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Hard-face technology is a metal surface reinforcement technology, and comprises thermal spraying, spray welding, overlay welding, and the like. The essence of hard-face technology lies in using composite material to prepare metal mechanical parts such that the metal mechanical parts have good abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature resistance. A wide variety of products can be produced by hard-face technology, and can be widely used in iron and steel, aerospace, automobile, general machinery, energy, petrochemical, textile, paper-making and other industries. In the existing hard-face technology, the hard-face material can be iron-based, nickel-based or tungsten carbide material, which can meet the requirements of general mechanical part surface for abrasion and corrosion resistance and impact resistance. However, for some extremely harsh working conditions or some parts that require high abrasion and corrosion resistance properties or the like, such as TC bearings, drilling tools, stabilizers, etc., they are often operated in a liquid medium that is high erosional, strong acidic, strong alkali or the like and are susceptive to erosion and abrasion, thus the above hard-face materials cannot satisfy their use requirements. Composite hard-face materials exhibit high abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance, and can satisfy the use requirements of higher conditions. Methods for preparing composite hard-face material include both sintering and spray welding. However, the matrix of the composite hard-face material prepared by means of sintering has a decreased hardness due to a high sintering temperature, thus the resultant products are easy to deform during use, affecting the cooperated use between respective parts. For the composite hard-face material prepared by means of spray welding, the bonding between the hard face layer and the matrix is not strong enough due to a semi-metallurgical bonding, and the hard face layer tends to peel off from the products during use. Moreover, the material prepared by means of spray welding has 2% to 5% of microporosity, which will greatly reduce the abrasion resistance of the hard face layer. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a composite hard-face material having excellent abrasion resistance.

"SIMPLE SIMON" "I'm in orbit around Earth." "I'm here to gain perspective." "I like space." "There are no problems in space." "No misunderstandings." "No chaos." "Because in space, there are no feelings." "Simon!" "For the last time, get out of there." "I'm not telling you again." "Simon, for the very last time, get out of there!" "Simon!" "Simon, if I offer you 50 kronor, what do you say?" "Sam, you've got to come over." "He's in the barrel." "He's been there for eight hours now." "Hey..." " But I explained it all to him." " Go ahead and go." " Go, it's fine." " You sure?" "Okay, I'm on my way." "Yeah, bye." " You're too nice..." " And you're too hot." "What the hell?" "You're in for it, mister!" "Totally retarded." "2, 150 - that's my final offer." "I can't kill Mom and Dad!" " I knew this would happen!" " What are you going to do now?" "You've got to be kidding..." "I was talking to my brother, he's in the barrel." "He's from sp..." "He thinks..." "He's got a space ship." "Simon, you can come out now." " It's okay, Simon." " She's got to go!" " You want to live here with us." " No, she's got to go, Sam." "You, me, and Frida are going to live together." "Calm down." " This will never work." " Sure it will." " I'll do everything wrong." " No." "Hey..." "He just needs to get used to it." " Get used to me getting it wrong?" " No." "That you're... you." "And you get it wrong sometimes..." "What are we going to do?" "Simon?" "If you..." "If we're all going to live together, then it's us against the world." "I need Frida." "She helps me, just like I help you." "So you need to help her." "Nothing will work without her." "It's like one of your equations." "Remove one of us and there will be an imbalance." "Understand?" "Einstein?" "Some people think I'm an idiot, but I'm not." "I just want things to remain the same." "I don't like change, but I do like Sam." "So I've got to make this equation come out right." "Sam needs Frida like I need Sam." "Good, let's go shoot some hoops." "Last one down is a square." "To help this equation come out right, I've scheduled our activities." "It's designed to make our lives as simple as possible." "Fucking jerk!" "Without the right time, weight and angle, we may be thrown off balance." "Don't touch me I'm Asperger's" "I prefer circles to humans." "Circles are continuous, while humans are complex and hard to understand." "HAPPY" " SAD" " ANGRY" "TIRED" " SURPRISED" " NEUTRAL" "Ready for breakfast?" "See you later..." "Sam helps me arrive on time." "Time affects harmony." "If you're not on time, you risk chaos." "I'm sorry, are you all right?" " What do you think you're doing?" " Slapping your face." " Yeah..." "But what for?" " I have Asperger's." " And that makes it okay to hit people?" " You grabbed my arm." "I don't like being touched." " Let me..." " I'm late." "On time, as usual." "I work seven hours a day, five days a week, thirteen lunar cycles a year." "To some people, 13 means bad luck, but not to me." "It's a prime number, only divisible by itself." "Like me." "Attention!" "As a team, we have to stick together." "Otherwise the whole thingamabob will just be a big ole mess." "I don't have friends." "Feelings just create problems." "Take Peter, for instance:" "Peter likes Jonna and tries hard to impress her." " ...fall behind..." " Jonna doesn't like Peter, though." "Girls only like guys who don't like them." "So Jonna's in love with Björn." ""Retard laugh" Björn." "But all he likes is to laugh..." "This is a classic "love triangle" and it leads to chaos." "I don't like triangles." "We're like brothers." "Like brothers and sis..." "We're like siblings." "Siblings who love each other and love to work together." "And so we just do it." "You bastard!" "Thank you and goodbye." "I'm home!" "How long do I have?" "Ten minutes and five seconds, four seconds, three seconds, two seconds..." " ...one second." "Ten minutes." " Perfect." "I have different foods for different days." "Monday:" "Sausage and pasta." "Tuesday:" "Pancakes." "Wednesday:" "Melts." "Thursday:" "Potato pancakes." "Friday:" "Tacos." "Saturday:" "Pizza." "Sunday:" "Sam's zucchini special." "Sam cooks, I set and clear the table, and Frida does the dishes." "It's a great setup that gives me time to practice after dinner." "Hi..." "Listen, I think I have an STD." " I'm not in the mood..." " Only it's on my face." "You're so not funny!" "Nice." "Hey, why don't we play some basketball?" " Before he comes back." " I have to do the dishes." "I'll do it later." "I promise." "Come on..." "We'll have ten minutes before he returns." "Maybe you can catch my STD." "Come on." "Foul, foul!" " Sam, foul." "You just want to shoot penalties." "There's no touching in basketball." "You put the ball through the hoop." "It's easy, since the hoop's circumference is 96.5% larger than the ball's." "All you have to do is calculate the velocity, mass and angle." " Do-over!" " One more time." "I'll go do the dishes." " Another do-over, Sam." " One more time." "Movie night!" "This one again?" "!" "It's four hours long." "Two hours, 22 minutes, and 3 7 seconds." " Can't we watch something on TV?" " No." " There's a Hugh Grant romcom on." " Yes..." "No." "I n that case you'll have to watch in your room." "Sure..." " Come on." " I'd rather watch the space movie." " I know." "What the hell...?" "We're out of toilet paper..." "Get out of here!" " Christ!" "You're not listening." " We'll get through this." "No, you're just kidding yourself." "This isn't going to work." " What do you want me to do?" " I can't take this crap." "I can't kick my own brother out!" "Isn't that convenient?" "Frida..." "Where are you going?" "Why can't you just shut up?" "!" "Stop playing, you fucking psycho!" "Don't touch him!" " Don't go!" "Please?" " Fuck off!" " Leave me alone." " I want to be with you." " No, you want to be with your brother." " He needs me, just like I need you." "Please don't go." "She left, but at least now it'll be nice and quiet." "Simon?" "It's not your fault." "She didn't mean what she said." "She'll come back, she always does." "Don't be sad." "Okay?" "It's important to maintain the correct orbit." "If you go too fast, you'll be hurled out in space." "Too slow, and you spiral downwards... and crash." "If you cannot maintain orbit, you end up with chaos." "So I have to maintain orbit." "Shit..." "Wake up, we're late." "Sam, it's my turn to shower!" "I'm three minutes and seventeen seconds late. 18, 19, 20, 21 22, 23, 24." "Where is Frida?" "You said that she'd be back." " Then I guess she will." " Do you promise, Sam?" "Absolutely." "Now hurry up, we're late." " I'll be late." " Get off, it won't start." " Are you angry?" " No!" "People can't be trusted." "They say one thing and mean another." "This won't hurt a bit." "I'm Sweden's best dart player." " Are you angry?" " No!" "I can get angry too, when I can't keep to schedule." "Because I don't like change." "What's going on, Simon?" " Is the world coming to an end?" " Yes." "I n about five billions years, the earth will be swallowed up by the sun." ""One time is no time", as the saying goes." "No, one time is one time." "Well, you'll have to start with No. 42 in the meantime." "Go on, time is money." "Time isn't money." "Time is time." "Money is money." "I don't like people saying things are what they're not." "Sam is the only person I trust." "He means what he says." "If he says Frida will come back, she will." "Hello?" "Hi!" "Hi, how are you?" "Yeah..." "You're moving out?" "I'm home." "Sam?" "Sam?" " Dinner was 20 minutes ago, Sam." " I haven't had time to make any." " Tacos, today is tacos." " Know what?" "Let's have pizza." " No, it's not pizza day." " It'll be fine." " Where is Frida?" " She's not coming back." " She always comes back." " No." "She's moved out." " You said that she would." " I guess I was wrong." " I'd like to order two pizzas..." " Sam..." "Sam!" "Who's doing the dishes?" "I set the table, you cook, she does the dishes." "She's gone, you blockhead!" " No, I didn't mean you." " Who's going to do the dishes, Sam?" "We're having pizza." "No one needs to do any damn dishes!" "I don't want pizza!" "She's not coming back." "Sure she is, she has to do the dishes!" "She's not going to do the dishes anymore." "She won't rent movies, play basketball, or do this or that..." "She won't be doing anything anymore." "Get it?" "Besides, she isn't right for us anyway." "She's too pedantic." "She eats those disgusting fish paste sandwiches." "She doesn't make any noise when we have sex." "She's selfish and she doesn't get me." "But she wears that butt-ugly hat." "That ugly, fucking Frida hat!" "Simon?" " Hi, it's me, Simon." " What are you doing here?" " I don't want pizza on a Friday." " Sorry, I can't help you." " You have to come back." " No, I don't." "Goodbye, Simon." "Hi, it's me." "All you have to do is change and everything will be fine." "You're pedantic, you don't make noise when you have sex..." " Who do you think you are?" " I'm Simon." "It's your fault it's not fine!" "You have to change." " Hi..." " I'll call the police!" " I can't change, but you can." " I don't want to!" "Find some other damn girl who can stand living with you!" "Some other damn girl?" "You may be a wiz at physics, but you suck at playing the drums." " Just so you know." " I do know." "That's why I need to practice!" "I'm home." " Where have you been?" " We have to find some other damn girl." "What are you talking about?" "If Frida won't come back, I'll have to find some other damn girl." "A girl who doesn't fight, a girl who is just like Sam." "No one knows Sam better than me, and I can look at it scientifically." "Sam:" "Cooks" " Girl:" "Does dishes" "Hi..." "Hello..." " Hey..." " You're three minutes late." " Do I look like a bus driver to you?" " Yes." "You drive a bus and wear a bus driver's uniform." "It may look like that, but that's not really what I am." "Eight years of cooking school." "Chef at the city's best restaurant." "For what?" "People want fast food." "Instant this or that..." "Everything in an instant." "You can't hurry an excellent sauce." "It's like my old saucier, Gaston, used to say..." "Or something." "I don't speak French." "A great sauce takes time, just like love." "Hi, Mom." " Hi, Dad." " Bye, Mom." " Bye, Dad." " Simon?" " What are you doing with that camera?" " Finding Sam a new girlfriend." " What's wrong with Frida?" " They broke up." " Why did they break up?" " She won't change." "So I have to find some other damn girl who can stand living with me." "What a shame." "Finish with a pinch of nutmeg." "Dip the tip of a knife in, that's all." "Une petite la knife... whatever." "Bitterness has its place in every sauce, just like in life itself." " You can't do anything about it." " I'm home." "It'll never work, Mom." "Moving back home would kill him." "I've got to go, I'm doing the laundry." "Right, busy bees." "Bye." "We do our laundry 6:30 - 9 pm on Fridays." " Yeah, I lied." " Oh." " Who the hell watches "Lassie"?" " You're watching "Lassie"." "Don't you like dogs?" " Don't you like dogs?" " No." "Facts about Sam:" "Sam is 23 and does not generate chaos." "Sam likes Simon, cooking, and black licorice." "Sam dislikes dogs, mustard and math." " What deduction?" " Done!" "To find a new girl for Sam, I need 13 questions that reveal who Sam is." "Then I have to find a new girl who fits in with his responses." "I'm going to find the perfect girl for Sam." " Sorry." "Oh, It's you again." " I always pass this spot at 8:55 am." " Gee, I thought it was destiny." " There is no such thing." " It's only make-believe." " It's good to blame stuff on." "It's all mathematics and determinism." "Can I ask you some questions?" " Sure, what?" " Romantic comedies or sci-fi?" "I don't watch that many movies." " Dogs or cats?" " Dogs... and cats." " Do you make noise during sex?" " What?" "!" " Do you make noise during sex?" " Do you?" "No, I don't have sex!" "Oh, sorry." " Hello?" "Hi..." "Out and about..." "I see..." "Oh well." "No, it's cool." "Okay, great." "Bye." "Are you sad?" "Your mouth went from a happy mouth to a sad mouth." " Have any more questions?" " No, you gave me the wrong answers." "I didn't know there were any wrong answers there." " Do you make noise during sex?" " Sometimes." " Yes." " I don't know." "Can you do dishes, yes or no?" " Train or bus?" " Train." "Ketchup or mustard?" " Ketchup or mustard?" " Which do you want?" " Ketchup or mustard?" " Which do you want?" "Jeez, take both!" "We're waiting in line here!" " Do you like Simon?" " Who's Simon?" " Yes." " Don't know..." " Sports: yes or no?" " No." "Licorice or fruit-flavored candy?" "Dogs or cats?" " It's not a dog, it's a Great Dane." " Wrong." "Finding the perfect girl isn't as easy as you might think." "They always get one wrong." " Licorice or fruit-flavored candy?" " Fruit." "I hate the way licorice gets stuck in my teeth." "Equations need careful consideration." "And love, like a good sauce, takes time." "Hi, Simon." "I brought you some breakfast." "Can't you come and live with us?" "So that Sam gets some peace." " Just until everything's worked out." " I'm going to work things out for Sam." "Simon?" "Don't you want me to help you with breakfast?" "And we could talk about this." "Hello?" "Are you there?" " Can you do dishes?" "Yes or no." " No." "Can you see yourself dating someone who is scientifically perfect for you?" " Yes or no?" " Yes." "Romantic comedies or sci-fi?" "If it doesn't contain violence or blood, I'm not interested." "When bodily fluids flow or limbs are torn off, I feel..." " Romantic comedies or sci-fi?" " Sci-fi." "But I prefer action." " Dogs or cats?" " I don't like dogs." "Cats!" "Don't yell." " Do you like Simon?" " No." "I think you're an idiot." " Could I ask you 13 questions?" " Okay..." " Can you do dishes?" "Yes or no." " Yes." "Good." "Would you date someone who is scientifically perfect for you?" "Absolutely." "Yes." "Great, let me just take your picture." "Look as attractive as possible." "No, attractive!" "More attractive!" "Perfect." "You can go now, if you want." "Bye." " What's this?" " Possible girlfriends." " What am I supposed to do with this?" " Find a girlfriend." " Number 13 is perfect for you." " That's not how it works." "The ones at the back got the most right." "Number 13 is exactly like you:" ""Sci-fi or Romcom?" Sci-Fi." " "Cats or dogs?" Cats..." " There are no right answers." "It's about feelings." "I'm more likely to fall in love with someone who's the complete opposite." "It would suck to be with someone who is exactly like me." "Don't you think?" "No..." "I don't understand." "Come on." "Come on." "Look..." "Just like the same poles of a magnet repel each other, people who are too similar can also repel each other." "And just like the opposite poles of a magnet attract each other people who are different can be drawn to each other." "Like us." "We're different, but we like each other." "Stop it with the equations." "Whatever happens, happens..." "What the hell are you doing?" "Watch out." " Oh, look who's here..." " Yes, and it's all your fault." " Why?" " I was supposed to run into you." "So we could talk." "But you weren't on time." "We don't have to run into each other to talk, do we?" "You have to meet my brother." "Do you want to?" " You're each other's opposites." " We are?" "He's not like me, he doesn't have Asperger's." "He's 93 7 times better than I am." "Want to meet him?" " I don't know if I want to." " What?" "It feels kind of weird, I don't even know you." "If you two fall in love you'll get to know me." "You'll see me all the time." "Yeah." "But the thing is..." "We've only run into each other a few times." " I don't even know your name." " I'm Simon." " Now you know my name." " Hello, Simon." " I'm Jennifer." " I don't like touching people." "I forgot, sorry." "Hi there..." "I completely forgot." "What are you looking at?" " You look really tired." " I know, I was out all night." "Was there anything else?" "I have to go." " So do you want to meet my brother?" " This is going too fast..." " Do you want to?" " I can't decide just like that." " I need to know now." " I'm still drunk, don't pressure me." " I have to think about it." " But I need to know now." "I feel that our discipline isn't up to par." "People are tardy, there's a lot of hullabaloo and high jinks." "I don't want any more rule breaking and... who are you?" "Hello." "Well, I'm here to have a look." " Oh, you're Simon's guardian?" " That's right." "The rest of us will continue with our regular duties..." "Just like any other day." "You do this every day?" "Don't you get bored?" "Not every day." "Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, lunch 12 to 1." "Right, isn't it lunch time soon?" "I'm starving." "Lunch time is in 22 minutes and 13 seconds. 12, 11..." " ... 10, 9..." " Give me that watch." " Hand it over!" " Why?" "Give it to me!" "Thanks." " What are you doing?" " Time sure flies, it's lunch time." "That's impossible, you're lying." "Come on, Simon, let's get some lunch." "VA squared equals G0, times R0 squared divided by RA times 2RP divided by RA plus RP where G0 is equal to the surface gravitational acceleration..." " What's that about?" " Space and time." "Don't be so hung up on time or nothing unexpected will ever happen." "I don't like unexpected things." "You're going to like this." " Is it drums?" "Space sounds?" " No, just listen." " Is it emotional?" "I don't like that." " Just take the earpiece." "I always sync everything I see so that it's in time to the music." " Like a music video in my head." " I don't understand." "You know that feeling that the world revolves around you." "It's almost as if the world adapts itself to your music." " Simple." " I don't know that feeling." " Listen to this." " I can't hear anything." " I can hear it now." " Okay." "Isn't that adorable?" " What are you doing?" " You touched me!" "Sorry, I forgot." " I have to go back to work now." " No you don't." "I have the watch, and I say it's still lunch time." " All right, but don't touch me!" " Okay, I promise I won't." "Simon?" " Don't touch me!" " Sorry, I forgot." "Come on..." " Don't touch me!" " Watch it!" "Don't touch me!" "Simon?" "!" "What are you doing?" " You always wear the same clothes." " This shirt is comfortable." " And it's red and blue." " I think I like all colors." " I don't like brown." " No, a manhole!" " You touched me again." " Manhole covers bring bad luck!" " It's round, I like round." " But it's brown." "Do you like round things even if they're brown?" "Wrap your head around that!" "I like that it's round, but not that it's brown." "Please come in, this is my place." "Make yourself at home." "Beep-beep..." " Why is it so messy?" " It's not, I just have a lot of stuff." " Why are your records so old?" " You should talk, Mr. Polaroid." "Scoot..." "My fish." "And the flowers." " Why do you have two television sets?" " If that one breaks, I've got this." " Why do you have bagpipes?" " Why do you ask so many questions?" "So that I can get to know you." "To see if your brother and I are compatible?" "No, to make sure you aren't, so you can be together." "Like magnets." "Opposites attract." "I've never met anyone like you." " A good sauce is what's important." " What goes in the sauce?" "Go for a red wine sauce, that always works." "Sam." "What do you mean, "missing"?" "Well, he's been late all week." "And today, third day in a row..." "He brought some girl along and now he's just up and disappeared." " What girl?" " His guardian." " I'm his guardian." " How am I supposed to remember that?" "I thought it was one of your girlfriends." " I had the same girl for five years." " Is this about your girlfriend?" " I don't have one, we broke up." " What a shame." " Where is Simon?" " That's the thing." " I don't know." "He's gone." " Idiot ..." "Idiot ..." "Right..." "Hello..." "Excuse me?" " Hi, have you seen Simon?" " No." "Was he here this morn..." "Hey?" "Could you turn that thing off?" "!" "Stop blowing!" "Get it out of here!" "Was he..." "Hello?" "You have to stop!" " Get off!" " Lie still." "Get off!" "He's cross-eyed, never smiles, wears red and blue..." " ...walks all stiff." "Name's Simon." " I'll find him." " Should I file a report?" " Nah, I'll remember..." " Sorry I left you alone." "Is it okay?" " Yes, I like being alone." "Do you?" "Me too." "But only when I choose to be alone." "I generally choose to be with someone, though." " I don't need to be alone, I have Sam." " Right." " Nice, huh?" "Just like you." " No, not just like me." "Your colors." "Yes, red and blue." "And here are some melts." " You have to make them round." " You've said so a thousand times." "No, five times." "Who is it?" "Right, it's "mini-Saturday"." "No, it's Wednesday." "Today is Wednesday, Jennifer!" " Hi!" " Hi, honey." "How are you?" "So here you are." "I'd kind of forgotten..." "This is Simon." "He can't touch anyone!" " Hi, I'm Clara." " What's with the Nazi salute?" "I'm Simon and I'm Asperger's." "That's why people can't touch me." " Is he your boyfriend?" " No, absolutely not." " What did you bring?" " Tequila!" "Pictionary!" "Come on, Simon." "Let's play." "Ever play Tequila Pictionary?" "It's really easy..." " Do you want one?" " I told you, they have to be round." " The crusts are the best part." " There are glasses under there." "Right there, grab them." " All right if I help myself?" " Sure." " Melt, Simon?" "An ice cream!" "Grass." "A palm tree." "I was first." "I was first." "Hi, Mom." "Just wondered if Simon was there." "No, don't worry, he'll find his way home." "I am calm." "Yes, I'm calm." "Bye." " A ball." " The moon, the sun..." "A pizza?" "Venus, Jupiter." "A rock, with two... balls!" "These are also supposed to be completely round." " Time's up." " What is it?" "It's water, can't you tell?" "Oxygen and two hydrogen atoms." "You are seriously disturbed!" " That's not water." " You could draw an island, waves..." " It doesn't have to be so advanced." " Penalty shot." "Penalty, penalty..." "What did he do?" "Why are you sitting out here?" "Are you sad?" " What makes you think that?" " You look sad." "Sometimes people look sad even though they're happy." "Once, when Sam was picked Most Valuable Player, my mom cried." "But she was happy." "But she still cried." " Right." " You're not sad anymore?" " It's not that simple, Simon." " It is." "Either you're sad or happy." "No." "I'm sad about someone who used to make me so happy, who's an idiot." "You have to replace him with a new quantity, like in an equation." "Are you happy?" "I'm happy I'm out here with you." " I don't understand." " I like you." "Not that." "How can you go from happy to sad like that?" "Imagine that you have a circle, like this." "Round." "And up here, at the top, is the saddest you can get." "Then you're less sad." "You're almost okay." "You're fine." "You're happy, psyched, almost in a state of euphoria, and then just insanely happy when you reach the top." "On the other side of sad." "It's like it couldn't get any better." "But it's so easy to tip over the edge and go sad." " I understand." " You do?" "Yes." "Someone you liked stopped liking you, and that made you tip over to the other side." "Tip over from happy to sad." "You explain things so I understand." "Only you and Sam do that." " Good, maybe we're not all different." " You are." "He's order, you're chaos." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "Just so you know, I can only fall for good-looking guys." "Hold on." " Here." " Who's that?" "My brother Sam." "Is he good-looking or not?" " Possibly..." " You think so?" "Because if you do, you can meet him." "Let's ask Lisa and Clara." "Let's ask Lisa and Clara." "Hello..." " How are you?" " Fine." " What are you doing here?" " Simon has disappeared." " I see." " Have you heard anything?" "No, sorry." " Sorry, but..." " What do you want?" "It might have something to do with you." " That's not my problem, right?" " Yes... or no." "I don't know." "I don't know what to do about you, or about us..." "There is no "us" anymore." "Easy for you to say." "You were just looking for a reason to break it off so you could meet new guys." "You're the one in a relationship with your brother." "Come back when you've got something better to offer." "The shirt is kind of..." "But that can be changed." "Are you in love with him now?" "You can't fall in love with a picture." " Yes you can." " No, It doesn't work like that." "You have to click, like in the movies." "I don't watch romantic movies." "Do you want to meet him?" "What's this?" ""I'm Sam, Simon's big brother."" ""If you're reading this, he's probably lost or gotten into trouble."" ""It's not his fault, he has Asperger's."" ""Call me and I'll come pick him up and fix whatever he broke."" " How sweet!" " Do you want to meet him now?" " No..." " You want to." " Yes..." " You said yes." " I don't know." "Where are you going?" " Home to Sam." " What about me?" " You're going on a date." " Simon!" " He's cute... really sweet." "I'm home." " Where were you?" "I was worried." " I've been with Jennifer." " Who?" " Your new girlfriend." "Sam?" "She's your total opposite." "She explains things so I understand." " Apart from that, you're opposites." " I don't want to meet her." "You need someone who does the dishes and who likes me." " She likes me, so she'll love you." " I want to be alone." "You didn't call all day!" "Don't you realize how worried I was?" " She wants to go on a date with you." " I don't want to see anyone." " Is that so hard to understand?" " Where are you going?" " To Mom and Dad's." " Why?" " Because." " Are you angry, Sam?" " You sound like you're Asperger's." " Butt out of this!" "You can't even take care of yourself!" "Can't you see how upset I am?" "No, you can't because you're the one with Asperger's, you idiot!" "You're yelling, Sam." "Sam!" " Don't touch me!" " Sam?" "Sam..." "Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam!" "I'm an idiot!" "It was so obvious..." "They're opposites!" "So if Jennifer wants to go on a date, then Sam won't want to." "I have to complete my mission." "If you get the magnets close enough, science will take care of the rest." "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven." "I want every single movie there is about two people falling in love." " All of Hugh Grant's movies." " All of them...?" "Great, I've got an incoming call." "Hi, chef." "I'm in need of some catering." "Team, we have to stick together." "I chose you because I believe in you." "That, and you're the only people I know." "Will you tempt fate?" "Will you help me?" "Synchronize!" "Good..." "Just like in a Romcom." " Not until 10 pm on the dot." " I have to practice." "Just one." " What do you want it for?" " An equation." " Sam." " It's Thursday, so I figured..." "No more movie nights." "I'm playing basketball today." "Sam?" "What?" "Help!" "Help!" "Could you please get me out of this?" "Get me out." " For me?" " Hello?" " Is that you, Sam?" " Who the hell are you?" "This is fun!" "Why are you in a sack?" "Simon, you bastard!" "I'm going to kill you!" "He said I was going on a date." "Date?" "What date?" " Maybe we can call him?" " He doesn't have a phone." " You're late!" " Yeah yeah, love takes time." " No, hurry up." " Yeah..." " I don't think he's coming." " Go ahead, I'll wait." "What the hell...?" " What was that?" " Jennifer?" "Flowers from Sam." "Thanks, they're beautiful." ""You had me at hello." "Love, Sam."" "We're all set up on the hill." "S'il vous plaît!" " It's lovely..." " Come with me to the hill." "Une petite... finger food." "S'il vous plaît!" "This is great." "I love kiwis." "Cheers." " Okay, what do you want?" " What?" "I get it, you were in on this from the start." " What do you want from us?" " I'm here for Simon's sake." "I like him, he's great." "He said if I liked him, I'd love you." "There are no similarities, and no one really likes Simon." " How can you say that?" " Of course I like him." " But he only cares about himself." " That's so not true." "He wants us to like each other and said I'm a thousand times better." " 93 7." " What?" " He thinks you're 93 7 times better." " Who cares?" " I care!" " He's doing this for himself." "Just look at what he's done." "He's arranged for a ton of food." "There are lights, wine, roses..." "It's the ultimate romantic movie." "Don't you realize what you mean to him?" "He even got us live music." " Shit, how can you not see it?" " Yeah, but..." " I don't know, I ..." " What don't you know?" " I'm used to him." " So he does this all the time?" "No, but I ..." "If you could have anything you wanted, what would you wish for?" " A pet, maybe?" " A pet?" "Something unusual, maybe a monkey." "So if I could have anything I'd wish for a monkey?" "Cheers." "Sometimes bad gives way to good." "That's a kind of balance, as well..." "Maybe you need a special kind of intelligence to comprehend this?" "Maybe you need Asperger's." "Maybe there are feelings in space..." "That was a great surprise." "It's not over yet." "Where is Jennifer?" "Are you together now?" " No, but we may be friends." " What?" " But you have to get together." " We're not getting together." " Calm down." " Yes, yes, yes..." "You have to get together, Sam." "You do." " She's gone home..." " You scared her off!" " Jennifer!" " Jennifer?" "!" " Calm down." "Calm down!" "Simon!" "Simon!" "Things change, Simon, and it's not necessarily someone's fault." "Everything changes." "Not me." "You don't have to do all those things for me." "I had it all figured out." "You're supposed to be together now." "Why do you want us to be together?" " I don't want her to go away." " That doesn't mean she'll go away." "Sure it does." "If she doesn't like you, she won't like me." "I'm 93 7 times worse than you..." "And now she's gone." "I'm not the one who's gone, you are." " I'm not gone, I'm right here." " So am I ." "Hi there." "I'm not going anywhere." "I like you." "Hey, come on out..." " Why?" " Because." " Why?" " Because." " What are you doing?" " What?" "Can I give you a hug now or what?" " Why?" " Because I want to." "For the lovely dinner." "For the lovely evening, you and me and everything." "May I?" " I don't want anyone touching me." " Can't you tell?" "We already are."

Vehicle diagnostic systems often include an array of sensors for monitoring various activities and conditions of a vehicle. Multiple sensors measuring the same physical properties are often used at various locations (e.g., two NOx measurements may be taken at each of an aftertreatment system inlet and an aftertreatment system outlet, five exhaust gas temperature measurements may be taken at an inlet and an outlet of each of a number of aftertreatment catalysts). Typically, a mechanical Poka-Yoke, or mechanical error prevention mechanism, is utilized to inhibit sensors from being installed in an incorrect location and to associate the sensor with an engine control module (ECM). For example, a first probe or sensor may have a thread pattern of M20×1.5 with a first connector key and only one sensor mounting boss may be structured to fit that thread pattern. As a result, during installation either at a plant or during service, the first sensor can only be mounted to its designated location (i.e., the matching sensor mounting boss). The use of mechanical error prevention mechanisms result in a proliferation of parts because each sensor (e.g., one sensor of multiple duplicative sensors) requires different physical attributes and therefore different part numbers. Resulting increases in logistical complexity of installation and maintenance systems, as well as supply chains, causes the cost of parts and installation to increase both for initial assembly and for service.

Early vs. late tracheostomy in intensive care settings: Impact on ICU and hospital costs. Up to 12% of the 800,000 patients who undergo mechanical ventilation in the United States every year require tracheostomies. A recent systematic review showed that early tracheostomy was associated with better outcomes: more ventilator-free days, shorter ICU stays, less sedation and reduced long-term mortality. However, the financial impact of early tracheostomies remain unknown. To conduct a cost-analysis on the timing of tracheostomy in mechanically ventilated patients. We extracted individual length of hospital stay and length of ICU stay data from the studies included in the systematic review from Hosokawa et al. We also searched for any recent randomized control trials on the topic that were published after this review. The weighted length of stay was estimated using a random effects model. Average daily hospital and ICU costs per patients were obtained from a cost study by Kahn et al. We estimated hospital and ICU costs by multiplying LOS with respective average daily cost per patient. We calculated difference in costs by subtracting hospital costs, ICU costs and total direct variable costs from early tracheotomy to late tracheotomy. 95% confidence intervals were estimated using bootstrap re-sampling procedures with 1000 iterations. The average weighted cost of ICU stay in patients with an early tracheostomy was $4316 less when compared to patients with late tracheostomy (95% CI: 403-8229). Subgroup analysis revealed that very early tracheostomies (<4days) cost on average $3672 USD less than late tracheostomies (95% CI: -1309, 10,294) and that early tracheostomies (<10days but >4) cost on average $6385 USD less than late tracheostomies (95% CI: -4396-17,165). This study shows that early tracheostomy can significantly reduce direct variable and likely total hospital costs in the intensive care unit based on length of stay alone. This is in addition to the already shown benefits of early tracheostomy in terms of ventilator dependent days, reduced length of stays, decreased pain, and improved communication. Further prospective studies on this topic are needed to prove the cost-effectiveness of early tracheostomy in the critically ill population.

Wireless mobile communications provide the greatest convenience for users to access voice and data services essentially anywhere and anytime. Code Division Multiple Access ("CDMA") communication systems are one of the most promising digital wireless communication systems that can provide the desired mix of voice and data services. CDMA modulation techniques permit a large number of system users to communicate with one another. The geographic coverage provided by the communications system is divided into coverage areas referred to as cells, where each cell corresponds to a base station. The cell may be further divided into multiple sectors. Communication channels allocated to a given cell and/or sector are determined according to various known methods. Each base station transmits a pilot signal that serves as a beacon for mobile radios that are in the base station's cell. The base stations use the same pilot signal but with different tuning offsets such that they may be distinguished. The geographic coverage provided by the base stations are also referred to as pilot coverages. Given a system configuration, one optimization goal of the system engineer is to provide a good radio frequency ("RF") environment. Two factors in such an optimization are (1) minimizing multiple pilot regions (which are areas where pilot signals from different base stations have roughly the same signal strength), and (2) minimizing the impact of interference from other base stations. Each of these factors--pilot signal overlap and intercell interference--are directly impacted by the transmit power levels of base stations in a wireless system. Thus, a goal of the optimization process is to find base station transmit power levels which generally produce minimal pilot signal overlap and intercell interference. Such optimum transmit power levels are also a function of traffic load on the base stations. Typically, once the base stations are positioned, a terminal for measuring received pilot signal strengths, such as a mobile station or pilot scanner, is used in the field to collect and generate a set of baseline data of pilot signal strength from various base stations (referred to as "baseline pilot survey data"). The baseline pilot survey data and the initial power settings of the base stations are then analyzed to identify RF problem areas, such as pilot signal overlap and intercell interference. The initial base station power settings are then adjusted in a conventional manner to correct the identified RF problems areas. The terminal is then used again to gather a new set of pilot survey data based on the adjusted power settings. These steps are repeated until the pilot signal overlap and intercell interference are minimized. The procedure is repeated for different traffic channel load conditions, where traffic channel load refers to the number of mobiles being served at a given time. Optimizing the system for different RF conditions or environments using currently available methods is, therefore, time consuming and expensive.

1. Technical Field Methods for forming thin films of semiconductor devices are disclosed, and more specifically, methods for forming thin films of semiconductor devices are disclosed which solve the problems associated with growth rate variations during the process of forming the films. An apparatus is disclosed for the film forming process which comprises a metal dome and a vertically movable susceptor having a resistor type heater disposed in a chamber. 2. Description of the Related Art Generally, thin films formed on semiconductor substrates are formed by performing deposition process in a chamber. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating a chemical vapor deposition apparatus in which processes are performed one wafer at a time. Referring to FIG. 1, a reactor comprises a metal dome 11 and a chamber 13. A heater 17 for heating a semiconductor substrate 27 is mounted in a susceptor 15 composed of graphite. The susceptor 15 moves vertically. When the semiconductor substrate 27 is inserted in the chamber, the susceptor 15 is lowered to a predetermined position, and the substrate 27 is moved through a chamber entryway 19 and placed on the susceptor 15 by a robot arm. Thereafter, the susceptor 15 is lifted to a predetermined position, and source gas is injected through a gas outlet 21 into the chamber whereby, chemical vapor deposition reaction is started to grow a thin film on the semiconductor substrate. After the growth process of the thin film is completed, the susceptor 15 is lowered again, and the substrate 27 having a thin film thereon is moved through the chamber entryway 21 out of the chamber by the robot arm and then a new semiconductor substrate is placed on the susceptor 15, and the first cycle of process is completed. However, the thin films grown on the substrate do not have the same thickness although the same process is performed to grow thin film on different semiconductor substrates. FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating the thickness of polysilicon film formed on wafers processed according to insertion sequence using the apparatus shown FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows that a desired thickness is obtained from the 9th wafer. Eight wafers previous to the 9th wafer are used as dummy substrates, which is very inefficient. Although the growth process is performed under the same conditions, each thin film has different thickness due to difference between the actual process environment and the process conditions set by apparatus operator. The growth speed of polysilicon is sensitive to temperature. The actual surface temperature of the substrate differs from the set temperature because the susceptor 15 moves vertically as shown in FIG. 1 and the distance between the dome 11 and the substrate 27 is not constant. The dome 11 which is composed of metal has considerable reflectivity in a wavelength range including wavelength of infrared rays and the semiconductor substrate 27 also has considerable, respectively. The surface temperature of the substrate 27 is affected by heat reflected from the dome 11 as well as heat conducted from the resistor type heater 17. The heat reflected from the dome 11 becomes weaker as the distance between the dome 11 and the substrate 27 becomes greater. Here, the susceptor stays stopped in idle state before the thin film growth process starts. However, when the process starts, the susceptor 15 begins to move up and down repeatedly and the surface temperature of the substrate 11 drops. The temperature drop of substrate is sensed by temperature sensors such as thermocouple (not shown), and the heater 17 is further heated to maintain the desired temperature of substrate. However, the temperature stabilization requires much time because the resistor type heater 17 does not immediately react to increase in power applied to the heater 17. As a result, when the thin film growth process starts, each of initially inserted wafers has thin films having different thickness formed thereon because the process is not performed at the desired set temperature. As described above, because thin films formed on semiconductor substrates initially inserted one at a time in the apparatus does not have desired thickness, the conventional method for forming thin films of semiconductors reduces the productivity of semiconductor devices, thereby degrading yield thereof. Accordingly, a method is disclosed for forming thin films of semiconductor devices, comprising performing a preheating process before the main process to stabilize the surface temperature of susceptor so that the temperature drop due to vertical movement of the susceptor is compensated. A method for forming a thin film on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed, wherein the semiconductor substrate is subjected to a thin film formation process in a thin film formation apparatus containing a chamber, a susceptor vertically movable in the chamber and a heater disposed within the susceptor, the method comprising a preheating process for stabilizing the internal temperature of the chamber by vertically moving the susceptor a predetermined number of times prior to the thin film formation process. It is preferable that a wall and ceiling of the chamber comprises metal, and the preheating process is performed under inert gas atmosphere with a dummy substrate mounted on the susceptor. The preheating process is performed using a source gas selected from the group consisting of SiH4, Si2H6, Si2H2CI2, GeH4, Ge2H6, Ge2H2CI2 and combinations thereof. It is preferable that the number of vertical movements of the susceptor is determined by the factors comprising a stop position, a time period at the stop position of the susceptor and combinations thereof so that internal temperature of the chamber is stabilized. The susceptor moves vertically 1 to 30 times during the preheating process. The temperature of semiconductor substrate is stabilized at a temperature ranging from 600 to 800xc2x0 C. after the preheating process. A method for forming a thin film on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed, wherein the semiconductor substrate is subjected to a thin film formation process in a thin film formation apparatus containing a chamber, a susceptor vertically movable in the chamber and a heater disposed within the susceptor, the method comprising performing a preheating process, prior to a thin film formation process, for stabilizing the internal temperature of the chamber by setting the temperature of the heater higher than the temperature required for the thin film formation process for a predetermined time period sufficient to compensate for a temperature drop due to vertical movement of the susceptor in the thin film formation process. It is preferable that the temperature of the heater during the preheating, process is set 100 to 200xc2x0 C. higher than a temperature required during the thin film formation process. The preheating process is performed under inert gas atmosphere with a dummy substrate mounted on the susceptor. The preheating process is performed using a source gas selected from the group consisting of SiH4, Si2H6, Si2H2CI2, GeH4, Ge2H6, Ge2H2CI2 and combinations thereof. Generally, the heater is used at a temperature ranging from 700 to 1000xc2x0 C. A method for forming a thin film on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed, wherein the semiconductor substrate is subjected to a thin film formation process in a CVD chamber, the method further comprising a preheating process for stabilizing the internal temperature of the chamber by vertically moving the susceptor a predetermined number of times prior to a thin film formation process. A preheating process comprising vertical movement of susceptor is performed before the thin film formation process to have the surface temperature of susceptor to approach the surface temperature required during the actual process. This prevents the thin films formed on the semiconductor substrate from having difference in thickness and property when the formation process is performed at unstable temperatures in a CVD apparatus having a vertically moving susceptor, a resistor type heater and a metal dome.

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis does not affect ischemic preconditioning in isolated perfused rat hearts. Endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) has recently been reported to be a mediator of ischemic preconditioning in dog hearts. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of NO in ischemic preconditioning in isolated perfused rat hearts. Rat hearts were perfused at either constant pressure (80 mmHg) or constant flow. After aerobic perfusion (37 degrees C) for 10 min, hearts were treated with N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 30 microM), which is an inhibitor of NO synthase, or vehicle. Ten minutes later, the hearts were preconditioned (4 episodes of 5 min of global ischemia and 5 min of reperfusion) or perfused normally before a 30-min global ischemic period. All hearts were reperfused for 30 min. Coronary flow or perfusion pressure plus heart rate and contractile function were measured continuously. Hearts perfused at constant pressure and treated with 30 microM L-NAME, a concentration that effectively inhibits endogenous NO synthesis, exhibited decreased coronary flow after 10 min, and flow remained decreased throughout the experiment. Ischemic preconditioning before 30 min of global ischemia resulted in a doubling of contractile function and a reduction of lactate dehydrogenase release at the end of the 30-min reperfusion period compared with nonpreconditioned hearts. The protective effect of preconditioning was not different in L-NAME-treated hearts. In addition, inhibition of NO synthase had no effect on the severity of ischemia in nonpreconditioned hearts. Similar results were obtained in preconditioned hearts that were perfused at constant flow, indicating that the flow reductions caused by L-NAME did not influence the results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

