This paper introduce the smart device paradigm and it usage to streamline the development of the next generation of online labs where more intelligence is placed at the server side and little or no assumption is made about the client. The requirements, the standards and protocols for implementation are presented. Finally a possible evolution toward Massive Open Online Labs (MOOLs) is discussed.


The cytokine content in tissue microenvironments shapes the functional capacity of a T cell. This capacity depends on the integration of extracellular signaling through multiple receptors, including the T-cell receptor (TCR), co-receptors, and cytokine receptors. Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signals through its cognate receptor, TGFβR, to SMAD family member proteins and contributes to the generation of a transcriptional program that promotes regulatory T-cell differentiation. In addition to transcription, here we identified specific signaling networks that are regulated by TGFβR. Using an array of biochemical approaches, including immunoblotting, kinase assays, immunoprecipitation, and flow cytometry, we found that TGFβR signaling promotes the formation of a SMAD3/4-protein kinase A (PKA) complex that activates C-terminal Src kinase (CSK) and thereby down-regulates kinases involved in proximal TCR activation. Additionally, TGFβR signaling potentiated CSK phosphorylation of the P85 subunit in the P85–P110 phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) heterodimer, which reduced PI3K activity and down-regulated the activation of proteins that require phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P3) for their activation. Moreover, TGFβR-mediated disruption of the P85–P110 interaction enabled P85 binding to a lipid phosphatase, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), aiding in the maintenance of PTEN abundance and thereby promoting elevated PtdIns(4,5)P2 levels in response to TGFβR signaling. Taken together, these results highlight that TGF-β influences the trajectory of early T-cell activation by altering PI3K activity and PtdIns levels.


Compared to primary arrivals, multiples have longer propagation paths and smaller reflection angles, leading to a wider illumination area in the horizontal direction and higher resolution in the vertical direction. Hence, it is better to make full use of the multiples rather than suppressing them. However, seismic attenuation exists widely in the subsurface medium, especially directly below the deep sea bottom. Therefore, to compensate for the attenuation effect during multiple imaging, we have developed a viscoacoustic reverse time migration (RTM) method of different-order multiples. Following the multiple propagation paths, we compensate for the attenuation during source wavefield forward propagation and receiver backward propagation, and we introduce a regularization operator to automatically eliminate the exponential high-frequency noise during the attenuation compensation process. Taking advantage of the full wavefield information, we jointly use the different-order multiples and primaries when implementing viscoacoustic RTM. In numerical examples, we validate the viscoacoustic RTM of different-order multiples in a three-layer attenuation model and an attenuating Sigsbee2B model. Our results suggest that our method can image the models using different-order multiples separately, which suppresses crosstalk artifacts, balances energy, raises resolution, and improves subsalt images dramatically.


For endangered populations with low genetic diversity, low levels of immigration could lead to genetic rescue, reducing the risk of inbreeding depression and enhancing chances of long-term species survival. Our genetic monitoring of Maui's dolphins revealed the first contemporary dispersal of their sister subspecies, Hector's dolphin, from New Zealand's South Island into the Maui's dolphin distribution along ~300 km of the North Island's northwest coast. From 2010 to 2012, 44 individuals were sampled within the Maui's dolphin distribution, four of which were genetically identified as Hector's dolphins (two living females, one dead female, one dead male). We also report two Hector's dolphins (one dead female neonate, one living male) sampled along the North Island's southwest coast, outside the presumed range of either subspecies. Together, these records demonstrate long-distance dispersal by Hector's dolphins (≥400 km) and the possibility of an unsampled Hector's dolphin population along the southwest coast of the North Island. Although two living Hector's dolphins were found in association with Maui's dolphins, there is currently no evidence of interbreeding between the subspecies. These results highlight the value of genetic monitoring for subspecies lacking distinctive physical appearances as such discoveries are not detected by other means, but have important conservation implications.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Introduction of the holmium laser has provided an indispensable tool for the management of urinary tract stones, strictures, and superficial urothelial tumors. While full-power holmium lasers are required for laser resection of the prostate, lower-power devices can be utilized for all cases of stone fragmentation and stricture incision and most cases of superficial urothelial tumors. Herein, we report our initial experience in utilizing a low-power holmium laser in our endourologic practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Over a 6-month period, we have utilized both low-power (25 W) and full-power (80 W) holmium lasers to fragment urinary tract stones, incise ureteral or urethral strictures, and ablate superficial urothelial tumors. A series of 80 consecutive patients were assessed prospectively. Laser fibers with a diameter of 200 microm and 365 microm were employed with power settings of 6.4 to 10 W. Laser fiber size and power settings were similar for the low- and full-power devices.

RESULTS
Overall, 95% of the stones were completely fragmented, with a stone-free rate at 3 months of 92%. All strictures were incised, with a 91% patency rate at 3 months. Complete tumor ablation was attained in 70%, with a tumor-free rate of 60% at 3 months. Results were equivalent for the low- and full-power lasers. The 200-microm laser fiber allowed adequate access throughout the upper urinary tract during flexible ureteroscopy and flexible nephroscopy. The 365-microm laser fiber was employed via rigid and semirigid endoscopes.

CONCLUSIONS
A low-power holmium laser supplies adequate fragmentation and incision power for virtually all endourologic cases. It also provides ablative power in most situations. The only current urologic application that cannot be performed with the low-power device is laser prostatic resection, which requires 60 to 80 W of power. The reduced-power holmium laser should be considered as a low-cost alternative for the management of urinary tract stones, strictures, and urothelial tumors, especially in centers where laser prostatic resection is not performed.


: 22,500 mites were collected from 4515 rodents over a period of 5 years in the Sikhote-Alin reserve. The abundance dynamics of 4, out of 5, most numerous species of mites (Laelaps pavlovskyi, L. clethrionomydis, Eulaelaps stabularis, Haemogamasus serdjukovae) depends on the cyclic fluctuations in the number of rodents. A direct connection between the annual and, to some extent, seasonal dynamics of the abundance of parasites and that of their hosts is most distinct in L. pavlovskyi, an epizoon parasite of the large Japanese field mouse. At the same time the abundance of Hg. ambulans, a multihost parasite of small mammals, does not depend on the number of animals. Certain regularities in the abundance dynamics of gamasid mites in connection with that of their hosts, rodents, is discussed on the basis of obtained material and literary data.


This study examined and compared the rhetorical structure of argumentative texts written by three groups of university students: 1° twenty Indonesian texts written by Indonesian native speakers (I.I); 2° ten English texts written by Indonesian native speakers (I.E); and 3° ten English texts written by English native speakers (A.E). Following the argumentative text analysis model developed by Tirkkonen-Condit (1984 and 1986) and Connor (1990), the data were analysed using top-down and bottom-up analysis techniques at macro organisational text level. The results indicated that the text organisational structures of argumentative texts in English and in Indonesian were different in respect of the frequency of occurrence of sections—introduction, evaluation and conclusion— and of the sub-sections of refutation, sub-claim, and induction within the problem section. Cultural differences between English and Indone-sian may have played a crucial role in the text rhetorical differences. Also, the I.E. text features are more similar to those of the A.E. texts than to those of the I.I. texts. The study indicates that the Indonesian students need to study the conventions of rhetorical structures and text features of English argumentative texts in order to be able to write good argumentative texts in English.


In this paper we study the most general covariant action of gravity up to terms that are quadratic in curvature. In particular this includes non-local, infinite derivative theories of gravity which are ghost-free and exhibit asymptotic freedom in the ultraviolet. We provide a detailed algorithm for deriving the equations of motion for such actions containing an arbitrary number of the covariant D'Alembertian operators, and this is our main result. We also perform a number of tests on the field equations we derive, including checking the Bianchi identities and the weak-field limit. Lastly, we consider the special subclass of ghost and asymptotically free theories of gravity by way of an example.


For tasks like code synthesis from natural language, code retrieval, and code summarization, data-driven models have shown great promise. However, creating these models require parallel data between natural language (NL) and code with fine-grained alignments. StackOverflow (SO) is a promising source to create such a data set: the questions are diverse and most of them have corresponding answers with high-quality code snippets. However, existing heuristic methods (e.g. pairing the title of a post with the code in the accepted answer) are limited both in their coverage and the correctness of the NL-code pairs obtained. In this paper, we propose a novel method to mine high-quality aligned data from SO using two sets of features: hand-crafted features considering the structure of the extracted snippets, and correspondence features obtained by training a probabilistic model to capture the correlation between NL and code using neural networks. These features are fed into a classifier that determines the quality of mined NL-code pairs. Experiments using Python and Java as test beds show that the proposed method greatly expands coverage and accuracy over existing mining methods, even when using only a small number of labeled examples. Further, we find that reasonable results are achieved even when training the classifier on one language and testing on another, showing promise for scaling NL-code mining to a wide variety of programming languages beyond those for which we are able to annotate data.


We quantify the benefits of using different techniques for compensation of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in fiber-optic communication systems by means of numerical simulations. This is done both with respect to PMD-induced pulse broadening and in terms of system outage probability for different data formats [nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) and return-to-zero (RZ)]. Attention is focused on simple and relevant single- and double-stage post-transmission compensators with a few degrees of freedom (DOF). It is generally believed that a PMD compensator with a polarization controller and a variable delay line can only compensate the PMD to the first order. We show, from analytical results, the counterintuitive fact that this scheme can also partially compensate for higher order PMD. We also investigate the benefit of using a polarizer as compensation element where the optical average power can be used as a feedback signal.


