for the selection of proper tools and cutting parameters in drilling austenitic stainless steels.


A Gaussian pulse with frequency chirping is transmitted in a dispersion management (DM) soliton system. The existence of an initial chirping makes the pulsewidth and amplitude fluctuate over distance around their initial values, and increases the energy enhancement factor. The quasi-transform-limited pulse generated with spectral windowing is also propagated in the DM soliton system. With proper energy enhancement, the quasi-transform-limited pulse can propagate very stably, and the performance is better than that in a uniform low dispersion soliton system, which suggests that a DM system has more chirping and waveform tolerance in soliton sources than a uniform fiber system.


The Czech national law regulating accounting is not harmonized with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Because of this, all financial statements compiled according to Czech regulations are not comparable with IFRS statements. International users of accounting information, e.g. potential investors, therefore have problems to find valid information. This article analyzes the evaluation, accounting recording, and reporting of biological assets and agricultural produce in both accounting systems. It illustrates the principal differences, and explains their impact on financial statements information. Based on a case study, the paper recommends how to implement IFRS principles to the accounting system in Czech agriculture enterprises. The authors recommend using income statements with expenses by function, which is not commonly used by Czech entities. The research findings indicate possible changes in the Czech accounting and tax laws, which may lead to a "more true and fair view†of provided accounting information. The proposals should cause that accounting information provided by financial statements compiled according to Czech law would be identical with accounting information in compliance with IFRS principals. A questionnaire survey revealed scepticism of economists agricultural companies to use fair value as the measurement basis for biological assets and agricultural produce.


Given the stagnant agricultural productivity and persistent food insecurity in low-income countries - notably in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) - there has been continued interest in the adoption of new technology and its impact on productivity in these regions. Interestingly, there are signs of Green Revolution in maize and rice in SSA, reflected in sharply increasing yield trends in advanced regions. To increase crop yields and sustain yield gains, recent case studies of technology adoption unanimously recommend the adoption of integrated farm management systems, particularly in SSA. On the other hand, since the 2010s, there have been increasing numbers of studies on social network or farmer-to-farmer technology extension. These studies explore more efficient extension systems than traditional public-sector extension approaches. This article reviews both recent case studies of technology adoption and its productivity impacts as well as studies on agricultural extension to identify common findings, shortcomings, and major remaining issues.


The antimicrobial effect of 11 selected Turkish spice essential oils was investigated against seventeen pathogenic bacteria. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of six spices (cumin, fennel, laurel, mint, marjoram, oregano, pickling herb, sage, savory, thyme (black) and thyme) was tested at four concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 1 and 2%) on various microorganisms (E. aerogenes, E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, K. pneumoniae, P. vulgaris, S. enteritidis, S. gallinarum, S. typhimurium, S. aureus, Y. enterocolitica, A. hydrophila, C. xerosis, M. luteus, M. smegmatis, E. feacalis, P. aeruginosa and P. fluorescens). All preparations showed antibacterial activity against at least one or more bacteria. The inhibitory effect of the essential oils was evaluated through paper disc diffusion method. In general, the essential oils at 1 and 2% levels were effective. The most active essential oils were marjoram, thyme and oregano. According to the results, the studied essential oils potentially might be used as antibacterial agents to prevent the spoilage of food products, although further research is needed.


This study aimed at investigating sources of tolerance in wheat and barley against the cereal leafminer, Syringopais temperatella Led. (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae) under semi-arid climate of Jordan. In this study, 546 accessions of bread and durum wheat, and barley were screened. The initial screening of the accessions was performed in 2006/2007, and accessions that displayed a type of resistance to S. temperatella in the initial screening were re-evaluated in 2008/2009. The average insect damage score (based on a 1 to 6 damage scale) in the initial screening was 5.1, 5.3 and 6.0 for barley, bread wheat and durum wheat, respectively. The percentages of barley and bread wheat accessions exhibiting resistance were 12.4% and 1.0%, respectively, while 4.1% and 11.0% of the accessions were tolerant. The re-evaluation of the selected barley and bread wheat accessions in 2008/2009 revealed that all the selected accessions were moderately tolerant with damage mean score of 2.5 to 4.3. However, moderately tolerant accessions found in this study might serve as tolerance genes to be transferred to barley and wheat cultivars to control S. temperatella.


This article introduces the results of analysis of modern scientific research in preschool education, which represents the problem of development of basic qualities of the identity. The research displays that the results of the study on the problem of development of basic qualities of preschool-age children influence the improvement of the content of program provision in the educational process in preschool educational institutions in Ukraine and are meant to be a reference point in choosing the strategy of its reorganization.


