ABSTRACT The RNA-binding protein TIAR (related to TIA-1 [T-cell-restricted intracellular antigen 1]) was shown to associate with subsets of mRNAs bearing U-rich sequences in their 3′ untranslated regions. TIAR can function as a translational repressor, particularly in response to cytotoxic agents. Using unstressed colon cancer cells, collections of mRNAs associated with TIAR were isolated by immunoprecipitation (IP) of (TIAR-RNA) ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, identified by microarray analysis, and used to elucidate a common signature motif present among TIAR target transcripts. The predicted TIAR motif was an unexpectedly cytosine-rich, 28- to 32-nucleotide-long element forming a stem and a loop of variable size with an additional side loop. The ability of TIAR to bind an RNA oligonucleotide with a representative C-rich TIAR motif sequence was verified in vitro using surface plasmon resonance. By this analysis, TIAR containing two or three RNA recognition domains (TIAR12 and TIAR123) showed low but significant binding to the C-rich sequence. In vivo, insertion of the C-rich motif into a heterologous reporter strongly suppressed its translation in cultured cells. Using this signature motif, an additional ∼2,209 UniGene targets were identified (2.0% of the total UniGene database). A subset of specific mRNAs were validated by RNP IP analysis. Interestingly, in response to treatment with short-wavelength UV light (UVC), a stress agent causing DNA damage, each of these target mRNAs bearing C-rich motifs dissociated from TIAR. In turn, expression of the encoded proteins was elevated in a TIAR-dependent manner. In sum, we report the identification of a C-rich signature motif present in TIAR target mRNAs whose association with TIAR decreases following exposure to a stress-causing agent.


Freshwater in the Mediterranean basin is of huge economic, environmental and livelihood importance. However, with a growing population and an increasing number of tourists, the freshwater resources are under great pressure. Since the threatened status of plants and animals is one of the most widely used indicators for assessing the condition of ecosystems and their biodiversity, an assessment was undertaken for freshwater fish in this region. The assessment aims to assist in regional planning through the provision of a baseline dataset. It also hopes to encourage development of a network of regional experts to enable future assessments and the continued updating of the baseline dataset.


An experimental technique combining the well-established α/p–decay–recoil–tagging method with a differential plunger has recently been successful in producing results in the neutron-deficient region near 100Sn. This experimental technique is briefly presented here and the result of a recent measurement for 108Te is put in the context of the systematics of B(E2) values for the Te and Sn isotopic chains. New state-of-the-art shell-model calculations are presented for the Sn data, and possible explanations for the unusually large B(E2) values for the Sn isotopes near the N = 50 shell closure are given.


K3Gd(PO4)2:Tb3+ phosphors are synthesized by the solid reaction method, and the phases and
luminescence properties of the obtained phosphors are well characterized. The emission spectra of
K3Gd(PO4)2:Tb3+ exhibit the typical emissions of Tb3+. Concentration quenching of Tb3+ is not observed in
K3Gd(PO4)2:Tb3+, likely because the shortest average distance of Tb3+-Tb3+ in K3Gd(PO4)2:Tb3+ is adequately
long such that energy transfer between Tb3+-Tb3+ ions cannot take place effectively. This result indicates
that K3Tb(PO4)2 phosphors have potential application in near ultraviolet (n-UV)-convertible phosphors for
white light-emitting diodes.


A distinct receptor-binding property of interferon-β stimulates cellular responses that differ from those of other type I interferons. Members of the family of type I interferons (IFNs), which includes multiple subtypes of IFN-α and a single IFN-β isoform, are cytokines that mediate immune responses to viruses and tumors (see commentary by Kaur and Platanias). Type I IFNs are thought to signal through the same receptor (IFNAR), a heterodimer of the high-affinity IFNAR2 subunit, which is the first subunit bound by ligand, and a low-affinity IFNAR1 subunit, which completes the ternary complex. Activation of IFNAR leads to Janus kinase (JAK)–signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling and regulation of the expression of target genes; however, evidence suggests that IFN-β stimulates responses distinct from those of other type I IFNs. de Weerd et al. compared the binding of recombinant mouse IFN-α and IFN-β proteins to extracellular domains (ECDs) of each of the IFNAR subunits and found that IFN-β bound to IFNAR1 with an affinity 100-fold greater than that of IFN-α. The authors solved the crystal structure of IFN-β bound to the IFNAR1 ECD and found that the angle of binding of IFN-β to the receptor was different from that of other type I IFNs and that the binding interface of IFN-β with the receptor was larger than that of IFN-α2. Binding of IFN-β to IFNAR1 in peritoneal exudate cells isolated from IFNAR2-deficient mice did not stimulate JAK-STAT signaling; however, gene expression profiling identified hundreds of genes that showed altered expression in response to IFN-β. The microbial product lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates the production of IFN-β, and blocking IFNAR signaling protects mice from LPS-induced death. As expected, the authors found that IFNAR1-deficient mice were protected from death induced by a concentration of LPS that killed wild-type mice. In contrast, IFNAR2-deficient mice were as susceptible to LPS-induced death as were wild-type mice. Together, these data suggest that the binding of IFN-β to IFNAR1 in the absence of IFNAR2 underlies the distinct cellular responses elicited by this cytokine. N. A. de Weerd, J. P. Vivian, T. K. Nguyen, N. E. Mangan, J. A. Gould, S.-J. Braniff, L. Zaker-Tabrizi, K. Y. Fung, S. C. Forster, T. Beddoe, H. H. Reid, J. Rossjohn, P. J. Hertzog, Structural basis of a unique interferon-β signaling axis mediated via the receptor IFNAR1. Nat. Immunol. 14, 901–907 (2013). [PubMed] S. Kaur, L. C. Platanias, IFN-β-specific signaling via a unique IFNAR1 interaction. Nat. Immunol. 14, 884–885 (2013). [PubMed]


Deep Learning (DL) model-based AI services are increasingly offered in a variety of predictive analytics services such as computer vision, natural language processing, speech recognition. However, the quality of the DL models can degrade over time due to changes in the input data distribution, thereby requiring periodic model updates. Although cloud data-centers can meet the computational requirements of the resource-intensive and time-consuming model update task, transferring data from the edge devices to the cloud incurs a significant cost in terms of network bandwidth and are prone to data privacy issues. With the advent of GPU-enabled edge devices, the DL model update can be performed at the edge in a distributed manner using multiple connected edge devices. However, efficiently utilizing the edge resources for the model update is a hard problem due to the heterogeneity among the edge devices and the resource interference caused by the colocation of the DL model update task with latency-critical tasks running in the background. To overcome these challenges, we present Deep-Edge, a load- and interference-aware, fault-tolerant resource management framework for performing model update at the edge that uses distributed training. This paper makes the following contributions. First, it provides a unified framework for monitoring, profiling, and deploying the DL model update tasks on heterogeneous edge devices. Second, it presents a scheduler that reduces the total re-training time by appropriately selecting the edge devices and distributing data among them such that no latency-critical applications experience deadline violations. Finally, we present empirical results to validate the efficacy of the framework using a real-world DL model update case-study based on the Caltech dataset and an edge AI cluster testbed.


Professional project management associations have produced practice standards that may be used by practitioners, professional services firms and clients. This research was undertaken to explore the relevance of these professional project management practice standards (PPMPS) and their application in the UK construction industry.
There is scant literature available on the PPMPS and therefore a deficiency of understanding about their compilation, scope and use in the UK construction industry. The industry faces many challenges including difficulties in retaining a skilled workforce and a mixed record of delivering public projects on time and within budget.
The use of a cross-sectional single case study research strategy was adopted and primary data was generated from professional services firms and clients using semi-structured interviews. This data was used to triangulate with research undertaken by the Author in 2014. The previous research explored how individual practitioners in the UK construction industry availed themselves of the PPMPS.
This research concludes that the PPMPS provides a de minimis benchmark for project management services and guidance to new entrants in to the profession. However, the limitations of the PPMPS include: they are not easy to access quickly, are not regarded as providing professional services firms with a commercial advantage, are not sufficiently promoted within the construction industry or to its clients, and that tacit knowledge and experience are more important than codified knowledge.
This research includes recommendations to improve project management best practice. Using structuration theory, it is proposed that professional services firms' and clients' In-house standards have the potential to become the de-facto PPMPS. The concepts of the "Semi-detached Professional" and "Bureaucratic project manager" are introduced as interpretations of the findings generated from the practitioners, professional services firms and clients to provide a new understanding of professionalism in project management.
Key Words: professional services firms, clients, professional project management practice standards, In-house standards, structuration theory.


This paper studies how religions, Islam in particular, play a part in the attempted reifications of "neo-ethnic" identities in Kyrgyzstan, a Turkic-speaking republic with a nomadic tradition and a Muslim majority (Hanafî Sunni Islam). In a context characterized by brutal transformations (decline in living standards, widening social inequalities, etc.) and by an increasingly failing central state whose autocratic rule appears ineffective, Islam intervenes as a paradoxical resource that is subjected to contrary uses. The traditional social link between collective identity and Islam is in fact reinvested ideologically within the framework of the new state construction. As a result a key question is what function the re-emergence of religion on the Kyrgyz political scene fulfils, especially considering broad disenchantment with politics. Islam is first re-emphasized as a national element by the authorities and, in the process, it becomes the subject of a drive towards territorialization that aims at erasing any transnational and/or pan-Islamist dimension from this universalist religion. Yet Islam and ethnicity are reinvested again in a new mode, the mode of subjectivization of religious belief, which gives rise, outside state control, to overlapping and often contradicting Islamic identities.


