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The Latin American treatment and innovation network in mental health h (LATINMH): rationale and scope. Over the past 60 years Latin American countries have been experiencing noticeable demographic and socioeconomic changes, with marked impact on the population health in the region. There is growing recognition of the co-morbidity among mental and physical health problems impacting heavily on health care systems. These challenges open many opportunities for transformational change in the expanding field of global mental health. Given the growing evidence for the wide applicability and efficacy of specific components included in mental health treatment packages, research should focus more on improving the organization and efficiency with which we deliver these specific treatment components already proven to be efficacious. The Latin American Treatment and Innovation Network in Mental Health (LATIN-MH) is a research and training Hub based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Lima, Peru. It aims to address the co-morbidity between physical and mental chronic diseases, exploring the opportunity to use technology to support the treatment of these conditions. LATIN-MH strives to move beyond specific single-disease approaches and research silos, whilst maximizing the opportunities to work collaboratively with various groups in the Latin American region, thus contributing to fostering research and building capacity in mental health research. Mental Health, Chronic Disease, mHealth, Capacity Building (MeSH) Key concepts: Chronic diseases have now become the major determinants of the disease burden in Latin America, whereas psychiatric disorders accounted for almost one-third of years lived with disability worldwide in 2005. LATIN-MH is a research and training hub that aims to address the co-morbidity between physical and mental chronic diseases using technology to support their treatments. LATIN-MH strives to move beyond specific single-disease approaches and research siloes, whilst maximizing the opportunities to work collaboratively with various groups in the Latin American region, thus contributing to foster research and build capacity in mental health research. LATIN-MH is built on three driving principles: (i) building capacities to ensure sustainability and autonomy of mental health services, (ii) developing strategic interdisciplinary partnerships, and (iii) integrating mental health treatment into primary care and community health systems.

The FDA requires the use of human hepatocytes for preclinical drug testing by pharmaceutical researchers, but unfortunately the supply of these cells is severely limited. Currently, cadaveric donors and surgical liver resection specimens are currently the only available source of human hepatocytes. These samples are very scarce and often yield cells of poor quality unsuitable for research. We have developed technology to massively expand fully functional primary human hepatocytes by serial transplantation in immune deficient FRGN mice in vivo. Hepatocytes isolated from these animals are highly viable and functional. Cell farming in FRGN mice allows the production of an unlimited supply of human hepatocytes for research in toxicology, drug metabolism, infectious disease, and cancer biology. The aims of this application are to optimize the isolation and storage of farmed hepatocytes and to fully validate their utility in comparison to the currently available cells. Once fully validated, these cells are going to be valuable in the commercial market. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The successful implementation of human hepatocyte farming technology will significantly impact human health by providing this vital resource for drug development at a higher quality and lower cost than is currently available.

Refinements of tissue expansion for pediatric forehead reconstruction: a 13-year experience. Reconstruction of the forehead in children when 25 percent or more of the forehead is involved presents a complex reconstructive challenge because of the confluence of highly visible aesthetic units. The present study was performed to develop an algorithm for lesions involving 25 percent or more of the forehead. A 13-year retrospective review was performed of all pediatric patients who completed reconstruction for lesions involving at least 25 percent of the forehead by a single surgeon (A.K.G.). All lesions were classified on the basis of percentage of forehead involved and involvement of adjacent subunits. Twenty patients completed reconstruction. The median number of surgical procedures required was six (range, two to 11), with a median of three (range, one to four) expansion procedures. Simultaneous expanders were placed in the scalp (16 patients) and cheek (eight patients). Five patients underwent correction of eyebrow ptosis at a final procedure. Reconstruction involved 25 to 70 percent of the forehead in 19 patients, 17 of whom were reconstructed with serial forehead expansion and advancement flaps. One patient with a pigmented nevus occupying more than 75 percent of the forehead received an expanded full-thickness skin graft from the lower abdomen. For all groups, the entire extent of the visible lesion was excised and complete skin coverage achieved. Reconstruction of 25 to 70 percent or more of the forehead in children is best accomplished using tissue expansion and direct advancement of adjacent tissues. Simultaneous expansion should be performed in the cheek and scalp if indicated. Brow ptosis should be addressed with each advancement. Lesions greater than 70 percent of the forehead are best accomplished with distant tissues.

Public events, such as sports games, concerts, etc., are routinely televised. However, the viewers' experience is less than satisfying as attendance at these events involve an experience beyond simply a visual one. Other factors that contribute to the user experience at these events include interaction with other attendees and an ability to control one's view of the events. Also, it is noted that attending a game is more than a visual experience, but is a social event in which people spend time with friends and family members. A TV program cannot simulate, for example, a stadium atmosphere, whereby attendees can enjoy interacting with peers and hearing the roars of the crowd. Additionally, traditional television technology only allows a viewer to watch an event from one perspective chosen by the program editors. Hence, the viewer can only passively follow what is provided from the broadcast source, and thereby is prevented from following a favorite player or entertainer. In short, traditional television viewing provides a one dimensional experience. Moreover, unless the event is truly spectacular, certain potential participants may be disinclined to attend them because of various considerations. For example, traveling to the venue can be extremely burdensome, as traffic is usually problematic, and thus, requires leaving to the event well in advance of the start time. Also, if the venue is of a significant distance, travel time and transportation costs (e.g., gas, maintenance, etc.) can present a serious barrier to attendance. Television remains the prevalent global medium for entertainment and information. With the convergence of telecommunications and media services, there is increased competition among service providers to offer more services and features to consumers, and concomitantly develop new revenue sources. Traditional telecommunication companies are entering the arena of media services that have been within the exclusive domain of cable (or satellite) television service providers. Little focus has been paid to enhancing user control of their viewing experience. Therefore, there is a need for providing features that enhance user experience during broadcast of an event.

Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 Reason Papers 36, no. 1 (July 2014): 143-161. Copyright © 2014 Review Essay: Al Gini and Alexei Marcoux's The Ethics of Business: A Concise Introduction Gary James Jason California State University, Fullerton Those who teach introductory business ethics with some regularity often find that choosing an appropriate text is difficult. To be blunt, many business ethics texts have a tone of skepticism toward (if not downright suspicion of) the very institution they seek to analyze ethically. The result is often analogous to what one might expect of a text on the philosophy of sex and love written by a religious celibate. There is now a nice little text that doesn't suffer from that flaw. The Ethics of Business, by Al Gini and Alexei Marcoux (hereafter, Gini/Marcoux), is a spirited and insightful introduction to this widely taught subject. 1 In the first chapter, the authors discuss both the layout of the text and their perspective in writing it. They point to James Rachels's classic short text (The Elements of Moral Philosophy 2 ) as a model. Just as Rachels tried to define what ethics is about and sketch a "minimal" conception of morality (which he defined as an effort to guide your conduct by reason), Gini/Marcoux want not to survey the burgeoning field of business ethics, but to define the field and sketch a minimal conception of how to do business ethically. The authors trace the origins of the field to Raymond Baumhart's text, An Honest Profit: What Businessmen Say about Ethics in Business. 3 While the field of business ethics grew in a way Baumhart never imagined, the authors approve of his original idea of putting the focus on individuals rather than institutions. Parenthetically, I am not sure that this is the best approach. The institution of business, like that of the family or government, is very much defined, shaped, and constrained by the specific legal and economic structures 1 Al Gini and Alexei Marcoux, The Ethics of Business: A Concise Introduction (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012). 2 James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986). 3 Raymond Baumhart, An Honest Profit: What Businessmen Say about Ethics in Business (Boston, MA: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1968). Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 144 which actors in that institution are constantly considering in decision making. In other words, business activity is like a game in one major sense: it is conducted in accordance with rules, rules generally not set by the players in the game. Gini/Marcoux then note that their book differs from other ethics texts. The authors note that most contemporary texts almost exclusively discuss big business, as if every business ethics student will be a top executive at a Fortune 500 company. The authors nicely point out that most businesspeople work at small businesses, and that the principles of business ethics should be applicable to businesses of all sizes. In this the authors are correct, but it would have been useful if they had made two further points here. To begin with, not just "most" businesses are small, but virtually all of them are. Looking at the federal Small Business Administration's (SBA's) data, there were roughly 28 million businesses in the U.S. in 2010. 4 Under the SBA definition of "small business" (one employing fewer than 500 employees), about 99.7% of all American businesses are small-27.9 million small businesses, versus less than 20,000 large firms. Small business creates nearly two-thirds of all net new private sector jobs. More strikingly, in firms that produce a high number of patents (fifteen or more over four years), small firms produced about sixteen times the patents per employee than large firms did. Moreover, a point that the authors don't make is that failure is the norm in business. Again, citing the SBA's own data, only about half of all new businesses survive for five years or more, and only a third survive for ten years or more. Gini/Marcoux also make the point that the typical business ethics text is reformist in tone, that is, it usually pushes various policy prescriptions for regulatory and legal changes to control business activity. As the authors note, this suggests to the student the bizarre message that business is inherently immoral and needs profound reform. (This is usually reinforced by case studies-such as Enron-of wickedly bad business behavior.) But there is a more important reason to be wary of the reformist weltanschauung of the typical business ethics text: "reform" invariably means "reform by government." There is a Hegelian cast of mind informing most business ethics texts that views business as the realm of unfettered egoism, while government is the realm of disinterested altruism. This view was always naive, but after the extensive work done by economists in what has come to be called "Public Choice Theory" (not mentioned in any business ethics text of which I am aware, even the one under review), the view is empirically simply untenable. Government is no less a realm of self-interest than business is itself. The authors add that rather than dwelling on moral dilemmas in business (often with no resolution offered), they want to set out "action- 4 Accessed online at: http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/FAQ_Sept_2012.pdf. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 145 guiding principles"-principles that seek to tell us what we ought to do-as opposed to principles of justification of why we should do it. And those action-guiding principles should not have to rest upon any single ethical theory. Moreover, rather than take a "topical" approach (examining, say, first worker rights, then worker responsibilities, then ethical issues in production, then in marketing, and so on), the authors aim at examining the moral features of business generally. So, for example, they have a chapter on trust and truth in business, which is an issue that arises no less in the human resources department than in the marketing and sales departments. Having set out their general perspective, Gini/Marcoux then take up particular issues. In Chapter 2, they take up the fundamental question of what "business" is. They point out that "business" is a noun-a business is an entity, a firm. But "business" is also a verb-it refers to an activity, and that it is more useful first to focus on the activity. Just as a hospital is an entity supporting medical activity, a firm is an entity supporting business activity. "Doing business" they define most centrally as executing exchange transactions, that is, the act of trading. But business activity is not limited merely to engaging in exchange transactions. Not all trading opportunities are obvious and immediate. They often have to be sought out, like finding a convenient store or (more creatively) identifying a potential market, that is, a potential demand for a product not yet invented or well known. Not only is creativity involved in inventing new products or services, but it is involved in imagining the customer, that is, developing the customer base. This leads Gini/Marcoux to make the Schumpeterian point that business is an entrepreneurial activity, one that isn't just a transactionexecuting, but a transaction-seeking one. Besides exchange transactions, business activity involves bargaining or negotiation. Businesspeople negotiate with consumers when they set (and change) prices, with suppliers when they buy inputs, and with employees when they determine compensation for labor. Now, transaction-seeking, negotiation, and transaction-execution aren't activities exclusive to business, the authors concede. Private charitable organizations, for example, also engage in these activities. So do people engaged in hobbies. I would add that from the perspective of Public Choice Theory (mentioned above), politics also involves these activities, as does family life (if economists like Gary Becker are right). But the authors note that what makes a business in the sense they intend it is that the organization engaging in these activities aims at being self-sustaining, that is, covering its costs by its business activities. That means that the exchanges must be profitable ones. This is an admirably fresh way to define business, but it doesn't seem to me quite to work. What is the difference between (say) a private non-profit hospital and a for-profit one? None under this definition-both aim at making Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 146 a profit, at least at the level of sustaining themselves. They only differ in what the owners may want to do with the profits. And even there, as the authors themselves note, for-profit business owners many not want money just for its own sake, but perhaps as a tool to accomplish social ends. I suggest that to distinguish charities or other non-profit companies from ordinary for-profit businesses, there is no getting around mentioning the intentions of the owners. While the owners of a typical non-profit corporation want at least some of the individual transactions to show a profit-otherwise, unless the owners can cover the operating losses indefinitely (which is rare), the enterprise will collapse-the owners of a non-profit don't intend that it turn an overall profit. But the owners of a for-profit business intend that it not merely be self-sustaining, but turn an overall profit. In Chapter 3, Gini/Marcoux take up the task of defining ethics. Again, they aim to put the focus on the question of what it is for a person to be ethical, rather than the firm. They take a character or virtue ethics stance, giving a brief sketch of the concepts of character, Aristotle's notion of the Golden Mean, and integrity. The authors distinguish between what they call "act-based" versus "character-based" ethics, discussing in turn utilitarianism and Kantian ethics. Their sketch of utilitarianism is especially brief. The authors hold that both utilitarianism and Kantianism share three basic features. Both ethical theories focus on actions and decisions, rather than persons. Both posit one ultimate value (i.e., happiness or rationality), and both aim to posit one or two basic principles that will tell us what we ought to do (either one principle of utility or two formulations of the Categorical Imperative). Gini/Marcoux justify their focus on character/virtue ethics because the moral character of an act reveals the character of the agent, and an act-based ethics encourages the false notion that an agent can be good even while doing bad things. Yet this strikes me as problematic. To start, yes, utilitarians posit happiness as the one ultimate value-but then, so did Aristotle, the Ur-virtueethicist. 5 Moreover, the claim that the moral character of an act is an "indication" of the moral character of a person is debatable: as the utilitarians point out, a person acting out of a good motive or character trait can do something wrong (e.g., spoil a child out of love), and someone can do what is morally right from immoral motives or character traits (e.g., cure AIDS out of a desire for fame). Moreover, this quite misstates act-based ethics. A utilitarian, for example, need never say that an agent's motives or character are ethically 5 One might reply that happiness for Aristotle was exercising virtue, while for the utilitarians, it was mere pleasure. But while that was true for Bentham, already in Mill you see a move to "pleasure" as including higher-level pleasures such as learning and appreciation of art. And by G. E. Moore, hedonism was completely conceptually decoupled from utilitarianism. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 147 irrelevant, only that they are irrelevant to assessing the moral rightness of the agent's act. Of course, the moral worth of the agent (i.e., the praiseworthiness or blameworthiness of his or her motives/character) is quite important in judging the agent. Also troublesome is the authors' discussion of narcissism. Gini/Marcoux tell the reader, "One need not be a scholar of Thomas Hobbes' work or an admirer of Herbert Spencer's to recognize that we are by nature self-absorbed creatures. In the language of virtue ethics we are habitually selfcentered and self-absorbed-in a word, narcissistic" (p. 44). The authors go on to discuss the narcissistic personality disorder, lack of moral imagination (due to lack of empathy and sympathy), and the callousness of the narcissist. Now, I don't doubt that most white-collar criminals, both in private industry and in government, are narcissists indifferent to the rights and welfare of others. (In this, they don't differ from ordinary criminals.) But as the authors themselves already rightly noted, most businesspeople are neither immoral nor routinely bad actors. The problem here, I would argue, is that in taking so thoroughly a virtue ethics perspective as the unproblematic starting point for their ethical inquiry, they set themselves on a path to disregarding the important and commonly constructive force that egoism plays in the economic system particularly and in human life generally. In fact, neither psychological nor ethical egoism is even mentioned in the text. You don't have to be Adam Smith (much less Ayn Rand) to suspect that talking at length about narcissism and not discussing reasonable egoism may blind the reader to how business succeeds in actually doing good things (producing, as economists put it, positive externalities). 6 To put the point another way: If we are all "by nature" self-absorbed, might that be because psychological egoism has survival value? One other problem with this virtue ethics approach is that it leads the student to think that it is or should be the primary responsibility of business to form moral character, to instill virtue, in people. This is seriously misleading, in my view. Certainly, the structure or "culture" of a business may enhance or diminish the moral virtue of the employees at the margin, so to say. For example, a sales company that compensated salespeople only for initial sales and did not penalize those salespeople for customer complaints, would likely make their sales force more aggressive over time-though, it must be added, it is even more likely that such a company would over time attract salespeople who were overly aggressive to begin with. But surely the role of forming virtuous and caring people most centrally belongs to the mediating structures 6 This may be due to Gini/Marcoux's particular brand of virtue ethics. It seems common among contemporary virtue ethicists to view overcoming self-interest as what virtue is all about. But in both ancient and medieval virtue ethics, prudence (i.e., the reasonable attention to self-interest) is not just a virtue, but a cardinal (basic) one. Tellingly, there is no entry for "prudence" in the index. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 148 of society: family, religious organizations, school, social organizations, community groups, and friendship circles. In Chapter 4, Gini/Marcoux take up the task of defining business ethics as a form of applied ethics. They note that many philosophers view applied ethics as taking an ethical theory (utilitarianism, Kantianism, naturalrights ethics, or whatever) and "applying" it to various situations. The problem the authors note is that the search for a perfect ethical theory is centuries old-actually, I would note, it is millennia old-so it is unlikely that we will anytime soon have a universally acceptable ethical theory. Any "application" to a given business situation will just result in a recapitulation of the criticisms of the theory itself. The authors then consider the approach taken by many ethicists to applied ethics, of constructing an ethical theory of corporate social responsibility, such as the stakeholder model (which seems to be the favorite model of most business ethics texts). But as the authors note, this stakeholder model is no less contentious than are the various ethical theories themselves. They mention as a competitor Tom Donaldson's and Tom Dunfell's "integrated social contracts theory" (ISCT). Under this model, the explicit and tacit social contracts of business set the moral limits of business behavior. So while the stakeholder model and the ISCT both might agree that insider trading is unethical in America, they would disagree on the ethics of insider trading in New Zealand (where it is legal). One could add here that there are a number of other models of corporate ethics as well. For example, Desjardins's popular text discusses a number of other ethical models of business: the economic model (of Milton Friedman), the philanthropic model, the moral-minimum model (of Norman Bowie), and the strategic or sustainability model. 7 Gini/Marcoux suggest a different tack, one that follows Mill's approach in Utilitarianism. They suggest that ethical theory consists of fundamental or higher-level ethical principles that explain why lower-level principles are valid. So a moral "rule of thumb" or "secondary" moral principle like "Keep your promises" can be justified by all high-level principles. But the authors aver, "Notice that this common sense principle tells you what to do, not why you should do it. It's not a principle of justification. Instead, it's an action-guiding principle. It doesn't argue; it just directs" (p. 55). Kant as well had a two-level structure to his ethical system, they add. Why, then, do we need to have the high-level principles? We need them to "test and verify" (p. 56) the secondary ones. Here Gini/Marcoux use an analogy from physics. The laws of motion (I assume that the authors have in mind Newton's laws) make the simplifying assumption that there is no friction. This assumption allows us to derive 7 Joseph Desjardins, An Introduction to Business Ethics, 4th ed. (New York: McGrawHill, 2011); see chap. 3. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 149 observational (astronomical) predictions that are highly accurate, because while friction does exist, it is negligible. But in "applied physics," say, designing an automobile engine, friction must be accounted for. If you build an engine with no lubrication system because you assume there will be no friction, it will blow up. Similarly, applied ethics is about finding action-guiding principles that are the best you can devise in the context of application, rather than the most consistent ethical theory. And the authors say that in business ethics, this means viewing people with whom one is doing business as both being a locus of moral worth and as responsible agents. Gini/Marcoux's view of applied ethics in general and business ethics in particular is certainly interesting, but it faces some issues. First, it tells us that our focus should be on the secondary moral principles for business, because there is no agreed-upon high-level ethical theory. But why, then, do the authors begin by giving priority to virtue ethics? Indeed, given that secondary moral principles often conflict in particular situations, perhaps we should go with a more modern ethical theory that explicitly recognizes that duties can conflict. I refer here to W. D. Ross's oft-neglected theory, sometimes called multiple-rule deontologism. There is in fact one book that does just this, namely, Robert Audi's recent text. 8 Another problem is that the authors' account of business ethics as laying out the secondary ethical rules for the "practice" or "venue" of business is that business isn't just a practice. It is more properly viewed as an institution in the sociological sense, like the institution of the family-a wellestablished welter of relationships and patterns of behavior that is a basic part of a culture. The analogy that drives Gini/Marcoux's analysis-applied physics-is what I suspect misleads them. In Chapter 5, Gini/Marcoux take up the notion of trust and truth as they apply in business. They argue that there are three ways to deal with others in business: courtesy, contracts, and trust. Courtesy (manners and etiquette) they note (with David Hume) is not ethics, though both involve socially established rules for dealing with others. While courtesy plays a role in business (and hence business ethics), contracts are more important. Contracts involve promises exchanged between two people. The authors note in passing that since business contracts typically extend beyond one's circle of family and friends, the existence of contract law helps to ensure that contracts will be adhered to by all parties. But besides relying on courtesy and governmentally enforced contracts, business requires a general environment of mutual trust. 8 Robert Audi, Business Ethics and Ethical Business (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). Actually, while Audi's admirable book is based upon Ross's moral theory, it includes a fudge: when ethical principles conflict, we turn to universalizability to resolve the conflict-in effect, we use Kant to bail out Ross in cases where the rules conflict (p. 42). Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 150 Yet defining this crucial concept of "trust" isn't easy. Gini/Marcoux turn to the work of sociologist James S. Coleman, who considers trust the byproduct of social capital, which is "those shared ideas, morals, values, beliefs and behaviors that make life easier and add value (capital) to our interactions with other members of our social network" (p. 70). All of this, alas, seems somewhat tautological. No doubt the authors are right when they claim that values such as truthfulness, reliability and responsibility help to support mutually beneficial cooperation, and they do note that they come from our experiences within our family, community, and religious and secular organizations-in short, to use a phrase that I used above, the mediating structures of society. The authors add that trust and social capital form a reciprocally causal relationship. They also add the point made by Robert Solomon that the key economic function of trust is to reduce the transaction costs of doing business (as a quick aside, it would have been helpful if the authors had defined the crucial economics concept of "transaction cost" here). Gini/Marcoux rightly point out that trust can also be dangerous, citing the examples of Charles Ponzi and Bernard Madoff. Both used the trust of many people in their networks of friends, family, and acquaintances to commit frauds. The authors should have added that both cases are examples of "affinity scams," that is, frauds facilitated by exploiting the trust created by a common identity-such as same ethnicity, gender, religion, or whatever. Gini/Marcoux finish the chapter by noting that honesty is the key to trust. Of course, this rules out false promises and fraudulently misrepresenting your products. But the authors note that there are business situations in which participants aren't morally required to tell the truth, or at least the whole truth. An employee doesn't have to reveal to a customer the company's trade secrets. And in bargaining, neither side is required to tell the other his or her true "reservation price" (the minimum the seller will accept and still feel better off selling than not, or the maximum the buyer will pay and still feel better off buying than not). We might think that the ethical thing for each side is to state his true reservation price and split the difference, but (here Gini/Marcoux follow Howard Raiffa's analysis) this would tempt the participants to lie in such a way that the deal would never get off the ground, to the detriment of both sides. The authors finish the discussion by defending the notion that it is morally permissible to lie to hide your true reservation price, as when I say to the buyer of my car that my wife won't let me sell for less than $13,000 (whereas in fact my wife said no such thing, or I have no wife at all). The authors conclude that it is morally defensible, because (borrowing a concept of common law) the lie is not material to the transaction. The buyer is not being deceived in a way that diminishes his ability to reach a rational choice on the purchase (as he would have been had I understated the mileage on the car, or covered up a known defect in it). In this I think they are spot on. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 151 In all, however, I confess that I found this chapter to be one of the weakest in the book, and I think the weakness is due to the virtue ethics stance the authors take. The first problem I see is that while it is true that trust undergirds community, and business always takes place in a community, this doesn't mean that business plays a major role in instilling or fostering virtue generally-or trust in particular-in people. As I suggested above, instilling virtue and shaping character are surely the job primarily of the mediating structures of society. More importantly, I think Gini/Marcoux overstate the role that trust plays in business. Certainly, trust supports business between family members, friends, and acquaintances at least in a small community. If I am loaning money to my sister, say, I may well not ask for a written contract. (However, my sister had better be an honest woman, for cheating and dishonesty occur even in the closest families and friendship circles.) But, in large societies, much more is needed than trust (and courtesy and contracts, for that matter). In saying that the three major factors structuring business activity are courtesy, contracts, and trust, the authors overlook what seems to me to be the major factor (or factors) controlling or governing business behavior, namely, what I shall term "the disciplinary matrix." Let's imagine what would happen if, say, I were the owner of a restaurant, and I have decided to prepare and serve food in unsanitary conditions. What would likely occur? To begin with, as customers became sick, word would spread. Newspapers would write stories about the sickened, elaborated in, well, sickening detail. Websites such as Yelp would hammer my restaurant critically until, well, I yelped. Quickly, organizations such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and consumer watchdog groups would start negatively rating my company. As word spread that my food was making people sick, my customer base would rapidly flee to the many other restaurants the free market furnishes. I would be driven to the wall by my competitors. Naturally, a host of inspectors would descend upon my establishment, writing me up for all kinds of citations, bringing not just fines, but potential criminal charges as well. And the customers who became sick from the food would waste no time in suing me, and would undoubtedly be awarded both compensatory and punitive damages. Here, it is well worth noting, it wouldn't be contract law that would come after me, but the more pervasive tort law. If one thinks about this simple case of bad business behavior, one sees that in any well-ordered advanced capitalistic system, there is a large matrix of mechanisms that serve to deter bad behavior and encourage good behavior in business by disciplining (i.e., sanctioning) the business engaging in bad behavior. Trust is the least of it. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 152 In Chapter 6, Gini/Marcoux take up the topic of competition in business. They note that competition plays a vital role in human life, and the paradigm of competition is athletic competition. Athletic competition builds character-it instills such virtues as courage, temperance, self-respect, good temper, friendliness, and so on. But the authors hasten to add that there is often bad behavior in sports. Here they give another Aristotelian golden-mean analysis: the virtuous sportsman is justly proud of a good performance, whether he wins or loses, whereas the sore loser is excessively vain, as is the swollen (i.e., boastful) winner. Now, business is certainly competitive. The question is, however, whether it is analogous to athletic contests or games. Gini/Marcoux suggest some major differences. Most games are "zero-sum" (i.e., someone must win and someone must lose), whereas a number of companies can compete successfully in a given market niche and all make money (a "positive-sum game"). Competition in athletic games is limited to the field, while competition between companies continues constantly. Moreover, athletic games can never devastate people the way business can (as when a company dumps toxic waste in a community). And the competition between athletic teams is for a short period of time, with a set endpoint, whereas the competition between businesses can continue indefinitely. Gini/Marcoux then ask whether business is like war. Here the authors give a brief review of Joseph Schumpeter's theory of "creative destruction," namely, that economic progress is driven by innovation, that innovation is typically produced by entrepreneurs, and that this produces the destruction of older, less efficient industries through replacement by newer, more productive ones. 9 The authors argue that this destruction is utterly unlike war, because typically the old industry survives, but is just diminished by the newer one. Their example is of transportation by horse and buggy. While the automobile displaced the horse and buggy, people still use horses and buggies. They conclude that in business, competition is both normal and positive. Again, I think that this chapter could have been stronger, and its weakness stems in part from the virtue ethics approach. Start with Gini/Marcoux's treatment of Schumpeter's theory of creative destruction. Their treatment downplays (if not trivializes) a process that Schumpeter himself viewed as having a tragic side. The auto industry really did eliminate horse-powered transportation-horses and buggies are now primarily a hobby. The effects upon hundreds of thousands of workers was profound and (at least in the short term) negative. This negative consequence of innovation needs to 9 Joseph Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1942). Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 153 be frankly acknowledged. Yes, unlike battle (though perhaps not of all war), 10 where there is only destruction of value, in innovation, this is destruction of value accompanied by creation of greater new value. But there is at least a short-term negative impact on some people. This recognition would allow the instructor to talk, say, about the use of safety-net programs in all modern market economies to mitigate the impact on the losing industry, and the dangers of moral hazard in those programs. 11 What's worse, the key idea-that competition is generally virtuous- needs to be clarified. For example, consider the phenomenon economists term "rent-seeking." Reverting to the sports analogy, wouldn't we consider any attempt by one team to change the rules of the game to disfavor the opposing team to be poor sportsmanship? However, businesses often seek to prevail over competing firms not by providing a better or cheaper product, but by getting government agencies to impose regulations on their competitors. In Chapter 7-one of the best chapters in their text-Gini/Marcoux take up the topic of partiality and loyalty. It is a very useful chapter, perhaps because it relies less on the virtue ethics approach. The authors rightly point out that the notion of impartiality (treating people equally, not being partial to some) is central to most ethical theories, certainly the major ones such as utilitarianism, Kantianism, and social-contract ethics. But the notion of impartiality is tricky. We expect a referee in a sports event not to favor anyone or any team in the game, but we impartially agree that a parent should be partial to his or her child. The authors frame the key question nicely: "Is ethical business practice like being in a basketball game or like a mother raising a child?" (p. 103) It can be both, of course, depending upon the specific business situation. We consider impartiality to be morally obligatory, for example, when the government awards a contract; the companies bidding for it have a right to expect fair consideration according to pre-established rules (such as lowest bidder wins). But this is an exceptional case. Here the authors engage in an insightful analysis of Norman Bowie's view that business ethics should focus on impartiality. 12 Specifically, Bowie calls for "arms-length transactions" in business, so (for example), a manager 10 I have in mind here, for example, World War II, in which the Allies destroyed the fascist regimes (and much of the infrastructure) of Germany, Italy, and Japan, but later helped to install democratic governance and stable, prosperous economies. 11 In this context, "moral hazard" would refer to the chance that government safety-net programs would tempt people into bad or counterproductive behavior. For example, extended unemployment benefits may lead some workers to delay looking for new work, making them for a period of time a drain on the taxpayers, and in the end less attractive to potential employers. 12 Norman Bowie, Business Ethics: A Kantian Perspective (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1990). Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 154 who gives special consideration to family or friends is behaving unethically, and may even be a violation of fiduciary duty. Gini/Marcoux (employing an implicitly egoist perspective) reply that what appears to be "arms-length" negotiating is typically bargaining out of self-interest. That is, the negotiator is trying to get the best deal possible, and only makes those concessions necessary to get the other party to agree. So if I am looking out for my self-interest (or that of my principals) in negotiating for a new roof for the factory, then I am not going to be partial. I'll take the lowest bidder, though I might take advice from friends on who did a good job for them. But is this impartiality in the Kantian sense? It doesn't seem so. Furthermore, what would be wrong if the sole owner of a company hired a relative for a make-work position? Nothing, it would seem. If the owner falsely advertised for the job (stating that it is open to all qualified applicants), when in fact it was reserved for his relative, or if the person hiring his/her relative wasn't the sole owner (or was only a high-level manager), that would be unethical, but otherwise, it isn't. The owner is, in effect, spending part of his own profit in a way that reflects one of his preferences (viz., aiding his family). So, as the authors note, the times when a person is duty-bound to "bargain at arm's-length" are most often cases of a principal/agent (or "agency") relationship. If a salesperson sells the company product to a friend at a lower price than is offered to other customers, that salesperson is not acting morally toward his employer-the salesperson is disloyal. The authors conclude by noting that agency relations are pervasive in business, as are fiduciary duties-consider the obligations that pension-fund managers and full-service brokers owe their clients, as well as the obligation of the managers of a company to its owners (stockholders). They note that many business ethicists are suspicious of agent loyalties to principals, fearing that it may lead those agents to mistreat people who are not principals. To this they give the excellent reply that as the law recognizes, an agent's duty to the principals does not negate all other ethical obligations. Ross couldn't have put the point better. Chapter 8 is on work-life balance. It tells us that work has value beyond just allowing us to afford life's necessities, by defining our identities and shaping our characters. But the authors also hold that the main problem we face is that while work is central to our identity and creative flourishing, we are overworked. The rest of the chapter essentially elaborates this view. Gini/Marcoux here raise the criticisms that excessive focus on work can cost us in human relationships, and that our workaholism is geared toward conspicuous consumption. Here they cite the view of Diane Fassel, who holds that workaholism is quite distinct from "the American/Protestant work ethic," in that the former is self-absorbed and compulsive, while the latter is "about God's calling to work, the dignity and duty of work, the value and purpose of work" (p. 123). Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 155 The conclusion is that we need more play time and time away from work. This strikes me as too vague to be of use. First, even given the attempt to distinguish evil "workaholism" from good "American/Protestant work ethic," it is difficult to see how we can all inherently be narcissists (as the text earlier proclaimed) and workaholics at the same time. Worse, the authors don't take the time to talk about the different reasons people work. Consider, for example, a poor immigrant couple who own a small dry-cleaning business, and who have to be there twelve hours a day for seven days a week, just to cover their costs, pay their taxes, and put their kids through decent schools. For (presumably tenured) professors to tell them that they are self-absorbed and need to take time off seems beyond insensitive-it smacks of blaming the victims. The authors should have done as Joseph Desjardins does in his text 13 in considering various models of why people work, and then (perhaps from a Rossian perspective) discussed the various conflicts of duty to oneself and others. Chapter 9 is on big business and the global marketplace. The chapter has some useful material, but the structure presents problems. Gini/Marcoux begin with the fair observation that just as it is a mistake for a business ethics text to view all business as big business (a mistake prevalent among existing texts), it would also be a mistake to overlook big business. But here they add that any big business started as a small one. Now, if big business is just successful small business matured, and few of us will be executives at a big business, why devote special attention to it? Here the authors suggest that businesses like Wal-Mart, which employs 2.1 million people worldwide, and ExxonMobil, with revenues of $358 billion, have a greater potential to do harm because of their scale and their global presences. The authors then briefly discuss the stakeholder model (first articulated by Evan and Freeman). 14 They suggest that this model is rather outdated in the modern American economy, where workers no longer work for life at one job, and there is a dizzying array of consumer choices. As an aside: while I agree that the stakeholder model is inadequate, I think there are more compelling critiques of it than this. One most obvious problem of the model is that it treats as equals people who aren't, in terms of risk. Owners risk loss of assets in a way that no other "stakeholders" do. That is, most new businesses fail. When a firm fails (goes bankrupt, say), any unpaid employees are early in the line of claimants to be paid off; so are 13 Desjardins, An Introduction to Business Ethics, chap. 5. 14 William Evan and R. Edward Freeman, "A Stakeholder Theory of the Modern Corporation: Kantian Capitalism," in Contemporary Issues in Business Ethics, 4th ed., ed. Joseph R. Desjardins and John McCall (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005). Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 156 secured investors. Owners are always at the back of the line, and typically receive nothing. Gini/Marcoux then talk about market failures, including negative externalities, and how they call for government regulation, but also call for virtuous businesspeople. Like every other business ethics text of which I am aware, this text never mentions government failure or the problems of regulation, such as regulatory capture and rent-seeking. Those insights only come when you do as economists do and take egoism seriously. The authors then take up the issue of globalization. Showing economic common sense, a sense lacking in some other texts-they observe that since globalization has already occurred, we no longer need to ask whether it is good, but what the ethical implications are. This, parenthetically, seems a bit quick. Sexually transmitted diseases have grown worldwide in the modern era, but we can still ask whether that is a good thing. Specifically, it would have been a valuable discussion to explore the degree to which global trade has grown. In the modern era, this is tied not with the collapse of communism, but with the establishment of international organizations that will enable and promote it (such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization). It would also be valuable to explore why economists are nearly unanimous in viewing it as a good thing. Be that as it may, the authors conclude the chapter by noting that there are some ethical issues that arise in international business, such as whether one should follow the norms of one's own country, or norms prevailing in each country within which one does business. One typical answer is to invoke the norms of (say) the UN Global Compact, or some particular code (say, Richard De George's guidelines). As Gini/Marcoux note, these two approaches face the same three problems. First, they seem to ignore competitive reality: if my company refuses to bribe officials in a country where bribery is common, I will lose business to my competitors. Second, these approaches just recycle the question of which norms are correct. Third, both of these approaches impose our own Western-style morality on others. The authors finish the chapter by briefly discussing the contentious case of "sweatshop" labor. They review Ian Maitland's arguments that sweatshops in fact are beneficial for a developing country: so-called sweatshops typically pay their workers much more than local companies; those shops have better working conditions than indigenous ones; they allow workers in that developing country to prove their competence; they raise local wages by competing for local talent; and they stimulate the local economy. Maitland's critics hold that despite these good effects, sweatshops are unethical, often arguing that a Kantian respect for the workers entails a living wage (though seldom specifying quantitatively what that means). Conspicuously missing here (as is the case in most other texts) is a crucial distinction. You can make a strong argument when dealing with a democratically governed developing country that if the government allows low-wage factories, it is a trade-off that the people are making to take the Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 157 lower paying work rather than face unemployment. That is their choice, and a Kantian respect for autonomy would seem to suggest that we should honor that choice. But the argument is much harder to make when dealing with a dictatorially governed developing country. For in that case, the people have no chance to make the choice for themselves-the ruling clique makes it for them. This chapter suffers from two flaws. First, it mixes together two topics that really should be given separate chapters. There are many big businesses that are not global, and many small businesses that are. (Try searching for "Greek olive oil" on your favorite search engine, and you will find a lot of small producers advertising their wares. Websites are easy to design and maintain the world over.) A second flaw in this chapter is that the authors' explanation of why big business merits special attention seems to me to be insufficient. I would point to two issues that are ubiquitous in big business, but typically absent in small business. To start, big businesses involve large, hierarchically organized groups of people, and the organizational behavior of the employees is thus more complex than it is in small businesses. Moreover, the greater the number of employees, the harder it is to deal with the agency problem efficiently. That is, in a large corporation, the owners/stockholders tend to have less power and information, while the managers have more of both, and so are more able to act in their own (rather than the stockholders') interest. The final chapter in the book is the weakest, and again the virtue ethics orientation seems to be the problem. Gini/Marcoux take up the topic of leadership in business. The authors hold that while our fascination with leadership is excessive, leadership is central to business and thus important ethically. In keeping with their virtue ethics perspective, they claim that workers take management and the culture of the firm as their ethical models. The authors do allow that this doesn't mean workers are never responsible for the actions of a business, but that leadership matters. The authors define leadership as "a power-and-value relationship, among leaders and followers/constituents who share a common vision and intend real changes that reflect their mutual purpose and goals" (p. 152). They try to define the key terms carefully. Power, for example, is defined as the ability to direct change. It can be used coercively but also non-coercively as well. They naively add that, ideally, people with power would wield it for the common good, not for personal gain. However, they tell us little about what makes a good leader. They claim that it is good moral character, and cite the case of Richard Nixon, whose presidency failed because (they imply) he lacked character. Most important in character is moral courage-the courage to face dangers to put principles into effect. But all of this is very unconvincing. First-to repeat-businesses can reinforce or weaken character, but our basic characters are formed much earlier in life than when we move into adult work. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 158 Second, what evidence do the authors offer that moral character is typically present among effective leaders, other than citing the case of Nixon? Indeed, one can think of any number of recent effective presidents, for example, who don't seem to have been men of exceptional moral character- John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Bill Clinton come to mind here. Conversely, personal rectitude hardly translated into effective leadership for Jimmy Carter. It seems more likely that competency in leadership usually has more to do with the skills and practical intelligence of the leader. In the case of a potential leader, it is skill in communication and political judgment. In a business leader, it is skill in communication and economic judgment, and a good deal of luck figures in as well. Let me turn now to some general comments about the Gini/Marcoux text. First, Gini/Marcoux work hard early to distinguish for-profit from non-profit companies, and they put their subsequent focus on for-profit enterprises. In this regard, they follow every other text I have ever examined. But it is questionable whether this universally exclusive focus of business ethics texts on for-profit enterprises is justified. Specifically, I suspect that it reveals a bias against for-profits that leads to blindness concerning ethical issues in non-profits. An ideal business ethics text would have at least one chapter on ethical issues in non-profit businesses. Second, the brevity of the text results in the omission of some interesting issues in business ethics that the authors' own perspective could have helped to analyze in an enlightening way. Consider this example. The authors rightly note that entrepreneurs don't just passively take orders from customers, but "imagine lifestyles that people may be attracted to, once the possibility is presented to them" (p. 24). They illustrate this briefly by citing the case of the personal computer, which had little early demand in the market. But entrepreneurs conceived (and continue to conceive to this day) of ways people could find the device useful, and created software to enable the realization of those hitherto potential applications. They could have amplified this and illustrated it more fully in a whole separate chapter. And it would have been a useful chapter, indeed. For in some (if not most) business ethics texts 15 one finds a critique of advertising in particular (and by extension, free-market economics in general) that goes back in recent American history to John Kenneth Galbraith's 1958 best-seller, The Affluent Society. 16 (In fact, this critique has its roots in Karl Marx, and even earlier in Jean-Jacques Rousseau.) This critique attacks advertising for manipulating people into desiring and buying trivial or useless things, and engaging in "therapeutic shopping" (where consumers go to shopping malls and buy 15 See, e.g., Desjardins An Introduction to Business Ethics, pp. 183 and 201-16. 16 John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1958). Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 159 things just to feel better, often regretting it later). This then is said to lead to "affluenza," the alleged social malady affecting economically advanced countries, a malady that includes spiritual emptiness and intellectual shallowness caused by pervasive advertising for things people don't really need. The point that Gini/Marcoux could have explored (and defended) is that entrepreneurs are generally creating markets in the positive sense of imagining new ways that existing products and services (as well as imagining new products and services) can meet fundamental pre-existing consumer desires, as opposed to creating shallow new desires. For example, consider recent advances in cell phone technology. People-young people in particular-love talking to and showing pictures of each other. A grim Galbraith may intone that the desire to own these silly picture phones was implanted in those consumers' empty heads by manipulative advertising, and a rigid Rousseau may judge the young people using these phones as silly and shallow for wasting their time networking in this way. But this behavior is neither the result of unnatural desire nor is it psychologically shallow. On the contrary, wanting to communicate and bond with your circle of friends is a deep, innate desire of human beings. It is how we maintain our social cohesion, a key feature in our flourishing as a species. An ideal business ethics text would directly address the Rousseau/Galbraith line of attack on business in general and advertising in particular. Third, the authors focus on individuals and their behavior in business. I certainly think that is a good counterpoint to the tendency of most texts to focus just on business behavior. But we shouldn't overlook the fact that people in groups often collectively behave differently from the way they behave individually. A corporation-which is recognized in American law as a legally separate person-has goals that will usually affect the thinking and behavior of the individuals in it. An ideal business ethics text would discuss issues surrounding corporate culture and how it affects individual behavior. Fourth, I think that Gini/Marcoux's text doesn't convey the degree to which business-in America or any other country-is an externally rulegoverned institution. Even less does the text survey some of the legal structure that governs American business. It would have been helpful to have a brief chapter surveying the sources of American law (statutory, regulatory, and common), the concept of a limited-liability corporation, and the tax law differences between for-profit and non-profit enterprises. It is difficult to discuss ethical issues in product safety, for example, without such a background. An ideal business ethics text would include a brief survey of the laws that structure American business, and use that material in discussions of ethical issues. Finally, more troubling is Gini/Marcoux's view of applied ethics. They view applied ethics as being analogous to applied physics. However, I think that the analogy is inherently flawed, and this helps to explain some of the flaws in the text I discussed above. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 160 Start with the analogue, applied physics. One doesn't "apply" the Newtonian laws of motion in building a car engine, but to predicting and explaining the motion of large bodies (planets, say, or cannon shells). Let's consider a more accurate case of applied physics. Hydraulics (i.e., fluid mechanics) is a well-established branch-a theory, in the sense of a detailed set of laws and concepts that are empirically well-established in a domain-of physics whose domain is the behavior of fluids in motion. To "apply it" is to take the web of those laws, principles, and concepts, which together are true (or highly approximately true) in its domain, and use it to explain phenomena or to guide the construction of various devices, as when a biophysicist uses fluid mechanics to explain the motion of blood in an animal or a mechanical engineer uses the theory to design a piping system for a power plant. But if you look at the ethical theories that philosophers have considered the most compelling-which I would list as ethical egoism, utilitarianism, natural-rights ethics, Kantianism, virtue ethics, and Rossian ethical theory-none of them seems to be true, or even highly approximately true, of the "domain" of accepted moral judgments. Worse, it is not even clear there is such a domain of universally accepted moral judgments; that is, moral relativism remains an issue in moral theory generally. I suggest that an ideal business ethics text would take the view that each of these theories has some merit, that is, none is so deeply mistaken that it deserves to be skipped entirely. This is even true of ethical egoism, a view most business ethics (in fact, most ethics texts) dismiss out of hand before trying to discuss issues arising in for-profit business-an institution the essence of which involves mutually beneficial exchanges conducted in a way that increases the wealth of the owners. Instead-again, avowedly, in my view-an ideal business text would view all of these theories as "thinking caps," that is, conceptual lenses which help us to focus on different aspects of a complex institution (business, the family, medical practice, technology, or whatever). Focusing on business, each of the ethical theories has a role to play. 17 Egoism helps us to see that seeking your own benefit is to be expected in business, and is the whole point of for-profit business (and is clearly involved in non-profits and government as well). That is, psychological egoism helps us to understand the agency problem, moral hazard, public choice theory, regulatory capture, rent-seeking, and many other economic concepts so crucial to business ethics generally. Utilitarianism allows us to ask of different rules we might design to constrain and structure business, which leads to the best results. We need this perspective (as did Adam Smith) to understand why the free market has proven so generally beneficial. But the natural-rights perspective adds a corrective that individual rights trump collective good. 17 Indeed, one of the useful things about Gini/Marcoux's text is that despite its obvious preference for the presently regnant virtue ethics, which weakens the discussion of some issues, in the stronger chapters the authors implicitly invoke the egoist, Kantian, utilitarian, and even Rossian ones. Reason Papers Vol. 36, no. 1 161 The Kantian perspective allows us to inquire into consistency and dignity of the people in business. The virtue ethics perspective helps us to examine the effects of a business practice on the character of the participants. And the Rossian perspective helps us to analyze conflicts among duties for participants in business. Another problem with Gini/Marcoux's analogy between "applied ethics" and applied physics is that it overlooks a key thesis from philosophy of science, to wit, the Duhem/Quine Thesis. This thesis holds that a scientific hypothesis cannot be empirically tested in isolation from other auxiliary ("background") assumptions. This was first recognized explicitly by historian of science Pierre Duhem, and featured prominently in W. V. O. Quine's epistemology. 18 Something like this thesis holds in applying high-level ethical theories to render particular moral judgments. My point here is that even if there were a "correct" (or "highly approximately true") ethical theory, it wouldn't by itself entail any "secondary" moral principles, much less answer particular issues in business ethics (such as whether employees should be given a minimum wage). Ethical theories only entail prescriptions via background assumptions, which are often themselves hypotheses from legal studies, economics, history, psychology, or other disciplines. An ideal business ethics text would frankly acknowledge that highlevel ethical theories only suggest ethical judgments against background assumptions, and should where possible explicitly indicate those assumptions. In short, while the text under review has a number of fine features that other business ethics texts lack, it unfortunately is not quite an ideal one. 18 Duhem's thesis is nicely covered in Roger Ariew's entry on Duhem in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, accessed online at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/duhem/. Quine's views on the matter appear in his "Two Dogmas of Empiricism," The Philosophical Review 60 (1951), pp. 20-43.