Many problems in machine learning and statistics involve nested expectations and thus do not permit conventional Monte Carlo (MC) estimation. For such problems, one must nest estimators, such that terms in an outer estimator themselves involve calculation of a separate, nested, estimation. We investigate the statistical implications of nesting MC estimators, including cases of multiple levels of nesting, and establish the conditions under which they converge. We derive corresponding rates of convergence and provide empirical evidence that these rates are observed in practice. We further establish a number of pitfalls that can arise from naive nesting of MC estimators, provide guidelines about how these can be avoided, and lay out novel methods for reformulating certain classes of nested expectation problems into single expectations, leading to improved convergence rates. We demonstrate the applicability of our work by using our results to develop a new estimator for discrete Bayesian experimental design problems and derive error bounds for a class of variational objectives.


Aristotle launched Western knowledge on a trajectory toward disciplinarity that continues to this day. But is the knowledge management project that began with Aristotle adequate for the age of Google? Perhaps an undisciplined discourse more evocative of Plato can help us constitute new, more relevant inter- and transdisciplinary forms of knowledge. This article explores the history of disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity, arguing for a new, critical form of interdisciplinarity that moves beyond the academy into dialogue with the public and private sectors. Contemporary knowledge production should involve not only a horizontal axis stretching across academia but also a vertical axis where academic research is integrated into contemporary life.


To investigate the negative rate and effectiveness of black raspberry extract in clearing persistent infection with human papilloma virus ( HPV), t hree hundred patients are included in the randomized, double blind, placebo controlled human trial for multicenter indication . The distribution ratio of the test ed group versus the control group is 2: 1 and the subject patients were given a preparation in the vagina before bed every other day, each dose was 3 g containing black raspberry extract (tested group) or placebo (control group). SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. Differences between groups were analyzed by the Rank Sum method or Chi square method. The results showed that 191 subjects in the tested group completed the trial , of which 139 subjects ( 72.8% were identified to have an effective clear ance of HPV ; 95 subjects in the control group completed the trial , of which only 15 subjects ( 15.8% were identified to have effective clearance of HPV. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (  2 = P 0.001 ). The HPV viral load of the tested group was decreased from 224.7 RLU/CO to 88.6 RLU/CO whereas HPV viral load of the control group was ascend ed from 218.4 RLU/CO to 266.1 RLU/CO Thus , the present clinical observation suggested that b lack raspberry extract may be a potential candidate in targeting persistent infection with HPV.


Interview with Jenaid Rees, Commissioning Editor Nikolai Petrovsky is the Chairman and Research Director of Vaxine Pty Ltd, an Australian biotech company that specializes in novel vaccine adjuvants. He also holds the position of Director of Endocrinology at Flinders Medical Centre (Adelaide, Australia), Professor of Medicine at Flinders University, Vice President and Secretary General of the International Immunomics Society and serves on the Editorial Board of our sister journal, Expert Review of Clinical Immunology. He completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) then moved to Canberra (Australia) where he held conjoint positions at the Canberra Hospital, University of Sydney, Canberra University, Australian National University and the National Health Sciences Centre. In 2004, he moved to his current position at Flinders Medical Centre. His research interests include vaccine adjuvants, autoimmunity and immuno informatics. In 2009, his company Vaxine won the AMP Innovation Award at the Telstra business awards and Australia's coolest company award from Australian Anthill magazine. He has been an investigator for major international diabetes studies including ADVANCE, FIELD and DREAM and is a principal investigator on several large grants from the NIH. He has authored over 140 scientific papers, and his team has developed novel vaccines against influenza, hepatitis B, sting allergy, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, rabies and HIV, in addition to developing the world's first effective H1N1/2009pdm (swine flu) pandemic influenza vaccine.


The ESA Space Debris Mitigation Handbook was first released in April 1999 with the aim to inform planners, designers, and operators of space systems on possible risks due to the man-made debris and natural meteoroid environment at altitudes ranging from low Earth orbits (LEO) to the geostationary ring (GEO). In this paper, we present an outline of the contents of the ESA Space Debris Mitigation Handbook second edition, highlighting the major new and significantly updated elements. Then, we describe the extensive analyses being conducted with the models in order to provide state-of-the-art predictions for supporting the Handbook update process. Some examples of these predictions are given to illustrate the diversity and relevance of the new Handbook contents. Finally, we describe the innovative, internet-based methods that are being employed to develop, review and distribute version 2.0 of the Handbook.


