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New Zealand Society for Sustainability Engineering and Science. International Conference (4th : 2010 : Auckland, New Zealand)

Chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (CAAMR) constitutes a dominant form of late allograft failure. Several treatment strategies directed at CAAMR have been attempted but proven ineffective at delaying kidney function decline or reducing donor-specific antibodies (DSA). We describe our single-center experience using tocilizumab in patients with CAAMR.This is a retrospective analysis using electronic medical records. 38 kidney transplant recipients at Columbia University Irving Medical Center who had been prescribed tocilizumab and followed for at least 3 months between August 2013 through December 2019 were included.Tocilizumab use was associated with a decrease in the rate of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline in the 6 months following treatment initiation as compared to the 3 months before tocilizumab was initiated (difference between slopes before and after initiation of treatment = 2.6 mL/min/1.73 mTreatment of CAAMR with tocilizumab was associated with a decrease in the rate of eGFR decline and a reduction in interstitial inflammation scores in patients with CAAMR.

Alonso et al., We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies., We thank the CERN Quantum Technology Initiative for their support of the workshop that laid the basis for this paper.

We study the production of heavy, $\mu \gtrsim 1$ TeV, bosonic spin $s=0,1$ dark matter (DM) via the simultaneous processes of Hawking evaporation and superradiance (SR) from an initial population of small, $\lesssim 10^6$ kg, primordial black holes (PBHs). Even for small initial PBH spins the SR process can produce extremely dense gravitationally-bound DM Bose or Proca soliton "stars" of radius $\lesssim {\rm pm}$ and mass $\sim 10^{\rm few}$ kg that can survive to today, well after PBH decay. These solitons can constitute a significant fraction of the DM density, rising to $\gtrsim 50\%$ in the vector DM case., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

European artists have sought to create life-like images since the Renaissance. The techniques used by artists to impart realism to their paintings often rely on approaches based in mathematics, like linear perspective; yet the means used to assess the verisimilitude of realist paintings have remained subjective, even intuitive. An exploration of alternative and relatively objective methods for evaluating pictorial realism could enhance existing art historical research. We propose a machine-learning-based paradigm for studying pictorial realism in an explainable way. Unlike subjective evaluations made by art historians or computer-based painting analysis exploiting inexplicable learned features, our framework assesses realism by measuring the similarity between clouds painted by exceptionally skillful 19th-century landscape painters like John Constable and photographs of clouds. The experimental results of cloud classification show that Constable approximates more consistently than his contemporaries the formal features of actual clouds in his paintings. Our analyses suggest that artists working in the decades leading up to the invention of photography worked in a mode that anticipated some of the stylistic features of photography. The study is a springboard for deeper analyses of pictorial realism using computer vision and machine learning.

The maturation of North Sea platform jackets coupled with high fatigue stresses, fabrication defects, extensive usage, and low-redundancy design eventually result in fatigue cracking. The high sea states in the North Sea further exacerbate the problem. If not closely monitored, fatigue cracks can propagate into and around the circumference of a brace relatively quickly—ultimately leading to brace severance. When confronted with a loss of structural integrity, operators have two options: conduct expensive subsea repairs or decommission the asset. Realising a market gap, DCN Diving has explored alternate repair strategies, leading to the development of the DCN-patent pending µ-Habitat welding system. The µ-Habitat makes it possible to respond quicker, execute subsea repairs faster and guarantee quality at a fraction of the cost of bespoke or modular habitats. Through size reduction, it is possible to reduce the fabrication, production, and handling costs of µ-Habitat. Furthermore, the smaller footprint reduces installation time while simplifying sealing and de-watering offshore, saving time and money. Using a combination of product development facilitators and process improvement methodologies, such as AGILE, SCRUM, and design thinking, reduces the preparation time, making the system incredibly responsive yet flexible. Additionally, using an experienced and dedicated project team in combination with standardised products further minimises the response time to execute a repair. A dry environment, pre-heating, in-process cleaning/grinding, and unrestricted access are fundamental to ensuring high-quality welds. In addition, prototyping, extensive function testing, and mock-ups validate the habitat design before commissioning via factory acceptance testing and mobilisation to guarantee the failsafe performance of the µ-Habitat offshore. The µ-Habitat can play a crucial role in the overall life extension strategy for any offshore structure, ultimately minimising cost, risk and production downtime associated with future subsea repairs.

