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IntroductionMilitary personnel train and operate in challenging multistressor environments, which can affect hormonal levels, and subsequently compromise performance and recovery. The aims of this project were to evaluate concentrations of cortisol and testosterone and subjective perceptions of stress and recovery across basic military training (BMT).Methods32 male recruits undergoing BMT were tracked over a 12-week course. Saliva samples were collected weekly, on waking, 30 min postwaking and bedtime. Perceptions of stress and recovery were collected weekly. Daily physical activity (steps) were measured via wrist-mounted accelerometers across BMT. Physical fitness was assessed via the multistage fitness test and push-ups in weeks 2 and 8.ResultsConcentrations of testosterone and cortisol, and the testosterone:cortisol ratio changed significantly across BMT, with variations in responses concurrent with programmatic demands. Perceptions of stress and recovery also fluctuated according to training elements. Recruits averaged 17 027 steps per day between weeks 2 and 12, with week-to-week variations. On average, recruits significantly increased predicted VO2max(3.6 (95% CI 1.0 to 6.1) mL/kg/min) and push-ups (5. 5 (95% CI 1.4 to 9.7) repetitions) between weeks 2 and 8.ConclusionsRecruit stress responses oscillated over BMT in line with programmatic demands indicating that BMT was, at a group level, well-tolerated with no signs of enduring physiological strain or overtraining. The sensitivity of cortisol, testosterone and the testosterone:cortisol ratio to the stressors of military training, suggest they may have a role in monitoring physiological strain in military personnel. Subjective measures may also have utility within a monitoring framework to help ensure adaptive, rather than maladaptive (eg, injury, attrition), outcomes in military recruits.

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Summary Pex3 is an evolutionarily conserved type III peroxisomal membrane protein required for peroxisome formation. It is inserted into the ER membrane and sorted via an ER subdomain (the peroxisomal ER, or pER) to peroxisomes. By constructing chimeras between Pex3 and the type III ER membrane protein Sec66, we have been able to separate the signals that mediate insertion of Pex3 into the ER from those that mediate sorting within the ER to the pER subdomain. The N-terminal 17-amino acid segment of Pex3 contains two signals that are each sufficient for sorting to the pER: a chimeric protein containing the N-terminal domain of Pex3 fused to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic segments of Sec66 sorts to the pER in wild type cells, and does not colocalise with peroxisomes. Subsequent transport to existing peroxisomes requires the Pex3 transmembrane segment. When expressed in Drosophila S2R+ cells, ScPex3 targeting to peroxisomes is dependent on the intra-ER sorting signals in the N-terminal segment. The N-terminal segments of both human and Drosophila Pex3 contain intra-ER sorting information and can replace that of ScPex3. Our analysis has uncovered the signals within Pex3 required for the various steps of its transport to peroxisomes. Our generation of versions of Pex3 that are blocked at each stage along its transport pathway provides a tool to dissect the mechanism, as well as the molecular machinery required at each step of the pathway.

Ovulation is a complex, multi-factorial event that involves the degeneration of a specific area of the follicular and ovarian surface via apoptosis. Many apoptosis related genes have been identified in the ovary. Secreted Frizzled Related Protein 4 (sFRP4) is a protein that appears to antagonize a molecular pathway for cell survival. sFRP4 gene expression is known to be upregulated with apoptosis in the ovarian corpus luteum. In this study, ovulation was hormonally induced in immature Wistar rats and their ovaries collected for analysis of apoptosis and sFRP4. TUNEL staining identified a greater amount of dying cells in the thecal layer of treated rat ovaries compared to controls. The results of 3'-end labelling revealed a significant increase (p < 0.01) in apoptosis at 12 hours following treatment compared to other time points and control. In situ hybridization exhibited a visible increase in amounts of sFRP4 mRNA expression in the thecal layers of follicles from treated rats compared to controls. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed no significant difference in sFRP4 expression levels between treated and control tissues although a clear trend towards an increase was observed in the treated group. This study demonstrates an association between sFRP4 and apoptosis in rat ovulation.

Ideology plays a crucial role in terrorist's target selection; it supplies terrorists with an initial motive for action and provides a prism through which they view events and the actions of other people. Those people and institutions whom they deem guilty of having transgressed the tenets of the terrorists’ ideologically‐based moral framework are considered to be legitimate targets which the terrorists feel justified in attacking. As an extension of this, ideology also allows terrorists to justify their violence by displacing the responsibility onto either their victims or other actors, whom in ideological terms they hold responsible for the state of affairs which the terrorists claim led them to adopt violence. While it is not the only factor which determines whether a potential target is attacked, ideology provides an initial range of legitimate targets and a means by which terrorists seek to justify attacks, both to the outside world and to themselves.