For carbonated soft drink, stability of carbondioxide (CO2) is one of the critical parameters as it is related to its sensory acceptance. The the presence of this CO2 creates a tingling sensation. The stability of CO2 is related to the permeability of its packaging, different ingredients used in the formulation and the chemicals reaction happened during storage. The purpose of this research is to analyse the changes in volume and solubility of CO2 stored at three different temperatures (6, 25, 55oC) in three different packaging (can, glass and bottle). Later on its half-life (t1⁄2) was calculated based on Arrhenius method. The result showed that CO2 volume lost in plastic was about 0.002% per day at 6oC, 0.003% per day 25oC and 0.007% per day at 55oC. Solubility of CO2 the decreased at 55oC. In plastic, it was 0.026% per day while glass and can stored at the same temperature was 0.019% per day. The half-life (t1⁄2) of this product packaged in can at 25oC) was 206 days (7.0 months), 200 days (6.7 months) packaged in glass and 104 days (3.5 months) packaged in plastic. The initial volume of CO2 of the products used in this research was varied.


The formation and dynamics of Pt-Si liquid droplets on Si (001) surfaces are explored with real-time ultraviolet photoelectron emission microscopy. PtSi islands of micrometer lateral diameter begin to melt and are transformed into molten Pt-Si alloy islands below the melting point of bulk PtSi. In particular, at ∼1100 °C surface migration of the liquid microdroplets is observed, where the droplets move directionally from the cold to the hot regions of the surface following the temperature gradient across the substrate. It is proposed that the droplet surface migration is due to dissolution-diffusion-deposition flow of Si through the droplet driven by the Si concentration difference in the droplet. In addition, the migration rate of the droplet is measured as a function of temperature and droplet diameter. Above a minimum diameter, the migration velocity is independent of the droplet size, which indicates that Si diffusivity through the droplet is the primary factor determining the rate of migration. The activation energy for the Si diffusion in the droplet is found to be ∼0.57 eV. We conclude that the thermal and chemical stability of the droplet-substrate interface significantly affects the evolution and dynamics of the liquid island on the surface.


This article uses a sensemaking approach to understand small firms' responses to the threat of external shocks. By analysing semi-structured interviews with owners of flooded small firms, we investigate how owners process flood experiences and explore why such experiences do not consistently lead to the resilient adaptation of premises. We, conclude that some of the explanation for low levels of adaptation relates to a desire to defend existing sensemaking structures and associated identities. Sensemaking structures are only revised if these structures are not critical to business identity, or if a flood constitutes an 'ontological shock' and renders untenable existing assumptions regarding long-term business continuity. This article has implications for adaptation to the growing risk of flooding, climate change and external shocks. Future research analysing external shocks would benefit from using a sensemaking approach and survey studies should include measurements of 'ontological' impact as well as material and financial damage. In addition, those designing information campaigns should take account of small firms' resistance to information that threatens their existing sensemaking structures and social identities.


This paper uses newly available census evidence to portray changes in labour market outcomes in Canada between 1891 and 1911. Multiple census cross-sections allow for the documentation of how the location, occupation, and earnings of Canadian and foreign-born cohorts changed over time. The westward movement of young anglophones after 1901 contributed to the formation of a national labour market. Anglophone, francophone, and foreign-born cohorts all experienced significant occupational mobility between 1891 and 1911, but francophones and immigrants remained over-represented at the bottom of the occupational ladder. Greater occupational and geographical mobility supported higher rates of earnings growth among Anglophones.


In Building Business in Post-Communist Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia: Collective Goods, Selective Incentives, and Predatory States Dinissa Duvanova discusses a "theory of defensive organizations". Duvanova proposes this theory as an alternative to the theory of interest groups by Olson, Stigler et al. The theory of defensive organizations arises from the critique of the view of business associations as lobbyists caring only for their own interests. Duvanova uses quantitative data from 27 countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia and qualitative data about the situation in Russia, Ukraine, Croatia and Kazakhstan in order to show that the experience of post-communist countries does not correspond to the predictions of the theory of interest groups. The author sets out to examine and counter the following myths about business associations, including: (1) business associations are a consequence of good institutions; (2) they are not needed in countries with the high level of corruption; (3) they act as cartels seeking to price collusion; (4) compulsory membership in the business associations may solve the collective action problem. Duvanova concludes that business associations in Russia and in other countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia protect their members from a predatory state rather than from a free market. The review notes some limitations of the book: 1) a relatively short period of quantitative analysis (six-year period from 1999 to 2005); 2) an insufficient account of the differences within the countries; and 3) the excessive optimism of the theory. In general, Duvanova proposes a theory which has high explanatory potential, which will be useful for further empirical research. She consciously simplifies the explanatory scheme to offer a formal model that can be applied to problems beyond the scope of this book. Furthermore, the reviewer notes that the theory of defensive organizations does not contradict the theory of interest groups, rather it expands and complements this theory for countries with a recently developing business community.