We report findings on the vulture trade in northern Nigeria, where it is commonly practised especially to supply the traditional medicine industry. We administered an open-ended questionnaire to 113 traditional, predominantly Hausa medicinal traders in 39 markets within eight states in northern Nigeria. Of the interviewed traders, 78% only had feathers of vultures on display in their stalls, 11% also offered vulture heads and 4.4% offered entire vultures; 40% of traders sold vultures for spiritual healing and 25% sold vultures for consumption. Forty-three percent of traders were supplied most often from vulture populations inside Nigeria and 48% were principally supplied from other countries in the region, as far west as Benin and east to Sudan. Increased prices for parts during the past 10 years reflected similar, or perhaps increasing, demand but lower availability of vultures. Hooded Vulture ( Necrosyrtes monachus ) was the commonest species traded with 90% of parts belonging to this species. Vultures sold in stalls had been killed using agricultural chemicals, shotguns, traps, and ground tobacco powder. Urgent and drastic conservation measures are needed to prevent further exploitation of critically endangered vultures in Nigeria and surrounding countries. Keywords: traditional medicine, vulture trade, northern Nigeria, conservation


SUMMARY As a complement to the numerical solutions of Watson & Spiegelman (1994; hereafter known as Paper I), we present some analytic solutions and proofs to illustrate more generally how a single magmatic solitary wave affects the transport of trace elements. In the absence of any diffusion or dispersion, the equations for trace element transport can be solved by the method of characteristics. This analysis shows that without diffusion, a solitary wave can transport chemical signals but cannot permanently change the shape of an initial trace element distribution. The solitary waves, however, can locally steepen trace element gradients by a distortion factor S which depends only on the ratio of initial and local transport velocities. These results are quite general and are expected for any solitary wave of permanent form and constant velocity because these waves always provide a frame of reference where the melt and solid velocities are steady state.


Because of the high demand for iron of the photosynthetic apparatus in thylakoid membranes, iron deficiency primarily affects the electron transfer between the two photosystems (PSI and PSII), resulting in photooxidative damage in plants. However, in barley, PSII is protected against photoinhibition, and the plant survives even with a low iron content in its chlorotic leaves. In this study, we report an adaptation mechanism of the photosynthetic apparatus in barley to iron deficiency, which is concomitant with the remodeling of a PSII antenna system. Transcriptome analysis revealed that long-term iron deficiency induced the expression of two genes of the major light-harvesting Chl a/b-binding protein of PSII (LHCII), namely HvLhcb1.11 and HvLhcb1.12. Chl fluorescence analysis of the wild type and Lhcb1-less chlorina mutants clearly showed that non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of the wild type was increased by approximately 200% by iron deficiency, whereas NPQ of chlorina mutants did not change significantly under iron deficiency. The mutant showed severe photodamage in young leaves under prolonged iron deficiency, suggesting that the HvLhcb1 protein is essential for both thermal dissipation and photoprotection in iron-deficient barley. Analysis of thylakoid protein complexes revealed that the proportion of the monomeric form of Lhcb1 significantly increased in barley grown under iron-deficient conditions. We hypothesize that alteration of the HvLhcb1 subpopulations modifies the organization of LHCII in the thylakoid membranes, which is a key step for thermal dissipation to compensate for excess excitation energy and thereby protect the photosystems from serious damage in iron-deficient barley leaves.


The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of capital structure of listed manufacturing firms in Ghana. Data was collected from the annual reports of all the seven listed manufacturing firms in Ghana between 2000 and 2009. Panel regression methodology was used to analyse the data. The results revealed that listed manufacturing firms in Ghana use 17% equity capital and 83% debt capital to finance their operations. The debt structure is made up of 46% long term debt and 37% short term debt. However, it is observed that the firms tend to be more reliant on short-term sources of financing when specifically acquiring assets to expand and become profitable, which may be due to the under development of the Ghanaian capital market. The study also finds a positive and statistically significant relationship between total debt and asset structure but a positive and insignificant relationship between total debt and liquidity. Furthermore, it is revealed that size and profitability are also positive and statistically significant in their association with total debt. The study recommends that the Ghanaian government should take concrete steps to develop the country's capital market to enable businesses access long-term capital necessary for financial performance of the firm in the long run. It is further suggested that the Bank of Ghana (BoG) regulates the long-term lending rate of Ghanaian banks using moral suasion and other policy instruments.


Title of dissertation: THE TAYLOR-COUETTE PROBLEM FOR FLOW IN A DEFORMABLE CYLINDER David Bourne Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Dissertation directed by: Professor Stuart Antman Department of Mathematics The Taylor-Couette problem is a fundamental example in bifurcation theory and hydrodynamic stability, and has been the subject of over 1500 papers. This thesis treats a generalization of this problem in which the rigid outer cylinder is replaced by a deformable (nonlinearly viscoelastic) cylinder whose motion is not prescribed, but responds to the forces exerted on it by the moving liquid. The inner cylinder is rigid and rotates at a prescribed angular velocity, driving the liquid, which in turn drives the deformable cylinder. The motion of the outer cylinder is governed by a geometrically exact theory of shells and the motion of the liquid by the Navier-Stokes equations, where the domain occupied by the liquid depends on the deformation of the outer cylinder. This thesis treats the stability of Couette flow, a steady solution of the nonlinear fluid-solid system that can be found analytically, first with respect to perturbations that are independent of z, then with respect to axisymmetic perturbations. The linearized stability problems are governed by quadratic eigenvalue problems. For each problem, this thesis gives a detailed characterization of how the spectrum of the linearized operator depends on the control parameter, which is the angular velocity of the rigid inner cylinder. In particular, there are theorems detailing how the eigenvalues cross the imaginary axis. The spectrum is computed by a mixed Fourier-finite element method. The spectral properties determine the conditions under which the system loses its linearized stability. The same conditions support theorems on nonlinear stability. New physical phenomena are discovered that are not observed in the classical Taylor-Couette problem. The fluid-solid interaction models that are developed have applications in structural engineering and human physiology. THE TAYLOR-COUETTE PROBLEM FOR FLOW IN A DEFORMABLE CYLINDER


Emerging economies are designing and sometimes implementing low GHG emission development strategies (LEDS) that can be used as examples by other developing countries to avoid the high‐carbon development pathway established by industrialized countries. Using the example of Brazil, this Opinion Article discusses the need to design LEDS that are in line with the national resource endowment and political economy constraints. Brazil is very rich in natural resources with a huge potential for renewable energy deployment. Developed countries can compensate the lack of a similar resource endowment with technological and financial resources, while poorer countries will need technological transfers and financial support from the international community. On the other hand, Brazil is an oil producer and will need to carefully navigate the reduction in oil demand, driven by a global trend toward transport electrification, in order to avoid stranded assets. The article also discusses the need to choose the right instruments to overcome the economic, financial, and noneconomic barriers to mitigation options and achieve an economically and socially sustainable transition to a low carbon society. LEDS can be designed in a way that minimizes economic and social impacts if they are accompanied by policies aiming at a gradual reduction of inequalities, including governmental transfers to keep substantial social development gains, energy, and food security. LEDS can leverage each country's competitiveness while protecting the poor, and they can be made politically acceptable. If such policies are implemented quickly enough across the world, then it may be not too late to stop dangerous climate change.


The relation of silent pauses and audible breathing in spontaneous speech
Speech is occasionally interrupted by pauses of various length. They are essential parts of human speech. Until the first half of the 20 th century researchers examined the pauses mainly from rhetorical aspects, they analysed the relationship between punctuation of written texts and their spoken realisations. Until now it is not clarified what can be actually considered as pause, how differently pauses can appear in speech, what are their acceptable minimum and maximum durations, and what functions they may have in speech. Empirical researches showed that silent pause is the most common phenomenon in the spontaneous speech, and it has many different functions in spontaneous speech (e.g. breathing, marking syntactic boundaries as well as speech planning difficulties, time for self-repair). There are still many controversies about the relationship between silent pause and breath-taking.
The aim of the present study is to investigate whether breath-taking is subordinated to thinking and is not performed by biological functions in spontaneous speech. Our study focuses on the analysis of the temporal structure of silent pauses and breaths in Hungarian spontaneous speech. We hypothesized that there would be proportional and/or durational differences among pause categories depending on breath-taking.
Results provide detailed information about the relationship between silent pauses and breath-taking. In addition, results can be used in various areas of speech technology, or speech therapy.


Migrants and ethnic minorities form a growing part of the population of Europe. They often have higher than average exposure to health risks, while facing barriers to accessing appropriate health care. International bodies have called for policy measures to tackle these inequities. COST Action IS0603 (Health and Social Care for Migrants and Minorities in Europe) was a European network of researchers from more than 30 countries, which met between 2007 and 2011 to discuss how to strengthen the knowledge base on migrant and ethnic minority health. The COST Series on Diversity and Health comprises two volumes written by leading authorities in the field, illustrating the issues that were discussed. This first volume starts by asking how much we know about migrant and ethnic minority health and where the barriers to scientific progress lie. For example, what is the relation between migration, ethnicity and the socioeconomic determinants of health? Particular groups discussed include refugees and asylum seekers, domestic workers, new migrants, 'mixed marriages' and disadvantaged ethnic minorities. Specific health issues examined range from maternal and child health to problems of ageing, mental health and infectious diseases. The final section of the book discusses prevention programmes targeting obesity, diabetes, coronary vascular diseases and cancer. These topics form only a small selection of the full range of issues in this rapidly growing field, but they illustrate well the fascinating challenges which it presents.