The new Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia requires substantial works for the management and attenuation of surface-water runoff from a large platform constructed on both high ground and low-lying swamp. This paper describes the key features of the main drainage system and reviews (a) the hydrological context of the scheme, (b) the design principles, and (c) the methodologies which were adopted. The platform drainage works comprise concrete-lined open channels discharging through large balancing ponds into the local rivers. Other components of the scheme include numerous culverts, a river diversion, and an interim system to drain the earthworks' platform prior to completion of the permanent airport drainage. Measures to mitigate the impact of the development, and the application of hydrodynamic modelling in optimizing the system design, are discussed.

In this paper we present our experience in the development of real-time controllers for special robots, designed to perform maintenance operations in nuclear power plants. The evolution of computer hardware and software technology has made the requirements of the embedded robot controllers to also evolve. In addition to the usual concurrent software and real-time constraints, today our robots require advanced features such as network communications, file systems, and graphical user interfaces. To meet all these requirements we not only need a reliable concurrent programming language such as Ada, but we also need to use services provided by real-time operating systems. In this paper we want to present our successful experience in the development of robot controllers using the Ada language and a POSIX real-time operating system.

In his studies of loyalist terrorism in Northern Ireland, Steve Bruce introduces the concept of ‘pro‐state’ terrorism, whereby terrorists carry out attacks in order to eliminate threats which they believe should have been eliminated by the state's security forces. This article argues that whilst the actions of loyalist terrorists may have a pro‐state element, they can more properly be seen in the wider context of conservative terrorism.

An indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for specific anti-Neospora antibodies in bovine sera and foetal fluids were compared with histological examination results on aborted foetal material. The agreement between serological and histological examination results was poor, while the two serological tests showed a high degree of agreement. Serological testing of diagnostic serum samples and foetal fluids suggests that the prevalence of anti-Neospora antibodies in cattle which recently aborted is around 40%, in line with previous estimates of the number of abortions in dairy cattle caused by Neospora sp. A sero-epidemiological approach to the diagnosis of Neospora abortions in cattle may be suggested from these data.

Light scattering and optical spectroscopy experiments were performed on [2-methoxy, 5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy-p-phenylene-vinylene](MEH-PPV), poly[2-butoxy, 5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy-p-phenylene-vinylene](BEH-PPV), and poly[2-dicholestanoxy-p-phenylene-vinylene](BCHA-PPV) in solution with p-xylene to determine the effects of side chain size on the structure and optical properties of PPV. We find that increasing the size of the solubilizing side chains increases the intrinsic persistence length of the PPV backbone and this change in rigidity has dramatic effects on the photoluminescence of PPV. Quantum yield determination relative to Rhodamine 6G shows the luminescence efficiency of the rigid BCHA-PPV is 0.66 ± 0.05 and that the yield decreases to 0.20 ± 0.05 for MEH-PPV, the most coiled derivative. Excitation profiles show an increase in non-radiative decay at high energies when the backbone is more flexible.

We report the results of light scattering, absorption, excitation, and emission spectroscopy of three polyphenylene vinylene (PPV) derivatives; poly[2‐methoxy, 5‐(2’‐ethyl‐hexyloxy‐p‐phenylene‐ vinylene] (MEH‐PPV), poly[2‐butoxy, 5‐(2’‐ethyl‐hexyloxy‐p‐phenylene‐vinylene] (BEH‐PPV), and poly[2‐dicholestanoxy‐p‐phenylene‐vinylene] (BCHA‐PPV) in solution with p‐xylene. We find that increasing the size of the solubilizing side chains increases the intrinsic persistence length of the polyphenylene vinylene backbone and that this change in stiffness has dramatic effects on the photoluminescence of polyphenylene vinylene. We have determined the luminescence quantum efficiencies of the polyphenylene vinylene derivatives relative to a known standard, Rhodamine 6G, and find that the photoluminescence can be greatly enhanced by increasing the intrinsic stiffness of the polymer backbone. The stiffest polymer, poly[2‐dicholestanoxy‐p‐phenylene‐vinylene] (BCHA‐PPV), has a quantum efficiency of 0.66±0.05. The quantum e...