Of six infants of gestational diabetic mothers (IGDM), the levels of insulinwere high in four during the first week of life; levels of free fatty acid and glucose tended to be low. Growth hormone values were within normal limits. In six infants of overt diabetic mothers, five had significant hypoglycemia; three were symptomatic. Growth hormone levels were within normal limits. There was a positive correlation between the mother's blood glucose and the infant's insulin level at delivery in five of the IGDM. After birth, a negative correlation was found between the infant's blood glucose and the plasma insulin. There was apositive correlation between weight and insulin levels at birth in twenty normal infants and five growth hormone levels and birth weight 1967.


Our study aims to study the therapeutic effects of a novel Bcl-2 inhibitor, ABT-263, on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to provide primary preclinical data for future clinical trial with ABT-263. In this study we showed that Bcl-xL and survivin were up-regulated in HCC cell lines and human liver cancer tissues. Clinic used ABT-263 single treatment had no apoptotic effects on HCC cells whereas higher doses of ABT-263 did. Interestingly, the combination treatment of ABT-263 with survivin inhibitor YM-155 could result in significant apoptosis in HCC cells. Survivin inhibition through gene silencing significantly enhanced ABT-263 to induce apoptosis in HCC cells. We found that low dose of ABT-263 single treatment resulted in ERK activation and survivin up-regulation, which might be involved in the resistance of HCC cells to ABT-263 since blockade of ERK activation sensitized ABT-263-induced apoptosis. Importantly, ABT-263 and YM-155 combination treatment had no apoptotic effects on normal human hepatocytes. Taken together, these data suggest the combination treatment of Bcl-2 inhibitor and survivin inhibition may have a great potential for liver cancer therapy.


BACKGROUND
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory condition characterised by shortness of breath, cough and recurrent exacerbations. People with COPD often live with one or more co-existing long-term health conditions (comorbidities). People with more severe COPD often have a higher number of comorbidities, putting them at greater risk of morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effectiveness of any single intervention for COPD adapted or tailored to their comorbidity(s) compared to any other intervention for people with COPD and one or more common comorbidities (quantitative data, RCTs) in terms of the following outcomes: Quality of life, exacerbations, functional status, all-cause and respiratory-related hospital admissions, mortality, pain, and depression and anxiety. To assess the effectiveness of an adapted or tailored single COPD intervention (simple or complex) that is aimed at changing the management of people with COPD and one or more common comorbidities (quantitative data, RCTs) compared to usual care in terms of the following outcomes: Quality of life, exacerbations, functional status, all-cause and respiratory-related hospital admissions, mortality, pain, and depression and anxiety. To identify emerging themes that describe the views and experiences of patients, carers and healthcare professionals when receiving or providing care to manage multimorbidities (qualitative data).

SEARCH METHODS
We searched multiple databases including the Cochrane Airways Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL, to identify relevant randomised and qualitative studies. We also searched trial registries and conducted citation searches. The latest search was conducted in January 2021.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) compared a) any single intervention for COPD adapted or tailored to their comorbidity(s) compared to any other intervention, or b) any adapted or tailored single COPD intervention (simple or complex) that is aimed at changing the management of people with COPD and one or more comorbidities, compared to usual care. We included qualitative studies or mixed-methods studies to identify themes.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used standard Cochrane methods for analysis of the RCTs. We used Cochrane's risk of bias tool for the RCTs and the CASP checklist for the qualitative studies. We planned to use the Mixed Methods Appraisal tool (MMAT) to assess the risk of bias in mixed-methods studies, but we found none. We used GRADE and CERQual to assess the quality of the quantitative and qualitative evidence respectively. The primary outcome measures for this review were quality of life and exacerbations.