Background The timed up and go test (TUG) is one of the most widely used tests of mobility. We aimed to examine whether the TUG is associated with cardiovascular (CV) events, CV mortality, and all-cause mortality.Methods Subjects in the senior cohort database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service (2002–2013) who completed the TUG as part of the National Screening Program for Transitional Ages (NSPTA) during 2007–2008 were identified. An abnormal TUG result was defined as a time ≥10 seconds. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the associations between TUG results and CV events, CV mortality, and all-cause mortality.Results The mean follow-up period was 5.7 years. Incidence rates of CV events in the normal and abnormal TUG groups were 7.93 and 8.98 per 1,000 person-years, while CV mortality rates were 0.96 and 1.51 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. In a fully adjusted model, we found that abnormal TUG results were not associated with the incidences of CV events and CV mortality. However, abnormal TUG results (>10 sec) resulted in a 2.9-fold increase in CV mortality in women (adjusted hazard ratio 2.90, 95% confidence interval 1.15 – 7.30). Further, participants lacking certain CV risk factors, such as current cigarette smoking, obesity, or diabetes, had a higher CV mortality rate when TUG results were abnormal.Conclusions Abnormal TUG results in subjects aged 66 years were associated with future CV mortality in women and in subjects without obesity, diabetes, or cigarette smoking.


A facile and efficient synthetic route to densely substituted alkynylpyridines via a Sonogashira approach is reported. When treated with terminal alkynes in the presence of 5 mol% PdCl2(PPh3)2, 5 mol% CuI and excess Et3N in DMF at 65 °C, iodopyridines underwent Sonogashira coupling to afford alkynyl-substituted pyridines in good to excellent yields. The coupling reaction has been found to be general for a wide range of iodopyridines and terminal alkynes, and tolerated the presence of aliphatic, aromatic, heteroaromatic and ferrocenyl groups with electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents. This coupling approach could allow for the rapid construction of a library of functionalized alkynylpyridines of pharmacological interest.


In polyomavirus-transformed cells, pp60c-src is activated by association with polyomavirus middle T antigen. These complexes have a higher tyrosine kinase activity compared with that of unassociated pp60c-src. Genetic analyses have revealed that the carboxy-terminal 15 amino acids of pp60c-src and the amino-terminal half of middle T antigen are required for this association and consequent activation of the tyrosine kinase. To define in greater detail the borders of the domain in middle T antigen required for activation of pp60c-src, we constructed a set of unidirectional amino-terminal deletion mutants of middle T antigen. Analysis of these mutants revealed that the first six amino acids of middle T antigen are required for it to activate the kinase activity of pp60c-src and to transform Rat-1 fibroblasts. Analysis of a series of insertion and substitution mutants confirmed these observations and further revealed that mutations affecting the first four amino acids of middle T antigen reduced or abolished its capacity to activate the kinase activity of pp60c-src and to transform Rat-1 cells in culture. Our results suggest that the first four amino acids of middle T antigen constitute part of a domain required for activation of the pp60c-src tyrosyl kinase activity and for consequent cellular transformation.


A 74-year-old male patient, who previously had central corneal opacity, presented to our clinic with decrease in vision, and diffuse corneal edema following uncomplicated phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. With topical treatment of steroids and artificial tears, the edema resolved in peripheral cornea and remained edematous in the central cornea during the following 2.5 months. Optical coherence tomography showed Descemet membrane detachment (DMD) in the edematous area. Intracameral perfluoropropane (C3F8) was injected. In the following days, Descemet membrane reattached and corneal edema resolved. The visual acuity increased to 20/40. Following uneventful phacoemulsification, if corneal edema is refractory to treatment, DMD should be remembered. In cases where corneal opacity interferes with the detailed examination of cornea, optical coherence tomography is helpful. In those patients, C3F8 injection is a viable option even in the late post-operative weeks.


The power of the Young tableau scheme for labeling a complete spin-adapted basis set in the theory of complex spectra lies in one's ability to evaluate matrix elements of irreducible tensor operators directly in terms of the tableau labels and shapes. We show that the matrix-element rules stated by Harter for one-body operators can be easily derived from simple vector-coupling considerations. The graphical method of angular momentum analysis is used to derive closed-form expressions for the matrix elements of two-body operators. This study yields several interesting new relationships between spin-dependent operators and purely orbital operators.


I. INTRODUCTION II. JUSTICE UNDER TRANSITIONAL ADMINISTRATION: THE CONTOURS OF A PARADIGM A. A Unique Rationale B. Unique Features 1. The Multplicity of Actors 2. Ambiguities in the Law 3. Unique Challenges III. JUSTICE UNDER TRANSITIONAL ADMINISTRATION: A STOCKTAKING A. Evaluation and Critique of Some Approaches 1. Kosovo--A Learning Experience 2. East Timor--Some Lessons Learned 3. Afghanistan Faire et Laissez-faire 4. Iraq--One Step Forward, Three Steps Back B. Some Modest Proposals I. INTRODUCTION In a standard textbook on international criminal law, justice is usually theorized in three different categories: domestic legal justice, international criminal justice, as evidenced by the naissance of institutions such as the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda or the International Criminal Court, and hybrid criminal justice, a term used to describe newly emerging forms of mixed national-international criminal adjudication as practiced in, for example, Sierra Leone or Cambodia. (1) This tripartite conceptualization of justice is, however, reductionist. Both the practice of the United Nations (U.N.) in international territorial administration (2) and international experiments in state-building, more generally, indicate that there is, in effect, a separate paradigm that has emerged within the practice of post-conflict reconstruction: justice under transitional administration. (3) This phenomenon is distinct from the broader category of transitional justice (4) that became popular in the wake of the transformations in Latin America and Eastern Europe in the 1980s and deals with the judicial treatment of regime transitions more generally. (5) The concept of justice under transitional administration is more limited in its scope of application. It encompasses scenarios of transitions in which international authorities exercise normative powers in the context of a process of judicial reconstruction, either exclusively or in conjunction with domestic authorities. This article seeks to focus on two aspects of this paradigm: on its contours and on some of its critiques. (6) The analysis starts with a study of the anatomy of the administration of justice under a transitional administration. This contribution argues that justice under a transitional administration differs in a number of ways from purely domestic or international forms of justice and mixed models of adjudication, namely by its rationale, its features, and its challenges. This analysis is followed by an assessment of how the challenge of the restoration of justice has been approached in different contexts of transition. The aim of this survey is to highlight the current flaws and deficiencies of contemporary practice and to add some brief suggestions to address some of the existing shortcomings. II. JUSTICE UNDER TRANSITIONAL ADMINISTRATION: THE CONTOURS OF A PARADIGM The systematic engagement of international actors in the reconstruction of a domestic justice system in territories under transition, as such, is a relatively contemporary paradigm. The need to develop a targeted strategy to restore the rule of law in post-conflict societies became painfully obvious in the beginning of the 1990s when U.N. peacekeepers failed to accomplish their civilian mandate in Somalia under UNOSOM II, due to both an ambiguous and half-hearted international mandate and a lack of support from local actors. (7) Calls from the U.N. Secretariat for a more sustainable approach to peacemaking (8) led to a shift in conception in the late 1990s that is, inter alia, reflected in the establishment of transitional administrations by the U.N. in Kosovo, (9) East Timor, (10) Afghanistan, (11) and to some extent also in the multilateralization of the U.S. led occupation of Iraq by the Security Council. …


Recently, biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) using plants extract have been received considerable attention owing to production of biocompatible and water-soluble NPs. In addition to that, low cost, freely availability, generally less toxicity and stability properties of plant extracts have made them heavily use in synthesis of various types of NPs. In synthesis strategy, some components in plant extract act as reducing and/or even capping agents for formation and stabilizing of NPs. In this current study, we report the biosynthesis of stable iron oxide (Fe3O4) NPs using anthocyanin rich-red cabbage extract (RCE) (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) with their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The potential mechanism for synthesis of the Fe3O4 NPs is as considered: i) occurrence of iron ions (Fe2+)–anthocyanin complexes, ii) oxidation of hydroxyls on the aromatic groups of anthocyanins, ii) reduction of Fe2+ and iv) formation of the Fe3O4 NPs. We demonstrated that the Fe3O4 NPs showed greater stability with enhanced antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The magnetic feature of the Fe3O4 NPs provided two benefits. Firstly, the Fe3O4 NPs were collected from reaction media without centrifugation using an external magnet and secondly, the magnetic feature also allows us for repeated use of the Fe3O4 NPs in antioxidant applications.


Motivation explains why people do things in a successful way. It includes initiatives, guidance and maintenance of goal-oriented behavior. Tanzania police force is being faced with several misconducts including robberies, theft, drug issues, poor customer care, and the likes which are being associated with poor monetary motivation. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of monetary motivation in the Tanzania Police Force. A Case study design was used and the study was conducted at Dar es salaam Police Academy and Special Force Unit in Dar es Salaam involving 158 officers. Random and Purposive samplings were used to obtain samples. Semi-structured questionnaires and oral interviews were used in assessing the individual's perception. Thematic analysis was used to categorize data into different themes, which were then assessed of their association. The study revealed that police officers do prefers and are motivated by monetary motivations especially salary and allowance. Misconducts in the force are perceived to be linked to lack of monetary motivation. The study recommends that there is a need for improving monetary motivation in the TPF as it is perceived by its officers for improved performance. Other recommendations include improving the budget of MOHA, payments for overtime, risk allowance and special skill allowance.