シンポジウム「『平等』の限界と可能性 : グローバル社会における差別の問題を踏まえて」=「The Limits and Possibilities of "Equality" : From the Perspective of Discrimination Problem in Global Society」

A major objective of sport medicine research is to assess causes of injuries. Studying causes of subsequent injuries, including the effects of rehabilitation programs, presents unique challenges to provide appropriate guidance for treatment. In this commentary, we highlight the issue of “collider stratification bias”. Collider stratification bias is a major concern whenever we restrict populations based on variables that have multiple causes, which is common in surveillance programs studying subsequent injuries.

Although most instructors are concerned about the cost and fit of their course materials, many may not be willing or able to switch from the traditional publisher model due to a range of reasons including lack of time, knowledge, resources and support, institutional factors, and [un]willingness to change (Lashley, 2019; Conole & McAndrew, 2010). However, some instructors are able to reach their course material goals related to consistency, affordability, and fit by adopting collaborative approachesto authoring and adapting open educational resources (OER). Grant-funded and collaborative OER development approaches are increasingly offered by institutions of higher education. These initiatives aim to reduce costs to students and enable improved academic achievement due to increased student and instructor engagement, and better-fitting course materials (Walz, Jenson, and Salem, 2016; Colvard, Watson, and Park, 2018). OER are freely and publicly available materials for teaching and learning released under a license (such as a Creative Commons) that allow no-cost adaptation and sharing (Hewlett Foundation, n.d.). While evaluation and impact of such resources is a relatively young field, early research shows positive outcomes. Namely that OER are of equivalent quality or better than commercially published materials (Clinton and Khan, 2019), showing no instructional harm and eliminating course material costs, and have a disproportionately positive impact on Pell-grant eligible and first-generation students (Colvard, Watson & Park). Collaborative OER project support can include a range of financial incentives, development coaching, project management, copyright, open licensing, and publishing consultations, access to related software, graphic design, and assessment-related support for instructors. Completion and use of such curriculum resources has the benefit of decreased costs and potential for improved student academic achievements. Since 2014 the University Libraries at Virginia Tech have incentivized and supported faculty projects that create or adapt OER and publicly share them with the world. The intended audience of this poster includes instructors and potential collaborators who are considering creating or adapting open educational resources and want to know more about the process of a collaborative development approach to OER and potential benefits to them and students. The process as presented is a high-level sequence of overlapping steps undertaken by one or more members of our time in creating Significant Statistics. This presentation also lists significant areas of inquiry which commonly arise and require decisions in such a project, and benefits as reported by students and realized so far by the instructor.

A recent editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) suggested instrumental var-iable (IV) analysis has advantages in estimating causal effects when there is low compliance. We originally submitted a version of this commentary to BJSM as an editorial (they do not have a letter to editor section) but it was rejected without review. The original BJSM editorial included several important errors, presented results that are inconsistent with the results of an IV analysis, and omitted definitions and important limitations. All of these factors contrib-uted to inappropriate interpretations. This commentary highlights the most important er-rors. We also believe the BJSM editorial serves as another reminder that appropriate statisti-cians should be included from the beginning of the study wherever possible. At the very least, they should be the co-authors responsible for calculating results and ensuring the write-up is consistent with the results.

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the References field.

This thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author. Researchers can access this thesis by asking their local university, institution or public library to make a request on their behalf. Monash staff and postgraduate students can use the link in the Reference field.

Methanolic extracts of liana of

The purpose of this study entitled Arduino-based Control and Monitoring System of Household Appliances status using Android Application is to help the people to have control over the house by means of switching on/off and monitor the loads that are plugged into the outlet by the use of cellphones/ tablets. This project provides the simple way to access loads that are left running and forgotten to unplug at home. The structure of the prototype is made up of HardieFlex physical appearance making it fire retardant consisting of 3 sockets available. The 2 outlets are for the normal house sockets while the other one is separated for the Air-condition unit. The circuit breaker is on the upper left side corner dividing the wires of each sockets. The Android Application uses text messages to send information then received by the GSM (Global System for Mobile) and translates it to the Arduino. The Arduino commands the relays to cut and provide electricity for the outlets. This device can notify an individual if there are loads left running, wherein the current sensor able to read the current from the outlet to determine if it has a working load that are plugged into the outlet. The study implements power interruption notification in terms of using the voltage sensor to acquire information of possible power outage occurrences. Based on the results of the evaluation, 95.83% believe that the project was made conveniently, that they are now aware of their surroundings giving them the idea of their house is beyond their reach, and also 95.83% of the respondents are certain that the system is relevant and beneficial to the society.

