This paper primarily describes the development and application of substructure computational analysis techniques to determine stress intensity factors for the damaged panels subjected to fatigue internal pressure. A program based on substructure analysis technique has been developed for the fracture analysis of curved aircraft panels containing cracks. This program may create whole model which consists of substructure superelements and obtain fracture parameter of the crack by expanding results in superelement automatically. For instance, a typical test curved panel model consists of 7 frames and 8 stringers is calculated. This numerical approach has been validated through comparison between the calculation SIF results and available experimental data of a typical test panel with a longitudinal crack. The technique that has been established here is also applied to the other analysis of a test series of cracked panel with 7 frames and 10 stringers. SIFs of four cracks in it with different crack lengths are obtained efficiently.


A dispersed ingredient having metal-oxygen bonds which is obtained by hydrolyzing a metal alkoxide in an organic solvent in the absence of an acid, a base, and/or a dispersion stabilizer, either with 0.5 to less than 1 mol of water per mol of the metal alkoxide or at -20 DEG C or lower with 1.0 to less than 2.0 mol of water per mol of the metal alkoxide. In the organic solvent, the dispersed ingredient is stably dispersed without aggregating. Use of the dispersed ingredient enables a thin metal oxide film and a homogeneous organic/inorganic composite to be produced at a temperature as low as 200 DEG C or below.


A large variety of organic substances having complicated polycyclic structures and a wide assortment of stereogenic centers are found in nature. These compounds often exhibit attractive and specific biological activities. Ideal strategies for preparing these structurally complex substances would involve sequences in which stereocontrolled formation of multiple carbon-carbon bonds occur in a single step starting with simple, readily available materials. Great attention has been given to the development of intermolecular cascade reactions and multi-component reactions owing to their high degree of atom economy and their applications in combinatorial chemistry as well as diversity-oriented syntheses. Herein we describe a new class of catalytic reaction of polycyclic structures including cyclobutane ring by utilizing cascade reaction and multi-component reaction, and its related catalytic reaction as well as their application to biologically activesubstances.


Human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs) have been shown to possess potent immunomodulatory properties across a number of disease models. Recently, we reported that hAECs influence macrophage polarization and activity, and that this step was dependent on regulatory T cells. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of hAEC-derived proresolution lipoxin-A4 (LXA4) on T-cell, macrophage, and neutrophil phenotype and function during the acute phase of bleomycin-induced lung injury. Using C57Bl6 mice, we administered 4 million hAECs intraperitoneally 24 hours after bleomycin challenge. Outcomes were measured at days 3, 5, and 7. hAEC administration resulted in significant changes to T-cell, macrophage, dendritic cell, and monocyte/macrophage infiltration and phenotypes. Endogenous levels of lipoxygenases, LXA4, and the lipoxin receptor FPR2 were elevated in hAEC-treated animals. Furthermore, we showed that the effects of hAECs onmacrophage phagocytic activity and T-cell suppression are LXA4 dependent, whereas the inhibition of neutrophil-derived myleoperoxidase by hAECs is independent of LXA4. This study provides the first evidence that lipid-based mediators contribute to the immunomodulatory effects of hAECs and further supports the growing body of evidence that LXA4 is proresolutionary in lung injury. This discovery of LXA4dependent communication between hAECs, macrophages, T cells, and neutrophils is important to the understanding of hAEC biodynamics and would be expected to inform future clinical applications. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2016;5:1–11


The presence of a sparse "truth" has been a constant assumption in the theoretical analysis of sparse PCA and is often implicit in its methodological development. This naturally raises questions about the properties of sparse PCA methods and how they depend on the assumption of sparsity. Under what conditions can the relevant variables be selected consistently if the truth is assumed to be sparse? What can be said about the results of sparse PCA without assuming a sparse and unique truth? We answer these questions by investigating the properties of the recently proposed Fantope projection and selection (FPS) method in the high-dimensional setting. Our results provide general sufficient conditions for sparsistency of the FPS estimator. These conditions are weak and can hold in situations where other estimators are known to fail. On the other hand, without assuming sparsity or identifiability, we show that FPS provides a sparse, linear dimension-reducing transformation that is close to the best possible in terms of maximizing the predictive covariance.


In acqumng a language the child is often faced with developing a grammar on the basis of input from a range of adults who speak different dialects or idiolects and whose grammars are not therefore identical. The fact that language acquisition is not subject to failure in such circumstances must mean that input from any combination of possible language varieties is guaranteed to trigger the development of a language system. The implications of this for the nature of Universal Grammar and the language acquisition process are explored


Scholars and public health officials have expressed growing alarm over what some have termed a "misinfodemic" − a parallel epidemic of misinformation − around COVID-19. Indeed, conspiracy theories, from the Plandemic pseudo-documentary to QAnon, fuel rising skepticism about scientific facts across many areas of public life, and in recent months especially with respect to COVID-19. Misperceptions, which can rapidly spread from obscurity to mass exposure via social media, may have the capacity to hinder the efficacy of public health efforts aimed at slowing the spread of the pandemic. Especially concerning, encountering false claims online may ultimately reduce the willingness of some Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.In this report, we assess respondents' acceptance of 11 false claims that have circulated online since the beginning of the pandemic. The statements we use include six false claims about conspiracies or risk factors and five false purported preventive treatments for COVID-19. For the conspiracies/risk factors, we asked respondents whether or not they thought each claim was accurate, or whether they were unsure about its accuracy. For the false preventive treatments, we asked participants whether or not they believed the purported treatment was effective, or whether they were unsure about its efficacy.Here, we explore some of the factors associated with higher or lower likelihood of believing false claims. We then consider the association between believing false information about COVID-19 and vaccine acceptance.


To date, electoral systems are conceptualised as setting an 'upper bound' to, or defining a 'carrying capacity' for, the number of parties or lists, and their effect is assessed at the district level. This article adds to the empirical study of electoral systems by analysing a vast database of district-level electoral returns. The argument focuses on the demand and supply of viable electoral candidates, which are conditioned by the interplay of strategic entry (by the party rank and file) and strategic voting (by the electorate). Drawing on a database of almost 18,000 electoral districts taken from 15 West European countries, the empirical analysis yields a number of insights: most specifically, (1) district magnitude only becomes binding and effective when a higher social demand meets a lower carrying capacity of the electoral district; (2) the provision of upper tiers undermines the emergence of Duvergerian equilibria within the primary electoral districts.


Objective: to assess the impact of surgical site infections reported by clue-based surveillance compared to those detected by the retrospective assessment of the patient's medical record. Method: epidemiological study and reflection conducted in a large, public, university hospital. Results: the data collection was carried out through register of notifications by clues, performed by the infection control commission and analysis of the medical records of patients submitted to cardiac surgeries between 2011 and 2014. The diagnosis of surgical site infection followed the criteria defined by the National Healthcare Surveillance Network of the Centers Disease Control. The data were analyzed in the Epi-info® 6.4program, through descriptive statistics. A total of 294 patients undergoing cardiac surgeries were analyzed by clue-based surveillance and 195 by the review of medical records. 17 (65.9%) superficial surgical site infections were reported; one that was deep (3.8%); eight (30,8%) of organ/cavity in clue-based monitoring; 25 (69,4%) superficial incisors; two (5,6%) deep ones, and nine (25%) of organ/cavity in the review of the medical records. The impact of surveillance by medical records was 38.4% (36/26) in relation to the clue-based monitoring. Conclusion: the surveillance by medical records, despite its acknowledged limitation, contributed in an important way to know, in fact, the rates of infection of the surgical site. It is suggested to the services of investigation of infections of the surgical site that the methods adopted for surveillance are rethought and, above all, that the rates obtained from different possible perspectives are validated. DESCRIPTORS: Surgical wound infection. Epidemiological surveillance. Epidemiological surveillance services. Nursing. VIGILÂNCIA POR PISTAS OU RETROSPECTIVA? QUAL O IMPACTO NA NOTIFICAÇÃO DAS INFECÇÕES DO SÍTIO CIRÚRGICO EM CIRURGIA CARDÍACA


Spirulina has attracted a great attention as it contains many nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and minerals. Spirulina contains peptides that have therapeutic and beneficial effects on the human body. Some medicinal properties of the biological peptides of Spirulina platensis include antioxidants, antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-diabetes and anticoagulant activity. This study provides an overview of the biological peptides derived from Spirulina and some biological activities with health benefits. In this study peptide Ile-Gln-Pro from spirulina platalsis was isolated using an alkalase enzyme and investigate its inhibitory effect on the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). This peptide was purified by gel filtration chromatography and Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) Enzymatic kinetic studies showed a non-competitive inhibitory activity of this peptide, and the Ki value was 5.8 μm.


Abstract Bilingualism has always been emphasized in Singapore's education system. Since 1959, Singapore government leaders have repeatedly stressed that bilingualism is the cornerstone of Singapore's language policy. Scholars researching language policy and planning in Singapore have also assumed that Singapore has always maintained a consistent stand on bilingualism. This paper cites the case of Chinese language (Mandarin) education as evidence to show how "bilingual" education has undergone significant changes in Singapore by tracing the historical changes and examining how bilingual education has evolved since its implementation. The findings show that the once-compulsory bilingual requirements gave way to differentiated ones in the history of Singapore's bilingual policy. This finding will help researchers have a better understanding of Singapore's "bilingual education" today and its position compared to other bilingual education systems in the world.