New Jersey ports have been experiencing tremendous growth in container volumes in recent years and it is anticipated that this trend will continue in the future. This presents a serious challenge for the transportation network supporting the traffic related to port facilities' operations. Currently most of the containers (around 90%) are transported to and from the port by trucks, while approximately 10% of containers are handled by rail. The projected growth in container traffic along with the expected growth of commuter traffic in the region will cause a significant increase in congestion which will ultimately completely deteriorate performance of the regional transportation system as well as the performance of the transportation network around the port and within the port terminals. In this situation, the port authority and port operators are seeking innovative ways to improve land access to and from New Jersey's principal port terminals. One way to do so is to apply new, innovative transportation systems as an alternative to existing rail and highway modes. The research presented in this paper had three main objectives: to identify and describe innovative technologies that can be used to transport marine containers, to develop a methodological framework for evaluation and comparison of the innovative technologies, and to apply the evaluation framework and test feasibility and applicability of selected innovative technologies using case studies in New Jersey. Once the technologies have been reviewed and the most promising ones selected for further consideration, the multicriteria evaluation and decision making model has been developed that allows for the analysis and evaluation of alternative technologies over multiple objectives using different decision criteria. The methodology considers direct financial effects as well as external effects such as pollution, reduction in congestion, landuse disruption, socio-economic effects, and 2 impacts on transportation system performance. The case studies were developed in order to test the applicability of proposed methodology and feasibility of implementing alternative technologies in the New Jersey port region. The analysis showed that some of the innovative technologies are very competitive with existing rail and truck service, and even perform better, especially in case of increased container demand.


Injuries sustained by patients using wheels-in-line roller skates were reviewed in a survey of 57 cases collected by the Roosevelt Hospital Hand Service and 444 cases compiled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Most patients were novice skaters in the second and third decades of life. Severe distal radius fractures and upper extremity soft-tissue trauma were the most common injuries in both groups. The distal radius (44.9%), scaphoid (13.9%), and radial head (10.4%) were the three most common fracture sites in the Roosevelt survey. Most (80%) skaters in this group did not wear protective equipment. In-line roller skating can and does produce disabling injuries. Also, several deaths were reported among skaters traveling in heavy traffic. To reduce the number of injuries, all skaters should wear protective gear, especially wrist and elbow pads. Splints reduce but do not eliminate the potential for trauma. In our study most injured skaters had not mastered controlled skating and stopping techniques. This new recreational sport is increasing in popularity and more injuries are expected if skaters fail to protect themselves properly.


Categorical acceptability judgments form an important and productive heuristic that provides a substantial body of data to theoretical linguists. Despite its popularity, however, they might not always provide an accurate representation of the acceptability facts, especially when it concerns complex patterns of judgments across a range of different sentences types. In this work, I present evidence that, when categorical acceptability is substituted by a more graded measure of acceptability, one can observe wh-island sensitivity in Brazilian Portuguese in three syntactic phenomena (wh-movement, Topicalization and Left Dislocation), even though the island violating structures are marginally or fully acceptable. I conclude with a discussion about what the existence of such island sensitivity effects in marginally or fully acceptable sentences could mean for theories of syntactic islands, and syntactic theory more broadly construed.


The ligand-gated ion channel superfamily plays a critical role in neuronal excitability. The functions of glycine receptor (GlyR) and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor are modulated by G protein βγ subunits. The molecular determinants for this functional modulation, however, are still unknown. Studying mutant receptors, we identified two basic amino acid motifs within the large intracellular loop of the GlyR α1 subunit that are critical for binding and functional modulation by Gβγ. Mutations within these sequences demonstrated that all of the residues detected are important for Gβγ modulation, although both motifs are necessary for full binding. Molecular modeling predicts that these sites are α-helixes near transmembrane domains 3 and 4, near to the lipid bilayer and highly electropositive. Our results demonstrate for the first time the sites for G protein βγ subunit modulation on GlyRs and provide a new framework regarding the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily regulation by intracellular signaling.


Computational methods have been developped to simulate the complex interactions between components of the immune system. Chao introduced a method based on a stage structured approach to studying the Cytotoxic T cells response to an infection. In this work, we extend the analyzis of Chao's simulater by Eric Winnington. We validate the time step choice used in the simulation and analyze the impact of different factors on the occurence of a secondary reaction. We find that the initialization of the simulation, and in particular the generation of the T Cell Receptor Chains and epitopes influences the frequency of this secondary reaction. Furthermore, we note that the secondary reaction arises in a time window when the number of na¨ive cells population is low, the effector cell population is decreasing after the primary response and the memory T cells are not yet able to take part in the response. We find that the secondary reaction does not question the correctness of the simulation. The question of the adequacy of the biological model however remains open and is not discussed in this project.


We aim at enabling a biped robot to interact with humans through real-world music in daily-life environments, e.g., to autonomously keep its steps (stamps) in time with musical beats. To achieve this, the robot should be able to robustly predict the beat times in real time while listening to musical performance with its own ears (head-embedded microphones). However, this has not previously been addressed in most studies on music-synchronized robots due to the difficulty in predicting the beat times in real-world music. To solve this problem, we implemented a beat-tracking method developed in the field of music information processing. The predicted beat times are then used by a feedback-control method that adjusts the robot's step intervals to synchronize its steps in time with the beats. The experimental results show that the robot can adjust its steps in time with the beat times as the tempo changes. The resulting robot needed about 25 [s] to recognize the tempo change after it and then synchronize its steps.


Using the method developed in {\tt hep-th/0103015}, we determine the non-abelian Born-Infeld action through ${\cal O}(\alpha'{}^3)$. We start from solutions to a Yang-Mills theory which define a stable holomorphic vector bundle. Subsequently we investigate its deformation away from this limit. Through $ {\cal O}(\alpha'{}^2)$, a unique, modulo field redefinitions, solution emerges. At $ {\cal O}(\alpha'{}^3)$ we find a one-parameter family of allowed deformations. The presence of derivative terms turns out to be essential. Finally, we present a detailed comparison of our results to existing, partial results.


Objectives To explore women's experiences of breastfeeding beyond infancy (>1 year). Understanding these experiences, including the motivators, enablers and barriers faced, may help inform future strategies to support and facilitate mothers to breastfeed for an optimal duration. Design An exploratory qualitative study using an interpretive approach. Nineteen semistructured interviews were conducted (in person, via phone or Skype), transcribed and thematically analysed using the framework method. Setting Participants drawn from across the UK through online breastfeeding support groups. Participants Maximum variation sample of women currently breastfeeding a child older than 1 year, or who had done so in the previous 5 years. Participants were included if over 18, able to speak English at conversational level and resident in the UK. Results The findings offer insights into the challenges faced by women breastfeeding older children, including perceived social and cultural barriers. Three core themes were interpreted: (1) parenting philosophy; (2) breastfeeding beliefs; (3) transition from babyhood to toddlerhood. Women had not intended to breastfeed beyond infancy prior to delivery, but developed a 'child-led' approach to parenting and internalised strong beliefs that breastfeeding is the biological norm. Women perceived a negative shift in approval for continued breastfeeding as their child transitioned from 'baby' to 'toddler'. This compelled woman to conceal breastfeeding and fostered a reluctance to seek advice from healthcare professionals. Mothers reported feeling pressured to breastfeed when their babies were young, but discouraged as children grew. They identified best with the term 'natural-term breastfeeding'. Conclusions This study suggests that providing antenatal education regarding biological weaning ages and promotion of guidelines for optimum breastfeeding duration may encourage more women to breastfeed for longer. Promoting the concept of natural-term breastfeeding to mothers, and healthcare professionals, employers and the public is necessary to normalise and encourage acceptance of breastfeeding beyond infancy.


Stochastic dynamics in a turbulent swirling flow are reported in this paper via the probability density functions (PDFs) of responses with the generalized cell mapping (GCM) method. Based on the short-time Gaussian approximation (STGA) procedure, the influence generated by the time average and the amplitude of the fluctuation to the turbulent flow on the probabilistic responses are demonstrated. We observe that the shapes of the steady-state PDFs change from two peaks to the single peak with the change of system parameters, indicating that the rotation to shear ratio will change from two stable states into one stable state, while the torque difference of the propellers in the von-Karman turbulence experimental setup becomes large or changes in a wide range. That is to say, the stochastic P-bifurcation phenomena occur. The evolutionary mechanism of the transient response is revealed with the global portraits. Furthermore, the idea of block matrix is devoted to solving the storage problem due to the amount of image cells for the STGA procedure in high dimensional system. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are in good agreement with the proposed strategy.


As solder joints become increasingly miniaturized to meet the severe demands of future electronic packaging, the thickness of intermetallic compounds (IMC) in solder joint continuously decreases, while, the IMC proportion to the whole solder joint increases. So IMC plays a more and more important role in the reliability of microelectronic structure and microsystems. In this paper, the formation and growth behavior, along with the composition of IMC at the interface of Sn-based solders/Cu substrate in soldering were reviewed comprehensively. The effect of isothermal aging, thermal-shearing cycling and electromigration on the interfacial IMC growth and evolution were also presented. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of Kirkendall voids during thermal aging was introduced. In addition, the effect of the interfacial IMC on mechanical properties of solder joints was in-depth summarized. Adopting an appropriate flux to control the thickness of the IMC to improve the reliability of solder joints and electronic products was proposed in the end of this paper.


