Ali, A., M. TAhir, M. AMin, S. M. A. BASrA, M. MAqBool and Dong Jin lee, 2013. Si induced stress tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum l.) hydroponically grown under water deficit conditions. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19: 951-957 Present water scarcity is an emerging issue and cause of deterioration in quality and productivity of crops to reduce crop yield all over the world. Silicon is known to be better against the deleterious effects of drought on plant growth and development. The current study was conducted to test the ameliorative effect of silicon (Si) on a wheat; under water stress in rain protected net house conditions. initially the nursery was raised in prewashed sand and then transplanted in pots each containing Johnson's nutrient solution as a medium of plant growth. There were four treatments: Well watered (WW), Drought at -0.6 Mpa (DD), Well watered + Si @ 150 mgl-1 (WW+Si) and Drought at -0.6 Mpa + Si (DD+Si). The experiment was laid out in CrD with 5 replications. Silicon applied wheat plants depicted marked enhancement in root shoot fresh and dry weights in comparison to plants grown without Si. More over, they maintained higher water status with increased leaf water potential and relative water contents and higher chlorophyll contents. It was concluded that Si is beneficial to improve the growth of wheat via change in the physiological and biochemical traits.


Increased global demand for seafood and stagnating catches from capture fisheries contributed to the doubling of aquaculture production taking place the last decade. Expansion within the aquaculture sector is expected to persist, and by many seen as the only mean to meet future demand for seafood. Aquaculture development has however, been associated with different types of adverse environmental impacts. One such impact, originating from the flow-through behavior of modern aquaculture, and with potential negative consequence for coastal waters, is the release of nutrients. The present thesis investigates the possibilities to use seaweeds as biofilters if being integrated with fish farming. Focus is mainly on open-water fish cage cultures (e.g. salmon) and the general objective is to analyze seaweed integration in respect from its ecological and large-scale perspective. From reviewing existing literature on seaweed integration in aquaculture an imbalance between land-based and open-water culture systems becomes apparent. In land-based aquaculture several studies acknowledged the potential of using integrated seaweed as biofilters for dissolved fish waste. Such aquaculture system has also proved successful on a large-scale, both from a technical and economical perspective. However, for open water systems even basic biological, hydrological and technical understandings are lacking. This is unfortunate, as integration may presently be the only viable treatment solution for open water-cage cultures. The red seaweed Gracilaria chilensis, mainly used for agar extraction, showed high biofiltering capacity when being integrated with a salmon cage farm, with increased growth rates and nutrient content. Integrated Gracilaria growth was up to 40% (SGR 7% day-1) higher compared to monocultures and even if agar content decreased, this was more than compensated for by the higher yield and enhanced agar quality. Analysis of stable isotopes (15N/14N and 14C/13C) in seaweed thalli cultivated at different distances (e.g. 10, 30, 60, 300 m) from cages, verifies that the nutrients being incorporated by the integrated seaweed originates from the fish farm effluent. However, the continuous nutrient supply near the cages has limited effect on seaweed growth during seasons when water temperature and light overrides nutreints as limiting factors. Even if the epiphytic abundance were moderate (2-50%) compared to common bottom cultivations, epiphytes and fouling organisms may also constrain the success of open-water integration especially high infestation of bryozoa that hamper thalli growth and mussels causing the thalli to detach due to weight. The development of suitable methods for suspended seaweed cultivation is crucial for possible commercial implementation of integrated systems. Such methods must be easy manageable with respect to stocking, operation and harvesting and also be durable for open-water conditions. Spore-inoculated Gracialria ropes were found to be unsuitable for Chilean open water conditions and trials with seaweed thalli on twisted ropes showed better performance. Limited effects from integration on seaweed growth, due to seasonal variability and its spatial needs, imply that economic incentives for commercial impementation may be weak. However this could be changed if seaweeds with higher market values were cultured or if costs for nutrient abatement were internalized in the production. Seaweed integration may be one option for developing more environmentally friendly culture techniques, but this will only be confirmed from more scientific studies that include large-scale experiments.


The experiments was conducted at Kasang village, district of Batang Anai, Padang Pariaman regency during June until December 2013. The objectives of this experiment was to increased lowland rice production through specific location of nutrient management (SLNM) on low potential productivity of lowland. Four packages of fertilization such as Package A, B, C and D were arranged in Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with 6 replications. Result of this experiment showed that; (1) SLNM treatments were significantly affected plant growth such as tiller number and plant high. Saveral of yield components also significantly affected by SLNM treatments packages such as panicles number, number of seeds per panicle, and percentage of filled grains. SLNM package A, B, and C significantly increased grain yields such as 24.9%,  34.2%, and 29.5% respectively compred to farmer package (Package D). The low grain yield with Famer package caused insufficient nutrient supplied for plant growth and yield is due to low fertilizer application and inaccurate nutrient management. The experiment suggested that the best application of inorganic fertilizer should be followed or combined with organic fertilizer such as animal manure or compost and  the application of thus material should be in mature condition. Key Words:  rice, specific location, fertilizer