Despite the tremendous scientific and technological achievements in the production of food, human well-being has not been served to a satisfactory extent. Millions of people are literally killing themselves by excessive eating or wrong use of food, leading to obesity and nutrition-related diseases. At the same time millions of people continue to suffer from lack of food, leading to starvation, malnutrition and death, often before reaching adult age. Parallel to striving for better-safer-healthier food, the community of Food Sciences is faced with the challenge to help educate the average consumer on how to select, handle, store and use food for safe and healthy eating. The need to reshape and reform public education to better serve this task is obvious. What is also obvious is the need for medical professionals to recognize healthy eating (and exercise) as the most valuable tool in preventive medical care. This perspective will concentrate on challenges and opportunities for Food Scientists/Engineers: to contribute towards a society of well-informed, self-protected, active and considerate citizens; to support public (food-related) education and actively participate in the fight against obesity and nutrition-related diseases; to intervene in decision making bodies and underline the importance of education on nutrition and food; to invent avenues and possibilities to contribute to the fight against world hunger; and all in all, to contribute towards a healthier world, a world that will not be split between hunger and obesity.


The discovery of flux controlled memristors (Memory Resistor) by Leon Chua in 1971 as
the missing element relating flux to charge, opens up possibilities for the development of a
novel class of dielectrics over the coming years. With memristive components there is a
departure from linearity; and components exhibit nonlinear characteristics. These properties
enable the memristive elements to be used for the successful modeling of a number of physical
devices and systems. The Bond Graph is one of graph theory modeling techniques, whose
graphical description directly reveals the allocation and management of energy in the system
(storage and dissipation) as well as the interconnection structure through which internal and
external power exchange occurs via power ports. The graphical expansion of bond graph with
the causal relationships among the system variables leads into a formulation of different types
of mathematical models such as Port-Hamiltonian Systems. Incorporation of memory based
elements leads to circuits with far more complex behaviour than normal dielectrics display.
System dynamics may be studied using differential algebraic models arising from descriptor
representations of the derived Port-Hamiltonian systems through Bond graph analysis.
A derivation of unique generic Input-State-Output Port-Hamiltonian (ISO PHS)
formulation from Bond graph representation of memristive circuits is proposed, which is
suitable for simulation as well as providing engineering insight through analysis. In the
proposed framework, the dissipation field splits into resistive and memristive parts in order to
derive the Input-State-Output Port-Hamiltonian expressions and discuss different classes of
systems of the proposed framework. Applications of the generic bond graph ISO PHS
formulation using case studies with a memristive element are presented as examples of the
proposed analysis. Consistency of the formulation is shown with transfer function formulations
as well as with hybrid systems modelling. The nonlinear bond graph port-Hamiltonian
methodology has applications in nonlinear network analysis and enables the formulation of
input-output models of complex components embedded in non-linear circuits and systems.


Part I: Introduction "Eliade's Life and Times," Bryan Rennie "Introduction to The Sacred and the Profane," Mircea Eliade. Part II: Eliade's Understanding of Religion II.A. Early Understanding "Folklore as an Instrument of Knowledge," Mircea Eliade (trans. Mac Linscott Ricketts) II.B. The Elements of Eliade's Understanding: II.B.1.The Sacred "The Structure and Morphology of the Sacred," Mircea Eliade "The Sacred in the Secular World," Mircea Eliade "Before the Sacred became Theological," William Paden "The Ontology of the Sacred," Bryan Rennie II.B.2. Hierophany "Hierophany," Mircea Eliade and Lawrence Sullivan II.B.3. The Dialectics of the Sacred and the Profane "The Dialectic of the Sacred," Douglas Allen II.B.4. Homo Religiosus "Homo Religiosus," Gregory Alles "Homo Faber and Homo Religiosus," Mircea Eliade "Homo Religiosus in the Thought of Mircea Eliade," John Saliba II.B.5. Symbols "What the Symbols Reveal," Mircea Eliade "Notes on the Symbolism of the Arrow," Mircea Eliade "Normative Elements in Eliade's Phenomenology of Symbolism," Robert Baird II.B.6. The Coincidentia Oppositorum "Coincidentia Oppositorum--the Mythical Pattern," Mircea Eliade "Polarity and the Coincidentia Oppositorum," Mircea Eliade "The Concept of the Coincidentia Oppositorum," John Valk II.B.7. Myths "Mythology and the History of Religions," Mircea Eliade "Survivals and Camouflages of Myth," Mircea Eliade "The Myths of the Modern World," Mircea Eliade II.B.8. Illud Tempus "Sacred Time and Myths," Mircea Eliade "Illud Tempus: Time by any Other Name," Bryan Rennie. Part III: Eliade's Methodology III.A. Eliade "Methodological Remarks on the Study of Religious Symbolism," Mircea Eliade "Raffaele Pettazzoni as Exemplar," Mircea Eliade "Foreword from Shamanism," Mircea Eliade III.B. Critiques of Eliade "Distinguishing Religious Phenomena," Douglas Allen "Sermons from a Man on a Ladder," Edmund Leach "Eliade on Buddhism," Richard Gombrich "In Nostro Tempore: on Mircea Eliade," R. J. Zwi Werblowski "Some Theoretical Problems," Ivan Strenski. Part IV: Problems and Themes in Eliade's Thought: IV.A. History and Historicism "The Terror of History," Mircea Eliade "Historical Events and Structural Meaning in Tension," Mircea Eliade "Eliade and History," Douglas Allen "How Historical is the History of Religions," Robert Segal "Mircea Eliade as 'anti-historian' of Religion," Gilford Dudley III IV.B. Eliade and Postmodernism "Eliade and Postmodernism," Bryan Rennie IV.C. Eliade's Literature "On Reading Eliade's Stories as Myths for Moderns," Mac Linscott Ricketts "The Disguises of Miracle," Matei Calinescu IV.D. Eliade's Religion "The Secret Nostalgia of Mircea Eliade for Paradise," Ansgar Paus "Orthodox Mystical Tradition and the Comparative Study of Religion," A. F. C. Webster IV.E. Eliade's Politics "Blind Pilots," Mircea Eliade "Meditation on the Burning of Cathedrals," Mircea Eliade


. Inclusive education refers to the right of all persons to education, ensuring the presence, participation and progress of all students. However, at present, this is a dual and controversial issue, as it appears among the strategies and objectives planned at international and European level, but its application and real development is still far from being a right with guarantees. The objectives that we propose with this work are: to review the state of the art on the measure of inclusion in the teaching profession and to develop a causal model that allows us to know which factors are significant in achieving true inclusion. The method used is a multivariate analysis through exploratory factor analysis and a multiple linear regression model. The sample is made up of 133 teachers from the Andalusian territory. The results show that knowledge about disability is not significant to achieve an inclusive system, but that the decisive factor is knowledge about inclusion. Also positive are the measures to improve the teaching staff and the integration measures as a previous step to inclusion. The conclusions of this work provide education managers and teachers with information on those aspects which need to be improved in order to achieve one of the objectives of sustainable development, namely, inclusive education.


Eighteen four weeks' old weaned Broiler rabbits of comparable body weights were allotted to three dietary treatment groups of six rabbits in each group namely T0 (basal control diet, T1 (basal diet added with Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Rhizoid Powder, TRP, at the ratio of 150mg) and T2 ( basal diet added with TRP at the ratio of 300mg/100g diet). Feeding cum growth trial and digestion trial were during summer months of April, May and June to study voluntary feed intake, growth rate and nutrient utilization by the experimental animals. TRP included in the diets of experimental groups consisting 6.72 % CP, 5.04% ether extract, 3.96% crude fibre, 7.85% total ash. Depression in voluntary feed intake due to summer stress did not alter due to the inclusion of turmeric powder. The weekly mean body weight gain, feed conversion efficiency and digestibility of nutrients did not show significant difference by the supplementation of turmeric rhizome powder in the diets of rabbit in present study.


The suicides of 3 Winnipeg medical residents within 15 months shocked Manitoba physicians and raised concerns among interns and residents across Canada. The cluster of self-inflicted deaths has observers wondering if the stress of residency programs was a contributing factor in the tragedies.


Background: Blood transfusion requirement during neonatal open heart surgeries is universal. Homologous blood transfusion (HBT) in pediatric cardiac surgery is used most commonly for priming of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) system and for postoperative transfusion. To avoid the risks associated with HBT in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery, use of autologous umbilical cord blood (AUCB) transfusion has been described. We present our experience with the use of AUCB for neonatal cardiac surgery. Designs and Methods: Consecutive neonates scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery for various cardiac diseases who had a prenatal diagnosis made on the basis of a fetal echocardiography were included in this prospective observational study. After a vaginal delivery or a cesarean section, UCB was collected from the placenta in a 150-mL bag containing 5 mL of citrate–phosphate–dextrose–adenine-1 solution. The collected bag with 70–75 mL cord blood was stored at 2°C–6°C and tested for blood grouping and infections after proper labeling. The neonate's autologous cord blood was used for postcardiac surgery blood transfusion to replace postoperative blood loss. Results: AUCB has been used so far at our institute in 10 neonates undergoing cardiac surgery. The donor exposure in age and type of cardiac surgery-matched controls showed that the neonates not receiving autologous cord blood had a donor exposure to 5 donors (2 packed red blood cells [PRBCs], including 1 for CPB prime and 1 for postoperative loss, 1 fresh frozen plasma, 1 cryoprecipitate, and 1 platelet concentrate) compared to 1 donor for the AUCB neonate (1 PRBC for the CPB prime). Postoperative blood loss was similar in both the groups of matched controls and study group. Values of hemoglobin, total leukocyte count, platelet counts, and blood gas parameters were also similar. Conclusions: Use of AUCB for replacement of postoperative blood loss after neonatal cardiac surgery is feasible and reduces donor exposure to the neonate. Its use, however, requires a prenatal diagnosis of a cardiac defect by fetal echo and adequate logistic and psychological support from involved clinicians and the blood bank.


