Cry and non-cry vocalizations in four infants, videorecorded between 4 and 8 months of age, were analyzed by spectrograph in order to extract their temporal features. The vocalizations were classified with respect to their communicative value on the basis of situational context. Temporal parameters considered were: sequence length, pause duration, and vocalization duration. In order to analyze the influence of communicative value and non-segmental characteristics - voicing, melodic pattern, manner of phonation — five ANOVAs were performed. Results showed that duration of vocalizations is influenced by communicative value and non-segmental features, but in most cases not independently one factor from the other. A hypothesis of a prevalently indirect influence of communicative value on duration and temporal patterning is discussed.


In bridge design Finite Element Method is the most commonly used tool for the calculation of stresses and strains in structures. The problem is more complex in case of high speed train infrastructure design due to the strict limitations of differential settlement in the transition zones. The railway transitions experience differential settlements due to differences in track system stiffness, track damping characteristics, foundation type, ballast settlement as a result of fouling and degradation, as well as fill and subgrade settlement. The problems associated with the transition zones require complex analysis. Aim of this study is to enhance our understanding of the dynamic behaviour of the bridge transition and its soil environment. The authors report the first results obtained by the investigation of a 3D numerical model of a bridge transition zone subject to dynamic loads of a structure embedded in soft soil environments using advanced constitutive model.


This paper considers low-profit limited liability companies (L3Cs). It determines that the L3C status provides no advantages regarding two of the stated reasons for the concept, namely enabling foundations to make program related investments and providing clearer fiduciary duty/governance rules, and concludes that the L3C form has little or no value and should be abandoned.


So far, sexual dimorphism in the A. pannonicus is undocumented. In this survey 72 specimens (40 males and 32 females) of this lizard were collected from Kermanshah Province, western Iran. The uni- and multivariate analyses performed on the morphological data (10 meristic and nine metric characters) revealed that females are larger than males for some characters (DFH, DSV, SVL/HW, SDL, and CP). In the other words, sexual differences were female-biased, presumably influenced by fecundity selection and female investment in reproduction in Ablepharus pannonicus .


Renal bloodless perfusions under normothermic, normobaric conditions with oxygen or helium gas equilibrations were conducted in 14 canine kidneys. A new diuretic, metolazone (SR‐720—22), a quinazolinone compound, was evaulated for possible direct renal effects. Metolazone exerts direct renal effects with or without oxygen characterized by (1) fall in renal resistance; (2) rise in urine flow rate and osmolar clearance; (3) no change in GFR, in inulin extraction, or in the proximal tubular reabsorption of sodium. The agent at low doses is thus a potent and direct active diuretic. Lack of alteration in renal acidification processes as well as activity under anoxic conditions may indicate future usefulness in renal insufficiency states.


lEspaperdiscussesrequirementsfortest~forcharactaization of aUEn"S L&uezn idatid&&gmd ICoomponnts ('matchin&). A summary is given of the effects that can cause mismatch and measurement methods are di&. l7isdtsin tbedefm'tionofasefofmatchingteststnrctcnestbattnabks proper charactaization of mismatch. The approach is demonstrated with examples from a I pm BicMoSpnxes


The increasing age and longevity of the American population, coupled with the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), ensures that the treatment of ASCVD will remain a major public health priority. Although continued advances in endovascular technology hold promise for less invasive approaches to arterial occlusive diseases, the mainstay of therapy for patients with coronary and peripheral occlusions remains surgical bypass grafting. This is true because surgical bypass is less restrictive in terms of the anatomic nature of lesions that are amenable to treatment and, in general, offers superior long-term patency, albeit at the cost of greater initial risk. Bypass grafts to small-caliber vessels in the coronary or lower extremity circulations are commonly used procedures that offer important benefits to patients and incur significant economic cost on a national level. If one further considers the problem of long-term vascular access in the hemodialysis population, the importance of a durable, versatile, smallcaliber vascular graft assumes enormous proportions. The 'ideal' vascular graft would be characterized both by its mechanical attributes and postimplantation healing responses. Mechanical strength is a paramount issue; grafts placed in the arterial circulation must be capable of withstanding long-term hemodynamic stress without material failure, which might be catastrophic. Availability, suturability, and simplicity of handling are desirable for minimizing operating time, risk, and expense. The graft should be resistant to both thrombosis and infection and, optimally, would be completely incorporated by the body to yield a neovessel resembling a native artery in structure and function. Given the economic considerations, low cost and long-term durability are also important issues. For large-caliber arterial reconstructions, currently available synthetic grafts offer a reasonable approximation of these ideals and proven clinical efficacy. Long-term results of synthetic grafts for replacement of the thoracic and abdominal aorta, arch vessels, iliac, and common femoral arteries for either aneurysmal or occlusive disease are generally excellent when using any of a number of materials and manufacturing processes. While graft infection, occlusion, and dilatation are important clinical problems, the majority of patients can expect durable patency and a low frequency of repeat procedures. Unfortunately, prosthetic grafts have generally proved unfavorable as small-caliber (õ6 mm) arterial substitutes. In these demanding, low-flow environments, the primary factor influencing long-term patency is the type and quality of conduit used, with other patient variables (e.g., clinical indication, outflow resistance, site of distal anastomosis, comorbidities) serving as important modifiers. In the coronary circulation, the internal mammary artery (IMA) and radial artery have been used as bypass conduits, and constitute the closest approximation to this ideal graft yet defined. The long-term function of IMA grafts is excellent, making bypass of the left anterior descending artery with an IMA graft the single most durable intervention for coronary revascularization (1). Free radial artery grafts for coronary bypass are a subject of intense scrutiny at present, and preliminary data is promising. Unfortunately, these arterial conduits are severely limited by availability. Furthermore, it goes without saying that, in the lower extremity, the luxury of a nearby, distinct arterial circulation (e.g., IMA) is not an option as it is in the chest. Autogenous vein, particularly the greater saphenous, has proved to be a durable and versatile arterial substitute. In the lower extremity, long-term results with saphenous vein bypass (used in either in situ or reversed configurations) to infrapopliteal and even pedal arteries have been excellent. Secondary patency rates at 5 years approach 70–80% in most series, with limb salvage rates of 90% or greater (2). Results with ectopic (i.e., lesser saphenous, arm veins) or composite vein grafts are generally inferior


The 2007 CASM Bandnight was recorded on video and audio (CASM Archives). This event featured Premiere performances of original Indigenous compositions by CASM students and staff and Indigenous renditions of non-Indigenous music. The 2007 CASM Bandnight was held in collaboration with Dept of Live Productions, Theatre & Events Management, Adelaide TAFE, South Australia. The annual CASM Bandnight provides the opportunity to give increased production and profiling of high quality Indigenous music compositions, exposure and enhanced public profiling of young and emerging Indigenous artists and performance in a culturally appropriate setting and high profile venue. Extent: 1 performance.


Acidolysis kinetics on the process of the hydrolysis acidification by using glucose as the only energy sources was researched.It was concluded that the acidolysis kinetics constants are V_(max)=8.45d~(-1) and K_s=1089mg/L,under the circumstances of a temperature 37℃±0.5℃and the influent pH value 6.5.The results show that the rate of anaerobic acidification process is greater than that of completed an- aerobic or anoxic process.


This work describes a way of enhancing handwritten numeral string recognition by considering slant normalization and contextual information to train an implicit segmentationbased system. A word slant normalization method is modified in order to improve the results for handwritten numeral strings. We assume that each connected component (CC) in the string has its own slant. The slant and contour length of each CC are used for obtaining the mean slant of the string. Both the original and modified methods are evaluated by means of some interesting analyses on the NIST SD19 database. These analyses show (a) the positive impact of slant correction on the number of overlapping numerals in strings, and (b) the difference in normalizing isolated numerals based on the slant estimated from their own images and the slant estimated from their original string images. Slant normalization and contextual information regarding string slant and digit size variations within the string are used to train numeral HMMs. Preliminary string recognition results, produced by a system under construction, are shown.


Background: The ongoing introduction of novel therapies for MM provides clinicians and patients various treatment options in numerous lines of treatment. Understanding the current treatment practices and the outcomes in different age groups is of vital importance to understand whether these new treatment should be used in patients from all age groups and where options for treatment optimization exist. Aims: (i) To describe treatment patterns and corresponding outcomes in terms of response, time to next therapy (TTNT) and overall survival (OS) of Nordic Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients with a focus on age. (ii) To investigate whether age affected the patients' probability of being treated with a conventional (e.g. melphelan prednisone) or a novel treatment (bortezomib, thalidomide or lenalidomide) and whether this treatment choice affected OS in the elderly. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on incident 2960 MMpatients from 24 hospitals in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The database contained information on patient baseline characteristics such as age, gender, international staging system (ISS) stage, albumin, creatine, MM type and response, TTNT and OS over eight lines of treatment. The patients were stratified over three age groups (


Recent studies show sulfur redox processes in terrestrial settings are more important than previously considered, but much remains uncertain about how these processes respond to dynamic hydrologic conditions in natural field settings. We used field observations from a sulfate‐impacted wetland and stream in the mining region of Minnesota (USA) to calibrate a reactive transport model and evaluate sulfur and coupled geochemical processes under contrasting hydrogeochemical scenarios. Simulations of different hydrological conditions showed that flux and chemistry differences between surface water and deeper groundwater strongly control hyporheic zone geochemical profiles. However, model results for the stream channel versus wetlands indicate sediment organic carbon content to be the more important driver of sulfate reduction rates. A complex nonlinear relationship between sulfate reduction rates and geochemical conditions is apparent from the model's higher sensitivity to sulfate concentrations in settings with higher organic content. Across all scenarios, simulated e− balance results unexpectedly showed that sulfate reduction dominates iron reduction, which is contrary to the traditional thermodynamic ladder but corroborates recent experimental findings by Hansel et al. (2015) that "cryptic" sulfur cycling could drive sulfate reduction in preference over iron reduction. Following the thermodynamic ladder, our models shows that high surface water sulfate slows methanogenesis in shallow sediments, but field observations suggest that sulfate reduction may not entirely suppress methane. Overall, our results show that sulfate reduction may serve as a major component making up and influencing terrestrial redox processes, with dynamic hyporheic fluxes controlling sulfate concentrations and reaction rates, especially in high organic content settings.