Introduction. Non-adherence to antipsychotic medication remains a complex problem in the treatment of schizophrenia patients, especially in indigenous population. Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the differences in drug adherence, measured by the attitude towards the antipsychotics among Aymara and Non-Aymara patients with schizophrenia. Method. The sample consisted of patients receiving treatment in the Mental Health Public Services in Bolivia (32.8%), Peru (33.6%) and Chile (33.6%). We used the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10); the Barnes Akathisia Scale (BAS), as a measure of side effects, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) to assess the severity of the disorder. Results. The findings showed that Aymara patients present less adherence than Non-Aymara people; however, these differences were not significant (t = 1.29; p = 0.19). The severity of the disorder, as well as the age, showed a significant association with adherence, revealing that younger patients and with greater symptoms presented a more negative attitude toward the drugs. Discussion and conclusion. The lack of significant differences between the groups responds to three possible reasons: 1. This sample of indigenous patients is integrated on Mental Health Services that offer a clear biomedical approach where drug therapy is the primary treatment. 2. It is possible that these indigenous patients are changing their conception of mental disorder, and 3. A significant number of families have migrated to urban areas. These migratory dynamics have promoted the loss of traditions and customs of the ethnic group, which gradually adopts new and intercultural lifestyles. Professionals should be warned about applying stereotypes regarding the relationship between ethnicity and antipsychotics.


Most effective speech to the public requires money. If spending more than $1,000 on expression is outlawed, then you may not place more than a tiny ad in any major newspaper, buy virtually any television time, put up a billboard, or mail more than a few thousand newsletters. That's an extremely serious restriction on your ability to express your views. This, of course, has obvious implications for campaign finance laws, because this means that some such laws may be unconstitutional. But it also has implications for free speech law, since the precedents set in campaign finance cases will affect the rules governing speech restrictions generally. And because campaign finance cases arouse such passions, they risk creating rules that can have unexpected -- and possibly dangerous -- consequences in many areas far outside campaign finance. This essay aims to briefly highlight the potential unexpected consequences of three kinds of arguments about campaign finance restrictions, arguments that as it happens correspond to three opinions in the recent Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC case.(1) And if the analysis here is right, then it may well be that the Shrink Missouri majority and even the much-lambasted Buckley v. Valeo(2) actually make a good deal of constitutional sense.(3) I. THE CONSTITUTIONAL TENSION APPROACH Let me begin with Justice Breyer's opinion, which I found eloquent enough that I would like to quote it at some length; but let me at the same time quote another similarly eloquent opinion alongside it. [T]he principal dissent oversimplifies the problem faced in the campaign finance context. It takes a difficult constitutional problem and turns it into a lopsided dispute between political expression and government censorship. Under the cover of this fiction and its accompanying formula, the dissent would make the Court absolute arbiter of a difficult question best left, in the main, to the political branches. [T]his is a case where constitutionally protected interests lie on both sides of the legal equation. For that reason there is no place for a strong presumption against constitutionality, of the sort often thought to accompany the words "strict scrutiny." Nor can we expect that mechanical application of the tests associated with "strict scrutiny" -- the tests of "compelling interests" and "least restrictive means" -- will properly resolve the difficult constitutional problem that campaign finance statutes pose. Cf. Kovacs v. Cooper, 336 U.S. 77, 96 [] (1949) (Frankfurter, J., concurring) (objecting, in the First Amendment context, to "oversimplified formulas") (parallel citation omitted). Our judgment is ... solicited on a conflict of interests of the utmost concern to the well-being of the country. This conflict of interests cannot be resolved by a dogmatic preference for one or the other, nor by a sonorous formula which is in fact only a euphemistic disguise for an unresolved conflict. If adjudication is to be a rational process, we cannot escape a candid examination of the conflicting claims with full recognition that both are supported by weighty title-deeds. The plain fact [is] that the interest in speech, profoundly important as it is, is no more conclusive in judicial review than other attributes of democracy or than a determination of the people's representatives that a measure is necessary to assure the safety of government itself.... Just as there are those who regard as invulnerable every measure for which the claim of national survival is invoked, there are those who find in the Constitution a wholly unfettered right of expression. Such literalness treats the words of the Constitution as though they were found on a piece of outworn parchment instead of being words that have called into being a nation with a past to be preserved for the future. …


This paper gives the results of a semiparametric analysis of pollution effects on housing prices using the Boston Housing Data. The exposition introduces the basic ideas of modeling pollution impacts with hedonic price methods, discusses the standard log-linear model, and then introduces nonparametric estimation and semiparametric index models. We focus on the intuitive content and substantive results of the semiparametric analysis. We find that the impact of pollution is smaller than that previously estimated, and varies dramatically depending on the status level of the community. We give various interpretations of the findings, and contrast our methods with those used in previous analysis of the Boston Housing Data. SEMIPARAMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS


BACKGROUND
Adverse events (AEs) are adverse outcomes caused by medical care. Several studies have indicated that a substantial number of patients experience AEs before or during hospitalization. However, few data describe AEs after hospital discharge. We determined the incidence, severity, preventability and ameliorability of AEs in patients discharged from the general internal medicine service of a Canadian hospital.

METHODS
At a multisite Canadian teaching hospital, we prospectively studied patients who were consecutively discharged home or to a seniors' residence from the general internal medicine service during a 14-week interval in 2002. We used telephone interview and chart review to identify outcomes after discharge. Two physicians independently reviewed each outcome to determine if the patient experienced an AE. The severity, preventability and ameliorability of all AEs were classified.

RESULTS
During the study period, outcomes were determined for 328 of the 361 eligible patients, who averaged 71 years of age (interquartile range 54-81 years). After discharge, 76 of the 328 patients experienced at least 1 AE (overall incidence 23%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 19%-28%). The AE severity ranged from symptoms only (68% of the AEs) or symptoms associated with a nonpermanent disability (25%) to permanent disability (3%) or death (3%). The most common AEs were adverse drug events (72%), therapeutic errors (16%) and nosocomial infections (11%). Of the 76 patients, 38 had an AE that was either preventable or ameliorable (overall incidence 12%, 95% CI 9%-16%).

INTERPRETATION
Approximately one-quarter of patients in our study had an AE after hospital discharge, and half of the AEs were preventable or ameliorable.


The amount of textile waste has been increasing steadily in the Western world during the last decades. Its negative impact on the environment makes it important to investigate the possibility to increase the utilization of waste materials. The purpose of this paper is to study possibilities and structural barriers to utilize waste materials in the Swedish furniture and clothing industries. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with project managers, business developers, designers, and company representatives in the initiative Studio Re: design. The initiative aims to develop new techniques for making use of textile waste. Our study shows that the possibility for making use of waste materials is greater in the furniture industry than in the clothing industry. This is explained by more local production and flexible production in the furniture industry and also greater possibilities to utilize existing sales channels and interactive effects in the design process.


The study of functional response characteristics of natural enemies is one of the most important approaches to assess their efficiency in regulating the pest population as they are key aspects in the dynamics of predator-prey interactions. In the present study, the functional response type and parameters, and maximum feeding capacity of the predatory mite Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski & Amitai) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) deutonymph and adult female were assessed at different densities of movable stages of the date palm mite (DPM) Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) and two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). The experiments were carried out at 30 ± 2°C and relatively low humidity of 35 ± 5 % RH under controlled conditions, for the first time. The logistic regression model was used to determine the type of functional response exhibited by C. negevi. Both the stages of predator showed Type II functional response when fed the DPM and TSSM individuals at different stages. Roger's random-predator equation was used to define the handling time (Th) and attack rate (a) coefficients of type II functional response by fitting the equation into the non-linear least square regression model. The longest Th was shown by deutonymph and adult females of C. negevi when they fed on the DPM and TSSM females, and TSSM females, respectively. Furthermore, no significant differences were recorded for most of the a values of the deutonymph and adult female of C. negevi among different stages of DPM and TSSM. The maximum feeding capacity of C. negevi adult female was significantly higher for DPM female when compared with that of TSSM. According to previous and current studies, C. negevi could be a potential predator at a wide range of humidity.


This study investigated the effects of dentin surface characteristics on bond strengths between resin and dentin. The shear bond strengths mediated by two dentin adhesive systems (Clearfil SE Bond and OptiBond Solo Plus) were evaluated. For each material, flat dentin surfaces prepared from human upper premolars were allocated to eight groups according to three characterizations; dentin location (occlusal or cervical), dentin depth (superficial or deep) and dentinal tubule orientation (perpendicular or parallel). A 0.75-mm diameter area of dentin was bonded according to each manufacturer's instructions before placing 0.5-mm high resin composite. The bonds were stressed in shear at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/minute. The mean bond strengths were compared using ANOVA and independent t-test. No statistically significant differences were found in shear bond strengths based on dentin location. Clearfil SE Bond presented higher bond strengths to deep dentin specimens bonded perpendicular to the tubules compared to those that were bonded parallel to the tubules. Whereas, the opposite results were found for deep dentin specimens bonded with OptiBond Solo Plus. In the case of superficial dentin, there were no differences between the two materials when bond strengths were compared among the different orientations of tubule. The results indicated that shear bond strengths may be affected by dentin depth, orientation of the tubule and the bonding material used, but not by location of the dentin.


Stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), in response to the orbitally-paced cooling climate of the Late Neogene, is largely unknown. The Wilkes Land margin of East Antarctica, largely grounded below sea level, has previously been proposed to respond dynamically during the warmer climate of the Pliocene, similarly to other marine based sectors of Antarctica (i.e. West Antarctica). Sediment deposition on the Wilkes Land continental rise, recovered in Integrated Ocean Drilling Program U1361A drillcore provides a distal but continuous record of EAIS fluctuations. Changes in sedimentary depositional environments at U1361A core site, were determined through analysis of lithofacies and physical property logs: natural gamma-ray (NGR), gamma-ray attenuation bulk density (GRA), magnetic susceptibility (MS) and L* colour reflectance. NGR primarily reflected biogenic content and a synchronous relationship between NGR, GRA and MS was used to identify interglacial and glacial phases, whereby decreased NGR, GRA and MS values indicated an increase in biogenic material. L* colour reflectance was more variable through time, displayed higher frequency fluctuations and a changing relationship with the other physical property logs down core. Two depositional models, based on facies interpretations and the defined physical property relationships, were produced for the Middle Late Pleistocene (last ~550 kyr; model A) and mid-Pliocene (~4.2-3.6 Ma; model B), which represent end members. Depositional processes common to both models occurred in the intervening core, spanning the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene (3-1 Ma). Model A, applied to the Middle Late Pleistocene, shows that alternating diatom-rich clays to silty clays in the upper 9 m of core U1361A, reflect the large amplitude ~100 kyr paced glacial-interglacial cycles, which is confirmed by spectral analysis of the physical properties for this interval. Model B, applied to the Early Pliocene, suggest that the depositional processes recorded by facies may have been less sensitive to EAIS fluctuations, probably due to the fact that the ice margin was generally more distal to the core site during glacial-interglacial cycles of advance and retreat. Nevertheless, these more subtle changes in lithology were characterised by variations in the physical property logs, and spectral analysis of these time series implied orbital pacing was still influential on depositional processes at this time (displaying power in precession and obliquity frequencies). Spectral analysis of the physical property logs and visual correlations to the benthic δ18O stack, confirmed the 4.2-1 Ma interval was paced by ~40 kyr and implies obliquity-paced oscillations of the margin of the EAIS. Precession periodicities, significant in spectra throughout the 4.2 Myr record, are proposed to be the response of phytoplankton productivity in response to seasonal insolation controlling sea-ice extent.


AIM
To evaluate the resistant epileptic patients who had vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) devices implanted over five years, and to evaluate the neuropsychological aspects of VNS.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy (PRE) were followed from 2012 to 2017. Totally seven patients were found eligible for VNS in this period. In the pre-surgical period, patients were neuro-psychiatrically assessed by an independent psychiatric committee for mental status, which included assessment of intelligence quotient (IQ), Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised (WAIS-R) IQ, Stroop test and mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Hamilton depression scale (HDS) and the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI).

RESULTS
The positive effects of VNS on patients' well-being and neuropsychiatric status may be the most as important as the treatment's cost effectiveness. The patients' quality of life (QoL) was calculated just before and 12th / 24th months after VNS implantation. The pre-VNS scores for Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QoLiE-31-P) ranged from 14-59, and average score was 37.14.The post-VNS scores ranged from 31-72, and the average score was 52.86.

CONCLUSION
VNS has intense effects on QoL of epileptic patients. The best approach for comparing and evaluating QoL in PRE patients may be the QoLiE-31-P inventory, which can be adapted and used in epilepsy centers to evaluate energy, mood, daily activity, cognition, medication effects, seizure worry and overall QoL.


Liquid crystal is a delicate and beautiful phase of matter showing the order in between liquid and crystals. They have different phases and phase transitions. A powerful tool called AC calorimetry can be used to characterize the different phases and phase transitions. In this article, use of ac-calorimetry technique in liquid crystal phases and phase transitions is described. Key words : Liquid and crystals; AC calorimetry The Himalayan Physics Vol.1, No.1, May, 2010 Page: 25-31 Uploaded Date : 28 July, 2011


American wildlife biologists first began fitting animals with radio transmitters in the 1950s. By the 1980s the practice had proven so useful to scientists and nonscientists alike that it became global. Wired Wilderness is the first book-length study of the origin, evolution, use, and impact of these now-commonplace tracking technologies. Combining approaches from environmental history, the history of science and technology, animal studies, and the cultural and political history of the United States, Etienne Benson traces the radio tracking of wild animals across a wide range of institutions, regions, and species and in a variety of contexts. He explains how hunters, animal-rights activists, and other conservation-minded groups gradually turned tagging from a tool for control into a conduit for connection with wildlife. Drawing on extensive archival research, interviews with wildlife biologists and engineers, and in-depth case studies of specific conservation issues-such as the management of deer, grouse, and other game animals in the upper Midwest and the conservation of tigers and rhinoceroses in Nepal-Benson illuminates telemetry's context-dependent uses and meanings as well as commonalities among tagging practices. Wired Wilderness traces the evolution of the modern wildlife biologist's field practices and shows how the intense interest of nonscientists at once constrained and benefited the field. Scholars of and researchers involved in wildlife management will find this history both fascinating and revealing.


Mobile technologies may facilitate collaboration, interaction, accessing, discovering, discussing and sharing information with the use of SMS services (Ryu & Parsons, 2009; Keegan, 2005; Metcalf, 2006). These opportunities are possible because mobile phones have more global usage than many other educational technologies and have less dependency. SMS technology only depends on a service provider in order to connect to the network. The SMS technology is widely available to many people around the globe and very personal to the users. This makes SMS potentially much more acceptable technology by the students and teachers (Keegan, 2006). Many other educational technologies may require additional effort and costs such as having registration, need of extra infrastructure, need of extra device purchase, maintenance and licensing. Mobile phone is used more generally in many schools. Nearly every student own one so there won't be another cost to buy another device to receive the lesson content. Mobile phone and SMS is easier to use and people are already using these functions for years almost since the first generation mobile phones. Therefore the learnability and adaptation of this technology is much greater. There is no need to have any extra effort to learn something new to operate the device in order to start benefiting it for teaching and learning. Uses of SMS with mobile phones have very different examples of successful implementations in education as in this study also presents. Hence school administrators and policy makers' should consider SMS with mobile phones as another educational technology which has many potential benefits for education. The potential benefits of this technology are not very recent; they had been already discovered by the pioneer researchers in the field. For instance, Although there might be other research initiatives in the field that could be considered as the pioneers for the use of SMS technology for educational purposes, there were some specific examples of initial projects (e.g. Stone, Briggs & Smith (2002; Traxler & Dearden, 2005) that could be considered as the pioneers due to their findings that clearly informed us about the possible effective applications of using SMS technologies in education. These projects showed that SMS technologies were already there to be effectively used in learning. Considering these projects and their research history on the use of SMS in education and other issues in the mobile learning field, it is possible to presume Andy Stone at Kingston University, UK and John Traxler at University of Wolverhampton as the one of the initial example scholars of the pioneers. Following these initial Ilker Yengin Institute of High Performance Computing (A*STAR), Singapore


PrefaceFirst International Workshop on Reminiscence Systems, Cambridge, UK - 5 September 2009These proceedings include nine papers accepted for the Reminiscence Systems Workshop, which was held at Churchill College, Cambridge on 5 September 2009. Intentionally, the papers reflect the broad swathe of academic and care-based disciplines that are involved in the research and provision of services using reminiscence systems. The first short paper 'Reminiscence Systems' provides an introduction to the area of reminiscence systems and describes some of the technologies that impact or will impact in the design of such systems. The second paper 'REAFF - A framework for developing technology to address the needs of people with dementia' describes a protocol that provides guidance on the development of technologies to support people with dementia. The set of principles has been developed from needs-based research but it is argued that they have a broad applicability to aid those seeking to develop technology to support all people with dementia.The paper 'Computerized personal intervention of reminiscence therapy for Alzheimer's patients' describes early usage results in the development of a multimedia-based reminiscence system, which show high satisfaction levels from those using the system as well as a strong tendency towards repeated use. There was also a clear preference for personal rather than general material when both were available in the prototype system. This finding contradicted the results from the use of the CIRCA system (Astell et al. 2008) where generic images were used, and this issue was one of the key areas discussed at the workshop.The paper 'Reminiscence Processes Using Life-Log Entities for Persons with Mild Dementia' explored the use of 'life-log' technologies to promote autonomy for people with mild dementia by helping to maintain episodic memories. An early prototype of the tool that enables a person with dementia to review their day's activities, recorded by the life-log technology, was presented.The paper 'MemoryLane: Reminiscence for Older Adults' explored the use of story telling as a socially beneficial activity for older people, where the telling of stories of past events and experiences defines family identities and is an integral part of most cultures. The reminiscence system described was a mobile-based device designed to enhance the reminiscence capabilities of older people, employing techniques from artificial intelligence to create an adaptive interface for them.In her paper, 'My Stories are My Identity', Sarah Reed describes the use of her card-based technique with residents and staff from care homes. She describes how the cards can also be used in inter-generational work where local school children use the cards as aids to trigger conversations with the residents of care homes.The paper 'Experiences with a Publicly Deployed Tool for Reminiscing' described work on a system called 'Pensieve'. The system was designed to prompt people to reminiscence using emails with textual prompts or social media content. The research found that users valued the system and that prompts with images interestingly drew more responses but less thoughtful ones than textual prompts.In his paper 'Drawn from Memory: Reminiscing, Narrative and the Visual Image', Professor Terence Wright discusses the value of photographs as triggers for reminiscing using case studies from several research projects that demonstrate personal reminisces as well as social memory. He explores the function of photographic-based images as memory aids or as stimuli for reminiscing, placed in the context of the narratives that can be constructed around the image. Interestingly, he discusses the search for 'narrative potential' in construction of material for one of the projects, thus mirroring the concept of significant life events that make up the 'reminiscence bump' (discussed in the workshop by Astell) in the sense that both are indicators of key potential reminiscence triggers.Finally, the paper 'Group Reminiscence Intervention for Institutionalized Demented Elders in Taiwan' described research that explored the significance of using group reminiscence therapy for dementia elders in order to promote their health and quality of life. The reminiscence intervention demonstrated effects for alleviating depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment; however it did not show any effectiveness or increase in behaviour competence and physical functioning in elders with dementia. My thanks go to Professor Terence Wright and Dr Huiru (Jane) Zheng from the University of Ulster for their enthusiastic help and contributions to the organisation of the workshop. Special thanks go to Dr Arlene Astell for her assistance as well as her splendid introductory 'keynote', which hit the right note. I would like to thank all those who contributed directly at the workshop, either by presenting their work or by contributing to the varied discussions. This includes: Etienne Abrahams, Arlene Astell, Johan E. Bengtsson, Dr Dan Cosley, Sheila McCarthy, Daniel Nagler, Sarah Reed, Vardit Sarne-Fleischmann, Ponnusamy Subramaniam, Jing-Jy Wang, Prof Terence Wright and Dr Huiru Zheng.Maurice Mulvenna, University of Ulster, September 2009ReferencesAstell, A. J. Alm, N., Gowans, G., Ellis, M. P., Dye, R., & Campbell, J. (2008). CIRCA: A communication prosthesis for dementia. A. Mihailidas, L. Normie, H. Kautz & J. Boger (Eds). Technology and Aging. IOS Press.