Despite the widespread use of virtual classes in EFL teaching and learning and its success in many L1 and L2 countries, research on the impact of virtual classes on the development of speaking skills has not been touched upon satisfactorily in EFL settings, particularly in Saudi Arabia. To address this gap, the current study aims at exploring the effects of using the virtual classes on English majors' speaking skills, and examining their attitudes towards the use of virtual classes. The study was conducted with 70 English students at Qassim University who were assigned into two groups, control (35) and experimental (35), after ensuring of their homogeneity by administering the Quick Placement Test. The virtual classes were used in teaching the experimental group, while the traditional method was used with the control one in the first term of the academic year (2019-2020). Data were collected from the study participants using an oral speaking test, an attitudinal questionnaire, and Semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between both groups in favor of the experimental group, in pronunciation, fluency, comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary due to the virtual classes. However, using virtual method appeared to be a more fruitful tool since the mean score of the experimental group (30.36) was much higher than the mean score of the control group (20.37). The questionnaire and interview findings also revealed that students generally had positive attitudes towards using virtual classes particularly because they found it helpful in improving their speaking skills. In light of those findings, the researcher suggested some recommendations that are hoped to help syllabus designers, supervisors, and English language teachers in developing teaching speaking skills.


This paper examines technical and non-technical factors that are critical to the viability of commercialization of wave energy converters in off-grid luxury resorts and small utilities. Critical factors are found by investigating Levelized Cost of Energy, and using the tools PESTEL and Porter's five competitive forces. Identified factors are then applied on three business cases to investigate their impact on viability. The results show that one of the main challenges facing off-grid commercialization is the few wave energy converter units installed per location, negating the economy of scale that large wave energy farms count on to achieve competitive cost levels. In addition, factors like current cost of energy, available wave resources, distance from shore, infrastructure, supply chain logistics, and electricity demand are found to be deciding factors for viability. Despite these challenges, it is found that there are potentially viable off-grid business cases for commercialization of wave energy converters.


Blunt thoracic aortic injury increasing day by day which is the most frequently encountered cause of mortality following intracranial hemorrhages essentially acceleration-decelaration mechanism of aorta is responsible for this injury. Motor vehicle accidents are the most common causes of aortic injury with the rate of 96.7% .We reported a patient who had neurological deficit in lower extremities due to aortic dissection from descending aorta to abdominal aorta that was seen after an assault. In case of neurological motor deficits after traumas, vascular injuries should be kept in mind.


Paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded liposomes were developed with the goal of enhancing the effects of cancer treatment. Although loading substances into the lipid membrane of liposome cause some destabilization of the lipid membrane, PTX was nearly exclusively embedded in the lipid membrane of liposomes, due to its low water solubility. Hydrophobic drugs can be encapsulated into the inner core of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-encapsulated liposomes (BSA-liposome) via noncovalent binding to albumin. Since PTX is able to noncovalently bind to albumin, we attempted to prepare PTX-loaded BSA-liposome (PTX–BSA-liposome). The amount of PTX loaded in the BSA-liposome could be increased substantially by using ethanol, since ethanol increases PTX solubility in BSA solutions via prompting the binding PTX to BSA. On the basis of the results of transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering, PTX–BSA-liposome formed unilamellar vesicles that were spherical in shape and the PTX was encapsulated into the inner aqueous core of the liposome as a form of PTX–BSA complex. In addition, the PTX–BSA-liposome, as well as nab-PTX, showed cytotoxicity against human pancreatic cancer cells, AsPC-1 cells, in a PTX concentration-dependent manner. The in vivo antitumor effect of PTX–BSA-liposomes was also observed in a mouse model that had been subcutaneously inoculated with pancreatic cancer cells by virtue of its high accumulation at the tumor site via the enhanced permeability retention effect. These results suggest that PTX–BSA-liposomes have the potential for serving as a novel PTX preparation method for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.


Abstract. With early detection, 5-year survival rates for ovarian cancer exceed 90%, yet no effective early screening method exists. Emerging consensus suggests over 50% of the most lethal form of the disease originates in the fallopian tube. Twenty-eight women undergoing oophorectomy or debulking surgery provided informed consent for the use of surgical discard tissue samples for multispectral fluorescence imaging. Using multiple ultraviolet and visible excitation wavelengths and emissions bands, 12 fluorescence and 6 reflectance images of 47 ovarian and 31 fallopian tube tissue samples were recorded. After imaging, each sample was fixed, sectioned, and stained for pathological evaluation. Univariate logistic regression showed cancerous tissue samples had significantly lower intensity than noncancerous tissue for 17 image types. The predictive power of multiple image types was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression (MLR) and quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA). Two MLR models each using two image types had receiver operating characteristic curves with area under the curve exceeding 0.9. QDA determined 56 image type combinations with perfect resubstituting using as few as five image types. Adaption of the system for future in vivo fallopian tube and ovary endoscopic imaging is possible, which may enable sensitive detection of ovarian cancer with no exogenous contrast agents.


Background: Lack of social competence (SC) and cognitive failure (CF) could cause depression in children with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and affect their academic performance (AP). The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of depression associated with social competence, cognitive failures and academic performance in students with specific learning disabilities. Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive correlational study consisted of all female students within the age range of 10 to 12 with SLD in the academic year 2020-2021 in Ahvaz, Iran, among whom 178 were selected as the sample through cluster sampling. The research tools included academic performance, the Social Competence Scale (SCS), the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). The evaluation of the proposed research model was performed using the path analysis method via SPSS and AMOS software version 24. Results: The results indicated that all direct paths to AP were significant (P=0.001), except for that of CF (P=0.111). The mediating role of depression did not show a significant association between the indirect path of SC and AP (P= 0.135). However, the mediating role of depression caused a significant association between the indirect path of CF and AP (P=0.010). Conclusion: The results herein revealed that the proposed model achieved a desirable fit, which is considered to be a crucial step toward understanding the factors affecting the AP of students with SLD.


BACKGROUND
More than 3.5 billion people are affected by iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA). Previous studies have shown that the use of iron pots in daily cooking ameliorates IDA. We report a study on the use of a novel treatment to address IDA in rural women in Cambodia, where the use of iron pots is not common.

METHODS
A community-wide randomized controlled trial was conducted in the village of Preak Ruessei, Kandal Province, Cambodia. Rural women (n = 189) were enrolled and randomly assigned by household to one of three groups: (i) control, (ii) iron treatment with no follow-up and (iii) iron treatment with follow-up visits to provide IDA education. Haemoglobin, serum iron and C-reactive protein concentrations were measured at baseline, 3 and 6 months. A reusable fish-shaped iron ingot was distributed to the two treatment groups and participants were directed to use them daily for cooking. We hypothesized that iron from the ingot would leach iron into food providing an effective iron source.

RESULTS
Blood iron levels were higher in women in the iron fish plus follow-up at 3 months compared with controls, but this was not maintained. At 6 months, haemoglobin and serum iron had fallen in all groups and the proportion of anaemic women had increased.

CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that the iron ingot was effective in the short but not longer-term against IDA. Though a novel treatment option, further research is warranted to determine bioavailability of leached iron and whether or not the surface area is large enough for sufficient iron leaching.


A survey of parasitoids of the pepper weevil ( Anthonomus eugenii Cano), one of the most im- portant pests of peppers in North America, was conducted in Mexico as part of a search for biological control agents of this pest. Surveys were conducted in different years on the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts in Mexico. We recovered parasitoid species belonging to 7 genera: Triaspis eugenii Wharton & López-Martínez, Urosigalphus sp., Bracon spp.; Catolaccus hunteri Crawford; Eurytoma spp.; Eupelmus sp.; and Ceratoneura sp. The latter species might be a newly recorded genus for this pest. Catolaccus hunteri , T. eugenii , and Urosigalphus sp. rep- resented 96% of all recovered specimens. Triaspis eugenii was collected only in Nayarit, and Urosigalphus sp. predominated in Oaxaca; both locations are on the Pacific Coast. Catolac- cus hunteri was present at every sample site. The biology of the braconids T. eugenii and Urosigalphus sp. would seem to make them best suited for biological control of pepper weevil due to their presumed host specificity and habit of attacking the host egg.


Six sulphonylureas (tolbutamide, tolazamide, chlorpropamide, glibornuride, glipizide and gliquidone) and 2 biguanides (metformin and buformin) were tested for possible effects on insulin binding to H 35 rat hepatoma cells in culture. Insulin binding was measured after 24 and 72 hr of culturing cells in medium containing the drugs. Buformin and gliquidone were tested in concentrations from 10(-8)-5 X 10(-5) M, the other drugs in concentrations from 10(-7)-5 X 10(-4) M. All 24-hr experiments were repeated in cells down-regulated with 10 micrograms/ml insulin. None of the oral hypoglycemic agents tested had any significant influence on insulin binding to H 35 hepatoma cells, either in the presence or absence of insulin. We suggest that the insulin receptor status, at least in this type of liver cell, is not influenced by sulphonylureas or biguanides.