Occupational disease is simply defined as disease which arises from a person's work. The fact that it has been with us for a long time is illustrated by this extract from a booklet produced by NIOSH.
Ancient Roman slaves toiling in mercury mines devised bladder skin masks in a futile attempt to avoid inhaling toxic fumes. In 1979, several workers in Linden, New Jersey, were hospitalized with mercury poisoning, and others suffered classic symptoms: weight loss, tremors, and psychological problems. Federal officials ordered engineering and housekeeping improvements with strict use of respirators in the meantime.
Sixteenth century grinders suffered a lung ailment they called "grinders disease" from inhaling silica dust. Today, in the United States, silicosis is prevalent among sand blasters in the shipbuilding industry. Despite the hazard, this country has chosen not to follow the lead of Great Britain, which banned the use of silica sand in blasting operations more than 25 years ago.
Medieval scribes probably suffered lead poisoning because of the common practice of tipping their quills with their tongues between dipping them into metallic ink solutions. Today, lead poisoning is common among workers in lead smelters and battery plants and some industries routinely administer drugs to lower their workers' blood levels. One Illinois labourer told Federal officials he was so afraid of lead poisoning that he took 250 pills every two weeks.
In 1775 an English surgeon "discovered" occupational cancer when he noted numerous cases of scrotal cancer among chimney sweeps exposed to coal tar. On the bicentennial of occupational cancer, coke oven workers were (and still are) inhaling the same kind of substances • and dying of lung cancer at a rate of 11 times that of other steel workers.
These examples demonstrate both the long history of occupational disease and also its prevalence today. The rapid development of chemicals since the end of World War II makes the problem far worse. New chemicals are currently being introduced at a rate of 3 000 each year. While many will be harmless, inevitably some will be dangerous and have both harmful and fatal effects on those who work on them.


The library is a cooperative activity of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It is administered for these Founder Societies by the United Engineering Society, as a public reference library of engineering and the allied sciences. It contains 160,000 volumes and pamphlets and receives currently most of the important periodicals in its field. It is housed in the Engineering Societies Building, 29 West Thirty-ninth St., New York.


The maintenance of the running track is mostly important to maintain the investment value of the facilities but it also can reduce the maintenance cost, creates a better image, comfort to all the users and also can lengthen the life span of the running track. The running track have a 6 types, it is are grass track, asphalt-bound track, rubber track, latex-bound track, polyurethane track and synthetic track. Commonly, the synthetic track usually use at the stadium in Malaysia. Every types of the running track have a own construction method and maintenance management. In the process of collecting all the data and information to produce this dissertation report, there are 2 methods of collecting the data from those IPTA which are by interviewing those people who responsible or involves in the maintenance management of the sport facilities provided (staffs of the maintenance department or sport centre) in those IPTA based on the structures interview form made. The second method is from the observation and site visits to identify the condition of the running track at stadium at those 3 IPTA is UiTM, UPM and UKM. According to the interviews carried out with the person who responsible and involves in the maintenance of the running track at every IPTA and the maintenance programmers towards the running track have been identified including the strategy, planning and the procedure of the maintenance work for the running track. Beside that the problem that occur towards the running track can also being identified.


253 Abstract: The bacula, phalli and karyotypes of 15 specimens of Arvicola terrestris were examined. The external and cranial morphology of this species were found to be the same as in previously published papers. The baculum consist of proximal and distal bacula. The phallus is covered with spines. The karyotype has karyological values of 2n= 36, NF= 64 and NFa= 60. The X chromosome is medium-sized submetacentric and the Y chromosome is medium-sized acrocentric.


ABSTRACT. Falls in long-stay institutions for elderly people have a high prevalence, contributing to the physical and mental deterioration of institutionalized elderly. Objective: To determine the prevalence of falls among institutionalized elderly with and without cognitive decline, and to characterize the practices and behaviors of those with and without cognitive decline in managing fall risks, and relate them to some factors. Methods: The present correlational study was carried out with a sample of 204 institutionalized elderly, 50% of whom had cognitive decline. Results: The elderly with cognitive decline (40.2%) fell less often than those who did not have cognitive decline (42.2%) (p>0.05). Safety practices and behaviors were better in the elderly with cognitive decline (p<0.05). Most of the elderly with cognitive decline who fell took benzodiazepines (65.9%), in contrast with those without cognitive decline (32.2%). It was observed that 81.4% of the elderly without cognitive decline and 43.9% of those with cognitive decline who fell had a performance of over 12 seconds on the Timed Up and Go Test, where differences reached statistical significance in both groups of elderly. Conclusion: Data collected in the present study further the knowledge on risk factors in the genesis of falls and on the behavior of elderly with and without cognitive decline in maintaining their safety in self-care and accessibility.


Objective Asbestos causes mesothelioma (MM) and cancer of lung, ovary, larynx and possibly other organs. Risk reduction after cessation of exposure and at long latency is debated. For MM, the predicted increase of rates with time since first exposure (TSFE) might be attenuated by fibre clearance. The ban of asbestos use in Italy gives an opportunity to measure long term risk in formerly exposed workers. Methods In a pool of 43 Italian asbestos cohorts (asbestos-cement, rolling stock, shipbuilding and other industries), standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were computed for the major causes, with consideration of time factors (period, duration, latency). The functional relation between pleural cancer mortality rates and TSFE was evaluated using Poisson regression, including a term for fibre clearance. Results The study includes 54,409 subjects (6,054 women): 55.3% alive, 43.0% died (cause known for 94%; 789 pleural cancers), and 1.7% lost to follow-up. Mortality was increased for all causes (SMR = 1.06; p < 0.001), all malignancies (SMR = 1.18; p < 0.01), pleural and peritoneal malignancies (SMRs = 14.66 and 6.95; both p < 0.01), lung (SMR = 1.26; p < 0.01) and ovarian cancer (SMR = 1.39; p < 0.05). Pleural cancer rate increased during the first 40 years of TSFE and reached a plateau thereafter. The model including asbestos elimination fitted the data much better than the traditional model (p = 0.0004; estimated asbestos elimination rate of 5% per year). Discussion Our results provide information on the risk after asbestos exposure, even for rarer diseases. Increased risk for ovarian cancer is confirmed. Results agree with the hypothesis that pleural cancer risk, rather than increasing indefinitely, reaches a plateau at long latency, coherently with asbestos clearance from the lungs. As a consequence, early exposures to asbestos cannot be considered to be the exclusive determinant of the long term development of pleural cancer, with implications also for the risk related to non occupational exposure and for asbestos removal.


The evidence-based practice movement in health care has gained both momentum and scrutiny since its inception. Previous IJATT editorials have highlighted the dynamic interplay among evidence sources including the clinician's internal evidence, best available external evidence, and patient evidence.1,2 In general, health care professions have applauded the integration of these three sources for making clinical decisions, as it incorporates science/knowledge (external evidence), expertise/experience (internal evidence), and the values/preferences/experiences of the individual patient (patient evidence).1,2 However, it seems that athletic training has focused predominantly on the utilization of the best available external evidence as the largest contributor to evidence-based practice (EBP); thus, our EBP education has primarily focused on the development of PICO questions (Patient or Population of interest, Intervention, Control or Comparison, Outcome of interest), searching and critically appraising external evidence. In our quest to become evidence-based practitioners, we have not given enough appreciation to the third source—patient evidence2 (e.g., the patient's values, preferences, experiences, etc.). The integration of the patient in to decision-making in traditional athletic training settings is obscured by a lack of (a) clear clinical standards for achieving patient engagement and (b) the documentation and quanti?cation of the patient's perspective. These challenges, combined with the nuances of patient individuality, have made a complex topic much more challenging.


This target article describes the current state of global gene replacement in the brain using viral vectors and assesses possible solutions to some of the many problems inherent in gene therapy of the central nervous system (CNS). Gene replacement therapy in the CNS is a potential means of producing a stable expression of normal human proteins in deficient cells and thus curing certain genetically inherited enzyme deficiencies and metabolic diseases as well as cancers. The two major issues to be addressed in CNS gene replacement are the delivery of genetic material to the brain and the expression of recombinant genetic material in target cells within the CNS. Focal inoculation of recombinant virions or other genetic vectors has limitations in global CNS disease. A new approach is the blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption technique developed in this laboratory, in which hypertonic mannitol transiently shrinks the BBB endothelium, allowing passage of high molecular weight compounds and even viruses. Gene therapy of the CNS will require a viral vector system that allows long-term, nontoxic gene expression in neurons or glial cells. Retroviral vectors have limitations in CNS gene replacement, although they are suitable for expressing recombinant genes in intracerebral grafts, or toxic genes in brain tumors. Using mutant neurotropic viruses with reduced neurotoxicity (such as defective herpes simplex virus type I [HSV-1], the HSV-1 amplicon vector system we have developed, or adenovirus mutants) has potential for direct treatment of neurons. Injecting these vectors into rodent brains can lead to stable expression of foreign genetic material in postmitotic neuronal cells. We discuss our BBB disruption delivery technique, our defective HSV-1 amplicon vector system, and our feline model for the neuronal lysosomal storage disorder Gm 2 -gangliosidosis (Sandhoff disease), which may prove to be a useful model system for CNS gene therapy.


It is now accepted that large-scale turbulent eddies impact the widely reported non-closure of the surface energy balance when latent and sensible heat fluxes are measured using the eddy covariance method in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL). However, a mechanistic link between large eddies and non-closure of the surface energy balance remains a subject of inquiry. Here, measured 10 Hz time series of vertical velocity, air temperature, and water vapor density collected in the ASL are analyzed for conditions where entrainment and/or horizontal advection separately predominate. The series are decomposed into small- and large- eddies based on a frequency cutoff and their contributions to turbulent fluxes are analyzed. Phase difference between vertical velocity and water vapor density associated with large eddies reduces latent heat fluxes, especially in conditions where advection prevails. Enlarged phase difference of large eddies linked to entrainment or advection occurrence leads to increased residuals of the surface energy balance.


This paper compares the characteristics of chondrocyte adhesion on two types of threedimensional (3-D) scaffold: types A and B. These 3-D scaffolds can be repeatedly constructed with the same dimensions using microstereolithography, a system that allows the fabrication of predesigned internal structures, such as pore size and porosity, by stacking the photopolymerized material. In tissue engineering, chondrocyte adhesion to a scaffold should have a major effect on the regeneration of cartilage. In this regard, we evaluated chondrocyte adhesion to two types of scaffold and found that chondrocyte adhesion was better on the type B scaffold than on the type A, demonstrating the importance of scaffold geometry in chondrocyte adhesion.