A key to causal inference with observational data is achieving balance in predictive features associated with each treatment type. Recent literature has explored representation learning to achieve this goal. In this work, we discuss the pitfalls of these strategies - such as a steep trade-off between achieving balance and predictive power - and present a remedy via the integration of balancing weights in causal learning. Specifically, we theoretically link balance to the quality of propensity estimation, emphasize the importance of identifying a proper target population, and elaborate on the complementary roles of feature balancing and weight adjustments. Using these concepts, we then develop an algorithm for flexible, scalable and accurate estimation of causal effects. Finally, we show how the learned weighted representations may serve to facilitate alternative causal learning procedures with appealing statistical features. We conduct an extensive set of experiments on both synthetic examples and standard benchmarks, and report encouraging results relative to state-of-the-art baselines.


Background: The thymus is one of the primary lymphoid organs other than being the bone marrow. It is responsible for the provision of thymus-processed lymphocytes (T lymphocytes) to the whole body. Aim of the study: To study the microscopic architecture of the cortex and medulla, structure and type of epithelial cells, nature of connective tissue stroma, vasculature of thymus organ, the morphology of Hassall Corpuscle (HC). To study the histometric analysis like estimation of volume and diameter of HC at various gestational age. Method: Total 20 aborted and still born fetuses ranging from 17-39 weeks of gestation were used for the study. After embalming, meticulous dissection, thymus gland was weighed and fixed with formalin. The various histological and histometric parameters were observed. Results: The cortex and medulla were well demarcated by the 17th week. The weight and volume of the thymus were proportionately increased as the fetal age advanced. Early phase had thick mucoid interlobular septae whereas the later phase had thin, reticular interlobular septae. Four different types of HC (SHC, CHC I, CHC II and DHC) in fetus were seen. The presence of solid HC at the periphery of the medulla and degenerating HC at the central core of the medulla tends to postulate the direction of maturation which is from the periphery to the center of the medulla. Conclusion: The findings of the present study is in conformity with studies related to the volume and size of the thymus with respect to gestational ages and histological features related to parenchymal and mesenchymal tissue composition and its various components. However, the present study noted different types of Hassall's Corpuscles which are reported in the adult thymus and the findings lead to further discussion on the maturation and differentiation of Hassall's Corpuscles in human fetal thymus.


Questions

How does heavy grazing change plant community structure, composition and species richness and diversity in an ecotone between grassland and semi-arid shrub steppe-type vegetation? Does grazing favour plants with arid affinity over those with less arid affinity? Does the grazing-induced transformation constitute a switch to the equivalent of a shrub-dominated biome?

Location

Central South Africa.

Methods

Using systematic scanning of SPOT 5 imagery and ground-truthing, a grazing treatment area was selected that met criteria of intensity of grazing, sampling requirements, and biogeographical position within a broad ecotonal zone. Differential vegetation responses to heavy grazing were tested for significant differences in plant traits, vegetation structure, and species diversity, richness and evenness. Gamma diversity was calculated for the whole study site, whereas, independent beta diversity was calculated across the treatments assuming the additive partitioning of diversity. In addition, the biogeographical association of grazing-induced species shifts was determined using a range of available databases.

Results

Canopy cover and height of woody shrubs increased significantly with heavy grazing whereas that of graminoid plants declined. The resultant species turnover was modest, apparent extinctions of local species were minimal, species richness was maintained and species diversity was significantly enhanced. There was a significant increase in species evenness, through possible suppression of dominant species. Significant increases in species cover were those associated with mainly the Nama-Karoo biome indicating that species from more arid areas are more resistant to grazing as would be expected by the convergence model of aridity and grazing resistance.

Conclusions

The significant increase in shrub cover in heavily grazed semi-arid grassland followed general global expectations. The study confirmed that the supposed former large shift of grassland to shrubby Nama-Karoo in the eastern upper Karoo can indeed be readily affected by heavy grazing. The negative connotations for biodiversity that have often been associated with intense grazing seem, in terms of the positive responses of plant species diversity in this study, to perhaps be exaggerated. The elevated species diversity with grazing of vegetation with a long evolutionary grazing history in a low resource area may require a reappraisal of the application of certain grazing hypotheses.


Hearing loss is an invisible disability that affects over 22.5 million Americans (Adams & Benson, 1992). Estimates on the prevalence of hearing loss vary depending on the population studied and the criteria chosen to define hearing loss. Results of a 1987 survey from the Center of National Health Statistics Americans (Adams & Benson, 1992) indicate that 14% of the population in the 45 to 64 year age group has hearing loss. Degenerative changes in the auditory mechanism often accompany advancing age. Hearing loss ranks second only to arthritis in prevalence among chronic problems affecting the physical health of the aged population (Harris, 1978). The prevalence of hearing loss in the elderly population has been estimated to be between 25% to 80% with the wide range explained by differences in the criteria employed and the sampling criteria (Davis, 1989; Gates, Cooper, Kannel & Miller, 1990; Milne, 1976). In addition, Niskar et al. (1998) found that 14.9% of the children between the ages of six and 19 years evaluated in a national study had some degree of hearing loss. These statistics highlight the need for professionals in rehabilitation to be knowledgeable in devices that may help their clients deal with communication problems that accompany hearing loss. Amplification in the form of hearing aids is the primary rehabilitative tool the audiologist has to offer an individual with a hearing loss. Although the benefits of hearing aids in the population with hearing loss are well documented (Harless & McConnell, 1982; Kricos, Lesner, Sandridge & Yanke, 1987; Malinoff & Weinstein, 1989; Mulrow, et al., 1990), factors such as the presence of background noise and distance from the speaker or sound source can reduce the amount of benefit received from traditional heating aids. Assitive listening devices (ALDs) have been developed to help individuals in communication and environmental setting when hearing aids are insufficient. The purpose of the article is to present the advantages and disadvantages of ALDs, audiologist assessment and rehabilitation counseling considerations, and a discussion of types of assistive listening devices. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provided the legislative foundation to vastly expand legal rights of individuals who have disabling conditions (Public Law 101-336). The ADA is composed of five titles covering the areas of employment, public services, and programs and communication. Private employers, state and local governments, and public accommodation establishments are covered under Titles I, II, and III (Strauss, 1994). Of paramount importance are the phrases 'qualified individual with a disability, who with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position.' Reasonable accommodation are considered those that do not place an 'undue hardship' on the business. The Department of Justice in its regulations concerning Title II, provides a list of aids and services for individuals with hearing impairments: '[q]ualified interpreters, notetakers, transcription services, written materials, telephone handset amplifiers, assistive listening devices, assistive listening systems, telephones compatible with hearing aids, closed caption decoders, open and closed captioning, telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDD's) [and] video text displays....' [28 C.F.R. [sections] 36.303(b) (1)] Holt and Seeger (1995) studied 390 individuals who were admitted to a rehabilitation unit of a hospital. The subjects were divided into six age groupings: less than 40 age group (n=11), 40-49 age groups (n=31), 50-59 age group (n=35), 60-69 age group (n=107), 70-79 age group (n=134), and over 80 age group (n=72). They found that hearing loss was related to the age group with poorer hearing in the older groups. The most common hearing impairment across age groups was in the mild to moderate range. …


Social investment (SI) is part of a strategy to modernize the European welfare states by focusing on human resource development throughout the life-course, while ensuring financial sustainability. Recognizing that this strategy was only partially implemented by the EU member states prior to the financial and Eurozone crises, this article investigates whether reforms and expenditure patterns in labour market policy (LMP) have moved more towards or away from SI following the 2008 financial crisis. We use quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the degree to which there have been shifts in the SI aspects of LMPs in eight countries across four welfare state regimes. We also investigate which aspects of LMPs have been strengthened and which have been weakened, enabling us to make a nuanced assessment of labour market SIs across the EU in a period of permanent austerity. We find that although the eight countries under examination have different starting points, there is little evidence of increased SI-orientation of LMPs. Upskilling, which is at the heart of SI, did not increase from 2004–08 to 2009–13, while incentive reinforcement and employment assistance – more about labour market entry and marketing of skills – grew in importance. If this trend continues across Europe, there is a risk that SI will become lost in translation and end up as a clearer neo-liberal version of workfarism.