When Is It in a Child's Best Interests to Withhold or Withdraw Life-sustaining Treatment? An Evolving Australian Jurisprudence. Decisions about whether to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining medical treatment from children give rise to complex and value-laden judgments. While recourse to the courts is uncommon, judicial decisions provide an important source of guidance for the children (where they can participate), families and health and medical professionals involved in these decisions. Yet, there has been remarkably little consideration of the Australian jurisprudence on this issue. This article addresses that gap by undertaking the first comprehensive analysis of all publicly available Australian cases that consider whether or not it is in a child's best interests to receive life-sustaining treatment. A total of 25 cases were located and the judicial consideration of best interests was thematically analysed. Key considerations (to varying degrees) when assessing best interests included the likelihood of treatment curing or improving the child's health, medical views about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment and the child's and parents' views and wishes. The article concludes that the law requires greater certainty and transparency in decision-making. Given the significance of these cases, judgments should describe the factors that the court considers relevant and important, and those that are less influential, as well as the weight ascribed to those various factors and the reasoning that underpins an assessment that treatment is or is not in a child's best interests.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to nonmechanical printers and copiers and more particularly to a recording carrier transport device for use in association with side margin punched recording carrier webs to move the same past a cylindrical intermediate carrier in cooperation with the recording carrier feed assembly. p 2. Prior Art Nonmechanical high speed printers and copiers which apply characters or images to a recording carrier by a transfer method from an intermediate carrier are known to the art. Such printers and copiers frequently work by electrostatic techniques and involve the transfer of a toner image from an intermediate carrier on which the image is formed to a recording carrier on which the image is to be printed. The recording carrier may, for example, be a paper sheet or web. In such devices means are provided for moving the recording carrier to the transfer station and withdrawing it from the transfer station when a print has been made. Such devices include both means for transporting or moving the paper and feed means for presenting it to, and withdrawing it from, the surface of the intermediate carrier. The intermediate carrier is normally a drum. An appropriate feed assembly for presenting the recording carrier to and withdrawing it from the drum surface is shown in German Patent Application P 26 36 326.8, U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 820,216, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,358, the teachings of which are herein incorporated by reference. In that construction the feed assembly includes two moving gripping arms which can present the recording carrier to the intermediate carrier and can lift the recording carrier away from the intermediate carrier while simultaneously taking up any length of recording carrier released in the process. In order for the feed assembly to function, the recording carrier transport assembly must be disposed both upstream, (in front of) and downstream, (behind) the feed assembly. The transport assembly thus functions to feed the recording carrier in a suitable manner to the feed assembly and to thereafter remove the printed recording carrier fromm the feed assembly. Such transport devices can, for example, comprise feed tracks which are positioned both upstream and downstream of the feed assembly.

This invention relates to the art of tray type containers commonly constructed of corrugated paperboard suitable for produce such as cauliflower and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a container tray having a reinforced corner construction wherein a multiple of such trays may be loaded with produce, stacked in sizeable number and thereupon be transported and stored as necessary in handling the product while protecting it incident such transportation, storage, etc. Rectangular trays folded from suitably cut and scored paperboard blanks have gained wide acceptance in the packaging industry for handling and merchandising a wide variety of products. Trays of this type incorporating various reinforced corner constructions have been proposed as being better able to withstand high stacking loads during storage, shipping and other handling of goods contained within a number of stacked trays. While several such paperboard tray constructions with reinforced corners are known and employed commercially, the folded tray construction embodied in the instant invention is believed to offer greater load carrying capability in multiple stacking environments. The invention offers a highly simple and efficient form such that lighter weight and thus more economical paperboard can be employed to gain the same tray strength in the corner construction as the tray constructions heretofore known in the industry. Prior art solutions to the problems of providing a produce tray that may be easily assembled at the field site from a paperboard blank into a strong tray which can be stacked in multiples with the produce contained therein have been overly complex or required unduly heavy and expensive paperboard to achieve the requisite tray strength.

A coupling device for joining plastic pipe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,735, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,261 also discloses the coupling device in the '735 patent. The coupling device disclosed in the '735 and '261 patents includes a pair of tubular insert members which are inserted into opposed ends of plastic pipe sections, a pair of semi-circular retaining clips which fit over abutting flanges of the insert members, a tubular coupling member which fits over the outer surfaces of the pipe sections and a pair of rigid rings which slide toward each other and over the outer surface of the coupling member to plastically deform the inside of the plastic pipe sections into interlocking relationship with serrations on the outer surfaces of the insert members. The inserts, clips and rigid rings are formed of metal and the coupling member is made of a deformable plastic. The coupling member described above suffers certain drawbacks. For instance, when the rigid rings are pressed toward each other to complete the coupling, the direction of plastic flow of the plastic pipe sections is the same as the rigid ring motion. That is, the plastic pipe sections tend to flow toward each other. However, due to lack of free space between the ends of the pipe sections and the retaining clips, a large force is required to slide the rigid rings toward each other. That is, since there is no free space to accommodate flow of the plastic pipe sections, a large insertion force is necessary to compress the deformable coupling member and deform the plastic pipe between the rigid rings and the insert members. The worst side effect of this design is the phenomenon called "bunching" and excessive ring stress could lead to corrosion failure of the coupling. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a coupling member which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art coupling.

Walmart will close its claims management center in Bartlesville, a company spokesperson said Thursday. The company will move the customer and workers compensation claims handled by the Bartlesville office to the company’s central claims office in Rogers, Ark., Walmart Director of Communications Anne Hatfield said. Bartlesville has been home to the claims management center for about 20 years. “Combining operations will allow our claims operations to run more efficiently,” she said. “Right now, our main focus is on our associates." The company’s decision will impact the 130 associates at the Bartlesville Claims Center, she said. Some positions are open at the Rogers, Ark. center, she said. Associates also will be allowed to apply for openings at the Bartlesville SuperCenter or the Walmart Distribution Center south of Bartlesville, she said. Regional Walmart and Sam’s Club stores may also have open positions, she added. Approximately 300 associates are employed at the Bartlesville SuperCenter, and the distribution center employs 630. Walmart, Hatfield said, also will hold a job fair in early October for claims management associates who don’t want to relocate. Walmart has contacted major employers in Bartlesville, and is asking them to attend the job fair to talk to the claims management associates about job openings at their operations. The associates will be paid through Nov. 10, and eligible associates will receive severance packages, she said.

In order to comply with the legal emission limits, modern motor vehicles with a petrol engine have a tank venting device by means of which fuel vapors escaping from the fuel tank are collected and stored in a suitable storage tank (generally an activated carbon canister). From time to time, it is necessary to regenerate the storage container. To this end, the storage container is connected to an inlet manifold of the internal combustion engine by means of a venting pipe. The controlled opening of a tank venting valve located in the venting pipe pneumatically connects the storage container with the inlet manifold. Due to the negative pressure prevailing in the inlet manifold, the fuel vapors stored in the storage container are sucked into the inlet manifold and then participate in the combustion process. The combustible mixture changes depending on the concentration of the hydrocarbons in this regeneration gas flow. It is however necessary to set the air/fuel ratio of the combustible mixture to a defined value in order to ensure a sufficient combustion quality (running smoothness) and optimum exhaust gas treatment. Without further measures, the introduction of the regeneration gas into the inlet manifold would result in a deterioration of the exhaust gas quality or impairment of the combustion stability. In order to prevent this, the quantity of fuel supplied to the internal combustion engine by means of an injection valve is adapted to the quantity of fuel that is additionally supplied by the regeneration gas flow. For this, however, the fuel concentration in the regeneration gas flow must be known as precisely as possible. According to a known method, the fuel concentration in the regeneration gas flow can be determined by measuring the exhaust gas composition with a lambda sensor when the tank venting valve is closed and storing this as a reference variable. The tank venting valve is then gradually opened and the change that this causes in the exhaust gas composition is determined. Based on the difference in the exhaust gas composition, the fuel concentration in the regeneration gas flow can be determined. If it is determined during an executed tank venting process that the value for the fuel concentration in the regeneration gas flow has been incorrectly ascertained or has changed, the tank venting valve must be closed, a constant operating point of the internal combustion engine waited for and the fuel concentration in the regeneration gas flow determined once again. This very time-consuming process considerably restricts the number of possible tank venting processes and the flexibility of their execution.

Numerous attempts have been made to attach sail assemblies to bicycles for the purpose of achieving a useful vehicle generating propulsion from the wind as well as from pedal power. The difficulties commonly encountered by such designs include the inherent lateral instability of a bicycle as well as the need to control the sail assembly while also controlling the direction of the vehicle, i.e. by steering. It is necessary to control the angular rotation of the sail relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle for maximum drive from the sail, a process known as trimming the sail. In a conventional sailboard both hands are commonly used to control the sail and steering is done by the manipulation of the position of the sail in relation to the underwater foils. In the case of a one person sailboat, steering requires one hand on a tiller and occasionally both hands are required to participate in the control of the sail which is ordinarily controlled by means of a rope sheeting arrangement. An example of prior attempt at a sail-powered bicycle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,460 to Alexander which describes a means for mounting a sail on the rider of a bicycle; the sail angle being controlled by a sail lever requiring the operator to devote one hand to the constant operation of the sail and attempt to steer solely with the other hand. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,722 to Patterson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,495 to Kindermann both require the operator to use one hand to constantly attend to the trim of the sail. Another attempt to solve this problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,429 to Beck which shows a sail mounted behind the seat of a conventional bicycle which allows no manual control of the sail, the sail being basically controlled by a spring loaded mechanism constantly urging the sail back to a central position with respect to the boom. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,508 to Danner describes a method of controlling the sail for mounting on a bicycle which is essentially a flexible but rigidly positioned boom relying on the flexibility and resilience of the boom to control the sail trim. All of these inventions require the operator to substantially constantly attempt to steer with one hand which is difficult, frequently dangerous and prevents the operator from operating two hand brakes when necessary. In addition, none of the designs provide any righting moment which is necessary to counteract the lateral force of the wind on the sail.

The present invention relates to a device that provides a conduit through which intra-thoracic pressures can be monitored and measured. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved esophageal balloon catheter device that is used to obtain esophageal pressure data for evaluating, treating and diagnosing patients with various respiratory conditions and diseases. Esophageal balloon catheter devices are commonly used as a research or clinical tool in the study of lung mechanics. Specifically, many investigators have utilized esophageal balloons to characterize the mechanical properties of the lung in both health and in disease as well as in determining the work or effort of breathing. More recently, esophageal balloon catheter devices have been used as part of monitoring systems for diagnosing sleep disorders, the clinical management of ventilator patients, as well as a part of pulmonary function systems in the measurement of lung mechanics. Typical esophageal balloon catheter devices employ an air-containing balloon sealed over the distal or near distal end of a catheter that transmits balloon pressure to a pressure transducer attached to the proximal end of the catheter. A pressure transducer in this context converts mechanical energy (balloon pressure) into electrical signals and units of measurement. The balloon of the catheter is usually positioned in the lower or middle third of the esophagus to monitor esophageal pressure to determine lung compliance and respiratory effort. As is known; during inhalation the pressure in the esophagus and thorax decreases, while it increases in the viscera below the diaphragm and during exhalation the pressure in the esophagus and thorax increases while it decreases in the viscera below the diaphragm. The catheter used in these devices is sometimes constructed to be stiff and rigid enough to allow insertion through the nasal passage and down into the esophagus. A serious disadvantage of these devices is that they are uncomfortable to patients being monitored to an extent that the pressure data may be affected as well as the patient""s ability to sleep. The catheter used in these devices may also be constructed to be limp and flaccid to provide comfort during overnight esophageal pressure testing. However, the limp and flaccid nature of the catheter makes it virtually impossible to insert it into the esophagus. Accordingly, such a catheter device includes a removable stylet assembly, which consists of a wire that is inserted into the lumen of the catheter at the proximal end thereof to stiffen the catheter so that it can be inserted into the esophagus and the balloon properly positioned therein. Once the balloon of the catheter device is positioned in the esophagus, the stylet assembly needs to be removed so the pressure transducer can be attached to the proximal end of the catheter. A major disadvantage of these devices is that it is very difficult to position the balloon correctly in the esophagus. There is an advantage in being able to monitor esophageal pressure oscillation while positioning the balloon in the esophagus. This is possible with the stiffer more rigid catheters but not with the more comfortable soft and flaccid catheters. Once the stylet is removed and the pressure transducer attached, it is often discovered that the balloon is not properly positioned in the esophagus. Because the catheter is so soft and flaccid this necessitates removing the pressure transducer and reinserting the stylet into the catheter to stiffen it so that the position of the balloon can be corrected. Unfortunately, reinserting the stylet assembly into the catheter is extremely dangerous as it can puncture the catheter and the esophagus. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved esophageal balloon catheter device, which is soft and flaccid for comfort and yet allows for monitoring esophageal pressure oscillation to aid proper positioning of the balloon. Such a device would avoid the need for removal of the stylet to attach the pressure transducer and the subsequent risk of reinserting the stylet assembly for balloon repositioning. An esophageal catheter device comprises a catheter with a balloon as pressure sensor affixed to an exterior surface of the catheter, and a stylet assembly including a stylet for preventing bending and flexing of the catheter during insertion in the esophagus and a port for removably attaching a pressure transducer.

Arginine transport through system y(+)L in cultured human fibroblasts: normal phenotype of cells from LPI subjects. In lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI), impaired transport of cationic amino acids in kidney and intestine is due to mutations of the SLC7A7 gene. To assess the functional consequences of the LPI defect in nonepithelial cells, we have characterized cationic amino acid (CAA) transport in human fibroblasts obtained from LPI patients and a normal subject. In both cell types the bidirectional fluxes of arginine are due to the additive contributions of two Na(+)-independent, transstimulated transport systems. One of these mechanisms, inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and sensitive to the membrane potential, is identifiable with system y(+). The NEM- and potential-insensitive component, suppressed by L-leucine only in the presence of Na(+), is mostly due to the activity of system y(+)L. The inward and outward activities of the two systems are comparable in control and LPI fibroblasts. Both cell types express SLC7A1 (CAT1) and SLC7A2 (CAT2B and CAT2A) as well as SLC7A6 (y+LAT2) and SLC7A7 (y+LAT1). We conclude that LPI fibroblasts exhibit normal CAA transport through system y(+)L, probably referable to the activity of SLC7A6/y+LAT2.

Expression of CD1d by astrocytes corresponds with relative activity in multiple sclerosis lesions. The CD1 protein family present lipid antigens to the immune system. CD1d has been observed in the CNS of MS patients, yet no studies have quantitatively characterized this expression and related it to inflammatory demyelinative activity in MS plaques. In this study, we set out to localize and quantify the presence of CD1d expression by astrocytes in MS brain tissue lesions. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded MS and control brain tissues were examined. Lesions were classified as active, chronic active or chronic silent. Using immunofluorescence, the density of CD1d-positive cells was determined in active lesions, chronic active lesion edges and chronic active lesion centers. The percentage of CD1d-positive cells that were GFAP-positive was also determined in each of these regions. CD1d immunoreactivity was significantly increased in MS compared to control tissue, was significantly more prevalent in areas of active demyelination, and colocalized with GFAP-positive reactive astrocytes. Increases of CD1d immunoreactivity in the CNS of MS patients being greatest in areas of active demyelination and localized to GFAP-positive astrocytes lend support to the hypothesis of a lipid-targeted autoimmune process contributing to the pathogenesis of MS.

Xuebijing protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury in rabbits. Interleukin (IL)-23 has been identified as a member of the IL-12 cytokine family. It plays an important role in inflammation. To demonstrate the changes of IL-23 in acute lung injury (ALI) and investigate the protective effect of Xuebijing in ALI and the underlying molecular mechanism, ALI was induced by intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 750 microg/kg). Japanese white rabbits challenged with or without LPS were treated with Xuebijing at the same time or saline. Before and after administration of LPS, arterial blood gas and lung weight gain were examined. Pathological changes of lung tissue were measured by light microscopy. IL-23 in serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All animals demonstrated drops in arterial oxygen tension (Pao(2)) and oxygenation index (Pao(2)/Fio(2)) after LPS application, which were significantly reversed by Xuebijing treatment. Administration of Xuebijing reduced lung water gain. Histopathological study also indicated that Xuebijing treatment markedly attenuated lung histopathological changes, alveolar hemorrhage and inflammatory cells infiltration. Furthermore, IL-23 was higher than control group after LPS treatment, which could be blunted by Xuebijing. These findings confirmed significant protection by Xuebijing against LPS-induced lung vascular leak and inflammation and implicated inhibition of IL-23 expression a potential role for Xuebijing in the management of ALI.

"Previously on Web Therapy..." "I'm going to marry Gina." "But I want to tell you immediately that this will not affect our relationship at all." " So they're looking into what?" " It's about that hair and makeup account that you op... wanted and opened." "But it's not my account!" "What is this about, the campaign finances?" "Can you help me?" "Did you have access to the accounts?" "Well, of course I had access to the accounts, but I don't anymore." "[Jazz music]" "[Computer beeps]" "Hello, Gina." " Fiona, thank God." " [Laughs] Oh!" "Oh, my God." "I have my drink." "I'm ready for drinks." "Mocktail o'clock." "Cheers." "Mocktail o'clock, oh, that's..." "Cheers." "I'm so happy to see you." "I'm happy to see you too." "Oh, thank God for this drink." "It's the only thing I like." "'Cause it reminds you of better days, more fun days." "Yes, more fun days." "I hate my life." " Poor baby." " It sucks." "I know." "It's very hard, huh?" "Oh, my God." "I'm miserable." "My back is killing me." " Oh." "Oh!" " [Grunts]" "There's your belly button." "Oh, God." "Get it out of me." "I hate this thing." "I know." "I can't do that." "This is bullshit." "Well, how about you sit down?" " Okay." " And then it's easier, I think." " Mm-hmm." " You know?" "It's a lot of strain, up and down, right?" "Where are you going, anyway?" "I'm going to Paris to go shopping." "It's bullshit." "But most women would be thrilled to go to Paris to go shopping." "I hate Paris." "The women are mean, and they spit on me and call me a whore in the streets." " Really?" " Oh, it's awful." "Yeah, the Parisian women are the toughest." "Yeah, they don't like American women, I think." "Or maybe it's just me." "I don't know." "I don't know." "And they smoke everywhere." "And they bring their dogs into restaurants." "Right, it's allowed." "And they got mad at me for ordering coffee before a meal." "Well, they're not American, you know?" "They don't have that service-industry mindset." "You're so right about that." " Yes." " You're so right." "We're service-oriented, you and I." "Yes." "You definitely are." "[Laughs]" "Well, I mean, I just want to be planning my wedding." "Oh, yes." "That's what we're meant to be talking about, right?" " Yes." " Yeah, all right." "Um, so I know Austen feels very strongly about Scotland, which will be so romantic, on his estate, and it'll be really beautiful." "[Scoffs] I'm not having it in Scotland." "I want it to be classy, like the old Greeks." "Oh, "classic."" " Yes, classic." " The classics." "So I was thinking about asking him if we could have it in Rome." "For the Greek wedding, you want it in Rome?" " What do you think?" " I think it..." " I think it's very you." " Oh, my God." "We should have it in Vegas at Caesars Palace." "I love their salads." "I love their frickin' salad." "That would be so much fun." " And more Roman." " Oh, my God, so Roman." "Or you know what, in Caesars Palace, they have this lounge where it's actually, like, a giant ice locker where you can go in there, and you can drink vodka and just freeze to death," "and it's so much fun." "It's like, you get drunker than ever." "We have to go." "[Gasps]" "We could have the bachelorette party at the same time as the wedding." "And it could be women only." " Wouldn't that be fun?" " Well, you need a groom." "Austen needs to be there, dear." "But it's really about the bride." " What?" " It's about the bride." "It's my day." "It's my special day." "And I feel like for my special day, I want to be with you, and I want us to be in twin outfits and wear tiaras and have, you know, obelisk drinks." "Oh, that would be fun." "But it's..." "That's gonna be difficult to talk Austen into," "I just have to say, because..." "Well, then maybe I'm not gonna get married at all." "Well... what?" "Why does it have to..." "Yeah, I guess our work is done here, 'cause basically Caesars Palace or no wedding." "Oh, I haven't seen this..." "Well, I can talk to Austen." "Yeah, you should." " It's my special day." " Right." "It's my motherfucking special day." "Maybe don't need to get emotional." "I'll talk to Austen and make sure that it's at Caesars Palace, okay." "Yeah, you do that." "You do that." "All right." "I'll fix that." "Okay, so I mean, I'm going to Paris." "Maybe I should get you a maid-of-honor gift." "Oh, well, yes." "I mean, I would love an Hermès scarf or..." "What about an éclair?" "To eat..." "Well, the custard would go bad, dear, so..." " You don't want an éclair?" " Well, as long as you're gonna be in Hermès getting me the scarf, how about..." "Oh, you know what, an Hermès... a Birkin bag." "A big, black one, the biggest kind they have." " That would be nice." " I'm gonna get you the biggest, blackest Birkin bag and put an éclair in it." "All right." "Mm-hmm." "Yes, all right." "Well, I'll..." "I'll..." "Yes, I'll get the passwords." "I'll find out as much as I can." "And I am..." "I'm..." "I am being cooperative." "Let's say that I'm being cooperative." "I'm speaking with you, so..." "No, I would love to cooperate." "I would love to, if I had the opportuni..." "Didn't have the opportunity to cooperate before." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Oh." "I didn't hear him say good-bye." "[Line ringing]" "Fiona, hi." "Kip." "Oh, you..." "You answered my call." "You alw..." "You never do." "Well, I can't when Ben's in the room." "He's locked in the bedroom, watching the Heidi Klum channel." "I don't..." "There's something on there." "There's no Heidi Klum channel." "Well, it's... she's on the "Lifetime for Women" show." " Okay." " I don't know what it is." " Anyway, what is it?" " Project Runway?" "'Cause I don't have a lot of time." "Oh, because Ben might catch you talking to me?" " That's insane." " He gets very, very jealous." "I think he's jealous of me." " Kip..." " Right." "That investigation has really heated up." "They're really after me, and I think Ben's behind it." "Oh, don't be ridiculous." "You've done nothing wrong, and Ben is not behind anything." "It's getting serious." "Yeah, but you're innocent, so what's the problem?" "Just... just tell the truth." "You don't know anything about it." "And then there's nothing wrong." "No, but I need to address the actual account, but I can't get into any of the accounts." "I don't have the passwords." "Do you?" "Well, I don't remember the passwords." "Ben wrote them on a piece of paper and put them in my briefcase on the day we closed the office." "In your briefcase?" " Yeah, but I don't have that." " Okay." "No, no, so they were sent to the house, okay." "Yeah, there were some boxes sent to the house." "So just go through them and find the passwords, and I'm sure it'll all be fine." "I haven't seen any boxes." "All right, I'll look..." "I'll ask..." "Ben's, Ben's, Ben's..." " Hey." " Hi, Ben." "So, I'm just talking to Fiona about, uh, the..." " Oh, really?" " Yeah, she got some..." "They're doing some campaign financing investigation." "Yeah, they're investigating me." "Yeah, I know." "I brought that up to you." " Yeah." " No, no, but it's a real..." "It's not, "Oh, it's nothing," okay?" "Well, it was nothing when I left you with it, so I..." "You probably did something stupid." " I don't know." " Really?" "I did something stupid?" " She's done nothing wrong, Ben." " I don't know." "I didn't say wrong." "I said stupid, you know?" "Well, stupid is different." "No, he's gonna de..." "He's setting me up." " No, he's not setting you up." " No one's setting anyone up." "Okay, well, you know, you think of me as an uncooperative person?" "Just wait." "Well, speaking of which, I'd like to maybe..." "This is your divorce petition you'll be getting..." " Oh." " ...which me and Stefan and Stefan have been working on." "They're both named Stefan?" "It's "Steffen" and "Stefawn," all right?" "And one of them was a lawyer in Macedonia." "This is a..." "You picked a winner, Kip." "Fiona, this is not a competition." "Okay, do you hear that, Ben?" "It's not a competition." "No, it's not." "So you can stop trying to destroy me, okay?" "You know what, I'm not trying to destroy you." "That..." "Whatever is going on with that investigation is" " all on you, girlfriend." " Oh, okay." "He doesn't mean it." "Honey..." "I mean, Fiona." " Fiona, he doesn't mean it." " Honey?" "No, you know what, I call her honey sometimes." "Yes, we've been married for 19 years." "You can't just, poof, make that go away," " as much as you'd like to, Ben." " Well, you can, actually." "It's called a divorce decree." "And we are looking forward to the day, let me tell you." "Okay, you know what, let's just all take a deep breath." "Ahh." "Let the air in, let the air out." "Is this what you're learning in one of your Southwest classes?" "Yes, I'm taking a meditation class, just so I can be calm, because I'm not sleeping." "You're not sleeping?" "No, we barely sleep in our bed." "Ben, let's not talk about the private stuff." "Anyway, I'm gonna just finish packing, and this, you'll get in the mail." " Eh, whenever." " Just take your time, Fiona." " It's not urgent." " It's not urgent." " No." " That's what I thought." "Oh, it's urgent, all right." "And you will sign tout de suite, as they say in French Canada." " And in France." " And in Fran... also in France." "It's not just French Canada." " Okay." " All right?" "I got to go." "You know why?" "I got some ironing to do." "Look, Fiona, I..." "He's got a heart of gold." " He's setting me up." " But he's..." "No, he's not." "No, he is not setting you up." "I have no other explanation for how I am all of a sudden... under the spotlight of this." "His bark is worse than his bite." "Believe me, I know." "He's really got a heart of gold." "He really means well." "And his interests..." "his best interests are for me." "And he just wants me to be okay, and..." "God damn it, Kip, we got to go!" " Okay, okay." " I need to find your jeans, and I got to iron them!" "I got to go." "I got to go!" " Oh, hi, Dr. Wallice." " Oh, hi, Jerome." "What are..." "What?" "Why are you in my home in New York, why?" "Oh, no, I came to New York to visit Hayley." "Well, what is Hayley doing there?" " The musical is over." " Oh, I thought you..." "Did you get that email I sent you?" " I sent you an email..." " I don't read your emails." "That was about how Hayley is going to be staying here to help out and pick up packages when you're not here." "I have a doorman for that." "I told the doorman to give her the key." "So the doorman is unnecessary?" "I don't have to pay those fees anymore?" "No, Freddy loves the fact that there's someone in the building, and he and Hayley get along really, really well." " In fact, one time..." "Yeah." " Oh, good." "So we're really adding to the community... by making yours and Hayley's life so much easier at my expense." "No, no, no." "She's buying her own food." "I told her to make a shelf and label it "Hayley."" "I mean..." "I mean..." "You're abusing the privileges that come along with working" " for a person like myself..." " Right." "...who is very important and has all of these wonderful things." "She hasn't taken a thing from your..." "She has not taken a thing, and I've told her to replace toilet paper as well and, um, she's been very, very good at keeping everything" " very much like she found it." " Great, I don't want to see" " a trace of her once she's out." " Right." "And I don't want her living there when I'm not there." " Doesn't work for me." " Well, I had told her" "I was coming to visit, and she's not here, which is strange." "But some of..." "I guess some of Mr. Wallice's things are here," " 'cause I did find..." " No, Mr. Wallice's things, of course, should not be there." "Well, there's, like, a chrysler building thong and a bunch of boxer shorts and a few personal hygiene items that I was surprised to see, like, on the floor" " and on the way to the master..." " What?" "Those aren't yours?" "Well, of course they're not mine!" "Well, they can't be Hayley's," "I don't think." "The rubber sheets..." "Who is she entertain..." "The what?" "Well, there's rubber sheets on the master bedroom, and I just didn't think that they were..." "We have them at our house, but that..." " What?" " I don't think she would..." "Well, maybe she misses me." "And she really..." "It's..." "It's kind of a comfort from home." "I don't want rubber sheets on my bed." "I don't want anything happening on my bed that would require rubber sheets, either." " I don't think that's happening." " On my bed?" "Not even in the guest room?" " This is a lot of nerve, Jerome." " Right, yeah..." "Good note." "I'll tell Hay..." "You know, Hayley and I will talk." " Get her out." " Yeah, okay." " That makes sense." " But before you get her out... find out what she did, please, with the boxes of campaign things... that were sent to the house in Philadelphia." " Oh, yeah." " I can't find any of them." "It was all..." "Yeah, it was all one box." "She sold it in the yard sale." "And a guy, one guy, bought the whole lot." "It was a lot." "A lot..." "I know, it was a lot of stuff." "No, he bought it as a lot." " What?" " He bought it as a lot." "Yes, because it was a lot of stuff." " I'm speaking English." " Right, no, me too." "He sells a lot." "He sells a lot at a time." "Okay, well, I want him to take the many things, or a lot of things, that he bought from me and sold to someone else..." "I need it back." "Okay." "My guess is he sells it off on eBay, but I'll talk to Hayley about trying to track who that guy was, whether she gave him a receipt or not, but I..." " I want it." " Okay." "I need to know who it is." "End of story." "It's crucially important." " Okay..." "Oh!" " I need it." "I hear some..." "I think someone's here." " [Distant grunt]" " But the doorman didn't call up to announce anyone." " I know, but I heard a grunt." " [Distant grunting]" "They must be delivering something, 'cause someone..." " I'm coming, I'm coming." " Did you hear that?" "They're saying, "I'm coming." "I'm coming."" "Someone's obviously about to get here." " [Grunting]" " Let me..." " Ah, I'm coming." " Yeah, do you hear that?" " I'm coming." " It's getting louder." " I'm coming." " Now I do hear it." "I think they're about to get here." " I'd better open the door." " You'd better." " [Grunts] I'm coming." " Yeah, I'm right here." " [Grunts]" " Hello?" "[Grunts]" "So, see?" "Luckily, I was able to track down Kip's briefcase." "There it is, right?" "Yeah, all right." "So now vote for that one." "Okay, so vote higher then." "Well, they want a max bid right now, but I think I'm gonna snipe it." "I don't... all right, I don't know what that is." "Sniping." "I'm gonna put $1,000 in at the last second and then grab it." " That's too much, though." " No, it..." "You won't pay 1,000." "You'll wind up paying only, like, 150." "All right." "Do what you need to do." "Okay." "See, there's 30 seconds left." "So I'm gonna enter in $1,000, and at the last minute, I'll put enter." " That's sniping?" " That's sniping." "Okay." "Okay." "You know, there was a fly in here the other day." "I don't see it now." "I didn't..." "Oh, your CD came of the four tenors." " Oh!" " [Beep]" "What happened?" " "Auction over."" " Oh." " Did we get it?" " No." "Why not?" "What do you mean?" "We were outbid." "Someone else sniped it." "What..." "How did that..." "You were going to snipe it." "I know, but we got..." "You had to tell me about the fly." " Who is..." "Who got it?" " "Karen4Kip."" "Who's Karen4Kip?" "Hello." "Are you Karen Sharpe?" "I'm Fiona Wallice." "And I..." "Are you okay?" "[Laughs]" "Well, I know you're Fiona Wallice." "Oh, you do..." "Yes, I've become quite famous from my work in therapy." "I have a unique treatment modality." "I've been getting a lot of attention for that." "Are you calling me?" "I am..." "Yes." "This is really happening." "[Both laugh] Oh, my God!" "Oh, my God!" "Do you..." "Anyway." " This is... is this..." " Hi, Fiona." " Hello, Karen." " How are you?" "You have a lot of campaign and Kip memorabilia there." "Yes, I have a lot of campaign memorabilia." "It's in safe hands with me, Fiona." "Kip's..." "Kip's everything." "Just so you know, I've been policing the Internet and eBay and several other sites just to be sure that Kip's things are in safe keeping with me." " Uh-oh." " It's very nice" " to see you, honey." " You too." "Can I ask you, is this where you live?" "Or is this a warehouse?" "No, this is... this is... can you see... can you see your husband in the background?" "I see, yes, that's the..." "from the campaign." "Yes." "I don't want to be insensitive, but you're..." "so you're a hoarder?" "Huh?" "It seems that you're..." "Is this where you live?" " This is where I live." " And you've hoarded all of this?" "No, no, I've organized and safe... safekeeping and filed and, you know, everything is precision and in its perfect place." "I'm just a little indoorsy." "Oh, okay." "And uh-oh." " Fiona?" "Fiona?" " Yes?" "You're as beautiful on Skype as you are on television..." " Thank you." " And in the photographs with your husband on the campaign trail, and I'm so honored to be speaking to you right now." "Oh, I'm so happy to bestow that." "And I-I, um..." "Oh, that's a but..." "Oh, you've... [laughs] adorned one of the buttons." "[Laughs] Yes, I have." "I've been thinking about Kip so much." "You know, we haven't heard much of him in the last few months, and I've just been missing his presence a little bit on the computer, and..." "Yes." "No, he had to go away for a little bit after the big scandal, you know?" "It's nothing." "Those things come and go, as you know." "They do come and go." "And you two are so profoundly important to the culture as we know it and to politics and..." "and such wonderful examples of human beings." " Oh." " Um, anyway..." "Thank you." "I'm glad you..." "I am, anyway." "I don't know about Kip, but..." "Oh, I know about Kip." "Yeah." "So you didn't see any of the footage of Kip and Ben Tomlund?" "That must have been painful for you." "I understand that." "I didn't like it." "But, you know, it's a cruel world." "The Internet is... is a scourge." "It's a scourge." "I mean, the things that these kids can create now with these special effects." "That wasn't Kip's head in that zipper." "That was... somebody pasted the back of his head into that position." "And the other piece of..." "Well, you can't really call it footage." "But the other visual that we got was just Kip, like, reaching and reaching and, you know, reaching and not getting what he wanted." "[Stammers] Okay." "I mean, I beg to differ." "I think he got exactly what he wanted." "[Laughs] He's with him right now." "Well, I'm sure you two have a stronger bond than," " you know, any of this." " Got it." "I think it's probably best that I don't argue with you." " [Chuckles]" " Okay. [Laughs]" "You know, it's funny." "I just wanted to, um, let you know that I'm aware that you recently purchased something on eBay." " Um, Kip's briefcase." " [Stammers]" "Oh, yes." "I have that." "I have several other things of Kip's." "Would you like to see them..." "a few things?" "Sure, yes." " Okay." " I will see them." "Okay." "Just gonna go back here." " Okay." "I'm still here." " Okay." " First, I have a soil sample." " What?" "A soil sample from Kip's Altoona campaign." "This was between the flagstones on his walk..." "Oh, real soil." "Not night soil." "Okay." " Yes." " Yes, I have that." " Whew!" "[Laughs]" " I have a few items that I retrieved from..." "Well, it's a long story, but I have some... some of Kip's takeout..." " What?" " ...containers." " Really?" " Yes." "This is for sure Kip's, as you'll know, because the dressing, on the side." "That..." "Kip, dressing on the side, that's him." " Kip, nonfat." " Right." "On the campaign trail..." " Possessed." " What?" "Safe as can be with me." "Oh, thank you then." "Thank you." "I had to take a long, terrifying trip to Philadelphia, to the campaign headquarters." " Oh, you went there?" " Mm-hmm." "It's different outside these days." " There's a lot of coffee..." " Right." " Rest stops..." " Yes." "That third brake light." "The third brake light?" "Yes." "I don't..." "Also, this is Kip's favorite album." "Oh, yes." "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John." "Yes, yes." "No, I knew that." "I'm sure your favorite album as well." "Of course." "I love her." "What's your favorite band, Bee Gees or Doobies?" "Bee Gees, of course." "I knew it!" " Oh, see." " I knew it!" "Wow, we're really in sync." " So... we're very in sync." " We're very in sync, so..." "So I have the briefcase as well." "Yes, and I would love to unburden you with it." "I know you spent over $100." "I'll give you $200 so that you're not at a loss, you know." "And then you can purchase maybe a few thousand other things of Kip's with that money." "How does that sound?" " [Laughs]" " I've, uh..." "I don't..." "I'm not gonna part with the briefcase." "I think it's probably safest here, as you..." " Safer than with his..." " Safe with me." "It's in a super secret, super safe..." " Right." " ...archive..." " Uh-huh." " ...here in a, um... not exactly in this room, but in, uh, two rooms over." "Can I ask, did you look inside of it?" " Was there anything inside?" " Beautifully crafted..." "Beautiful, tough, brown leather, very manly." " Beautiful." " Yes." "I picked it out, so..." " I'm sure you did." " Yeah." "Okay." " Well you know what..." " Can I ask you something else?" " Oh." " Just a little girl talk." " Yes, of course." " Okay." "How many times have you had the big sex?" " What?" "With..." " Before Kip, before Kip." "Before Kip?" "How many..." "Domestic." "Domestic tally only." "Okay." "Well, before Kip, I'd say none." "He was my first love." "[Laughs]" "I love that about you too." "Oh, yes." "And it's true." "Mm." "It's an inspiration, you know that." "I'm so happy that you saved yourself for Kip, because that's what I'm doing." "Good for you." "It... it'll..." "it'll be a long wait." "We'll see." "Right." "Can I ask you if he is a... [whispering] sensitive lover?" "If he's a what?" "A sensitive lover." "Oh, he's extremely sensitive." "Very sensitive." " I think, um..." " Is he considerate of you?" "He's very..." "yes, he's very considerate." "He doesn't want to make me feel uncomfortable, so his eyes are shut tight." "And sometimes, he even would put, you know, like, a cloth over my head." "Do you still have the cloth?" "Yes." "[Sighs] Oh, Fiona." "Can I get the cloth?" "You know what?" "I have something... because you're doing such a wonderful job as the custodian of Kip's world," "I have something I think you would love to have, and I'd be honored if you would accept it." "It's, um, Kip's running shorts." "And I haven't gotten around to washing them yet." " So it's Kip's sweat as well..." " Kip's sweat?" "...in the running shorts, and so I would love for you to have it." "[Laughs]" "Oh, I'm glad that makes you happy." " And you know they'll be safe with me." " They will be safe with you." " Now I don't trust the mail..." " Thank you, Fio 'cause I don't know what they're going to do to it." "They could lose it." "Someone else can touch it." "So I'd be honored to personally bring it to you, and then we can... we can even meet and say hello in person." "I look forward to it." "When do you suppose you'd be coming with Kip's sweat?" "I could be there tomorrow." " Tomorrow?" " Yes, I'll come in the morning." "It's lucky, because I just did a once-through, and I-I, um, you know..." "it's pinpoint precision here... [laughs] in your honor." "So I'll..." "I will see you tomorrow morning, all right?" " With the running shorts." " And the face cloth." " I had nothing to do with this." " Maybe I want a twat clause in my form against you." "Maybe I need notice." "Why don't we just have a mutual de-twatification?" "All right, stop saying that word!" " Oh, okay." " It's vulgar." "First of all, it's not a word." "No, it... actually, it is." "If a word can be formed, it can be said." "We..." "I know a bird that can say that word, at Pico Pete's." "[Laughs] [Laughs]" "[Laughs]" " [Snorts]" " It's tricky, isn't it?" "Oh." "[Rattles]" "There's ice in here." "Oh... oh!" "[Laughs]" " Wow, that is convenient." " That's me with props." "[Laughter] And cut." "Well, no, I know, but I don't think Rashi..." "Rashida." "Oh, my God, look at me." "I don't think that Hayley, um..." " I don't think..." " Go, "I know, I know, but."" " [Laughs]" " I know... [Laughs]" "So if I empty it, I'll bring you a fresh..." "Boink!" " What happened?" " [Laughter]" "I mean, he is interested in... in even the rich getting richer, Fiona." "Right." "That is important." "All right, good, good, good." "[Laughs] "Even the rich getting richer.""