"What are you going for?" "3,000." "you're 21 years old, man." "I thought you would go For like 10,000 ounces." "I'm a real underachieving 21-year-old." "That's for sure, todd." "On this "Gold rush"..." "Just know now That we're gonna do 3,000 ounces" "And not an ounce more." "Can you build a bigger one?" "I'd love to bump our goal Up to 4,000 ounces." "It." "Let's do it, man." "What do you say?" "Why not?" "right now, we're standing On a big-ass sail." "Can feel the wind Pullin' this thing." "whoa!" "broke loose!" "Not here to ruffle Any feathers or anything." "are you gonna let me Run the dredge a bit more?" "Captions paid for by Discovery communications" "six months ago," "The hoffman crew Left mckinnon creek" "And the klondike for good." "Just go for it." "But now they're back..." "Comin' up, sheamus." "...To dismantle monster red" "And take it 2,000 miles south," "To oregon." "clear one?" "yeah, clear." "Let her down." "Their first oregon operation" "Has so far produced" "A disappointing 50 ounces." "I don't know why The high bar isn't producing." "We tested it." "Something's going on." "I don't know what." "So they've opened up" "A second mine, the buckland." "And they need a wash plant." "didn't think we were Gonna need monster red." "But it looks like we're gonna." "So we'll get it, Break it apart," "Get it down there, See what happens." "I got to get This plant to oregon." "We got to get sluicing." "We're running out of time." "So we still got A couple big pieces" "That we got to get out of here." "We got that screen deck." "That's gonna be a huge piece." "sheamus, When we go to pick this," "I want to tighten These cables up." "I want to double-check And look at every pick point." "Roger that." "That sounds like A good idea, fred." "todd has drafted" "Klondike mine boss Sheamus christie and his crane" "To take apart The 100,000-pound plant." "This wind's Getting worse and worse." "Yeah, the wind is bad." "I'm nervous." "But, let's Get hooked up," "Try it, and put Some weight on it." "Freddy, you ready?" "Let's go." "Right now, we're standing On a big-ass sail." "You know, it's 20-some feet long, 6, 7 feet high." "You know, put a sail That big out," "See how much wind it catches." "Let's give it heck, sheamus." "Does it even move, fred?" "All we've done so far Is take a little cushion" "Out of the springs." "Yeah." "It's coming off over here!" "We're moving." "It's coming up." "I can feel the wind Pulling this thing." "Come on, baby." "Come on." "easy." "freddy, how's it look?" "When he clears the stand, We ought to have him come down." "Looking good, todd, Looking good." "Nearly there!" "Yeah!" "the screen deck Is safely stowed." "All that's left is To remove the shaker stand." "For the past 2 years, There's been over $5 million" "Worth of gold washed" "Right under where my feet are And end up in those sluices." "This is why we came here." "This is the most Important part." "We can't screw this up." "this whole trip Is about this part here." "It's pretty much priceless." "And -- and it's custom, Can't just go out" "And buy something Like this in short order." "How much do you think This thing weighs, fred?" "with all those chutes And the catwalks" "And stuff on it, Probably 25, 30." "Let's do it!" "6,000. 7,000." "8,000." "We're at 10,500." "15. 16." "17. 20." "23." "25." "Has it even budged?" "Hasn't even Moved an inch." "Keep hitting it." "I'm at 36,000." "I don't know, todd." "I don't Think it should be this heavy." "the crane is pulling At least 6,000 pounds more" "Than the weight Of the shaker stand." "Still, it won't budge." "What do you want To do, sheamus?" "Holy frick." "I'm just headed back, Get started for the year," "Helping tony move This other dredge." "gene cheeseman is back" "For his second season" "As tony beets' foreman." "it'll be good to do A challenging project," "Something new, Something different." "Not too many people Get to do that." "his mission " "Take apart tony's 500-ton Second dredge," "Transport it 150 miles," "And bring the ancient Gold machine back to life." "we got to barge it Down the yukon river." "So that's another challenge." "There's gonna be some Learning curve with that." "Looking forward to getting Started on the project." "That's why I'm here." "he hasn't been Around here much, has he?" "Well, he hasn't changed." "Let's put it that way." "Yeah." "Good, tony." "Yeah." "hi, gene." "hi, minnie." "Well, I had to Bring something." "Well, next time Bring something better." "Yeah." "Should be fun, I guess." "You being here, It will hurry things along." "well, yeah." "no, I'm ready to get going." " I knew you'd be ready." "awesome." "So what're you both Sitting here talking?" "I want to move that dredge Is what I want to do." "Yeah." "in the offseason," "Tony beets bought Two old tugboats" "To haul the dredge Down the yukon river." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." "We're gonna have to take That all apart anyways." "So I don't know." "I guess " "Yeah." "instead of starting On the second dredge," "Gene has to turn A pile of scrap" "Into a fleet of working tugs." "You know, we got wiring, Fuel tanks." "None of the cooling lines Are hooked up." "I need to go, make A few phone calls here" "About some of the controls And stuff." "It's kind of endless, you know?" "You look at the huge," "Big picture of things, It looks overwhelming." "okay." "I'm gonna go work." "Go to hell." "Go ahead and fire up That, 800" "And bring it over and tap it." "the hoffman crew is Taking its $360,000 wash plant" "South to their new Operation in oregon." "It's stuck right now." "It's not lifting it." "but the shaker stand Is stuck fast" "In the frozen klondike dirt." "Freddy dodge has a plan..." "They're gonna grab that 800 And try to get it out of there." "...Try to nudge loose One corner of the stand" "To give sheamus A better shot at lifting it." "Push out!" "Push out on the arm!" "There you go." "Whoa!" "Talk to me!" "Dig in And roll it this way." "Roger." "See if you can Get a better angle." "Yeah." "It's broke loose." "Okay." "Let's see if we can Lift the old girl." "We're gonna try to get The bucket underneath there," "Jiggle it a little bit While sheamus is pulling." "28. 29." "30,000 pounds." "There." "It's starting to move." "perfect." "yeah!" "Good job, sheamus!" "Yeah, looks like 30,000's the number." "I hate permafrost." "Just a little reminder Why I went to oregon." "Now one problem " "I got to find The frickin' gold." "We're making awesome progress." "A little bit smaller crew, But we're motoring right along." "I just hope we can keep this up For the rest of this season." "at scribner creek," "Parker schnabel is on the gold." "His new wash plant, sluicifer," "Has produced A healthy 126 ounces" "After just 4 days running." "it was surprising To see that much gold." "If this cut keeps going," "Like this little indication Shows right now," "We'll -- we'll hit our 3,000." "but parker's capping His target at 3,000 ounces," "The same as last year." "We're, um, at a bit of a limit" "Because tony's royalties are " "Start to really kick in And hit pretty hard." "Over 3,000 ounces," "We have to pay 25% royalty." "We need to make money this year." "We might be able to do As much gold as we did with," "You know, 12 or 14 people Last year" "With only 6 or 7 this season" "Because we're mining good And cheap and efficient." "You know, if I was doing it, I'd definitely have," "Some more hands on deck there." "But I know parker Doesn't want to have," "Any expenses," "Just wants to have the profit." "Hey." "Do you have about an hour?" "There's something I want to go show you." "Okay." "Give me a second here." "With fewer operators," "Parker's looking at ways Of moving dirt more efficiently." "So where are we going?" "Well, I met this guy" "That mines Down here on dominion." "He's custom built And designed these conveyors" "That he uses, actually." "To move all his dirt?" "Yeah, everything -- mud, Overburden, gravel, all of it." "You know, he just runs A three-man operation." "Wow." "So, those Are what he uses." "What the hell?" "That's one frankenstein Machine right there." "Yeah, they're pretty sweet." "You're moving everything 120 feet away from you." "I'd have to see one Running." "this machine Is the brainchild" "Of klondike innovator Adrian hollis." "Hi, parker, How you doing, buddy?" "good." "How are you?" "good." "good to see you." "yeah, the same." "this is rick." "hi, rick." "how you doing, buddy?" "he's our foreman." "okay." "Well, this is what we do." "This is how We move dirt here." "This thing puts up about 400, 500 yards an hour." "It's a cheap way To move dirt." "So this whole cut, Nothing but this conveyor." "nothing but this conveyor." "wow." "In fact, this cut is actually, 4,000 feet long." "The 130-foot mobile conveyor" "Sits on top Of an old excavator." "A single operator loads Overburden into the hopper." "The conveyor Then shifts it 120 feet up" "And out of the cut." "As soon as he finishes In one area," "The operator simply moves The whole machine" "And starts the process again." "You don't have Any other crew" "Other than one guy Feeding this thing?" "No, just one guy." "He just runs around, And he feeds this." "He just comes down here." "We just send him off With some pork and beans." "And he gets at it." "and the conveyor uses" "A fraction of the fuel" "Burnt by a fleet Of rock trucks." "So what's This thing cost to run?" "We generally Looking about, like," "Between $1,000 And $1,200 a day." "And you're moving 4,000 yards a day?" "Sometimes more." "Generally calculate All that costs" "On about 30 cents a yard." "That's 1/3 Of what we're at." "You can be On marginal ground." "And it doesn't have To have much gold in it." "And you're looking pretty sweet At the end of the season." "Pretty impressive." "Would you be willing To help build us one?" "If you can supply The guys and the material," "Then I'll look after it." "And we'll see If we can make one work." "So, what " " I guess I need an excavator" " to put this thing on?" "you certainly will." "Depends how big You want to make it." "Do you want to make a big one Or a little one?" "Can you build A bigger one?" "Well, if you got An old 700 sitting around," "I would say you wouldn't have A problem with 150 feet." "Thanks, adrian." "Thanks for your time." "no problem, son." "I appreciate it." "thanks a lot." "yeah." "it was great meeting you." "yeah." "all parker needs" "To start building His own super conveyor" "Is an excavator." "Yeah." "I think it could really Change our operation." "It could change A lot of things at our site." "I think it could make us A lot more efficient." "He's the mastermind Behind this." "So if he's willing to help," "Then I want To get one built." "We appear to be Good and going." "Kevin beets is at the helm" "Of his father's old dredge." "We are a-dredging." "That's not too bad." "in just the first 3 weeks of the season," "Kevin has produced 536 ounces of gold," "Worth well over $600,000." "Gonna drop my bucket Right down to a belt level." "And off we go." "That's nice bedrock." "There's been tons Of bucket line slippage today 'cause it's worn Right the out." "Now I am not moving at all." "even though the dredge Is producing good gold," "A slipping bucket line Has been slowing it down." "It's been An ongoing issue for " "Since we started." "Okay." "You stop." "You guys stop." "Well, I've shut it off Because it was about" "A minute of the bucket line Not moving at all." "It was like it was stuck." "So it kept turning up on top." "But the buckets Weren't moving." "That was grinding The absolute" "Out of the sprockets." "I can't dig that section." "It was pretty clear." "So no point in Beating the" "Out of the poor dredge" "Trying to get the ground When I can't dig it." "the bucket line Works like a bicycle chain" "Which is driven by a drive cog." "Wear plates on the wheel" "Act as teeth that engage The bucket line." "Over time, the wear plates Have worn down," "Which means the bucket line" "Is losing it's grip and slipping" "Whenever it has To dig the harder bedrock." "We know there's Some gold in this bedrock." "So we're missing out." "every time The dredge hits bedrock," "Kevin repositions it to mine Shallower, softer ground." "Shut down for 5 minutes," "Swing to where you need To go, and go from there." "Here comes tony." "It could be better." "Watch out." "sprockets on the bucket line..." "yeah?" "The wear plates, Those things are" "They're supposed to be square To catch the bottom" "They're all worn down." "Instead of being this thick, They're this thick." "That's causing The bucket line to slip." " yeah." "because of that," "We can't dig Worth a" "I want to pull these ones off, Get the new ones we had made," "Bolt them in, Weld them in, done." "Yeah, we don't Need gene for that." "I can direct welders, too." "It's basically my job here, too, 'cause part of the people " "it's three bolts." "yeah, yeah, yeah." "Yeah, yeah." "There's no Rocket science there." "Well, yeah." "But I can do that, too." "All right." "What can you do?" "It'd be really nice To get that fixed" "So we can actually dig again." "because he can't dig The gold-rich bedrock," "Kevin has to settle For lower-grade material." "tony wants to wait For gene to show up" "Before we can fix those." "I mean, he is the big boss." "So he gets to make The big calls." "I know I'm supposed to be Running the dredge." "Doesn't mean I get to." "Okay." "just drop 'em." "heads!" "heads!" "monster red Is finally loaded up." "good job, jack." "you bet." "Good job, fred." "thanks, man." "right on, guys." "thanks for helping us." "and the hoffman Crew can start" "The 2,000-mile journey home" "And try to salvage their season." "Away we go, back to oregon," "Right into the buckland." "I'll be damned." "parker, how you doing, man?" "not too bad." "how are you?" "all right, man." "Tired." "How's your summer going?" "Well..." "I don't know." "It hasn't Started off real great," "If you want To know the truth." "Just here getting The plant." "That's it." "Trying to liquidate What I have." "I got a hell of a yard sale Going on." "You needing anything?" "What do you want For that excavator?" "Well, make me an offer." "Let me have mitch Take a look at it." "And we'll just Put a value on it" "And go back and forth From there." "But we do need A bigger hoe like that" "For a project We're working on." "It's all yours, buddy." "I heard you're Going for 5,000 ounces." "yeah, I am." "that's a lot of gold." "Yeah." "What are you going for?" "3,000." "Just doesn't make sense" "With our royalty rates, You know?" "You're 21 years old, man." "I thought you would go For like 10,000 ounces." "I'm a real underachieving 21-year-old." "that's for sure, todd." "well, there you go." "What do you think?" "You've achieved everything 'cause you get a little gold In your pocket?" "did I say that?" "sounded like it." "No." "You tell me, man." "I'm only 47 years old." "What would I know?" "I just got finished Burying my grandpa." "You don't need to tell me Like that." "I don't know." "You know, I don't need that" "Come on!" "See you." "See you later." "Let's get out of here." "it will take The convoy 2 1/2 weeks" "To make its way To the new claim." "we need to get Monster red down to the buckland" "And start making some gold." "I'm gonna miss this place." "But my future isn't In the klondike." "Parker can have it." "hey, gene." "kevin." "you made it in." "Yeah." "How's it going?" "You know, Breaks." "Yeah." "Gene cheeseman has been sent" "To oversee a repair" "On the dredge's bucket line." "So I'm guessing You're here for the " "Yeah." "I got to look At the tumbler here" " and see, what's -- -what's up?" "What's up with that, Just figure out a plan." "We noticed it began To slip about a month ago." "I've been trying to get On tony's case" "To let us replace them." "But he really wanted to wait For gene, for some reason." " gene isn't needed here." " he's got better to do." "He should be on dredge Number two today." "For weeks, kevin and jason" "Have been wanting To make the fix themselves." "You guys are all big boys." "I don't think you need me Out here, but " "We kind of knew what was gonna Have to be done there, so..." "Not here to ruffle any feathers Or anything, so..." "I don't think We need a babysitter, so..." "No." "And I'm not Trying to do that." "So I don't want you To feel that way." "Yeah, we'll be good." "Yeah." "okay." "all right." "We could have fixed this problem On our own with the bucket line." "We have the welders here." "We have the wear plates." "Everything was Available to go," "And we were just waiting For the go-ahead from tony." "And he insisted On waiting for gene." "Yep." "We're just looking At the sprockets." "He can get started On the sprocket today, right?" "nowhe'sin arush." "Okay." "Phil's working on the bucket." "Jason and bob just Finishing cleaning out" "The hydraulic riffles For under the trommel." "Jason finished up Greasing the bucket line." "I can do that, yep." "Gotcha." "It's no different Than your bicycle chain." "If your teeth are screwed up On your bicycle chain," "Your chain skips." "That's all this is, Is a chain." "And it's skipping 'cause The sprockets wore out." "Now you got to Change those out." "These guys look like They got it figured out" "And doing a good job." "You know, I want to go move dredge two." "That's what I want to do." "It's what I'm interested in." "while gene Supervises the repair," "Dredge master kevin Pulls the mats" "To take home to tony as ordered." "tony's always Gonna micro-manage." "Doesn't matter if the cleanups Are good, bad, or great." "That's how he operates." "So you just learn to work With it like a natural disaster." "You don't just yell At the hurricane." "You wait for it to pass, Then you pick up the pieces." "I'll take this off to paradise" "So he can jig it, clean it." "Then we can see what we got." "I did a pan." "kevin has been Summoned home by his father," "While gene cheeseman oversees A repair on the dredge." " not too bad." "yeah?" "There's a lot Of material." "So there should be hopefully A lot of gold in that." "Yeah, yeah." "So if this turns out good..." "Are you gonna let me Run the dredge a bit more?" "No, that's not What I'm meaning." "I'm talking about, like, Letting me manage it." "Well, like With the sprockets" "on the bull gear." "yeah?" "'cause gene's plan Is the exact same plan" "I told you a month ago." "yes." "Are you gonna give me More responsibility" "And let me Make the call " "That when I say, "I want to fix this now."" "We can fix The thing." "Okay." "But when I say, "Is it time?"" "Will you listen?" "yippee." " okay." " finish this up." "He should know he can trust me To keep running," "That I don't need Someone to hold my hand" "Every time I decide To go left or right." "That's what he should Trust me with." "I'm getting Pissed off with this." "Todd hoffman really Irritated me the other day" "By saying we're, like, Some sort of slackers" "Only going for 3,000 ounces." "parker is on his way To see tony" "In a last-ditch attempt To improve his royalty deal." "truth of the matter is After 3,000 ounces," "We just -- we can't afford To pay a 25% royalty." "At the end of the day, This is a business." "We're stuck at 3,000 ounces" "As long as we're Leasing from tony." "And as long as he keeps Taking the same position he is." "For the last two seasons," "Parker has repeatedly tried And failed" "To renegotiate the deal With his claim owner." "well, let's, Give this a shot." "knock, knock." "hey, parker." "hi." "hey." "haven't seen you yet this year." "I know." "Sorry to hear About your granddad." "Thanks." "Hi, tony." "How you guys doing?" "We're good." "As good as can be, anyway." "You bringing us goodies?" "I am." "100 ounces for you." "Well, we just did 126" "Out of our first cleanup, First 4 days." "so that's good." "that pretty good." "And, I figure I'd get you out of my hair" "And just give you the minimum Royalty up front here." "Yeah, not bad." "Off the back of that, You know," "That's our minimum Royalty payment." "Yeah." "We're really stuck on Our maximum of 3,000 ounces" "With these royalty rates The way they are." "I mean, all I'm asking for" "Is to cap the royalties At 20%." "We can go for 4,000 Or 5,000 ounces," "Which would put -- You know, 20% " "That'd put 200 to 400 More ounces in your pocket." "That way, we can just Keep on chugging." "And it makes it Worthwhile for me to do." "And you guys keep getting More gold out of the ground." "At then end of the day, Something needs to change, 'cause I'm really Not up here" "To just every year Do 3,000 ounces or less." "Well, if that's the way It's gonna be," "Just know now that We're gonna do 3,000 ounces" "And not an ounce more." "Are we really Gonna stick to that?" "I think we should Talk about it." "Well, you got to do something, 'cause he wants to work." "How many people this day And age want to work?" "I don't want you to do that." "I mean, there should Be options, right?" "Let him bring the gold." "what's up?" "Yeah, we have our one From last year still," "big red." "good." "tony's offer Allows parker to mine" "Another 3,000 ounces At the lower rate" "As long as it's on A second claim." "Yeah." "I mean, I wasn't planning" "On having two operations Going this summer." "But I appreciate The compromise." "Right?" "Maybe you're not Such a bad guy, tony." "Thanks, tony." "That's a bit unexpected." "I really wasn't, thinking That was gonna happen." "This is pretty late To start a project like that." "Like, running a second operation In a second plant is, " "It takes a lot Of infrastructure, right?" "Do you have generators And pumps" "And feeders and loaders?" "And a lot of stuff That goes into it." "it looks as though You've brought me" "a machine, mate." "yeah." "parker has made A deal on todd's 700 excavator." "He can now have adrian build him" "A brand-new super conveyor." "looks good." "it's a little beat up." "It came from the hoffmans." "Well, it looks As though it's nothing" "That can't be repaired." "No, I'm really Lookin' forward to it." "Five weeks Should just about do it." "And you're in business." "Geez." "That's a lot of work." "you come have a look." "You tell me." "The beets family assembles" "For the third gold weigh Of the season." "Faulty wear plates On the dredge have meant kevin" "Has struggled To dig high-quality pay." "Now, they will find out How much it's cost them." "there she is." "30." "40. 50. 60." "70. 80." "90." "110. 130." "140. 160." "170." "No." "Right?" "despite the Slipping bucket line," "Kevin has brought in $260,000 in A single week." "yeah, it's hot." "it's hot." "no touchy." "Yeah, I think We could've done better, though," "If you had let me Fix those wear plates" "Way the back when." "wah, wah, wah." "no, no, no." "see -- -no wah, wah, wah." "We could've got a lot more." " he's got a point." "yeah." "I appreciate you" "Wanting me to, you know, Be involved in doin' it." "But I think kevin's More capable of doin' it." " well, I'm tryin' to be." "okay." "7568." "That's more than We had all last year." "yes." "Kevin does have A point though." "Tony has to let Go a little bit." "The less people Trying to make decisions," "The better." "It's like anything." "Work by committee Doesn't happen." "So here I am, gonna make it Work this year." "let's fry that up And put it on the table?" "30 miles south," "Parker schnabel Is also in his gold room," "Ready for his second Boundary cut weigh in." "all right." "Let's see what this is." "their first weigh-in" "Of the season was 126 ounces." "Here's 20." "60." "120." "140." "145 on the button." "whoo!" "nice." "yeah." "145 ounces, That's a good cleanup." "That's worth nearly $175,000" "And takes his total So far to 271 ounces," "Well on target For his season goal." "You know, I keep bugging tony" "About our royalty rates." "And, um, this week," "He did make a bit Of a compromise" "In that he said the only way We're gonna get away " "Around the royalty rates is," "We can run A second wash plant." "And it will reset at The original royalty rates." "Really?" "It's got to be A different plant," "A different plant On a different cut," "And be independent Of the other operation." "So each plant Pays its own royalties?" "yeah." "wow." "It starts Back at 15%, right," "And then Works up from there." "We've got that ground On indian river from tony" "That we got last year." "And we have yet To touch 'em at all." "I mean, it's all still Trees and swamp." "I'd love to bump our goal up To 4,000 ounces" "And try to do 1,000 Ounces down there." "I mean, if you want this, rick, I'm putting it on you." "You've got to want to do it." "And you've got to take it on." "And it's not gonna be easy." "So it's on you." "It." "Let's do it, man." "What do you say?" "Why not?" "let's give it a try." "yeah." "Hell yeah." "What are you thinking For a wash plant?" "Um, probably big red." "I know when we parked it, It was pretty tore up." "Sounds like you got Yourself a project, mitch." "Yeah." "That's it, man." "We're goin' big." "Let's get after it." "Get a steady flow of gold Down to that room?" "going big, mitch." "yeah." "You know, we're gonna go For 4,000 ounces." "This is our year to go big." "Trying to get another 1,000 with big red," "Probably not The easiest way to get there." "But if that's what we got to do, That's what we're gonna go do." "Parker saying It's all on me." "Well, it's kind of what I've Been thinking about, you know?" "What it would be like." "And so I " "I'm pretty excited about that." "And I'm getting more excited By the second now," "Um, 'cause I didn't really See it happening any time soon." "But now it's -- it's pretty much Being laid before me." "And I've got A huge opportunity now." "Yeah." "I guess we're starting A second operation." "Not really what I had in mind." "But," "Hey, gold price is good." "Fuel price is cheap." "So now's the time to be pushing For everything we can." "whoa." "Whoa." "Whoa!" "Rick's going under!" "on the next "Gold rush"..." "Gonna be the hardest Thing we've ever done." "You're losing Thousands of dollars a day." "We're not mining." "We're just wasting time." "Unless I see Something really screwed up..." "whoo." "..." "Rick's the boss." "You're kidding me." "It's just not gonna thaw." "Kevin, You're in trouble!" "supposed To be mining gold." " you don't like it?" " too bad." "Everybody has A breaking point."

Rigidity in parent-child interactions and the development of externalizing and internalizing behavior in early childhood. Behavioral rigidity is a common feature of many psychopathologies, yet the association between rigidity and the development of childhood psychopathology has not been studied. State space grids (a dynamic systems [DS] method) were used to examine the relation between rigidity in parent-child interactions and childhood externalizing and internalizing problems. High-risk kindergarten children (n = 240) and their parents were observed for 2 hr engaging in a variety of tasks that were expected to elicit a range of affect. State space grid analysis of the observational data revealed an association between rigidity in parent-child interactions and child externalizing behavior problems in the fall and spring of kindergarten and 1st grade, and with growth in those problems over time. Rigidity was associated with concurrent levels and with chronic high-level internalizing problems. Strengths and limitations of the new DS methodology in relation to understanding child psychopathology are discussed.

[Clinical, biological, therapeutic and evolving profile of patients with HIV infection hospitalized at Infectious and tropical diseases unit in Abidjan (Ivory Coast)]. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical, biological, therapeutic and evolving current profile of hospitalized patients with HIV infection in the cohort of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Unit (ITDU) in the aim to improve their care management. This is a retrospective study, conducted on medical data of hospitalized cases of patients with HIV infection in the ITDU at the teaching hospital of Treichville (Abidjan) from 2006 to 2007. During the two years, 447 patients were included in the study. Their average age was 39 years [18 years-86 years] and sex ratio was 0.69. Of the 447 patients, 35% were unemployed and 67% were new patients who had never undergone antiretroviral therapy (ART). The duration of drug exposure was less than 6 months in 59% of treated patients. The average time to initiate ART was seven weeks. Among naive patients 41.9% were lost to follow up, 35.9% were waiting for treatment and 22.1% waiting for baseline biological test to initiate ART. At the initiation of ART, 79.6% of patients had a CD4 count less than 200/mm(3). The reasons of hospitalization defining AIDS were dominated by tuberculosis (34.2%), cerebral toxoplasmosis (17.9%) and neuromeningeal cryptococcosis (8%). The main reasons of hospitalization in classifying non-AIDS were pyelonephritis (6.5%), bacterial pneumonia (5.4%) and undetermined infectious encephalitis (4.9%). Hospital mortality was 24.4%. The leading causes of death were tuberculosis (22.9%), cerebral toxoplasmosis (20.2%), undetermined infectious encephalitis (18.3%) and cryptococcal meningitis (13.7%). The profile of PLHIV in hospital is characterized by profound immunosuppression due to late diagnosis and high mortality associated with severe opportunistic infections and late initiation of ART.

Determination of fetal maturity and of development of the fetal lungs by means of combined methods. The validity of the assessment of the fetal age and pulmonary maturity was evaluated on 369 patients at various stages of normal pregnancy and complicated by diabetes, toxemia and fetal anencephaly. Gestational maturity was assessed by ultrasonic measurement of the fetal biparietal diameter and by analysing constituents of amniotic fluid (creatinine, bilirubin, fat cells) while pulmonary maturity was assessed from the L/S ratio in the amniotic fluid. Each individual method has a wide margin of error, however, ultrasound cephalometry gave the best prediction for determination of fetal age. In 135 selected cases lung maturity was assessed by using two techniques, a thin layer chromatographic determination of the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in the amniotic fluid and a rapid semiquantitative test to determine the titre of surfactant which generates stable foam in presence of ethanol. The results obtained by the two methods correlated well and were reliable in predicting the respiratory distress syndrome. It appears that these methods make it possible to obtain greater margins of reliability. The role of fetal and maternal factors in the maturation of fetal lungs was also studied in several pathological conditions and it was noted that in many cases of maternal diabetes mellitus lung maturity was reached at a later age than in normal pregnancies. It is condluded that if termination of pregnancy is indicated, the physician should rely more on the assessment of lung maturity than on indicators of gestational age.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation policies in northwest England hospices: a telephone survey. A survey into existence of resuscitation policies in hospices in Northwest England. All 25 hospices in the region were contacted. The clinical services manager or equivalent person was interviewed by telephone by means of a structured questionnaire. The telephone survey had a 96% response rate. Sixteen (67%) hospices did not have a resuscitation policy although 50% of this group were developing a policy. Only eight (33%) hospices had a formal policy at the time of interview. Twenty hospices (83%) provided staff with annual training in basic resuscitation. One hospice (4%) discussed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with all patients admitted, whereas six (25%) discussed CPR only if the patient raised the topic. Five hospices (21%) would advise the patients that they should be cared for in an acute hospital, as no resuscitation would be provided. Only four hospices (17%) had written information on resuscitation. There was significant variation in the production and adherence to guidelines on resuscitation, with some patients being denied access to specialist palliative care units, as they would wish resuscitation. Much anxiety and confusion regarding this topic existed and staff clearly required further education and guidance in order to develop policies within their units and to provide standard treatment within all specialist palliative care units.

Fifteen-month follow-up results of a school-based life-skills approach to smoking prevention. The life-skills approach to smoking prevention was tested in this study. In total, 1024 pupils (mean age 11.4 years, SD = 0.90) from Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg and Germany were recruited as an experimental group, and a sample of 834 matched pupils served as a control group. While the pupils from the control group received no specific intervention, the pupils in the experimental group participated in an intervention programme which was based on the life-skills approach and consisted of 21 sessions. The aims of the programme were to promote fundamental social competencies and coping skills. In addition, specific information on cigarette smoking was given and skills for resisting social influences to smoke were rehearsed. The programme was conducted by trained school teachers during a course of 4 months. Anonymous questionnaires were administrated (1) before the programme was implemented and (2) 15 months after the programme had started. Teachers as well as pupils showed a high level of satisfaction with the programme idea and the materials. With regard to the outcome variables, the programme had no differential effect on current smoking (4-week prevalence). The programme showed a weak effect (P < 0.1) on lifetime smoking prevalence and experimental smoking. There was also an effect of the programme on smoking knowledge, on the social competences of the pupils as well as on the classroom climate. No effects were found on susceptibility to smoking among never-smokers, attitudes towards smoking and the perceived positive consequences of smoking. The results indicate that prevention programmes that are run for only a few months can have a positive impact on variables considered to be protective with regard to smoking uptake.

Phosphorylation of rat kidney pyruvate kinase type L by cyclic 3',5'-AMP-dependent protein kinase. Pyruvate kinase (ATP:pyruvate 2-O-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) type L was partly purified from rat kidney. During the last two purification steps, the incorporation of [32P]phosphate into protein on incubation with [32P]ATP and cyclic 3',5'-AMP-dependent protein kinase was found to parallel the pyruvate kinase activity. After phosphorylation of the enzyme, a major radioactive band with a molecular weight of 57 000 was found on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [32P]Phosphorylserine was isolated from the kidney pyruvate kinase. Immunological identity was found between the liver and kidney pyruvate kinases type L. By autoradiography of high-voltage electropherograms after partial acid hydrolysis of the phosphorylated rat liver and kidney pyruvate kinases type L, identical results were obtained. The affinity for phosphoenolpyruvate was found to be decreased by phosphorylation of the enzyme with a change in the apparent Km from 0.15 mM to 0.35 mM. After incubation of the phosphorylated kidney pyruvate kinase with phosphatase the phosphoenolpyruvate saturation curve was found to be identical to that for the unphosphorylated enzyme. Thus, the activity of the rat kidney pyruvate kinase type L is with all probability regulated by a reversible phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reaction, thereby indicating that hormonal regulation of gluconeogenesis via cyclic AMP may be of importance in the renal cortex.

Gypsum calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO4.2H2O comes from a variety of sources. Land plaster is a term for natural gypsum which is any mixture containing more than 50% calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO4.2H2O (by weight). Generally, gypsum-containing products are prepared by forming a mixture of calcined gypsum phase (i.e., calcium sulfate hemihydrate and/or calcium sulfate soluble anhydrite) and water, and, optionally, other components, as desired. The mixture typically is cast into a pre-determined shape or onto the surface of a substrate. The calcined gypsum reacts with the water to form a matrix of crystalline hydrated gypsum, i.e., calcium sulfate dihydrate. It is the desired hydration of calcined gypsum that enables the formation of an interlocking matrix of set gypsum, thereby imparting strength to the gypsum structure in the gypsum-containing product. Stucco is defined as chemically calcium sulfate hemihydrate and is a well-known building material used to make building plasters and gypsum wallboard. Stucco is typically made by crushing the gypsum rock with and then heating the gypsum at atmospheric pressure to calcine (dehydrate) the calcium sulfate dihydrate into calcium sulfate hemihydrate. In addition to natural gypsum rock the use of Flue Gas Desulphurization gypsum or gypsum from chemical processes can be used as well. Traditionally, the calcining of gypsum has occurred in a large atmospheric pressure kettle containing a mixture of the various phases of the gypsum U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,968 to Rowland et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses its own method and apparatus for continuous calcining of gypsum in a refractoryless atmospheric kettle. However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,968 to Rowland et al. also discloses a variety of kettles for calcining stucco. One such kettle has a thickened dome-shaped bottom, against which a gas-fired flame is directed, with the kettle and burner flame being enclosed in a suitable refractory structure. There is usually an associated hot pit into which the calcined material is fed. The kettle must withstand temperatures in the 2,000-2,400° F. (1093-1314° C.) range. U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,968 to Rowland et al. states U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,509 to Blair typifies this type construction. U.S. Pat. No. 3,236,509 to Blair, incorporated herein by reference, discloses continuous fluidized kettle calcination in which dried mineral gypsum powder is fed to a covered, but air vented and lightly vacuum exhausted, calcination vessel. After a steady state of operation is attained in the vessel, a substantially continuous stream of cold gypsum that has been pre-dried and ground to a finely divided state and with a wide distribution of fragmented particle sizes, is added on top of the fluidized, boiling mass in the kettle. Under such conditions, the thermal shock upon the cold, dry mineral being dropped into the already boiling mass radically fractures the ground gypsum rock fragments, and the resultant stucco (beta hemihydrate) is highly fractured and fissured, as well as being widely distributed in particle size. This causes the stucco to disperse very rapidly in water, and requires high amounts of gauging water to be mixed with the stucco for rehydration to gypsum at customary use consistencies. This “dispersed consistency”, also known in the art as “consistency” or “water demand”, is an important property of stucco. Stuccos of lower consistency generally result in stronger casts. The normal consistency of stucco (gypsum plaster) is a term of art and is determinable according to ASTM Procedure C472, or its substantial equivalents. It is defined as the amount of water in grams per 100 grams of stucco. U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,528 to Zaskalicky, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses directly feeding wet chemical gypsum cake to a continuous kettle calciner to produce beta hemihydrate of lower consistency. As explained in Zaskalicky, and also for purposes of the present description, “dispersed consistency” may be defined as the water volume required to give a standard viscosity or flow when a standard amount by weight of stucco is dispersed by mechanical mixing in a laboratory mixer at high shear intensity and for a standard time to equal mixing encountered in the gypsum board forming line, e.g., 7 seconds, or in an industrial plaster formulation casting mixer, e.g. 60 seconds. For example, as explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,595 to O'Neill, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, calcined gypsum made by continuous calcination may have a dispersed consistency of about 100-150 cc. “Dispersed consistency” for purposes of gypsum board manufacture may be defined as the water volume required to give a standard viscosity or flow when 100 grams of stucco is dispersed by mechanical mixing in a laboratory high speed blender at high shear intensity and for 7 seconds which is equivalent to the mixing encountered in the board forming line. While the dispersed consistency may be expressed in a particular numerical figure, it will be appreciated that any particular number is variable from one process to the next depending on the particular stucco and the rate of production. Low consistency stucco is particularly advantageous in automated gypsum board manufacture, in which a large portion of the processing time and processing energy is devoted to removing excess water from the wet board. Considerable excess water is required in gypsum board manufacture to properly fluidize the calcined gypsum and obtain proper flow of the gypsum slurry. A dispersed consistency value of 100-150 cc. indicates a water requirement of about 85-100 parts of water per 100 parts of the calcined gypsum for a typical slurry in a gypsum wallboard plant. The theoretical water required to convert the calcined gypsum (calcium sulfate hemihydrate or stucco) to set gypsum dihydrate is only 18.7% by weight on a pure basis. This leaves about 67 to about 82% of the water present in the gypsum slurry to be removed in drying the board. Ordinarily, gypsum board dryers in a gypsum board manufacturing line will remove this water, for example, by maintaining the air temperature at about 400° F. (204° C.) and requiring a drying time of about 40 minutes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,595 (also mentioned above), U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,117,070 and 4,153,373 to O'Neill, all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, teach to lower the dispersed consistencies of continuously calcined kettle stuccos by an after calcination treatment of the stucco with small amounts of water or various aqueous solutions, resulting in a damp but dry appearing material and allowing the small amounts of free water to remain on the calcined gypsum particle surface for a short period of time, about 1-10 minutes for the treated stucco to “heal” . U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,655 to Ruter et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, teaches producing alpha calcium sulfate hemihydrate. Ruter et al. states the alpha-hemihydrate forms non-needle like crystals, as opposed to the beta calcium sulfate hemihydrate which forms needle-like crystals. Ruter et al. also states the usual plaster of Paris (calcium sulfate hemihydrate) is the beta calcium sulfate hemihydrate. However, depending on the manner of preparation, the plaster of Paris still contains more or less anhydrous calcium sulfate, and/or alpha calcium sulfate hemihydrate. Moreover, plasters with definite alpha-hemihydrate content exhibit higher strengths. Ruter et al. teaches to make alpha calcium sulfate hemihydrate in the form of non-needle-like crystals by elutriating the dihydrate with water to remove organic impurities and fine and slimy crystal portions, forming an aqueous suspension of the dihydrate at a pH about 1.5-6, and subsequently heating under closely controlled conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 2,907,667 to Johnson, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, states alpha-hemihydrate is prepared by heating the dihydrate under controlled vapor pressure conditions in the presence of steam or in an aqueous solution. U.S. Pat. No. 4,234345 to Fässle discloses fast-setting alpha calcium sulfate hemihydrate made from calcium sulfate dihydrate by hydrothermally recrystallizing calcium sulfate dihydrate to form a mixture containing 95%-99% by weight alpha calcium sulfate hemihydrate and 5 to 1% calcium sulfate dihydrate. The dihydrate in this mixture is then converted to beta calcium sulfate hemihydrate by calcining, except for a remainder of up to 0.5 percent of dihydrate, which remains in the mixture. There is a need for stuccos having low consistency and good strength characteristics.

DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description): Mai Huong Nguyen, M.D. began her position at UCLA in July 1995 as Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Oncology. Previously, she was trained as a surgical oncologist and did research in tumor angiogenesis at Harvard Medical School. Her goal is to become an independent physician scientist and teacher. She is dedicated to cancer research. UCLA is an established institution with many resources, and the Division of Surgical Oncology is committed towards her development as a physician scientist. The survival and growth of solid tumors is dependent on their ability to initiate and sustain new capillary growth, i.e., angiogenesis. The overall goal of Dr. Nguyen's research is to establish the importance of adhesion molecules important in tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. Specifically, her strategy is to analyze the role of E-selectin and its sialyl Lewis X/A glycoconjugates in tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. Her first aim includes: 1A) To determine whether E-selectin is preferentially expressed in the endothelium of the proliferating tumor capillaries by immunohistochemistry of human cancer specimens and by measuring the in vitro expression of E-selectin of endothelial cells within a tumor environment; 1B) To determine whether angiogenesis can be suppressed in vitro and in vivo by specific inhibitors which interfere with the interaction between E-selectin and sialyl Lewis X/A; and 1C) To construct an adenoviral plasmid linked to the E-selectin promoter in order to specifically target the tumor vasculature for future gene therapy. Her second aim includes: 2A) To determine whether metastasis can be suppressed in vivo by specific inhibitors which interfere with the interaction between E-selectin and sialyl Lewis X/A; and 2B) To identify and characterize the tumor cell glycoprotein which carries the sialyl Lewis X/A glycoconjugates. These studies will add to the understanding of the role of cell adhesion molecules in tumor angiogenesis and metastasis, and may result in a novel approach toward cancer therapeutics.

The present invention relates generally to an orthodontic bracket having a trapezoidal configuration wherein sight lines on the bracket are utilized to facilitate alignment and positioning of the bracket on the tooth. There are numerous tooth configurations and sizes which vary from one patient to the next. In most cases, however, the majority of people having malposed teeth have teeth which conform to certain profiles and sizes such that orthodontic brackets mounted on the teeth can also be standardized to correspond to certain tooth sizes and configurations. At the same time brackets are being standardized, they are also becoming smaller. With the advance of higher quality casting and finishing processes the sizes of orthodontic brackets have gotten smaller for a number of reasons, several of which are to reduce the cost of raw materials and for aesthetic purposes so as to draw less attention to the wearer. Smaller brackets are also advantageous since they reduce irritation and pain to the patient caused by larger brackets and appliances. With the advent of the smaller bracket designs there has occurred several disadvantages. For example, the amount of time a patient is in the chair while the orthodontist is mounting orthodontic brackets has increased. This not only increases the cost to the patient, but reduces the efficiency of the orthodontist and reduces the amount of time he might spend with other patients. Further, smaller sized brackets increase the likelihood of misalignment of the bracket in relation to the tooth thereby causing several more problems. Misalignment results in difficulty in mounting the archwire in the archwire slot of the bracket and may also cause undesired or unplanned movement of a particular tooth, resulting in a longer time for treatment to move the tooth to the proper position. Misalignment of a bracket in relation to the tooth and the archwire might even require removal of the bracket and remounting. Certain prior art patents purport to have design features which facilitate alignment of the bracket on the tooth. One such patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,330, discloses a bracket having a rhomboidal configuration which has edges that align, for example, with the occlusal plane and the crown long axis. The patent discloses tie wings having edges that are parallel to the crown long axis to assist in alignment during mounting of the bracket. Also, the occlusal and gingival tip of the tie wings are parallel to each other and to the occlusal plane again to facilitate alignment. The patent does not, however, have mesial and distal sides that are substantially parallel to the mesial and distal sides of the tooth upon which the bracket is mounted. Thus, with respect to the tooth configuration, the prior art patent ignores the shape of the tooth and its structural features. The orthodontic bracket of the present invention was designed to obviate the problems in aligning and positioning a bracket on the tooth. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an orthodontic bracket having a trapezoidal configuration to substantially conform to the shape of the tooth. It is another object of the invention to provide an orthodontic bracket having a trapezoidal configuration wherein sight lines are used to increase the accuracy in aligning and positioning the bracket on the tooth. It is a further object of the invention to reduce the amount of time that a patient is in the chair while the orthodontist is mounting brackets. It is a still further object of the invention to provide an orthodontic bracket that will reduce the likelihood that an orthodontist will have to re-mount the bracket to correct for misalignment between the bracket and the tooth.

Water clarification is well known throughout a number of industries. Various physical means have been used to remove particulate matter dispersed in a bulk liquid phase. Examples of common particulate separation techniques include filtration, settling, desalting, electrochemical techniques, centrifugation, flotation, and the like. Such separation processes can often be made more efficient by the use of coagulating and flocculating agents. Coagulation may be defined as the stabilization of colloids by neutralizing the forces that keep the colloidal particles dispersed or separated from each other in the wastewater. Cationic coagulants are often used to provide positive electrical charges to the colloidal particles to neutralize the negative charge on the particles. As a result, the particles collide to form larger particles called flocs. Flocculation, on the other hand, refers to the action of polymeric treatments in the formation of bridges between the flocs to thereby form large agglomerates or clumps. Anionic and cationic polymers are commonly employed as flocculants to agglomerate the flocs so that the agglomerates will float and not settle. Once suspended in the wastewater, they can be removed via sedimentation, filtration, or other separation techniques. Commonly employed cationic coagulants such as those based on polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC) are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,288,770. Additionally, cationic copolymers such as those based on acrylamide copolymers with cationic repeat units such as quaternary ammonium acrylates dimethylaminoethylacrylate methyl chloride (AETAC) or dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate methyl chloride (METAC) are often used. In those situations in which quaternary ammonium salt moieties are present in polymers that are employed as cationic coagulants, the anionic counter ion to the cationic nitrogen is often a chloride ion. These chloride ions are corrosive, and when excessive amounts of same are found in the wastewater, corrosion of metal surfaces in contact with the water can occur. Additionally, environmentally based requests to limit the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) present in effluents have been increasing over the years. Inorganic ions that are measured as part of the TDS discharge include chloride ions. Many industries and municipal wastewater facilities must comply then with new TDS standards; thus raising concern for chloride content in such discharge. TDS also presents an issue for water reuse of treated wastewater.