In this article the author analyses the rise of the unilateralist imperial project of the George W. Bush administration in the United States and its implications for the developing world. He explains the motivation behind the 'war on terror' and the invasion of Iraq. Contrary to prevailing views, the author suggests that US hegemony rests on a fragile economic base. The expanded European Union now represents an economy of the size of that of the US and it enjoys a healthy position in international trade, while the developing Asian region is also gaining ground. The US has been able to engage in deep deficit spending to finance its 'war on terror' due to the US dollar's position as the international currency of deposit. However the Euro is now challenging the pre-eminence of the dollar. These factors combine to form the objective basis for a challenge to US unilateralism, but Asia's development gap and political division in Europe mean that the only possible challenge in the short-term to the prevailing imperialist posture of the US must come from inside the superpower. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The applications of the blockchain technology are still being discovered. When a new potential disruptive technology emerges, there is a tendency to try to solve every problem with that technology. However, it is still necessary to determine what approach is the best for each type of application. To find how distributed ledgers solve existing problems, this study looks for blockchain frameworks in the academic world. Identifying the existing frameworks can demonstrate where the interest in the technology exists and where it can be missing. This study encountered several blockchain frameworks in development. However, there are few references to operational needs, testing, and deploy of the technology. With the widespread use of the technology, either integrating with pre-existing solutions, replacing legacy systems, or new implementations, the need for testing, deploying, exploration, and maintenance is expected to intensify.


Mutation breeding has extensively been utilised for many years to enhance the agronomic qualities of crops. Taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) is an economically important tuber plant, hence induced mutation offers the best way to induce genetic variations for its breeding programme. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of chronic gamma irradiation in local taro cultivar, Wangi. This research was conducted at the chronic gamma irradiation facility (Gamma Green House), Nuklear Malaysia, Selangor from 12th July until 18th August 2019. Suckers of taro (Wangi variety) were exposed to chronic gamma irradiation (low dose, long period) at ring 2 (0.66 Gy/h), 3 (0.33 Gy/h), 4 (0.17 Gy/h), 5 (0.11 Gy/h), 6 (0.07 Gy/h), 8 (0.04 Gy/h), and 10 (0.03 Gy/h), in which ring 2 is the nearest to the radiation source whilst ring 10 is the farthest. The effects of gamma irradiation on growth traits were measured after 35 days of irradiation by measuring plant height, petiole height, width and length leaf, number of leaf and survival rate. The results showed that the LR25 (Leaf Reduction) occurred at 245.90 Gy. Leaf shapes variation (variegated and wrinkled) were observed prominently at accumulated dose 120.12 Gy (ring 2) and 268.28 Gy (ring 3), respectively. Plant and petiole height, leaves width and number of leaves were affected at all doses of irradiation. The findings in this study showed the potential of using chronic gamma irradiation to create genetic variations in taro genotypes.


In Rent-a-Center v. Jackson, the U.S. Supreme Court will determine whether businesses can require their employees, consumers, and franchisees to arbitrate the issue of whether the arbitration clause itself is unconscionable. The conventional wisdom, based on dicta in several Supreme Court decisions, is that parties can arbitrate the validity of the arbitration clause as long as there is clear and unmistakable evidence of their intent to do so. Conversely, this short Essay argues that courts, not arbitrators, have the exclusive power to determine whether an arbitration clause is invalid under traditional contract defenses. The source of the judiciary's monopoly is section 4 of the Federal Arbitration Act, which mandates that any time the "making of the agreement to arbitrate" is "in issue," a judge must resolve the matter.


The main argument of this review is that motivational development associated with normal aging affects decision making. With increasing age, the ratio of gains to losses becomes more and more unfavorable. Reflecting the increasing losses in resources, goal orientation changes from a predominant orientation towards gains in young adulthood to an increasingly stronger orientation towards the prevention of loss in older adulthood. As goals serve as reference points for the evaluation of decision outcomes, this change in goal orientation across adulthood might also affect decision making. The decision-making literature has recognized that choices are influenced by goal orientation. However, little research has been conducted on how goals influence the decision-making process in general and with regard to aging in particular. To date, findings on decision making and aging remain inconsistent and are in need of a developmental framework. With regard to applications, a better understanding of the aging decision maker can provide insight into how to improve communication efforts about issues like advance care planning, medical treatment, and housing options.


Dantrolene is a skeletal muscle relaxant used commonly in performance horses to prevent exertional rhabdomyolysis. The goal of the study reported here was to begin to characterize cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of dantrolene in the horse and describe the pharmacokinetics of the compound, formulated as a capsule or a compounded paste formulation, following oral administration. Dantrolene is rapidly metabolized to 5-hydroxydantrolene both in vivo and in vitro. Preliminary work with equine liver microsomes suggest that two enzymes are responsible for the metabolism of dantrolene, as evidenced by two distinct K(m) values, one at high and one at low substrate concentrations. For the pharmacokinetic portion of the study, a randomized, balanced 2-way crossover design was employed wherein eight healthy horses received a single oral dose of either capsules or paste followed by a 4 week washout period prior to administration of the second formulation to the same horse. Blood samples were collected at time 0 (prior to drug administration) and at various times up to 96 h postdrug administration. Plasma samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and data analyzed using both noncompartmental and compartmental analysis. Peak plasma concentrations were 28.9 ± 21.6 and 37.8 ± 12.8 ng/mL for capsules and paste, respectively and occurred at 3.8 h for both formulations. Dantrolene and its major metabolite were both below the limit of detection in both plasma and urine by 168 h postadministration.


This paper presents the development of a real-time system for monitoring the security of commercial vehicles in road networks. Embedded in the security monitoring system is a commercial vehicle tracking and incident detection algorithm which relies on a combination of vehicle telemetry data obtained from Global Positioning Systems and on-board sensors to continuously monitor the route choice and car-following behavior of the driver. The performance of this algorithm has been tested in a microscopic simulation model, on a set of hypothetical scenarios, which included deviations from the approved routes, forced to travel at unreasonably low speeds, or even stopped at unexpected places in the network. The initial results indicate that the proposed system has good potential in detecting abnormal driving behaviors, with 100% detection rate, 6.0 seconds of mean detection time, and less than 0.5% false alarm rate.


This paper uses datasets from six surveys to describe entrepreneurship in Argentina. While the quantity of entrepreneurship in Argentina is high, its quality is low, given the high proportion of informal and necessity entrepreneurs. Income is found to play a greater role in determining probability of becoming an entrepreneur than parental wealth; entrepreneurship is, however, transmitted inter- generationally. Although it is found that Argentina promotes entrepreneurial values more than most Latin American countries, entrepreneurs face several obstacles. Finally, using panel data based on household surveys, the paper estimates the short and long-run effects of an increase in public employment on entrepreneurship, finding the effects to be negative and strong. Overall, the evidence suggests that changes in public policies and other areas are needed for Argentina to become an entrepreneurial economy.


Distorted Nanoparticle Nanoparticles have found many applications in modern technology; however, the full characterization of individual particles is challenging. One of the most interesting mechanical properties is the particle's response to lattice distortion. This property has been probed for ensembles of nanoparticles, but the required averaging may distort the results. Clark et al. (p. 56, published online 23 May; see the Perspective by Hartland and Lo) were able to image the generation and subsequent evolution of coherent acoustic phonons from an individual perturbed gold nanocrystal on the picosecond time scale. An x-ray free-electron laser is used to probe the elastic modes of a gold nanocrystal. [Also see Perspective by Hartland and Lo] Key insights into the behavior of materials can be gained by observing their structure as they undergo lattice distortion. Laser pulses on the femtosecond time scale can be used to induce disorder in a "pump-probe" experiment with the ensuing transients being probed stroboscopically with femtosecond pulses of visible light, x-rays, or electrons. Here we report three-dimensional imaging of the generation and subsequent evolution of coherent acoustic phonons on the picosecond time scale within a single gold nanocrystal by means of an x-ray free-electron laser, providing insights into the physics of this phenomenon. Our results allow comparison and confirmation of predictive models based on continuum elasticity theory and molecular dynamics simulations.


Although the Paris Agreement lacks a binding mechanism for capping carbon emissions, and a legally binding financial commitment to support climate change adaptation and mitigation in the developing world, it establishes a legal framework to accelerate the transition towards a low-carbon economy at the global level. The rise of the green economy under the proposed Agreement offers tremendous opportunities for growth and economic development, especially for Africa, which has abundant endowments of renewable energy and resources. African countries' ability to seize these opportunities and accomplish the transition to the low-carbon development economy articulated in the Agreement will depend on their capacity to increase their access to carbon-free technologies and to draw consistently on these technologies to expand the scope of green investments in support of structural transformation and trade diversification.