MAIN RESULTS
Quantitative studies We included seven studies (1197 participants) in the quantitative analyses, with interventions including telemonitoring, pulmonary rehabilitation, treatment optimisation, water-based exercise training and case management. Interventions were either compared with usual care or with an active comparator (such as land-based exercise training). Duration of trials ranged from 4 to 52 weeks. Mean age of participants ranged from 64 to 72 years and COPD severity ranged from mild to very severe. Trials included either people with COPD and a specific comorbidity (including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, lung cancer, head or neck cancer, and musculoskeletal conditions), or with one or more comorbidities of any type. Overall, we judged the evidence presented to be of moderate to very low certainty (GRADE), mainly due to the methodological quality of included trials and imprecision of effect estimates. Intervention versus usual care Quality of life as measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score may improve with tailored pulmonary rehabilitation compared to usual care at 52 weeks (mean difference (MD) -10.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) -12.66 to -9.04; 1 study, 70 participants; low-certainty evidence). Tailored pulmonary rehabilitation is likely to improve COPD assessment test (CAT) scores compared with usual care at 52 weeks (MD -8.02, 95% CI -9.44 to -6.60; 1 study, 70 participants, moderate-certainty evidence) and with a multicomponent telehealth intervention at 52 weeks (MD -6.90, 95% CI -9.56 to -4.24; moderate-certainty evidence). Evidence is uncertain about effects of pharmacotherapy optimisation or telemonitoring interventions on CAT improvement compared with usual care. There may be little to no difference in the number of people experiencing exacerbations, or mean exacerbations with case management compared with usual care (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.57; 1 study, 470 participants; very low-certainty evidence). For secondary outcomes, six-minute walk distance (6MWD) may improve with pulmonary rehabilitation, water-based exercise or multicomponent interventions at 38 to 52 weeks (low-certainty evidence). A multicomponent intervention may result in fewer people being admitted to hospital at 17 weeks, although there may be little to no difference in a telemonitoring intervention. There may be little to no difference between intervention and usual care for mortality. Intervention versus active comparator We included one study comparing water-based and land-based exercise (30 participants). We found no evidence for quality of life or exacerbations. There may be little to no difference between water- and land-based exercise for 6MWD (MD 5 metres, 95% CI -22 to 32; 38 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Qualitative studies One nested qualitative study (21 participants) explored perceptions and experiences of people with COPD and long-term conditions, and of researchers and health professionals who were involved in an RCT of telemonitoring equipment. Several themes were identified, including health status, beliefs and concerns, reliability of equipment, self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, factors affecting usefulness and perceived usefulness, attitudes and intention, self-management and changes in healthcare use. We judged the qualitative evidence presented as of very low certainty overall.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Owing to a paucity of eligible trials, as well as diversity in the intervention type, comorbidities and the outcome measures reported, we were unable to provide a robust synthesis of data. Pulmonary rehabilitation or multicomponent interventions may improve quality of life and functional status (6MWD), but the evidence is too limited to draw a robust conclusion. The key take-home message from this review is the lack of data from RCTs on treatments for people living with COPD and comorbidities. Given the variation in number and type of comorbidity(s) an individual may have, and severity of COPD, larger studies reporting individual patient data are required to determine these effects.


Discrete choice experiments are widely used in a broad area of research fields to capture the preference structure of respondents. The design of such experiments will determine to a large extent the accuracy with which the preference parameters can be estimated. This paper presents a new R package, called idefix, which enables users to generate optimal designs for discrete choice experiments. Besides Bayesian D-efficient designs for the multinomial logit model, the package includes functions to generate Bayesian adaptive designs which can be used to gather data for the mixed logit model. In addition, the package provides the necessary tools to set up actual surveys and collect empirical data. After data collection, idefix can be used to transform the data into the necessary format in order to use existing estimation software in R.


Harcombe et al have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that would have been available to the regulatory committees in the USA and the UK when guidelines on dietary fat intake were introduced (in 1977 and 1983, respectively). They found no evidence from RCTs to support the introduction of these guidelines, which leads the authors to question whether they should ever have been introduced in the first place. 1 The negative result of the meta-analysis is unsurprising. The most up-to-date review of cohort and RCT studies draws a similar conclusion that there is very limited evidence to support current guidance.2 However, whether this means that changes to the health policy should be made, is a more complex question.

There is evidence to say that individual interventions to change behaviour and modify risk do not lead to changes in hard clinical end points. Most of the trials relied on dietary advice to situate participants within their different groups, with some also providing supplements and only one trial (the LA veterans study) actually …


ABSTRACT

Objective: To establish the level of knowledge, attitude, practices and beliefs (KAPBs) related to kala-azar among residents of Marigat sub- County, Baringo County.
Methods: The sub- County is divided into 37 sub-locations and of these 8 herein referred to as villages were considered for this study. A total of 670 households were randomly drawn from the 8 villages and this formed the sample population. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and in depth interviews of key informants.
Results: The findings indicated that the respondents were well informed on kala-azar; the cause and treatment. They also had favorable attitude towards the disease. They were aware that the disease was curable and sought treatment from health facilities as opposed to traditional alternatives. In seeking treatment, the residents were faced with challenges such as the long distance to the health facility, long period of treatment and the attendant cost of caring for a leishmaniasis patient. The respondents were aware that the disease was spread by an insect however, they were not aware of preventive measures. Most live in destitute houses which predisposed them to the infective bite of the vector. Most of the respondents are not employed and the cost of treatment, in addition to attendant costs places a heavy economic burden on them.
Conclusion: The results showed good awareness of leishmaniasis, positive attitude and practices among the respondents which are important attributes in community participation. These findings are quite encouraging to researchers planning control programs because such a community would be more receptive to suggested control measures.