Objectives Genetic interaction has been considered as a hallmark of the genetic architecture of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Based on two independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on Chinese populations, we performed a genome-wide search for genetic interactions contributing to SLE susceptibility. Methods The study involved a total of 1 659 cases and 3 398 controls in the discovery stage and 2 612 cases and 3 441 controls in three cohorts for replication. Logistic regression and multifactor dimensionality reduction were used to search for genetic interaction. Results Interaction of CD80 (rs2222631) and ALOX5AP (rs12876893) was found to be significantly associated with SLE (OR_int=1.16, P_int_all=7.7E-04 at false discovery rate<0.05). Single nuclear polymorphism rs2222631 was found associated with SLE with genome-wide significance (P_all=4.5E-08, OR=0.86) and is independent of rs6804441 in CD80, whose association was reported previously. Significant correlation was observed between expression of these two genes in healthy controls and SLE cases, together with differential expression of these genes between cases and controls, observed from individuals from the Hong Kong cohort. Genetic interactions between BLK (rs13277113) and DDX6 (rs4639966), and between TNFSF4 (rs844648) and PXK (rs6445975) were also observed in both GWAS data sets. Conclusions Our study represents the first genome-wide evaluation of epistasis interactions on SLE and the findings suggest interactions and independent variants may help partially explain missing heritability for complex diseases.


The title indoles are obtained by a short two-step procedure including the "aldol-crotonic" type condensation of easily available 1-alkylisatins and acetylated (hetero)arenes, followed by treatment of the 3-alkylated isatins with Lawesson reagent.


An accelerator in the US is to be upgraded to produce gamma rays that are one million times more powerful than any other source in the world. The High Intensity Gamma-ray Source (HIGS) at Duke University in North Carolina produces gamma rays by colliding electrons with laser photons. Thanks to a grant of $3.2m (about £2.2m) from the Department of Energy, the source will also produce gamma rays over a much wider range of energies than before.


In this work, we introduce patchable obfuscation: our notion adapts the notion of indistinguishability obfuscation (iO) to a very general setting where obfuscated software evolves over time. We model this broadly by considering software patches P as arbitrary Turing Machines that take as input the description of a Turing Machine M , and output a new Turing Machine description M ′ = P (M). Thus, a short patch P can cause changes everywhere in the description of M and can even cause the description length of the machine to increase by an arbitrary polynomial amount. We further consider the setting where a patch is applied not just to a single machine M , but to an unbounded set of machines (M1, . . . ,Mt) to yield (P (M1), . . . , P (Mt). We call this multi-program patchable obfuscation. We consider both patchable obfuscation and multi-program patchable obfuscation in a setting where there are an unbounded number of patches that can be adaptively chosen by an adversary. We show that sub-exponentially secure iO for circuits and sub-exponentially secure one-way functions imply patchable obfuscation; and we show that sub-exponentially secure iO for circuits, sub-exponentially secure one-way functions, and sub-exponentially secure DDH imply multiprogram patchable obfuscation. Finally, we exhibit some simple applications of multi-program patchable obfuscation, to demonstrate how these concepts can be applied. ∗University of California Los Angeles and Center for Encrypted Functionalities. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Work done in part while visiting the Simons Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, supported by the Simons Foundation and and by the DIMACS/Simons Collaboration in Cryptography through NSF grant #CNS-1523467. This work was partially supported by grant #360584 from the Simons Foundation and the grants listed under Amit Sahai. †Johns Hopkins University. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Work done in part while visiting the Simons Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, supported by the Simons Foundation and and by the DIMACS/Simons Collaboration in Cryptography through NSF grant #CNS-1523467.. Supported in part by a DARPA/ARL Safeware Grant W911NF-15-C-0213 and NSF CNS-1414023. ‡University of California Los Angeles and Center for Encrypted Functionalities. Email: email@example.com Work done in part while visiting the Simons Institute for Theoretical Computer Science, supported by the Simons Foundation and and by the DIMACS/Simons Collaboration in Cryptography through NSF grant #CNS-1523467. Research supported in part from a DARPA/ARL SAFEWARE award, NSF Frontier Award 1413955, NSF grants 1228984, 1136174, 1118096, and 1065276, a Xerox Faculty Research Award, a Google Faculty Research Award, an equipment grant from Intel, and an Okawa Foundation Research Grant. This material is based upon work supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency through the ARL under Contract W911NF-15-C-0205. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, or the U.S. Government.


Executive Summary Operation centers rely on an interconnected process involving complex technological systems and human operators. Designers should account for issues at possible points of failure, including the human operators themselves. Compared to other system components, human operators can be error-prone and require different knowledge to design for. They also typically exhibit a wider range of performance than other system components. This document provides a design approach, methods, and design principles to use when designing to improving human performance within a complex system that is an operation center, and thus to improve the performance of the system itself. The principles are supplemented by text offering a primer on relevant literature on human cognition relevant to operation centers and example design documents. This report is designed to be useful to operation center designers and implementers.


The quenching dynamics of femtosecond-optical-pulse-induced photoluminescence in semiconductors under the influence of single-cycle terahertz pulses has been experimentally investigated. When electron kinetic energy gained from the terahertz field was comparable to or greater than initial excess electron energy, photoluminescence quenching was observed. Quenching in cadmium telluride (CdTe) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) is linearly proportional to the intensity of incident terahertz waves and reaches up to 17% and 4%, respectively, at a peak terahertz intensity of 13 MW/cm2. The photoluminescence measurement reveals that the ultrafast decay times of terahertz-pulse-induced quenching are 700±60 fs for CdTe and 350±30 fs for GaAs.


In recent years, the current artificial intelligence exposed user data privacy during training and the high cost of training are getting more and more attention, which are becoming an obstacle to the development of AI. We identify the main issues as data privacy, ownership, and exchange and model privacy, which are difficult to be solved with the current centralized paradigm of machine learning training methodology or federating learning methodology. As a result, we propose a practical model training paradigm based on Blockchain, named Distributed AI, which aims to train a model with distributed data and to reserve the data ownership for their owners and the interest of trained model. In this new paradigm, we use Blockchain[3] as the base architecture in which we abstract different actors (i.e., model provider, data provider) taking different actions to archive own target, realize distributing encrypted model training by Federating Learning with different actors, set smart contract as model training infrastructure, set up notification server, pricing of training data is according to its contribution and therefore it is not about the exchange of data ownership.


A 72 year old woman with frequent polymyositis flares and long term steroid use presented after six weeks of right sided weakness and cognitive decline. …


Significance Plant growth is highly plastic, and coordination of environmental signals with intrinsic developmental pathways has implications for plant productivity and stress resistance. However, signaling mechanisms involved in such coordination remain unclear. Phosphoproteomics found a range of phosphorylation sites affected by Highly ABA-Induced1 (HAI1), a protein phosphatase involved in abiotic stress and abscisic acid signaling. Of these, HAI1 could directly dephosphorylate the DNA-binding protein AT-Hook–Like 10 (AHL10). AHL10 phosphorylation was critical for growth regulation and expression of development and hormone-related genes during water limitation stress. By identifying HAI1-affected phosphoproteins and the functionally important AHL10 phosphorylation site, these results elucidate HAI1 and AHL10 function and demonstrate a mechanism plants use to balance maximal growth versus robust response to environmental stress. The clade A protein phosphatase 2C Highly ABA-Induced 1 (HAI1) plays an important role in stress signaling, yet little information is available on HAI1-regulated phosphoproteins. Quantitative phosphoproteomics identified phosphopeptides of increased abundance in hai1-2 in unstressed plants and in plants exposed to low-water potential (drought) stress. The identity and localization of the phosphoproteins as well as enrichment of specific phosphorylation motifs indicated that these phosphorylation sites may be regulated directly by HAI1 or by HAI1-regulated kinases including mitogen-activated protein kinases, sucrose non-fermenting–related kinase 2, or casein kinases. One of the phosphosites putatively regulated by HAI1 was S313/S314 of AT-Hook–Like10 (AHL10), a DNA-binding protein of unclear function. HAI1 could directly dephosphorylate AHL10 in vitro, and the level of HAI1 expression affected the abundance of phosphorylated AHL10 in vivo. AHL10 S314 phosphorylation was critical for restriction of plant growth under low-water potential stress and for regulation of jasmonic acid and auxin-related gene expression as well as expression of developmental regulators including Shootmeristemless. These genes were also misregulated in hai1-2. AHL10 S314 phosphorylation was required for AHL10 complexes to form foci within the nucleoplasm, suggesting that S314 phosphorylation may control AHL10 association with the nuclear matrix or with other transcriptional regulators. These data identify a set of HAI1-affected phosphorylation sites, show that HAI1-regulated phosphorylation of AHL10 S314 controls AHL10 function and localization, and indicate that HAI1-AHL10 signaling coordinates growth with stress and defense responses.