Small angle neutron scattering experiments were performed to measure the structure factor [ital S]([ital q]) for a binary fluid water/lutidine mixture imbibed inside porous Vycor glass at concentrations both near and away from critical. In both cases, the results can be interpreted as a combination of a lutidine-rich wetting layer coating the internal surfaces of Vycor and random single-phase domain growth with temperature. This result does not support the random field Ising model predictions for the phase separation behavior, but is in good agreement with theories based on pore confinement of the imbibed fluid mixture.

The study of binary fluid phase transitions in porous media has received a great deal of attention, both theoretically and experimentally, over the past few years. The preferential wettability of the internal surfaces by one of the fluids introduces a randomness that has led to consideration of Random Field Ising Models. However, in certain cases such as Vycor glass, the confinement in the pores plays a dominant role. A different limit is obtained in the case of aerogels which have internal mass fractal density correlations. We discuss the theory of scattering by binary fluid concentration fluctuations in both these types of porous solid and recent studies of the scattering from water/lutidine critical and near-critical mixtures in these systems

The performance of organic dyes in PMMA has been evaluated in a three-layer planar luminescent solar concentrator. The single plate and combined three-plate efficiencies have been measured for a number of dyes, and results of one typical combination are reported here. A detailed characterization of the spectroscopic properties of the dye molecules as well as the device dependent and device independent parameters of the plates allow comparison between measured and predicted efficiency. Our results demonstrate the presence of a significant positive synergism for the multilayer device.

gel is demonstrated. The nonexponential fluorescence relaxation of excited naphthalene and 2-methoxynaphthalene adsorbed to the pore surface of silica gel 60 is shown to be described by a mechanism involving dipole-dipole coupling between the molecular excited singlet states and the intrinsic defect sites of silica. The spectral overlap between the defect absorption and the adsorbate excited singlet state emission is measured. Values for the critical energy-transfer radius, &, are determined to be approximately 10 A for the probe molecules studied. The density of defects in the silica gel 60 is calculated to be 1020 cm:3.

The decay of the excited singlet state of an aromatic molecule such as naphthalene adsorbed to the surface of silica is nonexponential. This nonexponential decay is shown to result from a multipolar interaction between the excited adsorbate and the intrinsic defects of silica. We present experimental evidence for direct energy transfer between the donor molecules, naphthalene and 2-methoxynaphthalene, and acceptor defects sites of a crystalline silica zeloite (silicalite). The principal condition for direct energy transfer, spectral overlap between the optical absorption of the defects and the fluorescence emission of the adsorbate is demonstrated for this system, and the nonexponential relaxation of the donor is shown to be described by a Forster-type stretched exponential. Based on the spectral overlap and energy transfer rate determined, the intrinsic defect density of silicalite is calculated to be 3±2×10 cm^-3.

We provide a comprehensive analysis of the microstructure of the porous glass, vycor. Using transmission electron microscopy, small‐angle x‐ray scattering, molecular adsorption, and the dynamic process of direct energy transfer, a consistent picture of the mass, pore, and interfacial features of this material is presented. From a transmission‐electron‐microscopy image of an ultrathin section of vycor the material appears to have a homogeneous distribution of mass with no hierarchical organization. The pore interface exhibits a roughness which is probed by both small‐angle x‐ray scattering and molecular adsorption. The roughness has an upper cutoff of

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a militant, nationalist organisation which aims at ending British rule in Northern Ireland by violent means and at establishing a united Irish republic. It has the support of a substantial proportion of Northern Irish Catholics, and sufficient armaments to continue its campaign for the forseeable future. The quality of the ordinary PIRA recruits is quite high, and its leadership has shown itself capable of adapting political and military strategy to changing circumstances. However, despite achieving a great deal, it is unlikely that the PIRA can overcome the hostility of Northern Irish Protestants to Irish unity, and by its campaign it has exacerbated that hostility.

The dynamic process of electronic energy transfer is shown to be an important tool for probing the microstructure of molecular systems, particularly those in which donors and acceptors occupy specifically labeled sites of spatially confining host matrices. Special attention is given to analyzing the temporal behavior of the direct energy transfer reaction for systems in which the dipolar coupling is between a donor and randomly distributed acceptors. This dynamic process is dependent on two competing lengths when the donor and acceptor distribution is determined by the microstructure of the confining system: Rp, the dominant length characterizing the size of the confinement, and R0, which scales the strength of the dipolar coupling. When energy transfer processes are viewed in the context of these two competing lengths, a picture emerges of the microstructure of the confinement that is consistent with and corroborated by other structural probes.