Background: Young people in southern and eastern Africa remain disproportionately vulnerable to HIV with gender inequalities and livelihood insecurities being key drivers of this. Behavioural HIV prevention interventions have had weak outcomes and a new generation of structural interventions have emerged seeking to challenge the wider drivers of the HIV epidemic, including gender inequalities and livelihood insecurities. Methods: We searched key academic data bases to identify interventions that simultaneously sought to strengthen people's livelihoods and transform gender relationships that had been evaluated in southern and eastern Africa. Our initial search identified 468 articles. We manually reviewed these and identified nine interventions that met our criteria for inclusion. Results: We clustered the nine interventions into three groups: microfinance and gender empowerment interventions; supporting greater participation of women and girls in primary and secondary education; and gender empowerment and financial literacy interventions. We summarise the strengths and limitations of these interventions, with a particular focus on what lessons may be learnt for young people (18 24). Conclusions: Our review identified three major lessons for structural interventions that sought to transform gender relationships and strengthen livelihoods: 1) interventions have a narrow conceptualisation of livelihoods, 2) there is limited involvement of men and boys in such interventions, 3) studies have typically been done in stable populations. We discuss what this means for future interventions that target young people through these methods.


AbstractThis paper presents an introduction to box wing aircraft technology, and an overview of current research efforts in this important area. Box wing technology offers a means of significantly reducing aircraft fuel consumption and hence improving economic sustainability. The result of this reduced fuel burn is a reduction in aircraft emissions, which will improve the environmental sustainability of the global aviation industry. This is important, because the industry has set an ambitious goal of reducing the current carbon emissions by 50% before 2050, in the face of continued exponential growth in demand. The motivation of this work is to ensure that sufficient education is provided at all levels of the aviation industry, to keep people informed, and to help them make decisions. That is, there is confusion about the fundamental principles involved in the aerodynamic improvements associated with these innovative aircraft configurations. As such, this work presents box wing technology in the context o...


spread of. tuberculous illness if the usual rules are observed. Unfortunately many patients are insufficiently trained, or become careless after leaving a sanatorium, and this is a weak spot which always needs attention. Dragooning would not succeed in this country; but systematic education followed by tactful supervision is invaluable. It would occupy too much space to give the evidence for my statements, but they are supported by the records of Papworth and of some of our best sanatoria.-I am. etc..


Recently, the research work for the improvement of the ride comfort quality and dynamic characteristics for vehicle handling performance is taking increasing attention. Although much work has been done on numerical and experimental studies to improve the ride quality and dynamic characteristics, many applications face limitations with respect to conflict between ride comfort and vehicle handling, which mostly depend on the suspension characteristics. This research presents an integrated model-based approach to design optimised suspension systems to improve vehicle dynamics behaviour and to eliminate the drawbacks of physical testing and reduce the cost. This paper is about the part of an ongoing research on vehicle ride comfort and handling optimisation, and integrated full vehicle model design and model validation studies are given in this paper. The optimisation model will be presented in another paper to choose a compromise solution between ride comfort and handling performance.


A variety of techniques, including filter binding, footprinting, and gel retardation, can be used to assay the transcriptional activator GAL4 (Gal4p) through the initial steps of its purification from yeast cells. Following DNA affinity chromatography, Gal4p still bound DNA selectively when assayed by filter binding or footprinting. However, the affinity-purified protein was no longer capable of forming a stable complex with DNA, as assayed by gel retardation. Mixing the purified Gal4p with the flowthrough fraction from the DNA affinity column restored gel retardation complex formation. Gel retardation assays were used to monitor the purification of a heat-stable Gal4p-DNA complex stabilization activity from the affinity column flowthrough. The activity coeluted from the final purification step with polypeptides of 21 and 27 kDa. The yeast gene encoding the 21-kDa protein was cloned on the basis of its N-terminal amino acid sequence. The gene, named EGD1 (enhancer of GAL4 DNA binding), encodes a highly basic protein (21% lysine and arginine) with a predicted molecular mass of 16.5 kDa. The amino acid sequence of the EGD1 product, Egd1p, is highly similar to that of the human protein BTF3 (X. M. Zheng, D. Black, P. Chambon, and J. M. Egly, Nature [London] 344:556-559, 1990). Although an egd1 null mutant was viable and Gal+, induction of the galactose-regulated genes in the egd1 mutant strain was significantly reduced when cells were shifted from glucose to galactose.


Presentism styles itself a distinctive critical approach to literary texts, characterized by heightened self-critical awareness. It sees itself as complementing (rather than competing with) historicism. Its main proponents – Hugh Grady and Terence Hawkes – are Shakespearean scholars, and in several recent works, including a recent anthology (Presentist Shakespeares), they elaborate and showcase their approach. This essay argues that the likes of Grady and Hawkes have failed to face up to the simple consideration that 'presentism' means a species of error, or it means nothing. They have also failed to square up, satisfactorily, against what is evidently their real target: namely, post-Theory approaches to Shakespeare. (David Kastan is a target, but his name is really more a convenient marker for the target zone, due to the title of his book: Shakespeare after Theory.) Presentism is, in effect, oblique apologetics for Theory, but fails to say anything in its defense.


Background: Videokeratography has recently emerged on the scene as a powerful tool in understanding the dimensions of the human cornea. Computer software exists that can generate rigid gas permeable contact lens fitting parameters based on a topography reading. Methods: This study will assess the fitting performance, both subjectively and objectively, of two Placido based topography systems: Humphrey MasterVue and EyeSys Corneal Analysis System. Twenty four subjects were fit and dispensed a pair of lenses: one eye's lens generated by each computer. Lenses were rated by both the examiners and the patients using standard rating scales at the time of the dispensing visit. Results: Overall the Master Vue lenses were preferred by 57% of the subjects, the EyeSys 19%, and 24% had no preference. Objectively we assessed that the MasterVue lenses physiologically out performed the EyeSys lenses a majority of the time. Conclusions: Generally, the MasterVue software did a better job than the EyeSys program of matching base curve and overall diameter dimensions with the measured cornea. However, there is significant room for improvement in both systems to become clinically useful.


THE settlement of Cocos in 1827 by J. Clunies Ross was an event typical of its time, for the pattern of British colonization in Asia in the age before Victoria comprised little more than a heterogeneous commercial network of naval bases, trading posts, entrepots and penal settlements. Cocos is remarkable, however, for the manner in which the Clunies Ross Estate, with its Cocos-Malay community, has, survived into the present under the domination of one family, with only nominal administrative oversight by Britain and, from 1955, by Australia.

In this thesis an attempt is made to identify the factors which appear to have influenced the social and economic development of Cocos and, in particular, to determine those factors which enabled the Ross family to maintain its dynastic rule and its inordinate influence over the Cocos community.

The thesis examines the economic origins of the Cocos community; first as a slave - then convict - and, finally a coolie-based community, and demonstrates the Rosses' dependence on this workforce as a critical factor of production in a cash crop economy. The manner in which both the islands' laws, and the Rosses' notion of sovereignty, were permitted to evolve, provides a case study in indifference to the plight of a community by the British colonial administration.

The thesis concludes that the absence of an indigenous culture on the island, its relative isolation, and the small, yet viable size of the Ross enterprise, led to the unimpeded development of the family's interests and influence over the islanders.


Given that decision makers continue to face dilemmas on whether to persist or desist with troubled projects, it is important for senior managers to support the assessment of decision dilemmas faced by project managers. By drawing on two case studies that exhibit project escalation situation, decision-makers in both cases were interviewed and important documents reviewed, the paper has identified five types of decision dilemmas and their associated characteristics: justification, sunk cost, ambiguity, opportunity cost and completion . The decision dilemmas identified in this study and the recommendations for countering these dilemmas aim to help project managers improve the process of decision-making during project development. Furthermore, it is also important for organizations to be aware of the role played by decision dilemmas within the escalation phenomenon as such understanding could help organizations extricate themselves from future escalation predicaments.


This article is a study of the origins and consequences of the Arab Spring through highlighting the higher objectives of the Shariah in governance, as well as the basic rights and responsibilities of the citizens and the rulers in Islam. The paper suggests that maintaining peace, harmony and social stability are the main objectives of Islam in governance. But revolutionary changes commonly destroy social harmony and well-being; and produce chaos, insecurity, injustice and economic collapse. At the same time, the citizens own rights to disobey their deviant rulers. Accordingly, through discussing the rights and responsibilities of the citizens before their rulers and of the rulers before their people, the paper recommends adoption of the approach of nonviolent and evolutionary changes to improve political and social ills. It also suggests that governments should conduct peaceful, fair-minded and just rule rather than giving people no other option but to create public havoc. The paper also suggests that Islamic principles in governance, as embedded in the text and traditions, are conducive to good governance and democratic thought in many compelling ways.