Does MITE Make Right? On Decision-Making Under Normative Uncertainty Brian Hedden 1 Introduction We are not omniscient agents. Therefore, it is our lot in life to have to make decisions without being apprised of all of the relevant facts. We have to act under conditions of uncertainty. This uncertainty comes in at least two kinds. First, there is ignorance of descriptive facts; you might be ignorant of the potential causal impacts of the various actions available to you. For instance, you might be unsure whether to give the pills to your headache-suffering friend because you are uncertain whether they are painkillers or rat poison. Second, there is ignorance of normative facts, or facts about whether a certain action or outcome is good or bad, permissible or impermissible, blameworthy or praiseworthy, etc.1 For instance, you might know exactly what would happen (descriptively speaking) if you (or your partner) had an abortion and what would happen if you didn't, and yet still be uncertain about whether having an abortion is a morally permissible thing to do.2 Due to the ubiquity of normative, and not just descriptive, uncertainty, we might want a theory that provides some guidance about how to take this normative uncertainty into account in deciding what to do. While I will be concerned with specifically moral uncertainty, much of what I say will carry over to other cases of normative uncertainty, such as uncertainty about what would be instrumentally rational to do or what it would be epistemically rational to believe. At this stage-setting phase, some terminology will be helpful. Let us say that what you objectively ought to do depends only on how the world in fact is, and not on how you believe the world to be. For Utilitarians, what you objectively ought to do is whatever will in fact maximize happiness, irrespective of your beliefs about what will maximize happiness. For non-consequentialists, what you objectively ought to do might depend, for instance, on facts about whether 1Moral non-cognitivists might resist talk of moral facts. But I do not take this paper to be committed one way or the other regarding moral cognitivism vs. non-cognitivism. I speak of moral facts merely for the sake of convenience. See Sepielli (2012) for discussion of how the problem of what to do under conditions of normative uncertainty arises even for non-cognitivists. 2This example is from Sepielli (2009). 1 some act would in fact cause an innocent person to die (thereby violating that person's rights), irrespective of your beliefs about whether it would cause an innocent person to die. And let us say that what you subjectively ought to do depends in some way on your descriptive beliefs about how the world is. For consequentialists, what you subjectively ought to do might be whatever will maximize expected world value (expected total happiness, for utilitarians), relative to your beliefs. And for non-consequentialists, what you subjectively ought to do might depend on whether you believe that some act would cause an innocent person to die. (Note that my usage of the term 'subjective ought' differs from that of some authors, who define what you subjectively ought to do as whatever you believe that you objectively ought to do. There are at least two ways in which my usage of the term differs from theirs. First, their usage is incompatible with an expectational account of what you subjectively ought to do, such as the consequentialist one just mentioned. Second, their usage makes the subjective ought simultaneously sensitive to both descriptive and normative uncertainty.) Neither the objective ought nor the subjective ought, on my usage, is sensitive to your moral uncertainty. We might then introduce a super-subjective ought and say that what you super-subjectively ought to do depends on both your descriptive uncertainty and your moral uncertainty. This gives us a tripartite distinction: Objective ought : Insensitive to your descriptive and moral uncertainty. Subjective ought : Sensitive to your descriptive uncertainty but insensitive to your moral uncertainty. Super-subjective ought : Sensitive to your descriptive and moral uncertainty. Before moving on, let me flag that making these distinctions does not commit one to the claim that the English word 'ought' is ambiguous or that it admits all and only these three readings. It may be, for instance, that modals are highly context-sensitive, so that different contexts can give rise to all sorts of readings of 'ought' claims. My aim here is simply to highlight some possible senses of 'ought' that may be of particular interest to normative theorists. The remainder of this paper is dedicated to evaluating the prospects for theorizing about decision-making under moral uncertainty. My evaluation, which is largely negative, has two parts. I begin by examining what has already emerged as the preeminent proposal for what you super-subjectively ought to do. This proposal takes the dominant theory of what you subjectively ought to do, namely expected value theory, and attempts to extend it to take into account your moral uncertainty as well. I argue that this proposal is unworkable. In the second part of my evaluation, I question whether we should want an account of decision-making under moral uncertainty in the first place. I tentatively suggest that a super-subjective ought has no important role to play in our normative theorizing and should thus be abandoned. There is no normatively 2 interesting sense of ought in which what you ought to do depends on your uncertainty about (fundamental) moral facts.3 In this respect, moral uncertainty is importantly different from descriptive uncertainty. 2 Does MITE Make Right? While theorizing about what you objectively and subjectively ought to do has a long and distinguished history, theorizing about the super-subjective ought, about decision-making under normative uncertainty, is still in its infancy. But already, a preeminent theory has emerged. This theory incorporates insights from the preeminent theory of the subjective ought, namely expected value theory. For this reason, it will be helpful to start with a brief overview of this theory. Suppose that we can represent your doxastic, or belief-like, state with a probability function P and that the value function V represents how good or bad different outcomes Oi are. If we are interested in what you morally ought to do, then V can be thought of as representing moral goodness in some way, while if we are interested in what you prudentially ought to do, then it can represent your own preferences or levels of happiness. Since we are concerned with morality, let us understand V in the former way. Then, we say that what you subjectively ought to do is to make-true the act-proposition with the highest expected moral value, defined thus: Expected Moral Value: EMV(A) = ∑ i P (Oi | A)V (Oi)4 Given the attractiveness of the expected value maximization framework for theorizing about the subjective ought, it is tempting to try to extend it to the super-subjective ought. If it is possible to represent all moral theories in expected value terms (this assumption will be questioned shortly5), then there is 3This is compatible with the idea that there may be natural language uses of 'ought' where the context is such as to give rise to a reading on which it is sensitive to your moral uncertainty. I am just denying that such a sense of 'ought' is important for purposes of normative theorizing. 4This is the formula for evidential expected value, rather than causal expected value. The debate over evidential decision theory and causal decision theory is an important one, but it is not our topic, and so I set it aside. 5See Sen (1982), Oddie and Milne (1991), Dreier (1993, Smith (2009), Colyvan, Cox, and Steele (2010), and Portmore (2011) among others, for discussion of this question outside the context of moral uncertainty. In my view, the considerations raised in section 2.2, among others, show that not all moral theories can be represented in expected value terms (or 'consequentialized,' insofar as this means being represented using a value function). More exactly, I take these considerations to show that not all moral theories can be represented in the same expected value maximization framework. Perhaps there are different modifications of the expected value framework that can helpfully represent different moral theories, but they cannot all be squeezed into the same framework. But that seems to be what is necessary in order to do the relevant trade-offs and aggregations needed to yield a theory about what on ought to do in light of one's moral uncertainty. 3 an apparently straightforward way in which to extend the expected value framework to deal with moral uncertainty as well. Expected moral value (EMV ) is an intratheoretical notion. When we take the expected moral value of an action on each moral theory and sum them up, weighted by the probability of each theory, we get an intertheoretical notion, which we can call the 'intertheoretic expectation.' Intertheoretic expectation: IE(A) = ∑ i P (Ti)EMVi(A) = ∑ i P (Ti) ∑ j P (Oj |A)Vi(Oj) Now, the proposal is that what you super-subjectively ought to do is to make-true the act-proposition with the highest intertheoretic expectation. Let us call this theory 'MITE,' for: Maximize InterTheoretic Expectation. MITE is a natural extension to the super-subjective ought of expected value theory as a theory of the subjective ought. Expected value theory evaluates an action by looking at how objectively good (or bad) an action would be in different states of the world and discounting that goodness by your degree of belief that that state of the world is actual. MITE evaluates an action by looking at how (subjectively) good (or bad) an action would be according to each moral theory you take seriously and discounting that goodness (or badness) by your degree of belief that that moral theory is correct. Versions of MITE have been defended by Lockhart (2000), Ross (2006), and Sepielli (2009, dissertation), and it has swiftly established itself as the dominant theory of the super-subjective ought. This is no accident. MITE has the attractive feature of taking into account both how confident you are in each moral theory and how good or bad the given act would be, according to each of those moral theories. (Later I will be questioning whether it makes sense to speak of how good or bad an act is, according to different moral theories, but for now I grant the intuition that such talk does make sense.) By contrast, a decision rule which just recommended acting in accordance with the moral theory to which you assign highest credence would ignore facts about the relative goodness or badness of acts according to the different moral views.6 You might be 51% confident that having an abortion would be slightly morally better than not having one, and 49% confident that having an abortion would be absolutely monstrous, but this decision rule would say that you should just go with the view you're 51% confident in. Similarly, a maximin-style decision rule which recommends ranking acts according to their worst possible moral badness and then performing the highest act in that ranking would ignore your differing levels of confidence in each moral theory. (In the next section, however, I will be questioning whether there are any grounds for making these sorts of comparisons between how good or bad a given act is, according to different moral theories.) 6This view is sometimes called the 'My Favorite Theory' view, and is defended by Gracely (1996) and Gustafsson and Torpman (2014). 4 For this reason, I would venture so far as to say that when it comes to trying to devise a formal theory of what you super-subjectively ought to do, MITE (or some slight variant thereof) is the only game in town. This is important, since if MITE ultimately fails, as I will argue it does, then this casts serious doubt on the prospects for coming up with any formal theory of what you super-subjectively ought to do. In 2.1 and 2.2, I consider two serious problems for MITE that show that its ambitions must be considerably scaled back. The first is the problem of intertheoretic value comparisons, first noted by Hudson (1989), Gracely (1996), and Lockhart (2000). To employ MITE, we must make precise comparisons of 'degrees of wrongness' across moral theories. I argue that there is no principled way to make these comparisons, unless we start off with a considerable number of judgments about what agents in various circumstances super-subjectively ought to do. Thus, MITE can at best aspire to take us from a smaller set of judgments about the super-subjective ought to a larger set of such judgments. The second problem is the impossibility of adequately representing certain sorts of moral theories, such as theories which distinguish between supererogatory and merely permissible acts, in expected value maximization terms, as MITE requires. If there are moral theories that cannot be squeezed into the expected value maximization framework that MITE presupposes, then MITE cannot say anything about what an agent who assigns any credence to such theories supersubjectively ought to do. Thus MITE cannot provide a general framework for decision-making under moral uncertainty. 2.1 Axiological Uncertainty and the Problem of Intertheoretic Value Comparisons Let us begin with a type of moral uncertainty which would seem to be naturally and fruitfully dealt with by MITE. Consider an agent who is certain that (maximizing) consequentialism is correct; that is, she is certain that one ought to maximize value. However, she is uncertain about what is of value. She doesn't know what the right axiology is. It would seem that we should be able to straightforwardly give her advice about what to do by calculating the expected moral values of the available actions, relative to the value function corresponding to each possible axiology, and summing up those expected moral values, weighted by her degree of belief that the corresponding axiology is correct, thus arriving at an intertheoretic expectation for each action. But even in this highly artificial case, we already run into problems. In particular, we run into the problem of calibrating value functions. As we know from decision theory, a preference ordering (satisfying certain axioms) over worlds and prospects (gambles) does not uniquely determine a value function. Instead, such a preference ordering only determines a value function which is unique at most up to addition of a constant and multiplication by a positive scalar.7 As such, if 7For the systems of von Neumann and Morgenstern (1944) and Savage (1954), if your preferences satisfy their axioms, you are representable as an expected utility maximizer with 5 the value function V represents a given set of preferences, so does the function aV + b, for real numbers a (> 0) and b. Axiologies generally only give us a preference ordering, but in order to apply the expected value framework to cases of axiological uncertainty, we need to fix on one value function corresponding to each axiology. And it is doubtful whether there is any principled reason for privileging any one function from axiologies to value functions over the other possible such functions. This is the problem of intertheoretic value comparisons. The thrust of this problem can be seen through an example which is wellknown from Parfit (1984). Even if one is certain that happiness is what matters, one can be uncertain about whether worlds are ranked by total happiness or by average happiness. This uncertainty will be important in situations where one has the option of implementing a policy which will increase the world's population, but at the cost of decreasing average happiness. In order to give guidance to the agent making this choice using MITE, we have to choose value functions to correspond to Totalism and to Averagism. However, it appears that any such choice will be arbitrary and have unintuitive consequences.8 Suppose we start with a simple proposal – for Totalism we let the value of a world be the total happiness in that world, while for Averagism we let the value of a world be the average level of happiness. Unfortunately, this will have the result that for most real-life cases where one can substantially increase population at the cost of decreasing average happiness, our framework will recommend doing what Totalism recommends unless the agent is overwhelmingly confident that Averagism is correct. Suppose that the agent has the choice of increasing the world's population from 6 billion to 24 billion people at the cost of halving the average happiness level. Let the present average happiness level be x (x > 0). Then, for Totalism, the difference between the expected moral value of increasing the world's population and the expected moral value of the status quo will be 24, 000, 000, 000 × (x/2) − 6, 000, 000, 000x = 6, 000, 000, 000x. For Averagism, the difference between the expected moral value of increasing the population and the expected moral value of the status quo is −(x/2). Crunching the numbers, maximizing intertheoretic expectation will recommend that the agent implement the population-increasing policy (i.e. doing what Totalism recommends) unless she is over 99.9999999916% confident that Averagism is right. But this seems crazy. We could perhaps improve things by representing Averagism not by the value function that assigns each world its average happiness as its value, but rather by a value function that assigns each world some large multiple of its average happiness as its value. But this proposal is not without its own problems. No matter what value functions we use to represent Averagism and Totalism, once we fix on proposed decrease in average happiness, Averagism will swamp a utility (or value) function that is unique up to positive linear transformation. In Jeffrey's (1983) system, the uniqueness condition for utility functions is more complicated, but nonetheless it is true that if V represents your preferences, so does aV + b (a > 0). 8William MacAskill recently informed me that he also uses Totalism and Averagism to illustrate this point, though he attributes it to Toby Ord. See MacAskill (2014, 93-4). 6 Totalism for smaller population increases while Totalism will swamp Averagism for larger population increases. This is perhaps natural enough. After all, in situations where one can increase population by decreasing average happiness, Totalism will say that the moral significance of the situation increases with the size of the possible increase in population, while Averagism will say that the moral significance of the situation does not depend on the size of the possible population increase. So we would expect Averagism to outweigh Totalism for small possible population increases, and we would likewise expect Totalism to outweigh Averagism for very large possible population increases. The problem is that representing Totalism and Averagism by particular value functions requires us to choose a point along the continuum of possible population increases where Totalism starts to outweigh Averagism (for a given reduction in average happiness). And any such choice will seem arbitrary and unmotivated. There is nothing in the moral theories themselves that tells us how to make intertheoretic value comparisons.9 Can we make any plausible non-question-begging stipulations about interthe9The astute reader may notice a structural similarity between the problem of intertheoretic value comparisons for MITE, and the familiar problem of interpersonal comparisons of utility for theories of social choice. One difference, however, is that we may have some grip on how to make interpersonal comparisons of utility that doesn't depend just on the functions that we'd get if we used Ramsey's (1931) method to construct utility functions for the individuals involved. For one, our shared biology may provide some grounds for calibration–it seems plausible that two people undergoing the same painful medical procedure, with each protesting as loudly as the other and displaying similar patterns of neuronal activity, perspiration, and other common indicators of discomfort, should be treated as suffering a similar level of disutility, at least for the purposes of social choice. While such considerations may help us ground interpersonal comparisons of utility, it's not obvious whether there's anything that could play a similar role in grounding intertheoretic comparisons of value. While I'll discuss a different method for attempting to solve this problem from Sepielli (2009) later in this section, in more recent work (Sepielli (2010, ch 4)), he offers a strategy that's somewhat analogous to the one I've just suggested might work in the case of interpersonal utility comparisons. He suggests that we might be able to appeal to conceptual connections between various normative concepts in order to ground intertheoretic value comparisons. Just as we might ground interpersonal utility comparisons by assuming that people in similar behavioral and neurological states are undergoing similar levels of disutility, we might ground intertheoretic value comparisons by assuming, for instance, that if two theories recommend similar degrees of blame for an act, that they each regard the reasons against that act as equally weighty. While Sepielli acknowledges that he hasn't provided a detailed, psychologically realistic account of the various conceptual connections between normative concepts of the sort he thinks would solve the problem of intertheoretic value comparisons, there are reasons for skepticism about the prospects for any such strategy. For example, two moral theories might disagree about how much we should blame somebody for acting in a certain way for reasons that have nothing to do with what they say about the reasons in favor of acting in that way (Gustafsson and Torpman (2014) and MacAskill (2014) also make this point). One theory might imply that we ought never blame anybody because it implies that justified blame would require contra-causal free will, while the other theory might be compatibilist about blame. Similar issues will also arise with consequentialist theories on which whether blame is recommended in a given circumstance depends not on the wrongness of the act in question, but rather on the consequences that would result from blaming. I raise this example to motivate skepticism that there is anything like a silver bullet that will allow us to determine that two theories must be interpreted as assigning some act equal value, so long as they agree on some other normative claim. 7 oretic value comparisons? In the remainder of this section, I look at three prominent proposals for doing so and find them wanting. Start with Lockhart (2000), who proposes a Principle of Equity among Moral Theories (PEMT), according to which all moral theories should be deemed to have the same amount of moral rightness at stake in any given situation. In each situation, the worst available actions according to each moral theory should be assigned the same (low) expected moral value, and similarly for the best available actions according to each moral theory. This is a version of the 'zero-one' rule, a proposal for solving the problem of interpersonal comparisons of utility by scaling each person's utility function to the zero-one interval. (Note that the PEMT will likely require us to use different value functions to represent a given moral theory in different choice situations.) Unfortunately, the PEMT is implausible (see Ross (2006) and Sepielli (2013)). It arbitrarily rules out the possibility of situations in which moral theories would seem to differ dramatically in how morally significant they consider the choice at hand. Consider again the case of Averagism and Totalism. We can imagine a scenario in which one has the option of creating on another planet a population of ten billion people who are all just slightly less happy than the average here on earth the difference between our average happiness and theirs is equivalent, say, to the difference between not having a hangnail and having one. The PEMT rules out by fiat the possibility of saying that this is a situation that carries far more weight for Totalism than for Averagism. Now, I am not claiming that this in fact is a situation that carries more weight for Totalism than for Averagism. After all, I am denying the possibility of making such intertheoretic value comparisons. My claim is simply that there is no intuitive support for the PEMT's claim that this is a situation that is equally weighty for Averagists and Totalists, and that more generally, moral theories cannot differ in how morally significant they consider a given choice to be.10 10Of course, we could modify the PEMT and instead stipulate that all moral theories should be treated as having the same maximum and minimum possible moral value at stake. That is, we consider the worst possible actions (not holding fixed a given choice situation) according to the various theories and make sure that they are all assigned the same (very low) expected moral value, and we also consider the best possible actions according to the competing theories and assign them all the same (very high) expected moral value. But this too is implausible. First, there is little reason to think that there will be worst and best possible actions for given moral theories, or even that expected moral value should be bounded for every moral theory (Sepielli (2013)). Certainly, utilitarians will likely think that possible acts grow better and better without bound as more and more happiness is created, and also that acts grow worse and worse without bound as more and more suffering is created. Second, some moral theories may just think that no possible situation can be terribly significant from a moral standpoint. Various moral nihilistic views hold that no acts are morally better than any others. Note, however, that such nihilistic theories are independently problematic for MITE, since some versions of decision theory prohibit all acts and outcomes being equally preferred. For instance, Savage's (1954) postulate P5 says that it is not the case that for all pairs of acts, one is at least as good as the other. One can also imagine slight deviations from moral nihilism which hold that no acts are are substantially morally better than any others (MacAskill (2014, 135)). It would be a distortion of what such a view says to represent it as being such that its best and worst possible acts have the same expected moral values as the utilitarian's best and worst possible acts, respectively. This is especially relevant for Ross (2006), who 8 Next consider an interesting proposal made by Sepielli (2009) (though Sepielli (2010) disavows it). Sepielli's approach relies on the existence of some background agreement among moral theories that will serve as a fixed point that we can use to make the requisite intertheoretic value comparisons.11 The idea is to find at least three actions or outcomes A, B, and C such that all of the moral theories the agent takes seriously agree that A is better than B, which is better than C and also agree about the ratio of the value difference between A and B and the value difference between B and C. We then stipulate that the value functions chosen to represent each moral theory must agree in the numbers they assign to A, to B, and to C. Consider Averagism and Totalism again. They agree about the one-person case. They agree that a world A where there is one person with happiness level 10 is better than a world B where the one person has happiness 4, which in turn is better than a world C where the one person has happiness 2. Moreover, they agree on the ratio of value differences between A and B, and B and C; they agree that the value difference between A and B is three times the value difference between B and C. So, on Sepielli's proposal, we just pick three numbers x, y, and z to serve as the values of A, B, and C for both Averagism and Totalism, with the constraints that x > y > z and x − y = 3 × (y − z). So, for instance, we can assign world A value 10, world B value 4, and world C value 2. And, having set down these values, we fill in the rest of Averagism's value function and the rest of Totalism's value function in the usual way. This proposal has some intuitive appeal, but it will not provide a general solution to the problem of intertheoretic value comparisons. First, there is no guarantee that there will always be even this minimal sort of background agreement among all of the moral theories to which the agent assigns some credence (Gustafsson and Torpman (2014)). Sepielli's approach to the problem of intertheoretic value comparisons will not work in these cases, and so MITE will not provide a fully general framework for decision-making under conditions of moral uncertainty. Worse, there are cases in which Sepielli's proposal will lead to contradiction.12 This problem can arise when theories agree on more than one ratio of value differences. Indeed, this will happen in the case of Averagism and Totalism. As noted, Averagism and Totalism agree about the ratio of value differences between A and B, and B and C. But they also agree about a lot of other ratios of value differences. Consider, for examples, worlds D, E, and F. World D contains two people, each with happiness level 10; world E contains two people, each with happiness level 4; and world F contains two people, each with happiness level 2. Averagism and Totalism agree that the degree to which employs MITE for the purpose of arguing that moral theories that hold that there is little moral difference between the acts available to us should be treated as false for the purposes of deliberation, since having some credence in such theories will not affect which act has highest intertheoretic expectation. This result is impossible if the PEMT or modifications thereof are adopted. 11Ross (2006) briefly considers a proposal like this. 12I recently learned that Gustafsson and Torpman (2014) independently sketched this sort of problem. 9 D is better than E is three times the degree to which E is better than F. Now, we cannot apply Sepielli's proposal both to A, B, and C and to D, E, and F without contradiction. Suppose that we start with A, B, and C. We'll set the values of A, B, and C as, say, 10, 4, and 2 (respectively) for both Averagism and Totalism. But then, Averagism and Totalism must differ in the values they assign to D, E, and F. Averagism must assign worlds D, E, and F values 10, 4, and 2 (respectively), while Totalism must assign D, E, and F values 20, 8, and 4 (respectively). Similarly, if we start by applying Sepielli's proposal to D, E, and F, Averagism and Totalism will agree on the values of D, E, and F but differ in the values they assign to A, B, and C. So, Sepielli's proposal leads to contradiction if we try to apply it both to A, B, and C and also to D, E, and F. More generally, contradiction threatens whenever moral theories agree about more than one ratio of value differences, for the constraints that result from applying Sepielli's proposal to one ratio of value differences may be incompatible with the constraints that result from applying it to a different one. Finally, consider a proposal which explicates intertheoretic value comparisons in terms of their practical implications. This strategy is explicit in Ross (2006) and Riedener (2015), and also hinted at in Sepielli (unpublished). Ross (2006, 763) outlines the strategy thus: [W]e can explicate intertheoretic value comparisons in terms of claims about what choices would be rational assuming that the ethical theories in question had certain subjective probabilities. Thus, to say that the difference in value between ordering the veal cutlet and ordering the veggie wrap is one hundred times as great according to Singer's theory as it is according to the traditional moral theory is to say, among other things, that if one's credence were divided between these two theories, then it would be more rational to order the veggie wrap than the veal cutlet if and only if one's credence in Singer's theory exceeded .01. But this proposal is circular, if MITE's ambition is to provide a framework which takes as input an agent's credences in moral theories (and credences about descriptive matters of fact) and outputs what the agent supersubjectively ought to do, without presupposing any facts about what agents super-subjectively ought to do in various situations (see also Gustafsson and Torpman (2014)). After all, Ross's proposal is to start with facts about what agents super-subjectively ought to do in certain cases and use those facts to reverse-engineer the desired intertheoretic value comparisons. But we could scale back MITE's ambitions. Instead of trying to use MITE to yield what agents super-subjectively ought to do given only their credences in moral theories, we could instead content ourselves with starting out with some facts about what agents super-subjectively ought to do in some circumstances (arrived at by some independent means, such as brute intuition) and then just using MITE to arrive at further facts about what agents super-subjectively ought to do in other circumstances. MITE could be thought of simply as a framework for imposing consistency on our judgments about what agents in different states of 10 uncertainty super-subjectively ought to do. This is how many decision theorists think of expected utility theory, as simply requiring a certain coherence among your preferences and decisions. If we scale back MITE's ambitions in this way, then Ross's observation does solve our problem. Riedener (MS) proves that if our judgments about what agents in various states of uncertainty super-subjectively ought to do obey certain decision-theoretic axioms, and if each moral theory's 'preferences' obey the same decision-theoretic axioms, then there is a choice of value functions to represent each moral theory such that an act A is super-subjectively better than B just in case the Intertheoretic Expectation (IE) of A is higher than that of B, relative to the aforementioned choice of value functions. I am unsatisfied. There is an analogy between Riedener's proof and Harsanyi's (1955) proposed solution to the problem of intertheoretic comparisons of utility. Harsanyi proves (with some supplemental assumptions, which I set aside) that if there are 'social preferences' that satisfy standard decision-theoretic axioms, and if each individual's preferences also satisfy those axioms, then there is a choice of individual utility functions such that the social preferences can be represented by a social utility function which is the weighed sum of those individual utility functions. Importantly, however, Harsanyi's theorem doesn't tell us how to pick an individual utility function to represent a given individual's preferences unless we already have the social utility function in hand. For this reason, Harsanyi's proposal leaves much to be desired. As one with Utilitarian sympathies (with utility understood as a representation of preferences), I would have liked to be told how to start off with individual's preferences and construct a social preference ordering therefrom, but I am instead told that if I start off with individual's preferences and a social preference ordering, then there is a way of fixing the zero point and scale of each individual's utility function such that social utility can be thought of as a weighted sum of individual utility. But I have no independent way of arriving at judgments about the social preference ordering. Insofar as I am a Utilitarian, I think that any facts about social betterness must be rooted in prior facts about individuals' preferences. I don't come up with judgments about social betterness through brute intuition, for instance. Similarly, I might want to be told how to start off with my credences in moral theories and use them to derive a verdict on what I super-subjectively ought to do, but instead the Ross/Sepielli/Riedener approach tells me that if I start off with credences in moral theories and facts about the 'preferences' of the super-subjective ought, then there is a way of fixing the zero point and scale of each moral theory's value function such that the super-subjective ought can be thought of as mandating IE-maximization relative to those choices of zero points and scales. But I have little or no independent grip on (alleged) facts about super-subjective betterness. I, for one, have few if any brute intuitions about what agents super-subjectively ought to do in a various cases (with the possible exception of extreme cases, such as where one assigns all but a vanishingly small probability to one theory's being true). And while this is simply an autobiographical report, I suspect that most readers will likewise find 11 themselves with few if any firm intuitions about what agents super-subjectively ought to do in various cases. Note that the case of ordinary decision theory is importantly different. Expected utility theory may just be a framework for imposing consistency on preferences, but it is still of some use since I come to the table with many preferences arrived at independently of thinking about expected utility theory. In sum, if MITE is understood modestly, as a framework for imposing consistency on our judgments about the super-subjective ought, it is of little value unless we start off with at least some such judgments which are arrived at by independent means. But I am skeptical of whether we can or do arrive at such independent judgments about the super-subjective ought. 2.2 Options and Non-EVM-Representable Theories Many moral theories cannot be represented in expected value maximization terms. For example, many moral theories hold that morality shouldn't be overly demanding. Morality gives us options.13 According to these views, some actions are supererogatory, while others are merely permissible. For instance, giving a large proportion of one's time and money to charity is a wonderful thing to do, but it isn't required. After all, these theorists say, morality leaves us space to pursue our own goals and projects.14 Options are a challenge for MITE because on the face of it, they seem to say that one needn't always maximize value, whereas MITE requires all theories to be put in an expected-value maximization framework.15 At first blush, these theories seem to differ from consequentialist theories not in their value theories, but in their decision rules. Some moral theories involving options, such as Slote's Satisficing Consequentialism (1984) are explicitly presented as differing from maximizing consequentialist views in employing a different decision rule.16 Now consider an agent who gives some credence to a moral theory which accepts a utilitarian axiology but gives the agent options. For instance, suppose that it says that while it's best to give as much money as possible to charity, one is only required to give away $1,000. How should defenders of MITE deal with this agent's state of uncertainty? If we represent this options theory using a utilitarian value function and then plug it into MITE, then we effectively ignore the fact that the theory says that 13The term 'options' comes from Kagan (1989). 14See Williams (116-117, from Smart and Williams (1973)) for a famous defense of this claim, presented as an argument against Utilitarianism. 15See Sepielli (2010) for further interesting discussion of various issues regarding moral uncertainty and supererogation, although his focus is considerably different from ours. 16The problem of supererogation is discussed by Lockhart (2000, ch. 5), but he takes the strategy of arguing against moral theories involving supererogation. I am inclined to agree with him that the true moral theory, whatever it is, will not involve supererogation. But in the context of defending a framework for decision-making under moral uncertainty, this move is beside the point. As long as an agent could reasonably have some credence in a options or supererogation theory (even if such a theory is in fact false), then a theory of the super-subjective ought must be able to say something about that case. 12 there are options! We would be ignoring the distinction between this optionsbased utilitarian view and standard utilitarianism. In the extreme case in which the agent is certain of that options theory, MITE would say that she is supersubjectively obligated to maximize total happiness and give as much money as possible to charity. This is the wrong result. So clearly some added complexity is required if MITE is to deal with options theories. We might try to somehow 'average' the relevant decision rules in aggregating her moral uncertainty. That is, in the case where an agent divides her credence between an options theory and a standard maximizing consequentialist theory, we might not only try to weight the different value functions by her credence in the corresponding theories, but also try to weight the different decision rules (maximization versus satisficing, for instance) by her corresponding credences. But it is doubtful whether any sense can be made of the notion of 'averaging' decision rules. What would it be, for instance, to average maximization with satisficing? A more promising approach for the defender of MITE would be to draw a distinction between different senses in which a theory might be associated with a value function. Suppose our options theory T makes various claims about which outcomes are better than others and by how much, and that these claims can be unified by representing T as endorsing a value function (as is the case for our options theory which accepts the utilitarian axiology). Call this value function T 's explicit value function. We have already seen that options theories cannot be interpreted as requiring that agents maximize value according to their explicit value functions (else there would be no supererogatory acts, according to the theory). However, perhaps it will be possible to represent theories like T as recommending that agents maximize expected value, so long as the value function whose expectation they're asked to maximize is not T 's explicit value function, but rather one reverse-engineered by looking at which actions T recommends in which choice-situations. Call this sort of reverseengineered value function an implicit value function. Will such implicit value functions always exist? Sepielli (2009) and Ross (2006) both suggest that arguments ultimately inspired by Ramsey (1931) show that they will. Roughly, the idea is that Ramsey showed that if an agent's preferences satisfy certain axioms, then they can be represented with a value function. So for any moral theory, we can just imagine an agent who always prefers to act as the theory recommends, and then use Ramsey's method to construct the implicit value function of the theory, which can then be used together with the other theories the agent takes seriously to generate intertheoretic expectations for actions. (What Sepielli and Ross are appealing to here is known as a Representation Theorem, which says that if an agent has preferences which satisfy such-and-such axioms, then she can be represented as a agent who maximizes expected value, relative to some probability-utility function pair < P,U > which is unique up to certain sorts of transformations, which differ depending on the axiom system in question. See von Neumann and Morgenstern (1944), Savage (1954), and Jeffrey (1983) for examples of Representation Theorems.) But there are reasons to doubt whether we really can represent options 13 theories using implicit value functions in this way. One main reason is that the options theory's preferences are likely to violate standard decision-theoretic axioms. In particular, the preferences of the options theory are likely to be negatively intransitive. That is, there will likely be acts A, B, and C such that neither of A and C is preferred to the other (in the sense that, given a choice between the two, neither is required), neither of B and C is preferred to the other, and yet A is preferred to B. For instance, let A be giving $1,000 to charity online (so that it arrives immediately), let B be giving $1,000 to charity by snail mail (so that it arrives after some delay), and let C be saving the money. Neither of A and C is preferred to the other, since both are permissible, and similarly for B and C. But A is preferred to B; if you're going to give to charity, you ought to choose the option that gets the money there more quickly if that requires no extra cost or effort. If the options theory has such negatively intransitive preferences, then it cannot be represented in EMV-maximization terms.17 Even setting this aside, it seems unlikely that any implicit value function assigned to an options theory would yield plausible results when plugged into MITE. For the implicit value function cannot assign the supererogatory act a higher expected moral value than the merely permissible one, for this would mean that in the limiting case where the agent is certain of that options theory, she would be required to perform the supererogatory act. And the implicit value function cannot assign the supererogatory and the merely permissible acts equal expected moral values, for then options theories can be easily swamped by other theories when we apply MITE to a morally uncertain agent. Consider an agent who gives some credence to an options theory which says that donating to charity is supererogatory while saving is merely permissible. The other theory 17This points merits some clarification. In an important and underappreciated paper, Oddie and Milne (1991) prove that in a certain sense of 'representation,' any moral theory whatsoever (subject to two constraints mentioned below) can be represented in EMV-maximization terms, relative to some agent-neutral value function. But their interpretation of what it is for a moral theory to be represented by another differs importantly from the interpretation that is relevant in the context of evaluating MITE. Oddie and Milne assume that each moral theory (i) has finitely many deontic categories (where deontic categories are things like supererogatoriness, obligatoriness, permissibility, wickedness, etc.), and (ii) that the moral theory gives a partial ordering of these deontic categories (supererogatoriness will be ranked higher than impermissibility, for instance). Then, they prove that for each such moral theory M , there is an agent-neutral value function V such that, if act A's deontic category is ranked at least as highly as act B's according to M, then the expected value of A is at least as great as the expected moral value of B, relative to value function V . But importantly, as Carlson (1995) notes, Oddie and Milne allow one moral theory to count as representing another even if the former does not even contain the same deontic categories as another. This is relevant because expected value theory as standardly interpreted employs just two deontic categories permissibility (corresponding to having maximal expected value) and impermissibility (corresponding to having sub-maximal expected value). So on Oddie and Milne's criterion of representation, a theory on which A is supererogatory and B is merely permissible is adequately represented by a value function which assigns greater value to A than to B and hence deems A to be obligatory and B to be impermissible. This may be fine for some purposes. But in the context of MITE, it is unacceptable, for it does not enable us to respect the original moral theory's distinction between the supererogatory and the merely permissible. In effect, squeezing the supererogation theory into the EMV-maximization framework needed for MITE obliterates distinctions that the theory deems to be of fundamental importance. 14 to which the agent assigns some credence is a mild egoist theory that says that saving is slightly better than donating. For the options theory, on the proposal under consideration, donating and saving have the same expected moral value. For the mild egoist theory, saving has a slightly higher expected moral value than donating. Applying MITE, we will get the result that the agent ought to save her money no matter what (non-zero, real-valued) credence she assigns to each theory. This is an implausible result. Even if the agent is overwhelmingly confident that donating is supererogatory and saving merely permissible, a tiny degree of confidence that saving is required will tip the balance in favor of saving, so long as we represent options theories as assigning supererogatory and merely permissible acts the same expected moral value. I am skeptical that there is any satisfactory way to squeeze options theories into MITE's expected value maximization framework.18 But even if I am wrong about the case of options, it is overwhelmingly likely that very many moral theories that are worth taking seriously will be unable to be squeezed into this framework. They will have 'preferences' that fail to satisfy the axioms of the relevant Representation Theorem (see MacAskill (2014)). Just to take one possible example, an absolutist moral theory, on which some acts (murder, say) are absolutely prohibited, might have 'preferences' which fail to satisfy the Continuity axiom of Von Neumann and Morgenstern's decision theory. Suppose that our absolutist moral theory says that murdering one person (M) is worse than the status quo (S), which is worse than rescuing one person (R). That is, M < S < R. Moreover, murdering is absolutely prohibited, which on this theory means that if you're uncertain whether some act would result in murdering someone or saving someone, it's wrong to do it. In particular, for any probability p, an act with probability p of resulting in M and probability 1−p of resulting in R is worse than the status quo S. This violates the Continuity axiom19, which says: Continuity : If A ≤ B ≤ C, then there exists some positive probability p such that: (p)A + (1− p)C ∼ B (where ∼ is the relation of indifference) So, an absolutist moral theory on which it is impermissible to run any risk at all of murdering someone, even for the sake of having a chance of rescuing someone will have 'preferences' which violate one of the standard axioms of decision theory. As a result, that absolutist moral theory's verdicts will not be representable by a value function.20 18Recently, Ben West suggested to me that it may be possible to represent options theories in EU-maximization terms using vector-valued value functions. I will not pursue this strategy here. 19An absolutist moral theory would also likely violate the Archimedean axiom adopted by many decision theories, which in effect says that no options are infinitely good or infinitely bad. See Sepielli (2009) and Smith and Jackson (2006) for further discussion of absolutist moral theories in the context of decision-making under moral (Sepielli) and descriptive (Smith and Jackson) uncertainty. 20One might simply reject the Continuity axiom (and the Archimedean axiom) and assign 15 Even if options-based moral theories, absolutist moral theories, and others whose preferences cannot be represented by a value function are ultimately false, it seems that insofar as any moral uncertainty at all is rationally permissible, it should be rationally permissible to assign some positive credence to one of these problematic types of moral theory. If so, then there are moral theories which it can be rational to take seriously and which are such that if you do take them seriously, MITE cannot say anything about what you super-subjectively ought to do. There is a general lesson here. MITE, and probably any plausible theory of the super-subjective ought, requires that the different moral theories in which an agent has some credence be translated into a common currency so as to allow them to be weighed up against each other.21 But moral theories differ radically, and often in deep, structural ways. There is no reason to think that all respectable moral theories, from consequentialism, to Kantianism, to absolutist theories, to Ross-style pluralist theories (perhaps involving incommensurability, or Chang's (1997) 'parity'), to virtue ethical theories, will all be amenable to being squeezed into a common framework, whether that common framework is an expectational decision-theoretic one, or something else entirely. This doesn't necessarily mean that not all moral theories can be put into some decisiontheoretic framework or other, but it is important to be careful about quantifier scope. It may be that, for each moral theory, there is some formal decisiontheoretic framework that can (in some sense) represent it,22) but I am deeply skeptical that there will be some formal decision-theoretic framework that can be used to represent each moral theory. Instead, different departures from orthodox expected value theory (the system of Savage (1954), say) will be needed for different moral theories; some may require infinite values, others may require sets of value functions, still others may require a non-maximizing rule, and so on. For some purposes, like coming up with a way to think about how that absolutely prohibited actions a negative infinite value. But then absolutist moral theories will swamp non-absolutist theories. It may be possible to attempt to avoid this swamping by representing Absolutist theories using a variety of technical devices, such as context-dependent value functions which, in any context, always assign values in such a way as to prohibit the absolutely prohibited action (Sepielli (2010)). Or perhaps surreal numbers will be of help (see Hàjek (2003) for discussion of surreal numbers in the context of decision theory). This technical moves may help the defender of MITE avoid uncomfortable conclusions when faces with absolutist theories e.g., that if you given any credence to an absolutist moral theory, it will swamp all other theories to which you give some credence in virtue of its involving infinite values and disvalues. But it is difficult to see how one would motivate a particular choice among the various technical devices that might be wheeled in to help deal with absolutist theories, and yet different choices will yield different recommendations from MITE in various situations. At any rate, the present point is simply that many moral theories would seem, on the face of it, to violate standard decision-theoretic axioms needed to get representation theorems off the ground. 21An exception is the view that one super-subjectively ought to take the theory in which one has highest credence, and then simply act on its basis. See Gracely (1996) and Gustafsson and Torpman (2014) for a defense of this approach. Unfortunately I do not have the space to argue against it here. 22See footnote 5 above for references to discussions of attempts to find decision-theoretic representations of various moral theories. 16 theory should say you ought to act under descriptive uncertainty, it may only be important that each moral theory be representable in some formal decisiontheoretic framework or other. But for the purpose of coming up with a formal framework for decision-making under moral uncertainty, it is crucial that each moral theory be representable in the same formal decision-theoretic framework (or common currency, as I put it earlier). And this, I am arguing, is not the case. 3 Whither the Super-Subjective Ought? In the previous two sections, I have argued that MITE is unlikely to succeed as a theory of what a morally uncertain agent super-subjectively ought to do. If my arguments are sound, what does that mean for the super-subjective ought? I see three possibilities. First, perhaps we just need to pull up our socks and continue the hard work of trying to devise an adequate decision theory for the super-subjective ought. This strikes me as unattractive. The problems I have raised seem like in-principle problems, not likely to be solved through technical subleties. Second, we might hold that there are facts about what one super-subjectively ought to do in most, or perhaps all, possible situations, but that these facts cannot be encapsulated in any formal or otherwise finitely statable theory. Perhaps there is little to be said by way of exceptionless principles, save for extreme cases (e.g., that if you are certain that A is not morally worse than B, and not certain that B is not worse than A, then you super-subjectively ought to do A).23 This would amount to a sort of particularism about the super-subjective ought. I have no compelling argument against this second option, but I want to explore a third, perhaps more radical, response. I want to suggest that perhaps there is no need to come up with a theory of the super-subjective ought, for the super-subjective ought has no clear role to play in our normative theoriz23Note that one who adopts the third option I consider (below), which denies the existence of a super-subjective ought, can still hold that there is something wrong with someone who is certain that A is better than B but then goes on to do B. But the explanation of what is wrong with that person will be different. If fundamental moral facts are a priori, then there is a sense in which one always ought to believe the true moral theory (though this this need not entail that one is blameworthy for having false moral beliefs, as Harman (2011) holds; the sense of ought may be purely epistemic, for instance). Then, if the true moral theory is one on which A is better than B, our imagined agent is criticizable for simply for acting wrongly, while if the true moral theory is one on which the A is not better than B, then our imagined agent is criticizable for having a moral belief that she ought not have. So in essence, we can account for what's wrong with an akratic agent by appealing (perhaps among other things) to a wide-scope norm stating that one ought to be such that if one believes one ought to do A, then one does A. But there are multiple ways ot satisfy such a wide-scope norm. One can make the antecedent of the embedded conditional false, or one can make the consequent true. In my view, if the moral belief refered to in the antecedent is false, then one ought to make the antecedent false (i.e. not have the false moral belief), while if that moral belief is true, then one ought to make the consequent true (i.e. perform the action that is in fact morally required). 17 ing. This discussion will be regrettably brief and speculative. I cannot show conclusively that the super-subjective ought has not role to be play in our theorizing. Instead, I proceed by looking at three main motivations for introducing the subjective ought to supplement the objective one, and then showing how we might resist the thought that these motivations carry over to motivate the introduction of a super-subjective ought. This discussion will clarify what kinds of commitments will likely have to be take on board by someone who wishes to adopt this third, more deflationist, response. Start by recapping three interrelated motivations for bringing in the subjective ought. First, what you objectively ought to do often depends on factors inaccessible to you. You might be in no position to know that the pills in your bottle are rat poison, and you justifiably take them to be painkillers. In this case, even though you objectively ought not given them to your friend, you are not in a position to know that you ought not do so. Second, and relatedly, the objective ought is insufficiently action-guiding. It does not give advice to the deliberating agent that she can effectively use to determine what to do. Third, non-culpable ignorance of the facts which determine what you objectively ought to do is typically an excusing factor. Suppose you give your friend the pills, and after taking them he writhes around on the floor foaming at the mouth, and then dies. While you helped cause his death, you are not blameworthy for it, since you were justifiably ignorant of the fact that the pills were rat poison. On the basis of these considerations, we then introduce the subjective ought, which is intended to (i) be such that what you subjectively ought to do doesn't depend on things inaccessible to you, (ii) is action-guiding, and (iii) links up more closely with blameand praiseworthiness than does the objective ought. (It is not clear that (i) should be regarded as a separate motivation, since it may be that the only grounds for wanting an ought which is always accessible to you is that accessibility is required for action-guidingness and blameworthiness.) The subjective ought is supposed to satisfy these demands by making what you ought to do depend on your credences in the relevant descriptive propositions, rather than on which of the relevant descriptive propositions are in fact true. Now, there are serious questions about whether the subjective ought really can satisfy these demands, especially in light of Williamson's (2000) AntiLuminosity Argument. If Williamson is right, then there are no conditions that are such that whenever they obtain, you are in a position to know that they obtain. Even the facts about your own doxastic state that determine what you subjectively ought to do may be inaccessible to you. And in a case where you are not in a position to know what your own beliefs or credences are, the subjective ought may not be fully action-guiding, and your self-ignorance might excuse you from any blame stemming from your failure to do what you subjectively ought to do. But set these issues aside. After all, my aim is not to defend the subjective ought but to oppose the super-subjective ought. What I now want to do is suggest that these considerations accessibility, action-guidingness, and links with blameand praiseworthiness might not carry over to motivate the introduction of a super-subjective ought to supplement the objective and subjective ones. 18 First, even if descriptive facts may often be inaccessible to you, it is not clear that normative facts are likewise inaccessible. If fundamental moral truths are a priori, then there is a sense in which any agent is in a position to know the moral truth. There is no in-principle obstacle to her coming to know the moral facts. Moreover, your evidence (whatever it is), will entail each of the fundamental moral truths By contrast, your evidence will often not entail, or even support, the true descriptive propositions that are relevant in a given decision situation. Of course, even if the fundamental moral truths are a priori, this does not mean that they are obvious. But it is not clear that we should demand a sense of ought on which what you ought to do depends only on factors that are obvious as opposed to merely knowable in some weaker sense. Admittedly, I have not argued that in fact fundamental moral truths are a priori. While I find this claim plausible (after all, the sorts of considerations typically given for or against particular moral theories tend to be of the a priori variety), it is certainly open to dispute. Some theorists might doubt that fundamental moral truths are even necessary (and it's unlikely that they would be contingent a priori), while others might hold that they are necessary a posteriori, in which case fundamental moral truths might be no more accessible than descriptive necessary a posteriori truths like the proposition that Hesperus is Phosphorus. Nevertheless, those theorists sympathetic to an a priori conception of ethics should hold that fundamental moral truths are unlike even very unobvious descriptive truths in being in-principle accessible. Second, consider the morally uncertain agent's felt need for some sort of guidance. Certainly, such an agent will wish she knew what morality demands of her, and she will often have reason to deliberate further (though if she must act now, she may need to simply make a decision and defer deliberation until later). But reasons to deliberate further may be ordinary, garden variety epistemic and moral reasons. We have epistemic reasons to deliberate about matters of great importance in our lives. And the true moral theory T , whatever it is, will often want the agent to deliberate further about morality, since deliberating (insofar as it is reliable) will lead her to beliefs which better approximate T , and (insofar as her motivational state is sensitive to her moral beliefs) this will lead her to act in accordance with T more often. So a theory of the super-subjective ought is not needed to account for why uncertain agents often ought to continue deliberating about morality (and indeed, it gives no special role to deliberation anyway). The super-subjective ought really aims to earn its keep by giving agents guidance about how to hedge their bets, morally speaking. That is, it tells them how to act so as to minimize their expected degree of wrongness. But there is a case to be made that a desire for guidance about how to engage in moral hedging involves an objectionable sort of moral fetishism, so that a morally good agent would not look to a theory of the super-subjective ought like MITE to guide her actions in the first place. Michael Smith (1994, 75) distinguishes between caring about morality de dicto and caring about morality de re: Good people care non-derivatively about honesty, the weal and woe 19 of their children and friends, the well-being of their fellows, people getting what they deserve, justice, equality, and the like, not just one thing: doing what they believe to be right, where this is read de dicto and not de re. Indeed, commonsense tells us that being so motivated is a fetish or moral vice, not the one and only moral virtue. Now, Smith uses the allegedly fetishistic character of de dicto concern for morality to argue against judgment externalism, the view that it is possible to judge that an action is morally required without being in any way motivated to perform that action. The details of Smith's anti-externalist argument needn't occupy us here, since the internalist/externalist debate is not our topic, and in any event I am persuaded by criticisms of Smith's argument by Shafer-Landau (1998), and Svavarsdóttir (1999), and especially Dreier (2000).24 But Harman (2011) and Weatherson (2013) have recently raised this moral fetishism objection against theories on which an agent's moral beliefs affect how she ought to act. It is easy to overstate the case, however (and I suspect that Harman, at least, has). An agent who feels the need to deliberate further about some moral matter needn't always be fetishistic. This is especially clear where the agent's deliberation concerns thick moral concepts like fairness or respect, rather than thin ones like wrongness or permissibility.25 And we do want agent's motivational states to somehow be sensitive to their beliefs about morality; else what is the point in debating moral matters? (Indeed, see Dreier (op cit) for discussion of how to explain why good, well-motivated agent's motivations are sensitive to their moral beliefs without attributing to them de dicto concern for morality.) So my narrow, and hopefully more cautious, claim is just that the kind of motivation involved in moral hedging is objectionably fetishistic, even if a felt need to deliberate further, and a general sensitivity of one's motivational state to one's beliefs about morality, are not. But reasons to deliberate further, or to have a motivational state that is responsive to beliefs about morality, can be accounted for without positing a super-subjective ought. Third, and finally, while it is quite clear that (non-culpable) ignorance of relevant descriptive facts often excuses you from blame, it is rather controversial whether (non-culpable) ignorance of fundamental moral facts likewise exculpates. Harman (2011) has recently argued that it does not.26 She argues that it is possible to come to have deeply false moral beliefs without having been epistemically irresponsible in any way (unless failure to know a priori facts itself constitutes epistemic irresponsibility), but that in such cases an agent who acts on those false moral beliefs still strikes us as blameworthy. As just one example, she considers people who protest at abortion clinics and yell at the women and 24See also Lillehammer (1997) for an argument that de dicto concern for morality needn't be fetishistic in the first place. By contrast, Dreier agrees that de dicto concern for morality is objectionably fetishistic but argues that we can explain the fact that good, strong-willed agents are motivated to act in accordance with their moral beliefs without attributing to them such de dicto concern for morality. 25This point is emphasized by Sepielli (unpublished). 26See Zimmerman (1997) and Rosen (2004) for defenses of the opposing view. 20 doctors going inside. Assume that abortion is morally permissible and that it 'is wrong to yell at women outside abortion clinics: these women are already having a hard time and making their difficult decision more psychologically painful is wrong' (458). While perhaps many of these particularly strident protesters have been epistemically irresponsible in coming to their beliefs, it is not plausible to think that this is the case for all of them. But nevertheless, these protesters are blameworthy for the distress they cause. Arpaly (2003), using Smith's de dicto/de re distinction, argues for the same conclusion, writing that: An action is blameworthy just in case the action resulted from the agent's caring inadequately about what is morally significant where this is not a matter of de dicto caring about morality but de re caring about what is in fact morally significant. Now, it is clear that we are not inclined to excuse Hitler, say, from blame simply on account of his erroneous moral beliefs (if indeed he believed he was acting rightly). But matters are less clear, and so the stance of Harman and Arpaly is less compelling, in cases where the stakes are smaller or where the moral ignorance or error is less egregious. Vegetarians typically do not have strong negative reactive attitudes when their friends or colleagues eat meat. But this may not be because the carnivores do not merit blame, but rather because we are generally disinclined to hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves. Often when we judge that someone acting wrongly, we do not blame them if we could easily see ourselves acting in that manner. And it is coherent to judge that someone is blameworthy despite not actually having a strong negative reactive attitude toward that person.27 So the fact that an agent's false moral beliefs may sometimes make us disinclined to blame her, not because moral ignorance is itself exculpatory, but rather because we could easily see ourselves being in her situation. Now, even if you are not convinced, and believe that (non-culpable) moral ignorance is exculpatory (whether always, often, or just sometimes), we can still resist the thought that this means there must be an ought that is sensitive to moral uncertainty. For it is possible for some factor to be exculpatory without there being an ought that is specially sensitive to that factor. For instance, if an agent commits a violent act, the fact that he had a brutal, abusive upbringing can excuse him from blame, or at least mitigate his blameworthiness. But that does not mean that there is a special ought which is sensitive to the degree to which one's upbringing was normal. There is no sense in which he ought to have done as he did. Similarly, it may be that moral ignorance is exculpatory without there being a super-subjective ought. 27Consider a case not involving false moral beliefs, but rather akrasia. I believe that I and other reasonably well-off people are morally required to give very large portions of our wealth to the distant needy, but do not have strong negative reactive attitudes towards people who don't do so, even when they also believe they are so obligated. That's because I myself don't give tons of money away! The people who don't give generously to charity (myself included) are blameworthy, even though few actually experience an attitude of blame toward them (even those who are convinced about our obligations toward the distant needy). 21 This concludes my tentative argument that the introduction of the supersubjective ought is unmotivated. Admittedly, it is not a water-tight case. Perhaps one of the three motivations for introducing the subjective ought does carry over to the case of moral uncertainty. Perhaps there are other possible motivations for introducing a super-subjective ought besides the three that I have considered here. But I hope at least to have done some softening-up work to suggest that before we become invested in solving the technical problems that face particular theories of decision-making under moral uncertainty, such as MITE, or accept a form of particularism about the super-subjective ought, we should get clearer about whether and why we wanted such a ought in the first place. Until a strong case is made that we need the super-subjective ought to play certain well-defined roles in our normative theorizing, we should be neither surprised nor worried when attempts to theorize about a super-subjective ought run into trouble. The default position should be that there are no rules for how to act in light of moral uncertainty; beliefs about descriptive matters make a difference to how you ought to act, while beliefs about moral matters do not. What you ought to do, in any moral sense of ought, depends on which moral theory is in fact true, not on your (possibly mistaken) beliefs about what morality requires.28 References Arpaly, N. 2003. Unprincipled Virtue: An Inquiry into Moral Agency. New York: Oxford University Press. Carlson, E. 1995. Consequentialism Reconsidered. Dordrecht: Springer. Chang, R. 1997. 'Introduction.' In R. Chang (ed), Incommensurability, Incomparability, and Practical Reasoning. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Colyvan, M., Cox, D., and Steele, K. 2010. 'Modelling the Moral Dimensions of Decisions.' Noûs 44, 503-29. Dreier, J. 1993. 'Structures of Normative Theories.' The Monish 76, 22-40. Gracely, E. 1996. 'On the Noncomparability of Judgments Made by Different Ethical Theories.' Metaphilosophy 27, 327-332. Gustafsson, J. and Torpman, O. 2014. 'In Defence of My Favourite Theory.' Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 95, 159-74. Hàjek, A. 2003. 'Waging War on Pascal's Wager.' Philosophical Review 112, 27-56. 28Thanks to Caspar Hare, Stefan Riedener, and especially Daniel Greco, who collaborated on an ancestor of this paper. Thanks also to audiences at the 2010 Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference, Oxford University, and the 2014 Wisconsin Metaethics Workshop. This publication was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation. 22 Harman, E. 2011. 'Does Moral Ignorance Exculpate?' Ratio 24, 443-68. Harsanyi, J. 1955. 'Cardinal Welfare, Individualistic Ethics, and Interpersonal Comparisons of Utility.' Journal of Political Economy 63, 309-21. Hudson, J. 1989. 'Subjectivization in Ethics.' Americal Philosophical Quarterly 26, 221-9. Jeffrey, R. 1983. The Logic of Decision. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kagan, S. 1989. The Limits of Morality. New York: Oxford University Press. -2012. The Geometry of Desert. New York: Oxford University Press. Lockhart, T. 2000. Moral Uncertainty and its Consequences. New York: Oxford University Press. MacAskill, W. 2014. Normative Uncertainty. Ph.D. thesis, University of Oxford. Oddie, G. and Milne, P. 1991. 'Act and Value: Expectation and the Representability of Moral Theories.' Theoria 57, 42-76. Parfit, D. 1984. Reasons and Persons. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Portmore, D. 2011. Commonsense Consequentialism. New York: Oxford University Press. Ramsey, F. 1931. 'Truth and Probability.' In his The Foundations of Mathematics and other Logical Essays. New York: Routledge. Riedener, S. 2015. Maximizing Expected Value under Axiological Uncertainty. Ph.D. thesis, University of Oxford. Rosen. G. 2004. 'Skepticism about Moral Responsibility.' Philosophical Perspectives 18, 295-313. Ross, J. 2006. 'Rejecting Ethical Deflationism.' Ethics 116, 742-68. Savage, L. 1954. The Foundations of Statistics. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Sen, A. 1982. 'Rights and Agency.' Philosophy and Public Affairs 11: 3-39. Sepielli, A. Unpublished. 'Normative Uncertainty, Intertheoretic Comparisons, and Conceptual Role.' University of Toronto. -2009. 'What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do.' Oxford Studies in Metaethics 4, 5-28. 23 -2010. Along an Imperfectly-Lighted Path: Practical Rationality and Normative Uncertainty. Ph.D. thesis, Rutgers University. -2012. 'Normative Uncertainty for Non-Cognitivists.' Philosophical Studies 160, 191-207. -2013. 'Moral Uncertainty and the Principle of Equity Among Moral Theories.' Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 86, 580-9. Slote, M. 1984. 'Satisficing Consequentialism.' Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Supplementary Volumes 58, 139-63. Smart, J. and Williams, B. 1973. Utilitarianism: For and Against. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Smith, M. 1994. The Moral Problem. Oxford: Blackwell. -2009. 'Kinds of Consequentialism.' In E. Sosa and E. Villanueva (eds), Philosophical Issues: Metaethics. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. Smith, M. and Jackson, F. 2006. 'Absolutist Moral Theories and Uncertainty.' Journal of Philosophy 103, 267-83. von Neumann, J. and Morgenstern, O. 1944. Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Weatherson, B. 2013. 'Running Risks Morally.' Philosophical Studies 167, 1-23. Williamson, T. 2000. Knowledge and its Limits. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Zimmerman, M. 1997. 'Moral Responsibility and Ignorance.' Ethics 107, 41026.

Immunotherapy of cancer with dendritic cells loaded with tumor antigens and activated through mRNA electroporation. Since decades, the main goal of tumor immunologists has been to increase the capacity of the immune system to mediate tumor regression. Considerable progress has been made in enhancing the efficacy of therapeutic anticancer vaccines. First, dendritic cells (DCs) have been identified as the key players in orchestrating primary immune responses. A better understanding of their biology and the development of procedures to generate vast amounts of DCs in vitro have accelerated the development of potent immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer. Second, tumor-associated antigens have been identified which are either selectively or preferentially expressed by tumor cells and can be recognized by the immune system. Finally, several studies have been performed on the genetic modification of DCs with tumor antigens. In this regard, loading the DCs with mRNA, which enables them to produce/process and present the tumor antigens themselves, has emerged as a promising strategy. Here, we will first overview the different aspects that must be taken into account when generating an mRNA-based DC vaccine and the published clinical studies exploiting mRNA-loaded DCs. Second, we will give a detailed description of a novel procedure to generate a vaccine consisting of tumor antigen-expressing dendritic cells with an in vitro superior capacity to induce anti-tumor immune responses. Here, immature DCs are electroporated with mRNAs encoding a tumor antigen, CD40 ligand (CD40L), CD70, and constitutively active (caTLR4) to generate mature antigen-presenting DCs.

Barbecue grills often are fueled by liquid propane (LP) gas supplied from a portable tank. The tank is refillable and when empty, is removed from its cart mounting and either refilled or replaced. When mounted on the cart, the tank is normally secured against movement by screws, bolts, straps, and other means. The securing means maintain the tank in an upright position for use and are released for transporting the tank to a refilling or replacement facility. The tank is normally mounted on the bottom shelf or a bottom strut of the cart frame. One of the reasons for this mounting is that a full LP gas tank is relatively heavy and a bottom mount requires less lifting of the tank. Another reason is to maintain some distance between the tank and the grill itself, the spacing serving as a heat shield. This positioning makes access to the tank difficult as the user must bend down or squat down to secure the tank, access the on-off valve and regulator, and inspect the tank for leaks. It is to these difficulties that the present disclosure is addressed.

Effects of low sodium concentrations on the development of post-implantation rat embryos in culture and on their sensitivity to anticonvulsants. Anticonvulsant drug treatment during pregnancy is associated with an increased incidence of developmental disorders. The finding that anticonvulsant treatment can induce hyponatraemia prompted us to study the role of this parameter in the induction of malformations. Rats were treated orally with the anticonvulsants phenytoin, phenobarbitone, carbamazepine and valproic acid, and their sera were used as media in cultures of post-implantation (day 10) rat embryos. Sodium concentrations in the media were adjusted by mixing sera with 25% tissue-culture medium with or without sodium chloride. We found that low sodium concentrations caused retardation of development and enhanced the sensitivity of embryos to the retardant effects of anticonvulsants. These results show that apart from the direct effects of drugs and their metabolites secondary factors may be important in the aetiology of maldevelopment.

The production and processing of plastics is characterized by constantly increasing demands on the quality of individual products. To meet these quality requirements, it is necessary to keep precisely to predetermined specifications particularly in regard to the concentration of individual constituents in plastic mixtures. In the context of the invention, plastic mixtures may be inter alia copolymers, polymer blends or filler- or fiber-reinforced plastics. Another field of application of the invention is the determination of additive concentrations. The additives in question are, for example, mold release agents or plasticizers. The concentrations of mold release agents are typically less than 1%. Nevertheless, their exact percentage content by weight in the plastic mixture often has to be determined. There are already various known spectroscopic processes for determining the composition of plastic mixtures. In one frequently used process, a solution of the plastic is initially prepared and a transmission spectrum of the solution is then run. On the basis of absorption bands which are characteristic of the components to be determined, the concentrations of those components can be determined after calibration using the Lambert-Beer law or more recent evaluation methods. However, this process is attended by the disadvantage that there are no known solvents for certain modern high-performance plastics, for example polyphenylene sulfide, at temperatures below 150.degree. C. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,827 describes a process in which the transmission measurement of the plastic to be analyzed is carried out on a molten sample. However, this process is suitable above all for the on-line production control of a product, but less suitable for the measurement of a number of different samples in a short time because cleaning and refilling of the measuring cell are relatively complicated. The most advantageous method of analyzing a number of different samples is to determine the transmission spectra of pressed films of the plastic mixtures to be analyzed. Pressed films are obtained in known manner by the compression-molding of a plastic mixture at a compression mold temperature above the melting temperature of the mixture to be analyzed. Their thickness is typically between 1 and 500 m. In addition, test specimens produced by injection molding with typical wall thicknesses of 0.1 to 100 mm may also be used for spectroscopic measurements. Since both pressed films or injection moldings and also the analysis beam of commercially available spectrometers often show an anisotropies or inhomogeneities, the spectra of these plastic films are subject to considerable variations which have a correspondingly adverse effect on the accuracy of the concentration measurement of individual components in the plastic mixture. The problem addressed by the present invention was to provide a process for the analysis of plastic mixtures with increased accuracy by transmission spectroscopy using solid samples.

The overall goal of this project is to define the molecular events involved in the transformation of low-grade lymphomas to more aggressive forms. As a first approach, we have studied a series of recurrent follicular lymphomas to assess the status of their immunoglobulin and bcl-2 restriction patterns over time. We have found that immunoglobulin gene restriction pattern changes occur frequently (30% of the cases studied). Changes in the bcl-2 gene restriction fragments were not observed. We believe the changes in the immunoglobulin genes may be due to the normal physiologic "mutator" function which gives rise to somatic mutation in B cell development. If a cell containing a mutation at a restriction enzyme site undergoes a second genetic event that imparts a growth advantage, the first mutation will become detectable as a restriction pattern change. In this way, changes in the immunoglobulin genes may serve as a marker for subsequent growth promoting mutations. We have begun to investigate potential second events which could impart a selective growth advantage to a lymphoma cell or result in aggressive transformation of a lymphoma. To this end, we are currently analyzing the potential role of several oncogenes and anti-oncogenes. We have found retinoblastoma gene abnormalities at the DNA and RNA levels in several different types of lymphomas and are currently attempting to extend these findings by studying expression at the protein level in a collaborative effort with Dr. William Benedict. We have also surveyed a large series of lymphomas with probes for several other genetic loci associated with disease progression and/or high grade histology (BCL-3, BCL-4), but have found only sporadic involvement of these other loci.

Living organisms have developed tightly regulated processes that specifically imports metals, transport them to intracellular storage sites and ultimately transport them to sites of use. One of the most important functions of metals such as zinc and iron in biological systems is to enable the activity of metalloenzymes. Metalloenzymes are enzymes that incorporate metal ions into the enzyme active site and utilize the metal as a part of the catalytic process. More than one-third of all characterized enzymes are metalloenzymes. The function of metalloenzymes is highly dependent on the presence of the metal ion in the active site of the enzyme. It is well recognized that agents which bind to and inactivate the active site metal ion dramatically decrease the activity of the enzyme. Nature employs this same strategy to decrease the activity of certain metalloenzymes during periods in which the enzymatic activity is undesirable. For example, the protein TIMP (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases) binds to the zinc ion in the active site of various matrix metalloprotease enzymes and thereby arrests the enzymatic activity. The pharmaceutical industry has used the same strategy in the design of therapeutic agents. For example, the azole antifungal agents fluconazole and voriconazole contain a 1-(1,2,4-triazole) group that binds to the heme iron present in the active site of the target enzyme lanosterol demethylase and thereby inactivates the enzyme. Another example includes the zinc-binding hydroxamic acid group that has been incorporated into most published inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases and histone deacetylases. Another example is the zinc-binding carboxylic acid group that has been incorporated into most published angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. In the design of clinically safe and effective metalloenzyme inhibitors, use of the most appropriate metal-binding group for the particular target and clinical indication is critical. If a weakly binding metal-binding group is utilized, potency may be suboptimal. On the other hand, if a very tightly binding metal-binding group is utilized, selectivity for the target enzyme versus related metalloenzymes may be suboptimal. The lack of optimal selectivity can be a cause for clinical toxicity due to unintended inhibition of these off-target metalloenzymes. One example of such clinical toxicity is the unintended inhibition of human drug metabolizing enzymes such as CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A4 by the currently-available azole antifungal agents such as fluconazole and voriconazole. It is believed that this off-target inhibition is caused primarily by the indiscriminate binding of the currently utilized 1-(1,2,4-triazole) to iron in the active site of CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A4. Another example of this is the joint pain that has been observed in many clinical trials of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors. This toxicity is considered to be related to inhibition of off-target metalloenzymes due to indiscriminate binding of the hydroxamic acid group to zinc in the off-target active sites. Therefore, the search for metal-binding groups that can achieve a better balance of potency and selectivity remains an important goal and would be significant in the realization of therapeutic agents and methods to address currently unmet needs in treating and preventing diseases, disorders and symptoms thereof.