The widespread use of vertical cylindrical tanks puts the question of their sustainable design. Snow load brings the greatest contribution to the stress-strain state of the supporting structures of vertical tanks spherical domed coatings. The coefficients of the external pressure on the walls and coating of the wind were also determined. The obtained results can be used to develop effective design solutions for domed coatings of the oil tanks.


Abstract:This study explores the democratic culture in Belarus by describing how adolescents view norms of democratic citizenship, how they perceive societal institutions, and whether they intend to participate in civic and political life. Using survey data from 207 students from public schools in a southeastern region of Belarus, the study identified elements of a nascent democratic culture while also pointing out potential barriers to democratic consolidation. Overall, the majority of participants identified with norms of democratic citizenship, with students from urban schools seeing social movement democratic citizenship as more important than did their counterparts form rural schools. Adolescents' attitudes toward democratic citizenship and trust in societal institutions predicted their intention of taking part in electoral activities. However, neither institutional trust nor perceived importance of social movement citizenship explained variation in adolescents' intentions to take part in political life.


A core problem of social constructivist theories of knowledge is the lack of theoretical clarity about the role of knowledge constraints and how they are overcome in practice, by what type of social agency. Knowledge constraints are both special – rules constituting and/or regulating such distinct intellectual fields as science, art and technology – and general – laws working across the nature/culture divide. In order to sort out this complexity of knowledge constraints in science, we need to start by recognizing the existence of knowledge constraints in the first place. Advance of knowledge is not contingent, as claimed by the Strong Program inaugurated by David Bloor. The latter reduces the problem of knowledge constraints to reputational work. But reputational work is what all humans engage in; this is one reason why networking is so crucial for the human species. Moreover, it requires the special form of communicative competence, talk, which only humans possess. It is also because humans can talk that they have managed to invent the coherent argument, the core of the special constraint that constitutes science, giving it a law-like character. Arguments are both competitive and cooperative at the same time, reputational work contains both elements. This strongly social element of science is missing in Latour's concept of the social. Latour reduces the social (both networking and agency) to naked competition. But the model for this thinking is not sociology, it is literature. As a social construction it possibly reflects the psychological effect of the French system of elite education.


The concentration of As in the cured leaf of field-grown flue-cured tobacco varied from 2 ppM where no As was applied to the soil to 14.3 ppM where the rate of application was 48 pounds As per acre (288 pounds lead arsenate). The highest concentration was in leaves from plants grown on the sandier soils and decreased as the clay and iron content of the soil increased. The As content of the aerial portion was considerably lower than that of roots of plants grown in sand cultures containing soluble As. 22 references.


In this paper, the biological droplet transport and deposition in the turbulent airflow inside an indoor environment was studied using the Lagrangian computational method. Meanwhile, as to the mathematic simulation, the Monte Carlo modeling method was coupled into this simulation program to describe the bio-particle transport. Many influent factors such as indoor airflow velocity, the bio-aerosol generator velocity, particle diameter, and evaporation and death were considered synthetically in this paper. Serratia marcescens was used as tracer microorganism to simulate the droplet nuclei exhaled by patients, and the spatial distribution of its concentration was measured. Collected bacteria were quantified using standard cultivating assays. It showed the simulation results were comparable with the data of the experimental findings.


No-reference (NR) perceptual video quality assessment (VQA) is a complex, unsolved, and important problem for social and streaming media applications. Efficient and accurate video quality predictors are needed to monitor and guide the processing of billions of shared, often imperfect, user-generated content (UGC). Unfortunately, current NR models are limited in their prediction capabilities on real-world, "in-the-wild" UGC video data. To advance progress on this problem, we created the largest (by far) subjective video quality dataset, containing 38,811 real-world distorted videos and 116,433 space-time localized video patches ('v-patches'), and 5.5M human perceptual quality annotations. Using this, we created two unique NR-VQA models: (a) a local-to-global region-based NR VQA architecture (called PVQ) that learns to predict global video quality and achieves state-of-the-art performance on 3 UGC datasets, and (b) a first-of-a-kind space-time video quality mapping engine (called PVQ Mapper) that helps localize and visualize perceptual distortions in space and time. The entire dataset and prediction models are freely available at https://live.ece.utexas.edu/research.php.


This dissertation set out to review the array of Oireachtas Select and Joint Committees created at the start of the 27th Dail in 1993 and reestablished following the change of government in 1995 and to explore their impact on the functions of parliament.

To begin with, secondary literature relating to tasks associated with parliaments is discussed drawing on Irish experiences and practices where possible. The many debates on Oireachtas reform over the past twenty years are examined, primarily with a view to learning the views of parliamentarians regarding the specific use of committees.
A range of factors which it is felt have a critical impact on the operations of parliamentary committees and their members in a number of countries are presented for consideration.

An overview of the Oireachtas committees in existence in 1996 illustrating such features as the role of women, payments to chairpersons and extent of membership by deputies and senators is offered.

Two case studies relating to the operations of the Select Committee on Legislation and Security and the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs examine the detailed activities of both these committees for the period 1993 - 1996, highlighting the degree of involvement by members, workload, observations of participants and main players over time, difficulties encountered and a number of observations are presented regarding their operations.

The study concludes that the committees offered parliamentarians, government and interest groups a unique opportunity to unleash, enkindle and fuse talents and knowledge from sources hitherto largely removed and uninvolved in detailed public policy formation. The potential benefits available from their employment, however, were severely hampered by th e sheer overabundance of committees with consequent strain on all the stakeholders/players involved, the persistence of government domination in parliamentary output, the continuing emphasis on constituency work by members which tended to place those who wished to pursue an energetic, active role in committee operations, possibly a t the expense of less well-publicised constituency activity at an electoral disadvantage, the failure by the authorities to provide appropriate resources for effective and dynamic output from the committees and the lack of appropriate media recognition combining to dilute their effectiveness.

The amendments to the committee system, announced for the 28th Dail are noted, observing that many of the changes flow from the experiences gained from their use in the 27 th Dail which in itself justified their creation and experimentation.


Although evictions are a significant cause of homelessness they have received relatively little interest from social scientists. International data are scarce and there are few descriptions of the processes leading to evictions. This paper attempts to shed some light on this under-researched issue. First, an attempt is made to develop a theoretical framework placing evictions in the intersection between civil and social citizenship, and the importance of distinguishing between the macro- and micro- levels in the analysis of evictions is
underlined. Secondly, three specific countries are studied: Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The legal basis for evictions, eviction procedures, and the possibilities for avoiding homelessness arising from rent arrears are presented and compared.


: Thoracolumbar rotation was measured by a noninvasive method in 135 patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The mean of the total rotation from the level of the xiphisternum to S1 was 45.2 degrees, which is approximately half of that in healthy subjects measured by comparable methods. Rotation had a significant negative correlation with the duration of the disease and with the radiologic degree of lumbar spine involvement, but not with the degree of radiologic sacroiliitis. Reproducibility of the method was good. Measurement of thoracolumbar rotation is seldom used in the assessment of ankylosing spondylitis, and merits further evaluation.


The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic presses huge demand for testing capacity. We posted a new idea--multiplier grid (MG)--online in mid-March 2020 and circulated a writeup by email shortly after to address this issue. It enables use of a moderate number of test kits to screen a large number of individuals to look for a small number of infected individuals. Now, we describe a protocol to implement the MG based on existing diagnostic technologies and existing automated lab equipment. Using industry standard 96-well plate (reserving first 2 wells for positive/negative controls), screening 94*94 = 8,836 individuals needs only 2*96 = 192 sets of test kits, with multiplier being 46. If a test costs $250/kit, with MG per person cost goes down to about $5. The very low cost makes periodic blanket screening (e.g. twice weekly) post-lockdown feasible, without putting pressure on reagent supply and equipment time. Going further, pooling samples from individuals that share the same basic unit of the population beforehand boosts the multiplier further to 46*4 = 184 for average household size of 4, and the number of individuals screened to 94*94*4 = 34,344, using only 2*96 + 4 = 196 sets of test kits. the MG can also be used in livestock farming to detect infection early to avoid mass culling.


Background
 Multiple Myeloma is the second more frequent hematological malignancy with a median age at diagnosis of 65 years old. However, this data is mainly of European countries and the United State of America. (1) The age is an important variable because the vast majority of cancer center use 65-70 years old as the cutoff for autologous transplantation. Two third of patients are considered not eligible for autologous transplant. The percentage of patients diagnosed at young age (<40 years) is relatively rare (2,2%)(1, 2) and even more rare is before 30 years (0.3%)(3). It is not available solid information of Latin American MM patients. The objective of this study was to determine the age at diagnosis according to the last 19 years. Also, to define the percentage of MM patients in a 5-year interval range of age.
 Methods
 We reviewed the database of the Department of Epidemiology at the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases from 2000 to 2018 in Lima, Peru. We included all patients with Multiple Myeloma. Stratification was made based of age group, year of diagnosis and eligibility for hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Tables of relative and accumulative frequency were made.
 Results
 We found 1112 patients with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM), with a median age of 61 years and an average of 60.2 years. Male patients were 59% for the entire cohort. Patients under 40 years of age represented 4.6% (51), of which 72% (37) were male. Those under 30 years old were 0.9% (10%) of all cases of which 90% were male. Patients eligible for transplant were 63% in total, with a median age of 55 years, and the non-eligible group had a median age of 71 years.
 The median age for each year from 2000 to 2018 was 61 with a range of 56 to 65 years old (peak in 2010) with an oscillating trend, however with a slight downward slope. The median age from 2000 to 2008 was 61 and from 2009 to 2018 was 60 years. The most frequent affect group was 60 to 64 years (16.5%), nevertheless, in the last 10 years the age group of 55-59 was the most affected 16.05% vs 15.34%, respectively.
 Conclusion:
 Our study shows that NDMM patients in Peru have a lower median age compared to European or American countries with a tendency to have younger MM patients. In addition to having a higher percentage (4.6% vs 2%) of patients under 40 years old and 30 years old (0.9% vs 0.3%). This significantly younger population and specially those under 40 years of age deserve a comprehensive evaluation to determine if this impact their prognosis and survival.
 References
 1. Kyle RA, Gertz MA, Witzig TE, Lust JA, Lacy MQ, Dispenzieri A, et al. Review of 1027 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003;78(1):21-33.
 2. Blade J, Kyle RA, Greipp PR. Presenting features and prognosis in 72 patients with multiple myeloma who were younger than 40 years. Br J Haematol. 1996;93(2):345-51.
 3. Blade J, Kyle RA, Greipp PR. Multiple myeloma in patients younger than 30 years. Report of 10 cases and review of the literature. Arch Intern Med. 1996;156(13):1463-8.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