Correlation between tumor growth and hormonal therapy with MR signal characteristics of desmoid-type fibromatosis: A preliminary study. To evaluate the impact of hormonal therapy on MRI characteristics of desmoid-type fibromatosis on T1-weighted, T2-weighted fat-saturated and post-contrast sequences. Nineteen patients with histologically-proven desmoid-type fibromatosis were prospectively followed up on MR imaging. Eight patients underwent hormonal therapy and 11 were only surveyed. Change in tumor size during follow-up was analyzed according to RECIST. Signal intensity on T1-weighted, T2-weighted fat-saturated and T1-weighted fat-saturated post-contrast images was graded from 0 to 5 using adjacent normal muscle as reference. Findings were compared with tumor growth and treatment option. There were seven men and 12 women with a mean age of 42.2±16.4 (SD) years (range: 18 - 64 years) yielding twenty-six follow-up periods: eight of tumor progression and 18 of tumor stability/regression (some tumors exhibited more than one behavior type). Hormonal therapy was associated with tumor stability or regression (P=0.0207). There was a significant reduction in enhancement among treated patients with stable/regressing disease (P=0.049). The mean variation in enhancement grade was -1.3±1.2 in these patients. All successfully treated patients presented a reduction in enhancement. Lesions with marked low enhancement or very low signal on T2-weighted images were rare in progressing lesions (0% and 13%). Hormonal therapy has an impact on desmoid-type fibromatosis signal characteristics reducing lesion enhancement.

A national survey of the management of atrial fibrillation with antithrombotic drugs in Italian primary care. The aims of this study were to investigate trends in the incidence of diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF), and to identify factors associated with the prescription of antithrombotics (ATs) and to identify the persistence of patients with oral anticoagulant (OAC) treatment in primary care. Data were obtained from 400 Italian primary care physicians providing information to the Health Search/Thales Database from 2001 to 2004. The age-standardised incidence of AF was: 3.9-3.0 cases, and 3.6-3.0 cases per 1,000 person-years in males and females, respectively. During the study period, 2,016 (37.2%) patients had no prescription, 1,663 (30.7%) were prescribed an antiplatelet (AP) agent, 1,440 (26.6%) were prescribed an OAC and 301 (5.5%) had both prescriptions. The date of diagnosis (p = 0.0001) affected the likelihood of receiving an OAC. AP, but not OAC, use significantly increased with a worsening stroke risk profile using the CHADS2 risk score. Older age increased the probability (p < 0.0001) of receiving an AP, but not an OAC. Approximately 42% and 24% of patients persisted with OAC treatment at one and two years, respectively, the remainder interrupted or discontinued their treatment. Underuse and discontinuation of OAC treatment is common in incident AF patients. Risk stratification only partially influences AT management.

[Incidence and course of early local complications following surgery of the locomotor system (2)]. In the department of traumatology, hand surgery, plastic and rehabilitation surgery of the University of Ulm, a prospective study was carried through over a period of 5 years (1980-1984) to record all early local complications; their course and final outcome were observed throughout this period. A total of 30,217 operations were performed, and we observed a total of 527 (i.e. 1.74%) perioperative and early postoperative complications in 447 patients. This rate remained nearly the same throughout the observation period. The complication most often found was postoperative hematoma, with an incidence of 0.61%; the hematoma had to be removed in a second operation in two-thirds of all cases. The next most frequent complication was infection of soft tissue and bones (incidence 0.49%), followed by lesions of nerve fibres (0.22%) and disturbances of wound healing and necrosis (0.15%). In comparison with those complications we were seldom confronted with luxations after implantation of femoral head prostheses, incorrect internal fixation, refractures and ischaemia after lesion of blood vessels. Most complications were localised in the knee (21.2%) and the lower leg (18.3%). We only observed 148 early complications (infection rate 0.49%), with 54 occurring in bones and joints and only 94 in soft tissue. In open fractures the infection rate totalled 2.03% and in closed fractures, 0.16%. We observed 14 joint infections (infection rate 0.16%), with 3 infections after the implantation of femoral head prostheses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

This invention relates in general to data backup systems and in particular, to a system for storing data in one or more backup tape devices. In many distributed computer environments such as the personal computer local area networks (PC LANs), it is necessary to record data as backup. This is crucial, for example, in certain networks such as in networks for recording airline reservations. Network backup applications, like other types of data management, is faced with new challenges in distributed environments such as PC LANs. Because data is often distributed among many nodes on a net, backup performance has been a real problem. In fact, none of the current strategies have significantly reduced "network overhead." However, this invention introduces a new technology which provides a very elegant solution to the apparent complexity of distributed data management. Discussed below are the advantages of shared network backup in the light of this new technology. Specifically, this new technology disspells the myth that a fileserver based solution is the only way to achieve high performance. Plenty has been written about the details of the more common backup solutions. Highlighted below are aspects of these existing applications which are germaine to the goals of the invention. The earliest network backup applications put the tape device at a workstation, providing a backup solution for files which could be accessed over the network as well as local data. The performance of these applications were limited by local disk performance and network communication overhead. The result is software which, however functional, falls quite short of the performance capabilities of the streaming tape devices being introduced into the market. For some time, these particular applications were the only way of doing full server disk backups, which greatly intensified the performance problem. Today, "shared" backup systems which put the tape device at the file server have become popular. Some of these can back server data up at the theoretical rate of the streaming tape device. They can also be used to back up other servers as well as work stations on the net. However, all data not residing at the "host" server is still backed up quite slowly while continuing to significantly impact the network. The problem remains, then, that unless a tape device is positioned at nearly every node, overall performance is low and the impact to the network is high. The result is that, for a grouping number of functioning LANs, this essential data management function continues to interrupt normal network operations for prohibitively long periods. These applications purport to add value to streaming tape devices. But, because they have not beerable to fully utilize device potential, they have actually been value reducing.

Johns Hopkins has been a member of ECOG since 1955. Our primary goal is to bring innovative clinical research protocols and laboratory correlative science piloted at Johns Hopkins to the Group for further development. In conjunction with this, our faculty serves in leadership roles as study chairs and laboratory co-chairs, disease and modality-oriented committee chairs. [unreadable] [unreadable] The specific aims are: 1) to continue to provide scientific leadership in the disease-oriented committees: Breast, Thoracic, Head and Neck, Genitourinary, Brain Tumor Working Group, Lymphoma, Leukemia; 2) to expand our involvement to the disease and modality committees: Gastro-intestinal, Myeloma, Pharmacology and Drug Development; 3) to bring translational research correlates, cell biology and molecular biology into clinical protocols for all stages of disease; 4) to expand our accrual and maintain excellence in data quality. [unreadable] [unreadable] We expect to accomplish these goals through the mission of the Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins: to provide a multidisciplinary approach to the study of cancer that will result in improved means for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Center has achieved excellence in translational research with the awarding of six SPORE grants (lymphoma, G-I cancer, prostate, breast, lung, head and neck). In addition, we perform early clinical trials of new drugs (NCI phase I contract since 1982) and hold a contract for Early Therapeutics Development with Phase II Emphasis. These grants allow the development of novel phase II and phase Ill trial concepts which our faculty bring to ECOG with appropriate laboratory science correlative studies. Our accrual and committee involvement is expected to continue to grow because of expanding clinical programs and faculty made possible with a new Cancer Center facility and research buildings occupied since late 2000. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]

Matrix metalloproteinase 9 inhibits the motility of highly aggressive HSC-3 oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Pro-tumorigenic activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 have been linked to many cancers, but recently the tumour-suppressing role of MMP9 has also been elucidated. The multifaceted evidence on this subject prompted us to examine the role of MMP9 in the behaviour of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) cells. We used gelatinase-specific inhibitor, CTT2, and short hairpin (sh) RNA gene silencing to study the effects of MMP9 on proliferation, motility and invasion of an aggressive OTSCC cell line, HSC-3. We found that the migration and invasion of HSC-3 cells were increased by CTT2 and shRNA silencing of MMP9. Proliferation, in turn, was decreased by MMP9 inhibition. Furthermore, arresten-overexpressing HSC-3 cells expressed increased levels of MMP9, but exhibited decreased motility compared with controls. Interestingly, these cells restored their migratory capabilities by CTT2 inhibition of MMP9. Hence, although higher MMP9 expression could give rise to an increased tumour growth in vivo due to increased proliferation, in some circumstances, it may participate in yet unidentified molecular mechanisms that reduce the cell movement in OTSCC.

It is arguably one goal of technology to reconcile conflicting needs. One example of conflicting needs, which have been recognized as requiring reconciling are the needs of persons to have available to them emergency assistance and care while at the same time to, maintain freedom and privacy. The need for emergency assistance and the need for freedom and privacy may not always appear to conflict; however, as the need for emergency assistance or care becomes more imminent or probable, the conflict becomes more real. Examples of this real conflict are lived out daily in the lives of millions of elderly persons who, as they increase in age, become more and more dependent upon the availability of quick-responding assistance or regular care while at the same time retaining the desire and need for the freedom to move about and the privacy to lead their own lives in dignity. Other examples of these real conflicts may be witnessed in the lives of persons with medical problems which require either rapid, emergency assistance, or regular observation and care. Numerous other examples of this real conflict do exist but need not be specifically outlined here. In its worst case scenario, the Affected Person (i.e. the elderly or medical patients) had to choose between (1) constant care and ever present assistance at the loss of freedom of movement and privacy, or (2) freedom of movement and privacy at the risk of damaging health, frightening injury and even death. The broadly defined industry of monitoring and surveilence has, over the years, provided various technological advances to lessen the harsh dichotomy of the worst case scenario. One such advance was the "nurse call" system which exists in most hospitals and nursing homes today. A problem with these nurse call systems is that they are direct-access systems which require the patient or elderly resident to move to a call button to activate the nurse call. Thus, if the person is injured and unable to move to the button, the injury goes undetected. Thus, in facilities equipped with nurse call buttons only, the Affected Person is confined to a space (i.e. bed) within reach of the call button or to an apartment or room in close proximity to the call button. There are numerous types of emergency alert systems in existence which use small radio transmitters, pendants or wristwatches to communicate with a receiver in order to help the Affected Person free himself/herself from the restricted confines of the direct-access nurse call system. The transmitter of these existing radio linked alert systems are typically coded to a particular receiver located in the room of the Affected Person, and only that receiver matches the particular transmitter. Furthermore, the transmitters typically are restricted to a 100 to 200 foot range and, thus, subject the Affected Person to the confines of a defined, limited area surrounding his/her room. It is also noted that these radio linked emergency alert systems are typically constructed such that the receiver is hard-wired back to a central phone system which dials out to another phone number using the normal phone switch system and phone lines. Thus, among other problems: if the Affected Person leaves the confines of the limited transmission area, he/she cannot communicate an emergency need using the transmitter; or if a phone in the apartment were knocked off the hook or was otherwise out-of-order the transmitter would also not work. From the point of view of the potential care giver, such as a nursing facility, the existing, radio linked alert systems are, perhaps, less valuable than the direct-access nurse call systems since many facilities might prefer that their alert system be hard-wired to a central point which can be monitored 24 hours a day, rather than depending upon the operation and ability of telephone lines. For the benefit of such facilities, numerous hard-wired communication systems do exist. They generally take the form of a modem at each end utilizing a carrier signal with, generally, frequency shift keying type communications transferring data over a 2-wire line system similar to a telephone line. Such systems have been found to become less acceptable as the number of apartments (or rooms) within a facility increases, since the system becomes more complex and much more expensive as additional locations are added. User activated devices such as those mentioned above, do not address circumstances where the Affected Person requires possible care due to fainting, extreme weakness, or a fall out of reach of their transmitter. In an effort to address this concern, the industry has provided "activity monitors" which indicate, for example, when a person has opened the door. In this way, a facility can know to check up on an Affected Person if there has been no indication of the monitored activity over a certain period of time. Presently, the number and type of activities which can be monitored are limited by the time and expense of wiring each and every "activity monitor" to some central point where they can all be observed on a 24-hour basis. The expense and complexity of installing all of these individual activity monitors and their related wiring render effective use of such activity monitors difficult to afford for new facilities and practically prohibitive to install as retrofit devices in existing facilities. Matters become even more complicated, in both new and retrofit applications, if the facility desires to have both user activated monitoring devices (such as a transmitter system) and various other monitoring devices such as activity monitors. The complexity becomes, under the prior art, a seemingly overwelming task both in physical complexities and in expense.

A printed circuit board (“PCB”) is a multilayer board that includes printed circuits on one or more layers of insulative (a.k.a. dielectric) material. A printed circuit is a pattern of conductors that corresponds to the wiring of an electronic circuit formed on one or more layers of insulative material. The printed circuit board includes electrical traces that are routed on the various layers of the PCB. PCBs also include vias which are solid electrical paths connecting one layer to another layer. A via can be used to connect a trace on one layer of a PCB to another trace on another layer of the PCB. A PCB also includes other layers of metallization for ground planes, power planes or reference voltage planes. In many instances a signal carrying via must be routed through one or more of these planes. The signal carrying via cannot electrically connect or couple to these planes. If the signal carrying via does couple or connect to one of these planes, the integrity of the electrical circuit is compromised. As a result, anti-pads or plane clearances are required to separate signal carrying vias from ground planes, power planes, or planes having a reference voltage. An anti-pad is a plane clearance. Generally, a minimum anti-pad clearance is specified in the design after balancing factors that tend to minimize the anti-pad size and those factors that tend to maximize anti-pad size. The anti-pads would be minimized to reduce noise by closely shielding adjacent pins with reference planes, to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) by minimizing aperture sizes in reference planes, and to maintain a strong reference to ground for single-ended signals and ground referenced differential signals. The anti-pads would be maximized to maximize voltage breakdown spacing between the pin and the reference plane, to increase manufacturability by reducing the chance of shorting, and reduce reflection in a high speed gigabit serial system by reducing the capacitive effect of a plated through hole (used instead of a via). The semiconductor industry has seen tremendous advances in technology in recent years that have permitted dramatic increases in circuit density and complexity, and equally dramatic decreases in power consumption and package sizes. Present semiconductor technology now permits single-chip microprocessors with many millions of transistors, operating at speeds of tens (or even hundreds) of MIPS (millions of instructions per second), to be packaged in relatively small, air-cooled semiconductor device packages. A by-product of such high density and high functionality in semiconductor devices is an ever increasing pressure to produce PCBs having higher density designs. With increasingly higher density designs, the risk becomes greater that the established industry reliability specification for minimum dielectric spacing between hole wall and adjacent conductive features will be violated. There is also a possibility that with increased device density, the industry will lower the minimum dielectric spacing between features.

A rotary hammer, such as a hammer drill, is designed to impart axial percussive vibrations along with rotation to a tool, such as a drill bit, held at the front end of the hammer body, so as to perform chipping and drilling operations. The construction of such rotary hammer is disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,359, wherein a reciprocable piston-like drive member is installed in a cylinder which guides a vibrating mechanism disposed inside the hammer body, said drive member being adapted to be driven by an electric motor through a motion conversion transmission mechanism which converts rotary motion into axial reciprocating motion, the reciprocating motion of said drive member imparting axial percussive vibrations to a tool, such as a drill bit, held at the front end of the hammer body through a striker axially movably installed in the cylinder, and concurrently with this impartation, the rotation of the electric motor is reduced and imparted to a tool holding member which concomitantly rotatably holds the tool, whereby percussive vibrations and rotation are imparted to the tool. In the conventional rotary hammer as described above, the cylinder provided with the piston-like drive member and striker, and the motion conversion transmission mechanism and electric motor which form a drive section for driving said piston-like drive member are received by a frame forming a shell barrel, while a bracket section for rotatably supporting the tool holding member at the front end of the hammer body and a bracket section for holding a bearing which supports one end of the rotor of the electric motor are integrally formed and fixed on said frame. As a result, in assembling this rotary hammer, the tool holding member and electric motor must be built into the bracket which supports them before said bracket can be fixed to the frame and, moreover, after the electric motor and tool holding member have thus been built in, the bracket which holds the cylinder with the piston-like drive member and the motion conversion transmission device is fixed to the frame, a fact which, coupled with the substantial complexity of the internal construction, makes the assembly operation very troublesome. Further, disassembly operation which becomes necessary, e.g., when a machine trouble occurs is never easy as it must be performed in the order reverse to that for assembly operation. Particularly, the rugged the shell of the hammer body is made so as to have sufficient shock resistance to endure a long period of use, the more difficult the assembly operation. In this type of rotary hammers, which requires operation performance tests, e.g., on the electric motor during assembly operation, if the hammer body is of unitary construction as described above, an operation performance test, e.g., on the electric motor must be conducted with not only the electric motor but also the bit or other tool holding section built into the shell barrel; thus, such test is very troublesome. Further, in this type of rotary hammers, it often occurs that the internal mechanism breaks down or that the hammer fails to operate owing to the consumption of parts such as the sealing rings for the piston-like drive member. With the hammer body construction difficult of disassembly as described above, repair of damage or replacement of parts cannot be easily made in the field and the difficulty of disassembly often makes it necessary to carry the rotary hammer to the factory, during which time another rotary hammer has to be used. For this reason, in another example of prior art, the shell serving as a frame for holding various parts is bisected along the axis of the vibrating mechanism to make it possible to open the shell to opposite sides. With this arrangement, although the assembly operation is easy, in disassembly all the parts are exposed and unnecessary parts are also disassembled. Moreover, since the split type shell halves on opposite sides must be clamped together as by screws, a number of fastening parts such as screws are required and the construction must be such that the fastening parts will not become loose under heavy shocks, a fact which makes disassembly operation more difficult. Further, the aforesaid split construction renders the parts liable to loosen, lowers the accuracy of assembly and fails to provide sufficient reliability in shock resistance; therefore, it is not preferable in practice. Thus, it is less easy than expected to provide a rotary hammer which is easy to assemble and disassemble and which has high quality and high reliability. The fact is that rotary hammers are manufactured with it being admitted unavoidable that repair and replacement of parts take much time and labor. Accordingly, I proposed a rotary hammer to solve the aforesaid problems (Japanese Patent Application No. 108602/1984). The present invention is an improved version of the same.

A novel method for isolation of Campylobacter spp. from environmental samples, involving sample processing, and blood- and antibiotic-free medium. To develop a method that involves sample processing, and blood- and antibiotic-free medium for isolation and enumeration of Campylobacter spp. from environmental samples. The sample processing (preT) was standardized to minimize the population of competing bacteria. A blood- and antibiotic-free differential, Kapadnis-Baseri medium (KB medium) was formulated and tested for isolation of Campylobacter spp. in comparison with CAT medium. PreT-KB method was evaluated in comparison with the conventional viable count method and with the conventional most probable number (C. MPN) method for enumeration of Campylobcater from environmental samples. The results indicated that sample processing significantly reduced population of competing bacteria. The KB medium selected Gram-negative bacteria and differentiated Campylobacter from lactose-fermenting competing bacteria. The population of Campylobacter detected by preT-KB method was similar to that by conventional viable count method. While, the population of Campylobacter spp. determined by preT-KB method was higher than that by C. MPN method. In addition, the preT-KB method detected antibiotic sensitive campylobacters. The preT minimizes population of competing bacteria and the KB medium selects Gram-negative bacteria and differentiates Campylobacter from them. Therefore, Campylobacter can be isolated from environmental samples without using antibiotics. The preT-KB method is simple and facilitates isolation of antibiotic sensitive and enumeration of Campylobacter in the environmental samples. Therefore, the new method will be useful for isolation and enumeration of Campylobacter from water, food and sewage samples. Besides, it would also detect antibiotic-sensitive campylobacters, which are not detected by conventional viable count and MPN methods.

The present invention relates to a defect substitution method of a disc-shaped recording medium having a sector structure, and to an apparatus for recording and reproducing data on a disc-shaped recording medium using said defect substitution method, and more specifically relates to an optical disc defect management method of an optical disc in a recording system in which error detection and correction coding spans a plurality of sectors, and to an optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus. High speed random access is possible with disc-shaped recording media, and a high recording density can be achieved by formatting a disc with a narrow data track pitch and bit pitch. Disc-shaped recording media can be generally categorized based on differences in the applicable recording method as either a magnetic disc or optical disc, and can be further classified as either a fixed type or removable type media based on differences in the method whereby the medium is mounted in the recording/reproducing apparatus during use. The smallest recording unit of the physical recording area to which data is generally recorded on disc-shaped recording media is called a xe2x80x9csector.xe2x80x9d Sectors that cannot be used for data storage also occur in disc-shaped recording media as a result of defects during manufacture or damage occurring after manufacture. In addition to data writing errors occurring as a result of writing data sectors that are defective as a result of damage to the disc-shaped recording medium itself, data writing errors attributable to the operating environment can also occur as described below. Optical discs, of which the DVD is typical, have been widely used in recent years as a large capacity recording medium because of their high recording density. Further advances in recording density have also been achieved to further increase storage capacity. Optical discs, however, are typically manufactured from low rigidity materials such as polycarbonate, and even disc deflection resulting from the dead weight of the disc cannot be ignored. In addition, this type of optical disc is commonly used as a replaceable, removable recording medium. For use, the disc is inserted into a recording and reproducing apparatus and mounted on a rotating spindle, and the positioning precision of the disc therefore cannot be assured. It is also common to directly insert optical discs into the recording and reproducing apparatus without housing the disc in a protective case. Even when used housed in such a protective case, however, the entire recording medium is exposed during recording and reproducing because the protective case is not airtight. That is, optical disc recording media have essentially no shielding against the ambient environment. It should be noted that the problems specific to optical recording media reside in the point that these media are different from the hard disc recording media, including both low recording density fixed discs and removable hard discs, which are also a magnetic storage medium. In addition to problems associated with their rigidity, mounting precision, and low airtightness, when an optical disc recording medium is inserted into a recorder and recorded or played, normal recording and reproducing can be inhibited by variations in the relative position to the optical pickup, or by foreign matter in the air interfering with the laser from the optical pickup. In such cases, data reading and writing can be obstructed through a wide band of the recording area, and burst mode recording and reproduction errors occur easily, as a result of the narrow track pitch and dot pitch enabling high density recording, even if there are no disc defects or damage to the information sector of the optical disc recording medium. While such burst-mode recording and reproducing problems occur easily in optical disc recording media, they are also found in the above-noted magnetic recording media and are common to all types of disc-shaped recording medium. xe2x80x9cRecording defectxe2x80x9d is a general term for the inability to record as a result of a defect or damage to the recording medium itself or the conditions under which the disc is used. If a recording defect occurs when recording data to a particular sector, data is recorded continuously to the recording medium by saving the data to a reserved recording sector area, which is reserved separately from the normal data recording sectors, no matter what the cause of the recording defect. This operation of recording to a reserved sector area data that should be recorded to the sector in which a recording defect occurred is called xe2x80x9calternative recording,xe2x80x9d and the reserved sector area used for alternative recording is called an xe2x80x9calternative area.xe2x80x9d In consideration for the above-noted problems, an object of the present invention is therefore to provide a defect management method whereby the size of the required alternative area can be suppressed and a disc-shaped recording medium can be efficiently used, and to provide a recording and reproducing apparatus for a disc-shaped recording medium. A disc-shaped recording medium recording and reproducing apparatus for recording data by sector unit to a disc-shaped recording medium having a structure with a plurality of recording sectors, said disc-shaped recording medium recording and reproducing apparatus characterized by comprising: a coding means for error detection and correction coding said data twice, in row and column directions, and segmenting said data into sector units; a means for recording data coded in sector units to a sector in a first recording area of said disc-shaped recording medium; a defective sector discrimination means for reproducing said sector to discriminate whether the sector is a defective sector; and a defective sector substitution means for, when said sector is determined to be a defective sector, recording data recorded to a defective sector to an alternative sector in a second recording area disposed on said disc-shaped recording medium.

The manufacture of many types of work pieces requires the substantial planarization of at least one surface of the work piece. Examples of such work pieces that require a planar surface include semiconductor wafers, optical blanks, memory disks, and the like. Without loss of generality, but for ease of description and understanding, the following description of the invention will focus on applications to only one specific type of work piece, namely a semiconductor wafer. The invention, however, is not to be interpreted as being applicable only to semiconductor wafers. One commonly used technique for planarizing the surface of a work piece is the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process. In the CMP process a work piece, held by a work piece carrier, is pressed against a polishing surface in the presence of a polishing slurry, and relative motion (rotational, orbital, linear, or a combination of these) between the work piece and the polishing surface is initiated. The mechanical abrasion of the work piece surface combined with the chemical interaction of the slurry with the material on the work piece surface ideally produces a planar surface. The construction of the carrier and the relative motion between the polishing pad and the carrier head have been extensively engineered in an attempt to achieve a uniform removal of material across the surface of the work piece and hence to achieve the desired planar surface. For example, the carrier may include a flexible membrane or membranes that contacts the back or unpolished surface of the work piece and accommodates variations in that surface. One or more pressure zones or chambers (separated by pressure barriers) may be provided behind the membrane(s) so that different pressures can be applied to various locations on the back surface of the work piece to cause uniform polishing across the front surface of the work piece. However, the pressure distribution across the back surface of the wafer for conventional carriers often is not sufficiently controllable during the CMP process. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a work piece with an initial non-planar profile, such as a profile 10, that is planarized by a conventional carrier will have a non-planar surface profile similar to a profile 12 after the CMP process, although a substantially planar surface is desired. Further, conventional carriers do not provide sufficient control of the pressure zones to permit a desired non-planar profile to be achieved. In addition, to the extent the planarization process can be adjusted during CMP, such as, for example, by increasing or decreasing pressures in the adjustable pressure zones, the adjustment(s) typically takes place toward the end of the CMP process, thus resulting in over-correction. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for controlling the pressures of adjustable pressure zones of a work piece carrier during CMP to achieve substantially planar, or desired non-planar, profiles. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method for controlling the CMP process sufficiently early in the process to prevent over-correction. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

This invention relates generally to surgical devices and, more particularly, to an improved elastic surgical ring clip and an improved ring loader for placing one or more elastic surgical rings onto the distal end of a ring applicator device. The elastic surgical ring clip is made of an elastic material and is configured so as to provide a clip having significantly increased, compressive or elastic strength. The ring loader includes a conically shaped ring expander onto which elastic surgical rings are loaded and a ring dilator having a plurality of fingers which engage the ring and push it up and over the ring expander and onto the distal end of a ring applicator device. There are several prior art patents which disclose somewhat related elastic surgical clips and loading devices. The more relevant patents in the prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,188 issued to Coy L. Lay, deceased et al and my own prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,201. The Lay patent is directed to an elastic band designed and dimensioned for tying off human fallopian tubes or similar, anatomical tubular members. My prior patent shows an improved, elastic ligating ring clip and a ring loader for placing elastic rings onto the distal end of a ring applicator device including a conical ring expander and a ring dilator in the form of thin, flexible posts joined in pairs radiating from a deformable, elastic ring engaging aperture. Nothing in the prior art discloses the surgical clip constructions of this invention which include an elastic body of a configuration which imparts greatly increased compressive or elastic strength to the elastic clip and a ring loader for placing one or more elastic surgical ring clips onto the distal end of a ring applicator device including a conical ring expander and a conical ring dilator having a plurality of fingers for pushing each ring along and over the expander and onto the distal end of a ring applicator device.

Video files primarily come in two types: with a file header, and without a file header. The file header records global information of the video file, for example, size and duration of each frame, position of a key frame, and so on. A video file without a file header is composed of many video file packages. Although there is no dedicated header for storing the global information of the file, information such as the position of the key frame and a timestamp is stored in specific video file packages. Video dragging is a common operation performed when a user watches a video. In the process of watching the video, the user can drag a progress bar to locate the current playing position of the video quickly so as to find a segment of interest quickly. Because a client has to start decoding and playing from the position of the key frame of the video, a player needs to locate the key frame of the video in the process of dragging the video. In the prior art, the video dragging operation depends on the file header of the video file. By parsing the file header, the position information of all key frames of the video file stored in the file header is obtained, and video data that begins with a key frame is sent to the client, where the key frame is the closest to a position from which the video is requested to be dragged, and the client decodes and plays the video data, thereby completing the video dragging operation. However, if the video file of a specific format has no file header, the video file cannot be played after being dragged, so the video file can only be played sequentially. In addition, in the prior art, a server generally uses a fragmented buffer architecture for storing video files. Under this architecture, for a video, the server only stores a part of segments of the video. In the process of dragging the video, if a target position of dragging goes beyond the range of the video segments stored on the server, the dragging operation cannot be completed, which deteriorates user experience.

The project supports the Data Coordinating Center (DCC) to the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC). The NNTC is a resource for investigators conducting NeuroAIDS research to identify the neuropathogenic mechanisms involved In HIV disease of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The consortium is composed of four NNTC Clinical Sites and one DCC that work cooperatively as a resource for the research community, providing HIV/AIDS Investigators with clinically annotated datasets of antemortem Information and associated postmortem tissue and fluids. The DCC provides the NNTC with scientific leadership, management expertise, bioinformatics and Information systems infrastructure, statistical and epidemiology expertise, and serves as a voting member of the NNTC Steering Committee. The DCC works cooperatively with the NNTC Clinical Sites to provide (1) management and database capabilities to ensure effective clinical and brain banking operations and (2) scientific expertise in biostatistics and HIV epidemiology to support broad analyses of the NNTC clinical database and analyses that support the recruitment and retention goals for the cohort. The NNTC has produced over 380 peer-reviewed publications, over 175 abstracts/book chapters/presentations, as well as supporting the work on numerous researchers' grants. The DCC serves as the point of contact for users of the resource (tissue and/or data requests) and services the requests from the time they are submitted through fulfillment of the request and follow up with the requestor to provide the results of their researc. The NNTC website is used extensively for dissemination of resource Information (query tools, reports, request applications) and management tasks such as resource tracking, document libraries, and communication activities. An inventory of all specimens housed at each NNTC Clinical Site will be maintained, as will be databases generated with additional research data beyond clinical assessments such as bioinformatics datasets by the users of the resource. The DCC promotes the NNTC through public relations materials including a comprehensive website and meeting presentations. RELEVANCE (See instructions): The NNTC has served as a valuable resource to the NeuroAIDS research community since 1998. Its continuation is critical given the need for quality CNS tissues and related antemortem clinical data. Investigators using these resources examine emerging research topics in the NeuroAIDS field such as: a) eradication of HIV from persistent CNS reservoirs; b) pathogenic mechanisms of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in setting of long term HAART; and c) HIV and aging.

The recent financial crises, alongside a dramatic rise in unemployment on both sides of the Atlantic, suggest that financial shocks do translate into the labor markets. In this paper we first document that financial recessions amplify labor market volatility and Okun's elasticity over the business cycle. Second, we highlight a key mechanism linking financial shocks to job destruction, presenting and solving a simple model of labor market search and endogenous finance. While finance increases job creation and net output in normal times, it also augments their aggregate response in the aftermath of a financial shock. Third, we present evidence coherent with the idea that more leveraged sectors experience larger employment volatility during financial recessions. Theoretically, the job destruction effect of finance works as follows. Leveraged firms may find themselves in a position in which their liquidity is suddenly called back by the lender. This has direct consequences on a firm ability to run and manage existing jobs. As a result, firms may be obliged to shut down part of their operations and destroy existing jobs. We argue that with well-developed capital markets, firms will have an incentive to rely more on liquidity, and in normal times deep capital markets lead to tight labor markets. After an adverse liquidity shock, firms that rely much on liquidity are hit disproportionally hard. This may explain why the unemployment rate in the US during the Great Recession increased more than in European countries experiencing larger output losses. Empirically, the paper uses a variety of datasets to test the implications of the model. At first we identify crises that, just like in the model, caused a sudden reduction of liquidity to firms. Next we draw on sector-level data on employment and leverage in a number of OECD countries at quarterly frequencies to assess whether highly leveraged equilibria originate more employment adjustment under financial recessions. We find that highly leveraged sectors and periods are associated with higher employment- to-output elasticities during banking crises and this effect explains the observation of higher Okun's elasticities during financial recessions. We also argue that the effect of leverage on employment adjustment can be interpreted as a causal effect, if our identification assumptions are considered plausible. All this amounts essentially for a test of the labor demand channel of adjustment.