The invention refers to a method and to an apparatus for encoding eye movement and eye tracking data. In particular the invention refers to the encoding of eye movement and eye tracking data for gaze contingent control within a man machine interaction. The gaze contingency by means of the present invention shall be applied for example to the field of user-dependent eye movement controlled processes within technical apparatus such as machines, devices, computers, equipments, vehicles etc. From the prior art there are known methods and apparatus for capturing eye movement and eye tracking data from persons in order to display the so-called raw data scanpath, i.e. the time course of gaze, representing the movement of the eyes or visual behavior of the person when viewing pictorial presentations, e.g. photos, advertisement posters or a dynamic scene, e.g. a situation while driving a car, watching a film etc. Usually, eye movement and eye tracking data are captured by using an eye tracking device, a so-called eye-tracker. Such a method and such an eye tracking device is disclosed e.g. in WO 99/18842 A1. There is described a data evaluation by which typical eye movement patterns can be recognized. Another method from the prior art known is disclosed e.g. in U.S. RE 40014 E1. The known eye trackers provide time-resolved position data of the head and of the eyes of a test person/subject. There can be determined from these data, the time-resolved intersections of the line of sight of the viewer with the objects of static or dynamic scene, such as those arising when looking at a poster, an advert, the control panel of a machine (e.g. car or airplane cockpit), the display of a computer, etc. For this purpose, the position data of the head and the eyes of the viewer are determined at a relatively high sampling rate or frequency of up to 2000 Hz or more. For the recording of data, there are usually various techniques available. For a wide range of applications, the most suitable technique, as being minimally invasive and therefore not burdensome to the subject or restrictive, is the video-based recording of the head of the subject at two different angles in the range of infrared light and a subsequent image processing, calculating from the image data in combination with geometry data of the experimental setting the position data of the head and the eyes. From the image analysis, after a prior calibration, the head position and iris/pupil positions can be determined. This determination is often carried out in real-time and is performed by software being supplied by the manufacturer of the eye tracker. The data having this format, however, cannot be interpreted or understood by an end user, such as a psychologist who studies the scheme or visual behavior of watching a commercial. Therefore there is a need to process the data in an end-user friendly representation. Usually the classification and interpretation of the data is performed by a decomposition of the recorded time series into fixations (cluster of viewpoints) and ballistic movements/jumps (saccades), where from a (cognitive) psychological perspective the fixations are of interest and the saccades are interesting in respect of the basic physiological processes. However, the computational methods and algorithms which are well-known for this purpose, are based on an evaluation of the viewpoints according to their spatial dispersion and/or to their velocity or acceleration. The algorithms require a parameterization done by the end user or default settings for the parameters done by the manufacturer which cover a wide application range, thereby becoming too imprecise for being used for specific applications, since the choice of parameterization can significantly affect the results of the algorithm. Further, the parameters are partly subjected to individual variations, referring to the subject or to a group of subjects, and/or are dependent on the tasks which are given for running the experiment. Therefore, in the known calculation methods and algorithms, the end user must have experience in the choice of parameters, which in practice is rarely the case, or he must rely on an approximate parameterization (“rule of thumb”). The known calculation methods or algorithms are not designed for the analysis of dynamic scenes where the viewer follows moving objects with his eyes. The separation of another kind of eye movement, the so-called smooth pursuit, as it occurs when watching dynamic scenes, is currently regarded as being difficult and has not yet been satisfactorily solved.

A review of literature about involving people affected by cancer in research, policy and planning and practice. To systematically review the literature on involving people affected by cancer in healthcare research, policy and planning and practice. Database searches, cited author, and grey literature searches were conducted. 131 documents were included. Rationales for the agenda of involvement represent two polar characteristics of modernity: individualism and collectivism. In research, people acted as advocates, strategists, advisors, reviewers and as participatory researchers. In policy and planning, people were involved in one-off involvement exercises and in longer-term partnerships. Men, those with rare cancers, children, and people who are socially deprived have been rarely involved. There is little research evidence about the impact of involvement. Training and information, resources and a change in attitudes and roles are required to implement an agenda of involvement. The USA, the UK, followed by Canada and Australia have promoted an agenda of involvement. A dissemination strategy to share good practice; involvement of all types of people; an individualised and flexible approach; training, resources and a shift in thinking from paternalism towards partnership working are required. More research is needed about the impact of involvement and relationships between rationales for involvement and implementation.

NADPH oxidase activation in neutrophils: Role of the phosphorylation of its subunits. Neutrophils are key cells of innate immunity and during inflammation. Upon activation, they produce large amounts of superoxide anion (O2 -. ) and ensuing reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill phagocytized microbes. The enzyme responsible for O2 -. production is called the phagocyte NADPH oxidase. This is a multicomponent enzyme system that becomes active after assembly of four cytosolic proteins (p47phox , p67phox , p40phox and Rac2) with the transmembrane proteins (p22phox and gp91phox , which form the cytochrome b558 ). gp91phox represents the catalytic subunit of the NADPH oxidase and is also called NOX2. NADPH oxidase-derived ROS are essential for microbial killing and innate immunity; however, excessive ROS production induces tissue injury and prolonged inflammatory reactions that contribute to inflammatory diseases. Thus, NADPH oxidase activation must be tightly regulated in time and space to limit ROS production. NADPH oxidase activation is regulated by several processes such as phosphorylation of its components, exchange of GDP/GTP on Rac2 and binding of p47phox and p40phox to phospholipids. This review aims to provide new insights into the role of the phosphorylation of the NADPH oxidase components, that is gp91phox , p22phox , p47phox , p67phox and p40phox , in the activation of this enzyme.

This invention relates to a method for manufacture of large tanks according to the "from the top and down" principle, whereby the roof of the tank is manufactured first at ground level, and successive generally cylindrical plates are attached one below the other as the completed part of the tank is raised in stages, the tank thereby growing from below. At present there are in principle two usable methods for rational manufacture of large tanks on site. According to one of these methods, called "from the bottom and up", the bottom plate is laid out and welded, the lowermost plate sweep (i.e., generally cylindrical plate section) of the tank is mounted to the bottom plate and welding is carried out in the vertical seams and to the bottom plate. The next plate sweep is placed on the one beneath it and welded to this, whereupon the vertical seams are welded. The supporting structure of the roof consists as a rule of a center ring and radial, somewhat curved steel girders which are suspended on the tank wall and in the center ring. The center ring is placed at the right height on a temporary scaffolding and the steel girders are placed in the right position and welded to the center ring and to the wall. When this task has been completed the tank structure is self-supporting and the temporary scaffolding for the center ring can be dismantled, whereupon the roof covering of plate is mounted and welded. According to the other prior art method, called "from the top and down", the bottom plate is laid out and welded. The plate sweep lying uppermost in the finishing tank is mounted and the vertical seams are welded. The roof of the tank is manufactured in principle in the same manner as in the previously described method but largely at ground level and in some cases small openings must be left in the roof for the hoisting equipment used to raise same. The hoisting devices are then mounted and connected via lugs to the topmost plate sweep, whereupon the finished tank section is lifted by the hoisting devices disposed around the plate sweep a height corresponding to the height of the next plate sweep. The next topmost plate sweep in the finished tank is then mounted below the raised completed section and vertically and horizontally welded to the lowermost plate sweep of the raised completed section. The lifting devices are then connected to the plate sweep which has just been assembled and the above procedure is repeated until the tank has attained its full height. The bottommost plate sweep is then welded to the bottom plate. In welding work according to the first of the prior methods mentioned above, a working platform has to be installed on a working level with each plate sweep, which is a time-consuming and risky operation. When the other prior method is used, the welding work is done at ground level and usually without a working platform. Automatic welding machines have been used for some 20 years in connection with the first above-mentioned prior method and in this context use is made of a welding machine which is hung up on wheels on the upper edge of the topmost plate sweep, the wheels being driven synchronously with the desired welding speed. For the vertical seams a welding machine is used which is either suspended on the topmost plate sweep or mounted on a vertical pillar which is successively lengthened as the tank-building work proceeds. Important in all welding work is that the automatic welding machines have to be guided or steered exactly parallel to the welding seam and driven synchronously with the welding speed. In tank building according to the prior "from the top and down" method, two methods of automatically welding horizontal seams have been tested and pillar welding machines are relatively often used for the vertical seams. According to one of these prior horizontal welding methods the welding machine was suspended by wires which were attached to a trolley which ran on a track on the inside of the tank roof. As the tank was successively raised in stages the wires had to be lengthened and consequently difficulties were experienced in getting the trolley and the welding machine to run synchronously relative to each other. An attempt was then made to solve this problem by replacing the wires by a pipe scaffolding but the same problem arose as soon as the distance between the welding machine and the suspension track became large. For this reason this prior method did not attain any great sucess. According to the second prior horizontal welding method the welding machine was hung up in a scaffolding with a drive device running on a track which was mounted on the bottom plate of the track and with idler wheels against the tank wall. Since tank bottoms are often not flat and to some extent may also be dished or wave-shaped and since the tank wall is seldom perfectly circular, difficulties were experienced in keeping the electrode of the welding machine in the correct position relative to the seam. From the above it follows that there is currently no practical method by which to automatically weld the seams in the tank walls when the tank is built by the "from the top and down" method and a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a suitable method for this. The hoisting devices used when building tanks from the top and down usually comprise hydraulic lifters which cooperate with a hoisting pillar so that the lifters pull or press an arm which is obliquely directed upwards against the tank wall. The connection between the smooth tank wall and the tops of the inclined arms is achieved in that lugs are welded to the tank wall, the tops of the inclined arms working against the lower part of the said lugs. These lugs are welded to the plate sweep at which lifting is to occur and exactly equidistant from the lower edge of the plate sweep.

CD25 is a marker for CD4+ thymocytes that prevent autoimmune diabetes in rats, but peripheral T cells with this function are found in both CD25+ and CD25- subpopulations. Previously we have shown that autoimmune diabetes, induced in rats by a protocol of adult thymectomy and split-dose gamma irradiation, can be prevented by the transfer of a subset of CD4+ T cells with a memory phenotype (CD45RC-), as well as by CD4+CD8- thymocytes, from syngeneic donors. Further studies now reveal that in the thymus the regulatory cells are observed in the CD25+ subset of CD4+CD8- cells, whereas transfer of the corresponding CD25- thymocyte subset leads to acceleration of disease onset in prediabetic recipients. However, in the periphery, not all regulatory T cells were found to be CD25+. In thoracic duct lymph, cells that could prevent diabetes were found in both CD25- and CD25+ subsets of CD4+CD45RC- cells. Further, CD25- regulatory T cells were also present within the CD4+CD45RC- cell subset from spleen and lymph nodes, but were effective in preventing diabetes only after the removal of CD25- recent thymic emigrants. Phenotypic analysis of human thymocytes showed the presence of CD25+ cells in the same proportions as in rat thymus. The possible developmental relationship between CD25+ and CD25- regulatory T cells is discussed.

One source of an understanding of the state of the art of fiber optic sensors is a publication, entitled "Fiber Optic and Laser Sensors II" PROCEEDINGS OF SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering, Volume 478, 385-12 through 385-18, May 1-2, 1984. As noted therein, two general classes of sensors are known, the first being based on an optical reflection technique and the second being a microbend technique. The former technique is not force-responsive, i.e., it is not operative based on mechanical stress applied to an optical fiber. The latter technique looks to the use of a relatively inflexible optical fiber and the detection of directing of light from the fiber core into the fiber cladding upon distortion of the force-responsive optical fiber. Fiber optic sensors of force-responsive variety using a relatively inflexible optical fiber and based on the microbending technique are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,420,251, 4,408,829, 4,860,586 and 4,918,305. A further version of a force-responsive fiber optic sensor is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,796, which looks not to microbending of a relatively inflexible optical fiber, but to the use of a quite flexible optical fiber, being comprised of a core and cladding, both formed of an elastomeric material. A similar fiber optic sensor is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,461. In the particular area of air bag control, which is a preferred area of interest of the subject invention, note is taken of U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,862. Therein, an air bag actuation is caused to occur when an optical fiber is broken and light communication between a transmitter and a receiver is fully interrupted.

Biochemical abnormalities of the ocular surface epithelium undoubtedly are present in a number of disease states, and may lead to the specific signs and symptoms characteristic of the disease. Present therapeutic measures directed toward alleviating the problem are relatively ineffective. In rare cases, such abnormalities may be most apparent in the glycolytic metabolism of the tissues, preventing adequate maintenance of the ocular surface epithelial cells. Furthermore, conjunctival inability to transform into corneal epithelium may also contribute to failure of the epithelialization in some cases, and this inability may be related to differences between the glycolytic metabolism of corneal and conjunctival epithelium. We propose, therefore, to study the role of glucose and glycogen metabolism in normal and diseased epithelial tissues demonstrating an inability to re-epithelialize. Furthermore, it is possible that healthy donor cornea retained on grafts at the time of keratoplasty may substantially improve the prognosis in some cases where host epithelium may be diseased. Therefore, we propose to evaluate the usefulness of epithelial grafting.

Parenting and social competence in school: The role of preadolescents' personality traits. In a study of 230 preadolescent students (mean age 11.3 years) from the wider area of Athens, Greece, the role of Big Five personality traits (i.e. Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness and Extraversion) in the relation between parenting dimensions (overprotection, emotional warmth, rejection, anxious rearing) and social competence in school was examined. Multiple sets of regression analyses were performed. Main effects of Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience were identified. Limited evidence for moderation and some support of gender-specific parenting was found. Agreeableness and Extraversion interacted with paternal overprotection, whereas Neuroticism interacted with maternal and paternal rejection in predicting social competence. Mean differences in gender and educational grade were reported. The relationship between environmental effects (such as parenting during early adolescence) and social adjustment in school is discussed in terms of the plasticity and malleability of the preadolescents' personality characteristics.

The present invention is directed to a friction applying assembly for a panel movable from a first position to a second position. The friction applying assembly is particularly useful in connection with a counter panel for a household refrigerator including a fresh food compartment having access thereto through a main fresh food door. It is advantageous in household refrigerators to have a separate small exterior panel on the main door of the fresh food compartment that will fold down and be a work surface such as a small counter for preparing drinks or snacks. In such an arrangement it is desirable to have the hinge supports for such a counter panel exert a constant uniform friction so that the door will not fly open when unlatched and slam down during the movement of the panel from its closed position to a horizontal open position. It is therefore desirable in a movable panel such as a small exterior counter panel on the main door of a fresh food compartment of a refrigerator to have a constant uniform friction applied to the hinge assembly for opening and closing the panel. One problem in connection with a friction applying assembly is that after a period of time and extended usage of the assembly the amount of friction will decrease and the desirable qualities of the friction applying assembly are no longer functional. By this invention there is provided a friction applying assembly for a panel movable from a first position to a second position that will apply a constant uniform friction to the mechanism and that constant uniform friction will remain functional during the extended use of the assembly.

Expression of the growth-associated protein GAP-43 in adult rat retinal ganglion cells following axon injury. We have studied the expression of the growth-associated protein GAP-43 after injury to the axons of adult rat retinal ganglion cells (CNS neurons that do not normally regenerate injured axons). Both the biosynthetic labeling of GAP-43 and the GAP-43 immunoreactivity of the retina increased after axotomy, but only when the injury was within 3 mm of the eye. These results suggest the following conclusions: First, axon injury is sufficient to alter GAP-43 expression in CNS neurons, even in the absence of regeneration. Second, mechanisms that regulate GAP-43 expression are sensitive to the length of uninterrupted axon remaining after injury. Finally, the conditions that favor increased GAP-43 are similar to those that favor regrowth of injured CNS axons into grafts of peripheral nerve, suggesting that GAP-43 induction is accompanied by an increased potential of injured CNS neurons to regenerate.

Compression molding and injection molding are common techniques for molding solid fiber reinforced plastic products. Such products typically have 5 to 50 percent by weight fibrous material, with the remainder being a plastic resin material, and these products usually have a density greater than about 5 pounds per cubic foot (pcf). Compression molding is also used to form molded fibrous insulation products, which typically have a density less than about 5 pcf. Such molded fibrous insulation products include thermal insulation for mechanical applications, such as pipe insulation and duct insulation, as well as acoustical and thermal insulation products for such applications as appliances and automobiles. The fibers for these fibrous insulation products include mineral fibers, such as glass fibers, as well as polymer fibers, such as polyethylene terephthalate (pet) or polypropylene (pp) fibers. The fibrous insulation products made with mineral fibers typically include a heat settable binder material in an amount within the range of from about 5 percent to about 20 percent by weight. The fibrous insulation products made with polymer fibers often do not include binder material, relying on fiber-to-fiber bonding for the structural integrity of the product. The molded fibrous insulation products are formed by placing a fibrous molding media into a mold having heated upper and lower mold bodies, and closing the mold. The heat from the mold bodies sets or cures the binder, where a binder is present, thereby forming the fibrous insulation product with the desired shape, density and stiffness for the intended product application. Where a binder is not present, as with a polymer fiber insulation product, the heat from the mold bodies bonds the polymer fibers together where they intersect with each other, thereby forming the fibrous insulation product with the desired shape, density and stiffness for the intended product application. The heat transfer process from the mold body surface to the fibrous molding media is primarily by conduction and radiation. This heat transfer into and through the fibrous molding media during the molding process cannot be controlled easily. During the molding of the fibrous insulation product the surface of the fibrous molding media assumes the shape of the surface of the upper and lower mold bodies. It can be appreciated that the surface or contour of the upper and lower mold bodies must be changed when it is desired to mold a fibrous insulation product of different shapes. This requires changing the mold bodies for each different desired insulation product. Typically it takes a considerable amount of time and money to make new molds with the desired contours. The changing of mold surfaces can be simplified by using changeable or replaceable mold inserts within the upper and lower mold bodies. However, it would be advantageous if the process and apparatus for molding fibrous insulation products could be further improved.

In automatic beverage dispensers, there already exist different types with various infusion assemblies. These assemblies have complicated mechanical movements performed by electric motors and reducers, of high cost, as well as lever transmissions which must be very precise. These assemblies also require a very precise volumetric dosage of the coffee powder so as to avoid interfering with the movements and transmissions. It will be understood that the operation of such assemblies is delicate and require careful production and assembly of multiple mechanical pieces. To overcome these delicate and difficult constructions, it has already been proposed to replace these motorized movements and lever transmissions with movements performed by double-acting hydraulic jacks. Unfortunately, this type of hydraulic jack is difficult to control, not only as to the movement of its piston, but also as to the equilibrium of the opposing pressures, and gives rise to prohibitive costs for automatic beverage dispensers, such as espresso coffee-making machines which must be mass-produced.

The present invention relates to aqueous agents for treating wood and wooden materials. Wood and wooden materials are widely popular construction materials. Due to their chemical composition and their structure, however, they possess certain naturally inherent disadvantages. For example, they are constantly exposed to the danger of attack by fungi, bacteria and insects. Additionally, large variations in their moisture content can occur having a negative effect on dimensional stability and, in the worst case, leading to fissures. Finally, their high flammability causes considerable problems from the safety technology point of view. To more or less eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages, it has been customary for quite some time to treat wood and wooden materials with a great variety of agents by any of a large number of methods before or after the wood has been worked on machines. Nowadays, it is even necessary in many fields of use for such treatments to meet regulating standards. In this connection, it is desirable to satisfy such requirements by simple, economical and environmentally harmless measures and to achieve an effect lasting for a maximally long period of time to avoid expensive aftertreatment processes. Particularly in the case of wood and wooden materials which are exposed to outside weathering and/or high moisture conditions, these objectives could not be completely realized heretofore. The preferred, current methods for treating wood for preservation may be represented as follows: (1) The introduction of wood preservatives, resistant to washing out and diffusion, from an aqueous solution. A good, durable impregnation of the marginal zones is normally achieved by this method, especially in a dipping process. However, the inner zones of thicker pieces of material are not successfully impregnated. Additionally, this method is incapable of preventing the occurrence of cracks caused by great moisture fluctuations; in part, unprotected zones are formed, since all active agents are fixed in the marginal zone. Attempts have been made to overcome this deficiency by simultaneously using, in certain cases, in addition to the fixable preservatives, water-soluble active agents which are not fixable and thus remain capable of diffusion. However, this protection is also not permanent when cracks occur, since the unfixed active agents are then washed out by the effects of the weather. If longer lasting protection is desired, an additional surface treatment by application of an organic coating is required. PA1 (2) The introduction of wood preservatives, which are water-insoluble or sparingly soluble in water, from organic solvents. The capability of these active agents to diffuse in wood having a sufficiently low moisture content is satisfactory; however, this method is likewise incapable of preventing cracks. Additionally, several of these often highly toxic preservatives have a marked vapor pressure. For these reasons, an additional treatment with an organic coating agent is also recommended here. Furthermore, a quite substantial disadvantage of this method is the use of organic, flammable and, in part, physically harmful solvents. PA1 (1) a double bond content corresponding to an iodine number of at least 200 g iodine/100 g, of which a double bond content of at least 100, also measured as the iodine number (g iodine/100 g) is due to cis-1,4-structural elements of the 1,3-butadiene polymer; PA1 (2) an amino group content of at least 50 mg-atoms of nitrogen/100 g of binder; and PA1 (3) a substrate polymer, for the amino-group-carrying 1,3-butadiene polymer having at least 70 molar percent butadiene units and a number average molecular weight of 500-6,000. PA1 (a) an adduct of 18-25% by weight of maleic anhydride and 82-75% by weight of a polybutadiene having a molecular weight (Mn) of 800-2,000, an iodine number of .gtoreq.350 (g iodine/100 g) and a cis-1,4-content of .gtoreq.70% of the double bonds present, with PA1 (b) a 1,3-diaminopropane of the formula ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 independently are each alkyl of up to 4 carbon atoms or together represent --(CH.sub.2).sub.5 --or --(CH.sub.2).sub.2 --O--(CH.sub.2).sub.2 -, i.e., are components of a ring. PA1 (a) epoxidized polybutadiene with an epoxy content, determined according to DIN [German Industrial Standard]16 945, of 5-8% by weight of oxygen, prepared from a polybutadiene having a molecular weight (Mn) of 1,000-2,500, an iodine number of .gtoreq.350 g iodine/100 g, and a cis-1,4-content of .gtoreq.70% of the double bonds present, with PA1 (b) one or more amines of the formulae (2) ##STR2## wherein R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 independently are each alkyl of up to 4 carbon atoms or hydroxyalkyl of 2-4 carbon atoms, or in Formula (3) together represent --(CH.sub.2).sub.5 --or --(CH.sub.2).sub.2 --O--(CH.sub.2).sub.2 --, i.e., are components of a ring. Especially suitable is the use or concomitant use of 1,3-diaminopropanes of Formula (1). The amino group content in the final product is to be at least 120 mg-atoms of nitrogen/100 g of binder. The above mentioned post treatment of the impregnated components with an organic coating normally takes place in a separate operating step. However, efforts have already been made to obviate this additional treatment step by the use of binder-containing wood preservatives. In these agents, synthetic resin dispersions were preferably used as the binders for the ingredients applied from aqueous solution, and alkyd resins and related systems were preferred for those applied from organic solvents. One disadvantage in both cases is the low penetrating power of the organic binders. Additionally, for the binder-containing wood preservative systems, based on organic solvents, the binder content must be kept at a very low value; otherwise, the penetration of the preservative active agents is impeded. This makes it necessary to repeat the treatment until sufficient film thicknesses have been achieved. As a result, this mode of operation does not offer any economical advantages over a subsequent coating step. Moreover, the penetrating power of aqueous synthetic resin dispersions is even lower than that of the organic solvent-containing systems. Accordingly, the wood preservation effect attainable in all cases is moderate at best. Consequently, the active ingredients added to aqueous impregnating agents serve more for preserving the coating agent prior to impregnation than for protecting the substrate to be treated. There is almost no regulation of moisture absorption and emission by the treated wood. The known water-dilutable alkyd resin emulsions alkyd-resin-containing synthetic resin dispersions and water-dilutable alkyd resins are also subject to essentially the same disadvantageous features discussed for the water-dilutable glazings based on synthetic resin dispersions. Prior to treating coniferous woods with the latter agents, priming with an officially admitted, wood-preserving primer is recommended or even required.

Prevalence and risk factors of lens opacities in urban and rural Chinese in Beijing. To determine the prevalence of lens opacities in the elderly Chinese population in an urban and a rural region of Beijing. Population-based cross-sectional study. The study included 4439 subjects of 5324 subjects invited to participate (response rate, 83.4%). The subjects were divided into a rural part (1973 subjects [44.4%]) and an urban part (2466 subjects [55.6%]). The study was limited to participants age 40 and older, and the mean age was 56.2+/-10.6 years (range, 40-101 years). Nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular lens opacities were assessed based on standardized slit-lamp photographs of the lens using a modification of the grading score of the Age-related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Grading score of the AREDS. Lens data were provided for 4378 subjects (98.6%) of 4439 persons examined, which consisted of 8724 eyes. Prevalence of any cataract surgery was 1.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-1.7), which was statistically independent of gender (P = 0.51; odds ratio [OR]: 0.86; 95% CI: 1.00-1.34), rural area versus urban region (P = 0.25), and level of education (P = 0.84). Prevalence of any nuclear lens opacity was 82.0% (95% CI: 80.8-83.2); prevalence of any cortical lens opacity was 10.3% (95% CI: 9.4-11.3); and prevalence of any posterior subcapsular opacity was 4.3% (95% CI: 3.7-4.9). If grade 2 of nuclear lens opacity was considered to be normal, prevalence of nuclear cataract was 50.3% (95% CI: 48.8-51.8), and the overall prevalence of any cataract was 53.1% (95% CI: 51.6-54.6), increasing from 6.5% (95% CI: 5.2-7.8) in those subjects 40 to 49 years of age to 52.3% (95% CI: 47.4-55.3) in those who were 50 to 59 years of age, and to 97.8% (95% CI: 96.4-99.2) in those 70 years and older (P<0.001). Frequencies of any cortical cataract and any subcapsular posterior cataract were 10.3% (95% CI: 9.4-11.3) and 4.3% (95% CI: 3.7-4.9), respectively. Cataracts are common among adult Chinese residents in Beijing, with age as the most important associated factor. In view of the relatively low rate of cataract surgery performed so far, one may expect a marked increase in the number of cataract surgeries to meet the visual needs of the growing elderly population in China.

Pathogenesis of vaginal candidiasis: studies with a mutant which has reduced ability to adhere in vitro. A spontaneous, cerulenin-resistant mutant of Candida albicans (strain 4918-10) was found to adhere less readily to human vaginal mucosal cells in vitro than a wild type C. albicans (strain 4918). In a murine model of vaginal infection, strain 4918-10 was found to be less virulent than wild type C. albicans, i.e., the infection rate caused by 4918-10 was only 31% of that observed with wild type, 4918. A chitin-soluble extract (CSE) prepared from 4918 blocked attachment of yeast cells to human vaginal epithelial cells, while CSE from 4918-10 did not significantly reduce the attachment of yeasts to vaginal cells. Both 4918 and 4918-10 produced hyphae in vitro and in vivo, were negative for proteinase production and grew equally well at 28 degrees C and 37 degrees C. The data suggest that adherence to vaginal mucosa may be an important determinant in the pathogenesis of vaginal infection caused by C. albicans.

One of the subcontinent’s oldest public listed companies, Murree Brewery posted an after-tax profit of Rs812 million or Rs35 per share during the first nine months of fiscal year (FY) 2015, up 35% compared to Rs605 million or Rs26 per share it earned in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.The Rawalpindi-based liquor maker saw its revenues increase by 20% to Rs4 billion in the period under review compared with Rs3.3 billion it grossed in the corresponding period of FY14.On a quarterly basis, the company reported a net profit of Rs267 million or Rs11.6 per share, up 9% compared to Rs244 million or Rs10.6 per share it earned in the Jan-March quarter of 2014. Its revenues during the quarter clocked in at Rs1.37 billion, up 10% compared to Rs1.25 billion of the same quarter last year.Being an illiquid stock, Murree Brewery is not covered by market analysts. The financial statement, however, indicates that volumetric growth helped drive the company’s profits.The company’s stock, however, showed an upward movement during the trading session – though amid low turnover.Opening at Rs914 per share, the stock reached a high of Rs944 during intra-day trade and finished at Rs902 at close with 3,820 shares changing hands on Friday.The company specialises in the manufacture of beer and Pakistan-made foreign liquor. The Group also has juice extraction and food manufacturing divisions, located at Rawalpindi and Hattar, respectively. Their glass division manufactures all the Group’s bottles and jars.Published in The Express Tribune, April 25, 2015.

Increased risk of congestive heart failure among infarctions with nighttime onset. The onset of acute myocardial infarction varies by time of day, with a peak in the morning and a trough at night. Whether infarct-related complications differ by the timing of the infarction is unknown. In the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study, we performed chart reviews and face-to-face interviews with 3625 patients with acute myocardial infarction. We assessed the time of onset of symptoms, the presence of ventricular tachycardia or congestive heart failure, and peak creatine kinase levels (in 1043 patients). We found significant circadian variation in the risk of congestive heart failure (P =.001). The risk dropped from 17% for infarctions that began between 6 PM and midnight to 10% for infarctions that began between 6 AM and noon. Adjustment for differences in the time from symptom onset to presentation for care and use of thrombolytic agents did not change the results. We found no circadian variation in the risk of ventricular tachycardia or in peak creatine kinase levels. The risk of congestive heart failure is highest among infarctions that begin at night. Further research may clarify whether this reflects differences in the pathophysiologic characteristics of infarction or the quality of medical care provided for daytime and nighttime infarctions.

Seasonal dark – with the promise of light ‘Blow, blow, thou winter wind’ – these words of Shakespeare were put to music by Roger Quilter, who died in 1953 and lies buried in the family vault in Bawdsey Church. Winter is a time of passing, of light receding, darkness breeding. Animals hibernate, birds migrate. Most of our flora is dormant. The darkness is overpowering, sapping energy and intent. It was worse when the author was young. Candles, paraffin lamps, many rural dwellings did not have electricity. In the desperate days between 1939 and 1945 there was a complete ban on outside lighting – ‘blind as bats’, we were! But bats have their own radar, and yet wisely sleep the winters away. In the days of yore, rush-lights – dried rush stems dipped in animal fat, and the flowering Giant Mullein (pictured), dried and soaked in similar fashion – gave some degree of light in hall and hovel. In cold homes, dried branches of trees, or bundles of twigs, burned desultorily. In halls, homes of the powerful, they would have their roaring fires, great boughs of dried oak, giving light and warmth. A need to forage … In the changing days of autumn leading to winter, men and beasts would forage for nuts and anything edible to assuage their hunger. Crab apples would survive a frost or two, nuts and seeds would fall from hazel and beech. If ponds and rivers had not frozen, men’s ingenuity would find ways of catching fish, or eels, from the river bottom. What animal flesh was available had to be salted to preserve it for as long as possible. Emaciated Red or Roe Deer, seeking a winter’s bit of dried grass or moss, would also become man’s next meal. Nature’s hibernation plans do not include humans, but badgers, hedgehogs, dormice, and all reptiles become comatose for several months. And, suddenly, streaks of morning light! Glimmers of the sun, some warmth. After all those long nights, and deprivation, small wonder that our ancestors so readily celebrated the light, and being set free from the darkness. Let us, too, celebrate the Light. And be grateful for life’s gifts, so freely given, and welcome the Light into our hearts and our homes, our hearths and our houses. Christ tells us: ‘I AM the Light.’ Michael Stagg

The invention relates to a fixture for an electronic flash, and more particularly, to such fixture including a connection terminal utilized for synchronized flashlight illumination and another connection terminal which is used to transmit an electrical signal indicative of the completion of a charging operation or the completion of a flashlight illumination of an electronic flash to a camera on which it is mounted, and enabling an electronic flash to be detachably mounted on a hot shoe of the camera. Such an electronic flash will be referred to hereafter as "of the kind specified." A conventional fixture for an electronic flash is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to these Figures, there is shown electronic flash 1 having fixture 2 which is provided on the bottom surface thereof. Fixture 2 has connection member 3 in the form of a square plate which is adapted to be fitted into guide groove 8 formed in hot shoe 7 (see FIG. 2) that is provided on the top surface of a camera. Subsequently, fixing knob 4 may be turned to secure connection member 3 to shoe 7, thus mounting electronic flash 1 on the camera. It will be seen that a plurality of connection terminals are provided on bottom surface 3a of connection member 3, including centrally located terminal 5 which is used to permit a synchronized flashlight illumination, and connection terminals 6a, 6b located on the opposite sides thereof and which are used to transmit an electrical signal to the camera which is indicative of the completion of a charging operation or the completion of a flashlight illumination of the electronic flash. These terminals are provided in the form of retractable dowels. Hot shoe 7 includes an inner bottom surface 7a which is adapted to be engaged by bottom surface 3a of connection member 3. Three connection terminals 10, 11a, 11b are disposed in a layout corresponding to terminals 5, 6a, 6b. It is to be understood that terminals 10, 11a, 11b are electrically insulated from each other by forming part of bottom wall of hot shoe 7 with insulating member 9, and remain exposed. As indicated by an arrow a, connection member 3 of the electronic flash is inserted into guide groove 8 from the rear side. FIG. 3 shows hot shoe 12 of a more usual camera which has single connection terminal 14 alone that is used for providing a synchronized flashlight illumination. Only region 13 of the bottom surface of hot shoe 12 is electrically insulated by an insulating member while the remainder is formed by an electrically conductive member such as metal, so that when electronic flash 1 having fixture 2 is mounted on such hot shoe 12, the conductive material of the bottom surface of shoe 12 will short-circuit connection terminals 6a, 6b, causing a malfunctioning or possibly destroying the function of electronic flash 1. It will be understood that the same difficulty occurs also when electronic flash 1 is mounted on a usual accessory shoe which has no synchronized flashlight terminal.

Chronic interstitial lung diseases in children. Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) in children constitute a heterogeneous group of rare diseases that have been described and classified according to experiences and research in adults. However, pediatric pulmonologists have observed that the clinical spectrum is broader in children than in adults, and that many of these disorders have different courses and treatment responses. In addition, probably due to the various stages of lung development and maturation, new clinical forms have been described, particularly in infants. This has broadened the classification of ILDs in this age bracket. The understanding that neither the usual definition nor the standard classification of these disorders entirely apply to children has prompted multicenter studies designed to increase knowledge of these disorders, as well as to standardize diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. We have reviewed the conceptualization of ILDs in children, taking into consideration the particularities of this group of patients when using the criteria for the classification of these diseases in adults. We have also made a historical review of several multicenter studies in order to further understanding of the problem. We have emphasized the differences in the clinical presentation, in an attempt to highlight knowledge of newly described entities in young children. We underscore the need to standardize management of laboratory and radiological routines, as well as of lung biopsy processing, taking such knowledge into account. It is important to bear in mind that, among the recently described disorders, genetic surfactant dysfunction, which is often classified as an idiopathic disease in adults, should be included in the differential diagnosis of ILDs.

In the prior art, as FIGS. 1 to 4 show, a raised pattern is provided around ports 11 (fluid inlet and fluid outlet) of a heat exchange plate of a plate-type heat exchanger, to increase the strength of the plate-type heat exchanger and cause a larger pressure drop between the port 11 and a fluid channel, and thereby achieve better fluid distribution between fluid channels. With regard to the structural design of existing products, since the strength is low, it is necessary to make the plates relatively thick to increase strength, so costs are high. As FIG. 1 shows, existing raised patterns include a spider's web design, but such a raised pattern has low strength under certain conditions, and the layout is determined by a fish bone pattern of a heat exchange part. As FIG. 2 shows, the raised pattern shown in FIG. 2 is not limited by the pattern of the heat exchange part, but the protrusions are independent, so in certain situations, strength is low. The raised pattern shown in FIG. 3 is formed by cutting away a part of long protrusions; this raised pattern has low strength, and poor manufacturability. In addition, when the raised pattern formed by long protrusions shown in FIG. 4 is employed, the strength of the plate-type heat exchanger is low, and stresses are not borne uniformly. In the various types of structure above, there must be a section of plane flush with a basic plane between every two adjacent protrusions, i.e. a transitional part between two adjacent protrusion points is a lower plane. As a result, the distance between every two protrusions cannot be too small, so strength is limited and restrictions are increased.

One versus two eyes makes a difference! Early face perception is modulated by featural fixation and feature context. The N170 event-related potential component is an early marker of face perception that is particularly sensitive to isolated eye regions and to eye fixations within a face. Here, this eye sensitivity was tested further by measuring the N170 to isolated facial features and to the same features fixated within a face, using a gaze-contingent procedure. The neural response to single isolated eyes and eye regions (two eyes) was also compared. Pixel intensity and contrast were controlled at the global (image) and local (featural) levels. Consistent with previous findings, larger N170 amplitudes were elicited when the left or right eye was fixated within a face, compared to the mouth or nose, demonstrating that the N170 eye sensitivity reflects higher-order perceptual processes and not merely low-level perceptual effects. The N170 was also largest and most delayed for isolated features, compared to equivalent fixations within a face. Specifically, mouth fixation yielded the largest amplitude difference, and nose fixation yielded the largest latency difference between these two contexts, suggesting the N170 may reflect a complex interplay between holistic and featural processes. Critically, eye regions elicited consistently larger and shorter N170 responses compared to single eyes, with enhanced responses for contralateral eye content, irrespective of eye or nasion fixation. These results confirm the importance of the eyes in early face perception, and provide novel evidence of an increased sensitivity to the presence of two symmetric eyes compared to only one eye, consistent with a neural eye region detector rather than an eye detector per se.

"Lear 251 Delta Lima, this is Burbank tower." "Do you read?" "Lear 251 Delta Lima, this is Burbank tower." "Do you read?" "Acknowledge," "Lear 251 Delta Lima." "They're off course and under the glide slope." "Lear 251 Delta Lima, do you read?" "Come right to 020." "Delta Lima, do you read?" "It's seconds out." "Delta Lima, abort." "Delta Lima, abort!" "Delta Lima, abort!" "Abort!" "Run!" "LA 5x02 ♪ Impact Original air date on October 1, 2013" "== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man" "How's he doing?" "Passed his evals, right?" "Oh, with flying colors." "So he's good to go." "Have you talked to Deeks?" "He appears to be screening my calls." "That's brazen." "Indeed." "Oh, my God." "Emoticon overload." "These guys from last night are kind of driving me nuts." "Which one?" "Jesse?" "Alex." "What is that?" "An ear of corn?" "A pickle?" "That actually looks like a-a..." "Oh, my God, here's Jesse." ""Good morning, beautiful."" ""Well, good morning to you," smiley face." "You heard from all three?" "Haven't you?" "Uh, no." "My, uh, phone's off." "I mean, who came up with this Groupster thing anyway?" "You know, three times the rejection doesn't seem psychologically sound." "One-on-one is bad enough." "I know, but Rose was so excited, and, you know, she really needs to get out and meet guys." "Yeah, that have a pulse." "It's supposed to be fun." "Three guys, three girls, no pressure, no expectations." "I'm sorry." "Three's a crowd." "Is that a heart or a butt?" "You know what?" "Here's an example." "Three bears, burgled." "Three little piggies, houses obliterated." "Three blind mice, tails cut off." "I am telling you, people start killing each other when the equation is three." "Wonder if Rose got any calls." "Yeah, only if one of them dropped dead." "You're bad." "Case on deck." "Oh, here we go." "Haircut?" "No, I think it's a new shirt." "Wait a second." "Are those...?" "Yep, I am wearing pants." "Sad face." "What, you got Old MacDonald's entire farm in there?" "Uh, it's just my mom." "Just her mom." "Well, well, well." "Look who's wearing big-boy pants." "Hetty got me these." "I mean, you still have the thongs, but it's a start." "Might as well be wearing a thong." "Stop whining." "Yes, ma'am." "Early this morning, a private jet, on its way from Washington, D.C., crashed at Burbank Airport." "There's no information as to why the plane went down, but at this early hour, it does appear no one on board survived." "What did air traffic control say?" "The tower lost contact with the jet upon approach." "The plane appeared to be on a collision course before veering off at the last moment, crashing." "Pilot error?" "Could have overshot the runway." "Maybe, or whoever was flying the plane had a clear target in mind." "Or maybe they missed a target." "It's who's on board that interests us." "Former Vice Admiral William Gardner." "He was a key player in the War on Terror." "Forced into early retirement ten months ago." "Gardner's uncensored criticism of the administration lost him his job and a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff." "What was he doing in L.A.?" "According to this, he was brokering a book deal." ""Unbroken Warrior, a riveting account of the truth behind the headlines."" "Sam and I will check out the airport." "Kensi..." "Uh, you'll be taking Kensi with you," "Mr. Callen." "Oh, great, my third-wheel status made official." "Not today." "Sam has an appointment." "Oh." "With who?" "That would be me." "Nate." "Good morning." "You want me to see another shrink?" "Uh, I don't think" "Mr. Getz is "another shrink."" "He knows you, your past." "And he knows I bounce back fast." "Even the most durable fabric wears out eventually." "Is that what you think," "Hetty?" "You think I'm worn out?" "I worry that you will be if you don't take care of yourself." "Sit down," "Mr. Hanna." "I don't know what more you want from me, Hetty." "I passed my physical my psych assessment." "Have I ever told you about the time I went blind?" "It was in Cambodia." "I was so committed to my assignment that I went for weeks existing on little more than insects and lemongrass." "So when, at last, my target presented itself," "I could barely see to complete my mission." "Vitamin A deficiency." "I take a multivitamin." "Oh, come on." "Sorry, Hetty." "I get it, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could do a good job." "Then, your visit with Mr. Getz will be a mere formality." "How'd you get your sight back?" "Carrots." "Always eat your carrots, Mr. Hanna." "Sorry." "I know you were looking forward to getting back out with Sam." "Yeah, it's the same for you and Deeks." "Well, let's stay positive." "Good idea." "He won't return my calls." "Don't take it personally." "Sam's been staying close to home as well." "I couldn't get him to go to a Lakers game." "Yeah, I bought him a Cronut." "I had courtside..." "You bought him a what?" "A Cronut." "It's a croissant-doughnut hybrid;" "Deeks loves them." "I can only get them in this little bakery in New York City, and I left it on his doorstep, and it's still there." "He'll be okay." "Yeah." "They both will." "I'm gonna call Eric, see if he spoke to the I.T. guys." "NCIS." "Investigating the death of Vice Admiral Gardner." "Chief Howard," "National Transportation Safety Board." "How are you?" "Good luck with that." "Come again?" "Take a look; not much left." "So you haven't been able to find anything that helps explain the crash?" "Well, actually, we've pretty much found everything except the one thing that could help." "The black box?" "The wreck area is pretty small." "But we can't find the box anywhere." "Really?" "Really." "Yeah, you think you can get onto those ATC computers?" "They're not your average laptops, Kensi." "I'm a geek, not a god." "Eric, okay, let us know what else you find." "Fine." "I.T. guys confirmed the tower systems were operating properly." "Did the pilots give any indication that they were having problems?" "No, there was no response to any of the communication attempts." "Total radio silence." "I'm trying to get Eric to verify it, but something's got his panties in a twist." "Maybe it's his new pants." "Busy morning." "Is that your, uh, your mom again?" "A friend." "Friend of you and Kensi's?" "Yeah, just someone I hung out with last night." "With Kensi?" "On a date?" "I don't mean a date with Kensi." "You know what I mean." "Like, Kensi and the guy she's into, you and the guy you're into." "Not into him, not into any of them, and neither is Kensi." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, them?" "Yeah, okay, there's three of them and three of us, but we only went because Rose really needs to get out more, so..." "Oh, Rose came, too." "Yeah, it was like a girls' night." "Ah, girls' night with guys." "Who we are not into." "And yet you hung out with them all evening." "Hey, so should we move this interrogation into the boatshed?" "Oh, sorry, just, uh, curious how this whole thing works." "Why?" "'Cause you want to go on one?" "What?" "Oh, on a date?" "Whoa, with you?" "No, no." "With, like, other people." "Just, come on, not with me." "Oh." "No." "I mean, that's three times the heartache, right?" "For them, I mean." "Right." "Right." "right,ring on the questions." "Is that what you want?" "Me running through a list of questions, seeing if any of them trigger you?" "Trigger me?" "I'm a ticking time bomb?" "Well, is that how you feel?" "I feel fine." "It's just everybody acts like I'm gonna explode." "In what way?" "You know, tiptoeing around," ""watching for signs."" "Can you blame us?" "You went through quite an ordeal." "I've been through a lot worse." "That's not how trauma works, Sam." "Somebody might survive a tsunami no problem, only to be scarred for life by a trip to the dentist." "You might not want to use that example on Deeks." "Noted." "Look, Sam, you and I both know you're more than well-equipped to handle this, and you've got a great support network here." "The other night, Michelle and I got into it over whose turn it was to do the dishes." "That sounds normal." "She wouldn't let me do 'em." "That sound normal to you?" "It sounds like she cares." "And Callen got us these amazing tickets at the Lakers game." "Probably sold a kidney for 'em." "Did you go?" "No, it didn't feel right." "Because he's being too nice to you?" "Everybody is." "It's like they're trying to make me feel better when I'm fine." "Remember to relax and concentrate on the next exercise." "You must breathe very slowly." "Fill what is empty and empty what is full." "Fill what is empty and empty what is full." "Ah-hum-rumas-me." "I am the universe." "Ah-hum-rumas-me." "I am the universe." "My head is relaxing." "My head is relaxing." "My arms are relaxing." "My arms are relaxing." "My abdomen is relaxing." "My abdomen is relaxing." "Relax the buttocks." "Relax the buttocks." "What am I doing?" "Clench, release." "Clench, release." "Clench, release." "Clench, release." "I am one with the universe." "I am one with the universe." "God, Hetty, what are you doing?" "Well, I thought I'd brave the monsoon to come check on you." "Storm sounds-- supposed to make it easier to fall asleep, so..." "You having trouble sleeping?" "Yeah, I'd say I have a little case of insomnia." "Probably all that clenching and releasing." "Wow-wow-wow- wow-wow-wow-wow, you've been busy." "Well, when you don't sleep, you realize how many hours there are in the day you have to fill." "Well, if you're bored... perhaps you could come back to work." "I didn't even know that you were, um," "I didn't know you were coming." "If I knew..." "Do, do you want something?" "Do you want some milk?" "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I-I can't stay long." "I just came to... see if your phone was working." "43... missed calls." "Fancy that." "Like you said, I've been busy." "So has Kensi." "For the past few weeks." "Without a partner." "I'm gonna need a decision soon." "Especially if I need to find a replacement." "Of course." "I'll leave you to your storm." "Hopefully it'll pass without too much damage." "Feel your troubles melting away as you drift off to a world abstract." "I'll show you, Hetty." "Oh!" "Hello." "Uh, did you ever hear of knocking?" "Sorry." "Last I checked, this was the burn room, not the locker room." "What are you doing?" "What's it look like I'm doing?" "Something really weird?" "Are those your pants?" "Uh... no." "Oh, my..." "God!" "Those are not my pants." "I do not own pants." "Those are Hetty's pants." "Interesting, and you were going to incinerate them?" "Do you have a death wish?" "I didn't have a choice." "Did you have an accident?" "Ew, no." "Those things are driving me nuts, they're so constrictive." "It's like my legs are trapped in a straitjacket." "Eric, they're pants." "People have been wearing them for thousands of years." "Oh, no, no, not my people." "The Beales of the Clan McBeale." "And now you're Scottish?" "As heather and haggis." "So why don't you wear a kilt?" "I do." "I did." "I used to." "Until this little incident with Hetty." "It's easy to forget how short she is." "Her eye line is lower than you think." "Yup, got it!" "Thanks." "Okay, I suggest you take your bag-o-pants and put them back on your body before Hetty finds out, or else it'll be your butt in the incinerator." "And there was a last-minute passenger added to the flight's manifest." "Jason Carter?" "How do I know that name?" "Jason Carter was a journalist." "He had written a number of high profile pieces on a variety of different topics." "He was even nominated for a Pulitzer for an article he wrote on hydraulic fracturing and the oil companies." "That's how I know him." "For the past year or so, he had been writing about the war in Afghanistan, embedding himself in several different units." "Hmm." "Maybe he was interviewing the vice admiral on the flight." "Reasonable assumption." "So I contacted his publisher." "Turns out, he was the ghost writer for the admiral's memoir." "Somebody didn't want this book being published." "Listen, Nate." "I wouldn't jeopardize Callen and the rest of the team if I didn't think I could hold my own." "Look, I appreciate that, Sam, and I believe you." "In fact, I know you put your partner and the rest of the team above your own safety." "Okay, then you know pretty much all there is to know." "Hetty doesn't think so." "Then, maybe you should go talk to Hetty." "You know, you're probably right." "Is that it?" "I'm only here because Hetty worries about you." "Nate..." "The only way to survive is to let go." "I keep a little something behind in case there's a chance to escape or attack, but... the rest of me is gone." "I see 'em wailing on that guy in the chair." "I can't help him." "When it's over, I reconnect." "And the only thing left are some scars." "I'm afraid one day I may drift off... and never reconnect." "Then what happens to the guy in the chair?" "Yeah?" "Special Agent Callen." "Special Agent Blye, NCIS." "We were wondering if we could take a look inside of Jason Carter's apartment." "Yeah, I guess." "I heard he died." "Shame." "Nice guy." "Good tenant." "This have anything to do with the fire?" "I'm sorry, the fire?" "In his apartment." "The place was gutted day before yesterday." "Fire marshal said it could take a week or more to determine what happened." "Had a insurance company out here this morning." "They wanted to take a look, too." "Not much left." "Fortunately nobody was home at the time." "This guy's had a bit of a run of bad luck, huh?" "This is Jason's girlfriend." "Julie, these are the agents from, um..." "NCIS." "His insurance company?" "No..." "Naval Criminal Investigative Service." "Oh." "Shall we?" "Yeah." "Need a hand?" "Oh." "Thank you." "I didn't even know Jason was on his way home until I saw the message on my phone." "What did the message say?" "Just that he was able to get a ride back to L.A. with the vice admiral, and was gonna use the time to interview him." "I fell asleep waiting up for him." "I kept expecting him to crawl into bed and kiss me good night." "When I woke up in the morning and he wasn't there," "I knew something was wrong." "And he wasn't answering his phone, so I came here and the fire department was just leaving." "I was standing here, already in shock when the police called to tell me" "Jason was killed in the plane crash." "Uh, four days ago." "He give you any indication that something might've been wrong?" "He seemed a little stressed maybe?" "Callen?" "Excuse me." "So, super wasn't kidding when he said the place was gutted." "Forensics will be able to tell us more, but the fire was hot and fast." "Pro job." "Julie?" "Do you know anybody that would've wanted to hurt Jason?" "No." "Some of his articles earned him hate mail." "Did he tell you what he was currently working on?" "No, he didn't talk much about work." "Did he ever give you anything to keep for him?" "No." "Why, do you think something he was working on played a part in his death?" "We're considering a lot of possibilities." "Please tell me your presence here is because of your excitement over a startling and revealing piece of valuable evidence that solves this case." "Well..." "You know what, I'll settle for a run-of-the-mill clue." "Actually, I have more bad news." "Is it worse than Jason Carter's apartment being torched?" "Virtually." "What is it?" "Virtually." "What?" "Virtually." "I think he's stuck." "I knew Hetty was a robot, but now him?" "No... virtually as in cyberspace." "As in somebody's been scrubbing through his electronic life." "As in they hijacked his cloud and wiped it clean an hour after he died." "As in they hijacked his cloud This is some serious voodoo." "I'm talking black bag kung fu, ninja warrior assassin level hacking." "Do you have any idea what he's saying?" "I really don't, but I think it's bad." "Either that or his motherboard was fried." "So, who do we know with this level of cyber warcraft?" "I may have a guy." "This is the security cam footage from the airport." "And I think this is the black box." "Orange." "See?" "That's why we didn't find it, because somebody stole it." "Why would someone steal a plane's flight recorder?" "Million-dollar question." "No, the million-dollar question is why is it called the black box if it's always orange?" "If somebody wanted to find out what happened to the aircraft in its last few moments." "Or if they didn't want someone to know." "Then they would get away in the confusion." "Yup." "And I believe the same vehicle entered the airport just 24 hours earlier." "See?" "Plain, inconspicuous." "They probably parked it in a hangar and then re-skinned it as an emergency vehicle." "And then all they had to do was wait for the crash to happen." "So they show up on the scene as emergency workers, and when everyone else is busy, they walk off with the flight recorder." "Which also means that they knew that the crash was going to happen." "Which proves it was sabotage." "I'm running the hangar rental and owner lists now, but still no luck facial rec-ing these guys." "Okay, what about the vehicle?" "Working on that, too." "I doubt you're gonna find it." "These guys haven't left much to chance." "Someone deliberately crashes their plane in what was described as a aborted kamikaze flight into the tower." "There could have been a struggle on board." "Hijacking and a struggle would be the most logical explanation." "But all of these guys are top-drawer." "None of them have anything in their profile or background that would even remotely suggest that they could be responsible for this." "Which is where our black-box-stealing, mystery emergency workers come in." "Could they be responsible for the sabotage?" "It's not likely." "The plane originated in Washington." "They would have had to have sabotaged it a few days before to have been waiting here." "Which would suggest accomplices." "This is starting to sound like a conspiracy nut's fantasy." "Only this might be real." " Okay, good luck." " Thank you." "How was the zoo?" "Did you get a churro?" "That's funny." "It's a good one." "Hey, you sure you want him back?" "Can I have the rest of the week to think about it?" "Ha-ha." "So, just give me the greatest hits." "He's as stubborn as he is big." "I consider both of those to be assets in an agent." "And they don't make them any tougher." "That's also why he's here." "But the trauma and damage he experienced, it's cumulative, physically and psychologically, as you well know." "If it happens too many more times, he could reach a breaking point where he can't take it anymore." "You also know what can happen then." "Thank you, Nate." "Now could you turn your attentions to Detective Deeks?" "Anything I should know?" "I don't want him back if he's not the man he was." "So, what'd Nate have to say?" "Ah, same old shrink mumbo jumbo." "Yeah. "You ever have sexual fantasies about your mom?" "You ever wear her clothes when she's not home?"" "That sort of thing?" "What?" "The hell are you talking about?" "He asked you that kind of stuff before?" "Yeah, but..." "I mean, that's normal... shrink stuff." "Are you messing with me?" "I'm not messing with you." "Don't be messing with me on my first day back, man." "Anyone hear an explosion prior to the plane crash?" "No... and no sign of any sort of explosive devices from what I can see." "This all happened from this plane hitting the ground at several hundred miles per hour." "With a crew with a flawless record." "In a plane that was just as safe." "What do you got?" "Looks like it was a digital recorder in its former life." "Well?" "I'm not sure." "I mean, it's digital, so it should be there." "It's just a matter of the damage." "What else...?" "Afghanistan... never..." "conquered by a foreign army." "The Russians learned..." "the hard..." "Absolutely not... not at war with Afghanistan." "...the country trying to weed out persistent terrorists, bastards... to Pakistan." "...semantics?" "What would it... take to put...?" "Money... money and more troops... private contractors..." "billions." "Whoa, what was that when he said "money, private contractors"?" "Can you dig it out more?" "I can try." "Same... said of... military." "Our people... properly trained." "Theirs are not." "They're a... risk that re..." "lots... cover-ups." "Sounded like he said "cover-ups."" "...risk that re..." "lots... cover-ups." "Hell... proof of what..." "considered war crimes." "That's it." "He was talking about war crimes being committed." "Without the entire recording, we can only ever guess what was actually said, but that's what it sounded like to me, too." "Well, if you had proof that Americans with war contracts committed atrocities overseas while employed by the U.S. government," "I'd say there are those who would kill to keep that buried." "You need to hear this." "Let me guess-- you're stuck in traffic." "No." "Uh, hi, Hetty." "No, I-I thought you were going to be Deeks." "No, he hasn't showed yet." "In fact, he's not answering his phone calls or e-mails." "An amateur plane spotter and his buddy sent this to the Burbank Police Department." "Yeah, they were parked here, listening in on the tower, when they picked up on this from a different radio frequency." "Lear 251 Delta Lima, this is Burbank tower." "Do you read?" "Tower said they never responded." "They thought they were responding to the tower, but they actually weren't." "Burbank tower." "Lear 251 Delta Lima." "We have you loud and clear." "Little foggy down there." "That's the pilot of Admiral Gardner's plane." "Delta Lima, we're still above minimums here, unbroken with a 300-foot ceiling." "If that's not the tower, then who the hell is it?" "Roger." "Glad to hear." "I don't know, I ran it" "Burbank tower, I may have some instrument issues." "Altimeter isn't matching my other displays." "Computer's got me at a thousand feet and altimeter is reading 750." "Altimeter setting is 2886." "We have you descending through 900 feet." "Glide slope is spot-on." "Come left to 024 degrees." "You're cleared to land." "Wilco." "024 and cleared to land." "Look out, look out, pull up, pull up!" "We're going down!" "Three seconds later they crashed." "Somebody intercepted the tower's radio system as well as that of the plane." "And were able to sabotage the jet's instrument system." "Like I said... serious voodoo." "So, an outspoken navy admiral is speaking with a journalist known for controversial stories." "And they want to keep him quiet so they kill the admiral and the writer..." "Making it look like a plane crash..." "Wiping out any evidence of what the journalist was doing." "And we have nothing but a few seconds of interview." "What if the journalist gave his girlfriend copies of his work for safekeeping?" "But he didn't." "Maybe those responsible don't know that." "More evidence is surfacing about the fiery plane crash in Burbank yesterday that killed retired Navy Vice Admiral Gardner." "Another victim has been identified as controversial journalist Jason Carter." "According to sources close to Carter, he was worried about his own safety recently because of the story he was working on, excerpts of which have been released by his girlfriend." "The following conversation between Carter and the vice admiral is believed to have been recorded just moments before the fatal crash." "Our people are properly trained." "Theirs are not." "They're a security risk that resulted in lots of cover-ups." "Hell, we've even seen proof of what would be considered war crimes." "The investigation into the crash that killed" "Vice Admiral Gardner and Jason Carter is ongoing, and this latest development suggests this story is far from over." "Will this be enough to draw them out?" "Whoever's responsible went to extremes to bury this." "I doubt they have any intentions of stopping now." "Our people are properly trained." "Theirs are not." "They're a security risk that resulted in lots of cover-ups." "Hell, we've even seen proof of what would be considered war crimes." "What else do you want to know?" "Afghanistan has never been conquered by a foreign army." "The Russians learned that the hard way." "What are we waiting for?" "Let's go." "Showtime." "You put a surveillance camera inside a garden gnome?" "Yeah, we call it the Hetty-cam." "Hey now, these guys are real pros." "Wouldn't you say so, Hetty?" "I could say many things, many, many." "Look, they're picking the lock." "Absolutely not the same situation." "We're not at war with Afghanistan." "We're in the country trying to weed out persistent terrorists, bastards who migrated to Pakistan." "Isn't that just semantics?" "What would it really take to put an end to...?" "Money." "It'd take more money and more troops, but we're inundated with private contractors who waste billions." "They call Washington corrupt;" "these bastards take the cake." "So now you're talking about multinational corporations." "I've had my flu shot." "What the...?" "Kitty Corner?" "I only read it for the articles." "Federal agent." "Don't even think about it." "What'd I just say?" "You're still thinking about it." ""What if I distract him with the magazine, dive for cover, draw, and fire?"" "That might work, but they'd fill you full of holes." "Good call." "Wish you were out there?" "No such thing as a bad day in the water." "I came." "Even had my hand on the door." "I don't know what happened," "I just couldn't come in." "Pretty sure you'd feel better if we talked." "Pretty sure I wouldn't." "Look... even though I'm here at Hetty's request, and... well, I've got my own opinions, the only one who matters in all this is you." "I have no agenda beyond making sure you're in the best place you can be right now." "And how can you possibly know what that place is when I don't even know?" "Perspective?" "Seldom do we know what we need for ourselves." "What I need... is sleep." "Why do you think you can't sleep?" "Because every time I close my eyes, my mind just keeps running." "With what?" "All sorts of stuff, man." "The abduction?" "Yes, the abduction." "Torture?" "The abduction... torture, when I was shot... falling off my bike when I was eight years old, stepping on a bee, nursery rhymes, grocery lists, infomercials." "It's like someone took all my memories and just put 'em into a blender." "You went through a traumatic experience." "Yeah, but this is not my first traumatic experience." "No, but maybe something about this one had more impact." "Your brain could be trying to make sense of what happened by comparing it to past experiences, but you got nothing that comes close, so it's working a little harder to resolve it." "Okay, so how long's this supposed to last?" "I don't think I have a definitive answer for that, but the more you talk about it out here, the less you're gonna have to work on it in here." "So, what, in the meantime," "I just walk around with the mind of a schizophrenic?" "I don't think you have to worry about being a..." "You know, it's funny, 'cause I already get the Shaggy jokes and how I'm halfway to homeless." "You know, what's crazy is that I see these guys and I hear them talking to themselves and it's scaring the hell out of me because if I were to say what's going on in my mind," "it wouldn't be that different." "Well, that's the real difference." "You're worried about it." "I'd be more concerned if you weren't." "So I'm not crazy?" "Not yet." "If you don't start getting some sleep, you're gonna start to act and feel like it." "What about Kensi?" "What about her?" "You two obviously have something special." "Who told you that?" "You're partners." "That's a special relationship." "Look at Callen and Sam." "Right, of course." "What is it about your partnership that's... unique?" "What do you mean?" "What do you mean, "unique"?" "Different from Callen and Sam or the others." "What's the one ingredient you'd say makes your partnership distinct from the rest?" "I don't know." "Well... once you can answer that truthfully to yourself, everything else will become much clearer." "They're not talking." "Lawyered up before we could zip-tie 'em." "Both are former Special Forces." "Both work for D7-- it's a private company with a couple of billion in government contracts supplying support services in hot spots around the world." "Yeah, we've already called in for a search warrant." "The evidence we'd need will be long gone by then, if it isn't already." "We have to work with what we have." "Well, the guys in the boatshed are small fish." "They're well-trained, they're well-funded, but they didn't order this." "That was somebody higher up." "Somebody who has access to technology that allows them to intercept air traffic control and sabotage a private jet's in-flight computer." "Yeah, Hetty, this is a lot bigger than we initially thought." "I mean, we're talking war crimes by private contractors." "We'll get them, but today you caught two small fish, and sometimes small fish are the most perfect bait for big fish." "This is far from over." "You did well today." "Eric even managed to keep his pants on." "You can drop them off at wardrobe." "I can go back to wearing shorts?" "For a while." "It's a process." "Uh-huh." "Hmm." "I want a job where it's an accomplishment to leave my pants on." "Hmm." "I have sensitive thighs." "Oh..." "He has sensitive thighs." " Yeah." " Hey, come on, guys." "Guys, it's not funny-- it's like restless legs syndrome times a zillion." "Good luck with that." "I'm dead." "I'm the one who cut them." "I couldn't bear to see you suffer." "What are we gonna do?" "Looks like we're going shopping, Beale." "So... what's the good word on our Mr. Deeks?" "He's hurting." "Can he return to work?" "Yes." "Whether he will or not is a question for him." "He's not sleeping." "He can't work through this if he doesn't get some rest." "And his partner?" "It's a complicated relationship." "Aren't they all?" "You asked me if he could come back to work." "And now I'm asking you about his relationship with Kensi." "Are you playing semantics with me?" "He's very close..." "to his partner." "Too close to return?" "I'm co" " I'm co." "Oh." "Hi." "Hey." "I've been calling." "Yeah, I think I must have had my phone off." "Guess what reopened." "Is that Yummy Yummy Heart Attack?" "Yep, three Fs from the health department and still going strong." "Yeah, if "F" stood for "fabulous."" "Did you get the, uh, Drunken Pigs?" "With extra kimchi-- you're welcome." "I think I just felt a shiver." "Want me to, uh, grab something to drink?" "Oh, no, no, no, no, I have got you covered, my friend." "Wow, one day you are going to make somebody the perfect personal assistant." "Got a fork?" "I got a spork." "Yeah, yeah, you do." "All right." "Oh, I have been waiting for this-- the smell in the car..." "Oh, are you kidding me?" "I forgot how good this was." "This is so good." "You think it's bad for us?" "Hmm, ah, you only live once, ha." "Yeah, probably a lot shorter when you eat like this." "You got napkins?" "Uh-huh." "Is that dessert?" "Uh, no, it's nothing." "You got me a Cronut?" "Um, I did, but that was a while ago, and I left it at your doorstep, so that's old, don't eat it." "N-N-N-No, d-don't throw it away." "It's the thought that counts-- I'm gonna frame this thing." "You're so weird." "I mean, look at that." "It's like America and France made slow, sweet love and then had a pastry baby." "Sure you don't want a bite?" "No, seriously it's been out there for a while." "I'll probably still eat that." "Okay." "So, Burnt Offerings is on at 11:00." "It's the bottom of the eighth..." "I don't really know if I'm up for a movie." "Oh, yes, you are because I cannot watch this alone." "It is rated triple-B." "What's that?" "Blood, breasts, and beasts." "What was the last one?" "Beasts." "Well, you know how I like big beasts." "Either way, you're watching it with me." "I thought you loved horror movies." "I do, just not by myself." "Watch it with me." "Watch it with me?" "Watch it with me." "You won me over with the pastry, baby." "Awesome, okay." "Want to use my cat pillow?" "It's pink, very masculine." "So..." "Oliver Reed and Karen Black move into this mansion with their son and their elderly aunt, played by Bette Davis, who I absolutely love, and then Burgess Meredith, who played Mickey in the Rocky films-- it was so sad when he dies," "oh, my God, it's the best scene ever-- um, and his sister play the caretakers of this mansion, and then their mother-- she's like an elderly recluse in the attic, and then flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz show up" "with guns, and there's a big shoot-out." "Mm, those monkeys are scary." "What happens next?" "It's a love story." "What?" "== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man"