— This paper presents the results of an experimental study undertaken to evaluate the local bond stress-slip response of short embedment of reinforcing bars in normal concrete (NC) and high performance fiber reinforced cement composites (HPFRCC) blocks. Long embedment was investigated as well to gain insights on the distribution of strain, slip, bar stress and bond stress along the bar especially in post-yield range. A total of 12 specimens were tested, by means of pull-out of the reinforcing bars from concrete blocks. It was found that the enhancement of local bond strength can be reached up to 50% and ductility of the bond behavior was improved significantly if HPFRCC is used. Also, under a constant strain at loaded end, HPFRCC has delayed yielding of bars at other location from the loaded end. Hence, the reduction of bond stress was slower for HPFRCC in comparison with NC. Due to the same reason, the total slips at loaded end for HPFRCC was smaller than NC as expected. Test results indicated that HPFRCC has better bond slip behavior which makes it a suitable material to be employed in anchorage zone such as beam-column joints.


In healthcare, resources are often insufficient to meet all claims on them. In this respect, resources are considered scarce and have to be managed by prioritizing between competing claims. Economics as a discipline explicitly addresses this reality by acknowledging resource scarcity. However, the extent to which economics actually influences such prioritizing decisions in healthcare is unclear. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of economics in priority setting decision making. We outline the key principles of economics as they apply to priority setting and review the methods reported in the literature with respect to these. We find that these methods, even economic methods (e.g., those typically used in conducting economic evaluations such as cost–effectiveness analyses) do not tend to explicitly incorporate economic principles. We argue therefore that these methods, when applied to the context of priority setting, are not sufficient and that what is required is a broader framework that can incorporate the output from economic methods yet also be pragmatically applicable. We then go on to present an alternative approach – namely program budgeting and marginal analysis. Finally, we put forward our case for using program budgeting and marginal analysis in priority setting practice and set out some future research challenges.


This chapter has three purposes: first, to review theoretical and practical aspects of the concept of community that may be relevant to a better understanding of relationships between mediated communication and community; second, to explore how personal mediated communication may be affecting the creation, processes, and fates of communities; and third, to consider how the power of mediated communication technologies might alter traditional theories of communities. The chapter begins with a review of the concept of community, discussing positive and negative perspectives on the relationship between mediated communication and community. Then the chapter examines mediated communications, especially the Internet and mobile phone technology, and their potential impact on social relationships within communities. Next, the chapter considers the prospect of virtual mobile communication-based communities becoming an effective source of social capital. Interwoven with these considerations are suggestions for modifications in traditional community theory-building in light of these new technologies. Mobiles are a special focus because so much of the world's population are using them and the number of users and the extent of their use are expected to continue to grow rapidly.


A rotational panoramic radiography was used for quantitative analysis of mandibular bone resorption, and measurement of mandibular corpus height by new device of the mandibular positioner was made possible. The purpose of this study was to make a comparison between the mandibular corpus height and occlusal rim height.Twenty edentulous patients whose maxillomandibular relations had been recorded were selected as subjects. Eight metal tubes were vertically placed in the occlusal rim of each subject at the crest of the mandibular corpus, and the occlusal rim height where the metal tubes were located was directly measured by a digital readout caliper.A rotational panoramic radiograph was taken, the magnification rate of metal tubes was estimated by calculating, and the relationships between mandibular corpus height and occlusal rim height were investigated. The low residual ridge group tended to show high occlusal rim height, whereas the high residual ridge group showed the opposite tendency.These results suggested that the occlusal rim height was influenced by the mandibular corpus height. The measurement of mandibular corpus height by rotational panoramic radiography might be useful to determine the occlusal plane of an edentulous patient.


Britain's often uneasy relationship with the European Union has become increasingly strained, leading to speculation that Britain is—sooner or later—headed towards an in-out referendum that will result in its withdrawal. Such a development would present both Britain and the EU with unprecedented challenges. Britain's debate about its future in the EU—its "European question"—creates a "British question" for the EU, the answers to which could change the EU's unity, leadership, prosperity and security with implications for wider European politics and academic analysis of European integration. This article sets out the links between these two questions. It does so by considering what the future of UK–EU relations could mean for the regional politics of Europe in an emerging multipolar order.


Results of experimental studies on the dynamics of metabolism of various inorganic (NA2CO3, K2CO3, CaCO3) and organic (glucose, glycine, palmitic and succinic acids, ethanol and methanol) compounds of 14C after its single and long-term administration into the organism of rats are presented. The values of the corresponding rates of accumulation of 14C and the onset of the state of equilibrium after long-term administration of the radionuclide were elucidated for a number of compounds. Results of the studies can find practical application in norm-setting. The corresponding rate of accumulation in man of 14C taken in the diet was determined by extrapolation of the experimental data. It was found to be approximately 30. The state of practical 14C equilibrium in man occurs approximately 11/2 years after the beginning of the intake.


This paper discusses the Growing Our Own initial teacher education (ITE) pilot programme which allowed Indigenous assistant teachers in their own communities to study to become a teacher with the support of a non-Indigenous teacher. There are five sections in this paper, including: (1) the underpinning theory and philosophy of one Australian university's Inclusive Education paper in their ITE course; (2) how these principles informed the Growing Our Own pilot which has made ITE accessible to Indigenous Australians in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, Australia; (3) elements of the programme which have led to it becoming systemically sustainable; (4) how it has enhanced the provision of authentic education for Aboriginal children, making it accessible to them; and (5) the unforeseen positive outcome of non-Indigenous initial preservice teachers being provided with opportunities to complete professional experience in remote Aboriginal communities.


Planning tasks succinctly represent labeled transition systems, with each ground action corresponding to a label. This granularity, however, is not necessary for solving planning tasks and can be harmful, especially for model-free methods. In order to apply such methods, the label sets are often manually reduced. In this work, we propose automating this manual process. We characterize a valid label reduction for classical planning tasks and propose an automated way of obtaining such valid reductions by leveraging lifted mutex groups. Our experiments show a significant reduction in the action label space size across a wide collection of planning domains. We demonstrate the benefit of our automated label reduction in two separate use cases: improved sample complexity of model-free reinforcement learning algorithms and speeding up successor generation in lifted planning. The code and supplementary material are available at https://github.com/IBM/Parameter-Seed-Set.


In Streptomyces cyanogenus S136 gene cluster for biosynthesis of polyglycosylated angucycline landomycin A (LaA), a divergently oriented gene pair for a TetR-family regulator (lanK) and an efflux protein (lanJ) is located, whose functions remained obscure. Overexpression and disruption studies showed that lanK and lanJ genes control LaA resistance. Also, a constitutive lanK overexpression led to predominant accumulation of LaA precursors bearing shorter glycoside chains. These data as well as the results of in vitro and in vivo assays of LanK activity are consistent with the idea that LanK represses lanJ and some downstream genes involved in conversion of landomycin D (a disaccharide LaA precursor) into LaA. LaA and some of its precursors accumulate in the producing cell and relieve repression by LanK, thus amplifying the biosynthesis and export of landomycins with long glycoside chains. Therefore, the main biological role of LanK appears to be the inhibition of premature extrusion of early LaA precursors from the cells, which in turn creates the optimal conditions for accumulation of LaA as the major landomycin in S. cyanogenus S136.


Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder that could be associated with craniofacial and dental phenotype. Objective: To identify features of craniofacial and dental phenotype associated with high suspicion of OSA in adults.
Methods: Lateral X-ray and dental casts were acquired from 126 adults (77 females and 49 males). Sleep Questionnaires were applied to identify high suspicion of OSA. Questionnaires answers for each subject were correlated with cephalometric and dental cast measures.
Results: Suspicion of OSA was observed in 47.6% of the individuals. Bivariate analysis showed that patients with class II malocclusion have more probability to present OSA (OR=2.5; CI: 1.11 - 6.19; p=0.048) while skeletal class I patients having a 60% less chance of presenting suspicion of OSA (OR=0.4; CI: 0.14-1.07; p=0.045).
Conclusions: These findings suggest association between Class II malocclusion and suspicion of OSA. Nevertheless, further research is needed to determine which craniofacial and dental phenotypic features contribute to the development of OSA.