Advanced DC transmission technology is an important basis for building global energy Internet in the future. It is the main scheme to solve the problem of large power capacity long distance transnational or intercontinental transmission. In order to improve the receiving system of large scale power consumptive ability, The usage of UHVDC with hierarchical connection to AC grid technology has been extended in a wide range. However, due to the coupling relationship between the hierarchical DC inverter side, the traditional control strategy in inverter side easily leads to an commutation failure of converter valves on non-fault level when AC power system failure occurs on the other voltage level. This single fault causes fast conduction in different voltage levels through DC system, and the power grid will show fault characteristics in different voltage levels simultaneously, which expands the influence scope. This paper presents an improved inverter turn-off angle control strategy. Commutation failure preventive control parameters in logic were optimized through formula derivation and simulation analysis methods, which can ensure the stable operation of converter valve on non-fault level, and avoids the occurrence of simultaneous commutation failure on both voltage level. Electromechanical and electromagnetic hybrid simulation with practical planning power system is taken based on ADPSS software and the effectiveness is proved.


Objective To compare the time-course of relaxant effect of rocuronium between patients of Uygur and Han nationalities.Methods Thirty ASA Ⅰ or Ⅱ patients (15 Uygur nationality,15 Han nationality) of both sexes,aged 20-55 yr weighing 45-73 kg were divided into 2 groups (n=15 each):group U Uygur nationality and group H Han nationality.Anesthesia was induced with midazolam,propofol,fentanyl and suxamethonium chloride.Tracheal intubation was performed and the patients were mechanically ventilated.Recuronium 0.6mg/kg was then given iv.Neuromuscular function was monitored with acceleromyograph using single stimulation of the ulna nerve.The onset time (time from injection of recuronium to maximal paralysis),nonresponse time (duration of maximal twitch depression),clinical duration (time required for the twitch to return to 25% of control height after injection of initial dose),75%recovery time (time for twitch to return to 75%of control height after injection of initial dose) and recovery index (time for twitch height to return from 25% to 75% of control height) were recorded.Results There was no significant difference in the onset time between the two nationalities.The time of nonresponse period,clinical duration and 75% recovery time were significantly shorter in Uygur patients than in Han patients.Recovery index was significantly shorter in Uygur patients.Conclusion There is a significant difference in the time-course of muscle relaxant effect of recuronium between Uygur and Han nationalities.The influence of nationality on recommended dosage of recuronimn should be considered.

Key words:
Androstanols; Uygur nationality; Han nationality; Neuromuscular blockade


A computer model which simulates the operation of Texas Instruments solar-chemical convertor (SCC) was developed. The model allows optimization of SCC processes, material, and configuration by facilitating decisions on tradeoffs among ease of manufacturing, power conversion efficiency, and cost effectiveness. The model includes various algorithms which define the electrical, electrochemical, and resistance parameters and which describ the operation of the discrete components of the SCC. Results of the model which depict the effect of material and geometric changes on various parameters are presented. The computer-calculated operation is compared with experimentall observed hydrobromic acid electrolysis rates.


Purpose The Swedish Maternal Microbiome (SweMaMi) project was initiated to better understand the dynamics of the microbiome in pregnancy, with longitudinal microbiome sampling, shotgun metagenomics, extensive questionnaires and health registry linkage. Participants Pregnant women were recruited before the 20th gestational week during 2017–2021 in Sweden. In total, 5439 pregnancies (5193 unique women) were included. For 3973 pregnancies (73%), samples were provided at baseline, and for 3141 (58%) at all three timepoints (second and third trimester and postpartum). In total, 38 591 maternal microbiome samples (vaginal, faecal and saliva) and 3109 infant faecal samples were collected. Questionnaires were used to collect information on general, reproductive and mental health, diet and lifestyle, complemented by linkage to the nationwide health registries, also used to follow up the health of the offspring (up to age 10). Findings to date The cohort is fairly representative for the total Swedish pregnant population (data from 2019), with 41% first-time mothers. Women with university level education, born in Sweden, with normal body mass index, not using tobacco-products and aged 30–34 years were slightly over-represented. Future plans The sample and data collection were finalised in November 2021. The next steps are the characterisation of the microbial DNA and linkage to the health and demographic information from the questionnaires and registries. The role of the microbiome on maternal and neonatal outcomes and early-childhood diseases will be explored (including preterm birth, miscarriage) and the role and interaction of other risk factors and confounders (including endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diet, drug use). This is currently among the largest pregnancy cohorts in the world with longitudinal design and detailed and standardised microbiome sampling enabling follow-up of both mothers and children. The findings are expected to contribute greatly to the field of reproductive health focusing on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.


Confinement Loss of microstructured fibers whose cladding is composed by a triangular arrangement of tubes of various shapes is theoretically and numerically investigated. Kagome Fibers belong from this family of fibers with cladding tubes with hexagonal shape. The shape of the cladding tubes is proved to strongly affect the performance of the microstructured fiber. In order to understand the reasons for this behavior, the spectral properties of the tubes that constitute the cladding are investigated first. It is proved that also these tubes suffer from additional Fano Resonances when they are given a polygonal shape. It is proved that, by using the analytical model developed for the stand alone polygonal tubes, it is possible to predict the spectral position of Fano Resonances also in microstructured fibers. This is extremely important since it suggest new ways to reduce confinement loss in kagome fibers and microstructured fibers in general.


Context  Empathy is a major component of a satisfactory doctor–patient relationship and the cultivation of empathy is a learning objective proposed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for all American medical schools. Therefore, it is important to address the measurement of empathy, its development and its correlates in medical schools.


For the exchange of high rate information, wide band antennas are needed and their usage increased tremendously now a days. One of the major challenges in the design of Wideband antenna is the design of a small size antenna while providing wide bandwidth, omni-directional radiation pattern and stable gain. The proposed antenna consists of a monopole patch loaded with truncated L-shaped strip. The ground is extended vertically towards the two sides of the single radiator to improve the bandwidth. The size of the proposed antenna is 25 × 25 × 1.6 mm3 and is prototyped on FR4 substrate whose permittivity is 4.4. The proposed antenna is providing wideband characteristics with suitable gain for wireless communication applications.


Electromagnetic ground wave propagation has been a topic of practical interest for broadcasting and underground prospection in the medium and lower radio frequencies for more than a century. A brief review of ground wave propagation and its development since the work of Zenneck and Sommerfeld a century ago is presented. Recently interest has been revived in using ground waves for wireless communication with remote under-populated areas using the high frequency (HF) range which extends from 3-30 MHz. We present numerical results for the fields excited by a vertical electric dipole (VED) on the earth' surface in this range of frequencies and study the effect of ground conductivity on the received fields. In addition, we explore the possibility of using horizontal electric dipoles (HED) as transmitting and receiving dipoles. In this case, it is necessary to elevate both dipoles above the earth's surface by a distance comparable to a wavelength in order to enhance the received signal level. This is practically feasible in the HF regime where the wavelengths are sufficiently short We conclude that elevated HED's can perform as well as the VED, or even better, when the operating frequency lies in the upper end of the HF range.


Different forms of sulphur (S) were studied in surface soil samples (0–15 cm) in rice-wheat growing areas of Haryana gnd their relationship with physico-chemical properties of the soils. The total S content was found to range from 42.0 mg to 338.0 mg/kg. The average heat soluble S and organic S content were relatively higher (36.2 and 56.3 mg/kg, respectively). Except water soluble S, all the forms of S were positively correlated with organic carbon. The organic carbon of the soil was found to have a greater impact on different S forms folowed by clay content and electrical conductivity.


Japan is located in a volcanic zone where there are widespread and valuable geothermal energy resources with huge amount of potential. However, geothermal power generation is not developed as desired due to high cost. The new technologies are applied to the four plants which we constructed recently in order to realize an improvement in economy and reliability. Those plants have been successfully operated and achieved high dependability.


This research was undertaken to study the common presenting features, possible management options, and outcome results in a series of patients with intraorbital and extraorbital vascular disorders. Vascular lesions constitute up to 10–15 % of all orbital tumors. The shape, color, and invasiveness differ within each group: from bright red to deep blue and from a well-demarcated lesion to a more infiltrative tumor within the surrounding orbital tissue. Intraorbital vascular lesions can be categorized into arteriovenous, venous, and lymphatic disorders, each category have different clinical presentation, imaging characteristics, and management strategy. A retrospective non comparative case series study was conducted at ophthalmology department, Menoufia University Hospital, Egypt. Records of 10 patients diagnosed with orbital vascular disorders in the period from May 01, 2011 to December 31, 2013 were reviewed as regard to their diagnostic and therapeutic findings. Data of ten patients with unilateral vascular disorders were reviewed; the cohort included 4 women and 6 men with a mean age of 45 years (range, 5-66 years). Presenting findings included periocular mass (8 patients, 80%); periocular edema (6 patients, 60%); pulsation/bruit (3 patients, 30%); proptosis (5 patients, 50%); previous trauma (5 patients, 50%); elevated intraocular pressure (4 patients, 40%); pain and reduced visual acuity (2 patients each, 20%); and restriction of extraocular movements, and diplopia (1 patient, 10%). Orbital ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed angiography revealed specific findings according to type of vascular disorders. Treatment options ranged from conservative follow up till surgical excision. Two patients received embolization of feeder vessels; most of the patients had initial resolution of manifestations after treatment. Orbital vascular disorders can present with different symptoms and signs. Their diagnosis necessitates integrated cooperation between ophthalmological, interventional radiology, and vascular subspecialties. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and angiography are essential for both diagnosis and management. The treatment depends on patient-specific features and includes observation, embolization, and surgical excision or combined preoperative embolization/excision.