Recently, Zhang proposed a reversible data hiding scheme for encrypted image with a low computational complexity which is made up of image encryption, data embedding and data-extraction/image-recovery phases. During the last phase, the embedded data are extracted according to a determined smoothness measuring function on each nonoverlapping block. However, not all pixels in a block are considered in his approach. This may cause higher error rate when extracting embedded data. In this paper, we propose a novel smoothness evaluating scheme to overcome the problem. Based on the Zhang's approach, we divide the pixels in each block into three different portions: four corners, four edges, and the rest of pixels. The smoothness of a whole block is determined by summing the smoothness of three portions and is utilized to extract embedded data and recovery image. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can reduce the error rate of data-extraction/image-recovery effectively. For a given normal testing image, such as Lena, supposing that the size of each block is 8 by 8, the error rate of our approach is less than 0.6% and Zhang's method is higher than 12%. Moreover, the error rate will be zero when the size of each block is defined as 12 by 12.

The invention relates to an arrangement for the exclusive connection of a selectable specimen from a plurality of loads, each of which can be switched on via an individual activation switch between the poles of a voltage source. Arrangements of this type are required if there is a need to prevent various electrical loads being set in operation at the same time, whether it is unintentional or deliberate. In many cases, switching on of more than one load simultaneously can lead to undesirable results, for instance when, a common current supply source is overloaded, or if loads which are switched on simultaneously interfere with one another in their operation or effect. Devices for example, which serve for the spatial adjustment of objects of various sizes, frequently contain a corresponding plurality of electrical drives, the simultaneous activation of which could not be dealt with by the adjustment mechanism or which would make control more difficult for the user or which would overload the current supply source beyond the desired amount. This can arise in motor vehicles, for instance in the devices for adjusting the seat or the steering column. Various devices are known for the mutual interlocking of any number of switch devices such that only one of the switch devices can be switched on, see for instance, known devices described in DE-PS 1 040 111, DE-AS 20 08 460 and 20 57 296 and also DE 30 26 619 C2. In the devices described there, the switch devices are respectively electromechanical relays, each of which contain further contacts besides the main contact forming the actual circuit break, for instance for the lock of the relay and/or for closing and opening of additional auxiliary circuit breaks which interrupt, upon actuation of the relay, the exciting currents of the respective other relays. In a known device described in DE-AS 1 640 995, the simultaneous activation of several relays is prevented by a resistor which is switched on before a common exciting current-supply transmission line to the relays. A large drop in voltage occurs across the resistor, upon simultaneous actuation of two or more switches, such that the residual voltage remaining between the transmission lines no longer suffices to allow a relay coil to respond. This embodiment may function without additional relay contacts, but it is sensitive to fluctuations in the supply voltage and requires very exact designing of the electrical components. A further disadvantage in the above-mentioned known arrangements is that actuation of the switch devices is only possible via contact switches.

The incorporation of [3H]fucose into the novel fucosides glucosyl-fucosyl-threonine(FL4a) and fucosyl-threonine(FL3a) has been utilized in this laboratory and by others to predict the tumorigenic and metastatic potential of transformed rat fibroblasts and transformed mouse epithelial cells. During the past year, we have continued our studies of the chemical and metabolic characterization of the parent glycoproteins of FL4a and FL3a. Approximately 90% of the putatively identified parent proteins of FL4a were in the membrane fraction, and a substantial proportion were released into the medium as a function of growth time. For example, after 96 hrs of labeling there were 6-fold more of these components in the growth medium than were cell-associated. Moreover, the incorporation of labeled fucose into the parent glycoproteins appeared to be cell population density-dependent. When the distribution of these compounds was compared in normal versus cancer cells, it was found that a higher proportion of the proteins with O-linked fucose were shed into the medium of the cancer cells. The enhanced shedding could explain the basis for the reduced level of FL4a in cancer cells, since the metabolic labeling experiments did not indicate a marked difference in the metabolism of either the parent protein or in FL4a or FL3a. Despite the apparent wide distribution of these novel fucose substituents in cellular proteins, it seems reasonable to suggest that they have not been routinely observed largely because each represents less than 0.5% of the fucose bound to protein. (A)

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Vaginal ring devices are being developed to provide sustained release of HIV microbicides. To date, only limited pharmacokinetic data is available from animal or human studies. Here we are determining the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmakodynamics (PD) or microbicide candidates CMPD167 and maraviroc in vaginal fluids and plasma after delivery in various formulations including saline, hydroxyethylcellulose gel, silicone elastomer gel, and solid vaginal ring formulations. We have found that gels deliver a very high and rapid dose to the vagina, which is partly absorbed in the systemic circulation (plasma). The delivery by gels is also more sustained compared to PBS, but inferior to ring formulations after a few hours. Rings deliver a semi-constant rate of microbicide delivery over time (28 days is what we have tested to date) and we have now switched to vaginal rings for most of our microbicide testing. Currently we have a series of ongoing studies testing the ability of microbicides formulated in rings (CMPD167 and maraviroc) to prevent SHIV vaginal transmission in challenge experiments.

The art of printing images with micro-fluid technology is relatively well known. A permanent or semi-permanent ejection head has access to a local or remote supply of fluid. The fluid ejects from an ejection zone to a print media in a pattern of pixels corresponding to images being printed. Over time, the fluid drops ejected from heads have become increasingly smaller to increase print resolution. Multiple ejection chips joined together are also known to make lengthy arrays, such as in page-wide printheads. In lengthy arrays, fluid ejections near boundaries of adjacent chips have been known to cause problems of image “stitching.” Registration needs to occur between fluid drops from adjacent firing elements, but getting them stitched together is difficult especially when the firing elements reside on different substrates. Also, stitching challenges increase as arrays grow into page-wide dimensions, or larger, since print quality improves as the print zone narrows in width. Some prior art designs with narrow print zones have introduced firing elements for colors shifted laterally by one fluid via to align lengthwise with a different color near terminal ends of their respective chips. This, however, complicates chip fabrication. In other designs, complex chip shapes have been observed. This too complicates fabrication. In still other designs, narrow print zones have tended to favor narrow ejection chips. Between colors, however, narrow chips leave little room to effectively seal off colors from adjacent colors. Narrow chips also have poor mechanical strength, which can cause elevated failure rates during subsequent assembly processes. They also leave limited space for distribution of power, signal and other routing of lines. Accordingly, a need exists to significantly improve conventional ejection chip designs for larger stitched arrays. The need extends not only to improving stitching, but to manufacturing. Additional benefits and alternatives are also sought when devising solutions.

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: factor structure and relationship to productivity and supervision needs following severe traumatic brain injury. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) has been demonstrated to have a relatively stable factor structure in traumatic brain injury (TBI) samples. What is less clear is whether the scores derived from WCST factors are related to functional outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to replicate the WCST factor structure in a sample with severe TBI, and to evaluate the relationship between the factor scores and outcome. Retrospective correlational study. Participants (n=143) who had suffered severe TBI were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests including the WCST within one month of admission to a brain injury rehabilitation program. In addition, participants were administered supervision (Supervision Rating Scale; SRS) and productivity measures (Community Integration Questionnaire- Productivity subscale; CIQ-P) at admission and following discharge. None. For individuals who were more than one year post injury, more failure to maintain set errors were associated with better occupational outcomes, while more nonperseverative errors were associated with increased supervision needs. The WCST factor scales are related to functional outcomes in severe TBI. Specifically, the inability to establish a series of correct responses is associated with poorer outcome.

I'm Natasha Artemeva, graduate supervisor at the School of Linguistics and Language Studies. In both our graduate programs, Master's and PhD, we offer two fields of study: applied linguistics and discourse studies. This makes our program unique in North America because, in other universities, these fields of study often are or heard in different departments and in different faculties. We take a broad view of language in use from teaching and learning to analyzing written texts to analyzing oral texts. This allows us to combine both fields of study - the areas usually covered by Applied Linguistics and the areas usually covered by Discourse Studies. Our students have an opportunity to pursue one of the few or mix and match courses to pursue their own career goals. Come to our program and you will experience its uniqueness. Hi I'm Nina Doré. I'm a PhD candidate in the program. My background is actually in fine art. I came to the MA program with a very different background and big curiosity about language learning and language teaching. I completed the MA and I continued onto the PhD here as well because it's fantastic to be surrounded by people who who have a great interest in solving real-world problems. And I've been able to focus my studies on ASL teaching and learning American Sign Language - in part because the program the School of Linguistics and Language Studies offers fantastic language programs which I've been able to take. My name is Jenna klostermann and I'm a MA student in the discourse studies stream of the Department. I started into the program with a lot of ideas and speculation about language in power. I was happy to develop a toolkit and a theorized way of looking at language in use at particular interactions in particular contexts. While I've been focusing on the work that Canadian visual artists do, I've been happy to be in conversation with other classmates and colleagues who are looking at different issues. I hope you join us in the department

The meaning of 'rural' in rural health: a review and case study from Brazil. Health disparities between rural and urban populations are an important global health concern, although ascertaining what constitutes a rural context is a complicated undertaking. This article summarises theoretical contributions that help to explain how uncritical use of rural classifications may interfere with epidemiological data and health policies. Bonfim, a community located in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, illustrates the discussion. Bonfim is classified as urban by the Brazilian census, although the community contains farmland, parkland and rural social groups such as family farmers and ecotourism employees. The (mis)classification of Bonfim as urban further complicates the meaning of rural, and thus also what is meant by rural health. Researchers have developed some new rurality indexes to overcome the rural-urban dichotomy and to help understand local scale health determinants. But the obstacles for large-scale studies and government decision-making are still many. 'Rural' is an epidemiological variable that unites in a single indicator diverse life aspects relevant for health purposes. Therefore, to facilitate allocation of health resources based on objective criteria, governments and policy makers must acknowledge the difficulty of defining what rural is and work to improve the definitions they use.

Comparative evaluation of two MMPI short forms with chemical abusing inpatients. Studied several novel analyses of the correspondence between two popular MMPI short forms and the full MMPI, including multivariate profile analyses and analyses of change scores. Pre- and posttreatment MMPIs were collected from 100 veterans in a treatment program for alcohol and drug problems. Scores for the Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI and the MMPI-168 were extracted from full MMPI protocols. Each short form was compared separately with the full form in several individual-case-oriented and group-data-oriented analyses. Significant differences between full and both short form profiles were found. It was concluded that neither short form is recommended for individual case descriptions, that significant problems arise in using these short forms for group descriptive or comparative research, and that these short forms show moderately acceptable correspondence with full MMPIs over time. It appears that short MMPIs continue to show serious deficits in reliability, i.e., in correspondence with full MMPIs, in spite of recent attempts to demonstrate validity somewhat independent of the full MMPI.

Download AudioSenator Pete Kelly, a Fairbanks Republican, previewed a bill he is planning to introduce this week to reform the current Medicaid system. He said the bill won’t include a provision to expand Medicaid, he said during a press conference this morning. A group of Anchorage religious leaders and lay people are in Juneau to try to convince him and other skeptical lawmakers to change their minds on the issue.Senator Kelly said his Medicaid reform bill will feature Health Savings Accounts. A portion of the permanent fund dividends of Medicaid recipients would go into the accounts to pay for costs that are considered unreasonable:“If you got to an emergency room when you shouldn’t have, then that comes out of that Health Savings Account [and] if you self-refer to a specialist; if you use brand name drugs instead of a generic when they’re available, those kinds of abuses,” he said.The bill will also include a provision for managed care, a system for controlling health costs by managing how patients use health care services, he said. Full details won’t be available until the bill is formally introduced later this week.One thing Kelly’s bill won’t include is Medicaid expansion. He said that may come as a surprise to the Walker Administration. Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson did not respond to requests for an interview. Her department issued a short statement saying they will comment on the bill after they have a chance to review it.Kelly said he thinks reform should happen before expansion. “It’s a broken system,” he said. “I think everyone agrees that Medicaid is broken. I think it’s been broken for 30 years. And now to expand it and put more money into it, to bring more people into it, that’s certainly not going to help its brokenness.”Kelly will likely encounter a large group of Anchorage residents in Juneau early this week who will try to change his mind. They are from Anchorage Faith and Action Congregations Together- or AFACT, a federation that represents 15 congregations and 10,000 congregants.Reverend Julia Seymour expects their diverse group of 14 representatives to stand out at the capital. She says their message is pretty simple:“We’re about honesty,” she said. “And the reality is that Medicaid expansion is an honest need for Alaskans, and religious and faithful people support that.”Reverend Seymour says Medicaid expansion has been a priority for AFACT for at least three years. In 2013, the group started publishing a small booklet explaining the complicated issue to congregants. AFACT decided to send representatives to Juneau this session, because it’s the first time the legislature has seriously considered the issue. Reverend Seymour is a pastor at Lutheran Church of Hope in Anchorage.Reverend Seymour said they will meet with as many lawmakers as possible on both sides of the aisle. “We’re hoping that we will come back from Juneau smarter about this issue,” she said. “With more knowledge about what’s going on with Juneau with the concerns of both the majority and minority caucuses and with a clear understanding of what needs to be done… to get Medicaid expansion in Alaska.”For Reverend Seymour, approving Medicaid expansion is the moral and ethical decision to make for the state’s future:“It’s about the health of Alaskans,” she said. “Healthy Alaskans are productive Alaskans. Productive Alaskans enjoy the gifts of creation and we have excellent gifts of creation in this state.”At the press conference, Senator Kelly said he didn’t think Medicaid expansion is a moral imperative. But he didn’t shut the door completely on the issue either. Kelly said this draft of the bill doesn’t include expansion, but talks on whether it – or another bill- should include it will continue for the rest of the session.“I’m one person with one bill, so I think expansion and reform are discussions that are going on with 60 people in this building, 61 including the governor. My bill just doesn’t have expansion in it.”Kelly’s Medicaid reform bill is tentatively scheduled to have its first hearing Friday. Reverend Seymour said when their members return to Anchorage they will regroup to consider their next steps and also pray for lawmakers to do their work.This story is part of a reporting partnership between APRN, NPR and Kaiser Health News.read more

Activated carbon adsorption of PAHs from vegetable oil used in soil remediation. Vegetable oil has been proven to be advantageous as a non-toxic, cost-effective and biodegradable solvent to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soils for remediation purposes. The resulting vegetable oil contained PAHs and therefore required a method for subsequent removal of extracted PAHs and reuse of the oil in remediation processes. In this paper, activated carbon adsorption of PAHs from vegetable oil used in soil remediation was assessed to ascertain PAH contaminated oil regeneration. Vegetable oils, originating from lab scale remediation, with different PAH concentrations were examined to study the adsorption of PAHs on activated carbon. Batch adsorption tests were performed by shaking oil-activated carbon mixtures in flasks. Equilibrium data were fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich isothermal models. Studies were also carried out using columns packed with activated carbon. In addition, the effects of initial PAH concentration and activated carbon dosage on sorption capacities were investigated. Results clearly revealed the effectiveness of using activated carbon as an adsorbent to remove PAHs from the vegetable oil. Adsorption equilibrium of PAHs on activated carbon from the vegetable oil was successfully evaluated by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The initial PAH concentrations and carbon dosage affected adsorption significantly. The results indicate that the reuse of vegetable oil was feasible.

Regional differences in striatal dopamine uptake and release associated with recovery from MPTP-induced parkinsonism: an in vivo electrochemical study. This study directly assessed striatal dopamine (DA) uptake rates and peak release in response to KCl in normal, symptomatic, and recovered 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated cats using in vivo electrochemistry. DA uptake rates measured after direct application of known concentrations of DA to the striatum were slowed significantly in both dorsal and ventral striatum in symptomatic cats compared with rates recorded in normal animals. DA uptake rates remained significantly slowed in recovered cats and were not significantly different from the rates recorded in symptomatic animals. In symptomatic cats, both DA uptake rates and the signal recorded in response to KCl stimulation were significantly decreased from normal in all dorsal and ventral striatal regions sampled. Reduction/oxidation (redox) ratios recorded in response to KCl stimulation suggested DA to be the predominant electroactive species. In spontaneously recovered MPTP-treated cats, recordings in the ventral striatum subsequent to KCl stimulation again suggested DA to be the predominant electroactive species released, and peak levels were significantly higher than those recorded in symptomatic animals. In the dorsal striatum of recovered cats, redox ratios recorded subsequent to KCl stimulation suggested serotonin rather than DA to be the predominant electroactive species released. Peak levels of release in the dorsal striatum were not significantly greater than those recorded in symptomatic animals. These results suggest that in spontaneously recovered MPTP-treated cats, there is partial recovery of ventral striatal DAergic terminals, persistent loss of dorsal striatal DAergic terminals, and a down-regulation of DA transporter number/function throughout the striatum. These processes may contribute to volume transmission of DA in the striatum and promote functional recovery.

Spectral analysis of field potential recordings by deep brain stimulation electrode for localization of subthalamic nucleus in patients with Parkinson's disease. Spectral analysis of local field potential (LFP) recorded by deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrode around the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in patients with Parkinson's disease was performed. The borders of the STN were determined by microelectrode recording. The most eligible trajectory for the sensorimotor area of the STN was used for LFP recording while advancing the DBS electrode. The low-frequency LFP power (theta- to beta-band) increased from a few millimeters above the dorsal border of the STN defined by microelectrode recording; however, the low-frequency power kept the same level beyond the ventral border of the STN. Only high beta-power showed close correlation to the dorsal and ventral borders of the STN. A spectral power analysis of LFP recording by DBS electrode helps with the final confirmation of the dorsal and ventral borders of the STN of Parkinson's disease in DBS implantation surgery.

The present invention generally relates to data processing. The invention relates more specifically to speech recognition systems. Speech recognition systems are specialized computer systems that are configured to process and recognize spoken human speech, and take action or carry out further processing according to the speech that is recognized. Such systems are now widely used in a variety of applications including airline reservations, auto attendants, order entry, etc. Generally the systems comprise either computer hardware or computer software, or a combination. Speech recognition systems typically operate by receiving an acoustic signal, which is an electronic signal or set of data that represents the acoustic energy received at a transducer from a spoken utterance. The systems then try to find a sequence of text characters (xe2x80x9cword stringxe2x80x9d) which maximizes the following probability: P(A|W)*P(W) where A means the acoustic signal and W means a given word string. The P(A|W) component is called the acoustic model and P(W) is called the language model. A speech recognizer may be improved by changing the acoustic model or the language model, or by changing both. The language may be word-based or may have a xe2x80x9csemantic model,xe2x80x9d which is a particular way to derive P(W). Typically, language models are trained by obtaining a large number of utterances from the particular application under development, and providing these utterances to a language model training program which produces a word-based language model that can estimate P(W) for any given word string. Examples of these include bigram models, trigram language models, or more generally, n-gram language models. In a sequence of words in an utterance, W0xe2x88x92Wm, an n-gram language model estimates the probability that the utterance is word j given the previous nxe2x88x921 words. Thus, in a trigram, P(Wj|utterance) is estimated by P(Wj|Wjxe2x88x921, Wjxe2x88x922). The n-gram type of language model may be viewed as relatively static with respect to the application environment. For example, static n-gram language models cannot change their behavior based upon the particular application in which the speech recognizer is being used or external factual information about the application. Thus, in this field there is an acute need for an improved speech recognizer that can adapt to the particular application in which it is used. An n-gram language model, and other word-based language models work well in applications that have a large amount of training utterances and the language model does not change over time. Thus, for applications in which large amounts of training data are not available, or where the underlying language model does change over time, there is a need for an improved speech recognizer that can produce more accurate results by taking into account application-specific information. Other needs and objects will become apparent from the following detailed description. The foregoing needs, and other needs and objects that will become apparent from the following description, are achieved by the present invention, which comprises, in one aspect, a method of dynamically modifying one or more probability values associated with word strings recognized by a speech recognizer based on semantic values represented by keyword-value pairs derived from the word strings, comprising the steps of creating and storing one or more rules that define a change in one or more of the probability values when a semantic value matches a pre-determined semantic tag, in which the rules are based on one or more external conditions about the context in which the speech recognizer is used; determining whether one of the conditions currently is true, and if so, modifying one or more of the probability values that match the tag that is associated with the condition that is true. According to one feature, the speech recognizer delivers the word strings to an application program. The determining step involves determining, in the application program, whether one of the conditions currently is true, and if so, instructing the speech recognizer to modify one or more of the probability values of a word string associated with a semantic value that matches the tag that is associated with the condition that is true. Another feature involves representing the semantic values as one or more keyword-value pairs that are associated with the word strings recognized by the speech recognizer; delivering the keyword-value pairs to an application program; and determining, in the application program, whether one of the conditions currently is true, and if so, instructing the speech recognizer to modify the probability value of the word strings that are associated with the keyword-value pairs that match the tag that is associated with the condition that is true. Yet another feature involves delivering the words and semantic values to an application program that is logically coupled to the speech recognizer; creating and storing, in association with the speech recognizer, a function callable by the application program that can modify one or more of the probability values of the word strings associated with semantic values that match the tag that is associated with the condition that is true; determining, in the application program, whether one of the conditions currently is true, and if so, calling the function with parameter values that identify how to modify one or more of the semantic values. A related feature involves re-ordering the word strings after modifying one or more of the probability values. Another feature is modifying the probability values by multiplying one or more of the probability values by a scaling factor that is associated with the condition that is true. In another feature, the method involves delivering one or more word-value pairs that include the semantic values to an application program that is logically coupled to the speech recognizer. A function is created and stored, in association with the speech recognizer, which can modify one or more of the probability values of word strings associated with words of word-value pairs that match the tag word that is associated with the condition that is true. It is determined, in the application program, whether one of the conditions currently is true, and if so, calling the function with parameter values that identify how to modify a probability value of a word string associated with the semantic values, including a scaling factor that is associated with the condition that is true. The function may modify a probability value by multiplying the probability value by the scaling factor. The invention also encompasses a computer-readable medium and apparatus that may be configured to carry out the foregoing steps.

Does distance matter? Increased induction rates for rural women who have to travel for intrapartum care. Although there has been a devolution of local rural maternity services across Canada in the past 10 years in favour of regional centralization, little is known about the health outcomes of women who must travel for care. The objective of this study was to compare intervention rates and outcomes between women who live adjacent to maternity service with specialist (surgical) services and women who have to travel for this care. The BC Perinatal Database Registry provided data for maternal and newborn outcomes by delivery hospital for 14 referral hospitals (selected across a range of 250-2500 annual deliveries) between 2000 and 2004. Three hospitals were selected for sub-analysis on the basis of almost complete capture of the satellite community population (greater than 90%) to avoid referral bias. Women from outside the hospital local health area (LHA) had an increased rate of induction of labour compared with women who lived within the hospital LHA. Sub-analysis by parity demonstrated that multiparous women had increased rates of induction for logistical reasons. Rural parturient women who have to travel for care are 1.3 times more likely to undergo induction of labour than women who do not have to travel. Further research is required to determine why this is the case. If it is a strategy to mitigate stress incurred due to separation from home and community, either a clinical protocol to support geographic inductions or an alternative strategy to mitigate stress is needed.

Risk factors for late extubation after coronary artery bypass grafting. To evaluate the independent risk factors for late extubation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative characteristics of patients undergoing isolated CABG between June 2005 and June 2008 at the Tongji Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Elapsed time between CABG and extubation of more than 8hours was defined as late extubation. The incidence of late extubation after CABG was 69.23% (288/416). Through univariate and logistic regression analysis, the independent risk factors for late extubation after CABG were older age (odds ratio [OR]=4.804), duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (OR=2.426), perioperative use of intra-aortic balloon pump (OR=1.451), preoperative arterial oxygen partial pressure (OR=.204), and postoperative hemoglobin level (OR=.793). Older age, prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, perioperative intra-aortic balloon pump requirement, low preoperative arterial oxygen partial pressure, and low postoperative hemoglobin level were identified as the 5 independent risk factors for late extubation after CABG.

[Morbidity and malnutrition risk factors in children followed up by a child health care program]. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with malnutrition and morbidity in the population of children accompanied by the Child Health Care Program in Embu, São Paulo (Brazil), with the aim of giving a better direction to health activities. The case-study was constituted by a cross-section of 1,024 children, corresponding to 25.0% (probabilistic sistematic sample) of the total of children under 12 months registered in six primary health care centers in the Municipality, during the period from July 1988 to July 1989. The risk factors were analyzed according to the presence or absence of hospitalization and weight evolution - favorable or unfavorable - until two years of age. For the statistical analysis the multivaried approach was used, through the tecnique of logistic regression. Of a total of 1,024 children, 428 (39.1%) were classified as high risk, 658 (60.1%) as low risk and 8 (0.8%) presented pathologies at their first appointment, being excluded from the analysis. Prematurity (adjusted RR = 3.35), serious illness in the newborn (adjusted RR = 4.12) and the death of a younger brother or sister of less than five years (adjusted RR = 2.70) constituted risk factors for hospitalization in the first two years of life. Weight at birth between 2,500 and 2,750 g (adjusted RR = 2.46), brother or sister with malnutrition (adjusted RR = 4.17) and maternal age of 18 years old or less (adjusted RR = 1.87) constituted risk factors for unfavourable weight evolution. These results, as well as the process of carrying out this study, supported the reformulation of the Child Health Care Program in Embu, permitting differentiated action for the highest risk group, thus garanteeing the essential for all.

As air travel has increased over the past decades, airport facilities have become more crowded and congested. Minimizing the time between the arrival of an aircraft and its departure to maintain an airline's flight schedule, and also to make a gate or parking location available without delay to an incoming aircraft, has become a high priority in the management of airport ground operations. The safe and efficient ground movement of a large number of aircraft simultaneously into and out of ramp and gate areas has become increasingly important. As airline fuel costs and safety concerns and regulations have increased, the airline industry is beginning to acknowledge that continuing to use an aircraft's main engines to move aircraft during ground operations is no longer the best option. The delays, costs, and other challenges to timely and efficient aircraft pushback from airport terminals associated with the use of tugs and tow vehicles makes this type of aircraft ground movement an unattractive alternative to the use of an aircraft's main engines to move an aircraft on the ground. Restricted use of an aircraft's engines on low power during arrival at or departure from a gate is an additional, although problematic, option. Not only does such engine use consume fuel, it is also burns fuel inefficiently and produces engine exhaust that contains microparticles and other products of incomplete combustion. Operating aircraft engines, moreover, are noisy, and the associated safety hazards of jet blast and engine ingestion in congested gate and ramp areas are significant concerns that cannot be overlooked. The use of a drive means, such as a motor structure, integrally mounted with a wheel to rotate the wheel of an aircraft has been proposed. Such a structure should ideally operate to replace use of an aircraft's main engines or an external tow vehicle to move an aircraft independently and efficiently on the ground during taxi. U.S. Pat. No. 2,430,163 to Dever; U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,631 to Jenny; U.S. Pat. No. 7,226,018 to Sullivan; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,445,178 to McCoskey et al, for example, describe various drive means concepts and motors intended to drive aircraft during ground operations. None of the foregoing patents, however, suggests a drive mechanism selectively activated by a clutch to transfer torque and actuate a drive system that actuates a drive means only as required during taxi to move an aircraft independently and efficiently on the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,858 to Edelson; U.S. Pat. No. 7,891,609 to Cox; U.S. Pat. No. 7,975,960 to Cox; U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,463 to Cox et al; and British Patent No. 2457144, owned in common with the present invention, describe aircraft drive systems that use electric drive motors to power aircraft wheels and move an aircraft on the ground without reliance on aircraft main engines or external vehicles. While the drive means described in these patents and applications can effectively move an aircraft autonomously during ground operations, it is not suggested that the drive means could be driven or actuated by selective clutch activation of a drive system to selectively transfer torque to actuate an electric motor or any other drive means. None of the foregoing art, moreover, recognizes the significant improvements in drive means operating efficiency possible when gearing systems are replaced by clutch-controlled selective activation of a roller traction or other drive system to transfer torque and actuate drive means that move aircraft autonomously during ground operations. The drive means currently proposed to drive aircraft on the ground typically rely on gearing systems that operate with the drive means to drive an aircraft wheel and, thus, the aircraft. Traction drives, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,838 to Anderson, available from Nastec, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, which relies on ball bearings, can be used to replace gears in some contexts. Adapting roller or traction drive systems to replace gearing and/or gear systems in an aircraft drive wheel to actuate drive means that independently drive an aircraft drive wheel has not been suggested, nor has the use of a selectively activatable clutch assembly to selectively transfer torque to activate such roller traction drive or other drive systems been mentioned. Many types of vehicle clutch assemblies are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,075,623 to Lund; U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,767 to Soderquist; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,329 to Cali et al, for example, describe clutch assemblies incorporating sprag or pawl elements that may transmit torque between races or rotatable elements depending, in part, on their relative directions of rotation. One way vehicle clutches designed to lock in one direction and allow free rotation in the opposite direction are also available, as are improved selectable one way clutch designs, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,044 to Burgman et al; U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,371 to Joki; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,042,670 to Bartos et al. Various other selectable clutch designs that provide controllable overrunning and coupling functions in automotive automatic transmissions, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,079,453 to Kimes and in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US2010/0252384 to Eisengruber; US2011/0233026 to Pawley; and US2013/0277164 to Prout et al. It is not suggested that any of the foregoing clutch designs may be adapted to activate a roller traction or other drive system to selectively and automatically transfer torque to actuate drive means as required during operation of a drive system to drive an aircraft landing gear wheel to move the aircraft during taxi. Neither the foregoing clutch designs nor other commonly available clutch designs, moreover, are sufficiently robust to function effectively and reliably in an aircraft drive wheel drive system to engage a drive system to transfer torque as required to actuate a drive means and drive an aircraft autonomously during ground operations. Moreover, these systems do not provide the kind of failsafe capability that ensures that the clutch will never be engageable during flight, landing, takeoff, or during any other aircraft operating condition when operation of the drive wheel drive system would be unsafe. A need exists, therefore, for a clutch assembly with the advantages of a selectable one-way clutch that is specifically designed as an integral component of an aircraft drive wheel drive system to automatically and selectively engage an aircraft drive wheel drive system and selectively transfer torque to actuate a highly efficient drive system-actuated non-engine drive means to drive an aircraft drive wheel and move the aircraft autonomously on the ground that also provides a failsafe capability ensuring that the clutch assembly will never be engageable to activate the drive system when aircraft operating conditions indicate that drive system operation is unsafe.

1. Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for automatically teaching a reference position which is the position of a disc-like object in a reference co-ordinate system including the position of the handling device which is required to be carried out at treating the disc-like object such as a semiconductor wafer and a device thereof; relates to an automatic positioning method using the method of determining a center position in the teaching and a device thereof; relates to a carrying method for automatically correcting a carrying route utilizing the positioning and a device thereof, and further, relates to also an automatic semiconductor manufacturing equipment utilizing those devices. 2. Related Art As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in general, a semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 carries wafers by a carrying robot 4 from cassettes 6 in which semiconductor wafers and the like are stored on shelves to load lock chambers 8 which are the carrying ports of various kinds of treatment chambers 7, or from the load lock chambers 8 to the treatment chambers 7, or has a carrying device 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the carrying robot 4 is equipped with a carrying arm 12 which has a holding portion 14 which mounts or fixes wafers and the like and can move by extension and contraction, rotation and ascent and descent, and the motions of respective axes of the carrying robot 4 are controlled by a control portion 11. The control portion 11 memorizes the procedure and route of carrying and the co-ordinate information of carrying positions in the reference co-ordinate system containing the positional co-ordinate of the carrying robot 4 and dispatches motional orders to the respective axes of the carrying robot 4 based on it. Thereby, the carrying robot 4 can automatically carry a disc-like object such as a wafer 13 to a fixed carrying position and the control portion 11 is required to recognize the positional co-ordinates of the fore-mentioned carious instruments and wafers in the above-mentioned reference co-ordinate system respectively, to do so. FIG. 26 shows a portion of the flow chart of the teaching step for determining the original co-ordinate at the start-up of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 in a conventional carrying device 2 which is shown in FIG. 25. The “teaching” herein is a work for determining the reference position for delivering a wafer 13 or the like between the carrying robot 4 and the cassettes 6 and the load lock chambers 8, between a positioning device 10 or the like which is separately provided, if necessary. For example, when the teaching is carried out with respect to a step of carrying the disc-like object such as a wafer 13 which is stored in the cassettes 6 to the load lock chamber 8, firstly, the temporary positional information (initial value) of the carrying robot 4 on design is inputted in the control portion 11 at the step S1, then the retaining portion 14 of the carrying robot 4 is moved little by little in a manual operation to the delivery position with the cassette 6 based on the design drawing by the step S2. However, the disc-like object remains to be mounted at the normal position of shelves in the cassettes 6 and remains in a condition in which it is not fixed on the retaining portion 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, a guide jig 20 is installed on the holding portion 14 at the step S3 and it is visually confirmed whether the mounting position of the disc-like object is perfectly coincided with the holding position on design drawing or not. When it is deviated, the carrying robot is moved by rotation, extension and contraction, and ascent and descent in manual operation at the step S4, the position of the holding portion 14 is corrected to a proper position, and successively, the positional information obtained in the step S4 is transmitted to the control portion 11 at the step S5 to renew the initial positional information. When there is no deviation in the confirmation at the step S3, the disc-like object retained is carried to the delivery position with the load lock chambers 8 at the step S6, and then it is visually confirmed at the step S7 whether the carrying position of the disc-like object is just as the design drawing or not. When there is deviation in an actual carrying position, the work returns to the step S4 and proceeds to the step S5. When there is no deviation, a series of the teaching are terminated. Thereafter, the teaching work of the reference position is carried out one by one in accordance with the procedures from the step S1 to the step S7 between the positioning device 10 and the respective load lock chambers 8 with respect to the carrying robot 4 and between the respective load lock chambers 8 and other ports such as treatment chambers 7 with respect to the vacuum robot 31. Further, the positioning of the disc-like object in conventional manufacturing steps is carried out at each time using the positioning device (proprietary machine) 10 as shown in FIG. 25. In the carrying device 2 as shown in FIG. 25, after the wafer 13 is delivered once to the disc rotational positioning device 10 which is separate from the carrying robot 4 in order to prevent that the locus of the wafer 13 during carrying is interfered with the cassettes 6 and the rims of respective inlets and outlets, the carrying robot 4 receives the wafer 13 again and usually carries it to an object position. There is proposed in JP-B-7-27953 a method by which in order to improve productivity by the above-mentioned delivery step, the carrying arm of the carrying robot is moved while holding a wafer and passes a gate type positioning device which has luminescence portions 9a and light receiving portions 9b respectively and in which three sensors 9 which detect a wafer 13 with light fluxes 9c were provided to calculate the center position of the wafer. In the method, the reference holding position of a wafer is preliminarily taught, the route of the holding portion 14 is corrected from the transition quantity between the teaching position and the center position of a wafer which was detected by the fore-mentioned gate type positioning device, and the wafer is carried to an objective place without interfering with other instrument. Thereby, a time required for the delivery and reception for the positioning device 10 is shortened and the above-mentioned method contributed to the improvement of productivity. Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 26, a conventional teaching work which was previously described is an all manual system by which trial and error are repeated using the guide jig 20 between all instruments with which the carrying robot 4 cooperates, while continuously visually confirming the position. Thus, this previous method required significant manual interaction. Since this requires continual manual work by a skilled technician, a time of one full day or more was necessary for only the carrying device shown in FIG. 25. Further, as mentioned above, a gate type positioning device which is described in JP-B-7-275953 and shown in FIG. 27 is proposed as the positioning of the disc-like object in production, but since an initial teaching uses also the fore-mentioned conventional method hereat, trouble required for the start-up of equipment is not changed at all. Furthermore, since it is a device passing a gate, there is a problem that one device must be set by every inlet of respective load lock chambers and respective treatment chambers, and there has been a problem that since the device is a larger device than the diameter of a disc-like detected object such as a wafer, investment cost is enlarged. Further, since there is no positioning step before inserting a disc-like object into the fore-mentioned gate type positioning device, it has been required that the manual positioning which is troublesome as described above is preliminarily carried out so that the disc-like object is not collided with the device. When it is collided with the device by any chance, there were problems that dusts are generated without fail and it happens to damage the disc-like detected object. Further, in the above-mentioned positioning device which is described in JP-B-7-275953, the judging method of a notching portion is geometrically illustrated, but a method of mathematically judging is not found yet. Accordingly, since a method of calculating a disc center by the minimum involution which is an approximation method is adopted, at least 3 of sensors 9 which are detection means are required and at least 7 points in total of at least 6 points on the peripheral rim of a disc and one point of the center of the disc holding portion must be measured. Further, since a point which exists on the peripheral rim of a notched portion and does not exist on a circumference is contained in the 6 points on the peripheral rim without fail, an accurate position is not strictly calculated and precision was bad. Further, there is proposed a calculation equation of determining the radius of a disc from 4 points on the peripheral rim which does not include the notched portion based on known Pythagorean theorem, but since the point on the notched portion cannot be excluded, the accurate radius of a disc could not be really determined.

Reasons for missing interviews in the daily electronic assessment of pain, mood, and stress. Electronic diary assessment methods offer the potential to accurately characterize pain and other daily experiences. However, the frequent assessment of experiences over time often results in missing data. It is important to identify systematic reasons for missing data because such a pattern may bias study results and interpretations. We examined the reasons for missing electronic interviews, comparing self-report and data derived from electronic diary responses. Sixty-two patients with temporomandibular disorders were asked to rate pain intensity, pain-related activity interference, jaw use limitations, mood, and perceived stress three times a day for 8 weeks on palmtop computers. Participants also were asked the number of and reason(s) for missing electronic interviews. The average electronic diary completion rate was 91%. The correspondence between self-report and electronic data was high for the overall number of missed electronic interviews (Spearman correlation=0.77, P < 0.0001). The most common self-reported reasons for missing interviews were failure to hear the computer alarm (49%) and inconvenient time (21%). Although there was some suggestion that persistent negative mood and stress were associated with missing electronic interviews in a subgroup of patients, on the whole, the patient demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment, and daily fluctuations in pain, activity interference, mood, and stress were not associated significantly with missing daily electronic interviews. The results provide further support for the use of electronic diary methodology in pain research.

Proliferation of human B lymphocytes mediated by a soluble factor. Recent studies have established the ability of a proportion of activated human B lymphocytes to undergo G1 phase cell cycle progression and subsequent S phase entry on exposure to factor(s) present in lectin-stimulated mononuclear cell-conditioned media. One factor capable of stimulating activated human B lymphocyte proliferation may be separated from peripheral blood lymphocyte-conditioned media by successive ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography. The isolated factor is distinct from the other well-described cytokines, possesses a molecular weight of 12,000-13,000, has a mildly acidic isoelectric point (at pH 6.3-6.6), is protease sensitive, and is relatively heat sensitive. The human B cell mitogenic factor possesses functional and cellular specificity in that its action is restricted to B lymphocytes and its function is proliferative. The production of the B cell mitogenic factor by T lymphocytes is augmented by the presence of a macrophage and further stimulated by syngeneic B cells.