Cyclic pelvic pain is a common gynecologic problem caused by relatively few diseases, which usually can be diagnosed and remedied quickly. Some complaints reflect normal physiologic aspects of the menstrual cycle (mittelschmerz, menstrual awareness). Premenstrual syndrome can be diagnosed, but an effective and convenient treatment is lacking. Dysmenorrhea is the commonest source of cyclic pain, diagnosed by its characteristic history and rapid relief on administration of antiprostaglandin agents. Endometriosis is diagnosed surgically and best treated either surgically then, or medically by danazol or GnRH agonists. In contrast, adenomyosis is a problem commonly encountered in later life, and hysterectomy is usually needed for both definitive diagnosis and treatment.


This analysis draws on life course sociology to investigate the association between depression in adolescence and postsecondary completion in young adulthood. Three gaps in the mental health and education literature are addressed: lack of attention to the duration and timing of depressive symptoms, the overuse of high school degree receipt and college entry as outcome variables, and the exclusion of theoretically important confounders, such as self-rated health. Using panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, distinct mental health pathways that are based on a 12-item revision of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale are identified. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses are used to test nested models that predict educational attainment as a function of depression. Depressed adolescents are significantly less likely to complete postsecondary schooling relative to those who never experience depression, net of participant and parental characteristics. The association is especially strong for youth who experience an early onset of depressive symptoms and who are chronically depressed. The findings suggest that poor mental health in adolescence is a potential mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status, which warrants further discussion on intervention strategies and increased availability of resources that are supportive of the psychological well-being of elementary and high school students.


The International Axion Observatory (IAXO) will be a forth generation axion helioscope. As its primary physics goal, IAXO will look for axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) originating in the Sun via the Primakoff conversion of the solar plasma photons. In terms of signal-to-noise ratio, IAXO will be about 4–5 orders of magnitude more sensitive than CAST, currently the most powerful axion helioscope, reaching sensitivity to axion-photon couplings down to a few × 10−12 GeV−1 and thus probing a large fraction of the currently unexplored axion and ALP parameter space. IAXO will also be sensitive to solar axions produced by mechanisms mediated by the axion-electron coupling gae with sensitivity — for the first time — to values of gae not previously excluded by astrophysics. With several other possible physics cases, IAXO has the potential to serve as a multi-purpose facility for generic axion and ALP research in the next decade. In this paper we present the conceptual design of IAXO, which follows the layout of an enhanced axion helioscope, based on a purpose-built 20 m-long 8-coils toroidal superconducting magnet. All the eight 60cm-diameter magnet bores are equipped with focusing x-ray optics, able to focus the signal photons into ∼ 0.2 cm2 spots that are imaged by ultra-low-background Micromegas x-ray detectors. The magnet is built into a structure with elevation and azimuth drives that will allow for solar tracking for ∼ 12 h each day.


We extend the formalisms developed in Gair et al. [1] and Cornish and van Haasteren [2] to create
maps of gravitational-wave backgrounds using a network of ground-based laser interferometers. We
show that in contrast to pulsar timing arrays, which are insensitive to half of the gravitational-wave
sky (the curl modes), a network of ground-based interferometers is sensitive to both the gradient
and curl components of the background. The spatial separation of a network of interferometers,
or of a single interferometer at di erent times during its rotational and orbital motion around the
Sun, allows for recovery of both components. We derive expressions for the response functions of a
laser interferometer in the small-antenna limit, and use these expressions to calculate the overlap
reduction function for a pair of interferometers. We also construct maximum-likelihood estimates of
the + and -polarization modes of the gravitational-wave sky in terms of the response matrix for a
network of ground-based interferometers, evaluated at discrete times during Earth's rotational and
orbital motion around the Sun. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for some simple
simulated backgrounds (a single point source and spatially-extended distributions having only grad
or curl components), calculating maximum-likelihood sky maps and uncertainty maps based on
the (pseudo)inverse of the response matrix. The distinction between this approach and standard
methods for mapping gravitational-wave power is also discussed


Trabeculectomy, even with supplemental antifibrosis agents, has a low success rate in controlling intraocular pressure (IOP) in certain cases; ones involving severe anterior-chamber-angle disease are particularly challenging. Ten patients with advanced, non-neovascular glaucoma underwent vitrectomy and pars plana placement of seton implants. The tube was placed through the pars plana sclerotomy in each case because severe anterior chamber angle narrowing, aphakia, or penetrating keratoplasty prevented standard placement. Previous trabeculectomy had failed to control IOP in 9 of the 10 patients. In each, the preoperative IOP was 25 mm Hg or more despite maximal medical therapy. In nine of the patients, the postoperative IOP was 19 mm Hg or less, without pressure-lowering agents. The seton appeared to be functional in all of the cases. Vision remained stable or improved in seven cases, but deteriorated in three due to graft failure, progressive traction retinal detachment, or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (one case each). Pars plana placement of tubes for glaucoma seton implants should be considered as an alternative to anterior chamber placement in certain cases of refractory glaucoma in which the anterior chamber anatomy has been severely disrupted.


This study examined the role of negative cognitions in emotional problems following relationship dissolution. Seventy-nine undergraduate students who experienced a relationship break-up completed measures of break-up related complicated grief, depression and anxiety, together with an adjusted version of the Grief Cognitions Questionnaire (GCQ) that assesses four types of global negative beliefs, negative cognitions about self-blame and the responses of others, and three types of negative interpretations of one's own grief reactions. Results showed that all cognitive variables tapped by the GCQ were significantly associated with complicated grief, and—except for global beliefs about life—with depression and anxiety. Most of these associations remained significant when controlling for the influence of initiator status, variables linked with the ended relationship (e.g. duration) and personality factors (e.g. attachment anxiety, neuroticism). Catastrophic misinterpretations about one's own reactions, global negative beliefs about the self and cognitions reflecting self-blame were the strongest cognitive correlates of break-up related emotional problems. Overall, the findings are in keeping with cognitive models of trauma and loss, and suggest that changing negative cognitions could be a useful intervention for those who fail to recover from a relationship break-up. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The International Workshop on Strong-Motion Earthquake Instrument Arrays was held May 2-5, 1978 at the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii. The Workshop was organized by a Steering Committee appointed by the International Association for Earthquake Engineering. This volume is the product of the combined efforts of those in attendance.

The goal of the Workshop was to develop a workable plan for the possible future deployment of dense strong-motion earthquake instrument arrays with primary emphasis on ground motion studies. Three potential areas of array application were considered; source mechanism studies, wave propagation studies and studies of local effects. In order to achieve its stated goal, the Workshop was organized into five working subgroups. The areas covered by the subgroups were: favorable array locations, array design for source mechanism and wave propagation studies, array design for local effects studies, array construction and operation, and implementation. The reports of the individual subgroups are incorporated as chapters in this volume.

Experts in earthquake engineering and seismology were invited from all over the world to participate in the Workshop. Those individuals with specific expertise necessary for the deliberations of a particular subgroup were invited to serve as working members of that subgroup. In addition, a number of individuals were invited as Workshop observers in order to insure a balanced geographical and technical representation.


The author offers an elaborate summary of the lesson devoted to the study of the aesthetics of Russian Futurism on the material of the poetry of Mayakovsky. Determined by the purpose of literary texts selected for analysis of high school students. The form of ongoing lesson a lesson, a lecture with the elements of multimedia presentations, and lesson-concert by the students is the most productive author in the light of the proposed methodology.


Background and aims : Organizational justice has shown the perception of fairness and equality in the workplace by staff and responsibility is the ability of health systems in response to people's non-medical expectations. One of the important components in a health care system is hospitals and the increased responsibility of hospitals is one of the factors affecting the perception of justice. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between organizational justice and responsibility in hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Method s: This is a cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study and the samples include 342 patients and employees of selected hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Organizational justice questionnaires and responsibility were used for data collection. Data were analyzed descriptively and Pearson Correlation Coefficient using SPSS. Results : The mean score of organizational justice of studied hospitals was 62.06±15.17, and the mean score of responsibility was 104.12±19.20 that both of them were classified at the intermediate level. The result of Pearson Correlation Coefficient showed a direct significant relationship in all dimensions of organizational justice in compare with the dimension of responsibility (p<0.001). Conclusion : According to direct significant relationship between organizational justice and responsibility and their role in increasing the quality of services and understanding services provided for patients, it seems necessary to set policies in order to eliminate communication barriers between staff and patients and do actions to increase justice in organizations and consequently increase responsibility.


Modulation of oscillatory activity through basal ganglia–cortical loops in specific frequency bands is thought to reflect specific functional states of neural networks. A specific negative correlation between beta and gamma sub-bands has been demonstrated in human basal ganglia and may be key for normal basal ganglia function. However, these studies were limited to Parkinson's disease patients. To confirm that this interaction is a feature of normal basal ganglia, we recorded local field potential (LFP) from electrodes in globus pallidus (GP) of intact rats. We found significant negative correlation between specific frequencies within gamma (≈60 Hz) and beta (≈14 Hz) bands. Furthermore, we show that fluctuations in power at these frequencies are differentially nested within slow (≈3 Hz) oscillations in the delta band, showing maximum power at distinct and different phases of delta. These results suggest a hierarchical organization of LFP frequencies in the rat GP, in which a low-frequency signal in the basal ganglia can predict the timing and interaction of power fluctuations across higher frequencies. Finally, we found that dopamine D1 and D2 receptor antagonists differentially affected power in gamma and beta bands and also had different effects on correlation between them and the nesting within delta, indicating an important role for endogenous dopamine acting on direct and indirect pathway neurons in the maintenance of the hierarchical organization of frequency bands. Disruption of this hierarchical organization and subsequent disordered beta–gamma balance in basal ganglia disorders such as Parkinson's disease may be important in the pathogenesis of their symptoms.