MICHELE H. BOGART,Artists, Advertising, and the Borders of Art . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997, pp. xv, 427, illustrations, notes, in dex, $19.95 paper. BILL BROWN, The Material Unconscious: American Amusement, Stephen Crane, and the Economy of Play . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996, pp. xiii, 335, illustrations, notes, index, $22.95 paper. MARIUS DE ZAYAS, How, When, and Why Modern Art Came to New York . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996, pp. xiv, 260, illustrations, appendices, index, $35.00 cloth. WILLIAM B. SCOTT and PETER M. RUTKOFF,New York Modern: The Arts and theCity . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, pp. xx, 448, illustrations, notes, index, $39.95 cloth. REBECCA ZURIER, ROBERT W. SNYDER, and VIRGINIA M. MECKLENBERG,Metropolitan Lives: The Ashcan Artists and Their New York. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1995, pp. 232, illustrations, notes, index, $50 cloth.


Although Clark County was organized in 1801, the first dates in the marriage records are for 1807. Two earlier marriages, John Covert to Rachel Stootsman, September 9, 1802, and Robert Biggs to Ellanor Irwin, October 5, 1802, are recorded in Clark County Deed Records, 1:279, 320. Dur ing part of the period covered by the following records, the present Harrison, Jefferson, Scott, and Floyd counties were a part of Clark County. The residence of the person per forming the marriage may provide a clue to the residence of the participants. Patrick Shields and Clement Nance were later residents of Harrison County; Samuel Smock, John Vawter, and John Ryker resided in that part of Clark which became Jefferson County. In some cases the date given in the records is the date of the marriage license, while in other cases it is the date of the certificate or marriage returned to the county clerk. In the following list, the former is indicated by "L" and the latter by "C." The first pages of the marriage records are badly torn; some of the names are missing and others are almost illegible. For the first seven marriages, only the brides' names remain. These were:


After World War II national development efforts focused on the achievement of rapid economic growth. In the early stages the central purpose was the achievement of industrialization. Only later, beginning in the 1950s, did the alleviat ion of poverty become a central concern. It soon became evident that there was li ttle direct linkage between economic growth and the extent of poverty. New strategies were designed to achieve growth-with-equity. Some efforts were made to take account of non-economic, physical quality-of-Iife indicators of development. Emphasis has remained on the material aspects of development, but in the 1970s some writers gave a ttention to the non-material dimensions of development. It is now argued that development should be understood in terms of the condit ion of consciousness of individuals, particularly in relation to their views of their capacities and rights to act in the world. Moreover, it now seems increasingly evident that the natural unit of development is not the nation and not the individual bu t the community. Social development requires the development of community consciousness. At any level of society, development is best understood as the increasi ng capacity to identify, analyze, and solve one's own problems. The task is not so much the alleviation of poverty as the alleviation of powerlessness.


The drawback of the small EBG-resonator antenna using a square-patch in-phase highly-reflecting surface (HRS), proposed in [1], is its narrow bandwidth. The theoretical method is cleared for analyzing the effect of the bandwidth of the in-phase HRS on the bandwidth of the EBG-resonator antenna in this paper. To enhance the gain bandwidth of the antenna according to the theoretical rule, a double-layer mushroom-type in-phase HRS surface, whose reflection phase decreases much slower with frequency than that of the square-patch HRS, is designed. Results of an antenna application with wider bandwidth at 11.9 GHz are shown.


This study was to formulate air freshener gel containing essential oil of Amomum biflorum Jack. Four formulations were composed of 0 %, 2 %, 4 % and 6 % essential oil. They were prepared and used for the assessment on 100 volunteers. The  aroma-liking score of formulation containing 2 % essential oil was significantly higher than other formulations (p < 0.05). The physical stability test at 25 ๐C and 40 ๐C for 1 day showed that there were no changes in odor, color and gel texture. There was reduction of odor and gel texture dried out after being kept at room temperature for 90 days. GC-MS analysis of Amomum biflorum Jack essential oil and freshly prepared gel showed that there was difference in the major chemical component of Amomum biflorum Jack essential oil and freshly prepared gel, Limonene and Benzoic acid, respectively. Freshly prepared gel found Benzoic acid because Sodium benzoate was a preservative. In addition, three chemical components, Camphor, β-Selinene and α-Terpineol were found in Amomum biflorum Jack essential oil and freshly prepared gel.


The main phonetic differences between the speech of male and female speakers are described and explanations that have been offered to account for these differences are critically discussed.


Abstract Background Cecal intubation rate represents a key procedural quality parameter in diagnostic colonoscopy. However, even experienced investigators report 10 % of all colonoscopies to be difficult and intubation of the cecum is sometimes impossible. A recently developed novel motorized spiral endoscope might potentially overcome some limitations of standard colonoscopy by actively pleating the bowel onto the endoscope. The study aim was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of motorized spiral colonoscopy (MSC) for diagnostic colonoscopy. Methods 30 consecutive patients with an indication for diagnostic colonoscopy were enrolled in a proof-of-concept single-center trial. Results 13 men and 17 women (mean age 68.9 years, range 30 – 90) were enrolled; 43.3 % had diverticula. Mean procedure time was 20.8 min (range 11.4 – 55.3). Cecal intubation rate was 96.7 %. One incomplete colonoscopy occurred because of an unexpected postinflammatory stricture. Adenoma detection rate was 46.6 %. No severe adverse events occurred. Conclusions Results indicate that MSC is safe and effective for diagnostic colonoscopy. It potentially offers advantages in terms of ease and it may facilitate therapeutic interventions.


The principle of real-time communication based on IPX protocol is analyzed concisely,and the structure model of the multi-paths control system is shown,and then the realization method and flowchart of the communication program are expound- ed.This communication program can realize the needed real-time communication in the multi-paths control system.


In computer simulation, using the finite element method, we developed some method for visualization of the morphology of stationary temperature field of heat pipe with symmetrical structure, in the presence of certain heat flow source localized in the center. It is shown that in the heat flow source's temperature range T hfs = 350÷450 K for the pipe isotropic model the shape of isothermal lines follows fairly well the shape of the corresponding source; for the pipe anisotropic model, regardless of the form of heat flow source, there is a significant increase in the deflection of isotherms and change in their forms because of increase in the anisotropy coefficient ( k λ).


The smart-power-grid brings opportunity and challenges to the power system protection and control. In previous century, there has nothing variation in the fundamental structure of the electrical power grid and vehicle networks. Rapid progress in communication and measurement techniques sharpens progress of Wide area Protection depend on the wide area measurement system. Smart-power-grid is considered as modern electric power grid basic physical and organizational structure and facilities for good efficiency and reliability. It is through automatic control high power converters, modern communications infrastructure, sensing and metering technologies and modern energy management techniques depend on demand energy and network availability. In this paper, the background of smart-power-grid is explained. Smart-power-grid latest technologies It provide the nonconventional instrument transformer clock synchronization and data synchronization offer great opportunities for development of Wide area Protection. According to this the concept the content and promote the Wide area Protection. Some of the key technologies like wide area measurement system and wide area communication system are analyze. At the end development of Wide area Protection in smart-power-grid are prospected.


The arbitrator OF INVENTION COOPERATE WITH PN PROCESSING UNITS IN GROUPEES P LEVELS WITH EACH N PROCESSING UNITS. A BASIC arbiter 3, 4, 5 IS ASSIGNED TO EACH LEVEL AND A CENTRAL arbiter 7, 8, 9 ALLOCATED cyclically PRIORITY TO EACH LEVEL 6. The arbitrator CENTRAL CONTAINS ESSENTIALLY A MEMORY 9 PROGRAM TO AWARD A SOLE PRIORITY TO EACH LEVEL APPLICATION:.. MULTI SYSTEM


The aim of the work is to show that the High Pressure Sodium Vapour (HPSV) lamp Tubular version, with light output golden yellow colour, can be used for illuminating Industrial interiors and also to show that they save the energy as well as the cost with better illumination level . This is achieved by changing the reflectance characteristics of the reflector, by chemical treatment to the reflector, there by light gets diffused to some extent. Since the tubular version lamp gives extra lumens compare to elliptical coated version lamp, this can be used as one of the energy effective light source and make the optics of the lamp more conducive. From the newly innovated system, lamp with diffused reflector combination, the energy saved is substantial. Additional cost involved in developing the new reflector is negligible. Only the existing standard materials and components are used with little modification by chemical treatment


Provided are: a dry composition of any of various shapes which has heat resistance that renders the composition less apt to dissolve away even when boiled and which has restorability (water swellability); and a food comprising the dry composition. The dry composition contains agar and alginic acid salts in a weight ratio of 1:1 to 1:20, and is characterized in that the alginic acid salts comprise a salt of a monovalent cation and a salt of a divalent cation, the amount of divalent cations is 0.04-0.30 mol and the amount of monovalent cations is 0.10-0.70 mol, per mole of the monomer units of the alginic acid salts, the molar ratio of the divalent cations to the monovalent cations is 1.0:0.35 to 1.0:8.70, and the dry composition, when in either 20 DEG C distilled water or 90 DEG C distilled water, absorbs water and swells to turn to a gel, the weight of which is 15-100 times the weight of the dry composition.