"(Laughs)" "Why is Hyde kissing'Jackie?" "What the hell?" " He's dead!" " Kelso!" "Open, damn it!" "No, they're gettin' away!" "What is wrong with this thing?" "Well, this is against my better judgment, but" "(Clicks)" "Thank you." "Now Hyde's really dead." "Oh!" "That's invisible!" "(Rock Group Singing)" "(Ends)" "(Man Shouts Greeting)" "Donna, we have to stabilize him." "We're gonna need pudding, and lots of it." "Who chooses a chick over a friend?" "Kelso, come on." "Remember when you made me walk home in a blizzard... 'cause you wanted 10 extra minutes to make out with Pam Macy?" "No, but I didn't steal Pam Macy from you." "And you could've played in the snow until we were done." "Kelso, try to look at the facts." "Jackie wanted to get married, so you bailed... so she found someone else, so now she doesn't wanna marry you." "This solves your problem, albeit with an unpleasant twist ending." "No." "I don't care." "I'm kickin' Hyde's ass." "Kelso, Kelso, come on." "You couldn't open my kitchen door." "I mean" "Seriously, think about how this plan usually turns out." "(Groans) That's my eye!" "Nice." "Aah." "My eye!" "(Groaning)" "(Car Radio:" "Rock)" "(Shouting)" "That's my butt print!" "Look at it!" "No two are the same!" "Ow!" "(Crying) My eye!" "Uh, what am I supposed to do?" "He broke the code!" "He's wrong!" "You know what?" "You're right." "He's, like, my oldest friend, and he stabbed me in the back." "So, Kelso, how many things around here have you put your butt on?" "Let's start with what I haven't put my butt on." "Oh, just a moment." "Red, it's somebody about buying the Corvette." "(Grunts)" "Well, Marlin, we've just seen the male of the herd grunt his displeasure." "But what does it mean?" " The grunting indicates aggression, Jim." " Ah!" "Idiots." "I am about to sell something special to me, because we're having another baby." "And to do that, I have to believe... that this child won't turn out a smart-ass!" "Hello." "Yes." "Don't call here again." " Well, what happened?" " The guy sounded like he was eating." "I don't want some fat bastard eating in my car." "Anyway, I'm going to the doctor's this afternoon" "(Singsongy) because I'm pregnant!" "Oh." "Oh." "And you're picking your grandparents up from the airport." "I'm going to tell them that..." "(Singsongy) I'm pregnant!" "They get in from Phoenix at 5:00." "You know, I was hoping when they moved to Arizona, they'd get lost in the desert." " What's wrong with Mrs. Forman's parents?" " Nothing." "They're just" "They're very complicated people who can't be summed up in a couple of words." " Grandma yells, Grandpa drinks." " That pretty much summed it up." "Now, that is not true." "My father is a wonderful man... who just gets a little sleepy." "And my mother, well- fine- is a little remote... which, I have learned through many helpful books... makes it impossible for her to say, "I love you."" "Even if it's the only thing in the world... a sad little girl needs to hear." "And which is why I say it to you every day." "Eric, I love you." " (Kisses) - (Chuckling)" "And you too, Steven." "I love you!" "Oh, yeah." "No, that's okay." "You don't have to" "No, that's all right. (Grunts) Okay, I love you too." "I can't believe that you knew Jackie and Hyde were together and you didn't tell me." "We... barely knew." "Yeah, we knew, but we were in denial... because it's so unnatural." "Like radioactive spiders." "Well, that's true." "I'm" " It's just- How can Hyde do this to me?" " Uh-oh." "It sounds like he knows." " Finally." "What, your mom knew?" "And Fez?" "Fez never knows anything!" "I know." "I'm really coming into my own." "Whatever." "You know, none of this is as bad as Hyde not telling me." "You know what I'm gonna do?" "I'm gonna make him tell me." " How are you gonna do that?" " By outwitting him conversationally." "What a fine game of cat and mouse it will be." "I'm gonna go find an eye patch." " So, what are you gonna say?" " Oh, it'll come to me in the moment." "Don't you think you should plan it out a little?" "Does an astronaut plan out his missions?" "What happens in cat and mouse if the cat is retarded?" "Oh, you just wait and see." "(Clears Throat)" " What's up?" " That's an interesting question, Hyde." "What is up?" " Well, I guess you know about me and Jackie." " Ahh!" "So the battle of wits has begun!" "What battle of wits?" "I admit it." "I've been messin' around with Jackie." "I hate you!" "Ow!" "My eye!" "Thanks again for the dream catchers." "A blind Indian with three fingers made those." "It was quite a thing to watch." "Wow." "I wonder if him being blind... had something to do with the losing the fingers." "Actually, I think they were taken as part of a primitive manhood ritual." "Eric, I kinda like your grandparents." "What were you so worried about?" " Wait for it." " Burt, sweetie, I think that car is trying to pass." " Why don't you move over?" " Oh, he's fine." "Honey, I really think you should move over." " Sweetie, he can go around." " (Shouts) Move!" " I'm moving." " (Tires Squealing)" "And when he saw you guys kissing, he just fell apart." "I mean, it was awful." "And then he ran into the screen door." "Oh, he's just so bad at doors." "Look, if you don't work things out with Kelso... everybody's gonna choose sides, and nobody's gonna be friends anymore." "Well, that's not my fault." "Look, he deserted me." "He broke my heart." " I didn't do anything wrong." " You're dating his best friend!" "You've gotta talk to him." "You owe him an explanation." "(Groans) This is so not the way I wanted to spend the day." "Well, I didn't wanna spend the day... wiping tears and pudding off of Kelso's cheek." "Burt, honey, why don't you come over and sit with us?" "I'm fine here." "We'd really like it if you would sit and join the party." " I'm part of the party right here." " (Shouts) Sit!" "(Sighs)" "So, Burt, you're lookin' fit." "Dry heat and central air." "That's the key." "Uh-huh." "I've even got an air-conditioned garage." "We can go from the house to the car without ever feeling the heat." "Wow." "They literally never have to breathe fresh air." "Wow." "Who needs it?" "Yep." "(Forced Chuckle)" "Well, those are some real nice sandals, Burt." "Hardly ever see those on men." "Also made by the handicapped Indian." "What spirit." "Oh, um, everybody's here." " Here she is." " Hello, Mom, Daddy." "Kitty, tell everyone your wonderful news." "Quick." " I'd really rather not right now, Red." " But that's why we're here." "Yeah, for the love of God, Mom, tell them." " No, I said not right now." " Kitty, they came all this way." " Yeah, come on." " Fine." "You wanna hear the big news?" "The doctor told me I started menopause." "Kitty, language!" " You're not pregnant?" " Nope." "Nope." "Just barren." "Talk about that." "Mom, I'm really sorry." "I know you wanted a baby, but I'm not really sure what to say... mainly because I'm not really sure what menopause is." "Are you-Are you gonna, like, lose your hair?" "Shut up!" "She's not losing anything." "This just means that from time to time" "A woman's body- (Clears Throat) Kitty, explain it to the boy." "I'm just getting some juice." "Hey, Mom, maybe you should talk to Grandma about this." "Now, that's an idea." "I mean, we're just ignoramuses." "Okay, okay." "Scoot." "Is it" " Is it like a lady-parts thing?" "We'll look it up in the World Book." "Oh, those cookies look good." "Well, thanks." "Sorry I made a scene." "Oh, you were just tired." "No, I wasn't just tired." "Mom, I'm having a really hard time here." "Did it hit you this hard too?" " Did what, dear?" " Menopause." "(Chuckles) I never had it." "Mom, everybody has it." "Well, I've always been quite health conscious." "I told you to eat more vegetables." "You cannot expect me to believe that you never went through menopause." " Well, I didn't." " Yes, you did!" "Well, it doesn't matter, because it's not nice to talk about." "Not everything that needs to be talked about has to be nice." "Mom, why don't you ever really talk to me?" "I told you I liked your cookies!" "I'm gonna find your father." "(Shouts) Burt!" "Is she gone?" "You know, that woman is crazy." "Your mother just doesn't know how to talk to people." "If she yells at you... she really means that she's sorry you're upset." "And if she breaks all your golf clubs... she means "happy anniversary."" "Oh, Daddy, I love you." "I love you, punkin, and so does your mother." "(Bea Shouts) Burt!" " You never saw me." " Okay." "Try to get my eye now!" "(Groaning)" "Hyde, get off!" "Not until you calm down." " Ah!" "A wet one!" " (Grunts)" "Fez, I'm gonna get free eventually, and then I'm gonna kick your ass!" "(Grunting)" "Kelso, look, man, we need to settle this." "No, I don't wanna settle this!" "I don't wanna talk about it!" "All I wanna do is pound you so you can feel as bad as I do!" "Fine." "Fair enough." "Go ahead and hit me." "Free shot." "You gonna hit me back?" "No, man." "That's why they call it a free shot." "Oh." "Okay." "Get ready." "Here it comes." "It's comin'." "Get ready." "We're ready." "Do it, fool!" "You know what?" "Forget it." "It's not gonna change anything." "I just" " Forget it." "Look, Kelso..." "I didn't plan for this, but" "Look, I'm sorry, okay?" "I'm" " I'm really sorry." "(Fez, Donna) Aw!" "Would you get bent?" " So what are we gonna do now?" " I'll tell you what you guys are gonna do." "(Clears Throat) You two are gonna shake hands, and you're gonna be done with it." "No." "Come on." "Give it a try." "Shake hands." " I don't wanna." " (Shouts) Shake!" " (Sighs)" " Well, well." "Look who it is." "Uh, look, Michael, I'm glad I found you." " How's your eye?" " What do you care?" "Okay." "Look, Michael, I know we should've told you sooner... but I'm not gonna say I'm sorry... because I wanted you, and you left and broke my heart." "And I like Steven now... so you need to get over it so we can all become friends again." "Apology accepted." "(Scoffs) Here, let me help you." " Ow." "My eye." " Yeah." "Hey." " How you doin'?" " Oh, great." "It's so nice to no longer be a woman." "Kitty, that's not true." "You know, I've been tryin' to think what I could do to- to make you feel better, and I finally came up with something." "I sent your parents home early." "That kinda helps." "I just- I really wanted to be pregnant." "You know what the real kicker is?" "This morning, when we thought you were still pregnant..." "I sold my Corvette." "(Laughing)" "Memorial Day, meningitis" "Okay, here we go." "Menopause." "Good God!" "I didn't think they'd have pictures." "Well, at least they use the word "uterus" a lot." "I could've gone a whole lifetime... without knowing they had a mucus membrane." "Well, you just" "You can't unlearn something like that, you know?" "Oh, no." "Look at the symptoms." ""Temperamental behavior, mood swings, facial hair."" "Uh-oh." "Dad, I think you have menopause." "Hey, Eric, can you hand me a cookie?" "No, I can't reach while I'm driving." " Come on." "Please?" "Just one cookie." " Just wait till I stop." "(Shouts) Cookie!" "You know, Donna, you catch more flies with sugar." "Right, Burt?" "(Snoring)"

The elegant organization of nucleic acids, predominantly DNA, into chromatin serves essential structural and regulatory roles in eukaryotic cells. This beautiful architecture allows for an expansion of the underlying genetic information by overlaying a spectrum of epigenetic controls. The interplay between genome accessibility, chromatin posttranslational modifications and transcriptional activity is a critical hub of gene expression regulation. Fundamental to many disease processes is a dysregulation of transcription that underlies the critical role regulated gene transcription plays in normal development physiology and homeostasis. A major focus, of the Archer group has been an understanding of how epigenetic enzymes, including chromatin remodeling proteins such as the SWI/SNF complex, work with transcription factors, such as the glucocorticoid receptor, to respond to environmental cues, both internal and external. Many of our studies have utilize the glucocorticoid receptor, a ligand-activated transcription factor that has important functions in many aspects of mammalian physiology including development, reproduction, immune response, cardiac function, and energy metabolism. Consistent with the broad physiological functions, dysregulation of GR activity is a major factor in health and disease. In this way we hope to understand the function of both the receptor and the requirement for chromatin remodeling and other epigenetic enzymes in these processes. The organization of DNA as chromatin, and its assembly around four core histones, as well as a linker histone, H1, provides a platform for studying mechanisms of gene transcription that relate to environmental responses as well as developmental cues important in determining prepotency of embryonic stem cells. The advent of both embryonic stem cells as well as induced pluripotency stem cells (iPSCs) have opened a significant avenue of experimental approaches to understand both normal and disease states in humans. Many of the studies with pluripotent stem cells have affirmed a major determinant of a role for epigenetics as a mechanism by which the DNA residing in all cells can have specific features of pluripotency. Research pursued in the chromatin and gene expression group within the ESCBL aligns with the NIEHS strategic plan themes one, two and three and multiple goals within those three themes particularly with respect to basic biological research, outreach communications and engagement, environmental health disparities and environmental justice, the professional pipeline, and greater workforce diversity and training in capacity building in global health. Together these studies allow us to fulfill the mission of the NIEHS to improve an understanding of environmental impact on human health and development. A major focus, our research program has been our attempts to understand how chromatin remodeling proteins such as the SWI/SNF complex work with transcription factors, such as the glucocorticoid receptor, to respond to environmental cues, both internal and external. Many of our previous studies made use of the MMTV model promoter which was crucial in demonstrating that the chromatin remodeler BRG1 was critical for GR transcriptional activity. However, subsequent studies demonstrated that GR binds to thousands of sites scattered throughout the genome, representing diverse chromatin landscapes that elicit the hormone response. To expand our studies, Dr. Jackson Hoffman, and Mr. Kevin Trotter, utilized a variety of genome-scale experiments (ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, and Start-seq) in human breast cancer cells to identify GR and BRG1 binding sites or peaks throughout the genome and to interrogate the characteristics of the underlying chromatin. Our study reveals that the pattern of BRG1 interaction at GR peaks defines three distinct classes of GR binding site. In contrast to models based on binding sites in at a restricted number of well-established model hormone responsive genes, BRG1 interacts with a significant subset of GR prior to hormone exposure. GR peaks that are pre-occupied by BRG1 are uniquely enriched for active chromatin and are associated with active enhancers and TSSs. The peak classes we define also have distinct patterns of transcription factor motif enrichment and pioneer factor binding. Importantly, BRG1 binding prior to hormone exposure was predictive of GR interaction with pioneer factors. Furthermore, reduction of BRG1 expression blocked hormone-dependent recruitment of pioneer factors to GR binding sites. Finally, we show that BRG1 is required for a robust and proper hormone-induced transcriptional response. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that BRG1 is critical to both pre-pattern GR binding sites and to facilitate hormone-dependent chromatin and transcription factor dynamics. (Hoffman et al., 2018 https://elifesciences.org/articles/35073)

Depression is a cause of excess disability, morbidity and mortality in older persons and often remains unrecognized. Standard methods for diagnosing depression may miss significant pathology in "normal" elderly; their validity in the presence of dementia has not even been tested. A proposed program will screen a community-based sample of older persons for overt major depressive disorder and masked depressive disorders. Similar methodology will be used to identify secondary and/or coexisting psychiatric symptoms and to diagnose affective disorders in individuals with dementing illness. In those with putative syndromes, diagnoses will be derived from medical, psychiatric and psychological workups. The syndromes will be characterized in terms of symptom clusters, individual and family psychiatric histories, functional impairment, and biological markers. Their similarity to depression as present in the general population will be determined by determining the similarity of response to treatment of a controlled trail with a standard tricyclic antidepressant drug. The treatment study will also examine the impact of treatment on both cognitive and functional abilities.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on preoperative tests: the use of routine preoperative tests for elective surgery. Clinical Guideline CG3 from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on appropriate clinical practice in preoperative testing for elective surgery. Unfortunately, there is minimal evidence on which the guidelines could be based and therefore they were constructed on the basis of professional opinion. This resulted in the construction of a decision matrix of Byzantine complexity built on foundations of sand: surgical risk is estimated using an unvalidated ad hoc risk estimation method; anaesthetic risk is estimated using the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) risk method that has been demonstrated to be incapable of generating consistent risk assessments. The resultant matrix may be suitable for use as a template for future research, but is extremely complex and inadequately rigorous for routine use.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for overcladding a glass rod. More particularly, this invention relates to methods and apparatus for causing a glass tube to be collapsed onto a glass rod to provide an optical fiber preform. Optical fiber of the type used to carry optical signals is fabricated typically by heating and drawing a portion of an optical preform comprising a refractive core surrounded by a protective glass cladding. Presently, there are several known processes for fabricating preforms. The modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,027 issued in the names of J. B. MacChesney et al. on Aug. 12, 1980 and assigned to Bell Laboratories, Inc. has been found to be one of the most useful because the process enables large scale production of preforms which yield very low loss optical fiber. During the fabrication of preforms by the MCVD process, reactant-containing gases, such as SiCl4 and GeCl4 are passed through a rotating substrate tube which is made of silica glass. A torch heats the tube from the outside as the precursor gases are passed therethrough, causing deposition of submicron-sized glass particles on the inside surface of the tube. The torch is moved along the longitudinal axis of the tube in a plurality of passes to build up layer upon layer of glass to provide a preform tube. Once a sufficient number of layers have been deposited, the preform tube is then heated to cause it to be collapsed to yield a preform or preform rod as it is often called. One way in which the productivity of the MCVD process can be increased is first to produce an undercladded preform, having a larger than desired core-to-cladding mass ratio. The preform is inserted into a glass tube which is referred to as an overcladding tube and which is then collapsed onto the preform. This process is referred to as the rod in tube technique, or RIT. At the present time, production methods of manufacturing overclad preforms are usually performed on a vertical lathe, with a vacuum arrangement attached to the lower headstock of the lathe. The lower headstock of the lathe has a chuck mounted thereon attached to a spindle which provides rotary motion. There is no relative motion between the chuck and the vacuum arrangement. A heating member, such as an oxyhydrogen torch, is made to travel along the length of the rod with the overcladding tube surrounding it to soften the tube and collapse it about the rod. The vacuum arrangement creates a low pressure or vacuum to provide a pressure bias to the tube to aid in its collapse, and, also, to remove possible contaminants that may have been interjected into the space between the rod and the tube prior to the collapse of the latter. Such a vacuum arrangement, including the apparatus for generating the vacuum, severely limits the length of the overclad preform product, thereby inhibiting the use of enhanced production techniques which require, for example, longer preforms. One widely used vacuum apparatus comprises a hollow circular cavity concentric with the spindle centerline of rotation, the bottom of the cavity being perpendicular to the centerline or axis of rotation. The top of the cavity is open to the atmosphere. The cavity diameter may be appropriately sized to allow for various tube diameters to be inserted. The closed end of the cavity has an axial bore therein to link to a rotary union member which is attached to the vacuum structure. As a consequence, a vacuum source may be supplied in the stationary reference frame of the lathe and linked to the cavity which rotates when the headstock or tailstock spindle is rotating. A cylindrical insert is placed inside of the cavity, having a diameter roughly equal to the cavity interior diameter. This insert has a lower surface parallel to the bottom of the cavity and rests on the bottom thereof. The upper surface is also parallel to the bottom of the cavity and has a washer of refractory material mounted thereon. Both the insert and the washer have a central or axial hole extending therethrough which allow routing of the vacuum source to the upper surface, while the lower surface of the insert forms a mechanical seal with the cavity. There may be some leakage in this sealing arrangement, however, it is generally insufficient to necessitate aborting the operation. The end of the overclad tube, which has been prepared, as by grinding, to be perpendicular to its cylindrical axis, rests on the refractory washer surface, forming a seal therewith, which may have some leakage. The washer thus functions as an axial position spacer and as a face seal between the overclad tube and the insert. The vacuum source, with this arrangement, is thus routed to the interior of the overclad tube. Once the tube has been positioned with its own weight exerting the sealing force on the refractory washer, the jaws of the lathe chuck are closed so that the tube is clamped rotationally and axially in position and the vacuum is transferred through the rotary union to the interior of the overclad tube. The tube cannot be moved axially for repositioning without breaking the seal. Thus, the span between the headstock and the tailstock of the lathe, at maximum separation, imposes a limit on the combined length of the rod to be inserted in the tube and the tube itself. This, in turn, limits the length of the preform product, thereby limiting the production process and preventing enhancement thereof or any increase in preform length. In addition, the heating element can only apply the desired heat to a limited length of rod-in-tube which represents a further limitation on the length of the finished preform. Any axial adjustments or relative movement of the rod and the tube are also prevented, or, at least, limited. It is desirable, therefore, that such limitation on the length of the preform be eliminated, or at least reduced so that, in accordance with enhanced production, longer preforms may be produced. The present invention is a sealing arrangement that, in effect, eliminates dependency upon the sealing interface between the heretofore used insert and the bottom of the cavity and the sealing interface between the end of the tube and the refractory washer by eliminating both the insert and the washer, and thereby making axial adjustment feasible. As a consequence, as will be seen more clearly hereinafter, the length of the tube within the rod portion can be measurably increased with the net result that longer preforms are created. In greater detail, the longitudinal stem of the rotary union, at its distal end, has a disposable seal mounting hub interface. A disposable resilient sealing member of suitable material, such as Teflon(copyright) or hard rubber, for example, is fastened to the distal end of the stem at the hub interface. The sealing member has an outside diameter that is a sealing fit within the internal diameter of the tube. By xe2x80x9csealing fitxe2x80x9d is meant a fit sufficiently tight to constitute a substantially hermetic seal but not so tight that the tube cannot be axially moved relative thereto. Some leakage at the seal may occur, but as the vacuum or pressure differential increases, so too does the sealing capability of the seal. As the overclad tube is lowered into the cavity, the seal system is engaged and vacuum application can start as soon as the engagement of the sealing member, with the ID (inner diameter) of the tube takes place. The tube can then be axially positioned as required without engagement for sealing purposes of the end thereof. If the tailstock (or headstock) of the lathe has a pass through bore, it can be appreciated that a tube of greater length than has heretofore been possible may be used, which may be moved axially to bring more tube length into the heating region without destroying the vacuum seal. The chuck of the lathe headstock or tailstock is used to clamp the tube in place, and may be loosened to allow moving of the tube axially and then reclamped. The rotary union, which has its rotating portion connected to the sealing member and its stationary portion connected to the vacuum apparatus, is dependent upon the friction between the sealing member and the tube for driving the rotating portion as the tube is rotated. With a tight seal, the rotation of the tube is transmitted to the rotary union substantially without slippage and the seal remains intact. Alternatively, the tightness of the seal can be such that the tube rotates with respect to the sealing member without compromising the seal. Adjustments can be made to select any combination between these two extremes, such as stationary (seal within the tube) wherein the rotary portion rotates, combination seal/rotary union rotation, or seal only rotation (relative to the tube). The amount of leakage and vacuum properties of the seal will necessarily vary depending upon which option is chosen, or which is caused by environmental or production line conditions, without destroying the integrity of the seal. With the structure of the invention as hereinbefore described, axial movements and adjustments between the rod and the seal can be made without destroying the vacuum seal, thereby making possible considerable production enhancement, such as much longer preforms, than heretofore achievable.

"50 pounds down." "It's been ten years since I've been able to slip into these." "I'm so proud of you." "Maybe-maybe hop a little." "Okay, okay." "I'll hop, you pull." "Ready?" "Yeah, yeah." "(grunting)" "Yeah!" "There he is." "Hello, sexy." "Hold on." "We're not out of the woods yet." "I still got to zip." "Ooh, ooh!" "Lay on the bed." "I'll grab some pliers." "Wait." "Yeah!" "(imitating Rocky):" "Ain't gonna be no rematch." "Ain't gonna be no rematch!" "Oh." "I bought these a decade ago after a both-ends stomach flu." "It nearly killed me, but I never looked better." "Until now." "You know, it's not everybody that can wear their flu pants." "And you did it the hard way." "Yep." "Diet and exercise." "I did more of the things I hate and ate less of the things I love." "Well, let's go show you off." "Where to first?" "I don't know." "Maybe try walking down the stairs." "Go from there." "Great." "Ooh!" "Right behind you." "If my ass wasn't numb, I would have really enjoyed that." "♪ La, la-Ba-Dee-da ♪" "♪ La, la-Ba-Dee-da ♪" "♪ For the first time in my life ♪" "♪ I see love ♪" "♪ I see love ♪" "♪ For the first time in my life ♪" "♪ I see love ♪" "I never thought I'd see the day." "Mike Biggs outrunning and apprehending a crook." "It's not my first foot pursuit, Carl." "Yeah, but it's the first time that you didn't quit after half a block and throw your nightstick at the guy." "I'll admit, two blocks in, I was ready to quit." "But when I realized he wasn't gonna drop that 50-inch plasma," "I knew I had him." "Welcome to Abe's, home of the hot beef." "Can I interest you gentlemen in some mozzarella sticks while you decide on your order?" "Why do you sound like a waiter?" "I'm not just a waiter, I am a part-owner of this restaurant, which means providing you with a quality dining experience while turning you upside down and shaking every penny from your pocket." "Metaphorically, in your case." "So, your mozzarella sticks." "Ranch or marinara?" "Not so quick." "How come I can't have both?" "You sly fox." "Two it is." "What are you doing?" "Can't you see you're being manipulated?" "Make sure to save room for our delicious apple pie." "Ooh, now, that sounds tempting." "Seriously?" "I thought you declared your mouth a no-pie zone." "Aw, one cheat in six months isn't gonna kill me." "It's not like I'm having ice cream on it." "For only a dollar more, you can." "Deal." "That can't be right." "Damn it!" "One piece of pie can't weigh five pounds!" "You ruin everything!" "Oh, that smells so good." "Yeah, egg white scramble." "Pretty amazing." "Just with a little, you know, grilled onion, spinach, tomato, mushroom, salt, pepper, garlic, bay seasoning, you know, you can really make it taste like something." "You still got the yolks?" "When we get back from the walk," "I might make a nice breakfast custard." "You'll do no such thing." "You're gonna start eating right, like Mikey's been doing." "Can't argue with the results." "Look at this guy." "I can just about Heimlich you." "Get off." "What?" "I'm impressed." "You went from a cautionary tale to a role model." "He sure did." "He's my biggest loser." "Look, uh, I realize I still have a ways to go, okay?" "What, are you kiddin' me?" "You finally got a handle on things." "When I first met you, I thought, "Holy moly, it's like a weather balloon wearing shoes."" "Mom, go walk him." "Please." "What'd I say?" "Let's go, boy." "Why can't people take compliments in this house?" "Here you go." "Uh, no, thanks, honey." "I-I think I'm gonna skip breakfast this morning." "Oh, come on." "Don't listen to Vince." "If he's not saying something dumb, he's saying something stupid." "No, it's not him." "I just don't feel like eating, okay?" "Fine." "You don't know what you're missing." "(hesitantly):" "Mmm..." "You really don't." "(chuckles)" "WOMAN:" "Number 36." "(sighs) Number 37." "Have you seen those screaming goats on the Internet?" "Yeah." "(mimics screaming goat)" "Sound like a damn human being." "(mimics screaming goat)" "Really unsettling." "I don't mean to get philosophical, but it goes against God." "(mimics screaming goat) I got it." "I got it." "You know what, you are in a mood, man." "You should have just ordered something." "I did." "Green tea with lemon." "Y-You skipped breakfast this morning, y-you're skipping lunch now..." "man, that's not healthy." "You know what's not healthy?" "A body that turns nine ounces of pie into five pounds of fat overnight." "WOMAN:" "Number 42!" "Right here." "You had to have lunch in Chinatown, didn't you?" "It smells so good I could go Godzilla on the whole neighborhood." "No, he's actually Japanese." "But I'm gonna let that go 'cause I like the imagery." "Oh." "(inhales deeply)" "Four dollars for all of this." "I mean, even if the chicken is pigeon, you can't beat that price." "Sure you don't want any?" "What do you think?" "Of course I do." "Well, man, grab some chopsticks." "Carl, I am trying so hard to stay on track." "Can you just support me in this, please?" "What are you worried about?" "You're doing great." "I am so sick of people saying that..." "I am not doing great." "I'm barely holding on." "If I let my guard down, 50 pounds will come back just like that." "Mm-mm." "Mm-mm." "Not while I'm watching your back." "The key is not putting yourself in the position where you can be tempted." "Mm... hold this while I get my soy sauce." "WOMAN:" "Number 44!" "Man, these things are persnickety." "Whew." "Look at this." "I am moo goo gai full." "I don't want to hear it." "You'll burn off half that walking to the toilet to crap out what hasn't already turned to muscle." "If nothing else, I am regular." "I could sew my lips shut and still never have a body like yours." "Yeah, well, I'll never have your beautiful blue eyes and a full head of hair..." "everybody's different, Mike." "Yeah, well, I drew the fat straw." "(chuckles) You sure you drew just one?" "Back off, Seely." "I'm not in the mood." "All right." "Take it easy." "For your information, my man lost 50 pounds." "Hey!" "That's great, Biggs!" "I thought you went down a cup size." "Whoa, take..." "I'm just playing with you." "Just playing." "You look great." "In fact, if this were the fair, I'd give you a blue ribbon." "What is it you need?" "Don't listen to him." "He's not worth it." "Just go home." "I got to get changed first." "Yeah, I'm fine, Carl." "All right." "You just keep your mouth shut." "Well, tell that to your partner." "'Cause I think that's his problem." "Now, now who has a problem?" "You do, man!" "He had it coming." "I'm not talking to you." "What the hell were you thinking?" "You heard the guy." "What was I supposed to do?" "What half the precinct does: ignore that fool and then sleep with his wife." "I'm sorry." "Seely deserved to get his butt kicked." "Yeah, well, congratulations." "Your heroics earned you a date with the police psychologist and a three-day suspension." "I thought I'd get at least two weeks... boy, even the captain hates that jackass." "Is this the new Mike Biggs?" "Hmm?" "Starves himself and then when somebody annoys him, comes out swinging?" "I was just a little cranky." "Because you didn't eat." "Like an idiot." "And I still haven't eaten yet." "Oh, so you're threatening me now?" "You know I would never hit you." "Oh, you wouldn't hit me?" "(mimics screaming goat) How 'bout now?" "(mimics screaming goat) What about now?" "(mimics screaming goat)" "Knock it off!" "Man, just have a hard-boiled egg or something." "I want my Mike back." "There you are." "Hey." "You're late." "I was getting worried." "Yeah..." "Everything okay?" "Uh..." "I have something to tell you." "Okay..." "I have tomorrow off!" "Really?" "What's the occasion?" "Oh, no occasion." "It was actually the captain's idea." "So he's just handing out days off now?" "Guess he was in a good mood." "He said take tomorrow off and the next day and..." "Three days, tops." "Mike, I know what's really going on." "You do?" "Ugh." "Budget cuts." "They used to do that to us when I was still teaching." "Suggested furloughs." "Nothing gets by you." "You know, boy, that really chaps my cheeks." "You know, how about instead of cutting back on the police, you call up some of the mayor's cronies and tell them to take a couple of days off." "What are you gonna do?" "You can't fight city hall." "Well, watch me." "Wait, wait, what are you doing?" "Well, I'm standing up for my husband in a very nasty e-mail to the mayor's office." "No, no, no, no, no, no, please don't do that." "Mike... you're too nice." "You let people walk all over you." "Sometimes you got to fight back." "Yeah." "Morning." "Morning." "Have you seen Mike?" "He already left." "Said he had some errands to run." "Really?" "I thought for sure he was gonna sleep in." "Must want to make the most out of his day off." "Day off?" "I like that." "Puts a positive spin on such a difficult situation." "What's that?" "You know." "You don't know." "Never mind." "Let's do this again." "Morning!" "Nuh-uh." "You're supposed to say "morning."" "No." "What is going on?" "I thought I was saying something Carl told me that you knew, but now I know you don't know, so I shouldn't say." "You know?" "Victoria..." "Hmm..." "I probably already know what you think I don't know, so you should probably just let me know." "You know?" "So you heard about Mike punching that other officer and then getting suspended?" "What?" "!" "You told me that you knew." "All right, tell me everything." "Carl is gonna kill me." "Well, you should've thought of that before you started saying "morning," you know?" "I'm looking for Dr. Jeffries." "I have an 11:00." "You found the right place." "Come on in." "Okay." "Should I sit here?" "It's either there or on my lap." "How does this work?" "Well, we start out by finding your file." "(wry chuckle)" "Heroin problem...?" "!" "Uh, no, no... punched a cop." "Oh, right, right, right, right." "Uh, here we go." "(chuckles)" "Biggs, not Briggs." "Briggs has a heroin problem?" "That's confidential." "And please don't tell anybody I told you." "I see here you..." "you hit a fellow officer." "Yeah, and I know I shouldn't have done it, but in my defense, this guy..." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "Let me stop you right here." "We're on the same side here." "And in the same union, huh?" "This is how it works." "You're not gonna do this again, are you?" "No, sir." "Great." "That's it?" "No, no, no, no, no." "Technically, you have to sit here for an hour." "Do we have to talk?" "That's up to you." "You want to talk?" "No." "There you go." "I mean, since we're not gonna talk, do you mind if I update your file?" "No, go ahead." "Uh, just remember, it's-it's, uh, Biggs, not-not Briggs." "You really got to keep that under your hat, okay?" "Boy, I was so nervous about coming here. (chuckles)" "Is that your wife?" "Yep." "Very pretty." "I'm married, too." "Great girl." "Be glad she's not here." "Boy, she's a talker." "They all are." "You know what the funny thing is?" "I-I don't know why I didn't tell her about all this." "I guess I was just embarrassed, you know?" "She's..." "She's been so proud of me lately." "And I don't know if it says it in my file, but I've lost over 50 pounds." "That is, until I slipped up and had that one cheat day." "Is that right?" "Why do I always go to food for my reward?" "I hate to say it, but... it's usually the mother, isn't it?" "Not always." "But I know I hate mine." "I remember I was 16 when Dad left us high and dry." "I was devastated." "How did Mom make it better?" "With a pork tenderloin sandwich from Lucky's." "Yeah, the patty's bigger than the bun." "That man was my hero." "Lucky?" "No, my father." "I mean, who leaves their son at 16?" "Right when a boy needs the most help becoming a man." "You know, I was always a big kid, but, boy, when he left, I just..." "I really ballooned." "You know, I have a lunch after this." "But I could cancel it if you want to explore this further." "Explore what?" "I'm just sitting here." "So, how was your day off?" "I didn't have the day off." "Don't lie to me, Mike, I know you didn't have the day off." "That's what I just said." "We need to talk." "Not until we talk..." "wait a minute, what?" "All right, now you're m..." "you're messing me up here." "Sit." "(sighs)" "Molly..." "I am barely holding on here." "Honey, what's going on with you?" "When does it stop?" "What?" "This!" "When do I have to stop worrying about every single thing I put in my mouth?" "I don't know." "It's not fair." "No." "It's not." "I-I feel like the world looks at me like this fat, lazy guy, when actually," "I am working so hard." "Hey, I know how hard you're working." "And you know it, too." "And-And that's all that really matters." "And most days, I'm good with that." "But some days... ah, it just gets to me." "I know." "Still doesn't mean you can go around punching people." "Not people." "Seely." "(chuckles):" "Okay." "Listen... you and I are doing really well." "And I want you to be happy about that." "I'm trying to be." "Well... try harder." "You're in a good place and I-I want you to enjoy the moment." "Last time I enjoyed the moment, I gained five pounds." "As long as there's pie, I'm not safe." "No." "As long as there's me, you are." "I wish I hadn't sent that nasty letter to the mayor." "Well, if he writes you back, say it was a typo, and you're married to an Officer Briggs." "That guy's all messed up." "Okay." "Nice." "Would anyone else like to share?" "Boy, Mike looks great." "Oh, you should tell him." "I bet he'd like to hear that." "Looking good, Mike Biggs!" "I didn't mean now." "Uh..." "Hi, my name is Mike." "I'm an overeater." "ALL:" "Hi, Mike." "It's, uh..." "It's been a while since my last share." "And this is usually the point where I would tell you how much weight I've lost, but, uh, I'm not gonna do that." "Because it's not about how much I weigh, it's about how I feel." "And today..." "I feel pretty damn good." "Feeling good, looking good!" "Okay, Harry." "That doesn't mean" "I'm gonna feel great tomorrow, you know?" "But I'm gonna keep taking it one day at a time, because e-every day... it's a battle." "You know?" "And sometimes the pie wins." "But the thing is... you gotta keep fighting." "Thanks for letting me share."

Accuracy of coding in Medicare part B claims. Cataract as a case study. We studied the accuracy of Medicare part B coding for cataract extraction to provide validation for research involving Medicare data. Hospital and physician office records associated with a sample of 802 paid claims for cataract surgery were reviewed. The sample was randomly selected from 118,420 Medicare part B claims for cataract surgery submitted by physicians in an 11-state sample during the first quarter of 1988. Medical records were successfully obtained for 796 cataract surgery episodes (99.2%), of which 794 (99.7%) indicated that cataract extraction had been performed. In the remaining two cases, cataract surgery was attempted but aborted. In 24 (3%) of the 794 cases, the surgical approach (intracapsular or extracapsular) indicated in the operative note differed from the coded on the physician's bill. In all cases in which the operative note indicated a secondary procedure performed at the time of surgery, the billing information was in agreement. We conclude that, at least in the case of cataract surgery, the Medicare part B database is 99% accurate (95% confidence interval, +/- 0.6%) for cataract surgery having occurred and 96% accurate (95% confidence interval, +/- 1.4%) in terms of surgical approach.

Pallet clamping systems have the advantage that the often lengthy clamping of a workpiece to be worked on a pallet can take place at a secondary place, while the machine tool works a different workpiece. After this working is finished it is possible to quickly remove the worked workpiece from the machine tool in a short time by pulling the pallet off from the machine tool table and it is possible also within a short time to move the workpiece to be worked into position for working by mounting the earlier equipped pallet on the machine tool table. The idle times of the machine tool are thus reduced to a minimum. Turntables which can receive two pallets are advantageously used for changing the pallets. Known is a pallet clamping system, in which clamping bars are inserted in slots of machine tool tables, in which clamping bars are provided clamping cylinders. For this special slots are needed in the machine tool table, which slots have a substantially larger inside cross section than normal slots. Therefore during re-equipping of a machine tool for pallet clamping many modifications must be carried out on the machine tool table. Systems are also known for smaller pallets, in which conical pins are provided on the machine tool table, which pins engage holes in the pallet and onto which the pallet must be fixedly pressed by means of clamping mechanisms. Considerable modifications must in this system also be carried out on the machine tool table. Furthermore, it is known to laterally grip around the machine tool table with clamping elements. This also requires special tables. Furthermore the pallet can only be clamped at its outermost edge. The basic purpose of the invention is to produce a pallet clamping system, in which without modification normal machine tool tables can have pallets clamped thereto. This purpose is attained according to the invention, by the clamping mechanisms having cylinders, which are located completely within the pallet member, with at least one-sidedly hydraulically loadable pistons having secured thereon piston rods which project beyond the bearing surface and carry tongues, which fit in normal (i.e. conventional) table slots, for example T-slots, of a machine tool table. When putting on a pallet the tongues are positioned so that they can be moved along the slots, when the pallet is moved above, or closely above, the machine tool table. When the pallet has reached its correct position relative to the working (i.e. machining) tools, the pallet is fixed by activating the cylinders, whereby the tongues are pulled fixedly against the upper walls of the slots. In principle both double-acting hydraulic cylinders and also single-acting hydraulic cylinders can be used. It is particularly advantageous to produce the clamping force by springs and to utilize the hydraulic fluid only for releasing. This has the advantage that also after a long-lasting uncoupling of one pressure source for hydraulic fluid the clamping force is maintained. However, it is also possible to produce the clamping force hydraulically. In the case of the high sealing capability of hydraulic systems which can be achieved today, the clamping force is maintainable for a long time, even after uncoupling of the hydraulic liquid pressure source. A storage means which can balance out small pressure-medium losses is here formed by the hydraulic fluid itself, which with pressures as high for example as 500 bar, as may be used here, is compressed approximately 3 percent in volume. When hydraulic clamping is used, it is possible to produce the clamping release movement selectively also hydraulically or through spring force. When hydraulic clamping is used, of course a constant connection to the pressure source can also be maintained, so that even with a certain amount of leakage a loss of the clamping force is not created. The cylinders can be arranged in different ways. An advantageous arrangement locates the cylinders at the corners of a rectangle, with the cylinders aligned in groups along the table slots. The arrangement should be such that the tongues of all cylinders are introduced into the table slots during a movement of the pallet parallel to the longitudinal direction of the table slots. All clamping cylinders are connected advantageously to one single hydraulic coupling part. One avoids in this manner several hydraulic connections, which, however, in principle are also possible. The need for a hydraulic installation on the tool machine is avoided if the hydraulic fluid is supplied through a push rod which moves the pallet during changing of pallets. Guiding of the hydraulic fluid along the push rod can occur for example directly in said rod, which is for example easily possible in the case of a hydraulic cylinder or, however, through a parallel installed line, like a hose. A mechanism for the mechanical coupling between push rod and pallet is provided. A sure supply and discharge of hydraulic fluid is achieved, if the mechanical coupling engages when the hydraulic coupling is completed. Hydraulic operation of the mechanical coupling has the advantage, that an additional control line or an additional manual operation is avoided. If, as is preferably the case, the hydraulic fluid is to be supplied and discharged through one line, it is advantageous. Provision of a tunnel for the engagement of the push rod has the advantage that, during moving of a pallet onto the machine tool table, the push rod applies its force to the front part of the pallet, so that the moving force on the pallet is substantially pulling and not pushing. This is advantageous in order to avoid relative canting of the pallet and table and thus to avoid wear. Additional means can be provided for exact positioning of the pallet on the table.