This study aims to investigate the relationship between certain mechanisms of corporate governance and tax avoidance in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during the years 2011-2015. In this regard, the effect of some corporate governance indices (number of board members, non-duty members, managerial ownership and institutional ownership) on tax avoidance was investigated. The sample comprises 104 companies listed in the Tehran Stock Exchange. Eviews software was used for analyzing the data and multiple regression was used to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that there is no significant relationship between number of board members, proportion of non-duty members, institutional ownership and tax avoidance. Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between managerial ownership and tax avoidance.


Although many static-analysis techniques have been developed for automatically detecting bugs, such as null dereferences, fewer automated approaches have been presented for analyzing whether and how such bugs are fixed. Attempted bug fixes may be incomplete in that a related manifestation of the bug remains unfixed. In this paper, we characterize the "completeness" of attempted bug fixes that involve the flow of invalid values from one program point to another, such as null dereferences, in Java programs. Our characterization is based on the definition of a bug neighborhood, which is a scope of flows of invalid values. We present an automated analysis that, given two versions P and P' of a program, identifies the bugs in P that have been fixed in P', and classifies each fix as complete or incomplete. We implemented our technique for null-dereference bugs and conducted empirical studies using open-source projects. Our results indicate that, for the projects we studied, many bug fixes are not complete, and thus, may cause failures in subsequent executions of the program.


Dryland crop production is limited by precipitation and by soil factors such as texture and profile depth that affect water storage capacity, pH, fertility, and salinity. When prevailing precipitation and soil factors are not in balance, crops will not yield at their potential and productivity may be impaired because soil degradation processes outweigh conservation practices. Sustainable crop production is possible through use of appropriate tillage and crop residue management practices. When adequate crop residues are available, conservation tillage is highly effective for conserving soil and water, achieving favorable crop yields, maintaining soil organic carbon contents, and soil and water quality. Other tillage methods along with appropriate conservation practices may be needed when crop residues are limited.


In this thesis we study the non-perturbative behaviour of the fermion propagator in an Abelian gauge theory, namely four dimensional, quenched QED –where by quenched we mean that we neglect the effect of the fermion loops in the boson propagator. What is of primary interest is the dynamical generation of mass. In order to carry out this study we need to make use of the Schwinger-Dyson equations, which are the field equations of the theory. For the investigation of the fermion propagator, the form of the three point interaction is of critical importance. We study the usual ansatz, the Ball-Chiu form, for the three point function, that is obtained from the Ward-Takahashi identities, and improve upon it. This is done by making use of the powerful constraints that Multiplicative Renormalizability place upon the theory in the perturbative (high energy) region. We initially study the theory in the massless case, for simplicity, where we find that using our improved ansatz we can obtain an exact, non-perturbative solution for the renormalised wave function. Moving on, we then study the theory in the massive case -where we have a brief interlude to look at the ladder approximation. We solve the theory in the case where there is a finite cutoff and reproduce the well-known critical coupling point. We then consider the case where there is an infinite cutoff, when we find no critical coupling. We discuss and explain the differences. Returning to our improved ansatz for the fermion-boson vertex we solve the renormalised theory for both the wavefunction and mass function and find that there is no critical coupling. In doing this having a form for the fermion-boson vertex that satisfies both the Ward-Takahashi identity and Multiplicative Renormalizability is essential. These studies suggest that full QED may turn out to be a theory without a critical coupling and thus be free of phase changes.


To compare several promising product designs, manufacturers must measure their performance under multiple environmental conditions. In many applications, a product design is considered to be seriously flawed if its performance is poor under any level of the environmental factor. For example, if a particular automobile battery design does not function well under some temperature conditions, then a manufacturer may not want to put this design into production. Thus, in this paper we consider the overall measure of a given product's quality to be its worst performance over the environmental levels. We develop statistical procedures to identify (a near) the optimal product design among a given set of product designs, i.e., the manufacturing design associated with the greatest overall measure of performance. We accomplish this for intuitive procedures based on the split-plot experimental design (and the randomized complete block design as a special case); split-plot designs have the essential structure of a product array and the practical convenience of local randomization. Two classes of statistical procedures are provided. In the first, the delta-best formulation of selection problems, we determine the number of replications of the basic split-plot design that are needed to guarantee, with a given confidence level, the selection of a product design whose minimum performance is within a specified amount, delta, of the performance of the optimal product design. In particular, if the difference between the quality of the best and 2nd best manufacturing designs is delta or more, then the procedure guarantees that the best design will be selected with specified probability. For applications where a split-plot experiment involving several product designs has been completed without the planning required of the delta-best formulation, we provide procedures to construct a "confidence subset" of the manufacturing designs; the selected subset contains the optimal product design with a prespecified confidence level. The latter is called the subset selection formulation of selection problems. Examples are provided to illustrate the procedures.