Background

Tendinopathy is a chronic injury disease caused by repeated traction. It is characterized by exercise-related pain, increased local tendon sensitivity, and imaging changes in the tendon. Rotator cuff injury is one of the typical tendinopathy. Tendon-derived stem cells (TDSC) play a vital role in the development of tendinopathy. Our previous studies have found that reactive oxygen species increase after rotator cuff injury and the oxidative stress response is strengthened, but whether oxidative stress induces TDSC autophagy to promote tendon bone healing is not clear.
Methods

First, we collected the injured and normal tendon tissues of patients with rotator cuff injury, detected the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superoxide anion (SOD) in the tissues, detected Beclin1, mTOR gene expression by qPCR, and WB (Western blotting). Beclin1, p-mTOR/mTOR protein expression.Then, we extracted human tendon stem cells (TDSC) from tendon tissue, infected TDSC with recombinant lentivirus pLKO.1-shBeclin1, and verified the expression of Beclin1 by qPCR and WB.Finally, H2O2 and 3-MA were used to intervene TSCs. CCK8 was used to detect the proliferation ability of H2O2 on human TSCs; autophagy staining (MDC), autophagy-lysosome staining (Lyso-Tracker Red) and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe autophagy. Immunofluorescence staining detects the expression of autophagy factor LC3A/B; DCFH-DA detects cellular reactive oxygen species ROS level, Annexin V/PI detects cell apoptosis; WB detects Beclin1, mTOR, p-mTOR (Ser2448), LC3A/B, cleaved caspase-3 protein expression.
Results

In this study, it was found that the expression levels of ROS and Beclin1 in the damaged rotator cuff tissue were higher, while the expression levels of SOD and mTOR were lower. After the recombinant lentivirus pLKO.1-shBeclin1 was infected with TDSC, the expression of Beclin1 decreased. After treating TDSCs with H2O2 and 3-MA, it was found that H2O2 caused an increase in reactive oxygen species ROS content, autophagy levels, and LC3A/B expression in TDSCs, and an increase in Beclin1, mTOR, LC3A/B, and cleaved caspase-3 protein expression. Lead to a decrease in the level of apoptosis.
Conclusion

Under the mutual regulation of Beclin1-mTOR, oxidative stress induces the occurrence of autophagy in TSCs, and autophagy may protect TSCs from oxidative stress by reducing the accumulation of ROS.


The objective of this study is to examine the effect of auditor independence, group cohesiveness, and individual factors on internal audit effectiveness of regional inspectorates. In addition, this study also intends to examine whether group cohesiveness mediates relationship between auditor independence and internal audit effectiveness. Population of this study is regional inspectorates located in some regencies/municipalities in Central Java Province and East Java Province, Indonesia. Method of analysis of this study is structural equation modeling by using Smart PLS. The results indicate that, as predicted, auditor independence has a positive and significant relationship with internal audit effectiveness. Interestingly, this study proves that group cohesiveness partially mediates relationship between auditor independence and internal audit effectiveness. Unfortunately, individual factors (i.e. level of education and work experience) do not have significant relation with audit effectiveness.


Specimens of Paxillus cuprinus, a species recently described from P. involutus complex and characterized by less massive, dully coloured basidiomes with more slender stipes, as well as longer basidiospores, were collected by authors during an expedition to the Southern Urals (Republic of Bashkortostan). The studied collection represents the first record of the species in Russia based on basidiomes. The identity of the studied collection was confirmed by molecular data (nrITS and tef1 sequence analyses) and morphology. A full description, illustration of specimens, and results of phylogenetic analyses are provided.


Object-based image analysis enables the recognition of complex image structures that are intractable to conventional pixel-based methods. To date, there is no generally accepted approach for the object-based processing of images, thus making it difficult to transfer developments. In this paper, we propose a generic concept for object-based image analysis that is broadly applicable and founded on established methodologies, such as the attributed relational graph, the relational data model and statistical classifiers. We also describe a reference implementation of the concept as part of the MeVisLab image processing platform.


Globalization leading to massive geopolitical changes around the world has made it meaningful to reconsider the state of English education in Saudi Higher Education Institutions to gain a realistic understanding of their role and contribution in preparing native Arabic speaking Saudi EFL learners to establish themselves as global citizens. This study weaves around the twin axes of linguistic awareness and grammatical competence by evaluating these factors in a random sample of student participants (N= 120) from Hail University, KSA. They are exposed to two remotely administered tests the first of which measures their grammatical skills in English. In addition, linguistic awareness is measured using participants' acceptability judgements to four types of English syntactical constructions to gain a deeper understanding of their language awareness. Results show that just 17% of the participants could correctly answer the grammar test while 83% of them answered the test incorrectly. Further, in the acceptability judgement test, students answer the syntax with rare collocations (Yes=52.7%, No=47.3%), syntax with unusual collocation (Yes=41.3%, No=58.8%), syntax with frequent collocation (Yes=49.2%, No=50.8%), and syntax with wrong collocation (Yes=5.2%, No=94.8%).  Language being a cognitive, social, and cultural construct, a comparative analysis of the results obtained from these two kinds of data is likely to bring the spotlight on the dominant component in the Saudi university EFL classroom, and hence, help identify the precise factors that need to be boosted.


Rectangular luggage tag from the Hotel Opera in Istanbul, Turkey with a photographic image of the Blue Mosque (left), and the Sultan Ahmed Turbesi (right).


We report a rare variant of mucocele of the appendix. An elderly gentleman was admitted with symptoms and signs of acute appendicitis. He underwent laparoscopic converted open appendicectomy. On exploration there were pearls or fish egg like globular material along with jelly in and around the appendix. On examination of the specimen a differential diagnosis of hydatid cyst or pseudomyxoma was considered. On microscopic examination, the globules consisted of eosinophilic laminations of mucin surrounding an amorphous granular core. After histopathological examination, our case was diagnosed as myxoglobulosis of the appendix.Acute appendicitis is a common clinical problem and appendisectomy a regular surgery. The clinician should be aware of this entity of myxoglobulosis, to avoid confusion with pseudomyxoma or hydatid cyst. Presence of typical fish eggs or pearls like globular structures in and around the appendix is suggestive of myxoglobulosis. Appendisectomy is curative treatment for patients with myxoglobulosis of appendix and there are no reports of its recurrence.


The problem of acceptance sampling when the life test is truncated at a preassigned time is considered. For various acceptance numbers, confidence levels and values of the ratio of the fixed experimental time to the specified average life, the minimum sample size necessary to ensure the specified average life, are obtained under the assumption that the lifetime variate of the test items follows a distribution belonging to Burr's family XII of distributions - called the log-logistic model. The operating characteristic values of the sampling plans and producer's risk are presented. The results are illustrated by an example.


The criteria proposed to distinguish transient faults from permanent ones and the sequential reclosure strategy make it possible to avoid reclosing on permanent faults or transient ones in single-phase or multi-phase faults. The theoretical analysis and offline algorithm of the optimal reclosure have been developed well. Based on the review of the adaptive auto-reclosure, the prospective trends are described. This project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.50277027) and XJ Education Bounty of China Electricity Fund.


E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com July 1, 2014, Accepted July 21, 2014Intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction of vinylarenes bearing a Z-alkenyl tether, prepared from Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) adducts, afforded arene-fused isoindoline derivatives in good yields. Vinylfurans,vinylthiophenes, and vinylnaphthalenes could be used successfully as dienes, while vinylbenzene failed underthe same reaction conditions.Key Words : Intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts, Vinylarenes, IsoindolinesIntroductionThe construction of a cyclohexene ring by using vinyl-arene (such as styrenyl) as a 1,3-diene moiety in both inter-and intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions has been welldocumented.


Off-reef sediment transport by the surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus (Acanthuridae) was quantified on the reef crest at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Three independent methods were implemented to estimate sediment ingestion rates. These considered (1) the bite rate and bite volume, (2) the defecation rate and faecal pellet size, and (3) the average gut contents and throughput rate. The 3 methods provided a broad range of estimates of sediment ingestion from 8.8 ± 2.4, to 66.1 ± 14.4 g fish–1 d–1 (mean ± SE). Nevertheless, these estimates were comparable to rates of sediment ingestion by parrotfishes (Labridae), the other major sediment-moving group on reefs. Overall, 36.5% of all sediment ingested was transported from the upper reef crest into deeper water, equating to a removal rate of 28.6 ± 6.2 kg 100 m–2 yr–1 at the study site. By brushing the reef, C. striatus reduces the sediment loading in the epilithic algal matrix (EAM) while causing little damage to the algal turf. Reducing sediments in EAMs provides favourable settlement surfaces for benthic organisms and increases the palatability of the EAM to herbivorous reef fishes, thus supporting reef resilience. The ecological importance of C. striatus, which is abundant on reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, appears to have been underestimated, particularly when considering reef sediment dynamics.