The continuous use of acetolactate synthase (ALS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) inhibitors has led to the selection of herbicide resistant barnyardgrass populations in direct-seeded rice fields of Korea. This study was conducted to identify herbicide resistant barnyardgrass biotypes and to determine the cross- and multiple-resistance of them. 25% of the population collected from Taeahn was partially resistant to ACCase inhibitors and 22% collected from Kimjae were partially resistant to ALS inhibitors. However, 8.2% of the population from both sites was resistant to ALS and ACCase inhibitors. Resistance to sulfonylurea herbicide, flazasulfuron was identified from two barnyardgrass accessions collected from both Taeahn and Kimjae. One barnyardgrass accession from both sites was resistant to ACCase inhibitor, sethoxydim. The cross-resistance to ALS inhibitors was identified at one barnyardgrass accession from Taeahn and at two accessions from Kimjae. Further, crossresistance to ACCase inhibitors was also identified at barnyardgrass accessions from Taeahn and Kimjae. Multiple-resistance to flazasulfuron and sethoxydim was determined at four barnyardgrass accessions from Taeahn and at six accessions from Kimjae. Therefore, the herbicide mixture and sequences within a growing season or the herbicide rotation with different modes of actions across growing seasons are recommended to control herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass in infested fields.


Martin, a PhD student in mathematics, enrolls at Oxford in the hope of meeting his mentor, Professor Seldom. The young man manages to find lodging at Mrs. Eagleton's but in this house a stifling atmosphere prevails due to the landlady's attitude. Indeed Mrs. Eagleton, who happens to be a friend of Seldom's, is a haughty and unsympathetic woman who also stifles her daughter Beth. At the university, things do not fare much better as Martin is put in his place by his idol during one of Seldom's lectures. But his private life changes for the best as he starts an affair with Lorna, a beautiful girl he met during a game of squash. One night Seldom and Martin who find themselves at Mrs. Eagletons's discover her dead body. They are interrogated by the police. Soon afterwards they decide to lead their own private investigation...


Photometric observations obtained by the MOST satellite were used to characterize optical small scale variability of the young stars FU Ori and Z CMa. Wavelet analysis for FU Ori reveals the possible existence of several 2-9 d quasi-periodic features occurring nearly simultaneously; they may be interpreted as plasma parcels or other localized disc heterogeneities revolving at different Keplerian radii in the accretion disc. Their periods may shorten slowly which may be due to spiralling in of individual parcels toward the inner disc radius, estimated at 4.8+/-0.2 R_sun. Analysis of additional multicolour data confirms the previously obtained relation between variations in the B-V colour index and the V magnitude. In contrast to the FU Ori results, the oscillation spectrum of Z CMa does not reveal any periodicities with the wavelet spectrum possibly dominated by outburst of the Herbig Be component.


This thesis addresses a core problem of the human sciences: the relationship between communal and individual forms of life. In so doing it seeks to raise questions about the acceptance of liberal individualism. This is achieved by the development of certain themes in the work of the philosopher Alasdair Maclntyre, especially those present within his major work After Virtue. This thesis is not a critical study of Maclntyre, but instead attempts to extract, from the work of this major anti-liberal philosopher, elements that can be profitably developed by the human sciences and contribute to a renewal of a socialist politics which is more than one more version of liberal progressivism. The introductory chapter outlines the nature of the problems posed for any kind of communal ism in a liberal polity, the major themes from Maclntyre's work in the last three decades are outlined, in relationship to the question of liberal modernity. This is followed in Chapter One by an outline of some cultural themes concerning concepts of self and community briefly touched on in Maclntyre's work. Chapter Two looks at the impact of liberal culture on its major ideological competitor, Marxism, stressing Maclntyre's complex relationship with the Marxian tradition. Chapters Three and Four examine some of the historical assumptions embodied within Maclntyre's After Virtue. Chapter Three looks at the impact of the capitalist market on our social and moral attitudes. The account of this process is shown to be closely related to the work of the historian Karl Polanyi. Chapter Four looks at the historical relationship between liberalism and bureaucratic practices. In conclusion, Chapter Five examines Maclntyre's alternative to liberal individualism, and connects his narrative account of a human life with other recent developments, in thought and experience.


We have designed and characterized three different types of plasmonic lenses that cannot only focus, but can also bend electromagnetic (EM) waves. The bending effect is achieved by constructing an asymmetric phase front caused by varying phase retardations in EM waves as they pass through a plasmonic lens. With an incident wave normal to the lens surface, light bends up to 8° off the axial direction. The optical wave propagation was numerically investigated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Simulation results show that the proposed plasmonic lenses allow effective beam bending under both normal and tilted incidence. With their relatively large bending range and capability to perform in the far field, the plamsonic lenses described in this article could be valuable in applications such as photonic communication and plasmonic circuits.


Introduction This essay is about intermental thought in the novel. Such thinking is joint, group, shared, or collective, as opposed to intramental, individual, or private thought. It is also known as socially distributed, situated, or extended cognition, and as intersubjectivity. It is a crucially important component of fictional narrative because much of the mental functioning that occurs in novels is done by large organizations, small groups, work colleagues, friends, families, couples, and other intermental units. Notable examples include the army in Evelyn Waugh's Men at Arms; the town in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"; the group of friends in Donna Tartt's The Secret History; the villainous Marchioness de Merteuil and the Viscount de Valmont in Laclos's Les Liaisons Dangereuses; and Kitty and Levin in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, who, in a famous scene, write out only the initial letters of the words that they wish to use but who nevertheless understand each other perfectly. It could plausibly be argued that a large amount of the subject matter of novels is the formation, development, and breakdown of these intermental systems. However, this aspect of narrative has been neglected by traditional theoretical approaches such as focalization, characterization, story analysis, and the representation of speech and thought. One of the most important characters in George Eliot's Middlemarch is the town of Middlemarch itself. I call the intermental functioning of the inhabitants of the town the Middlemarch mind. I go much further than simply suggesting that the town of Middlemarch provides a social context within which individual characters operate; indeed, I argue that the town literally and not just metaphorically has a mind of its own. The Middlemarch mind is complex, interesting, clearly visible to a close reader of the text, and vitally important to an understanding of the novel because it explains a good deal of the motivation behind the actions of the other main characters. It is, however, invisible to traditional narrative approaches. After introducing the concept of intermental thought, I discuss the construction of the Middlemarch mind in the opening few pages of the novel. I attempt to show that the beginning of the novel is saturated with the Middlemarch mind and that the initial descriptions by the narrator of the three individual minds of Dorothea, Celia, and Mr. Brooke are focalized through it. After trying to anticipate possible objections to the idea of intermental functioning in fictional narrative, I finish with a few general comments on cognitive approaches to literature. The background to my argument is as follows. Narratology is concerned, in part, with the study of the mental functioning of the characters who inhabit the storyworlds created by fictional narratives. It addresses the question of how, when reading a novel, we construct from the words in the text an awareness of the mental functioning of the characters in that novel. Readers enter the storyworlds of novels and then follow the logic of the events that occur in them primarily by attempting to reconstruct the fictional minds of the characters in that storyworld. Otherwise, readers lose the plot. These constructions of the minds of fictional characters by narrators and readers are central to our understanding of how novels work, because fictional narrative is, in essence, the presentation of fictional mental functioning. It is not possible to follow the plot of Middlemarch without following the thought processes of Lydgate, Dorothea, Rosamond, and the other characters in the novel. In fact, the plot consists of those thought processes (for more on this, see Palmer). You may be feeling some doubt about the claim that intermental thought has been neglected. Surely we have always known about the importance of groups right from the very beginning of Western literature, for example the role of the chorus in Greek tragedy'? …


Prophylactic vaccination with a quadrivalent HPV (types 6, 11, 16, 18) vaccine (qHPV) has been shown to prevent infection with HPV 6/11/16/18 and associated disease in women and more recently, in men. Here we report on the safety and reactogenicity of the qHPV vaccine in males. A total of 4,065 healthy males aged 16-26 years were enrolled into a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Subjects were randomized 1:1 to receive qHPV vaccine or placebo at day 1, month 2, and month 6. Safety and tolerability were assessed via the collection of reported adverse experiences (AEs). All serious AEs (vaccine- or procedure-related or not) and all deaths occurring during the study were recorded. Safety analyses were conducted in all subjects who received at least one dose of vaccine or placebo. The proportion of subjects who reported at least one injection-site AE was higher in the qHPV vaccine group versus the placebo group (60.1% vs 53.7%, respectively), however most of these AEs were mild/moderate in intensity. The incidence of at least one systemic AE was comparable between the vaccine and placebo groups (31.7% vs 31.4%, respectively). There were no vaccine-related serious AEs or deaths. The occurrence of AEs did not increase with each successive injection, and among trial participants who were seropositive for at least one vaccine HPV type at enrollment, the profile of adverse events was similar to that of the entire study cohort. The qHPV vaccine was generally well tolerated in males aged 16-26 years and had a favorable safety profile.


Modern articulatory speech synthesizers simulate the human speech production system in an increasingly accurate manner. In this direction, we relax the simplifying assumption of zero mean flow velocity during speech production and we investigate potential effects. Further, we introduce a reduced parameter set for our 3D articulatory model which simplifies its control and does not allow humanly infeasible articulations. Vowel-Fricative-Vowel synthesis experiments using our twofold augmented synthesizer are reported.