Depending on the size of the pores and on the temperature and pressure of the fluid, flow in microporous materials can be through gas diffusion, surface diffusion, and viscous liquid flow driven by capillary forces or by hydraulic pressure. We have studied these flow regimes with toluene in untreated Vycor glass with a pore radius of 31 A and Vycor glass with a pore radius of 21 A whose pores were derivatized with C18H38. The observed increase in viscosity with decreasing pore size is ascribed to the attractive interaction of the monolayer adsorbed on the pore walls. The surface diffusion coefficient at 22°C is 5 × 10−5 cm2 s−1 for both the derivatized and underivatized Vycor, with an activation energy of 3 kcal in the temperature range 22–100°C.

In this paper we present a detailed experimental study of molecular adsorption on interfaces of silica gels from binary solutions of alcohol/toluene. The adsorption measurements are corroborated with infrared spectra of the surface hydroxyl groups and with NMR results. The adsorption isotherms are analyzed within the framework of the Everett approach and possible scaling relations between alcohol monolayer capacities and adsorbate cross sections are discussed. We conclude that reliable morphological information on the interfaces cannot be obtained from these adsorption experiments.

Cytokeratins 8 and 18 have recently been identified as acetylated. The acetylation of other cytoskeletal proteins has been reported as linked to stabilility. As colorectal cells exist bathed in pharmacologically active levels of the HDACi butyrate, we sought to apply state-of-the-art High Content Analytical approaches to identify the effect of butyrate upon the cytoskeleton of colorectal cells. We observed butyrate caused an increase in acetylation at three distinct residues of cytokeratin 8 (K10, K471, and K482) and that the kinetics of altered acetylation were distinct, implying either separate HDACs, or a heirachy of acetylation. This change in acetylation was associated with a breakdown in the cytokeratin cytoskeleton, implying a functional role for cytokeratin acetylation.

We argue that the statistical character of wave propagation in random media can be described in terms of two universal parameters which are average properties of eigenmodes of the field. We show that the width and spacing of electromagnetic modes can be determined from the measurement of the intensity correlation function with frequency shift. The ratio δ of the typical level width to the spacing of modes, which is essentially the Thouless number, gives the proximity to the localization threshold. Its inverse δ-1 gives the degree of long range intensity correlation in the sample.

The dynamic and thermodynamic properties of molecular systems are known to be modified by confinement in very small spaces. However, making explicit and unambiguous connections between the geometry of the confining space and the molecular behavior has proven to be difficult, and the connections, when made, are frequently controversial. Nonetheless studies show that within a family of similarly prepared porous materials, the effect of finite size on the behavior of confined liquids and gases scales with a single geometric property of the pore space.

We show that the optical field-field correlation function with frequency in a random medium is the Fourier transform of the time-of-flight distribution. This is demonstrated for light transmitted through a polystyrene slab containing titania particles by fitting the measured frequency dependence of the correlation function of fluctuations in intensity using the measured transmitted picosecond pulse profile.

Geometrical restrictions are known to modify the transport properties of embedded molecules. In this contribution we briefly summarize our recent results on dynamics within pores obtained by using optical probes, with an emphasis on crossover behaviors typical to such systems

We demonstrate how photophysical processes in restricted geometries such as porous oxides differed from analogous processes in regular systems. We have used forced Rayleigh scattering and direct energy transfer to probe different length scales of the internal pore network.

AIM To describe the performance characteristics (sensitivity and specificity) of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of Brucella ovis infection in rams. METHODS Sera from a negative (n = 2535) and a positive (n = 589) reference population were tested in an ELISA for anti-B. ovis antibodies and cut-off values calculated from the raw, log10-transformed and fitted data. Statistical methods were used to fit curves to the frequency distribution of the data and receiver-operated characteristics analysis used to optimise the cut-off values. RESULTS Analysis of the frequency distribution of the positive ELISA values suggested a normal distribution of the data, whereas, in the case of the negative population, a Pearson type IV curve appeared to best fit the data. The cut-off values calculated as the mean plus 1.96 standard deviations (s.d.) from the raw, log-transformed and fitted ELISA data did not differ markedly. The differences were much greater at the mean plus 3.09 s.d. cut-off, with the cut-off value calculated from the log-transformed data giving a much better estimate of specificity. Optimisation (minimisation of classification error) of the cut-off calculated from the fitted curves suggested varying cut-off values, depending on the prevalence of B. ovis infection. DISCUSSION Calculation of cut-off values from curves that were fitted from the observed data give more accurate estimations of the performance characteristics of an assay than traditional calculations from observed values. They also allow the calculation of optimal cut-off values taking into account the prevalence of B. ovis infection and give additional information about the performance of the assay at cut-off values varied according to the epidemiological situation.