Extracellular nucleotides are ubiquitous extracellular mediators that interact with and activate nucleotide type 2 (P2) receptors. These receptors initiate a wide variety of signalling pathways that appear important for functional associations between neurons and glial cells and for the regulation of blood flow, haemostatic and inflammatory reactions in the brain. Ectonucleotidases are extracellular nucleotide‐metabolizing enzymes that modulate P2 receptor‐mediated signalling by the regulated hydrolysis of these agonists. A considerable number of ectoenzyme species with partially overlapping substrate and tissue distributions have been described. Major candidates for expression in the brain are members of the ecto‐nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (E‐NTPDase or CD39) family. The production of cd39–/–mice and specific reagents have enabled us to analyse the specific cellular distribution of NTPDase1 (CD39), the prototype member of the enzyme family, in the mouse brain. Using monospecific antibodies and enzyme histochemical staining, we have identified NTPDase1 as a major ectonucleotidase associated with both microglia and the endothelial and smooth muscle cells of the vasculature. NTPDase1 is not expressed by neurons and astrocytes. Additional unidentified ectonucleotidase functional activity is observed at lower levels throughout the brain parenchyma. NTPDase1 may regulate P2 receptor‐mediated functions of microglia as well as influence nucleotide signalling between neurons or astrocytes that are associated with multiple microglial ramifications. The expression of NTPDase1 by cerebrovascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells also suggests involvement in the regulation of blood flow and thrombogenesis.


The properties of two mutant PriA proteins, PriA C439Y and PriA C445Y have been used to reveal the role of PriB during assembly of the φX174-type primosome. The replication defects of both mutant PriA proteins could be rescued by high concentrations of DnaT. Analysis of the formation of intermediate complexes in primosome assembly and the effect of PriB on PriA binding to DNA demonstrated that the mutant PriA proteins could not form a PriA-PriB complex on DNA carrying a primosome assembly site. Consequently, the mutant proteins also could not form PriA-PriB-DnaT complexes at concentrations of DnaT sufficient to form such a complex with wild-type PriA. In addition, PriB was found to stabilize wild-type but not mutant PriA proteins on DNA. At high concentrations of DnaT, both mutant and wild-type PriA proteins could form a PriA-DnaT complex and support PriB-independent φX174 complementary strand DNA replication. Thus, during primosome assembly, PriB facilitates complex formation between PriA and DnaT.


In this 2001 status report of the MACRO experiment, results are presented on atmospheric neutrinos and neutrino oscillations, high energy neutrino astronomy, searches for WIMPs, search for low energy stellar gravitational collapse neutrinos, stringent upper limits on GUT magnetic monopoles, nuclearites and lightly ionizing particles, high energy downgoing muons, primary cosmic ray composition and shadowing of primary cosmic rays by the Moon and the Sun.


With the proliferation of online classifieds and auctions comes a new need to meaningfully search and organize the items for sale. However, since the seller's item descriptions are not structured and do not conform to a standard set of values (think "Chevy" versus "Chevrolet"), searching and organizing this data is difficult. This paper describes a working demonstration of the Phoebus system which uses both record linkage and information extraction to parse out the meaningful attributes of an item description and assign them standard values. This allows the data to be sorted, searched and linked to other data sources where standard values for the attributes are required to link the sources together.


In order to improve coronary blood flow during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), it is necessary to increase the aortic-right atrial pressure gradient. In the closed cardiovascular system, this gradient should be primarily determined by the level of cardiac output. Alternating simultaneous compression and decompression of the thorax and abdomen should result in improved cardiac output and coronary blood flow over present methods. Based on computer simulation results, this previously untried method was found to improve coronary flow three times the level predicted for standard CPR. Other recently proposed CPR strategies were also evaluated but resulted in significantly lower coronary perfusion levels. In all cases, coronary blood flow varied directly with cardiac output. The use of simultaneous compression and decompression appears to be a promising CPR procedure which warrants further consideration.


Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, pain, and loss of exocrine function of the pancreas. We aimed to identify differentially expressed proteins in the ePFT-collected pancreatic fluid from individuals with chronic pancreatitis (CP; n = 9) and controls with chronic abdominal pain not associated with the pancreas (NP; n = 9). Using GeLC-MS/MS techniques, we identified a total of 1391 different proteins in 18 pancreatic fluid samples. Of these proteins, 257 and 413 were identified exclusively in the control and chronic pancreatitis cohorts, respectively, and 721 were identified in both cohorts. Spectral counting and statistical analysis thereof revealed an additional 38 and 77 proteins that were up- or down-regulated, respectively, in the pancreatic fluid from individuals with chronic pancreatitis. As expected, gene ontology analysis illustrated that the largest percentage of differentially regulated proteins was secreted/extracellular in origin. In addition, proteins that were down-regulated with statistical significance in the chronic pancreatitis cohort were determined to have biological function of proteases, corresponding to the canonical pancreatic insufficiency associated with chronic pancreatitis. Proteins enriched in the pancreatic fluid of chronic pancreatitis patients had roles in fibrosis, inflammation, and pain, whereas digestive enzymes were significantly less abundant. Our workflow provided a mass spectrometry-based approach for the further study of the pancreatic fluid proteome, which may lead to the discovery potential biomarkers of chronic pancreatitis.