AIMS
To screen promising intervention components designed to reduce smoking and promote abstinence in smokers initially unwilling to quit.

DESIGN
A balanced, four-factor, randomized factorial experiment.

SETTING
Eleven primary care clinics in southern Wisconsin, USA.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 517 adult smokers (63.4% women, 91.1% white) recruited during primary care visits who were willing to reduce their smoking but not quit.

INTERVENTIONS
Four factors contrasted intervention components designed to reduce smoking and promote abstinence: (1) nicotine patch versus none; (2) nicotine gum versus none; (3) motivational interviewing (MI) versus none; and (4) behavioral reduction counseling (BR) versus none. Participants could request cessation treatment at any point during the study.

MEASUREMENTS
The primary outcome was percentage change in cigarettes smoked per day at 26 weeks post-study enrollment; the secondary outcomes were percentage change at 12 weeks and point-prevalence abstinence at 12 and 26 weeks post-study enrollment.

FINDINGS
There were few main effects, but a significant four-way interaction at 26 weeks post-study enrollment (P = 0.01, β = 0.12) revealed relatively large smoking reductions by two component combinations: nicotine gum combined with BR and BR combined with MI. Further, BR improved 12-week abstinence rates (P = 0.04), and nicotine gum, when used without MI, increased 26-week abstinence after a subsequent aided quit attempt (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Motivation-phase nicotine gum and behavioral reduction counseling are promising intervention components for smokers who are initially unwilling to quit.


One theme of this volume is whether the complementarity between technology and human capital is a recent phenomenon, or whether it can be traced through history. Different approaches to human capital as well as technology are applied, and besides historical surveys are total factor productivity and patent data employed. The studies deal with the Iberian peninsula, Scandinavia, and Canada, countries displaying different patterns in the international development.


Abstract. Resolving and understanding the drivers of variability of CO2 in the Southern Ocean and its potential climate feedback is one of the major scientific challenges of the ocean-climate community. Here we use a regional approach on empirical estimates of pCO2 to understand the role that seasonal variability has in long-term CO2 changes in the Southern Ocean. Machine learning has become the preferred empirical modelling tool to interpolate time- and location-restricted ship measurements of pCO2. In this study we use an ensemble of three machine-learning products: support vector regression (SVR) and random forest regression (RFR) from Gregor et al. (2017), and the self-organising-map feed-forward neural network (SOM-FFN) method from Landschutzer et al. (2016). The interpolated estimates of ΔpCO2 are separated into nine regions in the Southern Ocean defined by basin (Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic) and biomes (as defined by Fay and McKinley, 2014a). The regional approach shows that, while there is good agreement in the overall trend of the products, there are periods and regions where the confidence in estimated ΔpCO2 is low due to disagreement between the products. The regional breakdown of the data highlighted the seasonal decoupling of the modes for summer and winter interannual variability. Winter interannual variability had a longer mode of variability compared to summer, which varied on a 4–6-year timescale. We separate the analysis of the ΔpCO2 and its drivers into summer and winter. We find that understanding the variability of ΔpCO2 and its drivers on shorter timescales is critical to resolving the long-term variability of ΔpCO2. Results show that ΔpCO2 is rarely driven by thermodynamics during winter, but rather by mixing and stratification due to the stronger correlation of ΔpCO2 variability with mixed layer depth. Summer pCO2 variability is consistent with chlorophyll a variability, where higher concentrations of chlorophyll a correspond with lower pCO2 concentrations. In regions of low chlorophyll a concentrations, wind stress and sea surface temperature emerged as stronger drivers of ΔpCO2. In summary we propose that sub-decadal variability is explained by summer drivers, while winter variability contributes to the long-term changes associated with the SAM. This approach is a useful framework to assess the drivers of ΔpCO2 but would greatly benefit from improved estimates of ΔpCO2 and a longer time series.


Syntheses are described of three 2H-pyrroles (pyrrolenines), (15), (28), and (64), which were designed to test the chemical feasibility of the rearrangements proposed as part of the mechanism of the enzyme cosynthetase (uroporphyrinogen III synthase). All three syntheses create the 2H-pyrrole ring by the Michael addition of a nitronate anion to an α,β-unsaturated ester and one introduces an additional substituent by novel alkylations of the dianion of a hydroxamic acid. Some of the intermediates in the syntheses showed unusual n.m.r. properties which reveal strong conformational preferences. The rearrangement of the 2H-pyrroles was studied under both thermal and acid-catalysed conditions. The results show that 2,2-disubstituted 2H-pyrroles only rearrange easily by [1,5]-sigmatropic shifts if they do not have further substituents on C-3 and C-4. 2-Pyrrolylmethyl-2H-pyrroles prefer to rearrange by a fragmentation-recombination mechanism.