The identification of reduced-form VAR model had been the subject of numerous debates in the literature. Different sets of identifying assumptions can lead to very different conclusions in the policy debate. This paper proposes a theoretically consistent identification strategy using restrictions implied by a DSGE model. Monte Carlo simulations suggest the proposed identification strategy is successful in recovering the true structural shocks from the data. In the face of misspecified model restrictions, the data tend to push the identified VAR responses away from the misspecified model and closer to the true data generating process.


This case study concerns how the personal behavior of students involved in fraternal organizations is depicted in social media, and how that behavior impacts the organization and its image. The legal and ethical implications of individuals' behaviors in social media has become a major issue for many organizations. This case follows an example of a fraternal organization and how the governing body must handle the information members post on social media. The mission of many fraternal organizations is to champion or contribute to specific causes. Members' social media postings may reflect poorly on the organization and may not always align with the principles of the organization. This case examines how those postings impact the organization, and what it can do to mitigate the effects. The ethical issues that can affect the actions of both the governing body and the members are probed throughout the case.


Background Thyroid cancer is one of the most commonly detected cancers worldwide, and papillary thyroidal carcinoma (PTC) accounts for the majority of thyroid cancers. In contrast to the indolent nature of PTC, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) shows an extremely poor prognosis and has not responded to any therapeutic modalities. Many researchers postulate that the dedifferentiation of thyroid follicular cells into primitive cells might be related to the pathogenesis of ATC because several cases of ATC have revealed pre-existing PTC lesions. Additionally, the cancer stem cell (CSC) theory has been widely accepted in the pathogenesis of ATC. Objective To explore the expression of various CSC markers in thyroid carcinoma tissues and analyse their clinical significance. Methods 133 patients with PTC and 25 patients with ATC were enrolled. Immunohistochemistry for aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), CD133, CXCR4, ATP-binding cassette (ABC)G2, multidrug resistance associated protein-1 (MRP1), lung resistance protein-1 (LRP), P-glycoprotein 1 (P-Gp1), SOX2, SOX9 and Oct4 was performed using tissue microarray. Results CSC marker expression was significantly high in ATC, particularly chemoresistance markers such as ABCG2, MRP1, LRP and CXCR4. In PTC, ABCG2 was highly positive in more advanced pathological stages and was associated with lymph node involvement, with borderline significance. In ATC, high expression of CXCR4 correlated with distant metastasis, and LRP showed a tendency to correlate with lymph node metastasis. High expression of CSC markers was related to shorter overall survival in patients with ATC. Conclusions These results provide strong evidence that CSCs are related to the pathogenesis of ATC and can explain the frequent treatment failure and aggressiveness of ATC.


Education policy making in England is a whirligig--a constantly spinning plaything for politicians where the only thing that stays the same is the sense of change. I wonder, in fact, if any country is reforming on as many fronts simultaneously, at such a pace, as we are. Consider the following. Two-and-a-half years into the current government (i.e. halfway through), England is now midway into a review of the national curriculum, the government framework that regulates what millions of five- to 16-year-old students are taught. This is likely to lead to serious change, with primary school pupils in particular being taught more demanding topics in mathematics earlier in their school careers, although it's still unclear how teachers will be trained for this. National politicians are also changing the main school exam for 16-year-olds, the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Two major reforms to the GCSE announced last year call for more emphasis on spelling and grammar (multiple choice papers are still a relative rarity here) and scaling back dramatically students' ability to retake tests in order to improve their GCSE scores. Then, this summer news leaked that ministers wanted to go further and replace the entire current GCSE system beginning in 2014 with something that appeared to herald the return of a two-tier system, replaced in England in the 1980s, in which more "academic" students took one set of exams and less academically oriented teenagers took another. Since then, the start date for these latest exam changes has been delayed until 2015, but this still seems to leave little time to test the exams in depth before implementation. The political timetable may be influencing the scheduling of this major initiative since the next general election is likely to be in 2015, and the current Conservative-led administration isn't doing well in opinion polls. Meanwhile, this reform also seems poised to end what's existed in England since World War II: A range of competing private or charitable organizations, called exam boards, have offered tests from which schools are free to choose. Under a new arrangement, each exam board will have to submit plans to the government to run tests in a range of subjects to schools across England beginning in 2015. The Secretary of State will decide which board runs the exam in each subject, so only one board will offer exams in each subject. Race to the bottom? The idea behind this switch is what's tartly referred to as a "race to the bottom" where, the current government claims, the boards have been competing for schools' business by making their exams easier to pass. Ministers are also reforming exams for 18-year-olds (A-levels), drastically tightening school accountability, encouraging and in some cases forcing schools to move toward a form of governance called academy status (similar to charter schools), with academies operating outside the influence of local authorities. Since the 2010 election, more than 2,000 schools have converted to academy status, drawn in part by the seemingly better public funding for academies, so that about half of secondary schools and 5% of primaries are now academies. The government also wants to encourage parents and private education providers to create new schools as part of a "free school" reform modelled after similar policy reforms in Sweden. Ministers want fewer teachers to be trained in universities, too, so they're encouraging school-based teacher education. The government also has scrapped a requirement that teachers in academies have undergone teacher training or be enrolled in a course to enable them to gain qualified teacher status. The government argues that these schools need the flexibility to hire experts from industry, for example, who might not be qualified as teachers. And, in case you missed it, in perhaps the largest shake-up of university education ever to take place in England, the government allowed universities to nearly triple student fees to [pounds sterling]9,000 ($14,412) a year beginning with this school year, a move that brought violent protests to London's streets when the policy was announced. …


The increase in tourism and recreational activities potentially adds to the already increasing pressure on endangered and vulnerable wildlife. Impacts on wildlife caused by these increasingly popular pursuits are poorly understood. However, it is thought that these recreational activities can lead to a decline in local population numbers and even species richness. This study tests the effects of two recently opened mountain bike trails within Whinlatter Forest, Cumbria on the abundance of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), whose numbers have rapidly declined throughout the UK. Distance sampling survey techniques were used following transect routes of a previous 2007 study, undertaken prior to construction of the mountain bike trails. Data gathered compares squirrel abundance with trail usage, habitat and population. Habitat type was the principle determinant of red squirrel abundance, with a significant correlation identified with preference towards Larch. No negative effect was found to be caused by the presence of the mountain bike trails. However, further studies should be undertaken and mitigation measures should be carried out until any negative effects can be completely dismissed.


Variability of angina symptoms over a 5-year period was examined in a prospective study, in which 7,109 British middle-aged men completed two chest pain questionnaires, Q1 (1978–1980) and Q5 (1983–1985), and were classified as having no chest pain, nonexertional chest pain, or angina (Q) (exertional chest pain) on each occasion. Within persons, there was considerable variability in response to the chest pain questions at Q1 and Q5. Angina (Q) persistence showed marked associations with previous myocardial infarction, diagnosed angina, electrocardiogram ischemia, and subsequent major ischemic heart disease events from Q5 onward. Compared with men without angina (Q), the age-adjusted hazard ratios were 1.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 2.2) for angina (Q) at Q1 only, 2.6 (95% CI: 2.1, 3.2) for angina (Q) at Q5 only, and 3.4 (95% CI: 2.8, 4.3) for angina (Q) on both occasions. For men without diagnosed ischemic heart disease, for whom apparent remission of angina (Q) was particularly frequent, a similar pattern of association was found between angina (Q) persistence and subsequent major events. In middle-aged men, exertional chest pain is a strong indicator of major coronary risk but frequently appears transient in the longer term. Persistently reported symptoms are associated with severe disease and a poor prognosis. Am J Epidemiol 2001;153:1173–82.


A search for the decay of neutral, weakly interacting, long-lived particles using data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. The analysis in this paper uses 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV recorded in 2015-2016. The search employs techniques for reconstructing vertices of long-lived particles decaying into jets in the muon spectrometer exploiting a two vertex strategy and a novel technique that requires only one vertex in association with additional activity in the detector that improves the sensitivity for longer lifetimes. The observed numbers of events are consistent with the expected background and limits for several benchmark signals are determined.


The lives of ancient Indians were strictly bound to the religion. Sacrifices(yajna) were the main custom of them. To perform the sacrifices they wanted to makealtars which were built with appropriate measurements. Therefore, Brahmins havedeveloped some Mathematical rules and techniques which are in manuals called śulbasūtras and they have used a few equipments for it. Here, our attention is paid to examine how the Brahmins measured the width,length, area etc. of the altars accurately and what equipments were used by them for it. The main methodology is studying literary sources collecting the facts andverifying them in accordance with the theoretical knowledge of modern Mathematics. The ancient Indians have used only five measuring equipments to getmeasurements. They are a stake (śaṅ ku), cord (rajju), angular rod (sphya) and a peg(khīla) but, additionally, a special measuring rod which has been made according to thephysical measurements of the patron of the sacrifice for the particular sacrifice, too, isused. They have used them to find directions as well. In śulba sūtras, three main altarsand other various altars have been recommended. First, it guides us to form a right angletriangle. Based on it, there is much guidance in the śulba sūtras to form squares,rectangles, circles, trapeziums etc. In addition, including the Pythagorean Theorem, themathematical rules used to form a square or a rectangle or a circle etc. which is similarin area to two identical squares or two unequal squares, a rectangle, a circle etc. andvice versa, can be seen there. The Brahmins, indeed, have used the cord to bisect anangle and to divide a figure into equal shares. Comparing these methods with modernmathematical theories, it is worth to say that the ancient Indians were capable tomeasure accurately using a few equipments. Key words: Śulba sūtra, Vedic Mathematics, Altar, Sacrifice