In this paper we study several constitutive equations for the brain based on the strain energy density function. We use the polynomial function and hyper-elastic Ogden model for the strain energy and include the energy dissipation by a Prony series expansion. The models are compared with known unconfined compression experimental results of the human brain tissue to obtain the best fitted model and brain mechanical parameters. Finite element simulations are also performed using the given constitutive equations, and numerical solutions match the analytical results very closely. The results are compared with other analytical and numerical calculations.

Dynamics and Friction in Sub-Micrometer Confining Systems emphasizes recent advancements in understanding and implementing dynamical properties at the sub-micron scales such as re-distribution and release of energy at the nano-scale due to confinement, and frictional dynamics and control at the atomic scale.

The full nitrogen isotherm of a porous silica (silica gel 60) is studied and is compared with recent theoretical predictions based on extensions of the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill approach to adsorption on fractal surfaces. The analysis is shown to be model dependent and contrary to previous claims the isotherm does not provide any clear-cut information on the morphological features of the surface

This paper describes a model for representing the temporal and logical elements of real-time applications, called MAST. This model allows a very rich description of the system, including the effects of event or message-based synchronization, multiprocessor and distributed architectures as well as shared resource synchronization. The model is directly obtainable from a description of the system design using a UML tool. A system representation using this model is analyzable through a set of tools that has been developed within the MAST suite, including worst-case schedulability analysis for hard timing requirements, and discrete-event simulation for soft timing requirements. Although the current model only includes fixed priority systems, it is conceived as an open model and is easily extensible to accommodate other kinds of systems.

Shunt failure remains a disheartening complication of shunt surgery. The number of adjustable factors in attempting to reduce the rate is small. The clinical presentation and timing of shunt malfunction are well documented. Although the shunt design trials have been negative to date, valves have important effects that have not as yet been translated to improved outcome.

The Virtual Tape Measure for the Operating Microscope (VTMOM) was created to assist surgeons in making accurate 3D measurements of anatomical structures seen in the surgical field under the operating microscope. The VTMOM employs augmented reality techniques by combining stereoscopic video images with stereoscopic computer graphics, and functions by relying on an operator's ability to align a 3D graphic pointer, which serves as the end-point of the virtual tape measure, with designated locations on the anatomical structure being measured. The VTMOM was evaluated for its baseline and application performances as well as its application efficacy.Baseline performance was determined by measuring the mean error (bias) and standard deviation of error (imprecision) in measurements of non-anatomical objects. Application performance was determined by comparing the error in measuring the dimensions of aneurysm models with and without the VTMOM. Application efficacy was determined by comparing the error in selecting the appropriate aneurysm clip size with and without the VTMOM.Baseline performance indicated a bias of 0.3 mm and an imprecision of 0.6 mm. Application bias was 3.8 mm and imprecision was 2.8 mm for aneurysm diameter. The VTMOM did not improve aneurysm clip size selection accuracy.The VTMOM is a potentially accurate tool for use under the operating microscope. However, its performance when measuring anatomical objects is highly dependent on complex visual features of the object surfaces.

Ewing's sarcoma (ES) of the skull is rare. Herein, we present 2 cases of ES that involved the cranium in young children. In one case, the lesion originated in the petrous temporal bone; in the other, the frontal bone. Both children were acutely compromised neurologically by signs and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure. In both cases, radiographs revealed massive tumors affecting the skull. Neurosurgical resection of the tumor was undertaken in both instances, and the diagnosis of ES was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, cytogenetic analysis (translocation 11;22), spectral karyotyping and RT-PCR (demonstration of a EWS/FLI1 fusion transcript). Following aggressive surgical resection, both children received intensive chemotherapy. No child has received radiation therapy. One child is alive and well 8 years after diagnosis without any evidence of residual disease. The other is currently undergoing chemotherapy for her tumor. The principles involved in the management of children with cranial-based ES are discussed. These 2 cases serve to illustrate the fact that even children with massive ES tumors of the cranium may be salvaged with aggressive combination therapy.