The study presents an experimental and numerical investigation to determine the role of adiabatic lame temperature on controlling the operability of a micromixer-based gas turbine model combustor holding premixed CH4/CO2/O2 non-swirl jet flame for carbon capture. The experimental test rig consists of a mixing pipe and multihole/micromixer-like burner of 61 tubes. The numerical aspect of the study is achieved using the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach. Models of the Ansys Fluent are used to solve elliptical governing equations involved in the combustion system. Since flames under consideration are jet premixed releasing into a quiescent atmosphere, the partially premixed combustion of species model is used. Large eddy simulation (LES) is used as the turbulence model while radiative transfer equation (RTE) is solved using discrete ordinate (DO). A good agreement between experimental and numerical results is achieved. Results indicated that; adiabatic flame temperature (Tad) controls the flame macrostructure, oxygen fraction (OF) controls the peak of the product formation rate rather than Tad, positions of OH radical reaffirmed that Tad controls the flame macrostructure and increasing the OF leads to reaction rate dominancy and, hence, increases the Damkohler number.


N-dodecanethiol capped zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanocrystals were synthesized by the one-pot approach and blended with poly (N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) to fabricate electrical bistable devices. The corresponding devices did exhibit electrical bistability and negative differential resistance (NDR) effects. A large ON/OFF current ratio of 104 at negative voltages was obtained by applying different amplitudes of sweeping voltage. The observed conductance switching and the negative differential resistance are attributed to the electric-field-induced charge transfer between the nanocrystals and the polymer, and the charge trapping/detrapping in the nanocrystals.


Data quality assessment is an essential process of any data analysis process including machine learning. The process is time-consuming as it involves multiple independent data quality checks that are performed iteratively at scale on evolving data resulting from exploratory data analysis (EDA). Existing solutions that provide computational optimizations for data quality assessment often separate the data structure from its data quality which then requires efforts from users to explicitly maintain state-like information. They demand a certain level of distributed system knowledge to ensure high-level pipeline optimizations from data analysts who should instead be focusing on analyzing the data. We, therefore, propose data-quality-aware dataframes, a data quality management system embedded as part of a data analyst's familiar data structure, such as a Python dataframe. The framework automatically detects changes in datasets' metadata and exploits the context of each of the quality checks to provide efficient data quality assessment on ever-changing data. We demonstrate in our experiment that our approach can reduce the overall data quality evaluation runtime by 40-80% in both local and distributed setups with less than 10% increase in memory usage.


CONTEXT
Molecular genotyping by analysis of DNA microsatellites, also known as short tandem repeats (STRs), is an established method for diagnosing and classifying hydatidiform mole. Distinction of both complete hydatidiform mole and partial hydatidiform mole from nonmolar specimens is relevant for clinical management owing to differences in risk for persistent gestational trophoblastic disease.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the technical performance of microsatellite genotyping by using a commercially available multiplex assay, and to describe the application of additional methods to confirm other genetic abnormalities detected by the genotyping assay.

DESIGN
Microsatellite genotyping data on 102 cases referred for molar pregnancy testing are presented. A separate panel of mini STR markers, flow cytometry, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and p57 immunohistochemistry were used to characterize cases with other incidental genetic abnormalities.

RESULTS
Forty-eight cases were classified as hydatidiform mole (31, complete hydatidiform mole; 17, partial hydatidiform mole). Genotyping also revealed 11 cases of suspected trisomy and 1 case of androgenetic/biparental mosaicism. Trisomy for selected chromosomes (13, 16, 18, and 21) was confirmed in all cases by using a panel of mini STR markers.

CONCLUSIONS
This series illustrates the utility of microsatellite genotyping as a stand-alone method for accurate classification of hydatidiform mole. Other genetic abnormalities may be detected by genotyping; confirmation of the suspected abnormality requires additional testing.


One and two dimensional Western blots of Trichinella spiralis and Trichinella pseudospiralis extracts were probed with a monoclonal antibody (7C2C5) which recognizes molecules found in the stichocytes. Three major antigens were revealed in excreted:secreted (E/S) preparations at approx Mr 45, 53 & 60 X 10(3). The Mr 45 X 10(3) molecule was the most abundant secreted antigen, on two dimensional analysis it resolved into many isoforms with a pI range 4.5-6.4 in T. spiralis and into four isoforms pI range 5.1-5.7 in T. pseudospiralis.


This paper uses a standard job-search model to provide a new explanation for the empirically documented positive correlation between patience and average income: more patient workers, by rejecting less favorable wage offers, end up with a higher average income in the long run. This is not clear at first glance, since rejecting more offers also leads to more time of unemployment. It turns out that more patient workers always "in in the end". The result is proved for the case of a linear utility. When utility is not linear, a sufficiency condition is provided. Average utility always increases with patience. A counterexample is used to show that such conclusions could not follow from a direct analysis of the value function. A second example is offered at the end to illustrate the main points of the paper.


At the end of the 20th--the beginning of the 21st century activation of a natural focus of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in southern Russia was noted. As a consequence, in 2002 outbreaks and sporadic cases of this disease were registered on the territory of 6 out of 13 administrative units of the Southern Federal District. To minimize the epidemiological consequences of the aggravating epidemiological situation considerable efforts and means were required from health care organs and institutions of the state sanitary and epidemiological service, including essential financial expenditures. The results of natural foci of CCHF survey, obtained by 2002, as well as main trends of prophylactic and antiepidemic interventions are presented. Scientific research and practical observations made it possible to work out a number of methodological regulations concerning the diagnostics, treatment and prophylaxis of CCHF.


To differentiate is to make different, distinct, or specialized (Costello, 1994). Differentiation has become popular in education as an instructional philosophy aimed at equitably meeting the learning needs of all students in the classroom. Differentiated planning and delivery of classroom guidance is also necessary for appropriate school counselor practice. This article reviews the literature on classroom guidance, describes the concept of differentiation, and provides applied examples of differentiated classroom guidance for school counselor practice.


Civet coffee has been known as the most expensive coffee in the world. Its high prices are mainly contributed by its uncommon production method. Civet coffee is produced from the coffee beans which have been digested by Asian palm civet or Luwak ( Paradoxorus hermaprodites ). Civet coffee production is very limited due to its processing is merely depends on civet biologic system. Unfortunately, reliable information on civet microbial digestive is still limited. The aim of this research is to evaluate cup (sensory) and microbial quality of wild and caged civet coffee. Samples of wild and caged civet coffee obtained from Bener Meriah District, Aceh, Indonesia. Sensory quality parameters consist of fragrance, aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, clean cups, sweetness and overall. Microbial quality was done by enumeration of lactic acid bacteria. The results showed that wild and caged civet coffee relatively had similar profile sensory and microbial characteristics.  The score cupping of wild civet coffee is slightly higher than caged civet coffee.  Aroma and flavour characteristics of wild and caged civet coffee were herby, nutty, grassy tobacco-like, fishy and sweet but there were over fruity-papaya and guava-like aroma and flavour of caged civet coffee. The lactic acid bacteria count on wild and caged civet were 5.8 x 10 8 cfu/ml and 3,8 x10 8 cfu/ml. Three different colonies from MRS media were isolated and submitted to gram and catalase test. All isolates showed gram-positive and catalase negative. The result confirmed that most colonies are lactic acid bacteria group. Two isolates (ICF 1 and ICF 3) showed proteolytic activity, and isolated ICF 1 showed the largest zone of clearance of 15 mm. Further investigation is required for identification and selection of performance lactic acid bacteria for artificial civet coffee fermentation.


The Neoproterozoic was a time when repeated global cooling events, interrupted by supergreenhouse phases, preceded environmental change toward a modern oxygen-rich atmosphere and the eventual emergence of animal life. Cyclically increased atmospheric CO2 levels intensified weathering of continental silicates, but little is known about the influence of Neoproterozoic climates on soil morphogenesis, which acts as a direct proxy of conditions at the time of formation. However, being typically fragmented in time and space, these mineralic soils (paleosols) had a low preservation potential. An exceptionally well preserved Neoproterozoic deeply weathered paleosol on the Baltica paleocontinent provides new information on weathering during the Precambrian. The kaolinite–Fe-oxyhydroxide composition of this paleosol is indicative of intense weathering in a stable landscape at a time when Baltica was positioned between intermediate to high southern latitudes. It is plausible that this paleosol developed over long steady-state weathering under temperate climatic conditions, or alternatively during an intensified weathering event triggered by elevated CO2 levels and transient greenhouse climatic conditions at the termination of Ediacaran glaciations, or possibly the Ediacaran Shuram-Wonoka isotope event.


Class I major histocompatibility complex molecules require both beta 2- microglobulin (beta 2m) and peptide for efficient intracellular transport. With the exception of H-2Db and Ld, class I heavy chains have not been detectable at the surface of cells lacking beta 2m. We show that properly conformed class I heavy chains can be detected in a terminally glycosylated form indicative of cell surface expression in H- 2b, H-2d, and H-2s beta 2m-/- concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated splenocytes incubated at reduced temperature. Furthermore, we demonstrate the presence of Kb molecules at the surface of beta 2m-/- cells cultured at 37 degrees C. The mode of assembly of class I molecules encompasses two major pathways: binding of peptide to preformed "empty" heterodimers, and binding of peptide to free heavy chains, followed by recruitment of beta 2m. In support of the existence of the latter pathway, we provide evidence for a role of peptide in intracellular transport of free class I heavy chains, through analysis of Con A-stimulated splenocytes from transporter associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP1)-/-, beta 2m-/-, and double-mutant TAP1/beta 2m-/- mice.