We study the combinatorics of weighted trees from the point of view of tropical algebraic geometry and tropical linear spaces. The set of dissimilarity vectors of weighted trees is contained in the tropical Grassmannian, so we describe here the tropical linear space of a dissimilarity vector and its associated family of matroids. This gives a family of complete flags of tropical linear spaces, where each flag is described by a weighted tree.


An organ culture technique is described which permits the lymphoid development of the thymic anlagen of 10-day-old chick embryos for at least 10 days in vitro. Grid organ cultures of a modified Trowell type were employed. Among several tissue culture media tested, Waymouth's MB 752/1 medium gave superior results. In initial experiments this medium was supplemented with heat-inactivated horse serum and embryo-extract. Subsequently it was found that this supplement could be substituted for by chicken serum alone. The morphological development of the embryonic thymic anlagen in organ culture has been characterized. Typical lymphoid cells developed from the initial lymphoid precursor cells. Late in the culture period, large numbers of small lymphocytes appeared. Extensive cell proliferation was demonstrated during the first 6 days of culture by means of autoradiography. This organ culture technique should facilitate the further analysis of factors influencing thymic lymphocytopoiesis as well as of the role of the thymus in the development of lymphocyte functions.


By 2040, Denpasar will become a vital international city. There are traditions flourishing and unique cultural history alongside sustainability innovations, modern technology, and empowered communities. Its core is that Denpasar embraces traditional philosophy, harmony with God, people and the environment. This report discusses various strategies for making Denpasar a sustainable city in 2040. The region's natural resources are managed fairly and sustainably to enhance social cohesion and improve resistance to environmental risks. The city will reduce waste through a variety of economic, extensive reuse and waste recycling projects and support a wide range of industries and opportunities for the Denpasar people. Tourism will continue to promote employment and the economy without compromising related ecosystems and biodiversity. Denpasar will not only thrive, but will also be sustainable.


This paper presents methodological reflections from a programme of empirical research across two distinct but related projects, which culminated in an examination of the employment experiences of new migrants in the North East of England. This mixed-methods research focused on the position and experiences of migrants from Eastern European countries joining the EU in 2004 and 2007, and refugees and asylum seekers from a broad range of countries. Co-produced by an interdisciplinary academic team, migrants living and working in the region and voluntary sector organisations involving and supporting migrants, the research looked to address gaps in evidence to support education, advocacy and service provision. The paper argues that while co-production has tremendous potential to traverse the borders of theory and action in pursuit of positive change in people's lives, careful consideration needs to be given to distinct incarnations and the manner in which co-production emerges through specific conditions and relationships. We identify the principles underpinning this research, but also illustrate how our approach developed over time into a form of distributed-resource, which was able to connect organisations, people and resources from varied sources around shared values and an interest in outcomes.


Background: As the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) increases, there is a need to better understand key metrics of time in range 70-180 mg/dL (TIR70-180) and hyperglycemia and how they relate to hemoglobin A1c (A1C). Methods: Analyses were conducted utilizing datasets from four randomized trials encompassing 545 adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who had central-laboratory measurements of A1C. CGM metrics were calculated and compared with each other and A1C cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results: Correlations among CGM metrics (TIR70-180, time >180 mg/dL, time >250 mg/dL, mean glucose, area under the curve above 180 mg/dL, high blood glucose index, and time in range 70-140 mg/dL) were typically 0.90 or greater. Correlations of each metric with A1C were lower (absolute values 0.66-0.71 at baseline and 0.73-0.78 at month 6). For a given TIR70-180 percentage, there was a wide range of possible A1C levels that could be associated with that TIR70-180 level. On average, a TIR70-180 of 70% and 50% corresponded with an A1C of approximately 7% and 8%, respectively. There also was considerable spread of change in A1C for a given change in TIR70-180, and vice versa. An increase in TIR70-180 of 10% (2.4 hours per day) corresponded to a decrease in A1C of 0.6%, on average. Conclusions: In T1D, CGM measures reflecting hyperglycemia (including TIR and mean glucose) are highly correlated with each other but only moderately correlated with A1C. For a given TIR or change in TIR there is a wide range of possible corresponding A1C values.