As information recording media for recording a great amount of information used in computers or other machines, hard disk drive units (hereinafter referred to as HDD devices) have been implemented. The HDD device is provided with a number of magnetic recording disks (referred to as disks) and writes information in or reads it from a disk by positioning a read/write head onto a desired track defined on the disk. Typically the disk in the HDD device is provided with a plurality of tracks, each of which is divided into data sectors (referred to as sectors) which are 128, 256, or 512 bytes. A divided sector is usually given an identifier of itself, i.e., a so-called sector ID, having a serial number of the sector, sector type, and sector identifying information such as DEFECT information indicating a bad sector originated from manufacturing. In a conventional HDD device, read and write operations are performed while the sector ID is referenced to determine whether the sector is the target or not. The physical location of the sector can be determined from the face number of the disk (HEAD number), the cylinder number (CYL number), and the sector number (SCT number). The HEAD number and CYL number can be determined as a seek operation ends. The SCT number can be determined by reading information previously recorded on the disk, such as the servo area, or by counting from the beginning sector, since the SCT number changes with the rotation of the disk. It is necessary for reading or writing information to perform operations for every sector, such as convening a logical sector into a physical sector and identifying a location on the disk where a corresponding sector belongs. This requires many types of information to be stored in the sector ID. Therefore the ID region has been made larger so as to prevent erroneous sector identifying information from being recorded as prerequisite sector identifying information is too large to be recorded. Then, an area for controlling the HDD device for each sector, i.e., an ID area of sector identifying information, has been affixed, thus necessitating reduction of the area where information can be recorded and which is originally provided in the HDD device by using the ID area. To overcome this problem, there has been suggested an information recording disk whose sectors are so formatted that the ID area is not required for recording information (see JA5-174498).

Dose-dependent effect of aerobic exercise on inflammatory biomarkers in a randomized controlled trial of women at high risk of breast cancer. Increased levels of inflammation are associated with many diseases, including cancer. Physical activity can lower breast cancer risk as well as levels of inflammation. The Women In Steady Exercise Research (WISER) Sister trial was a randomized controlled trial that investigated the effects of a dosed, moderate to vigorous, aerobic exercise intervention on levels of inflammation in premenopausal women who were at high risk of developing breast cancer. Participants were randomized to control (<75 minutes per week; 41 patients), low-dose exercise (150 minutes per week; 38 patients), or high-dose exercise (300 minutes per week; 37 patients) groups. The 5-menstrual cycles-long, home-based treadmill exercise intervention gradually increased in minutes per week and intensity up to a maximum of 80% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate. Blood was collected at baseline and at follow-up and assayed for chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), interleukin 10 (IL-10), interleukin 12 (IL-12), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). A linear dose-response relationship was observed for the proinflammatory biomarkers CCL2 (%Δ of -5.44% in the control group, -0.03% in the low-dose exercise group, and 1.54% in the high-dose exercise group), IL-12 (%Δ of -21.5% in the control group, 38.2% in the low-dose exercise group, and 25.8% in the high-dose exercise group,) and TNF-α (%Δ of -4.69% in the control group, 9.51% in the low-dose exercise group, and 15.7% in the high-dose exercise group) but not for the anti-inflammatory biomarker IL-10 (%Δ of 5.05% in the control group, 6.05% in the low-dose exercise group, and 10.6% in the high-dose exercise group). For IL-12 and TNF-α, the percentage change was significantly higher in the low-dose (IL-12: P < .001; and TNF-α: P = .01) and high-dose (IL-12: P < .001; and TNF-α: P < .001) exercise groups compared with the control group. Moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise appeared to increase levels of proinflammatory biomarkers in a dose-dependent manner in a population of healthy women at high risk of developing breast cancer. The results of the current study suggest that for healthy premenopausal women, the mechanism of reduced breast cancer risk observed in physically active individuals may not be a result of reduced levels of inflammation.

Risks of road injuries in patients with bipolar disorder and associations with drug treatments: A population-based matched cohort study. Using a nation-wide, population-based dataset, we aimed to investigate the risk of road injury among individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) compared to individuals without BD. In addition, we investigated the putative moderating effects of prescription for lithium, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and/or first- or second-generation antipsychotic agents on the association between BD and risk of road injury. As part of an16-year longitudinal cohort study, we compared the risk of road injuries among study subjects aged 16 and above with a diagnosis of BD, with ten age- and sex-matched sample of individuals without BD. Individuals were compared on measures of incidence on road injuries using medical claims data based on the ICD-9-CM codes: E800~807, E810~817, E819~830, E840~848. Time dependent Cox regression models were used to adjust for time-varying covariates such as age, and medication uses. Hazard ratios before and after adjusting for age, sex, other comorbidities, and drug use were calculated. 3953 people with BD were matched with 39,530 controls from general population. Adjusted hazard ratios revealed a 1.66-fold (95% CI 1.40-1.97) increase in risk of road injuries among bipolar subjects when compared to controls. Female gender, older age (i.e. over 80), residence in areas of highest levels of urbanization, and use of antidepressants were associated with a lower risk of road injuries. In this large, national, population-based cohort, BD was associated with an elevated risk of road injuries. However, prescriptions of antidepressants might help mitigate the foregoing risk.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to assuring correctness of data used by an application, and, more specifically, but not exclusively, to assuring correctness of data missing due to a non-stable network connection. Mobile computing is rapidly increasing taking advantage of the ever growing networking infrastructures to provide better services and/or user experience to users using their mobile client terminals, for example, Smartphones, tablets, laptops, network connected wearable devices and the like. Mobile and web applications executed on the mobile client terminals used by the users may often require data that is available from remote resources such as, for example, servers, remote services, backend services and/or cloud services. The mobile and web applications may therefore interact with the remote servers over network(s) in order to fetch and/or acquire data that required during execution of the mobile and web applications. A solid and reliable network connection may therefore be essential for the proper execution of the mobile and web applications.

Abstract In solid organ transplantation, immunosuppressive therapy has significantly improved short-term organ allograft survival by reducing acute rejection rates. However, chronic rejection - mediated by T cells, antibodies (Abs), or both - has not declined in incidence and remains an important obstacle to long-term allograft survival. A likely, important contributor to the pathogenesis of chronic rejection is the formation of tertiary lymphoid organs (TLO) within the graft. Evidence that TLO play a causative role in rejection derives from both mice and humans, as TLO have been documented in a majority of chronically rejected mouse and human allografts, and experimental models have shown that they support nave T and B cell activation and influence graft outcome. Moreover, analysis of human renal allograft biopsies has demonstrated B cell hypermutation and Ab production within TLO. Together, these studies support the hypothesis that TLO are niduses of local (intragraft) immune activation in chronic allograft rejection. In Aim 1 of this grant application, we will establish the cause-effect relationship between TLO and chronic renal transplant rejection in the mouse. In Aim 2, we will investigate the cellular and cytokine mechanisms responsible for TLO formation in allografts, with particular emphasis on innate lymphoid cell (ILC) subsets. In Aim 3, we will delineate the specific immunologic functions of TLO in chronic rejection, with focus on B cell activation and antibody production. The proposed studies address the unmet challenge of treating and preventing chronic rejection and will also shed light on other conditions in which TLO play a prominent role, such as autoimmunity and cancer.

The invention relates generally to a steerable drive axle for a motor vehicle and more specifically to such an axle having increased ground clearance and requiring few universal joints. In order to equip motor vehicles with a steerable drive axle wherein two drive shafts are arranged in a single axle housing, the two shafts are angled rearwardly with respect to a horizontal plane so the vehicle's wheelbase will be decreased for a shorter turning radius and the front-end width will be reduced. The two drive shafts are connected to a differential, each through a universal joint, such that a transversely continuous drive assembly is formed having a V-shaped configuration which opens rearwardly. The end of each drive shaft carries a universal joint which in turn is connected to the axle shaft of a corresponding wheel assembly. The wheel assembly is connected to the axle housing for pivoting about a substantially vertical axis by a steering mechanism. A differential is located at the point of the V-shaped configuration, and the centerline of the differential is generally on the same level as the centerline of the wheels connected to the drive axles. Ground clearance between the wheels is therefore limited by the wheel centerline, and one or more universal joints are commonly required between the transmission and the differential.

Conventionally, as bearings usable with a long period of greasing interval or without greasing, oil-containing slip bearings prepared by allowing pores in a Cu-based or Fe-based porous sintered alloy to contain a lubricating oil are widely put into practical use. Selection of the Cu-based or Fe-based porous sintered alloy is determined depending on conditions such as oil lubricating state, sliding speed, contact surface-pressure and the like, and under light-load and high-speed sliding conditions, a bronze-based oil-containing slip bearing is suitably utilized, whereas under high-surface-pressure and low-speed sliding conditions, a Fe—C, Fe—Cu or Fe—C—Cu-based oil-containing slip bearing is suitably utilized (see, for example, Japan Powder Metallurgy Association ed. Parts—Their design and manufacture”, Gijutsu Shoin Co., Ltd., Oct. 20, 1987, p. 327-341). On one hand, there are widely utilized also slip bearings produced by orderly arranging graphite fragments as a solid lubricant on a bearing material made of high tensile brass and bronze, and allowing the graphite fragments to contain a lubricating oil (for example, 500 SP manufactured by Oiles Corp.). On the other hand, prior technologies aiming at improvement in a sliding property under high surface pressure and low speed sliding are shown in the following various patent literatures. Japanese Patent No. 2832800 adopts a composite sintered alloy having a porosity of 5 to 30 vol % and composed of a copper powder and an iron powder, as an iron-based sintered body in a slip bearing in which a lubricating oil having a kinematic viscosity of 240 cSt to 1500 cSt is impregnated on an iron-based sintered body oil-containing bearing used under sliding conditions of a high surface pressure of 600 kgf/cm2 or more and a sliding speed of 1.2 to 3 m/min, and discloses that it is preferable to perform a carburizing, nitriding or sulfurizing nitriding treatment on a contact surface. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 10-246230 discloses that a slip bearing produced by filling a lubricant composition containing a solid lubricant or an extreme-pressure additive having a dropping point of 60° C. or more in semi-solid condition or solid condition at ambient temperature, into pores in an iron-based sintered alloy containing martensite in an iron-carbon alloy base and in which at least one of copper particles and copper alloy particles are dispersed, shows excellent slip bearing performance under a surface pressure of 30 MPa or more. Japanese Patent Publication (JP-B) No. 6-6725 discloses that a sintered copper alloy having self lubricity suitable for use on a ware plate of a press machine and the like is obtained by sintering under pressure a mixed powder prepared by mixing a copper alloy powder containing 5 to 30 wt % of Ni, 7 to 13 wt % of Sn and 0.3 to 2 wt % of P with 1 to 5 wt % of Mo and 1 to 2.5 wt % of a graphite powder. JP-A No. 8-109450 discloses a wear resistant sintered alloy for oil-containing bearing characterized in that Cu particles or Cu alloy particles are dispersed in an iron-carbon alloy base having martensite present therein, the content of Cu is from 7 to 30 wt % and, alloy particles having a specific composition as a phase harder than the above-mentioned iron-carbon alloy base are dispersed in an amount of 5 to 30 wt % and the porosity is from 8 to 30 vol %. In this wear resistant sintered alloy for oil-containing bearing, by dispersing a large amount of soft Cu particles in a martensite phase, conformability is improved, and by dispersing alloy particles harder than the martensite of the base, plastic deformation of the base is decreased and load applied on the base alloy in sliding contact state is lowered, to obtain excellent wear resistance even under high surface pressure. Here, this patent literature mentions, as the above-mentioned alloy particles, {circle around (1)} Fe-base alloy particles (high speed steel (Highss) powder particles) containing 0.6 to 1.7 wt % of C, 3 to 5 wt % of Cr, 1 to 20 wt % of W and 0.5 to 6 wt % of V, {circle around (2)} Fe-base alloy particles (high speed steel (Highss containing Mo, Co) powder particles) containing 0.6 to 1.7 wt % of C, 3 to 5 wt % of Cr, 1 to 20 wt % of W, 0.5 to 6 wt % of V and 20 wt % or less of Mo and/or Co, {circle around (3)} Mo—Fe particles (ferro-molybdenum) containing 55 to 70 wt % of Mo, {circle around (4)} Co-base alloy particles (heat resistant and wear resistant alloy powder for build up spraying, trade name: COBAMET manufactured by Cabot) containing 5 to 15 wt % of Cr, 20 to 40 wt % of Mo and 1 to 5 wt % of Si; and the like. JP-A No. 2001-271129 which is a prior application of the applicant discloses a slip bearing characterized in that hard dispersion materials such as various intermetallic compounds and the like, solid lubricants such as graphite and the like may be contained in an (alpha+beta) two-phase structure having at least a beta phase dispersed in the structure, or a beta phase structure constituting a Cu—Al—Sn-based sintered contact material, and in which, further, the Cu—Al—Sn-based sintered contact material is integrated on the inner circumferential surface of an iron-based backing metal, so as to maintain bearing rigidity and press fit force in press-fitting on a work implement connecting apparatus. In this slip bearing, the above-mentioned Cu—Al—Sn-based sintered contact material is soft as compared with the bearing material containing martensite according to the above-mentioned patent literature 4, and excellent in conformability with a contact opposite member (work implement connecting pin or the like). Therefore, this sliding bearing is an extremely excellent sliding bearing which can be suitably used at extremely low sliding speed (0.6 m/min or less) and a high surface pressure of up to 1200 kgf/cm2. JP-A No. 7-166278 discloses that a sintered contact material having an excellent lubricating ability, affinity to oil, low friction coefficient and high wear resistance can be obtained by adding 0.5 to 5 wt % of Mo or 0.5 to 15 wt % of Fe—Mo into a bronze-based and/or lead bronze-based sintered contact material containing 4 to 12 wt % of Sn or this and 0.1 to 10 wt % of Pb. On one hand, comparatively soft lead bronze ingot materials (for example, LBC 2 to 5) are often used as, for example, a contact material for floating bushing of a turbo charger used under high speed, high temperature and oil lubrication conditions, however, from the standpoint of corrosion resistance under high temperature sliding condition (sulfur attack property), free-cutting brass-based and high tensile brass-based alloys containing Pb are suitably used (see, for example, JP-B No. 5-36486). Additionally, Al bronze-based ingot materials are also investigated as the contact material for floating bushing (see, for example, JP-A No. 5-214468). On the other hand, in the case of, for example, engine metals used under high surface pressure and high speed sliding conditions, an overlay layer made of a soft metal such as Sn and the like is formed on a contact surface of a lead bronze-based sintered bushing to improve conformability and to obtain improved fluid lubricity. Further, in parts sliding under high surface pressure and high speed conditions (hereinafter, referred to as “sliding part”) of constituent parts of hydraulic pumps/motors used under high surface pressure and high speed sliding conditions likewise, a material containing lead bronze integrated by a cast wrapping method and the like is used as a constituent material, and in sliding parts used under particularly severe sliding conditions, materials having high strength, and excellent seizure resistance and wear resistance such as high tensile brass are used as a constituent material (see, for example, Japan Non-ferrous Metal Casting Association ed., “ENGINEERING DATA BOOK FOR COPPER BASED ALLOY CASTING”, Issued by Materials Process Technology Center (SOKEIZAI CENTER), Jul. 30, 1988, p. 134-155). In general, it is extremely rare to attain fluid lubricating condition on an oil-containing slip bearing, and particularly under extremely low sliding speed and high surface pressure conditions, the film thickness of a lubricant oil on a bearing surface (contact surface) becomes, due to escape of oil pressure through pores in a sintered material, approximately the surface roughness of the bearing surface or smaller, and in many cases, boundary lubricating sliding conditions including solid friction (adhesion) are provided. Consequently, in slip bearings (bushing, thrust bearings and the like) used under sliding conditions of a surface pressure of 300 kgf/cm2 or more and a sliding speed of 0.01 to 2 m/min, in a work implement connecting portion of construction machines such as, for example, a hydraulic excavator and the like, its seizure resistance and Wear resistance are significantly ruled by material functions of the sliding bearing (composition and structure). However, the Cu-based and Fe-based porous sintered alloy material according the above-mentioned literature (Japan Powder Metallurgy Association ed. “P/M Parts—Their design and manufacture”, Gijutsu Shoin Co., Ltd., Oct. 20, 1987, p. 327-341) has a problem that it cannot be adapted to extremely low sliding speed and high surface pressure conditions of a sliding speed of 0.01 to 2 m/min and a surface pressure of 300 kgf/cm2 or more, as apparent from FIG. 21 showing the application range of an oil-containing slip bearing generally used (Japan Powder Metallurgy Association ed. “P/M Parts—Their design and manufacture”, Gijutsu Shoin Co., Ltd., Oct. 20, 1987, p. 337, FIG. 6. 19 “Sintered bearing application example”, is cited). Even a composite sintered alloy material according to Japanese Patent No. 2832800 in which surface treatments such as carburization, nitriding and the like are performed on a composite sintered alloy composed of a copper powder and an iron powder, and an iron-base sintered alloy material according to JP-A No. 10-246230 in which pores are filled with extreme-pressure additives and the like and a martensite structure is contained have a problem that there is a possibility that a sufficient sliding ability is not manifested under extremely low sliding speed (0.01 to 2 m/min), too. In the sintered copper alloy material according to JP-B No. 6-6725 having self lubricity suitable for use on a ware plate or the like of a press machine, local metal contact with an opposite member tends to occur under sliding conditions in which a lubricating oil film is not easily formed due to extremely low sliding speed and high surface pressure, resultantly there is a problem that sufficient seizure resistance and wear resistance are not obtained easily. Further, there is also a problem that when the addition amount of soft solid lubricants such as graphite, MoS2 and the like dispersed in the sintered copper alloy material is over 2.5 wt %, its strength decreases remarkably. In the above-mentioned wear resistant sintered alloy for oil-containing bearing according to JP-A No. 8-109450, the plastic deformation of a base is reduced and load applied on a base alloy in sliding contact state is decreased by dispersing a large amount of soft Cu particles in a martensite phase and dispersing alloy particles harder than the martensite in a base, however, it has a problem that an effect of improving adhesion resistance is not sufficient since co-existence of dispersion of soft Cu particles and dispersion (5 to 30 wt %) of hard alloy particles in one alloy is limited and load applied on the base alloy in sliding contact state is concentrated on its hard alloy particles. Further, there is also a problem that by addition of a large amount of alloy particles harder than a martensite in a base and having no self lubricity, a contact opposite material is remarkably attacked by adhesion wearing, and the temperature of a contact surface increases to easily cause a seizure phenomenon. Furthermore, there is a problem that a bearing bushing made of this wear resistant sintered alloy for oil-containing bearing as a constituent material is expensive. There is also an investigation of lowering cost, increasing a sliding ability, improving maintenance and the like by sharing the role of a sliding function to a cheap contact material constituting mutual slip pair, however, a solution is not attained yet. The Cu—Al—Sn-based sintered contact material suggested in JP-A No. 2001-271129 which is a prior application of the applicant is an extremely excellent bearing material which can be used at extremely low sliding speed (0.6 m/min or less) and a high surface pressure of up to 1200 kgf/cm2, which cannot be attained by conventional bearing materials of iron-carbon alloy base, however, it has a problem that, due to somewhat lack in pressure resistance required in use environments in which earth and sand invade, wearing progresses easily under such use environments. The sintered contact material according to JP-A NO. 7-1662778 has, when a lubricating function formed by Mo of 5% by area or less or Fe-55 to 70 wt % Mo (ferro-molybdenum phase) of 15% by area or less based on the contact area using a bronze alloy phase as a mother phase is singly performed, problems that, under extreme low sliding speed and high surface pressure conditions such as for the above-mentioned work implement connecting portion, formation of an adhesion portion by local metal contact with an opposite member is not sufficiently prevented and adhesion wearing progresses, and conformability resistance, seizure resistance and wear resistance are not sufficiently attained, and hard MoFe (ferro-molybdenum) particles remarkably attack a contact opposite material. It is easily envisaged to be able to improve a sliding property by regulating the addition amount of Mo at 5 wt % or more, however, there occurs, in this case, a new problem that the structure strength of the sintered contact material is decreased. The high tensile brass-based and Al bronze-based contact materials containing a lead bronze-based material and lead according to JP-B No. 5-36486 and JP-A No. 5-214468 suitably used as a constituent material of a floating bushing in a turbo charger are recently required to improve seizure resistance and wear resistance under higher speed and higher temperature sliding and to manifest excellent seizure resistance, wear resistance and corrosion resistance even under poor lubrication condition in starting of a turbo charger and the like, however, these contact materials have a problem that (1) a Pb-lack layer after elution of Pb is formed near a contact surface (see, FIG. 22 (a) to (c)), and (2) even after stop of operation of a turbo charger, the temperature at a bearing portion increases to high temperatures around 300° C. due to heat conduction from a turbine and consequently a layer of accumulation of CuS and sludge formed by reaction with S in a lubricating oil is formed on a trace of Pb connecting to the contact surface (see, FIG. 23 (a) to (b)), therefore, a lubricating ability by Pb decreases, and essential improvement against seizure resistance and durability (elongation of life) is impossible. Further, from the standpoint of recent environmental problems, there is a problem that a large amount of Pb contained in a material is not preferable. Regarding hydraulic pumps/motors, there is recently a tendency of increase in pressure and further decrease in size, therefore, improvement in seizure resistance and wear resistance is desired for sliding parts constituting the hydraulic pumps/motors, however, the conventional lead bronze, bronze and brass-based contact materials according to the above-mentioned literature (Japan Non-ferrous Metal Casting Association ed., “ENGINEERING DATA BOOK FOR COPPER BASED ALLOY CASTING”, Issued by Materials Process Technology Center (SOKEIZAI CENTER), Jul. 30, 1988, p. 134-155) have a problem that they are insufficient in strength, seizure resistance and wear resistance for higher output and further decrease in size. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a thermal spray membrane contact material contact member and contact part, and an apparatus to which they are applied, excellent in seizure resistance and wear resistance under extremely poor lubrication conditions such as high surface pressure and low speed sliding and swinging and the like, and excellent in conformability in sliding and showing excellent seizure resistance and wear resistance even under high speed and high temperature sliding and high surface pressure and high speed sliding.

Capacitive-sense touchscreens have become widely available as a user interface component of user devices. In particular, touchscreens have become extremely popular in mobile phones, cellular phones, tablets, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), laptops, and other portable computing devices. Touchscreens are also widely employed in Point Of Sale (POS) terminals, inventory management systems, security systems, and the like. One reason for the increased popularity of touchscreens and specifically capacitive-sense touchscreens in user devices is their ability to simultaneously act as a user input device and a user output device. More particularly, touchscreens enable a user to interact with the data that is presented to the user rather than interact with a set of separate buttons. This helps minimize the size of the user device and/or maximize the size of the output screen used to present information to the user. In other words, capacitive-sense touchscreens can be utilized as an intuitive method of obtaining input for user devices. Two principal capacitive sensing and measurement technologies are currently employed in most capacitive touchscreen devices. The first such technology is that of self-capacitance. Many devices manufactured by SYNAPTICS™ employ self-capacitance measurement techniques, as do Integrated Circuit (IC) devices such as the CYPRESS PSOC™. Self-capacitance involves measuring the self-capacitance of a series of electrode pads using techniques such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,588 to Bisset et al. and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2010/0302201 to Ritter et al. and 2008/0297174 to Narasimhan et al., each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Self-capacitance may be measured through the detection of the amount of charge accumulated on an object held at a given voltage (Q=CV). Self-capacitance is typically measured by applying a known voltage to an electrode, and then using a circuit to measure how much charge flows to that same electrode. When external objects are brought close to the electrode, additional charge is attracted to the electrode. As a result, the self-capacitance of the electrode increases. Many touch sensors employed in touchscreens are configured such that the grounded object is a finger. The human body is essentially a capacitor to a surface where the electrical field vanishes, and typically has a capacitance of around 100 pF. Electrodes in self-capacitance touchscreens and/or touchpads are typically arranged in rows and columns. By scanning first rows and then columns the locations of individual disturbances induced by the presence of a finger, for example, can be determined. Typically, rows and columns of electrodes in self-capacitance sensing devices such as touchscreens or touchpads comprise electrically conductive traces or strips of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) laid down on a glass or plastic substrate. Although ITO is the material of choice in most capacitive-sense touchscreens, other known materials or compositions which are functionally equivalent to ITO may also be used. During and after the process of forming such traces on a suitable substrate, defects in such traces or strips will arise, at least in some of the self-capacitance sensing devices. It is desirable to minimize the number of defects in a batch of sensing devices (e.g., increase the yield rate), but it is difficult if not impossible to completely eliminate the occurrence of faults in the touchscreens. Common defects in ITO traces in touchscreens include shorting between traces, shorting between one or more traces and ground, broken traces, traces that are too thin, too narrow, too thick or too wide, unintended irregularities in the geometries of individual traces, and the like. Defects in ITO traces can significantly negatively impact the performance of a touchscreen or touchpad. Because of this fact, testing is often carried out on individual self-capacitance sensing devices after the manufacturing process has been completed. Once such testing method for self-capacitance touch sensing devices is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0278453 to Reynolds et al., the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. There are several problems with testing the integrity of ITO or other types of electrodes in a self-capacitance sensing device; however, testing is still an important production step to ensure product quality. The second primary capacitive sensing and measurement technology employed in capacitive touch sensing devices is that of mutual capacitance, where measurements are typically performed using a crossed grid of electrodes. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,875 to Gerpheide, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In mutual capacitance measurement, capacitance is measured between two conductors, as opposed to a self-capacitance measurement in which the capacitance of a single conductor is measured, and which may be affected by other objects in proximity thereto. In some mutual capacitance measurement systems, an array of sense electrodes is disposed on a first side of a substrate and an array of drive electrodes is disposed on a second side of the substrate that opposes the first side, a column or row of electrodes in the drive electrode array is driven to a particular voltage, the mutual capacitance to a single row (or column) of the sense electrode array is measured, and the capacitance at a single row-column intersection is determined. By scanning all the rows and columns a map of capacitance measurements may be created for all the nodes in the grid. When a user's finger or other electrically conductive object approaches a given grid point, some of the electric field lines emanating from or near the grid point are deflected, thereby decreasing the mutual capacitance of the two electrodes at the grid point. Because each measurement probes only a single grid intersection point, no measurement ambiguities arise with multiple touches as in the case of some self-capacitance systems. A current problem with testing touchscreen devices or touchpads, regardless of whether or not they utilize mutual capacitance technologies or self-capacitance technologies, is that separate testing equipment is required to perform the tests. In particular, an external stimulus has to be applied to the drive and sense columns to test whether a fault exists. Application of the external stimulus often requires the need for additional test circuitry in the facility which is manufacturing the touchscreens or touchpads. This implies additional costs to touchscreen manufacturers. It would be desirable to minimize or eliminate these additional costs.

The present invention relates to a device for in-vessel treatment of material, particularly for dispersion or homogenisation of liquids, or for suspension of solids in liquids, of the kind comprising a treatment element that is rotationally mounted in the vessel. In mixing liquids in a vessel, a rotary stirrer usually is used, for example a stirrer having radially outwardly directed vanes. A stirrer of this kind is adapted to transfer energy to the liquid in two ways. Firstly, the liquid is set in motion as the vanes are drawn through liquid, whereby a laminar flow is created. Secondly, the liquid is affected by shearing forces at the vane edges, which causes turbulence. In some situations, the mixing process is dependent on the presence of extremely strong shearing forces. This is true in the dispersion or homogenisation of liquids that do not spontaneously form a solution (for example oil in water) and in suspending powdered solids in a liquid (such as flour in water). The considerable shearing forces are required to break up for example drops of oil or lumps of flour into atomised particles through xe2x80x9cwhippingxe2x80x9d. When conventional stirrers are used, a very large moment of force is required to deliver shearing forces of this magnitude. U.S. Pat. No. A 5,205,647 suggests a solution to the above problem. The mixing apparatus described therein has a cylindrical casing, in which is attached a sleeve formed with oblong slots, and a cylinder rotationally mounted in the casing. The cylinder is formed With through-botes extending in the cylinder material in parallel with the cylinder axis, and apertures extending between the bores and the exterior of the cylinder. The mixing apparatus operates by introducing liquids through two inlets while the cylinder is rotating. The liquids are introduced into the bores and thereafter are passed through the apertures to the exterior of the cylinder and thereafter through the oblong slots in the casing to finally exit through an outlet in the casing. On their route, the liquids are exposed to shearing forces. In accordance with another prior-art apparatus two concentric cylinders are arranged to rotate relative to one another, for example inside a tank. The cylinders are formed with through-outlets and are disposed sufficiently closed to one another to ensure that a scissors-like force is produced, when they rotate relative to one another. Liquid subjected to this scissors-like force is affected by considerable shearing forces. Several disadvantages are connected with the prior-art technique described above. The apparatuses comprise several components, which are movable relative to one another and between which the spacing by necessity must be extremely narrow if the large shearing forces are to be produced. The manufacturing tolerances as well as the assembly and mounting tolerances with respect to the discrete components therefore are extremely small. Should some components happen to come into contact with one another during the rotation, there is a risk that particles may separate from the contacting components and pollute the liquid to be mixed therewith. In case of heavy contact, there is also a risk that the apparatus may be seriously damaged. Considering the large number of components that must be produced, mounted and made to co-operate with a high degree of precision in order to produce the desired effect, the apparatuses become expensive to manufacture and to maintain. In addition, the narrow spaces formed between the various components are difficult to clean. Particles and viscous liquid may get trapped in these narrow spaces and form obstructions, which impairs the functional ability of the apparatus One object of the present invention is to provide a device for in-vessel treatment, which is capable of efficiently mixing, dispersing and/or homogenising liquids under the conditions outlined above without requiring a large moment of force. By xe2x80x9cliquidxe2x80x9d as used herein should be understood all fluid substances (media?) as also liquids/fluids containing solid particles. A second object of the invention is to provide an easy-to-clean apparatus for in-vessel treatment. A third object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for in-vessel treatment that does not require a large number of components that are movable relative to one another. A fourth object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for in-vessel treatment that is inexpensive and simple to manufacture. These and other objects are achieved according to the invention by means of an apparatus of the kind define in the introduction hereto and which is characterised in that the treatment element essentially is of tubular configuration and is formed with a plurality of cuts formed with sharp edges which are drawn through the material in the vessel as the treatment element rotates, in order to transfer shearing forces to said material. Upon rotation of the treatment element in liquid, the sharp edges thereon generate a resistance force, as they move through the liquid. Because of the sharpness of the edges, the motion of the latter affects the liquid by means of shearing forces, and the moment of force required to rotate the treatment element consequently is transferred to a very high extent to the liquid in the form of shearing forces. The treatment element preferably is cylindrical and is mounted for rotation about its centre axis. Resistance against the rotary motion then is generated almost exclusively from the sharp edges, since the rest of the treatment element is configured as a rotationally symmetrical element. In addition, the treatment element can be configured as a multi-piece element. For example, it may be designed in the form of several cylinder sectors, or in the form of several concentric cylinders. In addition one or both ends of the treatment element may be formed with inwardly directed flanges. Alternatively, the treatment element may be formed with a barrel-shaped contour configuration, presenting smaller radii at its ends than in its in-between parts. Owing to this configuration, it becomes more difficult for liquid that is forced against the jacket of the treatment element to flow axially along the jacket of the treatment element and across the edge of the latter, and in consequence thereof the liquid is instead forced to pass through the cuts. In addition, the cuts may be formed with shovel means the mouths of which are orientated in the direction of rotation of the treatment element, which mouths are formed with sharp edges. Preferably, the shovel means are formed on the inner face of the treatment element. In the course of rotation of the element, the shovel means urge liquid to pass from the inner face of the treatment element, through the cuts to the external face of the treatment element. In addition, the shovel means contribute to setting the liquid in a rotary motion, whereby the centripetal force will convey liquid radially outwards, towards and through the cuts formed in the jacket of the treatment element. Altogether, a pumping action is produced, which makes liquid flow past the sharp edges. Preferably, the treatment element is fitted on a stirrer or mixer having several radially outwardly directed vanes. Preferably, the treatment element is mounted on the tips of the vanes, whereby the treatment element will form a cylindrically shaped enclosure around the stirrer/mixer. The vanes generate a rotary motion of the liquid in consequence whereof the centripetal force will transport liquid and particles radially outwards, away from the hub of the stirrer/mixer. The flow through the cuts, and thus the flow past the sharp edges, therefore will be larger.

Modulating gene expression by transfection or RNA-interference (RNAi) is a powerful means for studying the functions of genes. Realization of both techniques depends on delivery of the corresponding nucleic acids into cells in a tissue. The existing methods for localized delivery, e.g. microcapillary injection and electroporation, are laborious, invasive and often damaging. Several techniques for introducing nucleic acids into cells and tissues are currently in use, including viral transformation, lipofection, electroporation, direct injection through microcapillaries and ballistic carrier particle delivery. In the latter technique, termed “biolistic”, the molecules to be delivered are carried by micron-size particles of a heavy metal that are accelerated to high speeds and launched into the target cells. Substances injected into cells using the biolistic method have included DNA, fluorescent dyes, and RNA. The particle-mediated delivery is not sensitive to permeability of the cell membrane to particular reagents and lacks the potentially deleterious effects of viruses and lipofection. It can also be particularly advantageous for live tissue applications, because it does not depend on molecular diffusion within tissue and can target cells in internal layers. Nevertheless, the application area of the particle -mediated delivery has been limited by the current design of “gene guns” used for particle acceleration. Gene gun operation can be based on a variety of different principles. In one method, a shock wave can be generated by a chemical explosion (dry gunpowder), a discharge of helium gas under high pressure, by vaporization of a drop of water through a electric discharge at high voltage and low capacitance, or at low voltage and high capacitance. Most of the original work on this technique is described in patents by inventors from Cornell University and Agracetus, Inc. of Middleton, Wis. Another technique is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,510, incorporated herein by reference, and falls in the class of “fluid effects” for achieving high power with little damage to the tissue. This patent describes a gene gun using the “Coanda Effect” to accelerate the projectiles. The Coanda Effect is a passive design using the geometry of the diverter of the gas stream to pull the accelerant away from the nozzle by having it follow a curved surface. Existing gene guns, including the table-top PDS-1000 and the popular hand-held Helios (both available from Bio-Rad Laboratories of Hercules, Calif.), deliver particles to relatively large areas (cm2) with limited accuracy and reproducibility. In addition, the tissue targeted by a Helios™ gun may be damaged by the jet of gas emerging from the gun nozzle. An image of the Helios™ gun and a diagram showing the basic components of the device are provided in FIGS. 1a and 1b, respectively. Beads coated with genetic material are glued to the internal wall of the cartridge using a preparation available from the manufacturer. The gene gun uses compressed helium at pressures of 7-20 atm. Particles are accelerated by helium flow in the “acceleration channel”, which is followed by an opening cone, “barrel liner”, and a spacer, illustrated in FIG. 1b. The two latter elements are intended to vent the helium gas away from the target to minimize cell surface impact. Nonetheless, unlike the narrow holes perforated by the micron size particles, the impact of the high speed helium jet emerging from the barrel may inflict significant damage to the tissue located in front of the barrel. Therefore, the problem of stopping/diverting the flow of the gas accelerating the particles has been a major concern with the gene gun design. With current methods, there is a trade off between penetration depth and tissue damage. The Helios™ device is limited in that the range of bead penetration into the tissue is less than ˜50 μm. To increase the penetration depth, the particles must be accelerated to a higher velocity, which can only be achieved by increasing the helium jet pulse velocity which, in turn, increases damage to the tissue. Both in-vivo and in slice preparation would greatly benefit from a method for delivery of dyes or genetic material into the cells that lie as deep as 200-400 μm. A technique for delivery fluorescent dyes into living tissue is described by Gan, W. B., J. Grutzendler, et al. (2000), “Multicolor “DiOlistic” Labeling of the Nervous System using Lipophilic Dye Combinations,” Neuron 27(2): 219-25. A Bio-Rad gene gun was used to deliver multiple fluorescent dyes into neuronal tissue for anatomical study. The described method had limited effect, however, due to the low penetration depth of the beads. Efforts to reduce damage caused by the gas flow have led to deceleration of the particles and a resulting reduction of their penetration depth. This limits the usefulness the current technology for applications in mammalian brain tissue, where most of the cell bodies lie 100 μm or more below the surface. Tests using an agarose gel to emulate brain tissue showed that it is possible to obtain a major increase in the depth of penetration with a more focused jet of helium, however, there was a concomitant increase in damage to the gel surface. Accordingly, the need remains for a gene gun that can reproducibly achieve large penetration depths with minimal damage. Moreover, there is demand for new techniques of localized, accurate, reproducible and non-damaging delivery of substances such as nucleic acids and dyes into live tissue. The present invention is directed to such a device and method.

An image sensor includes an array of pixels to generate their respective charges in response to incidence of light and is configured to output electric signals according to amounts of the charges generated in the respective pixels. An intraoral sensor is one of such image sensors. This intraoral sensor is configured to transmit the electric signals according to amounts of charges through a cable (about two to three meters) to the main body part. The main body part connected to the intraoral sensor operates to display an image generated on the basis of the transmitted electric signals, on a display device or print the image by a printer. The cable connecting the intraoral sensor to the main body part is also used to feed clock signals to order transfer of the charges generated in the respective pixels, and to output bias voltages to the intraoral sensor. The presence of the cable connecting the intraoral sensor to the main body part can cause such an accident that the cable is accidentally caught on something during use of the intraoral sensor, so as to result in breaking the intraoral sensor. This is also the case with the image sensors connected through the cable to the main body part, as well as the intraoral sensors. There were thus proposals on techniques of eliminating the need for the cable connecting the image sensor to the main body part. For example, Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open No. 11-104128 and No. 2001-252266 disclose the image sensor incorporating a battery and others and configured to perform radio communication with the main body part, and the imaging system using the image sensor. The techniques disclosed in these Applications obviate the need for the cable connecting the image sensor to the main body part.

Predominant HLA-class II bound self-peptides of a hematopoietic progenitor cell line are derived from intracellular proteins. Human myeloid progenitor cells temporarily express HLA class II molecules during the differentiation pathway to granulocytes and macrophages. The significance of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules at this stage of development is unknown. As a first stop of inquiry into their function, we have characterized the profile of major self-peptides bound to the HLA-DR molecules expressed by KG-1 cells, a line that shares many of the phenotypic characteristics of colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage progenitors. Searches of protein data bases showed that all matching peptides bound to the HLA-DR molecules of KG-1 cells corresponded to intracellular, rather than exogenous or transmembrane, precursor proteins. Because the absence of a conventional self-peptide repertoire could be related to altered trafficking of class II molecules, the biosynthesis of HLA-DR and the invariant chain proteins was determined. The MHC class II associated invariant chain protein is synthesized normally in KG-1 cells, but processed fragments of invariant chain, class II-associated invariant chain peptides (CLIPs), occupy the antigen-binding groove of KG-1 class II molecules at a much lower frequency compared with that of mature antigen-presenting cells. Low CLIP occupancy of HLA-DR is a characteristic shared by KG-1 cells, normal CD34+ progenitor cells, and HLA-DR+ breast carcinoma cells. The unusual profile of MHC class II bound peptides and the low level of CLIP bound to HLA-DR suggest that the antigen-processing pathway of KG-1 is different from that characterized in professional antigen-presenting cells and that exogenous antigen-processing may be a developmentally acquired characteristic in the myeloid lineage.