The utility model relates to an aerosol sample tank for infrared analysis, which comprises a sample cavity, flat plates, a top cover, three through holes, three sealing plugs, a lead hole, a fan and two annular pressing plates. The top edge of the sampling cavity with a U-shaped groove structure is turned outwards; the flat plates with circular holes at the centers are arranged at two ends of the sample cavity; the top cover is connected with the top edge of the sample cavity, and a flexible sealing washer is arranged at the connecting position of the top cover with the top edge; the through holes are equidistantly processed along the longitudinal axis on the top cover, the heights of the sealing plugs in the shapes of circular tables are slightly larger than the thickness of the top cover, and the median diameters of the sealing plugs are equal to the diameters of the through holes; the lead hole is arranged on one of the sealing plugs; the fan is fixed at the center of the bottom of the top cover, a lead of the fan is led out from the lead hole of the sealing plug; and the annular pressing plate can be fixed at the positions corresponding to the circular holes at two ends of the sample tank and are used for fixing circular infrared glass or infrared film materials which are larger in diameters onto the outer sides of the positions of the circular holes at two ends of the sample tank. The aerosol sample tank has the advantages of large capacity, long optical distance, convenient sample adding, convenient cleaning and replacement of infrared window sheets, fine sealing performance and the like.


Invertebrate diversity can be a key driver of ecosystem functioning, yet understanding what factors influence local biodiversity remains uncertain. In many marine and terrestrial systems, facilitation cascades where primary foundation and/or autogenic ecosystem engineering species promote the settlement and survival of a secondary foundation/engineering species have been shown to enhance local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We experimentally tested if a facilitation cascade occurs among eelgrass (Zostera marina), pen clams (Atrina rigida), and community diversity in temperate seagrass beds in North Carolina, U.S.A., and if this sequence of direct positive interactions created feedbacks that affected various metrics of seagrass ecosystem function and structure. Using a combination of surveys and transplant experiments, we found that pen clam density and survivorship was significantly greater in seagrass beds, indicating that eelgrass facilitates pen clams. Pen clams in turn enhanced local diversity and increased both the abundance and species richness of organisms (specifically, macroalgae and fouling invertebrate fauna)—the effect of which scaled with increasing clam density. However, we failed to detect an impact of pen clams on other seagrass functions and hypothesize that functioning may more likely be enhanced in scenarios where secondary foundation species specifically increase the diversity of key functional groups such as epiphyte grazers and/or when bivalves are infaunal rather than epifaunal. Our findings add to the growing amount of literature that demonstrates that secondary foundation species are important drivers of local biodiversity in marine ecosystems. Further experimentation is needed that directly examines (i) the role of functional versus overall diversity on seagrass functions and (ii) the relative importance of life-history strategy in determining when and where engineering bivalves increase biodiversity and/or functioning of seagrass beds.


..............................................................................................................................VI 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 THE CATNIP PLANT ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Lamiaceae ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.2 Terpenoids...................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.3 Human uses of catnip..................................................................................................... 3 1.2 THE FELINE RESPONSE TO CATNIP.................................................................................................. 3 1.2.1 Behaviors of catnip response ......................................................................................... 4 1.2.2 Catnip response and sexual behavior............................................................................. 4 1.2.3 Physiological control of catnip response ........................................................................ 6 1.2.4 Onset and duration of response..................................................................................... 7 1.2.5 Genetics of response ...................................................................................................... 8 1.3 BEHAVIOR AND SENSITIVITY GENETICS ........................................................................................... 9 1.3.1 Mendelian influences on perception and behavior ........................................................ 9 1.3.2 Genetics of susceptibility.............................................................................................. 10 1.4 ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX TRAITS.................................................................................................... 11 1.4.1 Quantifying complex phenotypes................................................................................. 12 1.4.2 Statistical methods for heritability and segregation.................................................... 13 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH................................................................................................... 14 iii 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS............................................................................................. 15 2.1 POPULATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.1 Feline Nutrition and Pet Care Center............................................................................ 15 2.1.2 FNPCC housing ............................................................................................................. 15 2.1.3 Feline Genetics Research colony .................................................................................. 16 2.1.4 FGR colony housing...................................................................................................... 16 2.2 CATNIP RESPONSE OBSERVATIONS .............................................................................................. 17 2.2.1 Testing at the FNPCC.................................................................................................... 17 2.2.2 Testing at the FGR colony ............................................................................................ 17 2.3 DATA RECORDING .................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.1 Pedigree format ........................................................................................................... 18 2.3.2 Observational data format .......................................................................................... 18 2.3.3 Behavioral observations............................................................................................... 19 2.4 DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................... 19 2.4.1 Selection of behaviors for analysis ............................................................................... 19 2.4.2 Defining the traits ........................................................................................................ 19 2.4.3 Estimating the heritability............................................................................................ 20 3 RESULTS .......................................................................................................................... 23 3.1 PEDIGREE CHARACTERISTICS ...................................................................................................... 23 3.1.1 FNPCC........................................................................................................................... 23 3.1.2 FGR............................................................................................................................... 23 3.2 CATNIP TEST RESULTS ............................................................................................................... 23 3.2.1 FNPCC........................................................................................................................... 23 3.2.2 FGR............................................................................................................................... 24 iv 3.2.3 Variation over multiple tests........................................................................................ 25 3.3 ANALYSIS OF RESPONSE ............................................................................................................ 27 3.3.1 Simple segregation analysis ......................................................................................... 28 3.3.2 Gibbs sample analysis .................................................................................................. 28 4 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................... 30 4.1 REPEATABILITY AND RELIABILITY ................................................................................................. 30 4.1.1 FNPCC variability.......................................................................................................... 30 4.1.2 FGR trials...................................................................................................................... 31 4.1.3 Effect of multiple testing on modeling ......................................................................... 31 4.2 DEFINING THE HERITABLE RESPONSE ........................................................................................... 32 4.2.1 Head over roll............................................................................................................... 32 4.2.2 Cheek rub ..................................................................................................................... 33 4.2.3 Defining the response threshold .................................................................................. 33 4.3 GENETIC ANALYSIS AND HERITABILITY .......................................................................................... 34 4.3.1 Mode of inheritance..................................................................................................... 34 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................... 35 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 36 APPENDIX.............................................................................................................................. 39


THE discovery in 1883 by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell and myself that the toxic principles of the venoms of serpents are albuminous marked an era in the chemistry, physiology and pathology of proteins, and among other things laid the foundation of our knowledge of bacterial and other toxalbumins. Since that time our information of the properties of albuminous substances, then extremely meager and somewhat chaotic, has greatly advanced, and many investigations have been made to determine the precise nature of these poisons, with the effect of more or less modifying the statements we then set forth. The astonishing fact that these terribly lethal substances were found by the tests of the day to be proteins, and that apart from their toxic properties they were indistinguishable from corresponding bodies that are ingested as food or derived therefrom by the processes of digestion, or found as normal constituents of the living tissues generally, naturally led me to much speculation and ultimately to the pursuit of the very elaborate series of researches that I have been carrying on during the past decade under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, reports of two of which have appeared as Publications Nos. 116 and 173. It would be futile for me to attempt within the necessarily restricted time that can reasonably be allotted to the reading of a communication to present in a satisfactory form even the briefest summary of the very voluminous results and conclusions that are embodied in these works, or even an outline of


The immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporine A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506), also called calcineurin inhibitors, have truly revolutionized allograft transplantation. The introduction of CsA in 1976 was the first major advance in transplantation since the introduction of prednisone and azathioprine made allograft transplantation possible in the early 1950s and 1960s. FK506 was approved in 1994 and led to dramatic improvements in solid organ transplantation, allowing highly antigenic lymph node bearing allografts, such as the small bowel, to be transplanted. Recently, FK506 monotherapy has successfully allowed combined small bowel and partial abdominal wall transplantation in humans. The success of FK506 and CsA has made them key drugs in the modern era of transplantation. The purine synthesis inhibitor mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was approved in 1995, and the drug Sirolimus (rapamycin) was introduced in 1999. Combining these drugs with calcineurin inhibitors has significantly reduced the incidence of acute rejection and improved solid organ allograft survival, with a reduction in adverse effects.


Twenty-two new azithromycin 4''-substituted acyl hydrazinoformate and 4''-substituted acyl hydrazineformate-11,12-cyclic carbonate derivatives were synthesized from azithromycin 11,12-cyclic borate and azithromycin,respectively.The antibacterial activity of the title compounds was tested in vitro and the results showed that these compounds exhibited good antibacterial activity against tested gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus.Some of the compounds were also rather active against gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis,Gamma streptococcus and gram-negative Shigella flexneri.