Additional file 1: Additional safety and pharmacokinetic data.

The refined swampland de Sitter conjecture (SdSC) is a proposed constraint on the form of the total potential in a theory including quantum gravity. According to this conjecture potentials possessing metastable de Sitter vacua are in the swampland of effective field theories that cannot descend from a theory with gravity. It is known that in the Standard Model (SM), as the quark masses and theta-parameter are varied, IR- calculable metastable states in QCD appear (for N > 2 light quarks) and we discuss in detail their properties. We argue that the SdSC excludes the values of quark masses and theta for which these metastable states can arise, leading to a possible surprising connection between quantum gravity and aspects of low-energy flavor phenomenology. The observed values of the quark masses and QCD theta-parameter are consistent with the SdSC, giving mild indirect support for the conjecture. If, in addition, as partially indicated by large-N c and semi-classical analysis, pure SU (3) Yang-Mills theory has metastable states at theta = 0 (this to our knowledge is not known) then much of the a-priori SM parameter space is eliminated. In particular the limit of large electroweak vacuum expectation v_EW > 50 TeV is excluded by the SdSC if quark Yukawa couplings are kept fixed, possibly shedding a new light on the hierarchy problem. We argue that these statements are robust against the addition of a quintessence field unless extreme fine-tuning is allowed., 24 pages, 12 figures

Methanolic extracts of liana of Caesalpinia welwitschiana and leaves of C. bonduc were found to possess moderate antifeedant and ovicidal activities against Tuta absoluta. Bioassay-guided isolation of constituents from the most active fraction of C. welwitschiana led to the identification of four known compounds [isobonducellin 1a and bonducellin 1 b, intricatinol 2, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate 4] and one new constituent [welwitschianic acid 3]. The most active fraction of C. bonduc afforded two known constituents neocaesalpin L 5 and neocaesalpin A 6. The isolated structures were elucidated on the basis of their MS, UV, IR and 1 & 2 D NMR spectra and by comparison with literature data. Compounds 2, 4-6 were showed antifeedant and ovicidal properties against T. absoluta, some comparable to that of azadirachtin at 50, 100 and 200 ng/µl. Overall, the present study, conclude that the two species of the plant could be a promising source of eco-friendly botanical constituents.

Librarians are well aware, as are many faculty, of the intricate relationships between digital humanities (DH) and literacies—information literacy, visual literacy, digital literacy, data literacy, and the like. Scholarship centered on this intersection is spread across books and journals in numerous disciplines, however. Because of this broad range of publication venues, the scholarly conversation around DH and literacies has not always been easy to follow. In response, this dh+lib special issue is an attempt to bring together practitioners and foster discussion from a number of perspectives, providing ‘on the ground’ applications that, webelieve, will encourage and empower our colleagues and peers to engage more deeply in this work.

We develop a novel approach to study an outbreak of Q fever in 2009 in the Netherlands by combining a human dose-response model with geostatistics prediction to relate probability of infection and associated probability of illness to an effective dose of Coxiella burnetii. The spatial distribution of the 220 notified cases in the at-risk population are translated into a smooth spatial field of dose. Based on these symptomatic cases, the dose-response model predicts a median of 611 asymptomatic infections (95% range: 410, 1,084) for the 220 reported symptomatic cases in the at-risk population; 2.78 (95% range: 1.86, 4.93) asymptomatic infections for each reported case. The low attack rates observed during the outbreak range from (Equation is included in full-text article.)to (Equation is included in full-text article.). The estimated peak levels of exposure extend to the north-east from the point source with an increasing proportion of asymptomatic infections further from the source. Our work combines established methodology from model-based geostatistics and dose-response modeling allowing for a novel approach to study outbreaks. Unobserved infections and the spatially varying effective dose can be predicted using the flexible framework without assuming any underlying spatial structure of the outbreak process. Such predictions are important for targeting interventions during an outbreak, estimating future disease burden, and determining acceptable risk levels.