TPS6085 Background: Differentiated thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy and has a high frequency of actionable molecular aberrations including BRAF V600E mutations (45%), RET fusions (10%), and NTRK fusions ( < 2%). FDA approved systemic therapies for metastatic radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC) include multikinase inhibitors (Lenvatinib and sorafenib), NTRK inhibitors (larotrectinib and entrectinib for NTRK fusion+ cancers), and RET inhibitors (selpercatinib and pralsetinib for RET fusion+ cancers). Previous phase II clinical trials showed clinical efficacy with first and second generation BRAF inhibitors in patients with BRAF mutant RR-DTC. BRAF inhibitors have not yet been FDA approved for treatment of BRAF mutant RR-DTC. Effective therapeutic options for patients with BRAF mutant RR-DTC remains an important unmet clinical need. BRAF mutant thyroid cancers often show elevated expression of PD-L1. Additionally, BRAF inhibition results in increased expression of PD-L1 in thyroid cancer. This clinical trial seeks to evaluate the safety and efficacy of encorafenib plus binimetinib with or without nivolumab in patients with BRAF mutant metastatic RR-DTC. Encorafenib and binimetinib are highly selective and potent oral inhibitors of BRAF and MEK, respectively. Nivolumab is a potent inhibitor of the immune co-inhibitory receptor programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1). Methods: This is a phase II, single institution, open-label, randomized clinical trial evaluating the combinations of (Arm 1) encorafenib 450 mg/day + binimetinib 45 mg twice daily and (Arm 2) encorafenib 450 mg/day + binimetinib 45 mg twice daily + nivolumab 480 mg I.V. every 4 weeks in patients with metastatic BRAF mutant RR-DTC. The trial will enroll 20 patients in each arm and treatment will be given in 28 day cycles for up to 2 years. Eligible patients must have metastatic/unresectable BRAF mutant RR-DTC, an ECOG performance status of 0-1 and adequate bone marrow, liver and kidney function. Patients with CNS metastases are included if the metastases have been treated and remained stable or are asymptomatic and ≤10 mm in diameter. Patients may be systemic therapy naïve or have previously been treated with multikinase inhibitors. Prior therapy with BRAF, MEK or immune checkpoint inhibitors is exclusionary. The primary endpoint is confirmed objective response rate (ORR) determined by RECIST v1.1 with restaging imaging every 12 weeks. Secondary endpoints include progression free survival, overall survival, and safety/tolerability (CTCAE v5.0). Arms 1 and 2 will be evaluated independently and are not powered for direct comparison. The trial design includes continuous toxicity monitoring with a Pocock-type stopping boundary. This clinical trial is in progress and 3 patients have been enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT04061980.


ABSTRACT Phylloid algae in the Pennsylvanian Providence Limestone (Desmoinesian) in western Kentucky are typical in appearance: thin, arcuate, leaflike forms with a calcite mosaic interior. Cathodoluminescence and backscattered electron imaging reveal well-preserved skeletal structure and their identity as Archaeolithophyllum sp. Johnson, 1956 and A. missouriensum Johnson, 1956. Thin skeletal walls are composed of nonluminescent neomorphic calcite. Polygonal hypothallial and perithallial cells in the skeletons are filled by luminescent calcite cement. Chemical staining also distinguishes cell morphology when ferroan calcite cement is present in skeletal pores, in contrast to the nonferroan calcite forming skeletal walls. Hypothallial cells in Archaeolithophyllum are 25 µm 50 µm and are commonly arranged in arcuate layers. Skeletal walls (5 µm thick) are composed of calcite and lack distinctive relict features, although some are microporous and contain fine, disseminated pyrite. Some thalli contain large irregularly shaped hypothallial cells (50-100 µm) partitioned by skeletal walls. These are interpreted as poorly calcified thallus fragments. Neomorphic calcite of the skeletons contains high concentrations of Sr (average 3702 ppm, range 339-10,549 ppm), strongly suggesting that the original Archaeolithophyllum skeleton was aragonitic. Archaeolithophyllum shares morphological, structural, and compositional characteristics with Holocene peyssonnelid algae. This evidence substantiates earlier hypotheses that Archaeolithophyllum may be an ancestral peyssonnelid alga. Calcite cements filling skeletal cells include a bright-yellow-CL phase and two subsequent phases of dull-red and dull-yellow luminescence. Mg, Mn, and Fe are enriched in these calcites, reflecting reducing diagenetic fluids particularly enriched in Fe. Cementation of skeletons by ferroan calcite during early diagenesis appears to have protected skeletons from dissolution and promoted slow rates of neomorphism. Conditions of a nearly closed system are constrained by the high retention of Sr in the skeletal calcite.


It is commonly accepted that skeletal muscles from dystrophin-deficient mdx mice are more susceptible than those from wild-type mice to damage from eccentric contractions. However, the downstream mechanisms involved in this enhanced force drop remain controversial. We studied the reduction of contractile force induced by eccentric contractions elicited in vivo in the gastrocnemius muscle of wild-type mice and three distinct models of muscle dystrophy: mdx, alpha-sarcoglycan (Sgca)-null, and collagen 6A1 (Col6a1)-null mice. In mdx and Sgca-null mice, force decreased 35% compared with 14% in wild-type mice. Drop of force in Col6a1-null mice was comparable to that in wild-type mice. To identify the determinants of the force drop, we measured force generation in permeabilized fibers dissected from gastrocnemius muscle that had been exposed in vivo to eccentric contractions and from the contralateral unstimulated muscle. A force loss in skinned fibers after in vivo eccentric contractions was detectable in fibers from mdx and Sgca-null, but not wild-type and Col6a1-null, mice. The enhanced force reduction in mdx and Sgca-null mice was observed only when eccentric contractions were elicited in vivo, since eccentric contractions elicited in vitro had identical effects in wild-type and dystrophic skinned fibers. These results suggest that 1) the enhanced force loss is due to a myofibrillar impairment that is present in all fibers, and not to individual fiber degeneration, and 2) the mechanism causing the enhanced force reduction is active in vivo and is lost after fiber permeabilization.


High density phase transitions in a 4-dimensional Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model containing a single symmetry breaking order parameter coming from the fermion-antifermion condensates are researched and expounded by means of both the gap equation and the effective potential approach. The phase transitions are proven to be second-order at a high temperature T; however at T=0 they are first- or second-order, depending on whether , the ratio of the momentum cutoff Λ in the fermion-loop integrals to the dynamical fermion mass at zero temperature, is less than 3.387 or not. The former condition cannot be satisfied in some models. The discussions further show complete effectiveness of the critical analysis based on the gap equation for second order phase transitions including determination of the condition of their occurrence.


Land markets can have potentially divergent effects on the distribution of land. While they may lead to a concentration of land in the hands of a wealthy minority, they can also enhance equity by serving as an alternative avenue of land access for those with a limited inheritance. This paper explores the equity implications of land sales and rental markets in northwestern Tanzania. Using household-level data collected in 2014 and a control function approach to address potential endogeneity, we find that the land market enables households to adjust their farm size to compensate for a small inheritance. The rental market is particularly used by those with no inheritance to secure a landholding, while households with a larger initial endowment are more likely to dispose of land. Our results indicate that the local land market, characterized by widespread participation, ultimately increases the equity of land distribution.


To the Editor: Cysticercosis, a tissue infection caused by accidental ingestion of eggs released from humans harboring the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium (TsCysti), is one of the most serious reemerging parasitic diseases worldwide (1). Taeniasis is an intestinal infection caused by the adult stage of the large tapeworm. Carriers of T. solium acquire infection through eating undercooked pork contaminated with cysticerci (larvae). Although most Indonesian people are Muslim and do not eat pork, infection with T. solium has occurred in some areas or islands where most local people are Christian or Hindi.

The area most affected by this infection is Irian Jaya, Indonesia, the western half of New Guinea Island (2–4). In field surveys conducted in 2000 and 2001, we found that 5 (8.6%) of 58 local people and 7 (11%) of 64 local dogs living approximately 1 km from the local capital city, Wamena, in Jayawijaya District, harbored adult tapeworms and cysticerci of T. solium, respectively (5,6). We have further seroepidemiologic data from 1996 and molecular confirmation of subcutaneous nodules (SCN) as cysticerci of the T. solium Asian genotype. We believe this organism is an emergent problem in Irian Jaya.

We previously reported that TsCysti was highly endemic in Jayawijaya District, Irian Jaya (2–6). A total of 96 local people >18 years of age from Assologaima, Jayawijaya District, were chosen at random and examined by serologic testing and by administering questionnaires in February 1996 after the local and Indonesian governments gave their ethical approval. The 96 persons were divided into three groups on the basis of a history of epileptic seizures (ES, n=17), physical examination of SCN by palpation (n=32), or good health (including no ES or SCN; n=47). A total of 14 subcutaneous nodules removed from 14 men in both ES and SCN groups were confirmed to be cysticerci of T. solium by morphologic observation and to be T. solium Asian genotype by mitochondrial DNA analysis with cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (3,7). For serologic analysis, we conducted an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that used glycoproteins purified from cyst fluid of T. solium cysticerci by preparative isoelectric focusing (fractions of pH 9.1) (8) in 2001.

On the basis of serologic results, 12 (70.6%) of 17, 20 (62.5%) of 32, and 12 (25.5%) of 47 of ES, SCN, and healthy groups, respectively, were infected with the larval stage of T. solium. Serologically positive rates increased to 83.3% (10/12) of people with subcutaneous nodules in the ES group. A follow-up study of seropositive persons in the healthy group in 1997 showed that five of eight persons had ES (two persons), headache (one person), or SCNs in upper arm (two persons). Seropositive persons in all three groups (ES, SCN, and health) were considered to be infected with TsCysti. Persons of the SCN and healthy groups who showed optical density values higher than the cut-off value were considered to have asymptomatic TsCysti cases.

The local persons we examined ranged from 18 to 29 years of age (n=30), 30–44 years of age (n=36), and >45 years of age (n=30). Seropositive persons (n=12) from the ES group (n=17) were 18 to 29 years of age (40.0%, 2/5), 30–44 years (71.4%, 5/7), and >45 years (100%, 5/5). The prevalence of TsCysti did not vary statistically by sex (males 53.6% [37/69] versus females 33.3% [9/27], Pearson's chi-square test, p=0.074).