In the previous paperDl, the writer described the change in ground water level due to rainfall throughout the seasons excluding winter. In the winter months in Sapporo from January through to March snow abounds with little rain. Accordingly, the precipitation in this period is mainly snow. It follows that the change in the ground water level depends largely on the snow, and the source of the ground water is the infiltration of water from melting snow. Now, since the melting of snow depends chiefly on air temperature, the change in the ground water level may be considered to be related directly with the air temperature. Thus, in this paper, the writer has considered the relation between the change of water level and the air temperature. 5. Change of the ground water level during the winter period In winter months from January through to March in Sapporo, Hokkaid6 very little rain is seen with abundant snow, and generally speaking, the ground surface is covered with snow during these months. Thus, the supply of ground water is chiefly considered to be the infiltration of water from the melting snow. Thus in the present paper, the writer has attempted to express the relation between the change of water level and the air temperature upon which the melting snow depends. 5. 1. Day by day change of ground water level When the water from the melting snow infiltrates into the ground, the ground water level should rise. Fig. 12 shows the progress of the change in the ground water level expressed by the height from the base level. In Fig. 12, let Hu be the height at time zero. If there is no supply into the ground water table, from (2-4)9) the water level should follow the broken line in the same figure, and in such a case the height h' after 24 hours may be expressed as (5-1) Accordingly


The authors present a phenomenological 'first look' at new Fermilab inclusive data on large p{sub {perpendicular}}{pi}{sup 0} production in pp and {pi}{sup +}p collisions at {theta}{sub cm} {approx} 90{sup o}. Predictions are made using a simple model in which particles are produced at large transverse momentum by a single, hard, large-angle scattering between quarks (q + q {yields} q + q). In this model the ratio R = {sigma}(pp {yields} {pi}{sup 0}X)/{sigma}({pi}{sup +}p {yields} {pi}{sup 0}X) is determined by the difference in the structure functions of the incident proton or pion. This interpretation is consistent with the new {theta}{sub cm} = 90{sup o} data and suggests the importance of measuring R at other {theta}{sub cm} values.


Naphthylazoxine 6S was evaluated as a suitable metal indicator for the determination of cyanide in the concentration range 5x l ( )~ 4 to l x x K)"" mol dm" The use of photometric indication permitted titration with a dilute standard solution of mercury(II) Perchlorate (с = 0.001 mol dm 3 to 0.01 mol dm" ). Under optimum conditions (pH range 5.0 to 5.5, /«0.05 mol dm", c(ind)= K)" mol dm" 3 ; Л = 530 nm), precise results were obtained ( s r / % ^ 1). A thin layer of paraffin oil on the surface prevented loss of HCN during titration so that systematic deviations, with respect to the reference Liebig—Déniges titration with turbidimetric indication, were insignificant ( < 1 %) . Cyanide can be titrated in presence of an equal amount of chloride or thiocyanate (at p H « 6 ) ; bromide interferes, while iodide is titrated with cyanide.


Site E19 (19:N1W5), near Tlailotlacan, the "Zapotec Barrio" of Teotihuacan, contains evidence of both Tlailotlacan and Michoacan affiliation. To verify and better understand the Michoacan relationship, 22 enamel and 19 bone samples from five E19-affiliated burials were analyzed to determine their oxygen isotope compositions, which provide an indication of an individual's area of residence when that particular tissue was forming. Because prismatic blades and Thin Orange ceramics from Teotihuacan occur widely in the Lakes Region of north central Michoacan we obtained samples from several sites there for comparative purposes. The results show that most of the E19 people had passed their later years in the Patzcuaro Basin of the Lakes Region. Although in E19 the archaeological evidence of this relationship declined over time, the isotopic evidence indicates that Patzcuaro ties continued to the end of E19's occupation. It seems that the people of E19, originally Michoacanos, gradually adopted a core identity as Teotihuacanos while continuing to deploy their Michoacan ancestry during their stays in Michoacan.


Acute and subacute pain, such as occurs postoperatively, are mediated by excitatory neurotransmitters acting principally on glutamate and neurokinin receptors in the spinal cord. The response of the projecting spinal neurons to this stimulation is under strong modulatory control from multiple systems intrinsic and extrinsic to the cord. Clinicians have exploited principally opioids and a,-adrenergic agonists, which mimic locally released opioid peptides and norepinephrine, in treatment of this type of pain. Because of bothersome and/or dangerous side effects from each of these class of agents, there is considerable interest in other neurotransmitter systems which modulate acute nociception. One approach is to amplify the actions of released neurotransmitters. For example, systemically administered opioids have long been known to activate descending spinal noradrenergic and serotonergic pathways (l) , and systemic opioid analgesia is amplified by spinal injection of inhibitors of reuptake of these monoamines (2). Furthermore, there is accumulating evidence that spinally released norepinephrine acts in part by stimulation of acetylcholine release in the spinal cord, and it's analgesia is enhanced by spinal injection of cholinesterase inhibitors such as neostigmine (3). It follows that this norepinephrineacetylcholine cascade may be further amplified by coadministration of norepinephrine reuptake and cholinesterase inhibitors. This is clearly true in animals (4), and although it has been demonstrated that spinal neostigmine potentiates systemic opioid analgesia in humans (5), adequate preclinical toxicity testing has not been performed yet to initiate studies of norepinephrine reuptake blockade. Another approach is to stimulate receptor subtypes mediating analgesia, but not unwanted side effects with receptor selective agents. The first step in this process is to identify receptor subtypes responsible for analgesia and side effects. In rats, it is clear that sedation, hypotension, and analgesia are all mediated by the same u,-adrenergic receptor subtype @A) (6). Although this would suggest that receptor subtype selectivity is unimportant with this system, recent studies in humans suggest that a,-adrenergic recep tors mediating analgesia may be different (qB) (7) than those mediating sedation and hypotension(u,A). Similarly, there is reason to believe that selective p, K, and 6 agonists could produce analgesia with fewer side effects than the current, nonselective agents. A third approach is to utilize non-opioid, nonadrenergic agents to inhibit spinal transmission of pain related information. Cholinesterase inhibitors and muscarinic agonists produce analgesia in animals, but also produce motor weakness, and preliminary clinical experience demonstrates severe nausea from intrathecal neostigmine and a narrow therapeutic ra ti0 (8). Similarly, purinergic agonists produce analgesia in animals, but only at doses close to those producing motor effects. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents produce analgesia after spinal administration in doses much less than those required systemically, but their efficacy is no greater (9). Thus, in patients who tolerate these agents after oral administration, there is little rationale for spinal injection. It is curious that serotonergic agonists have yielded conflicting and in many cases minimal antinociceptive effects after spinal administration in animals. This likely reflects opposing actions of stimulation of different receptor subtypes, and it is likely that only subtype selective serotonin agonists would be effective spinal analgesics. A final approach to the spinal administration treatment of acute pain is sustained release products. A variety of sustained release opioids for oral use are under active clinical development, and several have already reached the market. Several injectable long-acting agents are under clinical development. Microencapsulated bupivacaine for local infiltration and peripheral nerve block appcars in clinical trials to produce analgesia of a few days' duration. A formulation of the local anesthetic, butambcn, is in Phase I1 trials as a single epidural injcction which produces analgesia lasting for months. A liposomal formulation of morphine is in early clinical trials for postopcrative analgesia, and would likely produce 24-48 hr of analgesia.


Global and inclusive variable distributions of 50000 hadronic Z° decays are used to fit the parameters of Monte Carlo QCD/hadronisation models at yfs = 9lGeV. Lower energy behaviour predicted from the fitted values is compared with experimental data. 1. Introduct ion This analysis of 50000 Z° hadronic decays taken by the ALEPH detector during the first year of LEP running extends a previous analysis, [1], by more than an order of magnitude increase in the number of events, and by consideration of a larger number of global event variables. The variables x p , p i n , p i o u t , S, A, T and Minor are used to fit to our data the Lund Parton Shower (PS) and Matrix Element (ME) models [2][4], in the program JETSET 7.2, and the Webber-Marchesini PS model [3], in the programs HERWIG 3.4 and 4.1. The predictions of the fitted models are then compared with data from PETRA, PEP and TRISTAN. 2. The ALEPH Detector Details of the ALEPH detector are given in [5]. This analysis uses charged particle tracks measured by the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and Inner Tracking Chamber (ITC) with a typical momentum resolution of Sp/p « 0.001 (GeV/c)" 1 for p > 4 (GeV/c) and a track finding efficiency estimated from Monte Carlo to be (98 ± 2)% for this analy sis. The trigger, requiring energy deposition in the electromagnetic calorimeter or a penetrating parti cle detected by associated hadron calorimeter and ITC hits, was practically 100% efficient for hadronic events. 3. Event Selection Tracks required at least four TPC coordinates, a polar angle in the range 20° < 0 < 160°, a trans verse momentum px > 200 MeV/c and extrapola tion to within 2 cm of the beam axis and within 5 cm of the origin in the beam direction. Hadronic events required at least five accepted tracks and a total charged energy of at least 15 GeV. Selecting the polar angle of the sphericity axis, 0 ^ , in the range 35° < 9aph < 145° ensured that the event was well contained in the detector. Final results are not sensitive to variation of the selection criteria. The largest background, from e e~ —• r + r " , is es timated to be 0.25% of the accepted events. Eventshape distributions were corrected as follows for ge ometrical acceptance, detector efficiency and reso lution, decays, missing neutrals, secondary interac tions and initial state photon radiation. A first set of hadronic events was generated using the Lund PS model, including initial state photon radiation, and passed through the detector simulation program to produce simulated raw data. These were processed through the same reconstruction and analysis pro grams as the real data. A second Monte Carlo sam ple was generated without detector simulation, in which all particles with mean lifetime less than 1 ns were required to decay, all others were treated as stable, and initial state radiation was turned off. A bin by bin correction factor was then obtained by comparing the two Monte Carlo distributions. These factors were used to correct the experimen tally measured distributions back to a well defined cm. energy and final state particle composition that can be compared directly to QCD model cal culations. The correction factors are typically in the range 0.9 -1.1, and in all cases between 0.5 and 1.8. In fact, two types of correction factors were ap plied to the data, correcting the raw charged par ticle data back either to the original distributions for charged particles only, or to those for charged plus neutral particles. The plots of ALEPH event variables contain the former. By varying the sim ulated data to introduce shifts in track angles and momenta, increased momentum smearing and loss of track coordinates, systematic uncertainties were shown to be smaller than or comparable to the sta tistical errors. The influence of the event generator was studied using the Lund PS and ME models, and found to be small compared to the statistical errors. Error bars shown on the plots for ALEPH data are statistical only. 4.Fits of Model Predictions The JETSET 7.2 PS option was fitted with and


The invention discloses an image texture tactile representation system based on force/haptic interaction equipment for virtual reality human-computer interaction, which is characterized in that when the virtual proxy of the force/haptic interaction equipment slides on a texture surface of a virtual object in a virtual environment, the surface height of the object texture corresponding to the contact point and a coefficient of kinetic friction for reflecting the rough degree of the contact point are firstly obtained on the basis of an image processing method, a continuous normal contact force model reflecting the concave-convex degree of the contact point and a tangential friction model reflecting the rough degree of the contact point are respectively established, and finally the texture contact force is fed back to an operator in real time through the force/haptic interaction equipment so as to realize the force haptic express and reappear when fingers slide over the surface texture of the virtual object. The feedback continuous change normal force not only enables the human-computer interaction to be more real, but also enables an interaction system to be more stable, and the feedback friction related to the rough degree of the contact point also further enhances the sense of reality when the texture reappears.