Fish is essentially one of the best sources of protein, economically and nutritional-wise, making it one of the favorites of Filipinos in their everyday meals. However, fishes are also easily perishable, especially when it gets stuck in traffic, further increasing the rate of decomposition of the fish as it is transported from the fish port to the local markets across the nation. There are several methods of preservation like icing, but there are also widespread reports regarding the adulteration of Formalin to the fish not only during transport but also its use in the wet markets nationwide to keep fish and other perishable products fresh. Formalin is used to increase the shelf life of fish to a certain extent, but its use provides a health risk to the consumer because it is a known carcinogenic chemical compound and can be toxic when consumed even on a very small amount approximately 0.00002% of the consumers weight. This paper is a study that used an electronic nose system in the detection of formalin specifically on fish samples. The samples were dipped in a formalin solution in different concentrations and controlled in an iced and non-iced (room temperature) environment. The data gathered from the samples were processed and were analyzed using principal component analysis using singular value decomposition in MATLAB. The total variance produced in the PCA plot is 95.15% using 3 principal components. Overall, the total accuracy of the system in correctly detecting formalin on Tilapia is 85.71%. Toxicity assessment of the theoretical formalin content of tilapia also shows that the tilapia adulterated with formalin at small portions, exceeded the toxicity threshold value for average adult Filipinos.

A prominent aspect of whiteness has always been and continues to be a matter of White people?s comfort and discomfort. Feelings associated with whiteness are indicative of its ideology that work to preserve whiteness, in part, by being ignorant and dismissive of its very existence and power. I argue that (dis)comfort is so central to the ideology of whiteness, so much a part of its history, that it is intuitive to whiteness. It?s not fear or hate that dominates whiteness?s reactions. Rather, the (dis)comfort is visceral as the moderate White person is consumed with attending to their comfort surrounding racial issues. Attention to the visceral nature of whiteness transcends time and cultural movements, has been used to challenge whiteness?s hegemonic structures, and is ubiquitous in past and contemporary rhetoric about race in the U.S. This dissertation takes the dynamic of White (dis)comfort?evident throughout American history, media, and popular culture?as the starting point for an examination of whiteness. Specifically, I examine the ways the U.S. remembers its racial history through popular narratives within film and theatre. This project drops in on three key moments of American history: Hamilton: An American Musical for the founding era; 12 Years a Slave for the Civil War era; and The Help for the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s. The texts are read as the contemporary culture?s projections of race and history, which reveal present day concerns, issues, and anxieties. From a working understanding of public memory, I emphasize its role in determining conceptions about history and how examining the visceral nature of whiteness illuminates its ideology. This project locates whiteness and critiques narratives within the so-called ?post-racial? era about America?s racial past, thereby better understanding the present. I combine rhetorical history with whiteness studies and public memory to better understand the complexities of whiteness and its hidden function in American history, politics, and discourse. I conclude by articulating whiteness?s relation to White people and antiracism. I also suggest future implications and call for an expansion of critiquing and theorizing whiteness in rhetorical studies.

The most common treatment for osteoarthritis is daily oral administration of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as diclofenac. This daily dosage regime is often associated with severe side effects. In this study, we explored the potential of utilizing a high molecular weight cross-linked polyurethane polymer covalently linked to diclofenac (C-DCF-PU) for intra-articular administration. We aim to exploit the advantages of local drug delivery by developing an implant with improved efficacy and reduced side effects. The polymer was synthesized from a diclofenac-functionalized monomer unit in a simple one-pot reaction, followed by cross-linking. In vitro drug release studies showed zero-order drug release for 4 days, followed by a gradual decline in drug release rate until diclofenac was depleted after 15 days. The cross-linked polymer was triturated to yield an injectable microgel formulation for administration. Whole animal fluorescence imaging of the rhodamine-labeled C-DCF-RH-PU showed good retention of the polymer in the knee joints of healthy rats, with approximately 30% of the injected dose still present 2 weeks post intra-articular administration. In a reactivation arthritis animal model, the C-DCF-RH-PU formulation reduced pain and significantly reduced inflammation after a short lag phase, showing that this drug delivery system warrants further development for long-term treatment of osteoarthritis with the benefit of reduced side effects. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Mary Pickford was an experimental physiologist who carried out pioneering work on the actions of the hormones (oxytocin and vasopressin [syn. antidiuretic hormone, ADH]) secreted by the posterior pituitary gland, which is part of the brain. She provided understanding of how the secretion of these hormones is controlled to regulate body fluid composition, specifically the maintenance, through actions on the kidneys, of normal osmolarity and Na+ concentration, and hence blood volume and pressure. Using the water-loaded dog model she showed that vasopressin is the only hormone that regulates the excretion of water, by stimulating the kidneys to concentrate urine; she found that oxytocin could stimulate excretion of Na+. She showed that acetylcholine is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the hypothalamus, stimulating the neurons that produce vasopressin to secrete—the first evidence for acetylcholine action in the brain. The principles that Mary established have been extensively confirmed; hence, she was important in the establishment of the concepts and discipline of neuroendocrinology, which is about the bidirectional interactions between hormones and the brain. Using human and animal models, in her later work Mary focused on possible roles of interactions between female sex hormones and vasodilating actions of oxytocin in the perimenopausal problem of ‘hot flashes’ (or ‘hot flushes’) experienced by many women. She faced, but overcame, entrenched gender prejudice during her career; she was the first woman to be elected to the Pharmacological Society, and the first woman appointed to a chair in the Edinburgh Medical School.