That 14 persons confirmed to have subcutaneous cysticerci of T. solium were seropositive strongly suggests that the serologic test (ELISA) is highly reliable for detecting TsCysti in patients, whether their infection is symptomatic or asymptomatic. In contrast, one of the following scenarios was expected for cases in three of five persons in the ES group who did not have SCN and were seronegative: 1) the case was not due to TsCysti, 2) the case was caused by TsCysti but without antibody response, rather common in cases of a solitary cyst, or 3) the case was caused by TsCysti with calcified cysts and without antibody response. Twelve (approximately 40%) of seronegative persons from the SCN group (n=32) were expected to have cases of TsCysti without antibody response or to have calcified cysts without antibody response. Cases without antibody response would be most expected because of the heavily contaminated environment in Papua (3–6). However, further evaluation with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans is necessary. Based on serologic results and mitochondrial DNA confirmation of T. solium Asian genotype (3,7), we concluded that 47.9% (46/96) of local people examined at random, 53.6% of men (37/69) and 33.3% of women (9/27) >18 years of age had TsCysti.

An additional 30 local people in non–TsCysti-endemic Merauke District underwent serologic testing. One woman had an exceptionally high antibody titer. She was a transmigrant from another island (South Sulawesi Province). Although Paniai, Jayawijaya, and Manokwari Districts are contaminated with T. solium taeniasis and cysticercosis (2–4), no additional critical evidence exists to show that Merauke District has already been contaminated with this parasite.

Taeniasis and cysticercosis may have been accidentally introduced into Irian Jaya in 1969 when the country was governed by Indonesia, since the governing body came from Bali, the only area in Indonesia where TsCysti was exclusively endemic (2). The contaminated areas in Irian Jaya have increased from the central area (Paniai), to the east (Jayawijaya) (3), and then to the west (Manokwari), where 54 TsCysti cases have been reported (Papua Province Health Office Services, 1997, unpub. data). We wanted to know if taeniasis/cysticercosis had been introduced into the eastern half of New Guinea Island, called Papua New Guinea (PNG) (9). We had already serologically confirmed that 16 (3.0%) of 541 local residents and Irianese refugees in Alice River villages along the border in PNG had asymptomatic TsCysti (Ito et al., unpub. data). Follow-up surveys will be crucial in several other districts including Merauke District in Irian Jaya, PNG, and other islands such as Timor Island, where most of the population is Christian and many suspected cases have recently been reported by the District Health Office Services (10). Schoolchildren should also be checked so that cases can be detected and treated early. Sustainable education of the local community in Papua, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea is also necessary.


The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cu, As) in feather samples of raptors of 3 families were determined from southern, central, and northern parts of Punjab Province. Deposition of metals significantly varied among the families for Cd, Zn, Ni, and Pb; further, these 4 metals also significantly differed between Accipitridae and Falconidae, and between Falconidae and Strigidae. Similarly, Cd, Ni, and As were significantly different among southern, central, and northern Punjab. Falconidae deposited higher concentrations of metals than Accipitridae and Strigidae, with the Common Kestrel being more susceptible. Likewise, central Punjab appeared to be more polluted than northern and southern Punjab. The concentrations of metals reported are alarming and require proper management.


The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate the beliefs of a team-teaching native English-speaking teacher (NEST) and a non-native English-speaking teacher (non-NEST) and the extent to which their beliefs are manifested in their classroom practice. The participants are a NEST and a non-NEST who have had one year of experience in team-teaching with each other in an elementary school in Hsin Chu City, Taiwan. The data collection instruments include interviews, belief inventories, classroom observations, and document analysis. Through analyzing the teachers' beliefs in the following areas: (1) advantages and disadvantages of being native and non-native English teachers, (2) team-teaching, (3) roles of the English language, (4) language learning and learners, and (5) teaching practices, the study shows that the two teachers shared many common beliefs, but that their beliefs were not necessarily consistent with their performance in the classroom. Pedagogical implications and suggestions are derived mainly for the benefit of policy makers and for maintaining positive collaboration between NESTs and non-NESTs.


The Production and Distributed Analysis (PanDA) system has been developed to meet ATLAS production and analysis requirements for a data-driven workload management system capable of operating at the LHC data processing scale. The PanDA pilot is one of the major components in the PanDA system. It runs on a worker node and takes care of setting up the environment, fetching and pushing data to storage, getting jobs from the PanDA server and executing them. The original PanDA Pilot was designed over 10 years ago and has since then grown organically. Large parts of the original pilot code base are now getting old and are difficult to maintain. Incremental changes and refactoring have been pushed to the limit, and the time is now right for a fresh start, informed by a decade of experience, with the PanDA Pilot 2.0 Project. To create a testing environment for module development and automated unit and functional testing for next generation pilot tasks, a simple pilot version was developed. It resembles the basic workflow of pilot tasks used in production and provides a simple and clean template for module construction. The miniPilot has a simple structure and is easy to use for development, testing and debugging server-client interactions with new protocols and application interfaces. The unit and functional test system will be developed on top of the miniPilot, and will be used to run automatic tests. This paper describes the miniPilot and the test system that will be used during the Pilot 2.0 Project.


literature are promised in the full locality index in volume 2. The language should prove no real barrier: thus under the locality Hnfig[a-Likier one is given a mineral list for the hornfels---'aktinolit, cordierit, epidot, flogopit, granfity'--and, for example-the latter is followed by 'ideoblasty az 1 cm vel 'ke [2674] (2674 = the reference number). Identifikovan6 opticky n 1.803, promocou RTG (explained as = XRD in the abbreviation list) a 11.52/~ [927] a CHA (= wet chemical analysis) ako almandin. C H A : S i O 2 37.74, A120 3 17.47, e t c . . . D 4.15 [927]'. The book contains an immense amount of data and the two-volume set (when Vol. 2 becomes available) should be in all Earth Science libraries.


Reviews of the First Edition 'In a very readable study, Roy Harris examines the mis/representation of Saussurean ideas by certain linguists and by French thinkers of a Structuralist and post-structuralist persuasion. This is therefore essentially a study in intellectual history dealing with the thorny question of "influence" of one thinker's ideas on another ! Harris has done us a favour by bringing his critical eye to bear on a range of (mis)interpreters of the Cours who had hitherto largely been considered in isolation.' - Modern Language Review This book is the first major reassessment of the reception of Saussure's ideas in the academic world of the twentieth century. It is well known that Saussure's work profoundly influenced developments in such diverse fields as linguistics, anthropology, psychology and literary studies. But what exactly were Saussure's views taken to be by his interpreters? How well were Saussure's ideas understood by those who took them up? Or how badly misunderstood? And why? The answers to these questions address central issues in the history of Western culture. Each chapter focuses on one particular interpreter of Saussure's work, but many others are mentioned in context for purposes of comparison, and attention is drawn to connections and disparities between their interpretations. Those whose interpretations are examined in detail include Bloomfield, Hjelmslev, Jakobson, Levi-Strauss, Chomsky, Barthes and Derrida. In an important supplement to the new edition, account is taken of recently found notes in Saussure's hand. The discovery re-opens the whole question of the extent to which the Cours de linguistique generale, posthumously published in 1916, accurately reflects the stage that Saussure's thinking about language and communication had reached by the time of his death. It suggests a new interpretation of Saussure that differs significantly from any of those previously advanced. Features: *The only comprehensive survey of this field *Up-to-date coverage of recent developments in Saussurean studies *Analysis by one of today's leading authorities on Saussure.


I read carefully the article published in the January 2011 issue of Annals of Neurology by Baracchini and colleagues on the prevalence of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) measured with echo color Doppler sonography in patients with high suspicion of initial multiple sclerosis (MS). These authors give us 2 very important data that appear underestimated in their report, but are of extreme importance in the scientific debate in progress. In Table 4, they show positive CCSVI Doppler screening in 2% of controls matched for age and gender versus 16% of patients with possible MS. This means that:


Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) arise from complex interactions between genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Whole genome linkage scans and association studies have established thyroglobulin (TG) as a major AITD susceptibility gene. However, the causative TG variants and the pathogenic mechanisms are unknown. Here, we describe a genetic/epigenetic mechanism by which a newly identified TG promoter single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variant predisposes to AITD. Sequencing analyses followed by case control and family-based association studies identified an SNP (−1623A→G) that was associated with AITD in the Caucasian population (p = 0.006). We show that the nucleotide substitution introduced by SNP (−1623A/G) modified a binding site for interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1), a major interferon-induced transcription factor. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we demonstrated that IRF-1 binds to the 5′ TG promoter motif, and the transcription factor binding correlates with active chromatin structure and is marked by enrichment of mono-methylated Lys-4 residue of histone H3, a signature of active transcriptional enhancers. Using reporter mutations and siRNA approaches, we demonstrate that the disease-associated allele (G) conferred increased TG promoter activity through IRF-1 binding. Finally, treatment of thyroid cells with interferon α, a known trigger of AITD, increased TG promoter activity only when it interacted with the disease-associated variant through IRF-1 binding. These results reveal a new mechanism of interaction between environmental (IFNα) and genetic (TG) factors to trigger AITD.


Purpose of review The current article addresses recent literature regarding the diagnosis and management of endometriosis in adolescents. Recent findings An increasing body of literature suggests that advanced-stage endometriosis (revised scoring system of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Stage III or IV) and deeply invasive endometriosis are relatively common in adolescents. There remains limited data on the efficacy of postoperative hormonal management of endometriosis in the adolescent population. Summary Strong consideration should be made for surgical diagnosis of endometriosis in adolescents with pelvic pain, including noncyclic pain, with a concurrent family history of endometriosis and personal history of atopic disease. More research is needed regarding the benefits of the routine use of hypoestrogenic and other hormonal agents in the prevention of disease progression and long-term sequela in adolescents with endometriosis.