People make decisions by evaluating existing evidence against a threshold or level of confidence. Individuals vary widely in response times even when they perform a simple task in the laboratory. We examine the neural bases of this individual variation by combining computational modeling and brain imaging of 64 healthy adults performing a stop signal task. Behavioral performance was modeled by an accumulator model that describes the process of information growth to reach a threshold to respond. In this model, go trial reaction time (goRT) is jointly determined by the information growth rate, threshold, and movement time (MT). In a linear regression of activations in successful go and all stop (Go+Stop) trials against goRT across participants, the insula, supplementary motor area (SMA), pre‐SMA, thalamus including the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and caudate head respond to increasing goRT. Among these areas, the insula, SMA, and thalamus including the STN respond to a slower growth rate, the caudate head responds to an elevated threshold, and the pre‐SMA responds to a longer MT. In the regression of Go+Stop trials against the stop signal reaction time (SSRT), the pre‐SMA shows a negative correlation with SSRT. These results characterize the component processes of decision making and elucidate the neural bases of a critical aspect of inter‐subject variation in human behavior. These findings also suggest that the pre‐SMA may play a broader role in response selection and cognitive control rather than simply response inhibition in the stop signal task. Hum Brain Mapp 35:2531–2542, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Abstract : A new approach is proposed to obtain fast crystallizing materials based on a conventional GeSbTe alloy for rewritable phase change optical data storage. By means of co-sputtering, Ge1Sb2Te4 alloy was mixed with Sn1Bi2Te4 alloy so as to form pseudo-binary alloys (Ge1Sb2Te4)(1-x)(Sn1Bi2Te4))(x) (x is a mole fraction). From structural and optical analyses of the Co sputtered and annealed alloy films, the formation of stable crystalline single phases was observed along with a Vegard's law behavior, suggesting a homogeneous mixing of the two alloys. By use of a 4 layered disk with (Ge1Sb2Te4)0.85(Sn1Bi2Te4)0.15 recording layer, a preliminary test of writing and erasing was carried out and the results were compared with the case of the disk with Ge1Sb2Te4 recording layer. The (Ge1Sb2Te4)0.85(Sn1Bi2Te4)0.15 recording layer was found to yield markedly higher erasibility, especially with increasing disk linear velocity.


Urban sustainability is one of the most pressing and challenging tasks facing humanity today because cities are the primary sources of major environmental problems, the centers of economic and social developments, and home to more than half of the world population. While the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability are equally important in principle, the ecology of cities is arguably least studied. But this situation has been changing rapidly in recent years. In this paper, the author compares and contrasts different perspectives in urban ecology and examines their relevance to urban sustainability. While all perspectives are useful in some ways, the author argues, a landscape ecology perspective that integrates elements of sustainability science seems most comprehensive and effective. This integrative perspective views humans as powerful "ecosystem engineers" or agents that are critically important for developing urban sustainability. It focuses on the human landscape scale that is large enough to include key ecological and socioeconomic processes and small enough to allow for detailed mechanistic studies. The landscape ecology approach also emphasizes the interrelationship between urban landscape patterns and ecological / socioeconomic processes on different scales, and encourages place-based research that integrates ecology with planning, design, and other social sciences.


Early identification of children most at risk of reading failure is central to the prevention of illiteracy. Therefore the earliest time frame for identification should be determined. Reading is related to communication and literacy. Prominent researchers in the field asserted that, and supported by empirical evidences, early school years is the critical time for early identification and prevention ( Torgesen, 1998). This study focuses on Year 1 and Year 4 primary school children utilizing the descriptive correlational method. It was carried out on 344 primary school pupils of which 168 were from Year 1 and 176 were Year 4 pupils. The pupils in the sample were academically weak who underwent screening and diagnostic tests. Findings showed a significant number had difficulty in communication skills. Communication is basic in understanding information and it is related to overall learning in general and Year 1 pupils did have problems in literacy skills where 33.8% were unable to read and write, As for Year 4 pupils, there was a slight drop in communication skills as compared to the pupils in Year 1. This was perhaps due to the fact that the problems encountered were more difficult. However, pertinently, it was found that those specific areas of weaknesses in other learning subjects (mathematics and languages) were related to communication and literacy skills. The implications are these pupils should be given the diagnostic tests as early as possible(pre school) by the teachers so that intervention programs could be carried out.


Cardiovascular disorders are refer to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system. Cholesterol is classified as a sterol (a contraction of steroid and alcohol).Although cholesterol is essential for life; high levels in circulation are associated with atherosclerosis. Triglyceride (more properly known as triacylglycerol , TAG or triacylglyceride) is a glyceride in which the glycerol is esterified with three fatty acids. It is the main constituent of vegetable oil and animal fats.High-density lipoproteins (HDL) is one of the 5 major groups of lipoproteins (chylomicrons, VLDL, IDL, LDL, HDL) which enable lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides to be transported in the blood stream. In healthy individuals, about thirty percent of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL. Uric acid (or urate) is non-protein nitrogen compound with the formula C5H4N4O3. This study aimed to determine the relation between uric acid, cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol concentration in cardiovascular disorders patients. Serum sample were collected from 84 cardiovascular disorders patients attended to the general hospital of Alnasseriya. All samples were analyzed for uric acid , cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol concentration by enzymatic-colorimetric method kits. The data showed a highly significant increased in the serum concentration of uric acid , cholesterol and triglyceride in cardiovascular disorders patients compared with healthy control (P 0.05) .The data of this study strengthen the possibility that high concentration of uric acid may act as a risk factor in cardiovascular disease.


ABSTRACT Objective: Dysregulation of biological rhythm is associated with reduced executive functioning and potentiating psychosis, which are essential for the Theory of Mind (ToM) among patients with schizophrenia. However, the association between cognitive dysfunction, emotional information and disruption of biological rhythm remains uncertain. Methods: Forty-one patients with schizophrenia and forty age, gender and smoking status-matched healthy controls were recruited into the study. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), The Stroop test, The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), The Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN) were used. Results: BRIAN total, sleep, activity and social scores were higher in patients with schizophrenia than healthy controls. Higher BRIAN score was correlated with lower RMET score; with higher PANSS total, positive and negative scores, and not correlated with executive functions. In the regression analysis, it was observed that gender and increased BRIAN score was independently associated with lower scores for RMET in a patient with schizophrenia. Conclusion: These results suggest that the disruption of biological rhythm might be associated with ToM in patients with schizophrenia. Future research should examine the relationship between biological rhythm and ToM to determine if any causal associations can be identified.


Notwithstanding of the considerable body international law dealing with occupation, identification of the normative standards against which law and order is maintained continues to challenge the international community. That challenge is centered on the existence of an unclear and often awkward interface between international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Policing represents the normal means by which order is maintained in society. In occupied territory the preference should be for maintaining order by means of properly trained police forces seeking to apply international human rights law standards. However, the security threat is often not limited to criminal activity with there being striking similarities between attempting to maintain order in occupied territoty and battling insurgencies in internal armed confits. This then points to the application of international humanitarian law to govern the use of force. Despite ongoing disagreement about which paradigm should be applied the question remains whether the proponents of the two frameworks can break free of their normative chains to craft a realistic approach to maintaining law and order. Suggested approaches include the situation based approach of applying the appropriate body of law to specific fact situations and the blended approach of borrowing from each normative regime to address the unique situations confronting security forces. Which ever approach is adopted the emphasis must remain on the right to life to ensure true respect for the rule of law is maintained.


The Separation or Mutual Fund Theorem of finance theory is extended to the case surplus optimization, which is relevant for defined-benefit pension plans and others. While Separation theorems in the standard case have limited empirical applications, separation results in the surplus-optimization case are directly relevant to real-world pension management, because one of the "bases" of the surplus-efficient frontier is the full hedge of the pension plan's liabilities. Surplus-optimal or –efficient portfolios can be expressed as combinations of the full liability hedge and exposure in the overlay with maximum Sharpe ratio. Optimal pension allocation is thus analogous to management of a portable alpha strategy with a "beta" equal to plan liabilities. Our results also indicate that the difference in portfolio weights between asset-optimal (standard) and surplus-optimal efficient frontiers is constant across those respective frontiers, so that the impact of moving from an asset-optimal to a surplus-optimal framework is independent of target returns or risk tolerance. Finally, we explore the details of the full liability-hedge portfolio. In a number of relevant cases, there is no presumption that a dollar of liabilities can be fully-hedged with a dollar of assets, which gives rise to the concept of an effective funding ratio for a pension plan.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relative importance of selfmanagement (SM) and quality of care (QoC) inpredicting glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in 204 adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Self-management and quality of care were measured at baseline. HbA1c was measured at baseline and at six-month follow-up.

RESULTS
None of the measures of self-management were significantly associated with HbA1c.Treatment intensification (TI) (a proxy for quality of care) resulted in lower HbA1c at follow-up. Other variables were associated with HbA1c at follow-up: HbA1c at baseline, age, diabetes duration, and combination of oral glucose-lowering medications. An exploratory analysis showed that patients who did not receive treatment intensification but performed more self-management behaviours had lower HbA1c levels at follow-up.

CONCLUSION
Treatment intensification might be more important for glycaemic control than self-management but the interaction between treatment intensification and self-management needs further research.