No Abstract.

The Netherlands underwent a large Q fever outbreak between 2007 and 2009. In this paper, we study spatial and temporal Coxiella burnetii exposure trends during this large outbreak as well as validate outcomes against other published studies and provide evidence to support hypotheses on the causes of the outbreak. To achieve this, we develop a framework using a dose-response model to translate acute Q fever case incidence into exposure estimates. More specifically, we incorporate a geostatistical model that accounts for spatial and temporal correlation of exposure estimates from a human Q fever dose-response model to quantify exposure trends during the outbreak. The 2051 cases, with the corresponding age, gender and residential addresses, reside in the region with the highest attack rates during the outbreak in the Netherlands between 2006 and 2009. We conclude that the multiyear outbreak in the Netherlands is caused by sustained release of infectious bacteria from the same sources, which suggests that earlier implementation of interventions may have prevented many of the cases. The model predicts the risk of infection and acute symptomatic Q fever from multiple exposure sources during a multiple-year outbreak providing a robust, evidence-based methodology to support decision-making and intervention design.

Electricity has been paid much attention towards its entry in all sectors of human life, ever long since its revolutionary invention. Networking the disconnected hamlets with reliable electricity is still found to be challenging in many countries, due to demographic conditions, where electricity remains elusive. Solar energy, a form of renewable energy that has been proved to be a viable alternative to fossil fuels could bea potential solution for regions with poor distribution of power. The present work aims t augmenting the solar energy harvesting in a PV module with a phase change material. A portable PV module is fabricated based on an innovative design including passive cooling with paraffin wax and arrangements for enhanced solar irradiation. The new design is tested for its performance at different temperatures and it is found that the module with PCM has shown 3% of increase in voltage generation over the conventional one. Also, paraffin wax is found to maintain the module temperature at 5% lesser than the normal one on an average. Five different angles of orientation of the mirrors say, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75° & 90° with module axis are tested and it is observed that 60° is optimum in harvesting the voltage. The results revealed that the new design is more efficient and viable for its usage.

The purpose of the research in this thesis, Emily Dickinson's Sexual Personae, is to investigate how and why Emily Dickinson utilises a variety of sexual personae in her poetry. \ud The research focuses on how each chosen sexual persona functions in Dickinson's poetry - what the specific sexual persona is (lesbian, sadist, etc), how it functions, and what each persona allows Dickinson to articulate, as pertaining to thoughts, ideas and questions about sexual and/or taboo subjects. \ud Personae as a mode of expression is analysed, as are the possible reasons for Dickinson's choices of personae. \ud Research \ud The first chapter focuses on the function of the sexual persona in Dickinson's poetry, suggesting that Dickinson was inspired to use personae in ways made familiar by Robert Browning, Charles Baudelaire and Jules Laforgue, but how she then moved persona deployment beyond historical or literary models into taboo sexual territory. \ud Each of the subsequent seven chapters of the thesis focuses on an analysis of the function of a particular sexual persona deployed by Dickinson in her poetry. \ud Divisions \ud These sexual personae identified in Dickinson's poetry include the male heterosexual, the female heterosexual, the lesbian, the autoeroticist, the sadist, the masochist and the necrophile. \ud Method \ud The thesis is a re-reading of Emily Dickinson's poetry, with new readings and interpretations of the poems and new insights into Dickinson's organisation ofher poems. Each chapter of the thesis provides new conclusions regarding Dickinson's literary project. \ud Contribution to knowledge \ud The thesis continues work started by others in the 1970s on Emily Dickinson's use of personae in her poetry. The thesis focus is on sexual personae as a method of articulating the taboo; an area of Dickinson study that has been neglected or ignored.