In a seemingly coordinated attack, three explosions took place in Mumbai one after the other on Wednesday between 6.54 and 7.06 in the evening - the first at Zaveri Bazaar in South Mumbai, the second at kabutar khana in Dadar West, central Mumbai and the third again in South Mumbai at Opera House. The Maharashtra home secretary has said 20 people have died 113 are injured. The death toll may rise. (Watch: This is an attack on the heart of India, says Maharashtra CM) In Delhi, the Home Ministry has confirmed that this was a terrorist attack and Mumbai has been sealed and is on high alert. Mr Chidambaram said his ministry would make a statement every two hours or sooner. The next statement will be made at 11 pm today. (Watch: A coordinated attack by terrorists, says Chidambaram) Mumbai Police sources say the Indian Mujahideen is suspected to be behind the attack. Union Home Ministry sources too say that the hand of the IM working closely with the Lashkar e Taiba is suspected. (Read) Two members of the IM were arrested in Maharashtra yesterday by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad. However, sources confirm there was no intelligence alert or input that warned of today's terror attack.Mr Chavan said the blast at Opera House was of the highest intensity.All blasts took place during rush hour and in crowded places.The Zaveri Bazaar blast took place in an umbrella kept at the crowded Kahu Gali, a street of eateries. (Watch: Eyewitness accounts of the blast in Zaveri Bazaar) The Dadar West explosion took place in a meter box on an electric pole near a bus stop.The Opera House blast took place at Prasad Chamber building.Dadar, a middle class area also houses the Shiv Sena Bhawan and the famous Shivaji Park. The Home Ministry has said that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were used. (Read: Find out who is behind the blasts, Shiv Sena tells Govt) There were also unconfirmed reports of an unexploded bomb being found in Dadar and a bomb hoax in Santacruz.Early reports said a police control room had received a call claiming that there were serial blasts in Mumbai.A National Investigation Agency (NIA) Team has rushed to Mumbai from Delhi to investigate. A National Security Guards (NSG) team and forensic experts have also been airlifted on a BSF plane and are bound for Mumbai. The police have appealed for calm.Zaveri Bazaar has been hit before - over 50 people were killed in twin blasts in 2002.Malls, markets and other crowded places in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore are on high alert. (Read)

In all areas of laboratory testing, the clinical laboratory must ensure proper quality measures are in place to reduce or eliminate carryover between samples, false positive, and false negative results. Some testing techniques are generally assumed to be better than others (e.g., less prone to yielding false positive and false negative results). For example, quantitative, confirmatory testing using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is often taken at face value to be more specific than qualitative, antibody-based detection methods, but this is not always true. The transition from individual vial to 96-well based, high-throughput sample preparation methods is one of many examples of the progress in clinical laboratory testing. Samples can be processed more rapidly and many automated systems have been developed for processing 96-well plates. Nevertheless, small sample volumes and the small form factor of 96-well plates may increase the likelihood of false-positive results for wells in close proximity to significantly elevated wells. For example, an increased likelihood of false-positive results for wells in close proximity to significantly elevated wells at a rate of approximately 4% has been observed in mass-spectrometry analysis of drugs of abuse using a 96-well format. Error rates may be expected to increase as high-throughput assays are transitioned to plates having a greater number of wells (e.g., 384 well plates or even 1536 well plates).

[The development of the treatment of vascular injuries until today]. The healing of vascular injuries goes hand in hand with the healing of scars, which means we can search for various methods from centuries ago. The different ages, with or without wars, showed and show a huge variety of injuries, up until this day. The healers have always tried their best to come up with the best possible methods taking care of the injured body parts, and help the patients survive. This article is aiming to show the main changes in vascular healing, in an enjoyable and colourful way. While focusing on the past few decades of quality development and having a look at Hungarian literature, the reader shall learn that Hungarian vascular surgery and traumatology is on a very high level and is keeping up with the international stage, as using modern techniques. The treatment of vascular injuries has been around for thousands of years. The Ebers Papyrus gave a professional guidance in the treatment of wounds. Hippocrates recommended compressing dressing. Later on, Ambroise Paré performed ligatures. War injuries serve with numerous experiences. In the begining of the 20th century, autolog veins are used more and more often. The amputation rate of DeBakey is 49%, of Hughes is 7-22%, and of Rich is 12.7%. Thanks to surgical technique, antibiotics and the use of transfusion, the rate of amputation has been decreasing. The wars of Iraq and Afganistan - between 2003 and 2011 - left the injured with more serious explosive and gunshot wounds than ever before. The challanges of nowadays are the injuries caused by accidents and violent acts. Also, endovascular interventions are widespread. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(28): 1112-1119.

Identification of gains and losses of DNA sequences in primary bladder cancer by comparative genomic hybridization. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) makes it possible to detect losses and gains of DNA sequences along all chromosomes in a tumor specimen based on the hybridization of differentially labeled tumor and normal DNA to normal human metaphase chromosomes. In this study, CGH analysis was applied to the identification of genomic imbalances in 26 bladder cancers in order to gain information on the genetic events underlying the development and progression of this malignancy. Losses affecting 11p, 11q, 8p, 9, 17p, 3p, and 12q were all seen in more than 20% of the tumors. The minimal common region of loss in each chromosome was identified based on the analysis of overlapping deletions in different tumors. Gains of DNA sequences were most often found at chromosomal regions distinct from the locations of currently known oncogenes. The bands involved in more than 10% of the tumors were 8q21, 13q21-q34, 1q31, 3q24-q26, and 1p22. In conclusion, these CGH data highlight several previously unreported genetic alterations in bladder cancer. Further detailed studies of these regions with specific molecular genetic techniques may lead to the identification of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes that play an important role in bladder tumorigenesis.

The basic operation in the processing of silver halide color photographic materials (referred to hereinafter as color photosensitive materials), in general, consists of a color development process and a desilvering process. In the color development process, the exposed silver halide is reduced by a color developing agent to form silver and at the same time the oxidized color developing agent reacts with a color forming agent (a coupler) and provides a dye image. Then, in the subsequent desilvering process, the silver which has been produced in the color development process is oxidized by the action of an oxidizing agent which is commonly called a bleaching agent and then dissolved by means of a complex silver ion forming agent which is commonly called a fixing agent. Only the dye image is then left behind in the color photographic material as a result of passing through this desilvering process. The desilvering process described above can consist of a procedure involving two baths, namely, a bleaching bath which contains a bleaching agent and a fixing bath which contains a fixing agent, a procedure involving a single bleach-fixing bath in which both bleaching agent and fixing agent are present, a procedure involving two baths consisting of a bleaching bath and a bleach-fixing bath, or a procedure involving three baths, namely, a bleaching bath, a bleach-fixing bath and a fixing bath, for example. Furthermore, each of these baths may in fact be comprised of a plurality of tanks. Actual development processing includes various auxiliary operations as well as the basic operations indicated above for maintaining the photographic and physical quality of the image and for improving the storage properties of the image. For example, use is made of film hardening baths, stopping baths, image stabilizing baths and water washing baths. Recent years have seen the widespread use of small in-store processing service systems known as mini-labs and there is a need for a shortening of the time required for processing as described above in order to meet the demand for rapid and reliable processing. In particular, there has been a great demand for a shortening of the desilvering process which takes up the greater part of the processing time in conventional processing. However, the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ferric complex salts which are used in the main as the bleaching agents which are used in bleaching baths and bleach-fixing baths have a fundamental weakness in that they have only a weak oxidizing power and, although improvements can be achieved with the conjoint use of various bleaching accelerators, they are unable to satisfy the aforementioned demands. Furthermore, methods of processing in which the pH of the bleaching bath or bleach-fixing bath is reduced in order to increase the oxidizing power of the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ferric complex salts have been adopted, but in processing methods of this type color formation failure due to the formation of leuco cyan dyes, a phenomenon known as color restoration failure occurs. On the other hand, ferricyanide, dichromates, ferric chloride, persulfate and bromates, for example, are all known as bleaching agents which have a strong oxidizing power, but these materials present many disadvantages from the viewpoints of environmental protection, safety in handling and metal corrosion, for example, and the situation is such that they cannot be widely used in in-store processing applications, for example. Among these agents, bleaching baths having a pH of about 6 which contain 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid ferric complex salts which have a redox potential of at least 150 mV and a strong oxidizing power have been used, for example, in JP-A-62-222252 (the term "JP-A" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application"), and it is possible to bleach silver more rapidly in this way than with bleaching baths which contain ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ferric complex salts, but there is a disadvantage in that color fogging of a type known as bleaching fogs occurs if the bleaching process is carried out directly after color development without passing through an intermediate bath. Furthermore, bleaching baths containing 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid ferric complex salts (for example, at pH 5.0) have also been disclosed in JP-A-62-24253. The above mentioned bleaching baths can be used in desilvering operations with two processing baths with a fixing bath or a processing bath which has a fixing ability, such as a bleach-fixing bath, following the bleaching bath. Furthermore, methods of processing in bleaching baths having a low pH as disclosed in JP-A-1-206341 are known as a means of achieving rapid silver bleaching and overcoming the problem of bleach fogging, but color restoration failure inevitably occurs with this technique. Processing with a color restoring bath having a high pH after the bleaching process as disclosed in JP-A-64-558 is known as a means of overcoming color restoration failure, but these methods are not compatible with rapid processing. Furthermore, when processing is carried out in a bleaching bath which contains 1,3-propylenediaminetetraacetic acid ferric complex salt there is a definite problem with the considerable staining which occurs with the passage of time after processing as compared to the case of bleaching baths which contain ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ferric complex salts.

Associations between cooperation, reactive aggression and social impairments among boys with autism spectrum disorder. Cooperation is a fundamental human ability that seems to be inversely related to aggressive behaviour in typical development. However, there is no knowledge whether similar association holds for children with autism spectrum disorder. A total of 27 boys with autism spectrum disorder and their gender, age and total score intelligence matched controls were studied in order to determine associations between cooperation, reactive aggression and autism spectrum disorder-related social impairments. The participants performed a modified version of the Prisoner's Dilemma task and the Pulkkinen Aggression Machine which measure dimensions of trust, trustworthiness and self-sacrifice in predisposition to cooperate, and inhibition of reactive aggression in the absence and presence of situational cues, respectively. Autism spectrum disorder severity-related Autism Diagnostic Interview-algorithm scores were ascertained by interviewing the parents of the participants with a semi-structured parental interview (Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview). The results showed that albeit the boys with autism spectrum disorder were able to engage in reciprocation and cooperation regardless of their social impairments, their cooperativeness was positively associated with lower levels of reactive aggression and older age. Thus, strengthening inhibition mechanisms that regulate reactive aggression might make boys with autism spectrum disorder more likely to prefer mutual gain over self-interest in cooperation.

Experience and Consciousness: Enhancing the Notion of Musical Understanding1 Adriana Renero SUMMARY: Disagreeing with Jerrold Levinson's claim that being conscious of broadspan musical form is not essential to understanding music, I will argue that our awareness of musical architecture is significant to achieve comprehension. I will show that the experiential model is not incompatible with the analytic model. My main goal is to show that these two models can be reconciled through the identification of a broader notion of understanding. After accomplishing this reconciliation by means of my new conception, I will close the paper by discussing some reasons to accept an enhancing notion of musical understanding that includes levels and degrees of understanding. KEY WORDS: Concatenationism, cognitive abilities, levels, degrees. Introduction Jerrold Levinson's central argument in Music in the Moment (1997) is that fundamental musical understanding can be achieved through the experience of listening to music in a certain way: specifically, in a concatenationist way; that is, listening to individual bits of a musical piece on the small-scale-just a few bars perhaps-and connecting present ones with previous and future ones. Levinson's concatenationism is erected against the traditional view, which holds that conscious awareness of broad-span musical form and of large-scale structural relationships is essential to understanding music.2 Despite his disagreement with this view, in order to explore the possibility that the organization of a musical piece on the large-scale, even if not an object of perception in itself, somehow 1 I am grateful to Jerrold Levinson for helpful comments on an earlier version of this essay. I am also grateful to the referees of the Journal Crítica for providing valuable comments that improved this paper. 2 As applied to the arts, "form", in general, is an important concept that refers to the shape, arrangement, relationship, or organization of the various elements. In music, the elements of form are rhythm, pitch and melody, dynamics, tone color, and texture. A musical work, such as a symphony, is formed or organized by means of repetitions of some of these elements and by contrasts among them. In this work, I refer to "form" when I say musical architecture, global form or large-scale musical structure. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that "a form" or "musical forms" refer to one of many standardized formal patterns, conventionally expressed by letter diagrams such as A B A and that are known as da capo form, fugue, sonata form, minuet form, theme and variations, rondo, among others (see Kerman 2000, pp. 39–41). 2 affects the listener's experience or helps achieve understanding, Levinson sets himself to qualify his own concatenationism in order to take large-scale characteristics into account. After exploring this modified view, Levinson concludes that intellectual apprehension and awareness of global form can only contribute to musical understanding to a relatively minor degree, not in any significant way. My goal in this paper is to explore the possibility of enhancing the general notion of musical understanding3 by considering two proposals which, if adopted, would lead to a reconciliation of those who claim that understanding is primarily achieved by the experience of listening and those who claim that understanding is primarily achieved through analysis and awareness of musical architecture, global form, and large-scale musical structure. I will argue that these two views about musical understanding are not mutually exclusive and will show a way in which both viewpoints can be reconciled. In fact, the awareness of musical form is not negligible in achieving musical understanding as Levinson supposes. On the contrary, it significantly enhances our musical understanding. As we will see below, this expanded notion of understanding is perfectly compatible with Levinson's qualified concatenationism. This essay has three sections: (1) in order to provide the most important aspects for the debate of the problem of musical understanding, I will outline central differences of the two views. (2) I will take Levinson's argument in Music in the Moment as an example of experiential model. I will explain his conception of musical understanding, and point out the main features of his concatenationism. (3) I will argue for my proposals to broaden the 3 Despite the fact that the notion of musical understanding can be applied to any musical genre, all musical examples in this work will be referred to tonal classical music or concert music, as we know it in the Western tradition. I do this in order to avoid the common fallacy of a number of authors that pick operas or other type of music associated to a text and supposedly analyze the musical qualities by themselves, while in reality they only attend to the narrative content provided by the text. 3 notion of musical understanding, and I will show that Levinson's qualified concatenationism is compatible with the enhanced understanding that I present. 1. Two Perspectives on Musical Understanding The problem posed by musical understanding has been discussed by philosophers of music such as Roger Scruton, Jerrold Levinson, Stephen Davies, Peter Kivy, Malcolm Budd and Mark DeBellis (a musicologist). The core of the problem can be seen by examining the two primary opposing positions: on the one hand, those who accept the necessity of an analytical capacity, conceptual and technical knowledge, and a consciousness of the musical structure as a necessary condition to understand music, on the other, those who argue that musical experience is a sufficient condition for achieving understanding through repeated listening whereby the dynamic musical forms and internal connections between the musical parts are intuitively detected, registered, and responded to. In this section, I will present those two perspectives stated more carefully. I will call these two positions the analytic model and the experiential model, respectively. Relying on C. Koopman and S. Davies (2001, pp. 266–68), I will now list some of the main differences between these two models, considering them in their purest form. Global vs. Local Focus: According to the analytic model, musical understanding is achieved by grasping the structural components of a musical work. A complete "view" of the work results from the identification of its parts, assuming they remain static and are not affected by the flow of time. On the contrary, experiential model, the musical process is grasped through a dynamic experience of music, which is apprehended as it happens in time through our ability to organize the various tones we listen to sequentially. The listener 4 reacts to a continual flow of events with a flow of corresponding responses. Reflective vs. Unreflective Listening: The analytic model depends on the listener having a reflective awareness of the work's form, on an intellectual approach to the work, and on his response being articulated propositionally. The experiential model does not look for such awareness since it considers it to be unnecessary. The listener's experience is sufficient to achieve musical understanding. Cognitive vs. Cognitive-Affective Bond: The analytic model is purely cognitive because it involves complex, intellectual mental processes, whereas the experiential model involves a cognitive-affective bond: In order to grasp a musical piece, the listener has to feel the musical progression. If the listeners lack the experience of feeling and listening to the musical sequences in tension and relaxation, they cannot understand the piece. External vs. Internal Perspective: In the analytic model, the listener's perspective is distanced from the musical work-the work is viewed from the outside. The listener in the experiential model is required to be involved with the work in order to understand it from the inside through an experience that involves him "empathically" with the musical piece. Coherence of the Whole vs. Coherence of Parts in Connection: On the analytic model, the listener is aware of connections (e.g., oppositions, elaborations, and reductions) that he detects in the musical score and can determine the coherence of a piece by means of the conventions of a certain style. In contrast, in the experiential model the listener grasps the music as a process that develops organically, in which each part is only tied to the previous one. In this way, the perception of the coherence of the piece is derived from the organic connection of its parts. For a more concrete view of these positions, the musicologist Mark DeBellis may serve as a 5 representative for the analytic model and Jerrold Levinson as one for the experiential model.4 DeBellis's central argument in Music and Conceptualization (1995, especially chapters 2 and 3) is that untrained listeners cannot follow a piece of music, its development and its fundamental structure. Hence, their experience of music is ineffable. This is supposed to imply an impoverishment of their understanding in comparison to trained listeners, who know how to conceptualize sounds in theoretical and technical terms. From the analytic perspective, knowledge and awareness of the musical structure is a necessary condition for understanding music. In contrast, Levinson maintains that in order to understand music, it is necessary to have a particular experience of listening. For the important thing on the experiential model is not what is listened to (i.e., what aspect of the overall structure), but how one listens; how unity and organization are perceived; the way in which a person listens to tones organized in a tonal system; how one appreciates and imaginatively participates in music; how one relates the preceding parts and anticipates the future ones. In sum, what matters is how we, as Roger Scruton says, transform our experience into an exercise, a practice, a habit (see Scruton 1997, Ch. 2). 2. Levinson's Concatenationism and Qualified Concatenationism The principal argument offered by Jerrold Levinson in Music in the Moment,5 is that a basic musical understanding is achieved in the experience of listening to music in a certain way. In particular, listening to individual bits of a musical piece, on a small-scale, and in the present time; i.e., aurally connecting present with previous and future bits, and where the 4 See also P. Kivy, 2001, pp. 183–217. To see reply to criticisms towards experiential model: J. Levinson, 1999, pp. 485–94, and S. Davies, 2007, pp. 25–79 who compares and criticizes both, DeBellis and Levinson. 5 An argument which may be traced basically to Edmund Gurney's music theory (The Power of the Sound, 1880). 6 decisive factor is the act of listening, when, in the exposition and repetition of a given piece, the listener responds to music. That is, when the listener follows and "makes sense" -i.e., connects present parts with previous and future ones-, reproduces -i.e., hums, whistles, sings, dances, etc.-, appreciates -i.e., perceives with attention-, esteems, and values the work, she understands it.6 Levinson writes, If basic musical understanding can be identified with a locally synthetic rather than a globally synoptic manner of hearing, then it is conceivable that with musical compositions, even complicated and lengthy ones, we miss nothing crucial by staying, as it were, in the moment, following the development of events in real time, engaging in no conscious mental activity of wider scope that has the whole or some extended portion of it as object. Of course it is rare that activity of that sort is entirely absent, but the point is that its contribution to basic understanding may be nil. (Levinson 1997, p. 29) It is important to be clear that by the adjective 'basic' in the phrase "basic musical understanding", Levinson means to convey that such understanding is essential to any apprehension of music, fundamental to any further musical understanding, and central to worthwhile musical experience of any kind. He does not mean to suggest that the understanding is simple, elementary, or rudimentary (cf. Levinson 1997a, p. 33). To exemplify the above view, take the famous opening motif of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: {image here: Renero B. tiff.} It seems that the listeners do not need to be aware that the first movement is an Allegro con brio nor do they require consciousness of the Sonata Form structure of the whole movement, which is dominated by this rhythmic motif, in order to achieve basic understanding. Neither do they 6 The notion of musical understanding that Levinson (1996) maintains is closely related to music appreciation. Comprehension and appreciation cannot be divorced. To understand a musical work it is necessary to listen to it with a certain appreciation and enjoyment. For a position that doubts the felicity of the marriage between musical understanding and musical appreciation, see S. Davies (2007). 7 need to know that this motif forms the first theme in the exposition, initiates the bridge, appears as a subdued background to the lyrical and contrasting second theme, and emerges again in the cadence material. The listeners are not expected to be aware of things that could be observed in the score, like expansions of the motif in the development section, etc. In order to achieve a basic music understanding, they do not need to provide a technical explanation or conceptual description of exposition, development, or recapitulation as a large temporal span of the first movement. For Levinson, the listeners may achieve musical understanding if they are simply able to reproduce afterwards -hum, whistle, sing- the aforementioned motif. The listeners should be able to follow and recognize the motif as it undergoes numerous transformations throughout not only the first movement but the whole symphony, so that it would "make sense" to them. Most importantly, perhaps, the listeners should be able to perceive the intrinsic drama and emotional content that is conveyed by this simple motif in an astonishingly concise expression, which enables the composer to sustain high levels of tension based on different transformations of the motif. For Levinson, the fundamental thing is for the listener to detect and register the musical notes in the present and to perceive, through a constant and repeated audition, their interconnection, order and coherence, and to successively quasi-hear portions of a composition. Quasi-hearing, for Levinson, is "seeming to hear a span of music while strictly hearing, or aurally registering, just one element of it" (1997, p. 15, emphasis added). Quasi-hearing, claims Levinson, does not depend upon any conscious effort to keep before the mind the sound just heard, since an aural surrounding to the notes currently sounding constitutes itself automatically. The ear apprehends, vividly, in a musical unit that which goes beyond the sound "really" heard. Levinson's concept of musical understanding, employable by the "ordinary" or "common" listener, stands in opposition to the analytic 8 model, which traditionally argues for the need for a "learned" understanding only attainable by those with a trained ear, by those who can explain or describe the musical phenomena in terms of theoretical concepts, formal schemes, architectonical diagrams or synoptic representations. In the later chapters of Music in the Moment, Levinson develops what he calls a qualified concatenationism, which is an attempt to challenge his initial argument that listening is sufficient for understanding by making room for the awareness of the largescale musical form to play an important role in understanding and in affecting the listener's experience. Of possible ways to qualify his concatenationism, Levinson writes, Five possible grounds of qualification were addressed: (a) architectonic awareness's enhancement of the perceived impressiveness of individual bits; (b) architectonic awareness's enhancement of the perceived cogency of transitions between bits; (c) architectonic awareness's facilitation of quasi-hearing; (d) architectonic awareness's role in the perception of higher-order aesthetic properties; and (e) architectonic awareness's role as a source of distinct musical satisfactions, ones [which Levinson] characterize[s] as intellectual." (Levinson 2006a, p. 506) The first three grounds for qualification⎯(a), (b), (c)⎯are focused on the possible contribution of awareness of the architectonical form to the achievement of basic musical understanding. The last two⎯(d) and (e)⎯are focused on the direct role that might be played by such awareness in musical experience and understanding; i.e., of musical understanding of a more than basic sort (see Levinson 1999, p. 487). After exploring these qualifications and offering his qualified concatenationism, Levinson concludes that awareness of large-scale musical architecture only contributes to basic musical understanding in a small degree, and facilitates, but not in an important way, more-than9 basic understanding.7 Of this conclusion, he writes, But the plain truth is that to appreciate any music of substance, the thing to do is listen to it, over and over again. [...] Of course to experience the content of the music correctly, to respond to a piece as the piece it musicohistorically is, one must also have listened to and digested a lot of other music, in particular, that which forms the generative background to the piece in question. Still, listening is the key [...]. Contemplation of formal patterns, apprehension of spatial wholes, intellectual grasp of large-scale structural relations are of an entirely different, and lesser, order of importance. One can readily forgo them and still have entrée to the essential. (Levinson 1997, p. 174–5) 3. Supplementing Levinson's Notion of Musical Understanding There are two principal problems with Levinson's view: one concern his notion of musical understanding and the other is in regard to his concatenationism as a method of hearing. His notion of musical understanding is too narrow, and, although he provides a number of reasons to adopt his concatenationism as a plausible way to achieve a basic musical understanding, I will argue that any suitable listening technique must incorporate at least some aspects of the analytical model. Thus, the consequence of my proposals will be to bring about a broadening of the notion of musical understanding. I suggest that, 1. The sense of "understanding" used by both the experiential and analytic model must be clarified (Section 3.2.1.). This clarification will allow us to see that the models are complementary, not mutually exclusive, as our consciousness and capacity of analysis enhance our experience and enjoyment. (Section 3.2.2.) 2. Rather than insisting that the listener either achieves full musical understanding or none at all, it should be agreed that there are different levels and degrees of understanding that depend on many factors, such as the listener's mental 7 For an elaboration of the possibilities of qualified concatenationism and specific examples of each one of them, see Levinson, 1997, chapters 5–8. 10 abilities and the time invested in listening (Section 3.3.) As the notion of musical understanding is widened, we are able to prevent the seemingly inescapable dichotomy between the experiential model and the analytic model by resolving the disputes between them. I claim that both sides can agree on the usefulness of more precise definitions of different conceptions of musical understanding, and that my expansion of the notion of musical understanding is also an enhancement. My proposals, therefore, offer a better conception of musical understanding and provide a viable reconciliation between opposing views. 3.1 Problems with Levinson's Notion of Understanding Primarily, it is important to notice that there are at least three reasons to accept Levinson's concatenationst thesis: first, music is clearly listened to through time. It makes sense, then, that a musical work can be understood if listened to in time; the human ear can only grasp a piece if listened to in the present, moment by moment after all. Second, it is not even possible to perceptually apprehend a musical work in its totality. The human ear cannot apprehend "the whole" of a work or its large-scale architecture. It can only "build" the whole bit by bit. Third, because Levinson seems to be right when he claims that because music is internally synthesizable (by means of quasi-hearing), it is possible for the listener to "seemingly" apprehend the whole of a musical work, albeit progressively and never allat-once. Notwithstanding Levinson's intention of qualifying his simple concatenationism, I find a number of problems with his argument: (a) As already mentioned, his notion of understanding is too narrow because 11 Levinson a priori excludes awareness, knowledge, explanation, and description as necessary conditions for understanding music. (b) He commits himself to a false dichotomy between the analytic model and the experiential model, since, for him, only the latter is conducive to a basic musical understanding. (c) He fails to acknowledge that in order to enhance how one listens, it is important to know what one listens to. Our analytical capacity, conceptual and technical knowledge, and consciousness of what is listened to is non-negligible and plays a relevant role. 3.2 First Proposal: a Notion of Understanding Compatible with Concatenationism 3.2.1 Do the Experiential and Analytic Model Use the Same Definition of Understanding? Surprisingly, Levinson does not offer a definition of "understanding". If, as he states, musical understanding is not about formal analysis of a work, nor is it achieved through awareness of large-scale musical form, nor when the hearers are able to offer a causal explanation of the musical phenomenon or describe technically and conceptually that which they hear, what sense of "understanding" are we talking about? If understanding is achieved only through listening in a certain way, then analysis, awareness of the large-scale musical form, and the ability to explain and describe are neither necessary nor sufficient conditions for musical understanding. If awareness of the large-scale musical forms only minimally contributes to understanding, then we can be almost certain that understanding is not related to notions such as discernment, intelligence, or reason. On the contrary, the only decisive aspect of such an understanding is how we hear music⎯how we register certain aspects of the music and respond to them. Hence, 12 basic musical understanding is a species of knowing how, or procedural knowledge, not knowledge that, or propositional knowledge. Another distinction useful in discussions about musical understanding is between what to know and how to know (see Davies 1994, pp. 337–40). As I have mentioned, the former consists in a propositional knowledge, e.g., knowing that the tonic of Beethoven Symphony No. 3, Op. 55 Eroica is E flat major. Whereas the latter consists rather in the listeners' demonstrable abilities, e.g., how they are able to listen to and register how music unfolds in time and find expressivity, coherence, and unity in a piece (see Levinson 1997, p. 30). These experiences display many abilities of the listener: aural perception, detection of repetitions, anticipation and prediction, among others. Knowing how the music goes on, or "moves", is a way of listening in a concatenationist way rather than with the goal of finding true propositions about the music. The problem with the dichotomy presented by Levinson is that it does not acknowledge that both of these concepts are related: it is difficult to know how if we do not start by knowing what. We always start by knowing what an object is, and the way of knowing it or how to know it then strongly depends on that first knowledge. Take, for instance, the third movement of Brahms' Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77, allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace. Having precise information would certainly enhance our experience of following, reproducing and appreciating the piece⎯things we are meant to be doing on a concatenationist listening. Joseph Kerman's precise description clarifies my meaning: "[g]iocoso means 'jolly', that first theme in this rondo, A, has a lilt recalling the spirited gipsy fiddling that was popular in nineteenth-century in Vienna. The solo violin plays the theme (and much else in the movement) in double stops, that is, in 13 chords produced by bowing two violin strings simultaneously. Hard to do well, this makes a brilliant effect when done by a virtuoso" (Kerman 2000, p. 296). Numerous additional examples could easily be mentioned, such as, knowing that Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique is based on an idée fixe, which appears transfigured in each of the five movements of the symphony; the central part of the second movement of Beethoven's Eroica symphony is structured as a dramatic fugue; and so on. It is not obvious that a concatenationist listener could derive this relevant information that certainly enhances the musical understanding of the pieces simply by listening in the moment. Would it not be wise to offer a definition of basic musical understanding and clarify in what sense it is being used? In every area of philosophy, we are constantly trying to distinguish between kinds of understanding: e.g., it is not the same thing to understand a text, a human experience, a historical event, a logical formula, a fact or a causal relationship. In each of logic, epistemology and hermeneutics, the technical term understanding is generally used, but the uses often have subtle different senses. These differing senses are useful here, and I will borrow a few German terms to pick them out in what follows. Let us consider different senses of "understanding" that might be called, Verstehen, Verstand and Erklärung.8 Verstehen refers to the meaning of experience and alludes to a kind of grasping, as opposed to the understanding offered by the scientific explanatory method. Verstand means essentially intelligence, reason or judgment. And Erklärung refers 8 A number of traditions and authors who deal with the notion of "understanding" and "comprehension" stress their different uses. See, for instance, K. O. Apel and G. Wamke, 1984, Understanding and Explanation: A Transcendental Pragmatic Perspective, MIT Press, Cambridge, G. H. Von Wright, 2004, Explanation and Understanding, Cornell University Press, NY. Husserl uses Verstehen in his account of phenomenology as understanding the "lifeworld" or the things which we experienced (he took the term from Kant, as well as W. Dilthey and H.G. Gadamer) and Kant uses Verstand as a sense of understanding in his Critique of Pure Reason. 14 to explanation and is considered to be a way of apprehending objects because it suggests a kind of illustration of concepts in order to make them more understandable. Given these different senses of "understanding", the analytic model may be divided in two: if by "understanding" we mean Verstand, then the focus would be on understanding achieved through analysis, awareness and knowledge; if, on the other hand, we mean "understanding" in its Erklärung sense, then the understanding achieved when the hearer is able to give explanations of the musical form or of the structural coherence of the work is of the utmost importance. If we now suppose that the experiential model and basic musical understanding refer to Verstehen, while the analytic model and the understanding achieved in the explanation of the musical structure refer to Verstand and Erklärung, then there would be no place for any misunderstanding. Each model would refer to a different and complementary meaning of the term, understanding. Thus, we can disentangle the dispute between those who claim that understanding is reached through analysis and awareness of the musical form and those who claim that understanding is reached through the mere experience of listening. It is reasonable to infer that Levinson is thinking about the kind of understanding captured by Verstehen, since he emphasizes that understanding is achieved by apprehending; that is, in the experience of listening to music in a concatenationist way. However, he does not see that his basic musical understanding simply does not compete with understanding on the analytic model because different senses of "understanding" are in play. Levinson has suggested9 that these distinctions do not resolve the dispute because each of the parties already recognizes that there are different senses, meanings, or kinds of 9 Personal communication. 15 understanding involved, but disagree as to (a) their relative importance, and (b) their degree of dependence/independence of each other. However, I believe that this acknowledgement of different senses of understanding has not been clearly explained in the literature. Neither Levinson nor DeBellis-again, as representative thinkers of each camp⎯manifestly recognize different kinds of understanding as such. Thus, I disagree with point (a) because even Levinson, with his qualified concatenationism, concludes that awareness of largescale musical architecture contributes to basic musical understanding only in a small degree, and facilitates it, but not in an important way. Levinson practically excludes any contribution of the analytic model in his account of musical understanding: it makes no significant difference whether we say that the importance of awareness and an intellectual approach is irrelevant in order to achieve understanding or that it is relevant in such a minor degree. Both assessments imply that awareness is practically irrelevant. The same objection applies to point (b): for supporters of the experiential model, the recognition of the degree of dependence on analysis in the reaching of understanding is negligible. In fact, Levinson means to show that it is clearly independent from the process of reaching musical understanding. According to my view, however, when a listener hears music in a concatenationist way, it is desirable and useful for him to have knowledge of musical theory, technical vocabulary, awareness of musical forms, etc. in order to enhance his musical understanding and articulate more accurately his experience. In short, if we assume that Levinson primarily uses this limited sense of understanding, it is unnecessary for him to reject the analytic model view because it is compatible with his own view. Basic musical understanding would constitute only one specific "type" of understanding. 16 3.2.2. Why is it Useful to Find a Sense of Understanding Compatible with Concatenationism? Another way to look for a sense or meaning of "understanding" compatible with concatenationism is by treating it as a correspondence between the experiential sphere and the cognitive sphere; i.e., by allowing for reconciliation between both views presented.10 To broaden the notion of musical understanding, making the analytic and experiential models complementary, we must accept that, included in the mental abilities of the hearer, are those held to be important by the analytic model; i.e., categorization, conceptualization, analytical evaluation, description, etc. In the framework of a basic musical understanding, then, it would be essential to allow for these abilities' being important. Even if we do not consider them sufficient, we have to admit that knowledge, awareness, and other abilities are relevant to understanding music, and are more closely linked to experience of listening than Levinson thinks. At this point, it is important to make two observations. First, let us not claim that Levinson already holds a compromise view between the experiential model and the analytic model simply because his view refers to a cognitive-affective bond. Levinson only acknowledges that the experience of listening implies a relation between that which we perceive, attend to, imagine, and that which we sense, enjoy, appreciate. It is also important to notice that he allows only for certain cognitive abilities to play a role in the reception of music. For example, he does not consider crucial some of the abilities Roger Scruton does 10 I am aware that it might be objected that my argument implies the necessity and sufficiency of the analytic model for achieving basic musical understanding. Even though that is not so, it could be asked if my proposals do not invalidate at least the concatenationst view. In what follows, I will show that it would not only not be invalidated, that it would be usefully broadened. 17 (1997 and 1974). He does not allow the abilities of describing-at least metaphorically-or explicitly locating certain elements in organization to play much of a role. The next quotations illustrate these points: Those who propose the ability to offer descriptions of music as prerequisite to basic musical understanding make two mistakes: first, the representations in terms of which music is grasped may be not articulate in nature; second, even if they were, being able to access them after listening so as to produce descriptions of the music would at most be evidential, but neither necessary nor sufficient, for having had a hearing experience of the right sort (Levinson 1997, x–xi). [T]he point is that gratifying impressions of familiarity, unity-through-change, and the like require no conscious reflection on where or when some musical material was previously encountered, no active appreciation of the pattern of events, thematic or harmonic, as a whole. (Levinson 1997, p. 82). Qualified concatenationism claims that the intellectual pleasure obtained from apprehending musical form in a large-scale (a) is unnecessary to achieve basic musical understanding because it aims at an object different from that at which basic understanding aims⎯the experiential model points toward a musical work of art, whereas the analytic model directs listeners at a sound phenomenon open to analysis and explanation; (b) is not comparable with the pleasure obtained in the experience of listening, which of course involves awareness not of global form but of local form (see Levinson 1996, pp. 56–66), as well as of the expressive content which results or emerges from evolving form. We should keep in mind that Levinson distinguishes the pleasure obtained through an intellectual approach to music from the aesthetic pleasure obtained through the experience of listening. I emphasize this because the pleasure obtained in concatenationist listening implies awareness of the individual bits one listens to and what they express; that is, the conjunction of content and form. Still, this does not mean that Levinson accepts the importance of an intellectual approach to music. 18 In searching for a sense of "understanding" compatible with concatenationism, I have tried to argue for the possibility of the analytic and experiential models complementing, not excluding, one another. Both approaches to music can coexist and give feedback to one another since understanding has to do with perceiving or grasping the meaning of something, but also with conceptualizing and describing how, e.g., musical notes spread in time and how we find or identify their expressiveness. In support of this position, I propose a few possibilities, but do so while keeping in mind that Levinson is reacting against the views of those who plead for the analytic model; that is, while defending the "common" listener, who has no previous training in the matter and, even so, can achieve musical understanding. Now, my first claim is that even if we are radical supporters of the experiential model, we have to acknowledge and admit the importance of analysis and awareness of form, even in the small-scale, not only to conceptualize, identify, describe, but to follow, link and reproduce the different bits. To follow, link and reproduce, they who listen in the moment need a certain awareness and a more complex mental process to come into play; that is, to identify certain notes or individual bits and be able to follow them, the inexperienced listener must essentially hear with an awareness of time and space or of the moment in which the bits go by. What would happen to concatenationism if parts of the analytic model were accepted in order to achieve musical understanding? Would the experiential model cease to be concatenationist? Focusing on the second possibility in what follows, I will try to demonstrate that awareness enhances our experience and, therefore, our musical understanding. My second claim is that if we accept that the human ear can detect certain elements of the music's organization or coherence (by means of apprehending the musical relationships of bits on the small-scale and moment by moment, as Levinson proposes), I 19 believe that the concatenationist method does not prevent the listener from developing a detailed analysis of bits of the musical structure in order to be aware of the technical scope of a work. Likewise, our awareness, knowledge and analysis of the musical form do not subtract anything valuable from our experience. In fact, the listener would not cease to have the experience of listening, or cease to pay attention to and minutely analyze what he listens to at each moment in a concatenationist manner. In this way, he could complement his experience with an analysis and achieve an enriched basic musical understanding. For instance, any person can experience when sound goes from loud to soft. If a listener were aware of many different gradations that exist in an actual piece of music or passage, though, the experience of the passage would be enriched. If we listen to-in a concatentationist way-the beginning of the Smetana's Overture to The Bartered Bride and reflect on dynamics, we find: 0'00": opening outburst, full orchestra, fortissimo. 0'11": Sudden change to quiet rustling produced by violins, subito piano. 0'24": Three appearances of a short, gruff bit of music spaced out from one another, each forte. 1'14": Crescendo. 1'19": Culmination in a rowdy dance, the polka, fortissimo again. 1'22": Return to the quiet rustling, mezzo forte.11 Our experience of this piece would be enhanced if we were to reflect on concepts and analysis during a concatenationist hearing. Following the last example, having the experience of the music and understanding it has not only to do with its expressivity due to its dynamics, but also with our consciousness, analysis and technical knowledge of those properties that enhance our understanding. In other words, we have good reasons to accept that the experiential and analytical models are compatible, and that their combination 11 J. Kerman develops an interesting analysis of listening to Smetana's Overture to The Bartered Bride, in Kerman, et. al., 2000, p. 4. 20 results in a more complete musical understanding. That is, first, that the listener has a certain awareness of the notes related with dynamics that he or she listens to in a precise moment. Second, that the listener is able to conceptualize, in a certain way, some individual parts in order to focus on and listen to aspects in progress of various music passages. This listening to the dynamics and analyzing them does not reduce our experience, but on the contrary, strengthens it. Levinson has objected to my considerations by saying that this would not be basic musical understanding obviously, but rather "higher" or non-basic musical understanding. I agree that mine would be an enhanced notion of musical understanding. Nevertheless, following Levinson's own thought on the subject, the term 'basic' in "basic musical understanding" such as he defines it does not mean elemental, but rather fundamental for any further understanding: by "the adjective 'basic' [...] I mean to convey that such understanding is essential-to any apprehension of music-, fundamental-to any further musical understanding-, and central-to worthwhile experience of any kind-but not that it is simple, or elementary, or rudimentary" (Levinson 1997, p. 33). Now the question is whether or not my sense of musical understanding is compatible with Levinson's qualified concatenationism? He reflected on the possibilities of the awareness of the large-scale musical form facilitating or contributing to the hearing or quasi-hearing. However, awareness, analysis and technical knowledge of the form in a small-scale-note by note or moment by moment-would allow for a legitimate qualified concatenationism. I think we have good reasons to admit that the analytic model and the experiential model do complement each other, if we now accept that both possibilities are relevant for a broader musical understanding. I claim that (1) finding a meaning of musical understanding compatible with 21 concatenationism may clarify the position that we as listeners, proponents of the analytic model or the experiential model, philosophers or musicologists want to hold, and that because it resolves the false dichotomy between what is and what is not understanding, it is even more worthwhile to do so; (2) adopting the Verstehen meaning for the basic musical understanding proposed by Levinson shows a way out of the disputes with the supporters of the analytic model; and (3) using qualified concatenationism as a plausible way of understanding music through analysis, technical knowledge and awareness of the smallscale form significantly complements understanding achieved through experience. There is no way of proving that the mechanisms employed by the analytic model and the experiential model are as independent in the act of listening as the debate assumes. If I, as a "common" listener, hear constantly and repeatedly the same piece, even though my first approach was without awareness or knowledge of the musical form, after many times, a moment will arrive in which I detect certain aspects of the form⎯through listening I will be able to deduce certain musical features constitutive of the structure. How much does this contribute to my understanding though?12 Levinson would say that it is generally very little. Nevertheless, my goal is to enhance basic musical understanding beyond simple temporal order and to show that musical satisfaction with a piece is relevant to our experience of listening to music. I think that as much as we can detect and deduce constitutive elements, our satisfaction in listening to music piece will be greater. Moreover, I claim that the idea of musical architecture or musical form not only is related with the analytical, but also with experiential model. We can experience form through short phrases and by following their repetitions and contrasts, which eventually provide us a microcosm of musical form. Kerman is right when he maintains that a large- 12 A question raised by Levinson in a personal communication. 22 scale composition like a symphony is something like a greatly expanded tune, and its form is experienced in basically the same way. Form in art also has a good deal to do with is emotional quality: it is a mistake to consider form as merely structural or intellectual matter. Think of the little (or big) emotional "click" we get at the end of a limerick, or a sonnet, where the accumulated meanings of the words are summed up with the final rhyme. This is an effect to which form -limerick form or sonnet form- contributes. Similarly, when at the end of a symphony a previously heard melody comes back, with new orchestration and new harmonies, the special feeling this gives us emerges from a flood of memory; we remember the melody from before, in its earlier version. That effect, too, is created by musical form (Kerman 2000, pp. 39–40). Regardless of whether or not you are an ordinary listener, without knowledge, large-scale form-awareness, or ability in analysis, after constantly and repeatedly listening, it is impossible not to go through cognitive processes which involve mental representations of the music. Even though such representations are not directly observable, we infer their existence and nature until we notice them, hear them, memorize them and reproduce them. Finally, there is not an explicit divorce between the technical and the non-technical in music⎯between the form and the features of the form. The simple act of constantly and repeatedly listening will eventually produce knowledge of the structural and technical features of the music and of its global form.13 As Sloboda argues, evidence suggests that listeners without musical training do have an implicit knowledge of that which musicologists can talk about explicitly (1997, p. 3). 3.3 Second Proposal: Accepting Levels and Degrees of Musical Understanding If the false dichotomy between the experiential model and the analytic model is removed, 13 For an interesting discussion about a right listener's background of knowledge and practice, see J. Levinson, 1990. See also P. Kivy 1990, S. Davies 1994, and R. Scruton 1997, all of which include extended discussion of this topic. 23 several shades of understanding can be now appreciated. It is possible to see that there is not only one way of understanding music, but rather there are several levels, degrees and aspects of understanding. My second proposal is that inside one basic musical understanding there is room to distinguish between levels and degrees of understanding. Why would distinguishing levels and degrees of understanding within basic musical understanding be plausible? Levinson himself sheds light on this when (a) he argues that the hearer's abilities to follow and reproduce are a compelling sign of musical understanding and can be obtained through an attentive act of-concatenationist- listening; and (b) when he observes that basic musical understanding can be achieved when the hearer listens to a musical piece closely and repeatedly; i.e., when the hearer positions himself in the right music-historical space and listens with attention, constancy and repetition to a piece until he becomes very familiar with it. From this, I infer that levels and degrees of understanding can be explained as follows: (a) One aspect of a listener's understanding accords with his mental abilities; e.g., ceteris paribus understanding is not the same with a hearer who identifies the instruments in Smetana's Overture and the different tone colors at each moment, as with a hearer who hardly distinguishes between string instruments. These listeners both achieve understanding, but at different levels. Consider another section of The Bartered Bride Overture as heard by a listener who can differentiate instrumental tone colors. He or she will listen to the passage and experience the music's flow with the tone color changing every five seconds or so and the theme changing suddenly when it is played by different instruments, each with its own characteristic tone color. The listener would hear something like, at 2'59" there are three 24 drum strokes and an outburst: timpani, then massed woodwinds. 3'04": Part 2 of the outburst theme-massed string instruments, timpani. 3'09": Quiet rustling, violins playing together. 3'11": The theme, four spurts of music, violas. 3'16": Theme again, this time carried by a clarinet. 3'21": Third theme, two flutes. 3'26": Theme, fourth time: oboe with a bassoon below. 3'40": So many instruments are playing that tone colors are hard to distinguish (see Kerman 2000, p. 5). Here we have a different level of understanding than that achievable by someone who cannot distinguish between tone colors. (b) Another aspect of a listener's understanding accords with the time and constancy spent in hearing; e.g., ceteris paribus understanding is not the same for a hearer who attentively listens to Bruckner's Eighth Symphony twice a week for a year and for one who listens to it twice in a year. Both of them can achieve a basic musical understanding, but different degrees of it. In this respect also, every time we hear the symphony, we find different properties and qualities of the musical work. Our ear becomes more acute and sophisticated and we understand the piece to a more complex degree. For example, the listeners can identify the accompaniment of tremolando strings in the scherzo, pulsating string chords in D flat, over which violins have an expressive hymn-like theme in the adagio. Alternatively, more generally they notice the themes to which a movement returns, phrase repetitions, as well as apprehending the theme's articulation. We can justify the proposal for identifying different levels of understanding as follows:14 We know that concatenationst listening implies attention to the musical present, but there are other elemental aspects to which the hearer must pay attention. In order to 14 See (Davies 2007, pp. 25–79). 25 understand, the hearer should be able to: distinguish music from non-musical noise or from sounds unconnected with the piece; recognize when a piece is beginning and when it is coming to a close, so that they can tell when a performance breaks down or stops unexpectedly; recognize repetitions, where and when they occur, and be able to identify the earlier themes even if the repetition is not exact; register the waxing and waning of musical tension and movement and the expressive character of the music; predict how the music will continue and distinguish between an unanticipated but appropriate continuation and a performance blunder; experience the music as unfolding in a "logical" way. Most of these capacities can be characterized in a concatenationist way. Hence, it is not possible to believe that every listener has the same ability to listen to music. So, although it would be difficult or impossible to exactly measure and quantitatively determine someone's level of musical understanding, we can accept that not everybody achieves the same basic musical understanding, even if we are listening to music in a concatenationist way. As for the time and effort spent listening, (b), Levinson sheds light on the possibility of identifying degrees of understanding. If he does not make this suggestion explicitly, he at least implies it when he emphasizes the importance of listening closely and repeatedly to a music piece. How long must one listen before achieving basic musical understanding? It depends on many factors. For example (differing from Levinson) Davies correctly emphasizes the importance of the preparation of the appreciative musical listener, which cannot rest alone with what he can grasp unreflectively, simply by attending to music. He also stresses that, in order to reach a deeper understanding, the hearer needs certain information⎯some idea of the course of music history, genres and styles, etc. (Davies 26 2007, pp. 25–79).15 It is not easy to reach consensus as to when the hearer achieves a certain degree of understanding, how to measure the degree of understanding achieved, or what exactly is a degree. I accept this difficulty, as it is also difficult to determine somebody's knowledge of music, or how well listeners can analyze a work. Nevertheless, I still think that we can admit knowledge as well as degrees, and that we can regard as an important variable to enhanced musical understanding the time that the hearer devotes to listening-even though listening twice as many times certainly does not guarantee twice the understanding. Musical understanding is not the same for everybody: there are different levels and degrees of understanding since listeners apprehend different "parts of musical meaning" according to their abilities of listening and the time they spend on it. One of these parts is related to the purely internal connections of the music, its kinetic and dynamic content, and the other part has to do with the expressive elements of the music, its emotional and dramatic content.16 In this sense, basic musical understanding permits a grasp of both musical movement and extramusical expression. In such a way, basic musical understanding is correlative with basic musical meaning. Finally, let me suggest that qualified concatenationism considered as a tool for listening and achieving a basic musical understanding, can do the work that an intellectual approach requires: we can know, analyze and be aware of the small-scale form, and we can infer the large-scale form from this. Qualified concatenationism also answers the requirements of levels and degrees of musical understanding, and it would be possible to achieve basic musical understanding notwithstanding the mental states in which we 15 Levinson calls a listener's background formation in his "Musical Literacy", ibid. 16 Levinson (1997, p. 34) supports this idea from the argument of Roger Scruton: "Notes on the Meaning of Music" (1993). 27 approach a work, or what purposes we pursue by listening to it. The full details of how qualified concatenationism can pull this off, however, must be postponed to a later work. Conclusion In this paper, I have agreed that the idea of concatenationism is a very convincing way of hearing music. Drawing on a qualified version of concatenationism, I explored the possibility of expanding the notion of musical understanding by means of two proposals which led to a resolution of the disagreement between those who claim that understanding is achieved by the experience of listening and those who claim that understanding is achieved through analysis and awareness of musical architecture or large-scale musical structure. I argued that there is no real dichotomy between the experiential model and the analytic model, and I showed a way in which aware and analytical understanding can not only complement our experience of music, but also allow us to enhance this understanding. The new view that I presented in this paper not only captures important parts of what both models originally had in mind, but also gives a more accurate picture of the process of listening with understanding. "Understanding" implies a complicated mix of the three senses that I explained (Verstehen, Verstand and Erklärung), and neither the analytic nor the experiential model had recognized this. Given that, the three aspects of "understanding" are there and are important for basic musical understanding; both the development of complex mental processes, including the conscious effort to connect fragments of music and the repeated listening can contribute to increase our understanding. Thus, in order to broaden Levinson's notion of music understanding, I proposed that levels and degrees of understanding could be defined in reference to mental abilities, and to the time and dedication spent in hearing, respectively. Regarding these points, 28 Levinson's qualified concatenationism, besides being a very useful way of listening to music and experiencing it, is already compatible with the enhanced understanding that I have presented. REFERENCES Davies, S., 2007, "Musical Understandings", in A. Becker and M. Vogel (eds.) Musikalischer Sinn: Beiträger zu einer Philosophie der Musik, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt. -----, 2003, Themes in the Philosophy of Music, Oxford University Press, Oxford. -----, 2001, Musical Works & Performances, a Philosophical Exploration, Oxford University Press, Oxford. -----, 1999, "Review of Music in the Moment", The Philosophical Quarterly, 19, pp. 403– 405. -----, 1994, Musical Meaning and Expression, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. DeBellis, M., 2005, "Conceptual and Nonconceptual Modes of Music Perception", Postgraduate Journal of Aesthetics, 2 (2), pp. 45–61. -----, 1995, Music and Conceptualization, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Kerman, J., et al., 2000, Listen, Bedford/St. Martin's, Boston. Kivy, P., 2001, "Music in Memory and Music in the Moment" in New Essays on Musical Understanding, Oxford University Press, Oxford. -----, 1990, Music Alone. Philosophical Reflection on the Purely Musical Experience, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. Koopman, C. and Davies, S., 2001, "Musical Meaning in a Broader Perspective", The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 261–273. Levinson, J., 2006a, "Concatecionism, Architectonism, and the Appreciation of Music", Revue International de Philosophie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 60, no. 238, pp. 505–514. -----, 2006b, "Musical Expressiveness as Hearability-as-Expression", Contemplating Art, Oxford University Press, Oxford. -----, 1999, "Reply to Commentaries on Music in the Moment", Music Perception 16, pp. 485–494. 29 -----, 1997, Music in the Moment, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. -----, 1996, The Pleasures of Aesthetics, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. -----, 1990, "Musical Literacy", Music, Art and Metaphysics, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. Scruton, R., 2007, "In Search of the Aesthetic", British Journal of Aesthetics, vol. 47, no.3, pp. 232–250. -----, 2004, "Wittgenstein and the Understanding of Music", British Journal of Aesthetics, vol. 44, no.1, pp.1–9. -----, 1998, The Aesthetic Understanding: Essays in the Philosophy of Art and Culture, St. Agustin's Press, Indiana. -----, 1997, The Aesthetics of Music, Oxford University Press, Oxford. -----, 1993, "Notes on the Meaning of Music," in Michael Krausz (ed.) The Interpretation of Music: Philosophical Essays, Oxford University Press, Oxford. -----, 1974, Art and Imagination, Methuen and Co., London. Sloboda, J., 1997, "Listening to music", The Musical Mind: The Cognitive Psychology of Music, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Today, some software applications provide quick response interfaces that provide software functions built around immediate and obvious context. For example, if a user is viewing a home screen on their device and a short message service (“SMS”) message arrives, the SMS message might appear in a popup with a text entry field through which the user can provide a quick response or can select a “close” box to dismiss and ignore the SMS message. However, there is an obvious proximate event and application in this scenario (i.e., the arrival of a message in an SMS application), a known address to reply to, and two high likelihood actions that are elevated to the user interface—more specifically, to respond or to dismiss the SMS message, with other options such as file-in-a-folder or delete not rising to the level of a common action deserving user interface attention. The SMS application relies on the context of an incoming SMS message to be aware that text entered by the user is relevant to the received SMS message. Without such context, the SMS application is unable to know that text entered by the user relates to the SMS application or whether the text might be relevant to a completely different application. Contextual interpretation of increasing amounts of data has been used in other settings to guide increasingly accurate decisions in a search function. For example, some operating systems, such as APPLE OS X, have a global search function in which a user begins typing a string of characters and an instantaneous list of candidates narrows down to a set of selectable locally or cloud-stored documents, emails, media files, and the like with filenames or content that contain the characters. GOOGLE provides a similar search function in which a user begins typing a search string and an instantaneous list of suggestions narrows down from which the user can select an expanded string to avoid further typing. However, both of these solutions already assume an action. In APPLE OS X, the search primarily seeks to “open” a file that has attributes closely matching the search string. The search function provided by GOOGLE primarily seeks to search the World Wide Web using a string. Contextual interpretation that refines the choice of messaging applications also exists today. A generic messaging application might accept multiple destination addresses and/or attachments. Upon receiving multiple addresses or attachments that preclude use of SMS and require use of multimedia message service (“MMS”), the messaging client might make a determination that MMS should be used, and might notify the user that such a decision is being made in order to satisfy the implicit request and approval embodied in the provided content.