The present invention relates to delivery flow rate control apparatus that control the delivery flow rate of pumps installed in process piping systems such as a fossil fuel, nuclear and other types of power generation plants. In general, many pumps are installed in process piping systems at power generation plants (hereinafter termed simply "plants") so as to send the process liquids under pressure. These pumps usually control the flow rate so that the flow describes those operation limit conditions that relate to the pump delivery flow rate (or the suction flow rate). a) Maximum allowable flow rate: This is the flow rate for which when a delivery flow rate (or a suction flow rate) greater than this flow rate flows through a pump, air bubbles are formed in the process liquid on the suction side of the pump and cause cavitation which may possibly destroy the pump and cause other problems such as a dramatic lowering of the pump delivery head (delivery pressure). b) Minimum allowable flow rate: This is the flow rate for which when there is operation of the pump at a delivery flow rate lower than this, there is the possibility of a sharp increase in the temperature of the process liquid inside the pump and of the occurrence of trouble in the pump. The present invention relates particularly to a) above, and controls the delivery flow rate of the pump while monitoring the maximum allowable flow rate. FIG. 36 is a view of a conventional pump delivery flow control apparatus. In the Figure, 1 represents a tank for the temporary storage of the process liquid, and the pressure of the process liquid that is stored in this tank is increased by two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 which are arranged in parallel and which are respectively provided with drive apparatus 3.1, 3-2, and is sent to the process piping system via a flow rate adjuster valve 4 that controls the total delivery flow of the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2. The pump delivery flow rate control apparatus is provided with a flow rate meter 5 that detects the total delivery flow of the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2, a flow rate adjuster 15e, an electro-pneumatic converter 13, and a flow rate adjuster valve 4 that is driven by pneumatic signals. Here, the flow rate adjuster 15e is configured from a flow rate deviation calculation portion 17 that outputs the deviation between the measured value (available flow rate value) from the flow rate meter 5 and the required flow rate value "a" from the side of the plant or the like, a PID calculation portion 8 that performs integral and differential calculation, a signal converter portion 12 that converts a valve degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 into a predetermined fixed degree of opening value when one of the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 has failed and stopped. Since it can be generally said that the pump delivery flow rate is equal to the pump suction flow rate, the flow rate meter 5 can be disposed on either the delivery side or the suction side of the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 but here, the description will be given in terms of when it is disposed on the delivery side of the pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2. The following is a description of the operation of a pump delivery flow rate control apparatus having the configuration described above. The flow rate adjuster 15e has as its input the required flow rate set value "a" and the available flow rate value b measured by the flow rate meter 5 for the process liquid that is actually sent to the plant by the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2. In the flow rate adjuster 15e, the flow rate deviation calculation portion 7 calculates the deviation between the available flow rate value b to the plant and the required flow rate set value "a" from the plant, and the PID calculation portion 8 outputs signals that have been given proportional, integral and differential calculation processing. When there is normal operation, the required flow rate set value "a" from the plant is set so that it is smaller than the total value for the maximum allowable flow rate for the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2, and in this case, the signals output from the PID calculation portion 8 are output as output signals from the flow rate adjuster 15e and via the signal converter portion 12. These output signals that are output from the flow rate adjuster 15e are converted into pneumatic signals at the electro-pneumatic converter 13 and are then input to the flow rate adjuster valve 4. In this manner, the flow rate adjuster valve 4 performs open and close control by the pneumatic signals from the electro-pneumatic converter 13 so that the available flow rate of the process liquid to the plant is in agreement with the required flow rate set value "a" from the plant. However, when there is this normal operation and either one (pump 2.sub.-2 for example) of the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 that are operating fails, the required flow rate set value "a" from the plant stays at that for two pumps and so the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 is maintained at the former degree of opening. Because of this, the delivery flow rate value of the pump that did not fail and stop (pump 2.sub.-1) increases to exceed the maximum allowable flow rate for that pump (pump 2.sub.-1) and generate trouble. In addition, when the available flow rate value "b" to the plant, that is, the actual flow rate value for the pump (pump 2.sub.-1) does not become more than the required flow rate set value "a" from the plant (i.e. a&gt;b), the flow rate adjuster valve 4 operates so that the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 is further increased and there is the further likelihood of the occurrence of the trouble described above. Also, depending upon the plant, when one of two operating pumps has failed and stopped, the method generally used to prevent the above described problems such as the generation of cavitation, the lowering of the pump delivery pressure and the like from occurring is to output a fixed value from the adjustment valve degree of opening setting portion 11 by the signal converter portion 12 and to monitor the required flow rate set value "a" from the plant so that the flow rate adjuster valve 4 is closed to a fixed, rated degree of opening that has been set before so that the delivery flow rate of the pump is brought to within the maximum allowable flow rate. Furthermore, with this conventional technology, when one of two pumps that are operating fails and stops, the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 provided on the delivery side of the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 is decreased to a rated degree of opening set beforehand but another known method involves controlling the speed of one of the pumps that is operating (pump 2.sub.-1) so that the pump delivery flow rate is controlled. In this case, the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 is not necessarily decreased but a flow rate adjuster 15e (the same as described earlier for the conventional technology) is used so that it is possible to change the speed of the pump that did not fail (pump 2.sub.-1 for example), to a rated speed that has been set beforehand. In addition, the description for this conventional technology has been for when the objective value for the speed of the pump or the objective value for the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 when one of the pumps has failed and stopped is a fixed value and for when there is immediately changed to this value when one of the pumps fails and stops. However, in certain cases, the general practice is to gradually change the value in steps so that it is ultimately made the predetermined fixed objective value for the speed of the pump or the objective value for the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4. Also, the above description for the conventional technology was for when there are two pumps disposed in parallel but when there are three or N number of pumps disposed in parallel, the number of operating pumps is detected and there is switching to the objective value for the speed of the pump or the objective value for the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve and that is predetermined in accordance with that number (N-1, N-1 ,,, 2, 1) of pumps. However, in this conventional case, even if a pump flow rate control apparatus is used as described above, it is not always possible to prevent the generation of trouble such as cavitation and in cases such as this, the general practice to prevent cavitation and the like is as described below. More specifically, when the generation of cavitation commences, the suction pressure or the delivery pressure of the pump that is operating normally drops, and this is used to calculate beforehand the total delivery pressure or the total suction pressure (but the delivery pressure will be used for the description of the conventional technology) of the pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 in the status immediately prior to the status for which there is the possibility of the generation of trouble such as cavitation, and this value is the set value (fixed value) of a pump delivery pressure switch 9 provided to the side of the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 as shown in FIG. 36. Then, in the unlikely event that the total delivery pressure for the pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 drops below this set value, this pressure drop is detected by the pump delivery pressure switch 9 and the signal S that expresses that the total delivery pressure of the pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 has dropped below the set value is output. Then, this signal S that is output from the pump delivery pressure switch 9 forcedly stops one of the pumps (pump 2.sub.-2 that is operating) that has continued operating without being stopped by failure, and prevents the occurrence of cavitation and other trouble due to the continued operation of the pump (pump 2.sub.-1) that continues operating. However, when there is the pump delivery flow rate control apparatus of the conventional technology and there is control for either the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 or for the speed of the pump, the ultimate objective value for the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 or the ultimate objective value for the pump speed so that a delivery flow rate greater than the maximum allowable flow rate does not flow in the pump (pump 2.sub.-1) that did not fail when the pump (pump 2.sub.-2 for example) has failed, is a predetermined fixed value. Here, the determination of this fixed value beforehand must be performed by this so that for all operating statuses of the pump that did not fail and stop (pump 2.sub.-1), trouble such as destruction due to cavitation and rapid lowering of the delivery head (delivery pressure) of this pump due to cavitation do not occur. Because of this, the objective value for the degree of opening and the objective value for the speed must be determined to allow a sufficient surplus in consideration of the many conditions involved. However, having such a surplus brings on problems of lowering of the operating efficiency of the pump (pump 2.sub.-1) by that amount. More specifically, for the two pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 shown in FIG. 36, the normal status of the process liquid and the normal operating status for the case where one of the pumps (pump 2.sub.-2, for example) has stopped, the delivery flow rate value for the other pump (pump 2.sub.-1) obtained from the objective value (the fixed value of the adjustment valve degree of opening setting portion 11) for the degree of opening of the flow rate adjuster valve 4 becomes a value that is much lower than the maximum allowable flow rate for that pump (pump 2.sub.-1) and there is therefore the disadvantage that the difference between these two values cannot be effectively utilized. Furthermore, this also means that the facility capacity that can be effectively used for each one pump (pump 2.sub.-1) is reduced by that amount. Therefore, when the pump (pump 2.sub.-2) has failed and stopped, the flow rate that can be sent by the pump (pump 2.sub.-1) that did not fail and stop and which is continuing operating is far less than is required for the amount of process liquid that is required by plant for power generation or for chemical processing. Accordingly, in order to eliminate this problem, the facility capacity of the pump can be further increased or the number of pumps in the facility can be increased, thereby causing further problems. In addition, problems such as the generation of cavitation in a pump occur not only when one pump that has been operating fails and stops so as to increase the delivery flow rate of the pump that did not fail and stop to greater than the maximum allowable flow rate, but also in the following cases. (1) When there is a valve along the process piping on the suction side of the pump and when, due to some reason, the degree of opening of this valve is greater than the maximum degree of opening so that the pumping resistance becomes large when the process liquid flows through this process piping so that the suction pressure of the pump falls below the rated value. (2) When the temperature of the process liquid on the suction side of the pump rises to above the rated value while the pump is operating. However, in each of these cases (1) and (2), even when a pump flow rate control apparatus according to the previously described conventional example is used, this does not mean that the pump will not fail and stop, and so suitable pump flow rate control is not performed, and it is not possible to prevent trouble such as the generation of cavitation. This is the current situation. Moreover, when there is a pump delivery pressure switch 9 (or a suction pressure switch) installed on the delivery side (or the suction side of the pump 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2, in the case (1) described above, the total delivery pressure (or the suction pressure) of the pumps 2.sub.-1, 2.sub.-2 falls below the set value and so this can be detected so that prior to the generation of cavitation, it is possible to forcedly stop a pump that is operating and therefore protect it. However, in the case (2) described above, the temperature of the process liquid on the suction side of the pump rises beforehand but the suction pressure (or the delivery pressure) does not always drop to below the set value and so even if this is done, it is not possible to prevent the generation of cavitation. However, the judgment for whether or not trouble such as pump cavitation or the like is occurring can be performed by determining whether or not the flowing equation (1) is established for the process liquid on the suction side of the pump. EQU Ha-hr&gt;0 (1) Where, Ha: pump available net suction head PA1 hr: pump required net suction head PA1 D: absolute pressure applied to the liquid surface of the process liquid on the suction side of the pump; PA1 ys: height from the liquid surface of the process liquid on the suction side of the pump to the pump suction portion (a positive value when the pump suction portion is lower than the liquid portion); PA1 Zs: loss head inside pump suction piping; PA1 Pv: saturation vapor pressure of the process liquid in pump suction portion; and PA1 .gamma.: specific gravity of the process liquid on suction side of pump. PA1 H.sub.1 : pressure of the process liquid at the point of measurement; and PA1 H.sub.2 : saturation steam pressure with respect to the temperature of the process liquid at the point of measurement. PA1 k.sub.1, k.sub.2 : positive constants PA1 a: first function generator signals PA1 b: second function generator signals Moreover, the pump available net suction head Ha described above is a value that is determined by the process piping system and the pump required net suction head hr is a value determined by the structural design of the pump and the operating conditions and the like. The pump available net suction head Ha described above is determined by the following equation. EQU Ha=D/.gamma.+ys-Zs-Pu/.gamma. (2) Where, Moreover, the loss head inside pump suction piping Zs is a value that is determined by the flow rate of the process liquid that flows in the piping, and the diameter, curvature and length of the piping. However, since there is no instrumentation to constantly and accurately measure in real time whether or not this pump available net suction head Ha can be withstood, the above equation (1) cannot be used to investigate the pump flow rate control apparatus, and so no such control apparatus exists. It is for this reason that the pump flow control apparatus that has been described above has been conventionally used. When the pump available net suction head can be determined by equation (2) that describes the Ha and the right hand side of this equation can be thought of as follows. EQU Ha=H.sub.1 -H.sub.2 EQU H.sub.1 =D/.gamma.+ys-Zs EQU H.sub.2 Pv/.gamma. Where, More specifically, the pressure difference between the saturation vapor pressure with respect to the temperature of the process liquid at the point of measurement, and the pressure of the process liquid at a point of measurement can be measured. Conventionally, an apparatus as shown in FIG. 37 is known as an apparatus for measuring this pressure difference. More specifically, in this figure, 50 is a pressure difference transmitter, and is installed at a position separate from the process piping 49 for the purpose of improving the maintainability of the pressure difference transmitter 50 and in order to protect it from thermal transmission and vibration from the process piping and the pump. In addition, the pressure difference sensor portion 54 of the pressure difference transmitter 50 is separated by the high-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 56 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57. Then, the pressure of the process liquid .alpha. (alpha) inside the process piping 49 installed on the suction side of the pump, is led to the high-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 56 of the pressure difference transmitter 50 via the pressure pipe 51. On the other hand, the pressure inside the valve 52 that is inserted in the process liquid .alpha. on the suction side of the pump is lead to the low-pressure side portion side pressure-receiving portion 57 of the pressure difference transmitter 50 via a capillary tube 53. Moreover, the valve 52, the capillary tube 53 and the inside of the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 are maintained in a state of vacuum, and to the lower portion of the valve 52 is sealed the process liquid .alpha.. More specifically, the inside of the valve 52 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 is made a vacuum when the pressure difference transmitter 50 is assembled, and the process liquid .alpha. is sealed inside the lower portion of the valve 52 so that the pressure of the liquid in the upper portion of the valve 52, the capillary tube 53 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 becomes the saturation vapor pressure at the temperature of the required flow rate set value "a", that is sealed in the bottom portion of the valve 52. In addition, at the same time, electrical signals are also inserted to a force coil 63 and, because of this force coil 63, a force that applies a displacement of the same magnitude and the opposite direction to the previously described displacement is applied to a sensor diaphragm 55 and a force rod 60 via a mechanism 61, so that the sensor diaphragm 55 and the force rod 60 return once again to their original positions. More specifically, by this series of actions, a differential pressure is applied to the high-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 56 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 and there is no displacement of the sensor diaphragm 55 but electrical signals proportional to this differential pressure are output from the amplifier 64. Moreover, for the sake of reference, FIG. 38 shows the displacement of the saturation steam pressure with respect to each temperature for the case when the process liquid is water. Here, the valve 52 is inserted in the process liquid .alpha. on the suction side of the pump and so thermal transmission via the wall of the valve 52 causes the temperature of the process liquid .alpha. sealed in the lower portion of the valve 52 and the temperature of the process liquid .alpha. on the suction side of the pump in a status of thermal equilibrium to become the same. In this status, the pressure of the top portion of the valve 52, the capillary tube 53 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 is the saturation vapor pressure at the temperature of the process liquid on the suction side of the pump. On the other hand, the pressure of the process liquid on the suction side of the pump is led to the high-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 56 of the pressure difference transmitter 50 via the high-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 56 and the pressure difference (differential pressure) between this high-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 56 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 is equivalent to the pump available net suction head Ha. However, this apparatus has the following disadvantages. (1) The process liquid .alpha., sealed in the lower portion of the valve 52, transmits the saturation vapor pressure caused by that temperature to the low-pressure side pressure receiving portion 57; but for reasons already explained, the pressure difference transmitter 50 is installed at a position remote from the process piping 49 where the peripheral temperature is close to room temperature. Not only this, the internal diameter and the external diameter of the capillary tube 53 between the valve 52 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 is normally small when compared to the internal diameter of the valve 52 so as to improve the workability when the capillary tube 53 is installed so as to improve the measurement accuracy in the temperature measuring instrument where the liquid is sealed in the valve 52. Also, in this apparatus, the medium that transmits the saturation vapor pressure of the upper portion of the valve 52 is the saturated vapor inside the capillary tube 53 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57. However, when the peripheral temperature of the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 and the capillary tube 53 installed at a position close to it is close to room temperature, the temperature of the saturated vapor in the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 and the capillary tube 53 also becomes close to room temperature and so the saturation vapor pressure in this portion also becomes the saturation vapor pressure for room temperature of the process liquid .alpha.. More specifically, there is a differential pressure in the saturation vapor which is the pressure medium in the upper portion of the valve 52, the capillary tube 53 and the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 and as a result, it is not possible to perform accurate measurements. (2) In addition, a pressure change must be transmitted from the portion where the relative volume is small (the upper portion of the valve 52) via the restricting portion that is the capillary tube 53, to a portion where there is a large volume (the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57), so the measurement error becomes even larger. (3) As already described for (1), the process liquid .alpha., sealed in the lower portion of the valve 52, is heated by the process liquid .alpha. inside the process piping 49 and is vaporized after becoming a saturation vapor, but the portion close to the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 is near room temperature and so one portion is cooled, liquified and becomes the process liquid .alpha.. In this manner, the pressure inside the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 becomes the saturation vapor pressure of the process liquid .alpha. at a temperature close to room temperature and the pressure inside the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 is lower than the pressure in the upper portion of the valve 52, and so the saturation vapor of the process liquid supplied from the side of the valve 52 to the side of the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 always condenses inside the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 to become process liquid .alpha. and collect here. It therefore becomes impossible to apply the saturation vapor pressure with respect to the process liquid at room temperature, to the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 and ultimately, it becomes impossible to measure whether or not there is no process liquid in the bottom portion of the valve 52. (4) Also, when this apparatus is installed, then should the valve 52 be inadvertently turned upside down or inclined and installed, the process liquid inside the valve 52 enters into and collects inside the capillary tube 53 and flows into the low-pressure side pressure-receiving portion 57 so that measurement is again rendered impossible. Because of these disadvantages, the current situation is such that it is not possible to constantly and accurately measure in real time the degree to which the pump available net suction head can be withstood. With respect to this, there has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 127993-1991 (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), a pump facility that receives first water supply flow amount control signals corresponding to a negative load, that adjusts the supply flow rate to that negative load, that is provided with a pump suction flow rate meter provided on an intake side of a pump, a first function generator that receives these signals of the suction flow rate meter and calculates the required net pump suction head (N.P.S.H.), a second function generator that receives signals from the pressure meter and the water supply temperature meter and calculates the available N.P.S.H., a controller to which the signals of the first function generator are input and subtracted and to which the signals of the second function generator are input and added and which outputs second water supply flow rate control signals, and a low signal selector that receives the output of the controller and the first water supply flow rate control signals and that sends the weaker of the two signals to a means for adjusting the water supply flow rate, so that even if there is a change in the operating status, the adjustment of the water supply flow rate to the load enables the available N.P.S.H. to always be maintained at above the required N.P.S.H. so that it is possible to prevent cavitation of the pump. However, in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 127993-1991, the controller performs either proportional or proportional+integral calculation so that EQU a-k.sub.1 b-k.sub.2 .gtoreq.0 Where, However, when there is only a proportional calculation, there is a remaining offset, so that for example, when there is control of the water supply flow rate by signals from the controller, the required N.P.S.H. actually becomes greater than the available N.P.S.H. Furthermore, when there is proportional+integral calculation, and the values of the control signals to make agreement with the required flow rate value are slightly larger than the values of the signals from the controller, the signals from the controller are saturated by integration. In this status, then even if the required N.P.S.H. is greater than the available N.P.S.H., there is no corrected signal output until the controller output due to integration becomes zero and so the required N.P.S.H. continues to be greater than the available N.P.S.H. for a long time, and as a result, it is possible that cavitation may occur.

"What'cha doing there kiddo?" "Just throwing rocks" "Good, good." "Get all that rock throwing out before you get married." "It was either this, or being inside with Sarah and the Wedding Planner figuring out where all the flowers should go." "Wise choice." "Listen, before tonight, before, before things get crazy,I wanted to give you something." "This was my dad's and I jus..." "I thought it would only be fitting." "I've never seen you wear it before." "Well that's because I never did." "Your grandfather didn't really like your mother, and you know, he thought marrying her was a mistake." "He told me, to my face, that the day that I got married, an then he gave me this watch." "So I never wore it." "Dad... are you trying to tell me something?" "Unlike me, you have made..the absolute right choice." "Thank you," "Oh here, that's yours." "I guess this is really happening, huh?" "oh, a soon as they arrange those flowers , and you run out of rocks..." "There's a lot of rocks out here." "Would you do me a favor?" "If you and Sarah ever have a kid, try to treat him a little better than I treated you." "No pressure, right?" "I'll see you inside, kiddo." "Yeah, yeah" "Subtitle By Persian Boy"

The present invention relates to underwater buoyancy apparatus of the kind having an expansible gas pocket for providing the required buoyancy, which apparatus is referred to hereinafter as "expansible buoyancy apparatus". The invention has particular, but not exclusive, application to diver's lifejackets, dry suits, and underwater lifting bags. The buoyancy of expansible buoyancy apparatus is provided initially by admitting gas, usually air, to the gas pocket of the apparatus. In a diver's lifejacket, the gas pocket usually is constituted by a closed flexible container which is inflated by the gas. The flexible nature of the container permits of expansion of the gas within the container. Lifting bags usually comprise an open-ended flexible bag into which the gas is admitted. In some cases, the whole bag can constitute the gas pocket in similar manner to a lifejacket. However, in other vases the gas pocket can be consituted by the volume occupied by a gas defined between the bag and water contained in the bag. In the latter case, expansion of the gas pocket to displace water through the open end of the bag. It is difficult to control the ascent of expansible buoyancy apparatus because the progressive decrease in water pressure upon ascent of the apparatus causes progressive expansion of the gas chamber and hence a progressive increase in buoyancy, which in turn causes accelerated ascent of the diver or article to which the buoyancy apparatus is attached. This is a particular problem in the case of lifting bags where acceleration of the bag and the article being lifted constitutes a significant risk to those operating the lifting bags. A device intended to vent excess buoyancy from a lifting bag is described as part of a hover control system in U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,299 (Davidson et al.). Davidson provides a venting valve mounted on the top of a lifting bag and intended to be opened by dynamic pressure of water caused by upward movement of the bag in water deflecting a diaphragm mechanically linked to the valve member of the venting valve. The venting valve is biassed shut by a spring of adjustable tension. In practice, the magnitude of the dynamic pressures needed to open the venting valve taught by Davidson means that the valve will not open to produce venting until the upward velocity of the bag is already excessive and the venting produced may in those circumstances not be fast enough to control the ascent. Davidson's apparatus will not in fact produce the hovering action he describes. U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,976 describes the use of a diaphragm exposed on one side to ambient water pressures as a means of sensing static pressure and operating a venting system to maintain pressure differential between a ballast tank and ambient within a permitted range. The static pressure sensor can be used to act directly on the venting valve because the forces available are greater than when sensing the dynamic pressure produced by ascent of a lift bag or lifejacket. Of course, the role played by the static pressure sensor in the apparatus of Hanna could not be played by a dynamic pressure sensor and Hanna's apparatus could not function if a dynamic pressure sensor were used.

1. Field of the invention Much present-day electronic equipment operates with optimum performance and reliability only when supplied with reasonably accurately sinusoidal alternating voltage. In many applications the available alternating voltage supplies are, or often become, of seriously imperfect waveform. This is particularly so if, as is often the case it is found necessary to employ a constant-voltage transformer in order to ensure that the voltage supplied to an equipment shall remain within close tolerances. 2. Description of the Prior Art It has been proposed in order to supply a load with an accurately predetermined alternating waveform to employ accurate-waveform generators, which are very expensive to construct and maintain or to employ low-frequency oscillators which seldom have sufficiently accurate waveforms. Elaborate arrangements using photoelectric cells cyclically exposed to light passing a moving mask or appropriate shape have also been used, but such apparatus involving moving elements is insufficiently reliable for many applications. It is also advantageous in some applications to be able to provide an a.-c. supply of a frequency other than those normally available.

The objective of this research is to elucidate the mechanism or mechanisms by which substituted amphetamines, such as methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), rho-choloroamphetamine (pCA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) cause a long term reduction in brain serotonin (5HT) levels and cause lesions in certain brain regions. These compounds are members of the phenylisopropylamine class of stimulants and hallucinogens that have a long history of abuse. The appearance of the methylenedioxy compounds as abused substances has caused concern because of their potential for toxicity and the lack of understanding of the detailed pharmacology. The research is centered about a model in which the drugs are metabolized either peripherally or in the brain to substance that concentrate in serotonin neurons and generate reactive electrophilic compounds and/or toxic oxygen radicals. The approach utilizes both whole animal and cell culture as the biological media and a number of chemical methods for analysis of changes in cellular properties and in the drug itself. In vivo studies investigation the metabolic N-demethylenation to catecholamines, the N-demethylation of MDMA, and the O-derivatization of catecholamine metabolites are proposed using GC/MS to analyze plasma and brain tissue extracts. The effects of heavy isotope substitution on metabolically active centers on toxicity will also be assessed as an approach to determining the metabolic pathway for toxicity. The neurochemical changes will be monitored in the whole animal by microdialysis and HPLC methodology. The data from in vivo experiments will be analyzed by pharmacokinetic modelling techniques to assess the relationship between drug levels and pharmacological response. Previous studies had demonstrated that a glutathione (GSH) adduct of a metabolite was formed in vitro and its identity and conditions for its formation will be determined. A neuroblastoma based cell line (NG108-15) has been shown to be sensitive to the toxic actions of some of the phenylisopropylamine derivatives. This line will be used to study the formation of this adduct and the biochemical sequence of toxin-induced cell death. The results of these experiments and the relevant methodology will then be applied to studies on the brains of treated animals to assess the validity of the in vitro experiments. The studies utilized techniques in pharmacokinetics, cell culture and general analytical chemistry to elucidate mechanisms.

This invention relates to helicopters, and more specifically to helicopters for achieving high speed flight. In conventional helicopters, lift propulsion and control are provided by one or more rotating airfoils or rotors blades. The rotational plane of the rotors blades is substantially horizontal. In forward flight, the velocity of air flowing over the rotor airfoils differs between the left and right sides of the helicopter; because the airfoils on one side are advancing in the direction of flight and on the other side the airfoils are retreating. Consequently, the maximum air speed of the advancing rotor blade at its tip is the sum of the tip speed due to rotation and the forward speed of the helicopter. Similarly, the minimum speed of the retreating rotor blade on the other side of the helicopter is the difference between the tip speed of rotation and the forward speed of the helicopter. Consequently, the air speed of the advancing rotor blade is greater than that of the retreating rotor blade by twice the forward air speed of the helicopter. This difference in the velocity of air flow over the advancing and retreating rotor blades is the factor which limits the maximum air speed of a helicopter, primarily because, as the helicopter's forward air speed increases, the air flow over the retreating airfoil or rotor blade becomes too low to support the required weight; and the retreating airfoil stalls. On the advancing side, the blade tip approaches supersonic speed; and the resulting compression of the air against the blade (compressibility effect) can cause blade flutter and greatly increased power requirements as well as creating unstable operating conditions of the helicopter. As a consequence, the maximum forward speed of a conventional helicopter is limited because of the effects of retreating blade stall and advancing blade compressibility effects. Without auxiliary lift or propulsion devices in the helicopter, a practical maximum speed for a conventional helicopter is approximately 250 miles per hour. Another problem which is encountered in conventional helicopters, and which is increasingly noticeable at high speed, is that the helicopter tends to roll to one side, the retreating side, due to unequal lift of the rotor blades on the advancing and retreating sides. To compensate for this tendency and to maintain stable flight at relatively high forward speeds, attempts have been made in the past to compensate for this tendency by equalizing the lift on opposite sides of the rotor hub (that is on the advancing and retreating sides). To some extent this can be accomplished by raising the pitch of the retreating blades while simultaneously lowering the pitch of the advancing blades with a swash plate mechanism. A problem arises, however, if the blades are already operating at pitch angles near their stall limits for hovering efficiency. In this situation, the procedure of increasing the pitch of the retreating blades can result in the stalling of the retreating blades significantly decreasing their lift capability instead of increasing the lift. Compromises therefore must be made between the rotor efficiency of the helicopter and the rotational speed of the rotor. At higher speeds, the rotor blades can operate at a lower average pitch angle to accommodate the asymmetry of lift. In the past, three methods for avoiding the stalling of the retreating rotor blades in high speed forward flight have been tried. One of these methods is the "advancing blade concept" which consists of the utilization of two coaxial counterrotating rotor hubs. Rotor airfoils or rotor blades then are mounted rigidly on these respective hubs so that there are always advancing blades on both sides of the helicopter. As a consequence, the retreating blades do not need to provide any lift to keep the helicopter in balance. Helicopters employing this advancing blade concept have been constructed and successfully operated, but these helicopters are very expensive. In addition, the blades must be extremely rigid because large moments must be transferred across the two counterrotating hubs. A second method is an "X-wing aircraft". This type of aircraft has a substantially horizontally mounted multiple blade rotor which is stopped in flight. Propulsion then is achieved by a conventional propeller to either pull or push the aircraft through the air, and the rotor blades become the fixed wings of the aircraft. Theoretically, an aircraft of this type would be the ideal aircraft since the rotor could be rotated to provide lift, but is not required to provide forward propulsion. In practice, however, an aircraft of this type is also very expensive; because the horizontal rotor blades must be rigid enough to support the aircraft without the benefit of centrifugal force. This means that the blades must be large and rigid. In addition, the control system and the hub are very complex. Consequently, such aircraft have not achieved any degreee of practical acceptance. A third method for avoiding the retreating blade stall of helicopter airfoils or rotors is the "tilt rotor" type of aircraft. This aircraft essentially comprises a conventional airplane in which the two wing-mounted propellors are rotated, so that the axis of rotation is vertical for take off. The propellors then are slowly rotated into a conventional horizontal position for high speed flight. The tilt rotor, however, also is expensive due to mechanical complexity and the necessity of cross-linking the two propellors in case of engine failure, since a failure of one of the two propellors could be catastrophic. Some systems have been developed in the past to compensate for the difference in lift between the advancing and retreating blades of a helicopter to minimize or offset the tendency of this lift differential to cause the helicopter to roll over toward the retreating blade side. One system, directed to a resolution of this problem, is disclosed in the patent to Garfinkle #3,921,939. In Garfinkle, the single rotor hub is mounted on a pair of transverse slide rods; so that the lateral position of the hub may be moved toward the retreating blade side. This shifts the center of lift of the rotor system toward the retreating blade side of the helicopter fuselage. There is no speed advantage which is achieved by this shifting, however, because the hub itself does not create any moment on the shaft of rotation. It is desirable to provide a helicopter or rotary wing aircraft capable of attaining flight speeds or air speeds substantially higher than have been attainable by such aircraft in the past. In addition, it is desirable to provide a high speed helicopter in which the retreating blades are unloaded while maintaining control of all six degrees of freedom of the helicopter (roll, pitch, yaw, up-down, left-right, fore-aft) by using a combination of forces and moments created solely from a single main multiple blade rotor.

In order to break the cycle of intergenerational transmission from women alcoholics to their offspring, we need to identify the relevant mediating and moderating risk factors. This would make it possible to intervene in the lives of high-risk children before alcohol abuse becomes entrenched in their life-styles. Because we need a better understanding of how to identify those children at highest risk, offspring of parents with the most severe form of the disorder need to be studied. We have successfully identified a particularly severe form of alcoholism in women utilizing a double proband methodology which was first developed in our laboratory to select more severe cases of male alcoholism (e.g. early onset, high familial aggregation). During thee first five years of this award we identified 40 extended high-risk pedigrees, and among other goals achieved, successfully evaluated offspring from these pedigrees cross- sectionally. We compared these offspring to low-risk controls using neurophysiological indices associated with risk for alcoholism (primarily the amplitude of the P300). We also evaluated these offspring for psychopathological characteristics utilizing direct clinical interviews (consensus diagnoses based on a K-SADS interview separately with the child and the parent). We find: (1) significantly reduced P300 among these offspring of female alcoholics from high density families; and (2) significantly more psychopathology, both externalizing and internalizing. These effects are present even when only the mother is alcoholic and in the absence of drinking during pregnancy. The primary goal of the proposed renewal is to follow 200 high and low- risk offspring over the next five years. We will model: (1) age of onset for regular drinking, and (2) severity of psychopathology. In order to insure that the findings to date are robust, we will include an unscreened control group of offspring to be compared with our high-risk group and the screened low-risk group already available for follow-up. We have documented in several published studies, the presence of neurobiological risk factors (e.g. reduced amplitude of P300) in high- risk children. We suggest that these neurobiological indices may signal developmental delays for some children. These findings underscore the importance of utilizing these potential neurobiological markers prospectively and relate them to later development of alcohol dependence. The possible interplay between environmental variation and the neurobiological factors associated with high-risk status also suggests the need to assess this variation in the context of a longitudinal follow-up.

Disposition of morphine in the rat isolated perfused kidney: concentration ranging studies. The rat isolated perfused kidney was used to investigate the linearity of the renal disposition of morphine and its potential oxidative and glucuronidative metabolism by the kidney. In a set of single-dose experiments, morphine was administered to recirculating perfusion medium to achieve initial concentrations of 0.2, 2 and 20 microM (n = 4 at each concentration). In a set of multiple-dose experiments, morphine was administered to perfusate as sequential bolus doses to achieve concentrations of 0.2, 2, 20 and 200 microM (n = 6). HPLC was used to determine the concentration of morphine in perfusate and urine. Normorphine, morphine-3-glucuronide and morphine-6-glucuronide could not be detected in perfusate or urine, a result that suggests an absence of oxidative and glucuronidative metabolism of morphine by the rat kidney. The volume of distribution of morphine within the kidney was high (31 +/- 3 ml/g at 0.2 microM), which indicates extensive accumulation, and remained constant with increasing perfusate concentration. The ratio of unbound renal excretory clearance to glomerular filtration rate was always greater than unity for all kidneys, which indicates that the renal excretion of morphine involves net tubular secretion. This ratio was constant (P > .05) over the 100-fold concentration range of the single-dose study. In the multiple-dose study, the ratio was marginally but significantly (P < .05) higher at concentrations of 2, 20 and 200 microM than at 0.2 microM, a difference that cannot be explained by saturation of tubular secretion. The results suggest that the tubular secretion of morphine is not saturated over a wide range of concentrations (0.2-200 microM).