INTRODUCTION: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for the treatment of swallowing disorders is delivered at a variety of stimulation frequencies. We examined the effects of stimulation frequency on tongue muscle plasticity in an aging rat model. METHODS: Eighty-six young, middle-aged, and old rats were assigned to either bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulation at 10 or 100 Hz (5 days/wk, 8 wks), sham, or no implantation conditions. Muscle contractile properties and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) composition were determined for hyoglossus (HG) and styloglossus (SG) muscles. RESULTS: Eight-weeks of 100 Hz stimulation resulted in the greatest changes in muscle contractile function with significantly longer contraction and half-decay times, greatest reduction in fatigue, and a transition toward slowly contracting, fatigue-resistant MyHC isoforms. DISCUSSION: NMES at 100 Hz induced considerable changes in contractile and phenotypic profiles of HG and SG muscles, suggesting higher frequency NMES may yield a greater therapeutic effect.

This paper reviews and generalizes Feynman's path integration methods which use time slicing with straight line segments and Fourier sine series. The generalizations are done from variational calculus considerations and in one dimension for simplicity in demonstrating concepts., 13 pages, 2 figures

In 1884 Champneys reported 82 cases of pneumomediastinum in association with tracheotomy operatipns. Since that time there have been reports from time to time on this condition, but it is one of comparative rarity and its incidence is apt to be forgotten by both surgeons and anaesthetists. Prompt action, when it arises, can. be a life-saving measure. Matthew Spence1 reports a fatal case associated with .positive-pressure anaesthesia in which pressure of over 20 mm. Hg was momentarily applied inadvertently. The mechanism in this type of case, however, is not the same as that associated with neck operations, although bilateral tension-pneumothorax may be the result in either case.Bowden and Schweizer2 in their· admirable article discuss both types at length.

No Abstract.

Next Generation Science Standards and the Framework for K-12 Science Education encourage teachers to not only change the content of their teaching, but also the way that they deliver it. In order to promote these modern teaching practices, professional development (PD) experiences for teachers need to develop new approaches that enhance the transfer of the PD context into the teachers’ classroom practice. In this research study, professional learning communities (PLCs), defined as collaborative groups of teachers who make their practice visible within their professional learning, are analyzed in a formally instituted series of teacher professional education offerings. Moreover, the setting included a professional learning community composed of teacher-facilitators who were actively engaged as facilitators of other PLCs. The goal of this design experiment was to both explore PLCs as PD models within science education as well as to begin to develop tools for PD that allow teachers to work from within the context of their own classroom. The sources of evidence used in this study included teacher and student produced artifacts and interviews, and written transcripts of the sessions were also examined. All data were primarily explored using methodology taken from grounded theory. This approach facilitated identification of emergent themes that particularly addressed some of the ways that researchers and teacher leaders can work together in the future to make certain that PD and the teachers’ classroom practices are more coherently connected. The following themes were identified: refining the focus of professional learning communities to allow for investigations of student learning in the classroom, especially with an eye towards supporting transparency of practice through artifacts, and the usefulness of cycles of inquiry as a construct for planning professional learning communities. Furthermore, it became clear that there is a need for explicit norms to frame the classroom around what constitutes acceptable explanations and justifications for productive classroom experiences. Among other findings, it is recommended that borrowing from and adapting the work of scholars in sociomathematical norms around the use of explanations can be the basis for a possible framework for improving future studies of teacher professional practice.

Recent studies have shown that immune responses against the cell-traversal protein for Plasmodium ookinetes and sporozoites (CelTOS) can inhibit parasite infection. While these studies provide important evidence toward the development of vaccines targeting this protein, it remains unknown whether these responses could engage the Plasmodium falciparum CelTOS in vivo . Using a newly developed rodent malaria chimeric parasite expressing the P. falciparum CelTOS (PfCelTOS), we evaluated the protective effect of in vivo immune responses elicited by vaccination and assessed the neutralizing capacity of monoclonal antibodies specific against PfCelTOS. Mice immunized with recombinant P. falciparum CelTOS in combination with the glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant-stable emulsion (GLA-SE) or glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant-liposome-QS21 (GLA-LSQ) adjuvant system significantly inhibited sporozoite hepatocyte infection. Notably, monoclonal antibodies against PfCelTOS strongly inhibited oocyst development of P. falciparum and Plasmodium berghei expressing PfCelTOS in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. Taken together, our results demonstrate that anti-CelTOS responses elicited by vaccination or passive immunization can inhibit sporozoite and ookinete infection and impair vector transmission.