Background: The knee is the most commonly injured joint. The internal components of the knee include the meniscuses, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligaments (PCL). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now used widely because of its high accuracy and noninvasiveness. Our objective was to diagnose internal knee component injuries by MRI and compare its diagnostic value with that of arthroscopic surgery. Methods: This process research study was carried out between May 2004 and September 2006 on 90 randomly selected patients admitted to the orthopedic ward of Baghiatollah Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Each patient had arthroscopic surgery after undergoing MRI by an expert radiologist. Results: Out of 90 patients, 81 were male and nine were female. The mean age was 31.6 years (range: 17-71). Among patients with normal ACL as shown by MRI, 42.4% were shown by arthroscopy to have a ruptured ACL. The sensitivity and specificity of MRI in ACL abnormalities were 73% and 77%, respectively. Only 1.3% of the patients with normal PCL by MRI showed PCL rupture upon arthroscopic examination. The evaluation of the lateral meniscus by MRI had a sensitivity and specificity of 40% and 94%, respectively. Likewise, in the medial meniscus, sensitivity and specificity by MRI was 70% and 98%, respectively. Conclusion: According to our study, considerable differences exist between MRI reports and arthroscopic findings in the diagnosis of internal knee injuries. We therefore conclude that sole reliance on MRI reports is not reasonable for making treatment decisions and MRI should be used as just one of the diagnostic tools, in conjunction with other methods, such as physical examination and arthroscopy.


A molecular understanding of synaptogenesis is a critical step toward the goal of understanding how brains "wire themselves up," and then "rewire" during development and experience. Recent genomic and molecular advances have made it possible to study synaptogenesis on a genomic scale. Here, we describe the results of a screen for genes involved in formation and development of the glutamatergic Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). We screened 2185 P-element transposon mutants representing insertions in approximately 16% of the entire Drosophila genome. We first identified recessive lethal mutants, based on the hypothesis that mutations causing severe disruptions in synaptogenesis are likely to be lethal. Two hundred twenty (10%) of all insertions were homozygous lethal. Two hundred five (93%) of these lethal mutants developed at least through late embryogenesis and formed neuromusculature. We examined embryonic/larval NMJs in 202 of these homozygous mutants using immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. We identified and classified 88 mutants with altered NMJ morphology. Insertion loci in these mutants encode several different types of proteins, including ATP- and GTPases, cytoskeletal regulators, cell adhesion molecules, kinases, phosphatases, RNA regulators, regulators of protein formation, transcription factors, and transporters. Thirteen percent of insertions are in genes that encode proteins of novel or unknown function. Complementation tests and RT-PCR assays suggest that approximately 51% of the insertion lines carry background mutations. Our results reveal that synaptogenesis requires the coordinated action of many different types of proteins--perhaps as much as 44% of the entire genome--and that transposon mutageneses carry important caveats that must be respected when interpreting results generated using this method.


This thesis investigates factors that can be used to predict the success or failure of students taking an introductory programming course. Four studies were performed to explore how aspects of the teaching context, static factors based upon traditional learning theories, and data-driven metrics derived from aspects of programming behaviour were related to programming performance.

In the first study, a systematic review into the worldwide outcomes of programming courses revealed an average pass rate of 67.7\%. This was found to have not significantly changed over time, or to have differed based upon aspects of the teaching context, such as the programming language taught to students.

The second study showed that many of the factors based upon traditional learning theories, such as learning styles, are context dependent, and fail to consistently predict programming performance when they are applied across different teaching contexts.

The third study explored data-driven metrics derived from the programming behaviour of students. Analysing data logged from students using the BlueJ IDE, 10 new data-driven metrics were identified and validated on three independently gathered datasets. Weaker students were found to make a greater percentage of successive errors, and spend a greater percentage of their lab time resolving errors than stronger students. The Robust Relative algorithm was developed to hybridize four of the strongest data-driven metrics into a performance predictor. The novel relative scoring of students based upon how their resolve times for different types of errors compared to the resolve times of their peers, resulted in a predictor which could explain a large proportion of the variance in the performance of three independent cohorts, $R^2$ = 42.19\%, 43.65\% and 44.17\% - almost double the variance which could be explained by Jadud's Error Quotient metric.

The fourth study situated the findings of this thesis within the wider literature, by applying meta-analysis techniques to statistically synthesise fifty years of conflicting research, such that the most important factors for learning programming could be identified. 482 results describing the effects of 116 factors on programming performance were synthesised and consolidated to form a six class theoretical framework. The results showed that the strongest predictors identified over the past fifty years are data-driven metrics based upon programming behaviour. Several of the traditional predictors were also found to be influential, suggesting that both a certain level of scientific maturity and self-concept are necessary for programming. Two thirds of the weakest predictors were based upon demographic and psychological factors, suggesting that age, gender, self-perceived abilities, learning styles, and personality traits have no relevance for programming performance.

This thesis argues that factors based upon traditional learning theories struggle to consistently predict programming performance across different teaching contexts because they were not intended to be applied for this purpose. In contrast, the main advantage of using data-driven approaches to derive metrics based upon students' programming processes, is that these metrics are directly based upon the programming behaviours of students, and therefore can encapsulate such changes in their programming knowledge over time. Researchers should continue to explore data-driven predictors in the future.


When close enough to a microphone array, the spherical nature of radiating sources allows for sound field processing in terms of distance as well as direction. As part of an on-going study on beamforming given sources close to a spherical microphone array, sound field processing is examined through the use of radial filters. In this paper, a radial Dolph-Chebyshev design is presented for attenuating far-field interference given sources close to the array surface. The proposed radial filter facilitates an analytical formulation of the design technique, and may be practical for sources very close to the array surface.


By R. J. MINNITT, M.D., D.A. 3rd Edition. Bailliere, Tindall & Cox. London. I947. Pp. vii and 80. Price 5s. This small book on the use of gas and air analgesia for midwifery and minor operations gives an outline of a method using a particular and simple type of apparatus, an apparatus so simple that the patient using it renders herself analgesic. The chapter on the technique of administration does not lay sufficient stress on the variation between patients and their reaction to the strain of labour. The chapter on the principles and assembly of the apparatus is excellent and should be read carefully by anyone having charge of such an apparatus; in fact, a copy of this book should be attached to every gas and air machine in use. S.G.S.


Hydrogel is with chemicals or physically crosslinked,
three-dimensional chemical compound
network, extensively employed in varied medicine and
pharmaceutical applications. It will swell and hold an
outsized quantity of biological fluid and water whereas,
maintaining its structure while not dissolution. By
dominant the cross-linker density, precursor content
and property, the porous structure of gel may be tuned.
The mix of biocompatibility, biodegradability, porous
structure, extraordinary capability of retentive water and
biological fluid mimic the extracellular matrix. Therefore,
it may be employed in numerous biological applications
like membrane for biosensor drug delivery lining for
implant material for covering, and tissue engineering
[1]. Even though hydrogels are employed in numerous
industries, additional researches are getting in the sphere
of medical specialty applications due to its resembles to
living tissue, biocompatibility, and biodegradability [2].
By chemical approaches, the polymers are certain along
through valency bonds that endow environmental stability
and intensive mechanical strength. Compared, physical
hydrogels trust non-covalent interactions like H bonding,
electricity interactions, and metal-ligand coordination
[3]. The extremely porous structure of gel will simply be
tuned by dominant the density of cross-links within the gel
matrix and therefore, the affinity of the hydrogels for the
liquid surroundings within which they're swollen. Their
consistence additionally permits loading of medication into
the gel matrix and resulting drug unharness at a rate keen
about the diffusion constant of a tiny low molecule or a
super molecule through the gel network [4].


Abstract CAMCORE has visited 33 populations of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Quintana Roo, Mexico. Seed collections have been made in 29 provenances from 1,325 mother trees. A total of 21 provenances and sources of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis were tested in 48 provenance/progeny trials in Brazil, South Africa, and Venezuela. Growth rates in Brazil and Venezuela were quite promising, and were less encouraging in Colombia. In Brazil and Venezuela, heights were around 12m and mean DBH was around 18 cm at age 8. Growth in Colombia was substantially slower, with mean height less than 8 m at age 8, and mean DBH around 13 em, Assuming 1111 stems/ha with 85% survival, these growth rates correspond approximately to volumes (outside bark) of 14 - 15 m3 of wood/ha/year on sites in Brazil and Venezuela, and 4 - 5 m3/ha/yr in Colombia. Since these data represent the mean of unimproved material from all provenances, substantially larger values should be expected from selected material from the best provenances planted on suitable sites. Forking and foxtailing percentages were high in some tests in Brazil and Venezuela. There were generally higher incidences offoxtailing in Venezuela (greater than 25% at ages 5 and 8) than in Brazil (7 to 13% at ages 5 and 8). Forking was more similar, with means around 30%in Brazil and Venezuela. Provenances had relatively similar growth rankings in the different countries, with a Type B provenance correlation of 0.59. BLUP predictions of provenance effects were made for Brazil, Colombia andVenezuela. The best native provenances were Limon (Honduras) and Melinda (Belize), and Guanaja (Honduras) also performed well. Improved sources from Queensland Forest Research Institute (Australia) and SouthAfrican Forest Research Institute were 6 to 12% better than the mean of the unimproved provenances, depending on the country where they were planted.


Business process modelling is an essential part of developing a process improvement project. Current modelling methods always fall short in analysing capability to assist modelling users with process design. To describe cause-and-effect relationships among process variables clearly and then to provide a complete understanding of the business process both to the developer and to the end-user, the modelling approach described in this paper is composed of traditional process improvement techniques and system dynamics. After a careful evaluation and comparison of different modelling methods, a guideline is proposed for using graphical process representation techniques and causal loop diagram to establish a set of business process models in different stage. Finally, a case study is presented in order to illustrate the effectiveness of such a modelling framework.