This report examines the impact of rural connectivity on poverty, access to basic services, and income in Armenia, a country which has found itself in a low-growth, low-investment nexus, with stalled poverty reduction. This study attempts to shed light on the linkages between transport and poverty in Armenia. The rest of the report is structured as follows: Section 1 explains the evolution of selected social, economic, and demographic indicators for Armenia during the analysis period; Section 2 lays out the conceptual framework for operationalizing shared prosperity and poverty in rural transport operations; Section 3 proposes a systematic but non-exhaustive collection of literature on rural road impact studies in low- and middle-income countries; Section 4 examines regional gaps in accessibility to markets and services which were computed with the use of the first geographic information system (GIS) based mapping platform of its kind in Armenia, and introduces the potential association between accessibility and poverty in Armenia; Section 5 characterizes key social and economic indicators in the project's immediate area of influence to then summarize household-level outcomes obtained from a comprehensive qualitative analysis and community-level findings resulting from a nighttime lights analysis; and Section 6 summarizes the lessons learnt and the directions for future research. The report concludes with policy implications from this research and directions for future analytical and operational work on transport and poverty in Armenia.


Between November 1, 1955 and June 30, 1973, 46 patients with osteosarcoma without evidence of metastases were admitted to the UCLA Center for Health Sciences. The follow-up was 100 per cent.The plan for therapy after biopsy has been to give preoperative megavoltage radiation therapy, 6,000 to 7,000 rads tumor dose at the rate of 900 rads per week to the whole limb or bone involved and then to consider surgical ablation 4 to 6 months later, if metastases have not occurred.The average duration of symptoms was 2.5 months, and the average time period for the appearance of metastases calculated from the onset of therapy was 5.5 months. Eighty-seven per cent had metastases within a period of 14 months after diagnosis with the majority appearing usually in the lungs in 9 months or less.There have been 11 long-term survivors. There were no 5 year survivors from surgery only. There were 3 long-term survivors from radiation therapy only; 6 who were treated by radiation therapy and surgery; 1 treated by surgery, rad...


We report a case of onychomycosis from a 71-year old man which was caused by Monascus ruber. The diagnosis was based on culture morphological characteristics on Sabouraud's Dextrose agar and Malt Extract agar. The patient was successfully treated with oral terbinafine.


The airborne recorder is the key device to store important data occurring in the answering machine responder in an identification communications. To overcome the limit of the previous recorders and store data more accurately and convenient, a new recorder is necessary to solve this problems. In this article, the whole design and operation process of the new recorder is introduced, including the software and hardware design program procedure and programming thoughts.


The diverse phenomena covered by the term globalization influence our world and our lives in it in innumerable ways. It may therefore come as no surprise that questions concerning the dissemination, crossing, communication and conflict between cultures have become more and more acute in our time. This has also led to a renewed questioning of the concept of culture itself. Where one previously often tended to discuss culture in terms of underlying unity and coherence, it has become necessary instead to stress the fact that culture is not a unified essence, but rather an organization of difference and diversity. Therefore one should perhaps stop talking about culture in the singular and instead always stress the fact that there is no unified culture, there are only cultures. This discussion has for some time now influenced Ibsen-research and this journal. In this issue the discussion of cultural aspects of Ibsen's texts and the performance of them on stage is taken one step further by Erika Fischer-Lichte. In her article on ''Interweaving Theatre Cultures in Ibsen Productions'' she sets out not only to discuss some seminal Ibsen productions but also to take on the larger issues of what culture-meetings are and how the blending of different theatre cultures should be conceptualized. Her view is that one should leave concepts like inter-cultural theatre or hybrid theatre behind, and rather stress that what happens on stage locally is a constant interweaving of theatre cultures. Her analysis makes a strong case for there never being any cultural unity or origin, and that cultures are always in change and transition. The concept of interweaving is therefore also an attempt to take into account that what we call modernity and modernization is not a unified phenomenon. There are multiple modernities, constantly being contested and negotiated. Theatre and theatre cultures come to the fore in her discussion as places in society where cultural change and diversity can be, and are, constantly being tested, tried and reflected upon. The analysis of theatre and cultures is therefore also always a political endeavour.


<zdoi;10.1097/ALN.0000000000002075> Anesthesiology, V 128 • No 3 434 March 2018 T RACHEAL intubation is a critical procedure that unites anesthesiologists as the definitive experts in the field of medicine. Not surprisingly, difficult airway management is the primary patient safety concern among anesthesiologists.1 Decades ago, the introduction of pulse oximetry and end-tidal CO2 were associated with a reduction in respiratoryrelated anesthetic death and brain damage.2 In this issue of ANESTHESIOLOGY, Schroeder et al.3 shed light on recent trends in difficult airway management. Their findings suggest that we are making airway management safer. What remains to be studied is which advances in airway management have an impact on patient safety events. The authors retrieved data from a quality improvement database to determine rates of difficult intubation (more than three attempts) or failed intubation (requiring surgical airway or wake up) across multiple community practices spanning a recent 14-yr period. Their primary question examined whether the rate of difficult or failed intubation decreased over time. They investigated an impressive 421,581 intubation procedures. During this time frame, they observed a steady decline in difficult or failed intubation and a fourfold decrease from the early period (2002 to 2009) to the late period (2009 to 2015) of the investigation. They offered a useful join-point analysis to determine inflection points of this decline. These findings are novel because they inform the community that we can, in fact, make a difference. Advances in intubation techniques and focus on human factors are unstudied interventions that may have influenced this observed difference. A dissection of the research design can help further inform the impact of these findings. The study has some important limitations that have been appropriately addressed by the authors. First, despite a concerted effort to validate the self-reported database against anesthesia records, it remains possible that reporting patterns changed during the study period because it is impossible to confirm that every difficult intubation was appropriately captured. The study design leaves open the possibility that providers simply fatigued in their self-reporting of difficult airway events. Second, the study population was in one healthcare system with a predominantly care-team model. It is not clear whether results would be reproducible in other care settings or regions. However, the inclusion of 16 sites within the network helps validate their findings. Third, there was no single intervention during the study period that could be related to a negative deflection in the rate of events. Therefore, we are left with a poor understanding of what changes we can apply to our practice to expect similar improvement in safety. Finally, the primary outcome of difficult or failed intubation, although relevant, does not inform whether we have made real impact on the most concerning associated events of anoxic brain injury or death. The observational study design chosen for this study enabled the group to research rare events that are difficult to investigate in a prospective randomized design. Observational data from registries and large data sets remain an effective tool to compare interventions to their associated outcomes. Work from the American Society of Anesthesiologists closed claims data set helped us determine that multiple attempts at intubation are associated with poor patient outcomes.4 Other observational studies have similarly informed the anesthesia community about strategies to manage the difficult airway. The United Kingdom's 4th National Audit Project was an enhanced observational study that prospectively examined airway management procedures across the country to capture key events in difficult airway management.5 This study group highlighted that poor airway planning, problems with aspiration, and failed rescue surgical airway management are important areas for attention. Subsequent edits to the Difficult Airway Society's guidelines for the management of the unexpected difficult intubation now address these observations.6 The Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group based in the United States has described the rare event of combined Advancing Patient Safety in Airway Management


In 2007, the volume of glass produced in the 27 countries that make up the European Union reached 37.5 million tonnes, making the EU the largest glass producer globally with a market share of around one-third of the total world market. In this article, Frederic Van Houte* provides analysis of the European glass market, including evaluation of production levels, imports, exports, employment and future outlook.


The Facility AO systems at the LBT are based around the two Adaptive Secondary Mirrors (ASM) and the Pyramid Wavefront Sensors (PWFS), the latter being recently upgraded as part of the SOUL project in order to provide improved image quality performance and greater faint target sensitivity, at the LUCI and LBTI ports. These represent operational AO Systems with unique challenges for maintaining their optimal operational status. Based on our experience, especially over the last seven years, we present our approach to provide the readiness of the AO systems at all times including routine calibration, monitoring, and maintenance activities necessary to keep their performance at an optimal level. We also address intervention activities to improve the ASMs' reliability and robustness.