SUMMARYIn 2009 two notable outbreaks, Q fever and the novel influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, occurred in The Netherlands. Using a composite health measure, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), the outbreaks were quantified and compared. DALYs were calculated using standardized methodology incorporating age- and sex-stratified data in a disease progression model; years lost due to disability and years of life lost were computed by outcome. Nationally, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 caused more DALYs (24 484) than Q fever (5797). However, Q fever was 8·28 times more severe [497 DALYs/1000 symptomatic cases (DP1SC)] than A(H1N1)pdm09 (60 DP1SC). The A(H1N1)pdm09 burden is largely due to mortality while the Q fever burden is due primarily to long-term sequelae. Intervention prioritization for influenza should support patients in a critical condition while for Q fever it should target immediate containment and support for patients with long-term sequelae. Burden estimates provide guidance for focusing intervention options during outbreaks of infectious diseases.

We consider a hidden-valley gauge sector, G, with strong coupling scale Lambda~TeV and CP-violating topological parameter, theta, as well as a new axion degree of freedom which adjusts theta to near zero in the current universe. If the G-sector couples to the Standard Model via weak-scale states charged under both, then in the early universe it is possible for the CP-violation due to theta (which has not yet been adjusted to zero by the hidden axion) to feed in to the SM and drive efficient baryogenesis during the electroweak (EW) phase transition, independent of the effectively small amount of CP violation present in the SM itself. While current constraints on both the new axion and charged states are easily satisfied, we argue that the LHC can investigate the vast majority of parameter space where EW-baryogenesis is efficiently assisted, while the hidden axion should comprise a significant fraction of the dark matter density. In the supersymmetric version, the ``messenger'' matter communicating between the SM- and G-sectors naturally solves the little hierarchy problem of the MSSM. The connection of the hidden scale and masses of the ``quirk''-like messengers to the EW scale via the assisted electroweak baryogenesis mechanism provides a reason for such new hidden valley physics to lie at the weak scale., 22+1 pages, 3 figures

At a formal level, there appears to be no difficulty involved in introducing a chemical potential for a globally conserved quantum number into the partition function for space-time including a black hole. Were this possible, however, it would provide a form of black hole hair, and contradict the idea that global quantum numbers are violated in black hole evaporation. We demonstrate dynamical mechanisms that negate the formal procedure, both for topological charge (Skyrmions) and complex scalar-field charge. Skyrmions collapse to the horizon; scalar-field charge fluctuates uncontrollably., 7 pages, Latex

We study the $\Delta I = 1/2$ rule for kaon decays and the $B_K$ parameter for $K^0 - {\bar K}^0$ mixing in a dual 5-dimensional holographic QCD model. We perform, in the chiral limit, computations of the relevant four-point current-current correlators, which depend upon self-interactions among the 5D bulk fields. Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking ($\chi$SB) is realized through boundary conditions on the bulk fields. Numerical results are analyzed in comparison with QCD, chiral perturbation theory ($\chi$PT) and data, finding reasonable agreement with the experimental values of the $g_8$ and $g_{27}$ parameters describing the $\Delta I =1/2,3/2$ decay channels., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, numerical factor corrected, references added

Files included in this submission are the final paper (both Word and PDF versions), final presentation (both PPT and PDF versions), and final video tutorials (in .MOV format). In MUS 3065, Computer Music and Multimedia, students learn how to use the Max programming environment in order to compose interactive digital music. This project aims to assist these students by making video tutorials about the more useful aspects of Max in order to reiterate core concepts and methods that Dr. Nichols teaches in class. The selected topics for the videos are coll object, additive synthesis, audio modulation, quad-speaker spatialization, timing in Max, and Max basics. Each video describes the recorded screen of the Max environment as well as voice-overs explaining what the narrator is doing in the video and why. Dr. Charles Nichols

To evaluate the handling, by a group of practice-based researchers, of a recently introduced bulk fill resin-based composite restorative material, Filtek Bulk Fill Restorative (3M ESPE).The twelve selected evaluators were sent explanatory letters, a pack of the material under investigation to use for 8 weeks, and a questionnaire.The evaluators rated the ease of use of the bulk fill restorative the same as the previously used posterior composite material. The provision of one shade only for evaluation may have compromised the score for aesthetic quality. No post-operative sensitivity was reported.The bulk fill material was well received as indicated by the high number of evaluators who would both purchase the material and recommend it to colleagues.A recently introduced bulk fill restorative material achieved a rating for handling which was similar to the evaluators' previously used resin composite, although there were some concerns regarding the translucency of the material.