"So I went out with a drug dealer on..." "Jared S., make a better choice!" "Saturday night." " It was incredible." " Oh, that is so awesome." "Okay, Alfred G., three, two..." "Not today, my friend." "Was he, like, a mobster or something?" "No, he, like, sells Vicodin on the low, full time." "Stop." "Down." "Now." "If you tell me he has a goatee," "I'm gonna be so jealous." "He was really tender." "Xavier L., is that your... thank you for making a good choice, Xavier L." "But not too tender, if you know what I mean." "[chuckles]" "Did you do the deed?" "[chuckles]" "Okay, Room 301, we're done down here." "We do not make gestures like that." "These are bad kids." "The worst." "[rock music]" "♪ Tear it down ♪" "♪ Tear it down ♪ [rock music]" "♪ Cake, cake, cake ♪" "♪ Haters gonna hate, bakers gonna bake ♪" "♪ Cake in the morning ♪" "What's up with this cake?" "My class made it for Hunger Action Month." "Then shouldn't they be eating it?" "No." "I took it away from them, so they could know the true meaning of hunger." "Well, I've decided to treat myself ever since my breakup with Jacob." "How are you doing?" "Not that well." "Hasn't it been, like, a year?" "14 months." "Ladies, I'm so glad you're all here for the meeting." " What meeting?" "." " The anti-bullying committee meeting." "Ms. Feldman?" "Ms. Feldman, are you here for the meeting?" "The meeting?" "Yes." "Yes, I am." "Were you just sleeping?" "No." "No, I was not." "Okay." "I just got off the phone with Mrs. Lark from district." "A while back, they mandated that every school launch an anti-bullying program." "I need this committee to come up with ways to prevent bullying here at Fillmore." "But we don't have a bullying problem." "I know, but someone reported that we didn't have a program, and now we have to have one." " That was me." " Why would you do that?" "But then how are we going to know who the popular kids are?" " What?" " I thought I was excused from all extracurricular activities due to emotional stress." "That was never a thing." "This is going to make a real difference." "I know in high school when Lauren Zellnek convinced everyone that I was gay and put fetal pigs in my locker," "I could have used a program like this." "Anyway, I need you all to come up with different ways to prevent bullying at Fillmore." " Are you all in?" " Yes." "Because with cutbacks looming, it's volunteering for a program like this that would keep you from getting fired." " I'm in." " Me, too." " Yeah, I'll do it." " Yeah, yeah." " Good." " Yay." "Okay, everyone." "Quiet coyote." "Thank you." "Now today I want to talk to you guys about bullies." "Did you know that the word "bully"" "originally meant "sweetheart"?" "Makes a lot of sense when you think about it." "Because sometimes a bully starts out as a sweetheart." "That's how they get you." "A bully is someone who generally disregards your feelings, ignores your texts, and changes the password on your joint Netflix account" " two days after you break up." " Uh, Ms. Watson..." "A bully can also take you to Nashville one weekend on his frequent flier miles, treat you to bottomless mimosas, and then on Monday tell you it's over." "What's a mimosa?" "It's something women in their 20s order so they can feel better about drinking in the morning." "I thought we were going to read Cinderella today." "No." "No, I'm not going to be reading you any fairy tales because they're lies." "The truth is, kids, sometimes Prince Charming wants to date other people, you know?" "And just because you leave a shoe in his apartment doesn't mean you can show up whenever you want." "Nobody lives happily ever after." "Trust me." "My cousin Connie's 39." "She just got divorced, and now she works part-time at a Chicos." " Chicos?" " Yeah, Chicos." "It's Spanish for big shoulders." "[rock music]" "Ms. Snap, I drew you a picture of us." "Thank you so much." "Is that supposed to be me?" "Yeah." "Where are my cheekbones?" " Uh..." " Couple of tips." "We have the same size wrists, so why do you draw me with the bigger body?" "I'm not Miley Cyrus." "I don't have horse teeth." " Okay." " This is really bad." "It's disgusting." "Let's just consider this a rough draft." "Debbie?" "Love that chambray dress." "What if we had them write down what they did wrong on signs and then they could wear them around their necks like that dog-shaming website?" "They're not dogs." "Sometimes bullying can be a good thing." "In high school, my best friend Randy got called the f-word every day and now he's head pastor of his church." "Lauren Zellnek tortured me in high school." "It got so bad that I got hemorrhoids and I had to sit on an innertube in all of my classes." "You must have felt like you were at the pool all day." "Sorry." "The hot dad dropped his son off late and I had to flirt with him." "He is so hot." " Did you bring any ideas?" " Yes, I did." "A compliments board is a great idea." "I think we should christen it by giving each other compliments." "Um, I'll start." "Chelsea, I think your hair looks really nice today." "I look like a piece of [bleep]." "So should I not write that down or..." "Caroline, um..." "I really like how you handled your breakup." "That's not a compliment." "For someone who doesn't have a lot going on for them, you have a lot of confidence." "Thank you so much." "Raise your hand if you've ever bullied someone." "Okay, guys, bullying is not just pushing, beating, and shoving." "We can also hurt each other with our words." "So why don't we go ahead and shout out some examples of verbal bullying?" "Marty has a butt chin." "Yes." "That is bullying." "Any other examples?" "Denise doesn't know who her dad is." "Mm, this is an interesting example." "It sounds like bullying, but is also a factual statement." "So is it bullying?" "I don't know the answer there." "Ms. Feldman's gonna be honest with you guys." "I don't know." "This is one of those times where we're all on the same page learning together, and it's really fun." "Maggie has the same haircut as my Aunt Linda." "My mom made me get this haircut." "Alison's mom is fat." "Chuck's mom is fat." "Brendan's mom is fat." "Alison, Chuck, and Brendan's dads like it like that." "A lot of guys do." "Did someone already do Maggie's haircut?" "You guys, my mom made me go to her hairdresser, Doris." "And Doris only knows one haircut." "I don't think Maggie's haircut is a problem, you guys." "I think it's Doris." "But if we all agree that Maggie's haircut is bad, then is that bullying?" "Yeah." "I think it is." "It's 'cause people are very dark inside." "People are very sad and dark inside." "Okay, a little too much?" "We'll save that for after lunch." "[kids sobbing]" "Oh, my God." "What happened?" "This is horrible. _" "I didn't want this haircut." "Oh, Maggie, honey, ignore the board." "You're beautiful." "Where did they come up with these insults?" "This is the opposite of compliments." "This is bullying." "Which is progress because this morning they didn't even know you could bully with words?" "Unbelievable." "[rock music]" "The compliments board was a disaster." "Now does anyone have any ideas that are actually good?" "We really need an anti-bullying club." "What if we implement a buddy system where you always have one friend you can really count on?" "What if they don't even have one friend?" "What if we made sure kids only said nice things?" "We can't restrict their free speech." "I really think we need an anti-bullying club." "Now that is a good idea." " I love that." " Yeah." "Yeah." "I just suggested that." "What would they do in the club?" "It would be a safe place for them to talk about their feelings." "They could make potato batteries." "They could check their email." "It could just be a safe place for them to talk about their feelings." "That's it." "Perfect." "Did I not just say that?" "We'd need someone to be in charge." "I'm happy to offer my classroom." "I used to cut myself." "This is my pain." "I'm gonna run this club." "I am." "This is a safe place." "I want you all to feel that you can come here and talk about issues and troubles you're having here at school, okay?" "Does anyone want to share anything?" "Brad says I smell like Funyons." "People love Funyons." "They're fun." "Listen, in high school, Lauren Zellnek changed my name from Deb Adler to Dumb Fatter, which made me develop an eating disorder." "Has anyone had any experiences like that?" "No?" "Really?" "No one's ever sprayed you in the face with Windex?" "No one's ever started a rumor that you were gay because you won tickets to The Rosie O'Donnell Show?" "Did Lauren Zellnek make you take a shot from a diva cup?" "Jesus Christ." "Look, I really want to know how brutal it is for you guys." "People make fun of my haircut." "Oh, if that's the worst thing that's happened to you, you're dead when you get into the real world." "It's not that bad here at Fillmore." "Ugh." "You guys, you're giving me nothing to work with." "It's gonna get bad." "When you get to sixth grade, get boobs, cramps, whatever it is guys get, everything's gonna change." "When that happens, remember that you have a voice." "And think of our group's name:" "Stop Teasing And Bullying." "STAB." "All:" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "Ms. Snap, I drew you another picture." "Why do you insist on making me ugly?" " What?" " I didn't pay $60 a week for a juice cleanse to have my thigh gap go unnoticed." "I'm on to you." "I'm not gonna let you bring me down, Debbie." "This is a prime example of institutional bullying." "Gender specific bathrooms force students to prematurely classify themselves, when really gender's on a spectrum." "I can relate." "One time I dreamt I had a dick." "I do have one question though." "How are they gonna know which bathroom to use?" "Now they can use either." "Don't you have a class right now?" "They're in silent free time." "[all screaming]" "Come on." "We've got five more bathrooms to hit." "Did you know you can get HPV from fingers?" "How many fingers?" "I bought my very first Groupon today." "Oh, nice." "What was it for?" "Anal bleaching." "Do you really think that you need that?" "Probably." "Both:" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "Oh, don't worry." "That's, uh, that's our new anti-bullying club." "Aren't they being a little aggressive?" "No." "They're just standing up for themselves." "My mom says I can be President." "You're too stupid to be the President." "Oh, isn't that kid in your class?" "Yeah." "That's Blake." "Well, he's a bully." "You need to call a conference with his parents." "Dumb bitch." "Today." "Because the bottom line is you can't break up with someone and still like all their posts on Facebook." "You need to give them closure." "Just because one person's okay doesn't mean the other person is." "For all you know, that other person could have been asked to leave their pottery class at the learning annex due to excessive crying because the class kept reminding them of the movie Ghost." "So what's the answer?" "Sorry." "I got a little sidetracked." "It's one." "[knocking]" " Ms. Bennigan?" " Oh, Hot Dad." "What?" "Yes?" "Hi." "Hello." "Are you Blake's dad?" "Yeah." "You wanted to meet with me?" "Yes, thank you for coming in." "Um, I wanted to talk with you about some issues concerning Blake's behavior." "Yeah." "I was afraid of that ever since the, uh, change in our family situation." "Oh." "Oh, I'm surprised Blake didn't tell you." "Uh..." "His mom left us." "Oh." "I'm so sorry." "Oh, no." "It's... it's fine." "No, we'll be strong." "We do miss having a woman around the house, but, you know, you're sort of a surrogate mom to Blake." "[giggles]" "[chuckles] I'm..." "I'm sorry." " I've embarrassed you." " No, no, no." "So, um, what's going on with Blake's behavior?" "You know what?" "Don't worry about it." "Hey, wait, what?" "I thought you said there were issues." "The issue is he's too advanced." "He's the smartest kid I've ever known." " Blake?" " He's the pussy's pajamas." "Cat's!" "The cat's pajamas." "Okay." "Well, thanks for letting me come by." "Thanks for letting me come." "Well, I'm just gonna..." "I'm gonna get going." "Kids:" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" " [blows whistle]" " Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Get out of here." "Stop." "STAB is too big for you to control." "He's a bully." "Let's show him what we do to bullies." " Whoa!" " Kids:" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "I am beside myself." "This week was supposed to prevent bullying, and now we have more reported cases of bullying than ever before." "Your compliments board turned into a-a... an insult board." "We have a banned vigilante squad." "It's like Lord of The Flies out there." " We were trying..." " I don't care!" "Luckily, Mrs. Lark from the district is an anti-bullying expert." "She's agreed to come in this afternoon and help these children that you've traumatized." "If today doesn't go well, start looking for other places to warp young minds." "If you see a kid who's missing a tooth, let me know." "I found this on the playground." "Oh, shoot." "Excuse me, I'm looking for the library." "I'm here to facilitate an anti-bulling workshop." "Lauren?" " Oh, my God." "Lauren Zellnek?" " [gasps]" "Oh, actually it's Lauren Lark now." "I'm married." "Um, sorry, do we know each other?" "You don't remember the girl you were completely brutal to in high school?" "Deb Adler." "Don't you mean Dumb Fatter?" "Oh, Deb, you have to let that go." "It's in the past." "Based on your eyeliner," "I can tell you're still very angry." " Seriously?" " Well, I'm sorry for the way" "I behaved in high school, but that was a long time ago." "And...[chuckles] Bravo to you for losing all that weight." "It must have been really hard because it was a lot of weight." "A lot. [laughing] [laughing]" "Good afternoon." "Today, we're gonna work to turn all of you bullies into buddies." "What a nightmare." "Now, who here has a personal story they'd like to share about a time they were bullied?" "This is for the students." "Yes." "Ms. Snap hates my drawings." "What?" "That's not true." "They're just not an accurate portrayal of my body." "I drew you a new one." "Ms. Snap?" "What a cool body." "I love it." "Now we're getting somewhere." "All right." "Where's Blake?" "Blake, why aren't you in the workshop?" "I can't go in there and face all my nemeses." "Listen, today you've gotta walk in someone else's shoes." "And now that you know what it's like to be bullied, you won't do it again, right?" "Right." "Do you feel better?" "Yeah." "Thanks." "Maybe you could tell your dad what a great talk we had?" "Don't you think it would be fun to see me at school, and then back at your dad's house?" "For this next exercise, we're gonna do a little roleplay." "Mrs. Adler, why don't you come up and help me show everyone the proper way to handle a bully?" "Let me guess." "You're the bully." " You're ugly." " Have we started yet?" "I said you're ugly." "Okay." "I would appreciate it if you would not talk to me like that." "At school, we should respect each other." " You're a lesbian." " No, I'm not." "And calling someone a lesbian isn't an insult." "Even though you're not fat anymore, you'll always be a fat girl on the inside," "Dumb Fatter." " Shut your mouth." " Ah, ah, ah." " Now that is the wrong..." " [yelling]" " Oh, my God." " Who's a lesbian now?" "Kids:" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "Oh, my God." "Kids:" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "STAB!" "Get off me, get off of me!" "Ladies, will you please help me stop this?" "Stop it!" "Ow!" "She's biting me!" "[kids cheering] Ladies, help!" "Ow!" "I am the principal!" "Well, I just got off the phone with the district office." " We are so sorry." " It was my bad." "It is not my fault." "Actually, it was good news." "After what happened today with Mrs. Lark, she doesn't want anything else to do with us." "She's excused Fillmore Elementary from any further participation in the anti-bullying program." " That's great news." " That's awesome." " Wow." " So happy I could have helped." "By the way, does anyone know what's going on with the bathrooms?" "♪ ♪" "♪ Tear it down ♪" "♪ Tear it down ♪" "♪ Tear it down ♪" "♪ Tear it down ♪" "Oh, yeah."

Dynamic properties of a delayed protein cross talk model. In this paper we investigate how the inclusion of time delay alters the dynamical properties of the Jacob-Monod model, describing the control of the beta-galactosidase synthesis by the lac repressor protein in E. coli. The consequences of a time delay on the dynamics of this system are analysed using Hopf's theorem and Lyapunov-Andronov's theory applied to the original mathematical model and to an approximated version. Our analytical calculations predict that time delay acts as a key bifurcation parameter. This is confirmed by numerical simulations. A critical value of time delay, which depends on the values of the model parameters, is analytically established. Around this critical value, the properties of the system change drastically, allowing under certain conditions the emergence of stable limit cycles, that is self-sustained oscillations. In addition, the features of the end product repression play an essential role in the characterisation of these limit cycles: if cooperativity is considered in the end product repression, time delay higher than the mentioned critical value induce differentiated responses during the oscillations, provoking cycles of all-or-nothing response in the concentration of the species.

Cell association increases RPE outgrowth from primary explant. Most studies of cell growth of the RPE employ cultures which have been previously passaged, but here we investigated freshly-explanted RPE cells, which may have been growth-quiescent for years, within the eye to determine whether co-culture affects initial outgrowth in primary culture. Bovine or human RPE were co-cultured in primary culture with several cell types to test the effects of homologous or heterologous cell association. For bovine RPE, cell number was measured over 14 days in cultures of RPE alone, or RPE in co-culture with irradiated living cells, with fixed-killed cells, with cells separated from the RPE by a semipermeable membrane, or in medium conditioned by the cell types used for co-culture. For human RPE, isolates from all donors were randomized, over a 13-month period, to co-culture or to culture alone. The number of cultures attaining a cell number at one month that was sufficient for further propagation was compared. Co-culture with irradiated living cells increased the growth of primary cultures of both bovine and human RPE. Living cells were required; fixed-killed cells were ineffective. The outgrowth-promoting activity was not tissue or species specific, and it appeared to require close cell association between the RPE and the co-culture cell population. Conditioned media were ineffective and rather were slightly growth inhibitory. Primary RPE cells showed an earlier expression of vimentin (a marker of Gzero-G1 transition), more rapid cell spreading, and a greater increase in cell number between 7 and 14 days after explant when grown in co-culture than when cultured alone. The results indicate that cell association between non-mitotic RPE cells and previously cultured cells of many types increases the outgrowth of the RPE by accelerating the early stages of growth activation in vitro. Co-culture methods offer a practical means for increasing the likelihood of producing cultures from small RPE isolates. Further, should cells involved in proliferative pathologies in situ associate with non-mitotic RPE within the monolayer, the latter cells may also be activated, leading to an augmentation of the pathology.

Changes in charges and costs associated with hospitalization of patients with mandibular fractures between 1991 and 1993. The purpose of the study was to examine the changes in costs, charges, and income related to hospitalization of patients with mandibular fractures treated over a 3-year period. The study involved retrospective analysis of data on 97 patients treated by the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery between 1991 and 1993. Biographical data were obtained from the Trauma Registry, and the financial data were obtained from the Financial Services Administration. The study examined the changes in costs and charges of hospitalization, insurance status, reimbursement, total revenue, and income losses from hospitalization of patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of mandibular fracture. In addition, the study examined the changes in costs of major items involved in treatment. Possible variables such as age, gender, and cause of fracture were also recorded. Twenty-nine patients were admitted in 1991, 35 in 1992, and 33 in 1993. These patients were predominantly young males. The average cost of treatment decreased by 2% in 1992 and increased by 58% in 1993. The average charge increased by 12.9% in 1992 and by 76.8% in 1993. The total reimbursement increased by 11.2% in 1992 and by 47.7% in 1993. The average payment per patient to the institution by third-party payers decreased by 7.8% in 1992 and increased by 56.6% in 1993. The loss of income to the institution (cost minus reimbursement) increased by 105.9% in 1992 and by 58% in 1993. The average institution income loss from the care for each patient increased by 70.6% in 1992 and by 67.8% in 1993. This study showed that there was a continued increase in costs, charges, and income loss for hospitalization of mandibular fracture patients during the years 1991 to 1993, whereas the reimbursement rate decreased from 65% to 47% of the charges. The increase in cost of supplies and use of rigid fixation, the increase in the number of uninsured patients, and the pricing practices of the institution were possible causes of these changes.

Generally-known smart phones and other mobile communication devices, or user equipment (UEs), in the 5th generation Long Term Evolution of wireless communications (5G LTE) will employ planar antenna arrays in order to have higher directive gains over single antenna or diversity antenna configurations. The higher directive gains are needed to circumvent the increased path loss at millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies. However, planar antenna arrays have scanning limitations. For example, a 4×4 patch array facing out the back of a user device or user equipment (UE) can scan approximately ±30 degrees off the boresight of the planar antenna. Additionally, with a planar patch antenna array facing out of the backside of a UE, there are two additional problems related to scanning incoming signals at 90 degrees from the boresight of the antenna. A first problem is the peak gain at 90 degrees is significantly lower compared to the peak gain at the boresight (0 degrees) of the antenna. A second problem is that the gain of the antenna side lobes directed away from scanned direction of interest will become larger than the gain of the desired main lobe in the desired direction. As a result, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) will be lower in the desired receive direction than in an undesired direction.

This invention relates generally to optical disk media and more specifically to attachment of adhesive backed rings used for write protection on rewritable compact disk media and similar optical disk media. Rewritable mass memory media is typically contained in a rigid protective cartridge during operation and the cartridge typically includes a write-protect feature to protect information on a storage medium from being destroyed. For example, many data tape cartridges have a moveable plastic tab on the cartridge that can be moved to one of two positions. Similarly, flexible diskettes in hard plastic cases have a sliding or breakaway plastic tab on the plastic case. Rewritable compact disks (CD-RW) and rewritable Digital Versatile Disks (DVD, also called Digital Video Disks), however, are not in a cartridge during operation. Compact discs are commonly stored in clear plastic containers commonly called xe2x80x9cjewelxe2x80x9d cases or jewel boxes, but the disks are removed from these boxes during operation. Therefore, write protection for CD""s and DVD""s must be implemented directly on the disk medium. Solutions have been proposed that are software based. That is, if a particular bit or data field has a particular value, software (operating system or drive controller) is not supposed to overwrite data on the medium. However, software solutions require support by all operating systems, software drivers and drives. If a disk is created by one operating system or drive controller that supports a software write-protect feature, and then is taken to a system that does not support the feature, data may be inadvertently destroyed. In addition, a software virus could bypass software write protection to delete data on the disk. There is a need for a physical write-protect feature, directly on the disk medium, that protects against writing for any software or any drive. Industry standard CD-RW media use a phase change material having a transparency that can be reversibly changed by heating, and then cooling at a controlled rate. In CD-RW drives, a laser is used to heat, and then cool small areas at a controlled rate. Laser power must be calibrated for each disk medium. Before writing or erasing, a standard CD-RW drive must successfully calibrate laser power by writing into a Power Calibration Area on the medium. If the drive cannot read the calibration patterns in the Power Calibration Area, it will not erase or write in the data area of the disk. U.S. application Ser. No. 08/823,823, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a write-protect device in which the Power Calibration Area is covered by a removable opaque adhesive backed ring. Optical disks of interest have a central hole. Drives grip the optical disk around the central hole using mechanisms that may be sensitive to the thickness of the optical disk. Therefore, the write protect ring preferably does not intrude in the area of the disk immediately surrounding the central hole in the disk. The permissible mechanical tolerance for positioning a write-protect ring is relatively small. However, if a write-protect ring cannot intrude into the area adjacent to the central hole in the disk, the central hole in the disk cannot be used to directly align a write-protect ring. There is a need for a low cost, easy-to-use system for precise positioning of adhesive backed write-protect rings onto optical disks. U.S. application Ser. No. 08/932,849, filed Sep. 18, 1997, hereby incorporated by reference, offers one such system. The present application offers another such system. A write-protect ring is formed from a multilayer material. The material comprises an adhesive backed label layer and a backing layer. When installed on an optical disk, the write protect ring covers the area necessary to prevent writing to the disk. In operation, the backing layer is removed from the write-protect ring, exposing the adhesive, and the write-protect ring is pressed against the data side of the disk. The write-protect ring is left attached to the disk. The first example embodiment of the invention provides a device that positions the write-protect ring so that it is aligned with the center hole of the disk. Aligning the write-protect ring with the center of the disk ensures that the ring is in the correct location, thereby enabling the write protect function. The device includes a hub upon which the center hole of the disk is pressed, thereby securing the disk to the device. The device also includes a support that surrounds the hub and is connected to the hub so that it may move axially along the hub. This support serves as a shelf for the write-protect ring and a press to assure good contact between the disk and the adhesive of the write-protect ring. In operation the write-protect ring is positioned on the support with the adhesive exposed and facing upwards away from the support. The disk is then placed on the hub with its data side down. As the hole of the disk is pressed down upon the hub, the support of the device presses the write-protect ring against the disk, causing the write-protect ring to adhere to the disk. The disk is then removed from the device and it is now write-protected by the write-protect ring that is adhered to its data side. The write-protect ring may also include a removable ring shaped alignment area. The alignment area is surrounded by the write-protect ring and forms a hole in its center that has the same diameter as the central hole of the disk. The alignment area helps the device of the present invention ensure that the write-protect ring is aligned to the center of the hole in the disk. After the disk with the write-protect ring attached is removed from the device, the alignment area is removed, leaving just the write-protect ring attached to the disk. Multiple write-protect rings may be provided as tear-away features in an insert for the cover of the jewel case. Write-protect rings may be removable. Alternatively, if desired, permanent write-protect rings may be implemented by using a material with an adhesive that is extremely difficult to remove without damaging the disk.

Maternal nutrition and predisposition to later kidney disease. Although it is well-accepted that size at birth is inversely related to adult blood pressure and cardiovascular risk in humans, the majority of information available with regard to maternal nutrition, prenatal growth, and subsequent renal disease comes from animal models. Restriction of food or protein during specific windows of pregnancy leads to hypertension in adult offspring. Depending on the degree of maternal restriction, nephron number and renal function in the offspring may be reduced, and proteinuria and histological signs of renal disease are present. All of these abnormalities appear to worsen with age. Female gender is relatively protective against these prenatal insults, but with more severe maternal dietary restriction female offspring are also affected. In addition to macronutrients, roles for several micronutrients have been identified in fetal programming for hypertension and renal disease. Ongoing investigations into the roles of sex hormones, the renin-angiotensin system, and vitamin A in these developmental processes may lead to strategies for prevention of dietary programming for hypertension and renal disease in humans.

When starting an internal combustion engine, it is useful to know the rest position of the engine crankshaft prior to cranking so that fuel and spark settings can be targeted accordingly. In this way, the engine starts in less time and consumes the delivered fuel more efficiently. However, it is difficult to determine the position at which the engine crankshaft stops rotating. This is because crankshaft position sensors are not designed to indicate the direction of rotation, and the crankshaft may reverse directions one or more times due to cylinder air compression before the rest position is finally achieved. If the engine speed at turn-off is too slow for the crankshaft to continue rotating through the next compression cycle, the crankshaft will reverse directions, or “rock-back”. If the engine speed is rotating faster at turn-off, the crankshaft will rotate through the next compression cycle, or “rock-forward”. Although it is possible to predict or estimate the final position of the crankshaft based on engine speed and crankshaft position measurements, the estimate is only accurate to within 90 crank degrees of the actual crankshaft position. This inaccuracy can cause the engine to begin fueling on the wrong cylinder when the engine is re-started. As a result, the engine must be cranked longer before starting, and the initial exhaust emissions can exceed the regulated limits. Accordingly, what is needed is a method of more accurately determining the final rest position of an internal combustion engine.

The present invention relates to transport apparatus for transporting flexible sheet-like articles, for example, sheets of paper, cards and envelopes. Known machines for bundling letter or dispatch envelopes comprise intake equipment for inducting envelopes disposed in a stack. Such intake equipment includes a cylinder, which rotates in operation and which has suction openings for applying suction to successive envelopes, drawing individual envelopes from the base of the stack and, for example, transferring the envelopes to downstream transport equipment. At the point of each transfer, the suction openings are ventilated so that the envelope is released from the cylinder. A known form of intake equipment has a cylinder with a shaft and two cylinder body portions, which are mounted on the shaft to be rotatable therewith and the circumferential surfaces of which incorporate a series of suction openings, which open into a suction channel extending along the rotational axis. The shaft is hollow and its interior connects the suction channels of the two cylinder body portions to a suction device via a control coupling. The control coupling comprises a first part fastened to a frame of the equipment to be non-rotatable relative thereto and a second part connected to the shaft to be rotatable therewith. The two parts have air passages with openings which, in a certain rotational position of the cylinder, face each other. In this rotational position, the cylinder applies suction to successive envelopes and entrains the envelopes in succession. The control coupling is also provided with a ventilation channel in order to ventilate the suction openings in another rotational position of the cylinder. Present between the two cylinder body portions is a groove in which is arranged a separating device. The separating device is mounted on the frame to be non-rotatable relative thereto and is provided with a suction opening, which is located in the interior of the groove below the envelope stack. The suction opening of the separating device is connected via a duct with separate suction control couplings, which in turn are connected with the suction device. Each of these control couplings comprises a first part fastened to the frame to be non-rotatable relative thereto and a second part which is mounted on a separate shaft and which is rotated synchronously with the cylinder by a gear. This separate control coupling is constructed in such a manner that the suction opening of the separating device, in a particular rotational position of the cylinder, supplies suction to suck the lowermost envelope of the stack partially into the groove. Subsequently, this envelope is released by ventilation of the suction opening of the separating device so that it can be entrained by the cylinder. The separating device ensures that only one envelope is drawn away from the stack at a time. In the known equipment, relatively long air paths are present between the two control couplings and the suction openings of the cylinder and separating device. In operation of the equipment, these air paths must be alternately partially evacuated and then ventilated. For this purpose, a relatively large quantity of air must be sucked away or let in. This entails the disadvantages that the maximum possible operating speed is relatively limited and a considerable amount of noise is generated. The noise is to a large extent caused by the substantial quantities of air which must be sucked away from or let into the air paths. In particular, ventilation generates noise like a report on the sudden inflow of air. Furthermore, the known intake equipment has the disadvantage that the control couplings require a considerable amount of space and thereby increase the overall size of the equipment. Transport cylinders with suction openings are used not only for intake equipment, but also for other transport and deflection purposes. For example, in the specification of Swiss Patent Application No. 10847/78, there is described a cylinder, which serves to provide a deflector and which has a number of suction channels each provided with a plurality of suction openings opening at the circumferential surface of the cylinder. The suction channels open at one of the end faces of the cylinder. The cylinder is associated with a suction control coupling comprising a ring which is nonrotatably fastened to the frame and is co-axial with the cylinder. The end face of the ring facing the cylinder end face in which the suction channels open is provided with grooves extending along a circular arc and with a radial ventilation groove. In certain rotational positions of the cylinder, the suction channel openings in the end face of the cylinder communicated with the grooves in the ring of the control coupling, so that air is either sucked out of the suction channels or else the suction channels are ventilated. This deflector is also only capable of operation at relatively low speeds. The grooves in the stationary ring of the control coupling and the openings of the suction channels at the end face of the cylinder extend for only a relatively short distance in radial direction because only a small space is available between the shaft and the outer rim of the cylinder. Accordingly, the flow cross-sectional area for air transition from the stationary ring of the control coupling to the cylinder is relatively small, with the result that the operating speed of the deflector is correspondingly limited to a relatively low value. This is particularly so because at least a part of the air in the cylinder itself must traverse a relatively long path due to the fact that all the air is sucked away or flows in at one end face of the cylinder and thus in part must flow through almost the entire length of the cylinder.

[Non-compliance with medication as a common reason for admission to a closed psychiatric ward]. Noncompliance with pharmacologic treatment is common amongst patients suffering from chronic diseases. In psychiatric patients compliance is extremely important in order to prevent recurrence of the disease. Recurrence is associated with readmissions and increased costs to the health system. About 70% of patients suffering from schizophrenia will relapse within a year without medication. This study evaluates the causes of admission and diagnoses of 100 patients consecutively admitted to a closed psychiatric ward between 1.4.2000 and 23.6.2000. Fifty- four of these 100 admissions were associated with medication noncompliance in the last year. Noncompliance was not associated with psychiatric diagnosis, gender, type of medication or form of administration of the medication. The problem of noncompliance should be approached on two levels: the doctor-patient relationship and reorganization of mental health services. On the doctor-patient level, the therapist has to maintain a therapeutic alliance with the patient and his family and adjust the medication accordingly, in order to maximize the benefit and minimize side effects. On the health system level, mental health should be included in the National Health Insurance Law and the Health Funds should take responsibility for mental health as in other medical fields. This may enable the psychiatric patients to be under the care of their general practitioner in continuity with the psychiatric hospital. Thereby, resources should be transferred from the psychiatric hospitals to the community. The availability of the psychiatric community services and their links to the general healthcare system would increase compliance and reduce recurrence, readmissions and the stigma of patients suffering from psychiatric disorders.

Cold field electron emitters or “cold cathode” electron sources based on field emission have been continuously researched for decades, with resurgence in recent years motivated by advances in carbon nanostructures. This research is motivated by the significant technological applications enabled by the desirable properties of field-extracted cold electrons in comparison to heat induced electron emissions. The use of carbon nanotube field emitters in display applications and its potential advantages have been known for some time. In addition though, attributes such as minimal beam spread and fast response would also allow for advances in other critical applications, including microwave electronics and x-ray sources. These attributes would lead to superior communication and radar, and new functionalities and modalities in imaging technology for medicine and security. These latter applications, however, require an emitter capable of high emission current, which so far has been in the realm of thermal sources. Accordingly, a need exists for a cold field or “cold cathode” field emitter which could provide relatively high emission current densities without failure. Moreover, it would also be beneficial to provide methods of forming such emitters at ambient temperatures and which are amenable for large scale manufacturing processes.

In human females, the pelvic floor muscles may become weak or lose conditioning as the result of age, childbirth, injury or disease. As a result, those with weak or unconditioned muscles may experience difficulty controlling or stopping the flow of urine. As a result, these individuals may experience episodes of incontinence, sexual dysfunction, or other undesirable situations related to muscle control. In order to improve the condition of the pelvic floor muscles and thus reduce the incidences of incontinence, improve sexual function, and/or improve other undesirable situations, individuals may perform various exercises including an exercise that involves the voluntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles. The most well-known of these is the Kegel exercise. When performing Kegel exercises, a subject generally will attempt to contract their muscles for a short period of time, release the contraction of those muscles and then repeat this process. The desired result is the improvement of muscle tone in the pelvic floor muscles. Some individuals may have difficulty identifying the correct muscles to contract or may not hold the contraction long enough to be beneficial. In other cases, the individual may not remember to perform the exercises or lose interest and either stop performing the exercise or not perform them frequently enough to obtain a desired benefit. There have been devices disclosed that assist a user in their efforts to learn to contract the muscles of the pelvic floor using various methods of electrically stimulating those muscles. In fact, various classes of muscle stimulators have been defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration including muscle stimulators for the improvement of muscle tone, muscle stimulators for the treatment of incontinence and stimulation for the treatment of muscle pain. Devices for facilitating some of these treatments are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,501 (Sherlock) discloses a device for providing an electrode for electrical stimulation. This same device may also be used to receive biofeedback signals. With such a device, a user may receive stimulation in order to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. In addition to the stimulation portions, Sherlock also discloses a biofeedback portion. The biofeedback portion may be used to measure a user's muscle activity in response to such stimulation or as the result of exercises initiated by the user. Such a device may be of value to a user who desires to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles by combining stimulation with self-initiated muscle exercise. A user of such a device must be diligent with regard to their self-initiated exercises in order to see optimum results with regard to muscle strengthening. The use of games or similar methods of engaging a user may be beneficial in that such methods may encourage the user to persist in their exercise program. Various classes of muscle stimulators have been defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration including muscle stimulators for the improvement of muscle tone, muscle stimulators for the treatment of incontinence and stimulation for the treatment of muscle pain feedback. Applications for regulated stimulation and interactive feedback extend beyond the pelvic floor muscles and incontinence issues. Various other muscle groups may be educated and re-educated to perform in desirable ways. Herein, the terms education and re-education may be used interchangeably. Examples of such applications include, but are not limited to, replantation patients, stroke victims, paralysis victims, and individuals experiencing other injuries or conditions. In such cases, the amount of muscle stimulation required for safe and optimal muscle education must be determined and utilized. In many cases, the optimal amount of muscle stimulation is specific to the particular user based on the user's physical characteristics, injury or condition, and progress within the muscle education program. Therefore, what is needed is a system and method which provides regulated muscle stimulation and interactive feedback for muscle education. A system and method which provides regulated muscle stimulation and interactive feedback for muscle education is disclosed. The muscle education may involve neurological (hypothalamic) and spinal locomotor pattern generation. In an embodiment of such a device and system, a muscle stimulation system may be combined with a biofeedback receiving system that interacts with a plurality of games. A user of such a device may engage the muscle stimulation system to both provide conditioning to pelvic floor muscles and also to learn what sort of muscle response produces the desired conditioning of the pelvic floor muscles. A user may also use the plurality of games to encourage the user to perform exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Games may have the benefit of encouraging the user to initiate the desired exercise and also to provide guidance to the user in regards to an optimum exercise level and technique. In an embodiment of the invention, a firewall may be created between the stimulation portion and the feedback portion to prevent the use of the feedback portion to control the stimulation. Such a firewall may be physical in nature, in other words, a physical isolation between the electronic components comprising the stimulation and biofeedback portion of an embodiment of the invention. In other embodiments of the invention, the firewall may be formed by the software programming of the embodiment. In such an example, the software may be designed to prevent interaction between the biofeedback and stimulation portions of the embodiment. In an embodiment of the device in which the firewall is formed in software, an enabling code may be implemented such that persons seeking to change or modify the device programming may be prevented from doing so without having the proper enabling code. Such an enabling code feature may also be used to prevent software modifications or game designs that may be harmful to a user of the device. The muscle stimulation provided may be regulated to reflect a desired outcome. Too much muscle stimulation can be counter-productive as it may result in regression of muscle education. Too little muscle stimulation may not be sufficient to educate the muscles. For each individual user the maximum therapeutic efficacy may be achieved by way of an algorithmic demonstration of sufficient muscle performance and respiration. Salient to the multi-variable algorithm is the status of the targeted muscle tissues including, but not limited to, muscle responsiveness to following the requisite task and a determination of blood flow. So, if the muscle is unable to perform specific template driven low level contraction challenges and/or exhibits any indications of spasm as monitored by EMG then the next stimulation (NMES) cycle is blocked and remains arrested for as long as the muscle or muscle group cannot perform the threshold point prequalification parameters. As such, the stimulation to be provided may be determined based on characteristics of the specific individual user. Alternatively, or in addition, the stimulation to be provided may be determined based on the user's condition or injury. In exemplary embodiments, a visualization tool may be provided with the regulated stimulation. The visualization tool may provide a visualization of the desired outcome during periods of regulated stimulation to incorporate the user's locomotor pattern generation in therapy so as to include but not limited to procedural memory when the pattern of the objects drives action and when that perception is integral to action in the act of mapping the patterns of the world onto the patterns of the body. Alternatively, or in addition, the visualization tool may provide a visualization of the biofeedback received at the device for enhanced precision in developing specific procedural memory tasks for the specific individual user. Further features and advantages of the devices and systems disclosed herein, as well as the structure and operation of various aspects of the present disclosure, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying figures.

CTG repeats associated with human genetic disease are inherently flexible. The lengthening of tracts of CTG, CGG and GAA triplet repeats during progression of a pedigree has been associated with more than 12 human genetic diseases, including fragile X syndrome, myotonic dystrophy and Friedreich's ataxia. These repetitive sequence elements have the potential to form alternative DNA secondary structures that may contribute to their instability. The alternative DNA secondary structures may mediate errors during DNA replication, repair or recombination of the triplet repeat, leading to expansion. Here we show that DNA composed of pure CTG or CGG repeats exhibits anomalously fast mobility on polyacrylamide gels, confirming a previous observation for DNA containing CTG and CGG triplet repeats flanked by mixed sequence DNA. Moreover, we show that even short tracts of duplex CTG repeats have an unusual helix structure. CTG repeats reduce overall curvature associated with phased A-tract or GGCC curves, but alone they do not introduce curvature into DNA. The reduction in curvature of phased A-tracts by CTG repeats is similar to that afforded by an interspersed flexible region associated with a (TT).(TT) mispair. CTG-containing DNAs exhibit a rapid rate of cyclization, consistent with a flexible helix. These results suggest that tracts of (CTG).(CAG) repeats are inherently flexible. In addition, our results suggest that the unusual rapid electrophoretic mobility of CTG or CGG-containing DNA may be a consequence of an extended flexible DNA chain.

Fish choose appropriately when and with whom to collaborate. Collaborative abilities are integral to human society [1] and their evolutionary origins are of great interest. Chimpanzees are capable of determining appropriately when and with whom to collaborate in a rope-pull experiment [2]--the only non-human species known to possess both abilities. Chimpanzees are thought to share these abilities with humans as a result of common ancestry [2]. Here, we show that a fish--the coral trout Plectropomus leopardus--has partner-choice abilities comparable to those of chimpanzees in the context of its collaborative hunting relationship with moray eels [3]. Using experiments analogous to those performed on chimpanzees [2], but modified to be ecologically relevant to trout, we showed that trout recruit a moray collaborator more often when the situation requires it and quickly learn to choose the more effective individual collaborator. Thus, these collaborative abilities are not specific to apes and may be more closely linked to ecological need [4] than brain size or relatedness to humans.

The present invention relates in general to semiconductor memories and, more particularly, to a non-volatile semiconductor memory made with ferro-electric capacitors. Semiconductor memories are used in a myriad of applications to store data for later retrieval and usage. Many applications require the memory to be non-volatile in that the data must remain valid for a long period of time even when external power is removed from the memory cell. One such application involves the use of tag memory where one or more memory cells are placed on an item, e.g. personal luggage, that does not have a power source. The tag memory on the luggage may be accessed, for example at airports and depots, to make identification as to the owner and destination. An RF signal is transmitted remotely from a reader to access the tag memory. Some of the received RF transmission signal power energizes the tag memory cell so that the data may be retrieved and transmitted back to the reader. The tag memory must be non-volatile since it remains dormant for long periods of time between accesses. In the prior art, ferro-electric capacitors have been used as the non-volatile memory storage element. However, the number of available data accesses is limited because the ferro-electric property degrades with each memory access cycle. Most if not all ferro-electric memory structures drive the ferro-electric material completely around its hysteresis loop every time the ferro-electric memory cell is accessed. Thus, with the ferro-electric capacitors used as the non-volatile memory storage element, the continuous memory cycling leads to an unnecessary amount of polarization domain switching that also causes excessive power consumption by the ferro-electric cell and reduces the endurance and data retention time of the memory circuit. Hence, a need exists for a non-volatile storage device that can be accessed remotely while retaining data for long periods of time.

This invention relates to an improved valve pin for a valve gating injection molding system. In the past, a wide variety of valve gating systems have been used with varying success for injection molding different materials in different applications. However, while having a variety of different arrangements for providing heat in the gate area, these previous systems have primarily emphasized the valving system and failed to appreciate the degree to which heat transfer to the gate area is critical to the operation of the whole system. While these previous systems do operate for some materials under favourable conditions, their performance is not optimum and their performance is particularly unsatisfactory for more difficult materials under difficult conditions. Without sufficient heat transfer to the gate area, increased injection pressures are required as well as increased force on the valve pin which both in turn lead to subsequent operating difficulties and increased cost. In addition, the heaters in many of these previous systems are subject to the problems of burn out and overheating. More recently, it has become highly desirable to mold new high density materials such as up to 60% glass-filled nylon to replace aluminum molded products. Conventional valve gating systems which do not provide sufficient uniform heat to the gate area have been unable to mold these types of materials. With conventional thermoplastic materials which gradually soften with increased temperatures, closing problems have been overcome by increasing the valve pin force to the area of 400 to 800 pounds. With crystalline materials even this short sighted solution is not available because the melt solidifies very sharply with reduced temperatures. By providing sufficient heat to the gate area the present invention will enable most applications to be run with reduced valve pin forces in the area of from 150 to 300 pounds. Furthermore, in some molding applications it is desirable to form a hole in the molded product to coincide with the gate opening. This may be done by providing for the valve pin to penetrate through the plastic part and seat against the core of the mold as well as in the gate itself. This requires an even transfer of sufficient heat from the upper portion of the heater cast and the melt to the tip of the valve pin where in the past it has been very difficult to maintain and particularly to control temperatures at the necessary level.

Evolution of efficient methods to sample lead sources, such as house dust and hand dust, in the homes of children. Efficient sampling methods to recover lead-containing house dust and hand dust have been evolved so that sufficient lead is collected for analysis, and to ensure that correlational analyses linking these two parameters to blood lead are not dependent on the efficiency of sampling. Precise collection of loose house dust from a 1-unit area (484 cm2) with a Tygon or stainless steel sampling tube connected to a portable sampling pump (1.2 to 2.5 liters/min) required repetitive sampling (three times). The Tygon tube sampling technique for loose house dust less than 177 microns in diameter was around 72% efficient with respect to dust weight and lead collection. A representative house dust contained 81% of its total weight in this fraction. A single handwipe for applied loose hand dust was not acceptably efficient or precise, and at least three wipes were necessary to achieve recoveries of greater than 80% of the lead applied. House dusts of different particle sizes less than 246 microns adhered equally well to hands. Analysis of lead-containing material usually required at least three digestions/decantations using hot plate or microwave techniques to allow at least 90% of the lead to be recovered. It was recommended that other investigators validate their handwiping, house dust sampling, and digestion techniques to facilitate comparison of results across studies. The final methodology for the Cincinnati longitudinal study was three sampling passes for surface dust using a stainless steel sampling tube; three microwave digestions/decantations for analysis of dust and paint; and three wipes with handwipes with one digestion/decantation for the analysis of six handwipes together.