Blooming is a diffusion process whereby compounding ingredients dispersed in rubber matrix migrate to the rubber surface and appears as a layer of white crystalline material. Blooming is a typical phenomenon observed in rubber compounds which could lead to problems such as discoloration and poor appearance of products as well as loss of adhesion. Cause of blooming was still unclear and this research was carried out to identify the effect of compounding ingredients and crosslink concentration on blooming rate in natural rubber compounds. In this project 6 natural rubber formulations based on three different types of compounding ingredients at two different concentrations of crosslinker were compounded and tested for their blooming characteristics. Sulphur, wax and dithiocarbamate as the compounding ingredients were mixed with natural rubber in the presence of 1 and 6 phr of peroxide as the vulcanizing agents. The effect of crosslink concentration on blooming rate of the compounded rubber was then determined. The blooming rate was determined by the weight of the blooming material on the rubber surface as a function of time. The blooming rate was found to be affected by the types of compounding ingredients and crosslink density of rubber. Wax with 6 phr of peroxide showed the highest amount of bloom and the highest blooming rate while the dithiocarbamate accelerator with 1 phr peroxide showed the lowest amount of bloom and the lower blooming rate. As expected, all the compounding ingredients showed an increase of crosslink concentration as the loading of peroxide increases. The blooming rate was also found to be affected by the crosslink concentration of rubber. As the crosslink concentration increases, the rate of blooming increases as were shown by wax and dithiocarbamate accelerator. However, sulphur showed the opposite trend whereby the crosslink concentration increases but the blooming rate decrease. This could be due to the high peroxide level retarding the sulphur blooming process.


When mouse peritoneal nonadherent (lymphocytes) cells were treated with lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-Pc) and cultured with adherent cells (macrophages) in 1% fetal calf serum (FCS)- or adult mouse serum (AMS)-supplemented medium for 3 h, markedly enhanced phagocytic and superoxide-generating capacities of macrophages were observed. Stepwise cultivation of lyso-Pc-treated B cells and untreated T cells with an FCS-supplemented medium generated a macrophage-activating factor (MAF), whereas cultivation of lyso-Pc-treated B cells alone in AMS-supplemented medium was sufficient to generate the MAF. The accumulated evidence suggests that lyso-Pc-inducible beta-galactosidase of B lymphocytes and the Neu-1 sialidase of T lymphocytes modified the bovine serum vitamin D3-binding protein (DBP) to yield the MAF, a protein with N-acetylgalactosamine as the remaining sugar. In contrast, the lyso-Pc-inducible beta-galactosidase of B cells alone modified mouse DBP to yield the MAF. These observations led us to conclude that bovine DBP carries a trisaccharide composed of N-acetylgalactosamine, galactose, and sialic acid, whereas mouse DBP carries a disaccharide composed of N-acetylgalactosamine and galactose. Thus, macrophages of a T-cell-deficient nude (BALB/c nu/nu) mouse and a T-cell Neu-1 sialidase-deficient SM/J mouse were efficiently activated by administration of lyso-Pc.


Solar thermal utilization, especially the application of solar water heater technology, has developed rapidly in recent decades. Solar water heating systems are practical applications to replace the use of electrical water heaters. But the performance of these systems depends on weather and exhibit a nonlinear dependence. This makes it difficult to accurately analyze their performance by simply observing their response to short-term or average weather conditions. The purpose of this project is to show solar potential through contour mapping and do thermal, economic and environmental analysis of evacuated-tube, glazed and unglazed collector solar water heaters. The optimum performance of solar water heaters and their comparison among them is done to select right solar water heater according to the domestic hot water demands along with the calculations of resultant GHG reductions for the period of 20 years. Analysis showed that evacuated-tube, glazed and unglazed solar water heaters achieve solar fraction value of 1.0, 0.92 and 0.82 respectively. Evacuated-tube, glazed and unglazed solar water heaters show life cycle savings of 5200, 4730 and 4150 RM, and greenhouse gas reductions of 113,220, 104,162 and 99633 kg respectively. Optimal thermal performance is obtained by evacuated-tube solar water heater, which results in reduction of household greenhouse gas emissions, reduction of energy consumption and saves money on energy bills as compared to glazed and unglazed collector solar water heaters. Overall, all the types of solar water heaters give satisfactory performance thermally, economically and environmentally. Evacuated-tube collector solar water heater will serve the needs with maximum thermal output with extra liters of water without any auxiliary electric water heater installation and energy use. Glazed and unglazed collector solar water heaters will need extra installations of electric water heater and use of auxiliary energy, which in result increases the cost of equipment and auxiliary energy for heating purposes as compared to evacuated-tube collector solar water heater.


The flexural vibrations of piles during dynamic tests have to be carefully investigated since it is difficult to control the alignment of the ram mass with respect to the neutral axis of the pile. In this paper, we present two case histories of high strain dynamic pile testing where eccentric impacts were generated. First, measured dynamic signals are presented to show the different relationships between quantities measured at the pile head (force, velocity, bending moment and rotation rate). Then, flexural effects on dynamic pile capacity are determined by the Case Method to show effects of the impact eccentricity on dynamic bearing capacity.