CD44 in Cancer: Raising monoclonal antibodies against human white blood cells led to the discovery of the CD44 antigen; a single chain hyaluronic acid (HA) binding glycoprotein expressed on a wide variety of normal tissue and on all types of hematopoietic cells. It was originally associated with lymphocyte activation and homing. Currently, its putative physiological role also includes activation of inflammatory genes, modulation of cell cycle, induction of cell proliferation, induction of differentiation and development, induction of cytoskeletal reorganization and cell migration and cell survival/resistance to apoptosis. In humans, the single gene copy of CD44 is located on the short arm of chromosome 11, 11p13. The gene contains 19 exons; the first 5 are constant, the next 9 are variant, the following 3 are constant and the final 2 are variant. Differential splicing can lead to over 1000 different isoforms. However, currently only several dozen naturally occurring variants have been identified. The CD44 standard glycoprotein consists of a N-terminal extracellular (including a 20 a.a. leader sequence, and a membrane proximal region (85 a.a.)) domain (270 a.a.), a transmembrane region (21 a.a.) and a cytoplasmic tail (72 a.a.). The extracellular region also contains a link module at the N-terminus. This region is 92 a.a. in length and shows homology to other HA binding link proteins. There is high homology between the mouse and human forms of CD44. The variant forms of the protein are inserted to the carboxy terminus of exon 5 and are located extracellularly when expressed. A serum soluble form of CD44 also occurs naturally and can arise from either a stop codon (within the variable region) or from proteolytic activity. Activation of cells from a variety of stimuli including TNF-α results in shedding of the CD44 receptor. Shedding of the receptor has also been seen with tumor cells and can result in an increase in the human serum concentration of CD44 by up to 10-fold. High CD44 serum concentration suggests malignancy (ovarian cancer being the exception). The standard form of CD44 exists with a molecular weight of approximately 37 kD. Post-translational modifications increase the molecular weight to 80-90 kD. These modifications include amino terminus extracellular domain N-linked glycosylations at asparagine residues, O-linked glycosylations at serine/threonine residues at the carboxy terminus of the extracellular domain and glycosaminoglycan additions. Splice variants can range in size from 80-250 kD. HA, a polysaccharide located on the extracellular matrix (ECM) in mammals, is thought to be the primary CD44 ligand. However, CD44 has also been found to bind such proteins as collagen, fibronectin, laminin etc. There appears to be a correlation between HA binding and glycosylation. Inactive CD44 (does not bind HA) has the highest levels of glycosylation, active CD44 (binding HA) the lowest while inducible CD44 (does not or weakly binds HA unless activated by cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, etc.) has glycosylation levels somewhere in between the active and inactive forms. CD44 can mediate some of its functions through signal transduction pathways that depend on the interaction of the cell, stimulus and the environment. Some of these pathways include the NFκB signaling cascade (involved in the inflammatory response), the Ras-MAPK signal transduction pathway (involved with activating cell cycling and proliferation), the Rho family of proteins (involved with cytoskeleton reorganization and cell migration) and the PI3-K-related signaling pathway (related to cell survival). All of the above-mentioned functions are closely associated with tumor disease initiation and progression. CD44 has also been implicated in playing a role in cancer through a variety of additional mechanisms. These include the presentation of growth factors, chemokines and cytokines by cell surface proteoglycans present on the cell surface of CD44 to receptors involved in malignancy. Also, the intracellular degradation of HA by lysosomal hyaluronidases after internalization of the CD44-HA complex can potentially increase the likelihood of tumor invasiveness and induction of angiogenesis through the ECM. In addition, the transmission of survival or apoptotic signals has been shown to occur through either the standard or variable CD44 receptor. CD44 has also been suggested to be involved in cell differentiation and migration. Many, if not all, of these mechanisms are environment and cell dependent and several give rise to variable findings. Therefore, more research is required before any conclusions can be drawn. In order to validate a potential functional role of CD44 in cancer, expression studies of CD44 were undertaken to determine if differential expression of the receptor correlates with disease progression. However, inconsistent findings were observed in a majority of tumor types and this is probably due to a combination of reagents, technique, pathological scoring and cell type differences between researchers. Renal cell carcinoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma appear to be the exception in that patients with high CD44 expressing tumors consistently had shorter survival times than their low or non-CD44 expressing counterparts. Due to its association with cancer, CD44 has been the target of the development of anti-cancer therapeutics. There is still controversy as to whether the standard or the variant forms of CD44 are required for tumor progression. There is in vivo animal data to support both views and again it may be tumor type and even cell type dependent. Different therapeutic approaches have included injection of soluble CD44 proteins, hyaluronan synthase cDNA, hyaluronidase, the use of CD44 antisense and CD44 specific antibodies. Each approach has led to some degree of success thereby providing support for anti-CD44 cancer therapeutics. Both variant and standard CD44 specific monoclonal antibodies have been generated experimentally but for the most part these antibodies have no intrinsic biological activity, rather they bind specifically to the type of CD44 they recognize. However, there are some that are either active in vitro or in vivo but generally not both. Several anti-CD44 antibodies have been shown to mediate cellular events. For example the murine antibody A3D8, directed against human erythrocyte Lutheran antigen CD44 standard form, was shown to enhance CD2 (9-1 antibody) and CD3 (OKT3 antibody) mediated T cell activation; another anti-CD44 antibody had similar effects. A3D8 also induced IL-1 release from monocytes and IL-2 release from T lymphocytes. Interestingly, the use of A3D8 in conjunction with drugs such as daunorubicin, mitoxantrone and etoposide inhibited apoptosis induction in HL60 and NB4 AML cells by abrogating the generation of the second messenger ceramide. The J173 antibody, which does not have intrinsic activity and is directed against a similar epitope of CD44s, did not inhibit drug-induced apoptosis. The NIH44-1 antibody, directed against an 85-110 kD and 200 kD form of CD44, augmented T-cell proliferation through a pathway the authors speculated as either cross-linking or aggregation of CD44. Taken together, there is no evidence that antibodies such as these are suitable for use as cancer therapeutics since they either are not directed against cancer (e.g. activate lymphocytes), induce cell proliferation, or when used with cytotoxic agents inhibited drug-induced death of cancer cells. Several anti-CD44 antibodies have been described which demonstrate anti-tumor effects in vivo. The antibody 1.1 ASML, a mouse IgG1 directed to the v6 variant of CD44, has been shown to decrease the lymph node and lung metastases of the rat pancreatic adenocarcinoma BSp73ASML. Survival of the treated animals was concomitantly increased. The antibody was only effective if administered before lymph node colonization, and was postulated to interfere with cell proliferation in the lymph node. There was no direct cytotoxicity of the antibody on the tumor cells in vitro, and the antibody did not enhance complement-mediated cytotoxicity, or immune effector cell function. Utility of the antibody against human cells was not described. Breyer et al. described the use of a commercially-available antibody to CD44s to disrupt the progression of an orthotopically-implanted rat glioblastoma. The rat glioblastoma cell line C6 was implanted in the frontal lobe, and after 1 week, the rats were given 3 treatments with antibody by intracerebral injection. Treated rats demonstrated decreased tumor growth, and higher body weight than buffer or isotype control treated rats. The antibody was able to inhibit adhesion of cells in vitro to coverslips coated with extracellular matrix components, but did not have any direct cytotoxic effects on cells. This antibody was not tested against human cells. A study was carried out which compared the efficacy of an antibody to CD44s (IM-7.8.1) to an antibody to CD44v10 (K926). The highly metastatic murine melanoma line B16F10, which expresses both CD44 isoforms, was implanted intravenously into mice. After 2 days, antibodies were given every third day for the duration of the study. Both antibodies caused a significant reduction of greater than 50 percent in the number of lung metastases; there was no significant difference in efficacy between the two antibodies. The antibody did not affect proliferation in vitro, and the authors, Zawadzki et al., speculated that the inhibition of tumor growth was due to the antibody blocking the interaction of CD44 with its ligand. In another study using IM-7.8.1, Zahalka et al. demonstrated that the antibody and its F(ab′)2 fragment were able to block the lymph node infiltration by the murine T-cell lymphoma LB. This conferred a significant survival benefit to the mice. Wallach-Dayan et al. showed that transfection of LB-TRs murine lymphoma, which does not spontaneously form tumors, with CD44v4-v10 conferred the ability to form tumors. IM-7.8.1 administration decreased tumor size of the implanted transfected cells in comparison to the isotype control antibody. None of these studies demonstrated human utility for this antibody. GKW.A3, a mouse IgG2a, is specific for human CD44 and prevents the formation and metastases of a human melanoma xenograft in SCID mice. The antibody was mixed with the metastastic human cell line SMMU-2, and then injected subcutaneously. Treatments were continued for the following 3 weeks. After 4 weeks, only 1 of 10 mice developed a tumor at the injection site, compared to 100 percent of untreated animals. F(ab′)2 fragments of the antibody demonstrated the same inhibition of tumor formation, suggesting that the mechanism of action was not dependent on complement or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. If the tumor cells were injected one week prior to the first antibody injection, 80 percent of the animals developed tumors at the primary site. However, it was noted that the survival time was still significantly increased. Although the delayed antibody administration had no effect on the primary tumor formation, it completely prevented the metastases to the lung, kidney, adrenal gland, liver and peritoneum that were present in the untreated animals. This antibody does not have any direct cytotoxicity on the cell line in vitro nor does it interfere with proliferation of SMMU-2 cells, and appears to have its major effect on tumor formation by affecting metastasis or growth. One notable feature of this antibody was that it recognized all isoforms of CD44, which suggests limited possibilities for therapeutic use. Strobel et al. describe the use of an anti-CD44 antibody (clone 515) to inhibit the peritoneal implantation of human ovarian cancer cells in a mouse xenograft model. The human ovarian cell line 36M2 was implanted intraperitoneally into mice in the presence of the anti-CD44 antibody or control antibody, and then treatments were administered over the next 20 days. After 5 weeks, there were significantly fewer nodules in the peritoneal cavity in the antibody treated group. The nodules from both the anti-CD44 and control treated groups were the same size, suggesting that once the cells had implanted, the antibody had no effect on tumor growth. When cells were implanted subcutaneously there was also no effect on tumor growth indicating that the antibody itself did not have an anti-proliferative or cytotoxic effect. In addition, there was no effect of the antibody on cell growth in vitro. VFF-18, also designated as BIWA 1, is a high-affinity antibody to the v6 variant of CD44 specific for the 360-370 region of the polypeptide. This antibody has been used as a 99mTechnetium-labelled conjugate in a Phase 1 clinical trial in 12 patients. The antibody was tested for safety and targeting potential in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Forty hours after injection, 14 percent of the injected dose was taken up by the tumor, with minimal accumulation in other organs including the kidney, spleen and bone marrow. The highly selective tumor binding suggests a role for this antibody in radioimmunotherapy, although the exceptionally high affinity of this antibody prevented penetration into the deeper layers of the tumor. Further limiting the application of BIWA 1 is the immunogenicity of the murine antibody (11 of 12 patients developed human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA)), heterogenous accumulation throughout the tumor and formation of antibody-soluble CD44 complexes. WO 02/094879 discloses a humanized version of VFF-18 designed to overcome the HAMA response, designated BIWA 4. BIWA 4 was found to have a significantly lower antigen binding affinity than the parent VFF 18 antibody. Surprisingly, the lower affinity BIWA 4 antibody had superior tumor uptake characteristics than the higher affinity BIWA 8 humanized VFF-18 antibody. Both 99mTechnetium-labelled and 186Rhenium-labelled BIWA 4 antibodies were assessed in a 33 patient Phase 1 clinical trial to determine safety, tolerability, tumor accumulation and maximum tolerated dose, in the case of 186Re-labelled BIWA 4. There appeared to be tumor related uptake of 99mTc-labelled BIWA 4. There were no tumor responses seen with all doses of 186Re-labelled BIWA 4, although a number had stable disease; the dose limiting toxicity occurred at 60 mCi/m2. There was a 50-65 percent rate of adverse events with 12 of 33 patients deemed to have serious adverse events (thrombocytopenia, leukopenia and fever) and of those 6, all treated with 186Re-labelled BIWA 4, died in the course of treatment or follow-up due to disease progression. Two patients developed human anti-human antibodies (HAHA). A Phase 1 dose escalation trial of 186Re-labelled BIWA 4 was carried out in 20 patients. Oral mucositis and dose-limiting thrombocytopenia and leucocytopenia were observed; one patient developed a HAHA response. Stable disease was seen in 5 patients treated at the highest dose of 60 mCi/m2. Although deemed to be acceptable in both safety and tolerability for the efficacy achieved, these studies have higher rates of adverse events compared to other non-radioisotope conjugated biological therapies in clinical studies. U.S. Patent Application US 2003/0103985 discloses a humanized version of VFF-18 conjugated to a maytansinoid, designated BIWI 1, for use in tumor therapy. A humanized VFF 18 antibody, BIWA 4, when conjugated to a toxin, i.e. BIWI 1, was found to have significant anti-tumor effects in mouse models of human epidermoid carcinoma of the vulva, squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx or breast carcinoma. The unconjugated version, BIWA 4, did not have anti-tumor effects and the conjugated version, BIWI 1, has no evidence of safety or efficacy in humans. Mab U36 is a murine monoclonal IgG1 antibody generated by UM-SCC-22B human hypopharyngeal carcinoma cell immunization and selection for cancer and tissue specificity. Antigen characterization through cDNA cloning and sequence analysis identified the v6 domain of keratinocyte-specific CD44 splice variant epican as the target of Mab U36. Immunohistochemistry studies show the epitope to be restricted to the cell membrane. Furthermore, Mab U36 labeled 94 percent of the head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) strongly, and within these tumors there was uniformity in cell staining. A 10 patient 99mTc-labelled Mab U36 study showed selective accumulation of the antibody to HNSCC cancers (20.4+/−12.4 percent injected dose/kg at 2 days); no adverse effects were reported but two patients developed HAMA. In a study of radio-iodinated murine Mab U36 there were 3 cases of HAMA in 18 patients and selective homogenous uptake in HNSCC. In order to decrease the antigenicity of Mab U36 and decrease the rate of HAMA a chimeric antibody was constructed. Neither the chimeric nor the original murine Mab U36 has ADCC activity. There is no evidence of native functional activity of Mab U36. 186Re-labelled chimeric Mab U36 was used to determine the utility of Mab U36 as a therapeutic agent. In this Phase 1 escalating dose trial 13 patients received a scouting dose of 99mTc-labelled chimeric Mab U36 followed by 186Re-labelled chimeric Mab U36. There were no acute adverse events reported but following treatment dose limiting myelotoxcity (1.5 GBq/m2) in 2 of 3 patients, and thrombocytopenia in one patient treated with the maximum tolerated dose (1.0 GBq/m2) were observed. Although there were some effects on tumor size these effects did not fulfill the criteria for objective responses to treatment. A further study of 186Re-labelled chimeric Mab U36 employed a strategy of using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor stimulated whole blood reinfusion to double the maximum-tolerated activity to 2.8 Gy. In this study of nine patients with various tumors of the head and neck, 3 required transfusions for drug related anemia. Other toxicity includes grade 3 myelotoxicity, and grade 2 mucositis. No objective tumor responses were reported although stable disease was achieved for 3-5 months in 5 patients. Thus, it can be seen that although Mab U36 is a highly specific antibody the disadvantage of requiring a radioimmunoconjugate to achieve anti-cancer effects limits its usefulness because of the toxicity associated with the therapy in relation to the clinical effects achieved. To summarize, a CD44v6 (1.1ASML) and CD44v10 (K926) monoclonal antibody have been shown to reduce metastatic activity in rats injected with a metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma or mice injected with a malignant melanoma respectively. Another anti-CD44v6 antibody (VFF-18 and its derivatives), only when conjugated to a maytansinoid or a radioisotope, has been shown to have anti-tumor effects. Anti-standard CD44 monoclonal antibodies have also been shown to suppress intracerebral progression by rat glioblastoma (anti-CD44s), lymph node invasion by mouse T cell lymphoma (IM-7.8.1) as well as inhibit implantation of a human ovarian cancer cell line in nude mice (clone 515), lung metastasis of a mouse melanoma cell line (IM-7.8.1) and metastasis of a human melanoma cell line in SCID mice (GKW.A3). The radioisotope conjugated Mab U36 anti-CD44v6 antibody and its derivatives had anti-tumor activity in clinical trials that were accompanied by significant toxicity. These results, though they are encouraging and support the development of anti-CD44 monoclonal antibodies as potential cancer therapeutics, demonstrate limited effectiveness, safety, or applicability to human cancers. Thus, if an antibody composition were isolated which mediated cancerous cell cytotoxicity, as a function of its attraction to cell surface expression of CD44 on said cells, a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic procedure would be realized. Monoclonal Antibodies as Cancer Therapy: Each individual who presents with cancer is unique and has a cancer that is as different from other cancers as that person's identity. Despite this, current therapy treats all patients with the same type of cancer, at the same stage, in the same way. At least 30 percent of these patients will fail the first line therapy, thus leading to further rounds of treatment and the increased probability of treatment failure, metastases, and ultimately, death. A superior approach to treatment would be the customization of therapy for the particular individual. The only current therapy which lends itself to customization is surgery. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment cannot be tailored to the patient, and surgery by itself, in most cases is inadequate for producing cures. With the advent of monoclonal antibodies, the possibility of developing methods for customized therapy became more realistic since each antibody can be directed to a single epitope. Furthermore, it is possible to produce a combination of antibodies that are directed to the constellation of epitopes that uniquely define a particular individual's tumor. Having recognized that a significant difference between cancerous and normal cells is that cancerous cells contain antigens that are specific to transformed cells, the scientific community has long held that monoclonal antibodies can be designed to specifically target transformed cells by binding specifically to these cancer antigens; thus giving rise to the belief that monoclonal antibodies can serve as “Magic Bullets” to eliminate cancer cells. However, it is now widely recognized that no single monoclonal antibody can serve in all instances of cancer, and that monoclonal antibodies can be deployed, as a class, as targeted cancer treatments. Monoclonal antibodies isolated in accordance with the teachings of the instantly disclosed invention have been shown to modify the cancerous disease process in a manner which is beneficial to the patient, for example by reducing the tumor burden, and will variously be referred to herein as cancerous disease modifying antibodies (CDMAB) or “anti-cancer” antibodies. At the present time, the cancer patient usually has few options of treatment. The regimented approach to cancer therapy has produced improvements in global survival and morbidity rates. However, to the particular individual, these improved statistics do not necessarily correlate with an improvement in their personal situation. Thus, if a methodology was put forth which enabled the practitioner to treat each tumor independently of other patients in the same cohort, this would permit the unique approach of tailoring therapy to just that one person. Such a course of therapy would, ideally, increase the rate of cures, and produce better outcomes, thereby satisfying a long-felt need. Historically, the use of polyclonal antibodies has been used with limited success in the treatment of human cancers. Lymphomas and leukemias have been treated with human plasma, but there were few prolonged remission or responses. Furthermore, there was a lack of reproducibility and there was no additional benefit compared to chemotherapy. Solid tumors such as breast cancers, melanomas and renal cell carcinomas have also been treated with human blood, chimpanzee serum, human plasma and horse serum with correspondingly unpredictable and ineffective results. There have been many clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies for solid tumors. In the 1980s there were at least four clinical trials for human breast cancer which produced only one responder from at least 47 patients using antibodies against specific antigens or based on tissue selectivity. It was not until 1998 that there was a successful clinical trial using a humanized anti-Her2/neu antibody (HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab)) in combination with Cisplatin. In this trial 37 patients were assessed for responses of which about a quarter had a partial response rate and an additional quarter had minor or stable disease progression. The median time to progression among the responders was 8.4 months with median response duration of 5.3 months. HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) was approved in 1998 for first line use in combination with TAXOL® (paclitaxel). Clinical study results showed an increase in the median time to disease progression for those who received antibody therapy plus TAXOL® (paclitaxel) (6.9 months) in comparison to the group that received TAXOL® (paclitaxel) alone (3.0 months). There was also a slight increase in median survival; 22 versus 18 months for the HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) plus TAXOL® (paclitaxel) treatment arm versus the TAXOL® (paclitaxel) treatment alone arm. In addition, there was an increase in the number of both complete (8 versus 2 percent) and partial responders (34 versus 15 percent) in the antibody plus TAXOL® (paclitaxel) combination group in comparison to TAXOL® (paclitaxel) alone. However, treatment with HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) and TAXOL® (paclitaxel) led to a higher incidence of cardiotoxicity in comparison to TAXOL® (paclitaxel) treatment alone (13 versus 1 percent respectively). Also, HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) therapy was only effective for patients who over express (as determined through immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis) the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2/neu), a receptor, which currently has no known function or biologically important ligand; approximately 25 percent of patients who have metastatic breast cancer. Therefore, there is still a large unmet need for patients with breast cancer. Even those who can benefit from HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) treatment would still require chemotherapy and consequently would still have to deal with, at least to some degree, the side effects of this kind of treatment. The clinical trials investigating colorectal cancer involve antibodies against both glycoprotein and glycolipid targets. Antibodies such as 17-1A, which has some specificity for adenocarcinomas, has undergone Phase 2 clinical trials in over 60 patients with only 1 patient having a partial response. In other trials, use of 17-1A produced only 1 complete response and 2 minor responses among 52 patients in protocols using additional cyclophosphamide. To date, Phase III clinical trials of 17-1A have not demonstrated improved efficacy as adjuvant therapy for stage III colon cancer. The use of a humanized murine monoclonal antibody initially approved for imaging also did not produce tumor regression. Only recently have there been any positive results from colorectal cancer clinical studies with the use of monoclonal antibodies. In 2004, ERBITUX® (cetuximab) was approved for the second line treatment of patients with EGFR-expressing metastatic colorectal cancer who are refractory to irinotecan-based chemotherapy. Results from both a two-arm Phase II clinical study and a single arm study showed that ERBITUX® (cetuximab) in combination with irinotecan had a response rate of 23 and 15 percent respectively with a median time to disease progression of 4.1 and 6.5 months respectively. Results from the same two-arm Phase II clinical study and another single arm study showed that treatment with ERBITUX® (cetuximab) alone resulted in an 11 and 9 percent response rate respectively with a median time to disease progression of 1.5 and 4.2 months respectively. Consequently in both Switzerland and the United States, ERBITUX® (cetuximab) treatment in combination with irinotecan, and in the United States, ERBITUX® (cetuximab) treatment alone, has been approved as a second line treatment of colon cancer patients who have failed first line irinotecan therapy. Therefore, like HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab), treatment in Switzerland is only approved as a combination of monoclonal antibody and chemotherapy. In addition, treatment in both Switzerland and the US is only approved for patients as a second line therapy. Also, in 2004, AVASTIN® (bevacizumab) was approved for use in combination with intravenous 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy as a first line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Phase III clinical study results demonstrated a prolongation in the median survival of patients treated with AVASTIN® (bevacizumab) plus 5-fluorouracil compared to patients treated with 5-fluourouracil alone (20 months versus 16 months respectively). However, again like HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) and ERBITUX® (cetuximab), treatment is only approved as a combination of monoclonal antibody and chemotherapy. There also continues to be poor results for lung, brain, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and stomach cancer. The most promising recent results for non-small cell lung cancer came from a Phase II clinical trial where treatment involved a monoclonal antibody (SGN-15; dox-BR96, anti-Sialyl-LeX) conjugated to the cell-killing drug doxorubicin in combination with the chemotherapeutic agent TAXOTERE® (docetaxel). TAXOTERE® (docetaxel) is the only FDA approved chemotherapy for the second line treatment of lung cancer. Initial data indicate an improved overall survival compared to TAXOTERE® (docetaxel) alone. Out of the 62 patients who were recruited for the study, two-thirds received SGN-15 in combination with TAXOTERE® (docetaxel) while the remaining one-third received TAXOTERE® (docetaxel) alone. For the patients receiving SGN-15 in combination with TAXOTERE® (docetaxel), median overall survival was 7.3 months in comparison to 5.9 months for patients receiving TAXOTERE® (docetaxel) alone. Overall survival at 1 year and 18 months was 29 and 18 percent respectively for patients receiving SNG-15 plus TAXOTERE® (docetaxel) compared to 24 and 8 percent respectively for patients receiving TAXOTERE® (docetaxel) alone. Further clinical trials are planned. Preclinically, there has been some limited success in the use of monoclonal antibodies for melanoma. Very few of these antibodies have reached clinical trials and to date none have been approved or demonstrated favorable results in Phase III clinical trials. The discovery of new drugs to treat disease is hindered by the lack of identification of relevant targets among the products of 30,000 known genes that could contribute to disease pathogenesis. In oncology research, potential drug targets are often selected simply due to the fact that they are over-expressed in tumor cells. Targets thus identified are then screened for interaction with a multitude of compounds. In the case of potential antibody therapies, these candidate compounds are usually derived from traditional methods of monoclonal antibody generation according to the fundamental principles laid down by Kohler and Milstein (1975, Nature, 256, 495-497, Kohler and Milstein). Spleen cells are collected from mice immunized with antigen (e.g. whole cells, cell fractions, purified antigen) and fused with immortalized hybridoma partners. The resulting hybridomas are screened and selected for secretion of antibodies which bind most avidly to the target. Many therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies directed against cancer cells, including HERCEPTIN® (trastuzumab) and Rituximab, have been produced using these methods and selected on the basis of their affinity. The flaws in this strategy are two-fold. Firstly, the choice of appropriate targets for therapeutic or diagnostic antibody binding is limited by the paucity of knowledge surrounding tissue specific carcinogenic processes and the resulting simplistic methods, such as selection by overexpression, by which these targets are identified. Secondly, the assumption that the drug molecule that binds to the receptor with the greatest affinity usually has the highest probability for initiating or inhibiting a signal may not always be the case. Despite some progress with the treatment of breast and colon cancer, the identification and development of efficacious antibody therapies, either as single agents or co-treatments, have been inadequate for all types of cancer. Prior Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,102 discloses a process wherein cells from a patient's tumor are transfected with MHC genes which may be cloned from cells or tissue from the patient. These transfected cells are then used to vaccinate the patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,581 discloses a process comprising the steps of obtaining monoclonal antibodies that are specific to an internal cellular component of neoplastic and normal cells of the mammal but not to external components, labeling the monoclonal antibody, contacting the labeled antibody with tissue of a mammal that has received therapy to kill neoplastic cells, and determining the effectiveness of therapy by measuring the binding of the labeled antibody to the internal cellular component of the degenerating neoplastic cells. In preparing antibodies directed to human intracellular antigens, the patentee recognizes that malignant cells represent a convenient source of such antigens. U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,665 provides a novel antibody and method for its production. Specifically, the patent teaches formation of a monoclonal antibody which has the property of binding strongly to a protein antigen associated with human tumors, e.g. those of the colon and lung, while binding to normal cells to a much lesser degree. U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,596 provides a method of cancer therapy comprising surgically removing tumor tissue from a human cancer patient, treating the tumor tissue to obtain tumor cells, irradiating the tumor cells to be viable but non-tumorigenic, and using these cells to prepare a vaccine for the patient capable of inhibiting recurrence of the primary tumor while simultaneously inhibiting metastases. The patent teaches the development of monoclonal antibodies which are reactive with surface antigens of tumor cells. As set forth at col. 4, lines 45 et seq., the patentees utilize autochthonous tumor cells in the development of monoclonal antibodies expressing active specific immunotherapy in human neoplasia. U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,763 teaches a glycoprotein antigen characteristic of human carcinomas and not dependent upon the epithelial tissue of origin. U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,186 is drawn to Anti-Her2 antibodies which induce apoptosis in Her2 expressing cells, hybridoma cell lines producing the antibodies, methods of treating cancer using the antibodies and pharmaceutical compositions including said antibodies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,876 describes new hybridoma cell lines for the production of monoclonal antibodies to mucin antigens purified from tumor and non-tumor tissue sources. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,268 is drawn to a method for generating a human lymphocyte producing an antibody specific to a desired antigen, a method for producing a monoclonal antibody, as well as monoclonal antibodies produced by the method. The patent is particularly drawn to the production of an anti-HD human monoclonal antibody useful for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,045 relates to antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody conjugates and single-chain immunotoxins reactive with human carcinoma cells. The mechanism by which these antibodies function is two-fold, in that the molecules are reactive with cell membrane antigens present on the surface of human carcinomas, and further in that the antibodies have the ability to internalize within the carcinoma cells, subsequent to binding, making them especially useful for forming antibody-drug and antibody-toxin conjugates. In their unmodified form the antibodies also manifest cytotoxic properties at specific concentrations. U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,033 discloses the use of autoantibodies for tumor therapy and prophylaxis. However, this antibody is an antinuclear autoantibody from an aged mammal. In this case, the autoantibody is said to be one type of natural antibody found in the immune system. Because the autoantibody comes from “an aged mammal”, there is no requirement that the autoantibody actually comes from the patient being treated. In addition the patent discloses natural and monoclonal antinuclear autoantibody from an aged mammal, and a hybridoma cell line producing a monoclonal antinuclear autoantibody. U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,102 discloses a process wherein cells from a patient's tumor are transfected with MHC genes, which may be cloned from cells or tissue from the patient. These transfected cells are then used to vaccinate the patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,581 discloses a process comprising the steps of obtaining monoclonal antibodies that are specific to an internal cellular component of neoplastic and normal cells of the mammal but not to external components, labeling the monoclonal antibody, contacting the labeled antibody with tissue of a mammal that has received therapy to kill neoplastic cells, and determining the effectiveness of therapy by measuring the binding of the labeled antibody to the internal cellular component of the degenerating neoplastic cells. In preparing antibodies directed to human intracellular antigens, the patentee recognizes that malignant cells represent a convenient source of such antigens. U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,665 provides a novel antibody and method for its production. Specifically, the patent teaches formation of a monoclonal antibody which has the property of binding strongly to a protein antigen associated with human tumors, e.g. those of the colon and lung, while binding to normal cells to a much lesser degree. U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,596 provides a method of cancer therapy comprising surgically removing tumor tissue from a human cancer patient, treating the tumor tissue to obtain tumor cells, irradiating the tumor cells to be viable but non-tumorigenic, and using these cells to prepare a vaccine for the patient capable of inhibiting recurrence of the primary tumor while simultaneously inhibiting metastases. The patent teaches the development of monoclonal antibodies, which are reactive with surface antigens of tumor cells. As set forth at col. 4, lines 45 et seq., the patentees utilize autochthonous tumor cells in the development of monoclonal antibodies expressing active specific immunotherapy in human neoplasia. U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,763 teaches a glycoprotein antigen characteristic of human carcinomas and not dependent upon the epithelial tissue of origin. U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,186 is drawn to anti-Her2 antibodies, which induce apoptosis in Her2 expressing cells, hybridoma cell lines producing the antibodies, methods of treating cancer using the antibodies and pharmaceutical compositions including said antibodies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,876 describes new hybridoma cell lines for the production of monoclonal antibodies to mucin antigens purified from tumor and non-tumor tissue sources. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,268 is drawn to a method for generating a human lymphocyte producing an antibody specific to a desired antigen, a method for producing a monoclonal antibody, as well as monoclonal antibodies produced by the method. The patent is particularly drawn to the production of an anti-HD human monoclonal antibody useful for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,045 relates to antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody conjugates and single chain immunotoxins reactive with human carcinoma cells. The mechanism by which these antibodies function is 2-fold, in that the molecules are reactive with cell membrane antigens present on the surface of human carcinomas, and further in that the antibodies have the ability to internalize within the carcinoma cells, subsequent to binding, making them especially useful for forming antibody-drug and antibody-toxin conjugates. In their unmodified form the antibodies also manifest cytotoxic properties at specific concentrations. U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,033 discloses the use of autoantibodies for tumor therapy and prophylaxis. However, this antibody is an anti-nuclear autoantibody from an aged mammal. In this case, the autoantibody is said to be one type of natural antibody found in the immune system. Because the autoantibody comes from “an aged mammal”, there is no requirement that the autoantibody actually comes from the patient being treated. In addition the patent discloses natural and monoclonal antinuclear autoantibody from an aged mammal, and a hybridoma cell line producing a monoclonal antinuclear autoantibody. U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,561 discloses a specific antibody, VFF-18, and its variants directed against the variant exon v6 of the CD44 gene. This antibody is an improvement over the comparator antibody in that it recognizes a human CD44 v6 variant rather than a rat CD44 v6 variant. In addition this antibody discloses diagnostic assays for CD44 v6 expression. There was no in vitro or in vivo function disclosed for this antibody. U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,468 discloses a monoclonal antibody, Var3.1, raised against a synthetic peptide containing a sequence encoded by the human exon 6A of the CD44 gene. Specifically this antibody does not bind to the 90 kD form of human CD44 and is distinguished from the Hermes-3 antibody. A method for detection of the v6 variant of CD44 is provided, as well as a method for screening and assaying for malignant transformation based on this antigen. A method for screening for inflammatory disease based on detecting the antigen in serum is also provided. U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,898 discloses a specific antibody that binds to a 129 bp exon of a human CD44 variant 6 that produces a 43 amino acid peptide. The monoclonal antibody is produced by a number of hybridoma cell lines: MAK<CD44>M-1.1.12, MAK<CD44>M-2.42.3, MAK<CD44>M-4.3.16. The antibody is generated from a fusion protein that contains at least a hexapeptide of the novel CD44 v6 amino acid sequence. Further, there is a disclosure of an immunoassay for the detection of exon 6 variant that can be used as a cancer diagnostic. Significantly, there is no in vitro or in vivo function of this antibody disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,417 discloses a polynucleotide that encodes a CD44 like polypeptide, and the method of making a recombinant protein using the polynucleotide and its variants. Antibodies are claimed to these polypeptides however there are no specific examples and there are no deposited clones secreting such antibodies. Northern blots demonstrate the appearance of the polynucleotide in several types of tissues, but there is no accompanying evidence that there is translation and expression of this polynucleotide. Therefore, there is no evidence that there were antibodies to be made to the gene product of this polynucleotide, that these antibodies would have either in vitro or in vivo function, and whether they would be relevant to human cancerous disease. U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,575 discloses an antibody that reacts with a variant epitope of CD44 and methods of identifying the variant through the use of the antibody. The isolated polynucleotide encoding this variant was isolated from rat cells, and the antibody, mAb1.1ASML, directed against this variant recognizes proteins of molecular weight 120 kD, 150 kD, 180 kD, and 200 kD. The administration of monoclonal antibody 1.1ASML delayed the growth and metastases of rat BSp73ASML in isogenic rats. Significantly 1.1ASML does not recognize human tumors as demonstrated by its lack of reactivity, to LCLC97 human large-cell lung carcinoma. A human homolog was isolated from LCLC97 but no equivalent antibody recognizing this homolog was produced. Thus, although an antibody specific to a variant of rat CD44 was produced and shown to affect the growth and metastasis of rat tumors there is no evidence for the effect the this antibody against human tumors. More specifically the inventors point out that this antibody does not recognize human cancers.

The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to call a news conference for early next week when longtime general manager Jim Rutherford will likely step down. Rutherford just completed his 20th year as general manager of the Hurricanes. Rutherford is the only general manager in the history of the team in Carolina. Under his guidance, the Hurricanes have earned a 534-486-156-20 regular-season record since arriving in North Carolina prior to the 1997-98 season, including a pair of trips to the Stanley Cup Final and the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history in 2006. The former National Hockey League goaltender has been named The Hockey News Executive of the Year twice as well as the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2006, as voted on by his NHL management peers. Jonathan Isaac Jersey .J. - The New Jersey Devils know the odds are against them as they chase a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Grant Hill Jersey . Now the Minnesota Vikings have set their sights on soccer. http://www.magicbasketballprostore.com/k...ic-jersey/. Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club. D.J. Augustin Jersey .com) - Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist both scored in the shootout as the Detroit Red Wings denied the Minnesota Wilds comeback bid with a 5-4 win on Tuesday. Vince Carter Jersey . The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to arrive in Boston in time for a workout on Tuesday afternoon. Much of Mondays discussion focused on Bostons lineup considerations as the series progresses, specifically when the venue shifts to St.DALY CITY, Calif. -- Karine Icher and her caddie husband, Fred, evaluated the conditions and course at challenging Lake Merced and decided on a Day 1 strategy: stay short of the pin and putt uphill. The move worked beautifully, and Icher delivered the most consistent performance on a day there werent many in the debut of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. "I think its the key on this course," Icher said. "Its a tough golf course, especially with the wind and temperature. It gets so cold. You try to stay warm and try to catch the right wind and go with it and make some putts." The Frenchwoman birdied four of her first seven holes and finished with a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take the lead, two strokes ahead of Lydia Ko and several others. Afterward, Icher was off to pick up 2-year-old daughter, Lola, from the tours childrens care and head to dinner. The start was delayed two hours because of fog and play was suspended because of darkness with 24 players still on the course. Icher had a bogey-free round and hit all but one green in regulation. Many struggled off the tee or with their putters on speedy, tricky greens on a cool day with plenty of wind and hovering fog not far off the Pacific Ocean. The gallery sang "Happy Birthday" to Ko on her 17th birthday as she started from the first tee, and Ko came through with a 68 on a day she was also named among TIME magazines 100 most influential people. Kos group barely beat the horn for darkness. "I wanted to finish today," she said, acknowledging the birthday song was "kind of embarrassing" but much-appreciated. Morgan Pressel birdied four of her first eight holes and was among the players sitting three strokes back at 69. Mo Martin also shot a 69 after warming up four times before finally hitting her first tee shot following the fog delay. Pressel, whose round began on the back nine, went to 4 under at the turn. Top-ranked Inbee Park opened with a 73 in the $1.8 million event, while second-ranked Suzann Pettersen had a 70 in her first tournament since missing three events with a back injury. On the par-4 11th, a frustrated Pettersen made an 8-foot putt for triple-bogey to fall from 3 under to even par before bouncing back.dddddddddddd Michelle Wie, coming off her first win in nearly four years last week in her home state of Hawaii, finished at even-par 72. Those who were still on the course will play resume their rounds Friday morning, so many will have a quick turnaround after a short break. Tee times remained the same. Pressel also had a sizzling first round in Phoenix last month, going 9 under through her first 11 holes in the JTBC Founders Cup and chasing a 59. But Pressel bogeyed two straight holes and wound up with a 7-under 65. On Thursday, she recovered for par on holes 16 and 18 after both tee shots missed the fairway. On the forgiving par-5, 532-yard 18th, Pressels drive ricocheted off a tree and landed in a more favourable lie to the right of the fairway. She nearly put her third shot onto the green but the ball kicked back a couple of feet shy. "It was actually a bit of a struggle out there. My short game kept me in it. I stayed patient," Pressel said. "I stayed tough. Its a tough golf course. I knew nobody was going to go out there and blitz it." Martin played through more fog, and even wondered whether there might be a second delay. The LPGA is back in the Bay Area for the first time since 2010, and San Francisco provided exactly the kind of day that so perfectly represents this region and its unpredictable weather patterns. Martin sported an "L" charm necklace in memory of her grandfather, Lincoln Martin, who died last month at age 102. One of her biggest supporters since they reconnected 10 years ago, he last travelled to a tournament in Rochester, N.Y., last year. He ate vanilla ice cream on his chocolate crisped rice cereal -- with half and half to boot -- for breakfast every morning. He also had several U.S. patents. "It would be really hard to do him justice in a couple sentences, but greatest person Ive ever met," she said. "Changed my life when I got to know him in the last 10 years. Most peaceful person Ive ever met. ... Everybody out here loved him. He followed womens golf and was a fan of everyone." Angela Stanford and Se Ri Pak withdrew Thursday, and neither provided a reason to tournament officials. 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Various attempts have been set forth to seal lead wires or pins extending from a coil that is encapsulated within an overmolded plastic material. In some of these attempts, a cavity is formed within the overmolded material and the lead wires or pins from the coil extends into the cavity and a rubber grommet is disposed within the cavity. The lead wires extend through holes within the grommet and are sealed by a compressive force exerted on the outer circumference of the grommet. Many times, in these attempts, it is difficult to mold the plastic material around the leads extending therethrough. Many other arrangements are known for connecting leads to coils having overmolded material disposed around the coil. In these other arrangements, the leads that extend from the coil through the overmolded material may not be totally sealed from the outside atmosphere when being subjected to varying temperature. It is well known that when a coil is produced small voids are present after the winding is placed on the bobbin and the overmolded material is injected around the coil. During an increase in temperature, the pressure of the air within these voids expands thus producing an increase in pressure therein which, if not properly sealed, escapes around the leads that passes through the overmolded material. Likewise, as the temperature decreases, a pressure less than atmospheric is created within the voids. Consequently, if the leads are not properly sealed, air is drawn into the voids from the outside atmosphere. If the coil is being used in an environment containing contaminants, the contaminants are drawn into the voids and cause premature failure of the coil. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a positive seal around the leads so that contaminants cannot be drawn into the coil or sealed cavity. Likewise, it is desirable to provide such a seal arrangement to seal around other types of leads to protect sensitive components disposed in an otherwise sealed cavity from outside contaminants. The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Abstract : Amazonian tree communities have already been seriously impacted by extreme natural droughts, and intense droughts are predicted to increase in frequency. However, our current knowledge of Amazonian tree species- responses to water stress remains limited, as plant trait databases include few drought tolerance traits, impeding the application and predictive power of models. Here we explored how leaf water potential at turgor loss point π tlp, a determinant of leaf drought tolerance, varies with species life history, season, tree size and irradiance within a forest in French Guiana. First, we provided a further direct validation of a rapid method of π tlp determination based on osmometer measurements of leaf osmotic potential at full hydration for five Amazonian tree species. Next, we analysed a dataset of 131 π tlp values for a range of species, seasons, size including saplings, and leaf exposure. We found that early-successional species had less drought-tolerant leaves than late-successional species. Species identity was the major driver of π tlp variation, whereas season, canopy tree size and leaf exposure explained little variation. Shifts in π tlp from saplings to canopy trees varied across species, and sapling leaf drought tolerance was a moderate predictor of canopy tree leaf drought tolerance. Given its low within-species variability, we propose that π tlp is a robust trait, and is useful as one index of species- drought tolerance. We also suggest that measuring this trait would considerably advance our knowledge on leaf drought tolerance in hyperdiverse communities and would thus likely shed light on the resilience of such vulnerable species-rich ecosystem.

The present invention relates in general to end controlled walkie/rider pallet trucks commonly used for picking stock in large warehouses and, more particularly, to a supplemental walk along control arrangement for improved operation of such pallet trucks. A typical walkie/rider pallet truck includes load carrying forks and a power unit having a steerable wheel, a steering control mechanism, a brake including a deadman brake mechanism, an electric traction motor, a storage battery and a platform onto which the operator may step and ride while controlling the truck. The steering mechanism normally has a handle mounted at the end of a movable steering arm with the handle including controls for raising and lowering the forks and rotatable twist grips or comparable devices to control the speed and direction (forward and reverse) of the truck. A switch for reversing vehicle travel direction when traveling in the power unit first or forward direction and a horn switch are also normally provided on the handle. In stock picking operations, a truck operator typically follows a winding, unidirectional route through the warehouse, picking up stock in a predetermined sequence in order to maximize productivity. The operator normally walks alongside the truck when the distance along the route between picks is short and steps onto the truck platform to ride when the distance between picks is longer, for example twenty or more feet. When the operator is riding on the truck platform, it is desirable for optimum work productivity to move the truck at higher speeds than when the operator is walking beside it. To this end, speed controllers that include high and low speed control circuits are provided. For movement of the truck, the operator grasps the handle and moves the steering arm into a truck operating range between a generally vertical (up) braking position and a generally horizontal (down) braking position. If the operator releases the handle, the deadman brake mechanism, for example comprising an arm return spring, forces the arm to the up braking position which actuates a vehicle brake, for example a spring-loaded brake, to stop the truck. The operator can also actuate the brake by bringing the steering arm to the down braking position. Thus, the walkie/rider pallet truck may be in either a braking or non-braking mode, depending on the position of the steering arm within specified braking and operating arcs. Rotation of the twist grips controls movement of the truck: rotation of either grip in one direction causes the truck to move with the power unit leading, the forward direction, while rotation in the opposite direction causes the truck to move with the load carrying forks leading, the backward or reverse direction. Increased rotation of the grip in either direction, when operated in either the walkie or the rider mode, results in an increase in the power supplied to the electric motor causing the truck to move at a higher speed in the corresponding forward or reverse direction. In addition to the motion control provided by the rotatable twist grips, rider pallet trucks may also include side or xe2x80x9cjogxe2x80x9d switches. The jog switches can be used by an operator walking alongside the truck to accelerate the truck to a walking speed of around 3.5 miles per hour (mph) (5.6 km/hr) to move from one stock pick position to the next stock pick position. A single jog switch is normally provided on each side of the handle either on an outer portion of the handle or on an inner, protected portion of the handle. An example of another jog switch arrangement, wherein a pair of switches, one on the outside of the handle and one on the inside of the handle, is provided on each side of the handle and both switches must be activated to move the truck, is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,144 which is entitled WALK ALONG HAND GRIP SWITCH CONTROL FOR PALLET TRUCK which issued on Sep. 14, 1995 to the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein by reference. The efficiency of order picking is severely hampered if the brake is activated every time an operator releases the steering arm. Thus, brake override, or coasting, systems have been developed to override the deadman brake mechanism by preventing the steering arm from entering the up braking position when the operator releases the handle/steering arm while walking alongside the truck. During typical operation, an operator may use one of the jog switches to accelerate the truck to walking speed. When approaching a stopping point, the operator releases the jog switch and allows the truck to coast to a stop while the operator moves to an adjacent rack or shelf to pick up an item and place it on a pallet on the forks. The operator plans the coast of the truck so that the pallet on the forks will stop near the operator""s position at about the same time that the operator is ready to place the item onto the pallet. After loading the pick onto the truck, the operator again operates one of the jog switches and moves the truck toward the next pick location. The rate of acceleration and speed of the truck are controlled by switching a jog switch on and off. The coast distance is controlled by controlling the truck""s travel speed when the jog switch is released and of course the position of the truck relative to the pick when the jog switch is released. Generally, use of the vehicle brake is not necessary during coasting operation; however, the vehicle brake is available to the operator as needed. While coasting increases the efficiency of picking operations, after making a pick, the operator still must move from the forks to the handle to once again move the truck using either the twist grips or the jog switches. Over the course of a day""s picking operations, the operator may walk a substantial distance just to be able to once again operate the truck after such coasting/picking operations. Accordingly, there is a need for a supplemental walk along control for walkie/rider pallet trucks that would substantially reduce if not eliminate the short but numerous walks from the forks of a truck to the control handle of the truck that an operator must now make between closely spaced picks. The supplemental walk along control would be placed closely adjacent a load backrest associated with the forks so that rather than having to walk to the handle, the operator can control the truck from the vicinity of the load backrest. The operator would be able to jog the truck from pick to pick in the coast mode and could apply the brake by releasing the coast mode to enable the deadman mechanism to apply the vehicle brake. This need is met by the invention of the present application wherein supplemental walk along control for walkie/rider pallet trucks is provided by supplemental jog switches and coast release switches provided substantially adjacent to the bases of load carrying forks of the trucks. The supplemental jog switches are enabled for coasting operation of the trucks so that, for closely spaced picks located along substantially straight portions of pick routes, operators need only advance to the bases of the load carrying forks and activate the supplemental jog switches to accelerate the trucks to walking speed. If the trucks"" brakes need to be applied, the operators can activate the coast release switches to release the coast mode and enable deadman brake mechanisms to brake the trucks. A steered direction detector may be provided on each truck to determine the direction of the steered wheel of the truck. If the steered wheel is not directed substantially straight ahead, as should be the case for travel along a substantially straight portion of the pick route, then operation of the truck from the supplemental jog switch(es) may be disabled. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

DNMT3B -579 G>T promoter polymorphism and risk of gallbladder carcinoma in North Indian population. Carcinoma of gallbladder (GBC) is a relatively rare but highly fatal disease. The DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 3 beta (DNMT3B) -579 G>T promoter polymorphism (rs1569686) influences gene function and has been associated with various malignancies. Present population-based case-control study was undertaken to examine the potential association of DNMT3B -579 G>T variation with GBC in North Indian population. Genotypes and allelic frequencies of the DNMT3B -579 G>T polymorphism were determined for 212 GBC patients and 219 controls using PCR-RFLP. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated for the association of DNMT3B polymorphism with GBC. Analysis of potential transcription factor binding sites was also identified in the region harboring the polymorphism. The DNMT3B -579 G>T polymorphism was found to be non-significantly associated with an overall increased risk of GBC (OR = 1.10 and 1.56 for T/G and G/G genotypes, respectively, P (trend) = 0.227). The increased risk was predominant in both male and female cohorts and also non-significantly in GBC patients with gallstone status (OR = 1.44; P = 0.280, OR = 1.06; P = 0.804 and OR = 1.45; P = 0.143, respectively). DNMT3B -579 G>T polymorphism may alter susceptibility to GBC although it may not play a major role in the pathoetiology of this disease in North Indian population.