There are a number of applications for techniques for optical measurement through light scattering materials. Most notably, such measurements can be performed through biological tissues and therefore can be used for noninvasive medical diagnostic tests. Cancer tissue and healthy tissue, for example, can be distinguished by means of different optical properties. Scanning the optical measurement can yield high contrast and high magnification images of biological tissues. For example, imaging techniques could be used to examine plaque on the interior walls of arteries and vessels or other small biological structures. Related applications extend to the examination and troubleshooting of integrated optical circuits, fiber optic devices, and semiconductor structures. All these applications require that the measuring technique have a relatively high spatial resolution (microns or tens of microns), high sensitivity, and low noise. Optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) and optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) are techniques which are used to examine optical systems and are generally not capable of performing high resolution measurements through a light scattering material. For example, these methods are generally designed for finding and locating (to within 1 meter) flaws in a fiber optic system. Optical coherence domain reflectometry (OCDR) is a technique which has been used to image an object within or behind light scattering media. The technique uses short coherence length light (typically with a coherence length of about 10-100 microns) to illuminate the object. Light reflected from a region of interest within the object is combined with a coherent reference beam. Interference occurs between the two beams only when the reference beam and reflected beam have traveled the same distance. This allows the OCDR to discriminate against light scattered from outside the region of interest. FIG. 1 shows a typical OCDR setup similar to ones disclosed in several U.S. Pat. Nos. (5,465,147, 5,459,570, and 5,321,501 issued to Swanson et al., 5,291,267, 5,365,335, and 5,202,745 issued to Sorin et al). FIG. 1 shows the device made with fiber optic components, but OCDR devices can also be made with bulk optical components. Light having a short coherence length l.sub.c (given by l.sub.c =C/.DELTA.f, where .DELTA.f is the spectral bandwidth) is produced by a light source 20 and travels through a 50/50 coupler 22 where it is divided into two paths. One path goes to the sample 24 to be analyzed and the other path goes to a movable reference mirror 26. Extra fiber length in the reference path is shown as fiber loop 31. The probe beam reflected from the sample 24 and reference beam reflected from the reference mirror 26 are combined at the coupler 22 and sent to a detector 28. The optical paths traversed by the reflected probe beam and reference beam are matched to within one coherence length such that coherent interference can occur upon recombination at the coupler. A phase modulator 30 (such as a piezoelectric fiber stretcher) produces sideband frequencies in the probe beam which produce a temporal interference pattern (beats) when recombined with the reference beam. The detector 28 measures the amplitude of the beats. The amplitude of the detected interference signal is a measure of the amount of light scattered from within a coherence gate interval 32 inside the sample 24 that provides equal path lengths for the probe and reference beams. Interference is produced only for light scattered from the sample 24 which has traveled the same distance (to within approximately one coherence length) as light reflected from the mirror 26. The coherence gate interval 32 has a width of approximately one coherence length. This feature of OCDR allows the apparatus to discriminate against light which is scattered from outside the coherence gate interval 32, and which is usually incoherent compared to the reference beam. This discrimination (a `coherence gate`) results in improved sensitivity of the device. One negative consequence of the geometry of FIG. 1 is that 50% of the light reflected from the sample 24 is lost. On its return trip through the coupler 22, half the reflected probe beam enters the light source 20 and does not enter the detector 28. This is undesired because it decreases the signal to noise ratio of the device and results in a more powerful light source being required. Another negative feature of the device of FIG. 1 is that it requires the use of a moving mirror to scan longitudinally in and out of the sample 24. The use of a moving mechanical mirror is a disadvantage because moving mechanical parts often have alignment and reliability problems. Another disadvantage of the device of FIG. 1 is the requirement for a large depth of focus of the probe beam in sample 24. A large depth of focus is necessary to allow longitudinal scanning of the coherence gate interval 32 while maintaining the coherence gate interval in the region of the beam having a reasonably small spot size. This requirement increases the minimum spot size of the beam, and thus limits the spatial resolution of the device when acquiring images. A further disadvantage of the device of FIG. 1 is the long integration time typically necessary for each measurement point (pixel) when acquiring an image. This is due to the low power of the backreflected signal when imaging deep within a scattering medium. Under these conditions, the slow acquisition time does not allow in-vivo imaging of live tissue which is usually in motion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,267 to Sorin et al. discloses a technique for OCDR which uses the light source as a light amplifier in order to boost the reflected signal from the sample. Light reflected from the sample is returned through the light source in a reverse direction and is amplified as it passes through. However, Sorin's device requires a coupler in the light path between the source and sample and so necessarily wastes 50% of the light reflected from the sample. In other words, only 50% of the light reflected by the sample is amplified and contributes to the interference signal. Consequently, Sorin's device produces less than optimum signal to noise ratio resulting in less accurate measurements.

A new method for fast blood cell counting and partial differentiation by flow cytometry. A new blood counting method by flow cytometry is described which determines absolute counts and relative proportions of erythrocytes, reticulocytes, thrombocytes, lymphocytes and granulocytes from one sample of saline diluted human or animal blood. Staining time is 2 to 5 min and measuring time between 1 and 2 additional minutes. Measured simultaneously are the electrical cell volume, the green and optionally also the red fluorescence of the transmembrane potential sensitive dye 3,3-dihexyloxacarbocyanine DiOC6(3) and the RNA/DNA stain acridine orange (AO). Work is under way to fully automate staining, measurement and data evaluation. The use of stains by which blood cell counting and biochemical analysis can be combined offers new possibilities for routine blood cell counting without requirement for additional time. The potential of such stains is that pathologic cell conditions which are not, or not yet reflected in the cell count may be earlier detectable by biochemical stains.

In the RF transmission of digital information, sampled data sequences are converted to analog signals and processed, subsequently, by various operations containing unwanted nonlinearities. The primary source of nonlinearity is the power amplifier (PA). Nonlinear behavior of the PA (or other devices) can be compensated using digital predistortion (DPD). That is, the correction signal is a sampled sequence applied prior to the PA to create a corrected signal which compensates for nonlinear modes in the transmitter. The nonlinear behavior of the PA transfer characteristics can be classified as memoryless or memory based. For a memoryless nonlinear device, the nonlinear modes are functions of the instantaneous input value, x(t), only. In contrast, for a PA exhibiting memory effects, the nonlinear modes are functions of both instantaneous and past input values. In general, memory effects exist in any PA; however, the effect becomes more apparent when the bandwidth of the input signal is large. As a result, the correction of memory effects will become increasingly more important as wide bandwidth modulation formats are put in use. Therefore a need presently exists for an improved digital predistortion system where, in addition to correcting memoryless nonlinearities, the specific problem of compensating for memory effects associated with the power amplifier is addressed.

The stability of amitriptyline N-oxide and clozapine N-oxide on treated and untreated dry blood spot cards. Procedures for drug monitoring based on Dried Blood Spot (DBS) sampling are gaining acceptance for an increasing number of clinical and preclinical applications, where ease of use, small sample requirement, and improved sample stability have been shown to offer advantages over blood tube sampling. However, to-date, the vast majority of this work has described the analysis of well characterized drugs. Using amitriptyline, clozapine, and their potentially labile N-oxide metabolites as model compounds, we consider the merits of using DBS for discovery pharmacokinetic (PK) studies where the metabolic fate of test compounds are often unknown. Both N-oxide metabolites reverted to parent compound under standard drying (2hr) and extraction conditions. Card type significantly affected the outcome, with 14% and 22% degradation occurring for clozapine-N-oxide and amitriptyline-N-oxide on a brand of untreated DBS cards, compared to 59 and 88% on a brand of treated DBS cards. Enrichment of the parent compound ex vivo leads to overestimation of circulating blood concentration and inaccurate determination of the PK profile.

Relationship between patient income level and mitral valve repair utilization. The superiority of mitral valve (MV) repair is well established with respect to long-term survival, preservation of ventricular function, and valve-related complications. The relationship between patient income level and the selection of MV procedure (repair versus replacement) has not been studied. The 2005 to 2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was searched for patients ≥ 30 years old with MV repair or replacement; patients with ischemic and congenital MV disease were excluded. Patients were stratified into quartiles according to income level (quartile 1, lowest; quartile 4, highest). We used univariate and multivariate models to compare patients with respect to baseline characteristics, selection of MV procedure, and hospital mortality. The preoperative profiles of the income quartiles differed significantly, with more risk factors occurring in the lower income quartiles. Unadjusted hospital mortality decreased with increasing income quartile. The percentage of patients receiving MV repair increased with increasing income (35.6%, 39.6%, 48.2%, and 55.8% for quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively; P = .0001). Following adjustment for age, race, sex, urban residency, admission status, primary payer, Charlson comorbidity index, and hospital location and teaching status, the income quartiles had similar hospital death rates, whereas the highly significant relationship between valve repair and income level persisted (P = .0008). Significant disparity exists among patients in the different income quartiles with respect to the likelihood of receiving MV repair. MV repair is performed less frequently in patients with lower incomes, even after adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics. The higher unadjusted mortality rate for less affluent patients appears mostly related to their worse preoperative profiles.

This invention relates generally to inflatable restraint systems and, more particularly, in one aspect to the type of inflator known as a hybrid inflator and the treatment of gases therein and in another aspect to the treatment of gas generated by inflatable restraint system inflators. Many types of inflators have been disclosed in the art for inflating an air bag for use in an inflatable restraint system. One type involves the utilization of a quantity of stored compressed gas which is selectively released to inflate the air bag. Another type derives a gas source from a combustible gas generating material which, upon ignition, generates a quantity of gas sufficient to inflate the air bag. In a third type, the air bag inflating gas results from the combination of a stored compressed gas and the combustion products of a gas generating material. The last mentioned type is commonly referred to as an augmented gas or hybrid inflator. Hybrid inflators that have been proposed heretofore have, in general, been subject to certain disadvantages. For example, the burning of the pyrotechnic (gas generating) and initiation materials in such inflators invariably results in the production of particulate material. The use of such a particulate-containing inflator emission to inflate an air bag can in turn result in the particulate material being vented out from the air bag and into the vehicle. Typically, the particulate material is variously sized and includes a large amount of particulate within the respirable range for humans. Thus, the passage of the gas borne particulate material into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, such as via conventional air bag venting, can result in the undesired respiration of such particulate material by the driver and/or other passengers which in turn can cause consequent respiratory problems. Also, such particulate can easily become dispersed and airborne so as to appear robesmoke and thereby result in the false impression that there is a fire in or about the vehicle. It has also been proposed to screen the gaseous emission coming from the pyrotechnic portion of such hybrid inflators. For example, the above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,680 discloses the inclusion of a circular screen "128" between the body of pyrotechnic material and the orifice through which the pyrotechnically produced emission is passed to the pressurized gas-containing chamber of the hybrid inflator. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,914 discloses the inclusion of a metal disk having a plurality of suitably sized openings therein. The disk is disclosed as functioning to trap large particles such as may be present in the generated gas. Such techniques of filtering or screening the gaseous emission of the pyrotechnic section of the hybrid inflator prior to contact with the stored, pressurized gas of the inflator generally suffer such as from undesirably slowing or preventing the transfer of heat to the stored gas from the relatively hot generated gas and particulate material. In general, such a transfer of heat to the stored gas is desired in hybrid inflators in order to produce desired expansion of the gas. Consequently, the slowing or preventing of desired heat transfer can result in a reduction in the performance of the inflator. Also, the screening or filtering of particulate at this location within the inflator can undesirably effect gas flow within the inflator. For example, such treatment can undesirably restrict the flow of gas out of the pyrotechnic chamber, causing the pressure inside the pyrotechnic chamber to increase and thereby increase the potential for structural failure by the pyrotechnic chamber. The above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,914 also discloses constraining gas flow to a tortuous path whereby additional quantities of relatively large particles produced by combustion of the gas generating material are separated from the commingled gases as the gases flow toward the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint. As disclosed, various component parts of the vehicle occupant restraint system cooperate to form the described tortuous path. These component parts include the openings in the container which direct the gas into an outer cylindrical diffuser, the container itself which preferably contains gas directing blades positioned therein as well as burst disks to control the flow of the gas generated by ignition of the gas generating material. The patent also discloses that in a preferred embodiment, a coating material, e.g., a silicone grease, is coated onto the inner surface of the container to assist in the fusing of particles thereto rather than allowing the particles to rebound into the nitrogen gas jet stream. Such surface coatings, however, generally suffer in several significant aspects with respect to effectiveness and functioning when compared, for example, to the use of a filter to effect particulate removal. First, as the nature of such fusion or adhesion of particles onto a coating is a surface phenomenon, the effectiveness of such removal is directly related to the amount of available surface area. In practice, such a surface coating provides a relatively limited amount of contact surface area and, further, the effectiveness of such surface treatment typically is decreased as the available surface area is occupied. Also, though such an internal surface coating may be of some use in the fusing of solid particles, such a coating would normally be relatively ineffective in trapping liquid phase particles. Furthermore, the process of condensation of liquid phase particles in an inflator normally involves a transfer of heat to the subject contact surface. In the case of such a surface coated with such a grease, such a transfer of heat could undesirably result in the off-gassing of the coating material, e.g., production of gaseous byproducts of the coating material, which in turn would undesirably contribute to the toxicity of the gases emitted from such an inflator. In addition, the effect of the flow of gases within the inflator can raise concerns about the use of inflators which utilize such coatings. For example, the impingement onto such a coating of the hot combustion gases produced within an inflator would normally tend to displace the coating material, particularly since such coatings tend to become softer at elevated temperatures. Thus, even for the short time periods associated with the operation of such devices neither exclusive nor primary reliance is made by this patent on the use of such a coating to effect particle removal. There is a need and a demand for improvement in hybrid inflators to the end of preventing, minimizing or reducing the passage of particulate material therefrom without undesirably slowing or preventing heat transfer to the stored, compressed gas while facilitating proper bag deployment, in a safe, effective and economical manner. The present invention was devised to help fill the gap that has existed in the art in these respects. In addition and as described above, inflators, particularly those which house a combustible gas generating material whether alone or in conjunction with a stored gas as in hybrid inflators, have in the past utilized various grades of fine metal screens to effect emission filtration. Unfortunately, partially as a result of the costs associated with the manufacture of such screens, such screen materials can be relatively costly. Also, depending on factors such as the looming and crimping processes employed, individual wires in such metal meshes can experience significant movement relative to adjacent wires and, as a result, detrimentally effect the strength of the resulting wire mesh material. In addition, the edges of wire meshes or screens used in inflator filter assemblies are susceptible to permitting particulate-containing gas generant effluent to pass therethrough and circumvent the main particulate-removing components of the filter assemblies. Such circumvention, also termed "blow-by," can permit undesired and unacceptable amounts of particulates to escape with the inflation gas out of the inflator. Furthermore, the nature of wire meshes or screens prevents the production of a one piece material which has a first portion without openings, e.g., such as a border or edge, and a second portion with openings, e.g., such as a central region. In general, inflator filters include several components which cooperate to perform various functions or treatments, such as, provide for the cooling, flow redirection and filtering (e.g., particulate removal) of or from the contacting stream. Also, one or more filter assembly components can serve to provide structural support for other filter components such as those that could not otherwise withstand the operating conditions (e.g., temperatures, pressures, and/or flow rates) to which it would be subjected to in use. Thus there is a need and a demand for improvement in the components and materials used in inflator filter assemblies to reduce cost as well as to improve production, operational and assembly options and capabilities.

The present invention relates to an optical pickup device, and more particularly, to an optical pickup device which can record/reproduce information, at high density, employing a solid immersion lens (SIL). FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional optical pickup device for recording/reproducing information at high density. Light emitted from a light module 1 is reflected onto a SIL 10 by a reflection member 5. The SIL 10 focuses the light to form a beam spot on a recording plane of a disk 19. The light module 1 includes a light source, a device for converting a traveling path of incident light and a photodetector for receiving the light reflected from the recording plane of the disk 19. The reflection member 5 performs minute tracking by making fine changes to the incidence angle of incident light by moving the position of the beam spot formed on the disk 19 little by little. The SIL 10 is supported by a slider 15 separated several tens of nanometers from the disk 19 by an air bearing effect when the disk 19 rotates. An incident surface 10a of the SIL 10 is curved to focus incident light. The opposite surface 10b of the SIL 10, facing the disk 19, is planar. The size of a beam spot formed on a disk can be substantially represented as: ##EQU1## A where .lambda. is the wavelength of light emitted from a light source and NA is the numerical aperture of the light focusing device. Thus, to reduce the size of a beam spot to enable higher density recording/reproduction, the wavelength of the light must be reduced or the numerical aperture must be increased. However, the maximum numerical aperture theoretically available in air is approximately 1. Since the surface 10b of the SIL 10 is very close to the disk 19, when the refractive index of the SIL 10 is .eta..sub.SIL, the wavelength of light in the SIL 10 and the disk 19 equals ##EQU2## When compared to, ##EQU3## the numerical aperture of the SIL 10, with respect to the wavelength of light emitted from a light source, i.e., .lambda., is greater than or equal to 1, thereby reducing the size of the beam spot. Here, the SIL 10 has a refractive index which is substantially the same as that of a protective film for protecting the recording plane of the disk 19. Since the distance between the SIL 10 and the disk 19 is in the range of several tens of nanometers, the beam spot is not exposed to the air and thus the numerical aperture is greater than or equal to 1, thereby reducing the size of the beam spot. FIG. 2 is a detailed diagram of the SIL 10 shown in FIG. 1. The SIL 10, having one curved surface cannot remove both spherical aberration and coma aberration. On the other hand, if the incident surface 10a of the SIL 10 is elliptically curved, as shown in FIG. 2, the spherical aberration can be removed. However, the elliptically curved surface 10a does not satisfy Abbe's sine condition and becomes very sensitive to the tilt of incident light. Thus, coma aberration is generated in the light S1 (which is incident obliquely) and is focused by the SIL 10, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. If the incident surface 10a of the SIL 10 was curved hemispherically, the coma aberration is removed but defocusing and spherical aberration still exist. Since an optical recording/reproducing apparatus employing the SIL 10 is very sensitive to tilt, which generates coma aberration, it is very difficult to fabricate. FIG. 4 is a diagram of a proposed optical pickup device. The proposed optical pickup device has a focusing objective lens 7 installed between the light module 1 and the SIL 10. In this case, spherical aberration and coma aberration are removed by the objective lens 7 and the SIL 10 serves to increase the numerical aperture. However, since the proposed optical pickup device employs two lenses, that is, the objective lens 7 and the SIL 10, the system is complex, bulky and costly.

Cleanliness and sanitation are two hallmarks of civilization. Many centuries ago, the Roman empire constructed aquaducts and rudimentary sewage systems to carry water into Rome and carry waste away. Early Puritans here in America, claimed that "cleanliness is next to Godliness". The rate of post-operative deaths dropped dramatically when it was established that sterilization of the doctor's hands and of the operation site before the operation had a direct relation to the patient's recovery. Therefore, cleanliness makes sense to most people for a variety of reasons: the appearance of cleanliness is appealing; cleanliness signifies a degree of refinement; and cleanliness is necessary for sound hygene and sanitary practices. Today in western civilization, most of us are accustomed to and expect cleanliness in homes, hotels, and even the service stations that we frequent. A filthy washroom in a commercial establishment is both disgusting and unforgettable, particularly if it is in a restaurant. Over the years, many national oils companies have realized the positive attraction of clean restrooms in their service stations and consequently base a portion of their advertising budget on a claim for spotless washrooms. Other commercial establishments have followed suit, realizing that spotless restroom facilities are essential not only for health reasons, but also as a statement of the general service to their customers, by they diners, hotel guests, or movie watchers. In the domestic area, housewives and single people are also concerned with maintaining a clean bathroom. Again, there is the omnipresent concern for health reasons, particularly if there are small children present in the home. No American is unaware of the state of the bathroom when visitors arrive: the proliferation of toilet bowl cleaners, deodorizers, and blueing agents on the market attest to the public's desire for a clean bathroom. Unfortunately, due to the basic design of the toilet, it is difficult to keep it clean for any period of time. The area around the inside rim of the toilet bowl is virtually inaccessible, and invites the lodging and multiplication of waste bacteria and germs. Therefore, even a toilet that looks clean may not be truly sterile, as the bacteria clings to the underside of the rim. The more clean this troublesome area is, the longer the entire toilet bowl looks and stays clean. It is known in the prior art to use a brush and caustic cleaning compound to achieve manual cleaning of soiled porcelain surfaces of the toilet bowl.

Genetic factors in seizures: a population-based study of 47,626 US, Norwegian and Danish twin pairs. The purpose of the study was to describe a large sample of twins reporting a history of seizures, to characterize seizures in the three subpopulations, and to estimate the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in seizure occurrence. Seizure history was determined by questionnaires completed by twins in population-based twin registries in the United States, Norway and Denmark. Concordance rates were calculated for all seizure categories within and across twin populations. Of 47,626 twin pairs evaluated, 6234 reported a history of seizures in one or both twins. Concordance rates were significantly higher for monozygotic (MZ) versus dizygotic (DZ)pairs for all seizure categories within and across populations. The results of this study involving the largest unselected, population-based sample of twins with seizures assembled to date confirm the importance of genetic factors in determining risk for epilepsy, febrile seizures, other seizures and staring spells. This sample is likely to provide an important resource for studying the genetics of epilepsy subtypes and febrile seizures.

Knowledge gaps about smoking cessation in hospitalized patients and their doctors. Hospitalization is an opportune time for smoking cessation support; cessation interventions delivered by hospital physicians are effective. While general practitioners' and outpatients' knowledge and attitudes towards smoking cessation have been studied in great detail, in-patient cessation programmes have received less attention. Questionnaire-based survey of a convenience sample of hospital physicians and in-patients at Göttingen University Hospital, Germany. All 159 physicians directly involved in bedside care on medical and surgical wards received a three-page questionnaire examining smoking status, knowledge of smoking-attributable morbidity and mortality, and their understanding of the effectiveness of methods to achieve long-term smoking cessation. Perceived barriers to the delivery of counselling and cessation services to smoking patients were identified. One thousand randomly selected patients on medical (N = 400) and surgical (N = 600) wards were invited to complete a similar questionnaire. Seventy-seven physicians (response rate 48.4%) and 675 patients (67.5%) completed the questionnaire. Patients and physicians alike underestimated the smoking-attributable risk of developing smoking-related cancers and chronic obstructive lung disease. In addition, severe misperceptions regarding the effectiveness of cessation methods were noted in both populations with 'willpower' being thought to be most effective in achieving abstinence. Only one-third of smoking patients recalled having been counselled to quit. Physicians identified lack of time as a central barrier to counselling smoking patients. These findings suggest that hospitalized smokers in a large German university hospital might not be treated according to international guidelines.

This invention relates to a gripper device for thin, plate-like parts, especially sheet-metal parts, with a plurality of suction cups disposed on the underside of a carrier frame. Gripper devices with suction cups are frequently used in industry to separate and/or change the position of thin, plate-like parts such as e.g. sheet-metal parts. They are particularly suitable for use in combination with robots when the aim is to achieve a largely automated method of working. Where gripper devices of the said type are not intended to be used exclusively with one and the same plate-like part, the positions of the suction cups have to be adjustable to a certain degree. For this purpose the suction cups may be disposed on star or cross-shaped carrier frames with arms that can be adjusted, and, in particular, can be extended and retracted radially. It is necessary in particular to be able to make adjustments in order to take account of the bending characteristics of very thin plates, or to position the suction cups against the flat surfaces of three-dimensional parts. Until now, the adjustment process has been mainly carried out by hand. When parts have to be changed frequently, however, this procedure is no longer feasible for economical reasons. To date, largely automatable solutions have comprised positioning motors with relatively precise position transducers and appropriate gears for adjusting the suction caps. These solutions were relatively complex and costly. They also tended to increase the weight of the carrier frame and were therefore also associated with disadvantages from the energy consumption point of view. The invention is based on the task of equipping a gripper device of the above type, i.e. one which is used in conjunction with a robot, with a simple, cost-effective means of adjusting the suction cups. According to the invention, this task is solved by a gripper device of the above type which is characterized in that the suction cups are fixed to the outer ends of four gear racks which are disposed as a cross and can be displaced longitudinally along two superimposed planes, in that in the centre of the cross formed by the racks, mounted in a vertical axis, there is a toothed gear which extends over both superimposed planes, in that the gear racks engage with the toothed gear in pairs from diametrically opposed sides, and in that a control rod with a gear rack profile engages with the toothed gear on a third plane, said control rod having an engaging device at one radially external end. In a mechanism of this type, the gear racks are adjusted radially in that the engaging member is made to engage with a fixed point in the vicinity of the gripper device, and the gripper device is then moved horizontally by the associated robot in such a way that the control rod is displaced radially towards the exterior or the interior. When the control rod is displaced longitudinally the toothed gear rotates, and the rotation of the toothed gear extends or retracts the four gear racks. The gear racks are preferably positioned between top and bottom clamping plates, between which they are displaced within longitudinal guides. Once the correct adjustment has been found for the gear racks, they can be clamped in position by clamping the clamping plates together. Air cylinders are provided for this purpose on top of the top clamping plate or underneath the bottom clamping plate, whose piston rods run through the corresponding clamping plate and are connected with the opposite clamping plate.

Five-year results of endovascular treatment with the Gore TAG device compared with open repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms. Report the results of a phase II multicenter, prospective trial comparing endovascular treatment of descending thoracic aneurysm (TEVAR) with the TAG device to surgical controls after 5 years of follow-up. The Gore TAG trial compared the TAG endograft patients (n = 140) with standard open surgical controls (n = 94) with enrollment from September of 1999 to May of 2001. An additional 51 patients were enrolled in 2003 after revision of the endograft. Follow-up consisted of patient visits, computed tomography (CT) scans and x-rays at 1, 6, and 12 months and yearly. Significant sac size change was defined as >or=5 mm increase or decrease from the 1 month baseline measurement. Migration was defined as >or=10 mm cranial or caudal movement of the device inside the aorta. Significance was determined as P <or= .05. At 5 years, aneurysm-related mortality was lower for TAG patients at 2.8% compared with open controls at 11.7% (P = .008). No differences in all-cause mortality were noted, with 68% of TAG patients and 67% of open controls surviving to 5 years (P = .43). Major adverse events at 5 years were significantly reduced in the TAG group; 57.9% vs 78.7% (P = .001). Endoleaks in the TAG group decreased from 8.1% at 1 month to 4.3% at 5 years. Five TAG patients have undergone major aneurysm-related re-interventions at 5 years (3.6%), including one arch aneurysm repair for type 1 endoleak and migration, one open conversion and five endovascular procedures for endoleaks in three patients. There were fewer secondary procedures not directly related to aneurysm repair in the TAG vs the open repair group at 5 years, 15.0% vs 31.9%, (P = .01). For TAG patients, sac size at 60 months decreased in 50% and increased in 19% compared with the 1-month baseline. Comparison with the modified low-porosity device at 24 months showed sac increase in 12.9% of original vs 2.9% in modified grafts (P = .11). At 5 years, there have been no ruptures, one migration, no collapse, and 20 instances of fracture in 19 patients, all before the revision of the TAG graft. In anatomically suitable patients, TAG treatment of thoracic aneurysms is superior to surgical repair at 5 years. Although sac enlargement is concerning, early modified device results indicate this issue may be resolved.

Cancer risk in patients with manifest vascular disease: effects of smoking, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Patients with vascular disease may be at increased risk of cancer because of shared risk factors and common pathogenesis. Patients with vascular disease (n = 6,172) were prospectively followed for cancer incidence. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated to compare the cancer incidence of the study population with that of the general population. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio's (HRs) of cancer were estimated for smoking status, pack-years, body mass index, waist circumference and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and metabolic syndrome (MetS). During a median follow-up of 5.5 years, 563 patients were diagnosed with cancer. Patients with vascular disease were at increased risk of cancer [SIR = 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-1.29]. Specifically, risk of lung cancer (SIR = 1.56; 95% CI, 1.31-1.83), as well as bladder cancer (SIR = 1.60; 95% CI, 1.11-2.24) and cancer of the lip, oral cavity, or pharynx in men (SIR = 1.51; 95% CI, 0.89-2.39), and colorectal (SIR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.11-2.53) and kidney cancer (SIR = 2.92; 95% CI, 1.05-6.38) in women was increased. A relation between smoking and cancer risk was observed (HR for current smokers = 1.37; 95% CI, 1.05-1.73), whereas an increase in VAT was associated with higher breast cancer risk in women (HR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.03-1.96). No relation between MetS and cancer risk was found. Patients with vascular disease have a 19% higher cancer risk compared to the general population. Smoking increased cancer risk and abdominal obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer in female patients with vascular disease. These results call for awareness of the increased cancer risk in patients with vascular disease among physicians and underline the necessity of lifestyle improvement not only for reducing cardiovascular risk.

The present invention relates to processed cheese and methods of making processed cheese. In particular, the invention relates to the use of a protein cross-linking enzyme during the manufacturing process to produce a processed cheese having an improved firmness. Processed cheese has become a staple of the food industry. It is also a commodity, meaning that there are many suppliers of processed cheese. As a result, the price charged for processed cheese has a great impact on a supplier's share of the market. Thus processed cheese manufacturers are under constant pressure to reduce their costs. On the other hand, government regulations regarding the ingredients that can be used, and the desire for functional qualities such as taste, firmness, mouth feel and meltability, constrain efforts to reduce costs. In addition to the quality perceived by the consumer, functional qualities are also important in the manufacturing process. One of the efforts to reduce cost for cheese has been to keep the whey proteins from being lost in the cheese making process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,639 discloses a process for making cheese by using ultrafiltration and diafiltration to keep all of the whey proteins in the final cheese. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,598 discloses the use of transglutaminase to cross-link proteins in milk to increase the yield of the curds from the milk. In addition, whey solids are a common ingredient mixed with cheese to make processed cheese. However, the presence of whey solids in processed cheese has a negative impact on the firmness of the processed cheese. Other ingredients that may he added to processed cheese may also have a negative impact on the firmness or meltability of the processed cheese. Also, many other measures taken to reduce cost often have a negative impact on the firmness of processed cheese. Transglutaminase has been suggested for use in various food products. Transglutaminase cross-links proteins in meat products to improve the hardness and elasticity of the products, as well as to improve the texture of products containing low meat content. Transglutaminase has also been disclosed for use in dairy products. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,914 discloses a process for incorporating whey proteins into cheese using transglutaminase, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,036 discloses cheese curd made using transglutaminase and a non-rennet protease. U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,814 discloses incorporation of whey into process cheese. However, the common problem with many of these processes is that transglutaminase is currently fairly expensive. Thus, the benefit it provides is not worth its cost. None of the foregoing processes using transglutaminase are believed to be currently used on a commercial basis in the United States. Another approach for utilizing transglutaminase in processed cheese is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2594340. In the disclosed process, cheese and other ingredients are melted, mixed together and cooked to make a processed cheese. The temperature is then reduced and transglutaminase is added and allowed to act on the melted cheese mixture to produce a product with optimal stringiness and high temperature shape retention. One problem with this process is that the processed cheese is stirred at a medium temperature, such as 50° C. (122° F.), for 30 minutes while the transglutaminase reacts. This material then has to be reheated to 85° C. (185° F.) to deactivate the transglutaminase. All of this post-manufacture processing of the processed cheese is impractical in making a commodity processed cheese, which otherwise requires only a very short residence time in the mixing and cooking equipment. Hence, there is still a need for a process for making processed cheese that has good firmness, but which is commercially practical. Also, a processed cheese that is inexpensive, but still has good firmness and melt properties would be highly desirable.

Relationship between the duration of the breast-feeding period and the lipoprotein profile of children at the age of 13 years. Selected parameters of lipid metabolism were studied in a group of 76 children aged 12-13 years. The children were divided into 4 subgroups according to the duration of neonatal nutrition (no breast feeding, breast feeding for 3, 6 or more than 6 months). We studied the concentration of total serum cholesterol, its distribution into lipoprotein fractions, the concentration of serum triacylglycerols and apolipoproteins A1 (Apo A1) and B (Apo B). Atherogenic indexes were calculated from the data obtained. The highest cholesterol levels (5.20+/-0.15 mmol x l(-1)) were found in children who had been breast-fed for more than 6 months, while the highest concentrations of Apo B (0.80+/-0.07 g x l(-1)) and Apo A1 (1.76+/-0.06 g x l(-1)) and the highest Apo B/Apo A1 ratio (0.45+/-0.04) were found in children with the shortest period of breast-feeding. No significant sex-related differences in total, VLDL, LDL, HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerols and apolipoproteins were observed.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention. The following discussion is intended to provide information to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that statements in the following discussion are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. With the introduction of the MSC Pooling standard, several Serving MSCs (MSC-VLR) within a Pool share a broad access area. Mobiles roaming into the access area covered by the MSC Pool are directed to a selected MSC-VLR based on a defined routing algorithm. In the event that one of the MSC-VLR is taken out of service, the mobiles being served by the out of service MSC-VLR needs to be re-homed to another MSC-VLR. In order for these mobiles to receive new calls, they must be re-registered at the HLR to the other MSC-VLR. In addition, it is a system design goal for MSC Pooling, from the S.R0136-0 v2.0 standard, to minimize the interruption time for users that are registered in a MSC that breaks down. Re-homing mobiles based on a non-triggered re-registration to another MSC-VLR may require a significant amount of time for all the mobiles to re-register. During this time, mobiles not yet re-registered would not receive calls. Re-homing mobiles using a solution that involves proactively triggering registration notifications to the HLR via a form of mobile probing (e.g., paging) would require managing the impact to the access capacity by staggering the re-homing; and would expect to take several hours. During this time, mobiles not yet re-registered would not receive calls.

Saudi plants as a source of potential β-lactamase inhibitors. This study was performed to assess the potential β-lactamase inhibitory properties of nineteen crude Saudi plant extracts belonging to eight families against extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESβL) strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and other medically important pathogens. A total of 276 microbial isolates of pathogenic bacteria were used in this study; only 15 of them showed decreased sensitivity to one or several of ceftazidime, aztreonam, cefotaxime or ceftriaxone, which are deemed to be possible producers of ESβL. Antibacterial activities of plant extracts were carried out against ESβL positive isolates by the disc diffusion method. The potential ESβL suppressing activities of plant extracts and prepared fractions, (chloroform and methanol), with or without antibiotic were studied by disc diffusion method. Results revealed that selected plant extracts showed no antibacterial activity against tested strains; meanwhile, only Echinops viscosus, Pulicaria arabica, Tephrosia nubica, Chrozophora oblongifolia, and Clutia myricoides showed pronounced ESβL inhibitory activities. The extracts were quantified for phenolic compounds and their antioxidant properties. Bio-guided fractionation of the active extracts revealed that the chloroform fraction of C. myricoides possess a promising ESβL inhibitory activity. The separation and the structural elucidation of the active compounds from C. myricoides will offer beneficial leads for developing β-lactamase inhibitors.

For the third time since his arrest for the alleged murder of Bay St. Louis resident Maurice Colly in 2012, suspect Glen Davis has changed his attorney. Davis, 44, appeared in Hancock County Circuit Court on Tuesday and asked Judge John Gargiulo to allow him to hire local attorney Brian Alexander to represent him. Davis fired two public defenders who had been appointed to represent him last year and attorney Phil Whittman was then appointed to represent him. Davis told Gargiulo that he was not happy with Whittman's services either and that his family had hired Alexander. Whittman told Gargiulo that he would not object to Davis hiring Alexander and Gargiulo agreed to the change. Davis, who has been dubbed the "Gulf Coast Casanova," was indicted on one count of murder and one count of grand larceny last August. He was arrested on Aug. 17, 2012 for the murder which took place on March 6, 2012. His preliminary hearing was conducted in Bay St. Louis Municipal Court on Sept. 19, 2012. At the hearing, police said Davis killed Colly, stuffed his body in the trunk of his car, and then skipped town. Davis was on the lam for several months and featured on the nationally televised show "America's Most Wanted." He was captured by authorities in Michigan in August 2012 and returned to Mississippi. Alexander said Tuesday that he believes Davis has been "unfairly portrayed" by law enforcement officers and the media. "There has been a gross mis-characterization of Mr. Davis," Alexander said. "I am looking forward to being able to tell Mr. Davis' side of the story." Gargiulo said that Davis' trial is still set for April 7, 2014, despite the change of attorney. He ordered Whittman to turn over all of the discovery evidence in the case related to Alexander. Alexander said Whittman has given him most, if not all, of the discovery, which includes more than 1,600 pages of documents and 22 discs. Alexander said he may need some extra time to go through all of the evidence. "I will most likely ask for a continuance because of the volume of information we will have to go through," Alexander said. Alexander said he does not believe he will ask for a change of venue in the case. Davis told Gargiulo that he was happy with Alexander so far. "I am just trying to prepare for my trial and the previous lawyers have not been coming to see me," he said.

This disclosure relates in general to determining information about a location of a mobile device and, but not by way of limitation, to transmitting such real-time information to an public safety answering point (PSAP) amongst other things. Nearly all locations within the United States and Canada are now served by “911” emergency telephone service, and many other countries have similar services that can have a different telephone number. In the 911 system, calls to the telephone number 9-1-1 are specially routed to a PSAP, where a specially-trained dispatcher can assess the nature of the emergency, offer assistance, dispatch emergency services or law enforcement personnel to the source of the call, or provide other services. Many PSAPs are interconnected to allow routing calls and other information between them. The 911 service facilitates rapid response by the appropriate authorities in cases of emergency. However, sending the appropriate authorities to the scene of an emergency requires information about the location of the emergency. While a call from a land line can be easily attributed to an address associated with the number. It is less certain that a call from a mobile device can be traced to a particular address, and accountholder address is certainly less accurate at any given moment than that for a land line. The location finding technology available to PSAPs is not generally accessible to other third parties that might be called or even to application layer software on the phone. Tracing the location by a third party is not possible today. If the individual is unable to sufficiently articulate and describe his location, the third party cannot determine where to send emergency personnel.

Abstract Background and aim. In patients with fluid retention, the total plasma clearance of (51)Cr-EDTA (ClP) may overestimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The present study was therefore undertaken in order to compare ClP with the urinary plasma clearance of (51)Cr-EDTA (ClU) in patients with cirrhosis with and without fluid retention. Material and methods. A total of 136 patients with cirrhosis (24 without fluid retention, 112 with ascites) received a quantitative intravenous injection of (51)Cr-EDTA followed by plasma and quantitative urinary samples for 5 hours. ClP was determined from the injected dose relative to the plasma concentration-time area, extrapolated to infinity. ClU was determined as urinary excretion relative to the plasma concentration-time area up to voiding. Results. In patients without fluid retention, the difference between ClP and ClU (ClP - ClU = ClΔ) was mean 4.5 mL/min/1.73 m(2). In patients with ascites, ClΔ was significantly higher (17.6 mL/min/1.73 m(2), p < 0.0001). ClΔ increased with lower values of GFR (r = - 0.458, p < 0.001). Repeated measurements of ClU in a subgroup of patients with fluid retention (n = 25) gave almost identical values. Different types of corrections of one-pool clearance were almost identical with ClP, except for higher clearance values, which were somewhat underestimated by the former. Conclusion. In patients with fluid retention and ascites ClP and corrected one-pool clearance overestimates GFR substantially. Although ClU may underestimate GFR slightly, patients with ascites should collect urine quantitatively in order to obtain a reliable measurement of GFR.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a holding apparatus, which can be placed on a table and is also mobile, for a work aid, in particular for a laptop, a flat screen or a keyboard, with a support plate which has an upper side with a work surface and a lower side and is mounted on a stand. 2. Description of the Related Art In the prior art, numerous holding devices for laptops or notebooks have already become known, which are portable and are intended to make ergonomic working at a desk possible. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,952, for example, a holding device is proposed, which has a support plate which has on its underside a plurality of projections at which the support plate can be supported on a table edge. At the rear edge, the support plate is supported with a footplate. This footplate is pivotable and adjustable, so that different inclinations of the support plate/the laptop can be set. It is a disadvantage of this holding device that the height itself cannot be adjusted, which would nevertheless be desirable for ergonomic and in particular health-related reasons. Moreover, a table edge suitable for support is not always available. A holding device which has a three-legged stand is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2002/0066630. As is customary, the stand is telescopically adjustable, so that the height too of the work device can be adjusted in the case of this holding device. However, it is scarcely possible for this holding device to be used on a table. A collapsible platform for a laptop, which is supported on a horizontally extending arm, is known from WO 02/13659. Height-adjustment is scarcely possible with this holding device. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,809 discloses a holding device which can be mounted in a vehicle and has a platform fastened on a vertical stand. Height-adjustability is not possible in this case either.

Image forming devices commonly include a plurality of motor control systems to drive various image forming components. For example, one motor control system may be used to drive one or more photoconductive members, including drums, plates, or belts, while another motor control system may be used to drive another component, such as a transport belt, intermediate transfer belt, developer roller, or transfer roller. Furthermore, in some image forming devices, the image forming components are placed in moving contact with one another. Various considerations arise during the initial startup and acceleration of the image forming components from rest to a process speed. For example, friction exists at the contact surface between components if one component accelerates at a faster rate than another. Significant amounts of friction may produce excessive heat, wear, and power consumption. Another concern relates to image quality. Ideally, image-forming components that are placed in moving contact with one another move at substantially uniform surface speeds with respect to one another. Image smear or image misregistration may result if an image transfer occurs between components that are not at a desired speed or position. Generally, once components reach a steady-state process speed, their respective motor control systems can control the speed and/or position of the components within desired limits. However, when components are accelerating, matching surface speeds may be difficult. In addition, backlash in a motor gear train may contribute to position errors. Generally, backlash in a gear train should be removed in order for a motor to positively drive a component and for an associated motor control system to control the speed and position of that component. Unfortunately, in certain instances, the interplay of accelerating components that are in contact with one another can have an effect on backlash in one or both of the gear trains driving these components. For example, a first image-forming component may drive a second, adjacent component ahead of the motor that is driving that second component. This situation may result in a lack of control over the speed and/or position of the second component since its motor and associated motor control system are not actually driving that second component. Poor image quality may result for a period of time until the motor control system for that second component causes the motor to eliminate the backlash and positively engage the gear train to drive the second component. In some systems, it may take several printed pages to resolve this misregistration problem. Additional registration errors may ensue if a registration calibration procedure is performed in the image-forming device before the backlash is eliminated in one or more component drive trains.