Maximally Natural Supersymmetry, an unusual weak-scale supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model based upon the inherently higher-dimensional mechanism of Scherk-Schwarz supersymmetry breaking (SSSB), possesses remarkably good fine tuning given present LHC limits. Here we construct a version with precision $SU(2)_{\rm L} \times U(1)_{\rm Y} $ unification: $\sin^2 \theta_W(M_Z) \simeq 0.231$ is predicted to $\pm 2\%$ by unifying $SU(2)_{\rm L} \times U(1)_{\rm Y} $ into a 5D $SU(3)_{\rm EW}$ theory at a Kaluza-Klein scale of $1/R_5 \sim 4.4\,{\rm TeV}$, where SSSB is simultaneously realised. Full unification with $SU(3)_{\rm C}$ is accommodated by extending the 5D theory to a $N=4$ supersymmetric $SU(6)$ gauge theory on a 6D rectangular orbifold at $1/R_6 \sim 40 \,{\rm TeV}$. TeV-scale states beyond the SM include exotic charged fermions implied by $SU(3)_{\rm EW}$ with masses lighter than $\sim 1.2\,{\rm TeV}$, and squarks in the mass range $1.4\,{\rm TeV} - 2.3\,{\rm TeV}$, providing distinct signatures and discovery opportunities for LHC run II., Comment: 33 pages, 7 figures

Although games have permeated our society and culture, they have yet to take their rightful place in education. Game-based learning (GBL) is associated with a myriad of benefits, including increased motivation, engagement, and varied skill development; yet it is not widely used in formal K-12 schooling. Therefore, it is critical to understand not only the educational value of games (board, social, and digital) but also stakeholders' perceptions of GBL as they may impact programs and implementation. Working from a constructivist paradigm, this research reviewed existing literature regarding GBL benefits, obstacles, use, and perceptions before shifting its attention to explore perceptions in one secondary education institution considering GBL as a common instructional practice. By focusing on research questions that examine teacher and administrator perceptions about, teacher use of, and administrative observations regarding GBL, the study aimed to support and inform this school in future GBL implementation initiatives. The study employed a mixed methods approach using surveys and focus group discussions in a cycle of explanatory sequential design that gathered targeted input from 10 teachers and 8 administrators from a 7-12 high school, as well as elements from an administrative review of teacher practice through historical data, to construct and confirm a collective stakeholder perception about GBL. Data was reviewed from all three approaches and themes emerged that connected findings across data sources as well as stakeholder subgroups. Critical information on game use, perceived benefits, potential obstacles, and the emergent generational gap between new and veteran teachers provided insightful results that ultimately addressed the core research questions and yielded interesting recommendations for future initiatives and research. While the study may not be able to define conclusively GBL's rightful place in the field of education, the research thoroughly explored the perceptions and realities that influence the inconsistencies associated with game use as tool for teaching and learning in this setting. As a result, this, or any, district can now build on the established foundation of qualitative and quantitative data on perceptions, use, values, and concerns to drive GBL progress in a direction that is manageable and meaningful.

Objectives: To assess support discs, comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET), coated with different polymer/levofloxacin combinations for antimicrobial activity in an animal model of infection, in order to explore the use of specific polymer coatings incorporating levofloxacin as a means of reducing device-related infections. Methods: Aliphatic polyester-polyurethanes containing different ratios of poly(lactic acid) diol and poly(caprolactone) diol were prepared, blended with levofloxacin and then used to coat support discs. The in vitro levofloxacin release profiles from these discs were measured in aqueous solution. Mice were surgically implanted with the coated discs placed subcutaneously and infection was initiated by injection of 106 cfu of Staphylococcus aureus into the subcutaneous pocket containing the implant. After 5, 10, 20 and 30 days, the discs were removed, and the number of bacteria adhering to the implant and the residual antimicrobial activity of the discs were determined. Results: In vitro, the release of levofloxacin from the coated discs occurred at a constant rate and then reached a plateau at different timepoints, depending on the polymer preparation used. In vivo, none of the discs coated with polymer blends containing levofloxacin was colonized by S. aureus, whereas 94% of the discs coated with polymer alone were infected. All discs coated with levofloxacin-blended polymers displayed residual antimicrobial activity for at least 20 days post-implantation. Conclusions: Bioerodable polyester-polyurethane polymer coatings containing levofloxacin can prevent bacterial colonization of implants in an intra-operative model of device-related infections.