It is believed that examples of known fuel injection systems use an injector to dispense a quantity of fuel that is to be combusted in an internal combustion engine. It is also believed that the quantity of fuel that is dispensed is varied in accordance with a number of engine parameters such as engine speed, engine load, engine emissions, etc. It is believed that examples of known electronic fuel injection systems monitor at least one of the engine parameters and electrically operate the injector to dispense the fuel. It is believed that examples of known injectors use electromagnetic coils, piezoelectric elements, or magnetostrictive materials to actuate a valve. It is believed that examples of known valves for injectors include a closure member that is movable with respect to a seat. Fuel flow through the injector it believed to be prohibited when the closure member sealingly contacts the seat, and fuel flow through the injector is believed to be permitted when the closure member is separated from the seat. It is believed that examples of known injectors include a spring providing a force biasing the closure member toward the seat. It is also believed that this biasing force is adjustable in order to set the dynamic properties of the closure member movement with respect the seat. It is further believed that examples of known injectors include a filter for separating particles from the fuel flow, and include a seal at a connection of the injector to a fuel source. It is believed that such examples of the known injectors have a number of disadvantages. It is believed that examples of known injectors must be assembled entirely in an environment that is substantially free of contaminants. It is also believed that examples of known injectors can only be tested after final assembly has been completed.

IoT-Forensics is a novel paradigm for the acquisition of electronic evidence whose operation is conditioned by the peculiarities of the Internet of Things (IoT) context. As a branch of computer forensics, this discipline respects the most basic forensic principles of preservation, traceability, documentation, and authorization. The digital witness approach also promotes such principles in the context of the IoT while allowing personal devices to cooperate in digital investigations by voluntarily providing electronic evidence to the authorities. However, this solution is highly dependent on the willingness of citizens to collaborate and they may be reluctant to do so if the sensitive information within their personal devices is not sufficiently protected when shared with the investigators. In this paper, we provide the digital witness approach with a methodology that enables citizens to share their data with some privacy guarantees. We apply the PRoFIT methodology, originally defined for IoT-Forensics environments, to the digital witness approach in order to unleash its full potential. Finally, we show the feasibility of a PRoFIT-compliant digital witness with two use cases.

"Good health, strong body, clear mind." "And you." "Your hospitality your generosity, your patience." "Many thanks." "My colleague's behavior... our apologies." "consul, I assure you, I intended..." "please make her quiet." "Captain, please." "I understand." "Good health, strong body, clear mind." "And you." "Your journey home short and safe." "Captain's Log, Stardate 50425.1." "Mr. NeeIix and I have completed our three-day trade mission with the Tak Tak, one of the more unusual species we've encountered in the delta Quadrant." "We are en route back to Voyager" "Oh..." "I've always been taught to be tolerant of other cultures and points of view-- no matter how aIien-- but I have to say that the Tak Tak are the most unforgiving people I've ever met." "They are a little impatient." "They make the klingons look sedate." "I may never put my hands on my hips again." "You had no way of knowing you were making one of the worst insults possible." "obviously, they've never heard of "forgive and forget."" "It's a good thing you were there, Mr. NeeIix." "I might have been shot at dawn." "I have studied chromoIinguistics," "American Sign Language, the gestural idioms of the Leyron, but I just couldn't get the hang of the Tak Tak." "It seemed like more than just a language to me, Captain." "A Iot of their gestures, from what I couId tell, were rituaIistic-- you might even say superstitious." "You have a genuine flair for diplomacy, Mr. NeeIix." "I may have to promote you... from morale officer to ambassador." "With all the species we're bound to meet," "I couId use a man like you at the front door." "Ambassador NeeIix." "I Iike the sound of that." "We're approaching the rendezvous coordinates." "Dropping to one-quarter impulse." "Voyager's not there." "And they're not responding to halls." "I'm running a Iong-range scan." "There they are." "They're holding position in Sector 38." "Coordinates 121 mark 6." "That's over a Iight-year away from here." "The ship appears to be adrift." "They could be in trouble." "Engaging maximum warp." "Janeway to Voyager" "Commander Chakotay, respond." "The ship looks perfectly fine." "There's no sign of any external damage." "Is there any sign of the crew?" "There's some kind of bioelectric interference." "I can't get clear life sign readings." "The escape pods are all in place and there's no indication of any recent transporter activity." "Grab a phaser, Ambassador." "We're going to get some answers." "still no sign of the crew, but these sensor readings are highly erratic." "The bioelectric field is permeating the ship." "Where's it coming from?" "I can't localize it." "Let's try accessing the ship's internal sensors." "See if we can get a better reading." "Same problem." "The main computer's off-Iine." "So is the com system." "This is strange." "One of the bio-neuraI gel packs in the Mess hall ruptured, but most of the systems in there seem to be functioning normally." "Let's get to the Bridge." "Someone was doing maintenance work on this power relay." "AII the equipment is still active, but the work hasn't been completed." "It's almost as if they dropped what they were doing and ran." "Come on." "This certainly isn't the welcome home I was expecting." "Me neither, but if there was an attack of some kind, why didn't Chakotay try to contact us or send out a warning buoy?" "I'm picking up a com signal about ten meters ahead." "It's coming from inside this room." "This is Ensign WiIdman's quarters." "Is she in there?" "I can't tell." "Let's take a look." "Stand ready." "Coming up next, our very special guest, Ensign KapIan." "She's going to be sharing her..." "Here's our com signaI-- your Good Morning, Voyager program." "Ensign WiIdman is one of my most dedicated viewers." "According to the time index, she activated this program approximately 1 1 hours ago." "Why is it still running?" "The program is set for automatic playback until it's turned off." "The baby's missing, too." "According to the protein decay," "I'd say Ensign WiIdman replicated this... 1 1 hours ago." "When we get to the Bridge, we'II check the communications logs." "They might tell us whether or not..." "There!" "I can't tell if it's humanoid, but it's emanating a bioelectric field." "Whatever it is, it just ran into a dead end." "Over here." "Something just punched right through this floor panel into the Jefferies tubes." "What is it?" "Some sort of mucilaginous compound." "High concentrations of amino acids, proteins... and fragments of non-humanoid DNA." "well, Ambassador," "I'd say we've got an unexpected guest." "Somehow, I don't think he's the diplomatic type." "Main power is faiIing and the environmental controls are going off-Iine." "Systems are starting to shut down one by one." "We'd better get to the Bridge." "Good." "We've still got auxiliary power." "Deck 1." "It's getting awfully hot in here." "When environmental controls fail, heat from the warp plasma conduits can't be vented." "Expect a heat wave before long." "No problem." "I'm used to it." "I grew up near the Rinax marshIands." "Our summers were the hottest in the sector-- 50 degrees celsius, 90 percent humidity." "And the most vicious IavafIies you've ever seen." "Summers in Indiana were pretty similar when I was growing up." "Except that we had three suns and the IavafIies grew to be six centimeters long." "Six centimeters, eh?" "Insect repellent was a booming business." "There's a Iife-form in the turboshaft." "I'm engaging the manual override." "Uh..." "Captain... it sounds like our guest has brought a few friends." "One more second." "I can't get the pneumatic conduits to..." "That was no IavafIy." "There's no Iife-form in the tube above us." "We're getting out of here." "Are you all right?" "Yes." "Disgusting, but all right." "That's the same muciIaginous compound we saw in the transporter room." "Come on." "What is it?" "Human life signs." "Very faint." "30 or more." "Where are they coming from?" "several decks above us." "I can't pinpoint the location." "Maybe the crew is hiding from the aliens and they set up a defense perimeter." "Maybe." "One thing's for sure-- whoever's up there, they're still alive." "Once we get the main computer on Iine, we'II be able to get a fix on their location." "So hot." "My head is spinning." "You've got a high fever, fluid in your lungs." "Lung." "That alien compound is acting quickly." "Try to hang on." "Just three more decks." "Aye, aye, Captain..." "Captain, go on without me." "I'm not going to leave you here, NeeIix." "I can't..." "I'm so dizzy." "There should be an emergency medical kit up that tube." "I'II bring back something to get you on your feet." "Don't go away." "help!" "Captain!" "I'm coming, NeeIix!" "NeeIix!" "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager to anyone within range." "My ship has been seized by unknown Iife-forms." "Require any and all assistance." "Harry..." "Harry?" "Chakotay." "Captain." "needless to say, I-I thought you were something else." "It won't be long before the other aliens sense you here and try to invade Sick Bay." "We don't have much time to treat you." "Doctor, what's going on?" "What are tho...?" "You've ruptured your dorsal extensor muscle and bruised two ribs." "I'm going to have to perform minor surgery." "Lie on your side and try to remain perfectly still." "Oh..." "tell me what's happened." "Voyager has been infected by a macrovirus." "A macrovirus?" "A form of Iife I've never encountered-- or even imagined." "What about the crew?" "Captain..." "I promise, I will tell you exactly what happened if you just lie still." "shortly after you'd left for the Tak Tak homeworId, we received a distress call from a nearby mining colony... a race called the Garans." "They were experiencing what appeared to be a minor viral outbreak." "Fever... disorientation." "I think it's some kind of virus." "Nothing serious, but if we don't stop it now, we'II be forced to shut down the operation." "We may be able to help you." "Doctor?" "A synthetic antigen may do the trick." "However, it will have to be modified for the specific virus." "I'd Iike to beam down to the mining colony and examine a few of the infected." "An away mission." "I'm the only member of this crew who can successfully enter a contaminated environment without risk." "Besides, I've been looking forward to spreading my wings." "Good enough." "It'II take us about three hours to reach you." "Thank you, Commander." "I don't think we'II..." "be going anywhere." "Prepare to download my program into the autonomous emitter." "Yes, Doctor." "They're not responding to our halls." "Life signs." "There's a Iot of bioelectric interference." "I can't get a clear reading." "Perhaps their condition is more serious than they thought." "I better get down there." "Doctor, don't forget." "You're not invulnerable." "If anything happens to that portable emitter, your program could be lost." "Don't worry, Commander." "I've been studying the starfleet guidelines for away team members." "For this particular scenario" "medical Emergency on alien Terrain-- it is recommended that we keep an open com channel at all times." "You heard the man." "channel open." "Away team to Voyager" "Transport was successful, and my portable emitter is working perfectly." "I am scanning the mine shaft and proceeding on vector 147." "Ambient temperature is 16 degrees celsius." "Cavern illumination is minimal, but shouldn't pose a problem for my optical sensors." "The cave walls are comprised of granite with a mixture of pyroclastic..." "Doctor, I appreciate your attention to detail, but we don't need that much information." "Let us know when you've found the miners." "Oh." "Very well." "Stand by then." "Voyager, I've found one of the miners." "He appears to be suffering from the advanced stages of severe viral infection." "Can you treat him?" "Not without a more specialized immunizing agent." "This is curious." "The virus has begun to concentrate in a region near his neck, and it's using his glandular tissue to create some sort of..." "orifice." "Something is emerging." "A Iife-form." "Commander, I think I've just discovered a completely new form of Iife." "From what I can tell, it appears to be... a macroscopic version of the virus." "You mean the virus has grown." "Yes." "By a factor of billions." "The virus absorbed the miner's growth hormones into its protein structure and used them to increase its own mass and dimensions." "In essence, the virus has found a way to leave the microscopic world and enter the macroscopic worId-- our world." "It's a remarkable evolutionary development." "The virus appears to be attracted to infrared radiation." "It's mistaking my hoIo-matrix for body heat." "At the moment, this one's approximately" ".5 millimeters in diameter, but it's continuing to grow at a rate of 30 microns every second." "Commander, permission to beam the virus aboard for further analysis." "No." "The virus isn't in our database." "The biofiIters might not recognize it." "You'II have to settle for tricorder data." "Very well, but I think I should..." "Stand by, Voyager" "hold on." "Stop." "You... you've got to help us." "I intend to, but first I must return to my ship and prepare an antidote." "Oh, take me with you." "I'm afraid that's not possible." "We'd risk infecting the crew." "You can't..." "leave me." "please." "Commander Chakotay, perhaps if we established a force field around Sick Bay and beamed victims directly..." "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't take the chance." "But these people need..." "Doctor, away team guidelines specifically forbid the transport of unknown infectious..." "Of unknown infectious agents onto a starship without establishing containment and eradication protocols." "I understand." "I'II do my best to help you." "Away team to Voyager" "One to beam up." "Doctor to Bridge." "Checking the biofilters." "It appears several viral organisms were beamed up as well." "The biofilter has isolated them." "Purge the filters." "Aye, sir." "Purging is complete." "I'II be in Sick Bay." "What I didn't realize was that, in the few seconds it took me to purge the filters, some of the virus had already migrated into the transporter buffer." "Any luck?" "I'm creating a synthetic antigen that will inhibit the virus's ability to replicate, but I haven't quite figured out how to restore the infected cells to their original condition." "As for the larger versions of the viruses-- what I've termed the macrovirus" "I would suggest a flyswatter." "How long before the antigen's ready?" "I'd say another 12 hours." "That gives us time to rendezvous with the Captain." "We'II deal with this after she's aboard." "Commander, I'd Iike to apologize for my overzealous behavior on the away mission." "Compassion is nothing to be sorry about, Doctor." "It won't be the Iast time you're faced with a moral dilemma in the field." "But if it makes you feel any better, your performance was..." "exemplary." "Thank you." "I told you he'd understand." "Yes." "You did." "We continued working on the antigen." "unfortunately, the macrovirus was working faster." "It had already moved from the transporter buffer into an adjacent system." "B'EIanna, thank God you're here." "The natives are getting restless." "What's the emergency?" "well, I volunteered to help out while NeeIix is away on the trade mission." "The heating array overloaded." "It incinerated a 12-kiIo pot roast and all the food replicators went off-Iine." "Mmm." "Looks delicious." "Maybe there's a problem with the bio-neuraI gel pack in the replicator panel." "actually..." "I'm a pretty good cook when Engineering's doing its job." "Oh, so this is my fault." "well, the gel packs are your department, aren't they?" "Besides, what was I supposed to tell all these hungry, irritable people?" "You know, I think that there's a plasma relay on Deck 7 that really needs repairs." "Oh, no, you can't leave me now, Lieutenant." "Oh, you need me." "I'm touched." "What's going on here?" "It looks like this gel pack has an infection." "half the neurodes have been burned out and the pack is filled with some kind of mucilaginous compound." "Tom, call the Doctor and tell him..." "B'EIanna!" "Were any other gel packs infected?" "No, just the one in the Mess hall." "The ship is healthy." "It's the crew we have to worry about." "Your bones have healed, but the surrounding tissue will be sensitive for a few days." "It's getting warmer in here." "I'm afraid it's not just the ship, Captain." "It's also you." "You've been infected with the macrovirus." "You're experiencing a high fever." "Yes, on the Bridge, I was bitten by one of them." "Your glandular system is already being affected." "If I don't treat you now, you'II end up like the rest of the crew." "I've spent the past few hours perfecting the antigen... but I haven't tested it on a live subject yet." "Looks like I'II have to be your guinea pig, Doctor." "The crew-- why are they all in the Mess hall and the cargo bays?" "I believe the larger macroviruses are driven by some sort of instinct to assemble their host population." "tell me what happened after B'EIanna was exposed to the infected gel pack." "I was faced with an imminent epidemic." "Oh, no." "Doctor to the Bridge." "The macrovirus is on board Voyager and appears to be... airborne." "I suggest a IeveI-4 quarantine of the Mess hall and all adjoining sections." "acknowledged." "Red alert." "Initiate IeveI-4 quarantine protocols on Deck 2." "Aye, sir." "AII hands, this is Commander Chakotay." "We've detected an airborne virus in the Mess hall." "Deck 2 is under quarantine." "No crew member, repeat, no crew member is to leave or enter any section on Deck 2." "Stand by for further instructions." "I've erected the biocontainment fields." "The area has been sealed." "We managed to avoid a ship-wide outbreak, but every crew member on Deck 2 had been contaminated." "I collected a single live specimen of the macrovirus, and returned to Sick Bay in hopes of finding a cure." "Ready, Doctor." "optimal magnification." "The specimen has synthesized" "B'EIanna's growth hormone into its own structure." "excellent." "That should give us the information we need to destroy the virus without killing its host cells." "The virus has grown by 150 microns." "Its rate of growth shouIdn't hinder our analysis, as long as its genetic structure stays the same." "Doctor..." "Computer, erect a IeveI-3 force field around the microscope station." "well, so much for lunch." "I may never look at food again." "I thought KIingons didn't get nauseated." "You have a redundant stomach." "well, right now... they're both unhappy." "Paris to Sick Bay." "Go ahead, Lieutenant." "I just saw two macroviruses come out of B'EIanna's neck." "Stand by, Mr. Paris." "We're close to formulating an antigen." "The virus has grown to .3 meters." "On the microscopic level, the virus uses that needIe-Iike projection to penetrate a cell membrane." "On our level, it probably impaIes its victim in much the same way infusing him with its own genetic code." "The antigen is ready." "Kes..." "Computer, deactivate force field." "well... one down, ten billion to go." "Eager to inoculate those already infected," "I quickly headed for the quarantined area." "Though their condition had grown worse, it was the least of our problems." "Lieutenant... if you can hear me," "I'm going to give you an injection." "It should eliminate the virus." "What?" "What is that?" "You don't want to know." "Doctor to the Bridge." "Intruder alert." "Deck 2, Section 13." "Within minutes, dozens of the larger organisms forced their way beyond Deck 2 and overwhelmed the ship." "It wasn't long before the crew was incapacitated." "although I've developed an effective vaccine," "I can't administer it." "Every time I try to get to the crew, I'm attacked." "Perhaps with your help." "How many of the larger macroviruses are there?" "I have no way of knowing." "Dozens, perhaps hundreds." "They're replicating at an exponential rate." "By this time tomorrow, there could be thousands." "Speak of the devil." "You're cured." "The question is:" "How do we cure the rest of the crew?" "This antigen-- can it be distributed in a gaseous form?" "For absorption via the respiratory system?" "I've already considered dispensing it through environmental controls." "But they're off-Iine and I have limited engineering expertise." "Leave that to me." "AII we have to do is get to environmental control on Deck 12." "Easier said than done." "We'II run into the same problem I faced when I tried to get to the Mess hall." "Not if I can help it." "Prepare two canisters of antigen." "We'II split up and take different routes to environmental control." "It'II double our chances." "If you get there first, call me and I'II talk you through the repairs." "The macroviruses are attracted to infrared radiation." "Set your tricorder to emit a thermal scattering signal." "It will make it more difficult to target you." "Ready when you are." "We'II be right with you." "Take Jefferies Tube 1 1." "What's wrong?" "I've been studying the ship's infrastructure and I'm familiar with most of it, but how do I get there from here?" "Jefferies Tube 1 1." "Take a left at Section 31." "Head straight down past the tractor beam emitter until you hit Deck 10." "Get out at Section 3 and follow the corridor all the way around..." "until I hit the shuttle bay." "Then I crawl through Access Port 9, go past three airIocks and then two decks down." "environmental control's at the end of the hall." "Now I remember." "Who designed this ship, anyway?" "Good luck." "Doctor to Captain Janeway." "Go ahead." "I won't be joining you as soon as I'd hoped." "The macroviruses overwhelmed me on Deck 10 and my portable emitter was nearly destroyed." "I've taken refuge inside the shuttle bay in a shuttlecraft." "Stay put, Doctor." "I'm close to environmental control." "Janeway to Doctor." "I've got the environmental controls back on Iine." "Set the dispersal nodes to one part per thousand." "What's going on?" "I'm not sure, but I think someone's firing at Voyager" "Doctor, use the shuttle's sensors to find out what's happening and patch the data to me." "Aye, Captain." "It's the Tak Tak." "Doctor, open a channel and hail their Captain." "Stand by." "consul, this is Captain Janeway." "Why are you firing at us?" "The Garan mining colony, infected." "We purified them." "Your distress call received." "Voyager infected." "We are purifying you." "Purifying?" "You're trying to destroy us." "No choice." "No cure for the virus." "Voyager's existence a threat." "Your illness." "Our apologies." "Wait." "We've developed a cure." "But your torpedoes just stopped us from getting it to our crew and putting an end to this." "Cure?" "Yes." "A synthetic antigen." "We've tested it, and it works." "I can prove it to you." "And I'd be willing to share the antigen with your people, but first, you've got to stop attacking my ship." "Give me a chance to save my crew." "A chance." "One hour." "Doctor, we've got a problem." "That last torpedo destroyed the secondary power couplings." "I can't get the environmental controls back on Iine." "We appear to be low on options." "The only systems we still have access to are the ones with independent power sources-- shuttIecraft, Iife-support, the holodecks..." "Doctor, you said the macroviruses are attracted to infrared signatures." "That's right." "Right now, you and I are the only targets left on board." "What if we gave them something new to sink their teeth into?" "What are you suggesting?" "Doctor, it seems to be working." "I've programmed the hoIo-characters to react to the viruses." "We don't have much time." "Grab your hypospray and get to the crew." "You've got a clear path to the Mess hall and both cargo bays." "acknowledged." "What about you, Captain?" "I've put together what you might call an "antigen bomb."" "Now all I have to do is drop it." "Doctor to Captain Janeway." "Captain, please respond." "Go ahead." "It worked." "The macroviruses have been destroyed." "And the ship?" "There was heavy damage suffered on HoIodeck 2, but there are no hull breaches in evidence." "Astonishment." "Your vessel, purified." "And we'd be willing to share the cure with you, if you'd be kind enough to forego destroying our ship." "Of course, of course." "Purification will cease." "My word." "Many thanks, Captain of Voyager" "Good health." "Good health." "Come in." "Good morning, Captain." "Here's an update on repairs." "How's the crew holding up?" "They're fine, although the Doctor tells me a few people are still reporting post-viraI queasiness." "I'm not surprised." "Inform the crew that I'm granting extended RR for all personnel and work out the shift rotations." "Aye, Captain." "Speaking of RR... a few of us are going skiing on the hoIodeck-- the Ktarian glaciers." "Fresh air, good workout." "Care to join us?" "No, thank you, but have fun." "Not your cup of tea?" "Oh, on the contrary, I Iove to ski." "Let's just say..." "I've had enough of a workout for the time being." "Understood."

The impact of health care market changes on local decision making and STD care: experience in three counties. In 1993 health care reform including universal coverage appeared imminent. Some county health departments elected to discontinue provision of direct services including sexually transmitted disease (STD) care. County A moved in this direction with final clinic closure in 1996. Coincidentally, two other counties elected to continue their STD treatment services. These events have created a "natural experiment" in which to evaluate the contrasting strategies among three counties. This report describes the changes in local delivery over a three-year period (1993-1995). Measurements were carried out in three counties in two states. STD program capacity, service delivery, and morbidity rates for STDs (chlamydia and gonorrhea) were monitored in each study county. Quantitative data were complemented by a qualitative patient survey at each site. Capacity changed dramatically in County A as compared with the other two over the three-year period. Major declines in STD clinic visits (-43%) and laboratory testing (-46%) occurred. A major drop in reported STD incidence (-23% for chlamydia and -49% for gonorrhea) also occurred, including a drop in public provider reporting. In County A, a decision to end delivery of personal health services led to a divestiture in STD service delivery and a decline in all measured parameters. Etiology of concurrent declined in reported STDs is unclear. Possibly decreased public services led to a spurious decline in reporting. Alternatively, an overall strategy of shifting care to private providers has succeeded in reducing disease. Public health surveillance may be less accurate in such settings.

The production of HlyA toxin by Proteus penneri strains. Twelve diverse strains of Proteus penneri of clinical origin all produced a calcium-dependent haemolysin, unlike most other Proteus spp. In most strains the haemolysin was secreted into the medium during early exponential growth and lysed not only of a variety of erythrocyte types from several animals including man, but also human neutrophils and human embryo lung fibroblasts. The haemolysin was a protein of 107 kDa, the same size as Escherichia coli HlyA, and it reacted with antiserum to E. coli HlyA. Because of its similarity in size, antigenicity and range of action to the HlyA virulence factor of E. coli, P. penneri HlyA is believed to be an important virulence factor for this organism. It was degradable by an EDTA-sensitive protease--probably the IgA protease--to inactive fragments. The interaction of P. penneri HlyA and IgA protease in vivo and the origin of HlyA, which has now been found in many diverse bacteria, are discussed.

Influence of body weight and number of inseminations on fertility of progestogen-treated ewe lambs raised in controlled environments. The influence of body weight at breeding on reproductive response to one and two artificial inseminations (AI) of fresh extended semen was assessed in 195 crossbred ewe lambs selected for early breeding and compared with 159 adult ewes, all housed indoors in a controlled environment. In six trials, ewe lambs and adult ewes in progestogen-induced estrus were inseminated 55 to 57 h after sponge removal. One-half of the lambs and one-fourth of the adults received a second insemination at 60 h. Resultant reproductive performance of both groups indicated no advantage in a double insemination. Overall fertility, litter size and fecundity after one and two inseminations were 33%, 1.7 and .6 for ewe lambs and 68%, 2.4 and 1.6 for adult ewes, respectively. Embryonic mortality after the first 2 wk of pregnancy was estimated at 24% for ewe lambs and 9% for adults. The influence of body weight was analyzed by grouping the ewe lambs according to body weight at breeding. The lambs in group 1 weighed 30 to 35 kg; group 2, 36 to 40 kg; group 3, 41 to 45 kg and group 4, 46 to 50 kg. The proportion of ewes lambing in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 was 16, 34, 39 and 48%, respectively. Corresponding litter sizes were 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0. Fecundity increased (P less than 01) from .2 in group 1 to 1.0 in group 4. The results indicate that even when ewe lambs are bred by AI (eliminating a ram behavioral problem), sheep with heavier body weights produce more lambs per ewe bred.

(1) Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to jet-powered watercraft, and more particularly to an auxiliary rudder for the watercraft, which deploys at high speeds when the throttle is shut. (2) Description of the Prior Art It is known that the lack of off-throttle steering in jet-powered watercraft, particularly in the one and two person craft typically referred to as Personal Watercraft (PWC). Steering for PWC""s is normally provided by aiming the thruster jet nozzle. An experienced driver of such a craft will maintain throttle and steer the craft to avoid a collision. However, in the panic of a high-speed collision avoidance situation, inexperienced drivers have a tendency to let go of the throttle. With the throttle at idle, there is no steerage and the craft proceeds straight, possibly leading to the collision sought to be avoided by letting go of the throttle. A number of jet-powered watercraft rudder systems for steering at low speeds are available in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,494 to Posti describes an auxiliary rudder coupled to a hydraulic cylinder. The cylinder maintains the rudder within the flow stream of the thruster jet at low speed. At high speed, water pressure from the pump chamber of the thruster operates the cylinder to raise the rudder. In a panic situation as described above, the reaction time of the cylinder to the decreased pressure in the pump chamber would be too long to provide the almost instantaneous rudder deployment required. U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,553 to Wildhaber, Sr. describes a flat plate rudder pivotally attached to an outboard jet motor, so as to be within the flow of the thruster jet. At slow speeds, the rudder provides steering for the craft. As speed increases, the water force pivots the rudder out of the flow, such that steering is controlled by directing the thruster jet. In a high-speed panic situation, with the throttle cut off, the flow of the thruster jet is stopped. However, the water flow over the rudder from the speed of the craft would maintain the rudder in the raised position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,026 to Eastling provides a steering plate, which is located below the thruster jet flow and is attached to the thruster so as to maintain the same orientation as the flow. The plate is continuously deployed to provide auxiliary steering at all speeds. However, being deployed below the flow subjects the plate to damage from rocks and other obstacles. A spring-loaded mechanism allows the plate to deflect upwards when an obstacle is encountered, so as to mitigate, but not eliminate, damage. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rudder for high speed steering of a jet-powered watercraft. Another object of the present invention is to provide a rudder for high speed steering of a jet-powered watercraft, which self-deploys when the watercraft throttle is shut off. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a rudder for high speed steering of a jet-powered watercraft, which does not protrude below the jet flow during normal operation of the watercraft. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings. In accordance with the present invention, a rudder assembley is pivotally attached to the nozzle of a jet-powered watercraft, so as to turn when the nozzle is turned. At rest, a baffle plate of the assembly partially covers the nozzle and is held in place by a spring at the pivotal attachment point. One or more flat plate rudders are attached perpendicularly to and extend away and down from the baffle plate, parallel with the jet flow from the nozzle. Once the jet begins operating, the force of the water jet against the baffle plate overcomes the spring force and the rudder assembly begins to pivot up and away from the nozzle. At slow running speeds, the force from the jet does not completely overcome the spring force, thus allowing the rudders to be partially within the jet flow and thus contribute to slow speed maneuverability of the watercraft. At high speeds, i.e., at high jet velocities, the jet forces the rudders nearly out of the jet flow and steering is provided by the nozzle direction. The rudders are pivoted up and away from the nozzle so as to prevent damage from underwater obstacles. In an imminent collision situation at high speeds, the panic reaction is to shut off the throttle, which abruptly ends the jet flow from the nozzle. The spring forces the baffle plate back over the nozzle and the rudders are again positioned parallel with the nozzle to provide steering without any flow from the nozzle. Thus the rudder assembly provides a self-deploying, high speed steering capability when the throttle is shut down.

Hepatitis C virus infection rates and risk factors in an Australian hospital endoscopy cohort. To determine the reservoir and risk factors of HCV infection in a hospital population. The presence of anti-HCV in 2,119 endoscopy patients was related to putative risk factors for exposure using the SAS statistical package. Most of the 4.7% of anti-HCV positive patients had multiple risk factors for HCV exposure. The risk was significantly increased in patients; with a previous history of hepatitis (36.4 fold), past history of injecting drugs (IDU) (32.1 fold), those born in North Africa, Middle East and Mediterranean countries (4.3 fold), had been tattooed before 1980s (3.3 fold), from 1980s-1990s (5.9 fold), had acupuncture before 1980s (3.8 fold), had a blood transfusion (3.6 fold), had clotting factors or growth hormone (4 fold), had contact with someone diagnosed with hepatitis in 1990s (4.1 fold). Of the anti-HCV patients 38 had a history of IDU, 43 were migrants and 10 were both. Anti-HCV prevalence was five times higher than predicted by the passive surveillance scheme and 20% of patients were unaware of their infection. Only one of these patients reported IDU. The evidence of HCV intersecting epidemics between developing and developed countries in Australia was strongly supported. The study provides a rational basis for targeted programs to identify asymptomatic HCV carriers who might benefit from the new antiviral treatment.

The proposed pilot studies will determine if new multi-gene arrays can be used to detect and categorize changes in gene expression that may be caused by environmental neurotoxicants. How environmental contaminants affect the developing nervous system is a central concern; yet, in many cases, there is relatively little understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which xenobiotics act during development. Exposure to environmental neurotoxicants during critical developmental stages can produce behavioral changes in adult animals. Such behavioral changes could arise due to neurotoxicant interference with one or more of the large number of molecular and cellular processes required for successful development of the nervous system. Though there have been successes, it remains a daunting and expensive task to test how every xenobiotic of concern might affect each step in neural development. Many of these stages of development, however, share a requirement for highly regulated changes in gene expression. Given this central role of regulated gene expression in development, I propose that many neurotoxicants will alter patterns of gene expression in the developing nervous system. Further, I propose that DNA gene arrays and computational methods can be used to identify and categorize changes in gene expression patterns induced by neurotoxicants. The experiments are designed to produce the initial results needed to test these ideas. The specific aims are to: (i) Use multi-gene arrays to measure levels of mRNAs encoding greater than 1000 identified genes in embryonic nervous system cells grown in the absence or presence of selected xenobiotics, and (ii) Use computational methods to identify functionally-related groups of genes with expression patterns that are altered by xenobiotic exposure. Our pilot studies will determine if such changes in expression can be detected and used to generate hypotheses about potential links between neurotoxicant-induced molecular changes and changes in later behavior.

Rate-responsive pacing as compared to fixed-rate VVI pacing in patients after ablation of the atrioventricular conduction system. In 44 patients with supraventricular arrhythmias various pacemakers were studied after closed-chest ablation of the atrioventricular conduction system. There were 22 patients with a rate-programmable VVI pacemaker (Group I), 15 patients with an activity mode (ACTIVITRAX 8400) (Group II) and seven patients with a QT-mode pacemaker (QUINTECH 911) (Group III). To study both physical work capacity and heart-rate behaviour, exercise testing was performed using a treadmill. Sixteen patients in Group I (72.7%) complained of shortness of breath during exercise in comparison to four patients (26.7%) in Group II and three patients (42.9%) in Group III. Normal physical work capacity was observed in three of 22 patients (13.6%) in Group I and in all patients in Groups II and III. The heart rate both increased and decreased more rapidly at the onset and end of the stress test, respectively, in patients with activity-mode compared to patients with QT-mode pacing systems. These data show that, despite successful His-bundle ablation, both dyspnea and decreased work capacity are observed when VVI pacemakers are used. In contrast, the use of rate-responsive pacing systems leads to better cardiac performance.

The present invention relates generally to the field of calibrating a multi-axis machining system, and more particularly, to a system and method for virtually calibrating automated equipment running on an xyz-coordinate system. Multi-axis machining systems such as Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) machining systems can be used to precisely machine and fabricate a workpiece from a set of instructions. Such systems typically include a table for supporting the workpiece, and a toolhead positioned vertically above the table and moveable relative thereto along one or more of x, y and z linear axes, as well as rotational axes. Movement of the toolhead along the axes can be controlled by instructions implemented, for example, by Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. One well known format of CNC instruction codes is known as “g-codes”. G-codes are translation instructions in which G0 represents a linear movement, and G02 and G03 represent circular or arcuate movements for the toolhead. The process for creating a g-code file involves defining a series of g-codes that represent various contours of the finished product, such as from a model, and defining the requirements of the CNC machine. CNC machine requirements include identifying and labeling features of the model, selecting cutting tools for the toolhead, determining machining speeds, defining an orientation of the workpiece, etc. After the instruction codes defining the finished model are formulated, the instruction codes are passed to the CNC controller of the CNC machine. The CNC controller uses the instruction codes comprising the g-codes to precisely control the toolhead and cutting tool to machine the workpiece into the finished product. Before machining, it has been necessary to calibrate the machine to ensure that the mechanical components are in alignment to achieve satisfactory performance from the machine. Machine components can move out of alignment over time as a result of physical contact, machine transport, component wear and normal use. Conventional methods for calibrating a CNC machine to bring components back into alignment include mechanically adjusting the toolhead path along the y-axis, adjusting perpendicularity between the adjusted y-axis and x-axis (i.e., squaring), adjusting the z-axis relative to the y-axis, x-axis and x-y plane, as well as adjustments of rotational axes perpendicular to the x-y plane, among other adjustments. Such mechanical calibration methods are disadvantageous because they are time consuming and result in significant downtime for the machine. Accordingly, what is needed is a method of virtually calibrating a CNC machine that ensures that the machine performs satisfactorily without the need for mechanical calibration methods.

Circadian rhythms of the spontaneous meal pattern, macronutrient intake, and mood of humans. Circadian (24-hour) rhythms in the feeding behavior of humans were investigated using diary self-reports of spontaneous food intake. Eight male and 30 female undergraduate students recorded what they ate, when they ate it, and their mood at the time of ingestion in a diary over a consecutive nine day period. Self-ratings of depression, energy, and anxiety were made at the beginning of each meal on three seven-point scales. The total amount of food energy in each meal as well as the amount of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, the intervals prior to and following the meals, and the satiety and deprivation ratios were calculated. The food energy contained in the stomach at the beginning and end of each meal was estimated with a mathematical model. These variables were evaluated in relation to the time of meal occurrence during the day. Fluctuations in the levels of self-rated energy and anxiety, but not depression, were detected during the day. Clear 24-hour rhythms were identified for the amount eaten and the macronutrients ingested during the day with decreases for males and increases for females. The amount eaten per meal and the meal's content of carbohydrate or fat, but not protein, varied over the day with peaks at the lunch and dinner periods. A clear sex difference without circadian variation was apparent with the deprivation ratios. This suggests that males eat larger meals than females because of a heightened responsivity to deprivation and not to a smaller response to the satiating properties of food. Preprandial correlations were found for meals occurring either during the breakfast or the dinner periods. No postprandial correlations were found. These data demonstrate that the preprandial correlations are not an artifact produced by the 24-hour rhythm and suggests that they reflect a basic regulatory strategy employed by humans. As the day progressed, postmeal intervals and satiety ratios decreased, while premeal intervals increased. This suggests that humans obtain less satiety from a given amount of food later in the day than earlier. It is postulated that this represents eating which anticipates the overnight fast. These data clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the approach and the orderly, analyzable nature of the spontaneous eating behavior of humans.

The large scale introduction of sophisticated electronic technology into the automobile began in the 1981 model year. Since that time, the electronic content of the average new car has steadily increased. The use of engine computers and other sophisticated electronic systems has enable automobile manufactures to meet a number of important objectives, particularly with regard to the industry's attempt to maximize fuel economy and minimize engine emissions. The increased use of automotive electronics has created a corresponding need for automotive service technicians who can diagnose, and maintain "high tech"electronic systems. Such technicians must possess a level of technical competence which encompasses more than the skills required for utilizing manufacturer designed "on board diagnostics" or specialized testing equipment useful only for specific automotive electronic applications. Unfortunately, not every conceivable electronic system malfunction can be detected by an on-board computer or by specialized testing equipment. When these types of failures occur, a service technician must be able to independently trouble shoot an electronic system to isolate, identify and repair the particular electronic malfunction which is the cause of the system's problem.

Effects of several vasoactive drugs on the vascular resistance of MT-W9B tumors in W/Fu rats. These experiments were designed to study the effects of vasoactive drugs on normal and malignant tissue in W/Fu rats. The increase in resistance to tumor blood flow elicited by a bolus injection of 10 microgram of norepinephrine was greater than that elicited in the surrounding mammary gland tissue. A 10-fold increase in the resistance to tumor blood flow was sustained for 30 min by the infusion of norepinephrine at the rate of 1.39 microgram/min, whereas a smaller initial increase in mammary gland vascular resistance decreased with time. In contrast, the increase in resistance to tumor blood flow caused by a bolus injection of angiotensin II was less than that observed in the mammary gland tissue. A 20-fold increase in mammary gland vascular resistance could be maintained for at least 5 min by infusion of angiotensin II at the rate of 1.39 microgram/min. In comparison, such treatment caused only a 3-fold increase in the resistance to tumor blood flow. A bolus injection of 1 microgram of isoproterenol decreased the vascular resistance in all normal tissues studied, but the resistance to blood flow in the tumor remained unchanged. The results of these experiments indicate that there may be methods whereby the tumor blood flow can be manipulated for therapeutic purposes and to assist radiographic visualization of tumors.

In the past, pilferage detection systems have been provided in which a magnetic or electromagnetic (resonant circuit) marker is placed in or on an article to be protected. If the marker is not removed or deactivated, the marker is detected by an electronic system located at the exit from the protected area. While a great variety of antipilferage systems exist for the utilization of a magnetic or resonant circuit marker, all of the present systems have troublesome false alarms due to the high level of magnetic and electromagnetic noise in the environment. Such alarms are due to transient electromagnetic noise generated, for instance, by fluorescent lamps, the turning on and off of electrical machinery and, in general, by any unshielded electromagnetic radiation which reaches the detector portion of the system. As a result of such unwanted noise, George Lichtblau and others developed a number of filtering and signal discrimination systems to eliminate noise due to electromagnetic transients in the protected area. Representative Lichtblau systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,810,147; 3,828,337; 3,863,244; 3,913,219; 3,938,044; 3,961,322; 3,967,161; 4,021,705; 4,117,466; 4,168,496; 4,243,980; 4,251,808; 4,260,990 and 4,498,076. The problems associated with the utilization of a magnetic marker are, in many respects, similar to those problems associated with the utilization of a resonant circuit (radio frequency) marker. FIG. 1 1A illustrates the typical antipilferage system which uses a magnetic marker and FIG. 1B illustrates a similar system using a resonant circuit marker. In both cases, one antenna system produces an electromagnetic time varying field in the area of interest and a second antenna system monitors this field for disturbances caused by the specific type of "marker". In both types of systems, the disturbance caused by a real marker is much shorter in time than the modulation period of the applied electromagnetic field. In the magnetic case, the field is amplitude modulated and in the resonant circuit system the radio frequency field is frequency modulated. In both cases, the basic modulation rate (and radio frequency carrier) must be removed from the monitor signal prior to further signal processing and signal discrimination. The resonant circuit (swept radio frequency) systems are subject to problems due to spurious resonances in nearby electrical and mechanical equipment, beat-notes due to local radio transmitters and noise from fluorescent lamps, high frequency noise from nearby computers and point-of-sale case registers, and high frequency impulse noise from arcing electric motors. On the other hand, there are very few objects in retail stores which closely resemble a high "Q" resonant circuit. Magnetic based antipilferage systems are subject to many of the same type of noise sources as the resonant circuit systems. Such noise sources as arcing electric motors, point-of-sale cash registers, laser scanners, and computer printers generate large amounts of low frequency electrical noise which fall in the same frequency range as the signals produced by the magnetic markers. In addition, the magnetic based systems are constantly subject to disturbances caused by nearby magnetic materials which are present in retail stores. Supermarket checkout counters and shopping carts are almost always made of steel and other magnetic materials. The unwanted signals are not only due to the presence of magnetic materials other than the markers in the protected area, but also due to vibration of nearby magnetic materials caused, for instance, by rolling supermarket carts. The physical vibrations are then translated in spurious signals within the detection portion of the system. There have been many systems developed and patented to detect the signal produced by a resonant circuit within a swept radio frequency field. The Lichtblau earlier patents illustrate many of the problems and solutions. Likewise there have been many systems developed and patented to detect the signal produced by a magnetic marker. A very early technique was suggested in French Pat. No. 763,681 issued to P. A. Picard in 1934. Picard detected the marker by first filtering out many of the lower order harmonics of the field generating signal and then detecting a single harmonic i.e., the 13th harmonic of 50 Hertz. Picard also suggested comparing the amplitude ratio of several harmonics rather than just the amplitude of a single harmonic. Lastly he suggested that the phase of the signal produced by the magnetic marker be compared with the phase of the field producing means to aid in further discrimination. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,631,442 issued to R. E. Fearon on Dec. 21, 1971, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,086 issued to G. Peterson on July 17, 1973, the magnetic field was generated using two separate frequencies and the marker served as a nonlinear mixer which gave rise to a third frequency which was the sum and difference between the two applied frequencies. The signal received by the magnetic field sensor was passed through a very narrowband filter which passed the difference (or sum) frequency. Similar to Picard in U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,103, Fearon suggested detcting harmonics of the applied signal; however, the harmonics were detected in a synchronous detector phase-locked to the field generator so that any external noise not synchronized in frequency and phase with the magnetic field generator would be averaged out to zero. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,449 issued to T. J. Elder, et al on May 23, 1972, it was recognized that the signal generated by a magnetic marker normally occurs slightly after the applied magnetic field passes through zero. Therefore, the detection system was turned on (gated) only during the portion of the modulation period when the magnetic field was near zero. In addition, the shape of the marker signal as a function of time was examined as compared to the harmonics representing the same signal. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,552 issued to P. Bakeman and A. Armstrong on Sept. 28, 1976, a special magnetic marker was required and the detection system looked for only even harmonics of the applied field. In all of the above systems, only a small part of the actual signal produced by the marker was used for signal discrimination. In addition, none of the previous systems for either resonant circuit or magnetic marker systems addressed techniques for removing high level impulse noise from the monitor systems or for automatically maintaining a minimum signal to noise ratio prior to signal discrimination. It is quite clear that the limiting factor in sensitivity to detect a resonant circuit or magnetic marker is the relationship between the signal and the noise. If there were no noise, signal discrimination would be extremely simple. All of the previous systems looked only for the signal produced by the marker and did not examine the nature of the noise. All of the filters described in the previous patents were linear and therefore subject to high level ringing if driven by impulse type noise (automobile ignitions, etc). In addition, none of the previously described patents suggested any way to automatically adjust the sensitivity of the detection system to compensate for external noise picked up by the system.

Cellular cadmium uptake mediated by the transport system for manganese. The mechanism of cellular cadmium (Cd) uptake has been poorly understood. Recently, we developed Cd-resistant cell lines from metallothionein null mouse cells and showed that the Cd resistance of these cells was conferred primarily by a reduced Cd accumulation. Surprisingly, the uptake rate of manganese (Mn) was also markedly reduced in Cd-resistant cells. Subsequent studies on the kinetics of Cd and Mn uptake by Cd-resistant and parental cells revealed that the Mn transport system with high affinity for Mn is used for cellular Cd uptake, and that this pathway is suppressed in Cd-resistant metallothionein null cells. This is the first indication that the transport system for Mn is used for Cd uptake in mammalian cells. Divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) is the only known mammalian transporter involved in the uptake of both Cd and Mn. However, the high-affinity Mn/Cd transport system we found seems to be distinct from DMT1 because of the difference in optimal pH and substrate specificity. On the other hand, various types of Mn transporters have been shown to play an important role in cellular Cd uptake in non-mammalian species such as yeast, plants and bacteria, suggesting the existence of Mn transporters other than DMT1 in mammals.

There has been a great deal of interest in recent years in the use of bio-oxidation to recover metals from sulfide ores. In such ores, the sulfides trap, or occlude, the metal particles within sulfide minerals, such as iron pyrite for example. The bio-oxidation techniques use natural microorganisms to catalyze the oxidation of sulfides in the ore into soluble sulfates, in order to adequately expose the metal in the ore for subsequent extraction. Typical metals which may be recovered in this way include gold, silver, copper, zinc, nickel or cobalt. In recent years, the gold industry has shown a particular interest in the use of bio-oxidation techniques for the recovery of gold, in large part because of the high value of gold. The primary goal of the gold mining industry is cost-effective recovery of gold from ore, and the most commonly used techniques for gold recovery from ore are smelting and cyanidation. However, a great deal of ore is to be found in ore which is naturally resistant to conventional recovery techniques. Such ore is called “refractory,” and usually contains gold particles which are locked, or occluded, within sulfide minerals. To obtain adequate gold recovery from such refractory ore, the ore must first be subjected to a pre-treatment process in which the sulfide minerals are degraded by oxidation. The ore may then be treated by a traditional reagent such as cyanide to dissolve the gold, in order to recover the gold from the treated ore. Such bio-oxidation techniques are particularly useful for pre-treatment of mine tailings, which are the byproducts of mining operations. Not only does this allow gold extraction from highly refractory ores, but it provides the added benefit of removing a barrier to redevelopment and a potential environmental hazard. Bio-oxidation is particularly well suited to the pre-treatment of tailings, as the low gold concentrations found in such tailings are not a problem for the microorganisms involved. The microorganisms simply ignore the waste products in the ore, and proceed to oxidize the sulfides surrounding the gold, often resulting in ultimate extraction recoveries not achievable by other methods One method of bio-oxidation used to pre-treat sulfide-refractory gold ores is heap bio-oxidation, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,486 to Brierley et al. In this method, coarsely ground (P80>¼″)1 refractory ores are first agglomerated while being inoculated with a microorganism slurry, then heaped onto a leach pad with aeration and drain lines. This is referred to as a “free-drained” system; i.e., one in which there is no water table within the bed, no part of the bed is flooded, and the water leaves the system drained by gravity. Initially the inoculum is grown in a tank, but after the heap oxidation process matures, the solution draining from the heap contains the organisms and is used as the inoculum. The bio-oxidation continues until the predetermined target level of sulfide oxidation has been achieved. The ongoing sulfide oxidation levels are determined by the analysis of sulfate concentration in the bioreactor effluent solution and the bioreactor effluent cumulative mass flow. Once the bio-oxidation is complete, the ore is removed from the pad and lime is added to neutralize the ore. This makes the microorganisms in the ore become dormant, and also conditions the bio-oxidized ore for cyanide leaching to extract the gold. 1“P80” is a commonly used abbreviation in the mining industry, and means that 80% of the ore particles are finer than the specified size—in this case, ¼ inch. Heap bio-oxidation can permit ultimate gold recoveries in the range of 60-70% from refractory ore. In addition, it uses inexpensive pond liners and allows air addition via high-volume blowers, which are relatively efficient and low-cost. However, heap bio-oxidation suffers from certain inefficiencies, primarily due to the large particle sizes, typically with a P80 of approximately ½ inch and no finer than a P80 of ¼ inch, with −150 [Tyler] mesh2 (106 microns) fines totaling less than 10% by weight of the total ore (expressed in the industry as P80=¼″, <10% −150 mesh). This large particle size causes “channeling,” in which water and solution seek large gaps between particles, and thus tend to flow by the ore without making substantial contact. To counter this channeling effect, a relatively high solution application rate is utilized in order to maintain contact with the ore. However, such high solution application rates result in a relatively thick layer of solution around each ore particle which impedes air flow through the heap, so that the oxidation rate is significantly slowed. 2A minus sign in front of a size designator, such as mesh or microns, followed by a percentage, is a standard abbreviation used in the mining industry to indicate that the specified percentage of the ore particles are finer than the specified size. In this case, the abbreviation is used to signify that less than 10% of the particles are smaller than 150 mesh (106 microns). Further, it has long been known that the more finely ground an ore, the more efficiently it may be oxidized and the higher the ultimate gold recoveries would be in the subsequent gold recovery process. This is because as a given quantity of ore is ground into smaller particles, the overall surface area of that quantity of ore is increased. Since an increased surface area increases the contact with the oxidizing solutions, the oxidation proceeds at a faster rate, and is also more complete. However, a great deal of experience with heap leach gold cyanidation led to the conclusion that particle sizes less than P80=¼ inch tended to migrate through the heap, until ultimately they bind together into a clay-like mass, thereby “plugging” the flow of both solution and air through the heap. Since such plugging would render the heap bio-oxidation extremely inefficient, no use of particle sizes smaller than P 80=¼ inch has traditionally been attempted. Unfortunately, this perceived inability of heap bio-oxidation to utilize smaller particle sizes has greatly limited the efficiency and thoroughness of the oxidation achievable with the process. Notably, the typical 60-70% overall gold recovery could potentially be significantly higher if the oxidation were more thorough. In addition, the time for completing the heap bio-oxidation process is typically in the range of 180-360 days, thereby adding substantially to the heap bio-oxidation capital and operating costs. This heap retention time could also potentially be greatly reduced, if smaller particles could be accommodated by the heap bio-oxidation process. One attempted solution to the above-mentioned problems with heap bio-oxidation has been agitated tank bio-oxidation. Agitated tank bio-oxidation is an alternative to heap bio-oxidation which allows for the utilization of much smaller particles (<100 microns). In this process, large quantities of oxygen and carbon dioxide are dissolved into a finely ground slurry of ore. Plugging problems which might otherwise be associated with such fine particles are avoided by utilizing a mechanically agitated tank to house the process. While such tanks are an effective way to allow very fine particles to be used in the process, they are highly expensive to purchase and to operate, and thus add greatly to the cost of the oxidation. Air addition into the agitated tank is also expensive and difficult to achieve, as the air must be added as extremely fine bubbles, and under sufficient pressure to overcome the pressure associated with the solution depth of the flooded tank. In addition to being costly, the air addition and the tank agitation render the whole process much more complex than traditional heap bio-oxidation. Ultimately, agitated tank bio-oxidation typically results in an accelerated retention time of 5-8 days, with an overall ultimate gold recovery of 85-90%. There is thus a need for a pre-treatment bio-oxidation process for refractory gold ore which would allow significantly smaller particle distributions to be utilized, thereby greatly improving overall gold recovery and shortening bio-oxidation retention times. Ideally, the process would utilize a free-drained system, and thus would avoid the cost and complexity of agitated tank bio-oxidation.