Ocean waves drive a wide variety of nearshore physical processes, structuring entire ecosystems through their direct and indirect effects on the settlement, behavior, and survivorship of marine organisms. However, wave exposure remains difficult and expensive to measure. Here, we report on an inexpensive and easily constructed instrument for measuring wave‐induced water velocities. The underwater relative swell kinetics instrument (URSKI) is a subsurface float tethered by a short (<1 m) line to the seafloor. Contained within the float is an accelerometer that records the tilt of the float in response to passing waves. During two field trials totaling 358 h, we confirmed the accuracy and precision of URSKI measurements through comparison to velocities measured by an in situ acoustic Doppler velocimeter and those predicted by a standard swell model, and we evaluated how the dimensions of the devices, its buoyancy, and sampling frequency can be modified for use in a variety of environments.


Limonene is present in orange peel wastes and is known as an antimicrobial agent, which impedes biogas production when digesting the peels. In this work, pretreatment of the peels to remove limonene under mild condition was proposed by leaching of limonene using hexane as solvent. The pretreatments were carried out with homogenized or chopped orange peel at 20–40°C with orange peel waste and hexane ratio (w/v) ranging from 1 : 2 to 1 : 12 for 10 to 300 min. The pretreated peels were then digested in batch reactors for 33 days. The highest biogas production was achieved by treating chopped orange peel waste and hexane ratio of 12 : 1 at 20°C for 10 min corresponding to more than threefold increase of biogas production from 0.061 to 0.217 m3 methane/kg VS. The solvent recovery was 90% using vacuum filtration and needs further separation using evaporation. The hexane residue in the peel had a negative impact on biogas production as shown by 28.6% reduction of methane and lower methane production of pretreated orange peel waste in semicontinuous digestion system compared to that of untreated peel.


The present study used positron emission tomography (PET) to examine the cerebral activity pattern associated with auditory imagery for familiar tunes. Subjects either imagined the continuation of nonverbal tunes cued by their first few notes, listened to a short sequence of notes as a control task, or listened and then reimagined that short sequence. Subtraction of the activation in the control task from that in the real-tune imagery task revealed primarily right-sided activation in frontal and superior temporal regions, plus supplementary motor area (SMA). Isolating retrieval of the real tunes by subtracting activation in the reimagine task from that in the real-tune imagery task revealed activation primarily in right frontal areas and right superior temporal gyrus. Subtraction of activation in the control condition from that in the reimagine condition, intended to capture imagery of unfamiliar sequences, revealed activation in SMA, plus some left frontal regions. We conclude that areas of right auditory association cortex, together with right and left frontal cortices, are implicated in imagery for familiar tunes, in accord with previous behavioral, lesion and PET data. Retrieval from musical semantic memory is mediated by structures in the right frontal lobe, in contrast to results from previous studies implicating left frontal areas for all semantic retrieval. The SMA seems to be involved specifically in image generation, implicating a motor code in this process.


The contemporary critique of rape law proceeds from the premise that heterosexual intercourse is and should be lawful activity, and it assumes that the purpose of rape doctrine is to protect women's authority to choose the conditions under which they will engage in such activity. Viewed from that perspective, rape doctrine is perverse, since the primary elements of the offense appear calculated to restrain, rather than enhance, women's exercise of sexual autonomy. The paper attempts to reconceptualize rape doctrine by taking seriously some of the ways of thinking about sexuality that, we may imagine, shaped the offense in prior eras. One prominent feature of the system from which we inherited rape law was its determination to punish not only rape, but also forms of consensual heterosexual intercourse, including fornication and adultery. Contrary to the political assumptions animating the contemporary critique of rape law, therefore, influential institutions within that former system condemned the exercise of sexual agency by both women and men. Since an essential ingredient of the traditional rape offense was that the intercourse "be unlawful," -- i.e., that it be fornication or adultery -- any woman who complained of rape necessarily was conceding that she had participated in that unlawful act. Law enforcement officials presumably would be inclined to punish her for that offense unless she could establish a defense to criminal liability. Viewed from this perspective, the elements of rape are better understood as the criteria that excuse the woman for having engaged in illegal intercourse than they are as the ingredients of the man's offense. Curiously, when we acknowledge the longstanding and explicit connection our culture has made between heterosexual intercourse and criminal guilt, we produce a description of rape law that incorporates a prescription for thorough doctrinal reform. If we now are prepared to agree that fornication and adultery no longer should be criminalized, there appears to be no justification for adhering to a definition of rape that treats the rapist's victim as if she were a lawbreaker who must plead for an excuse from criminal liability.


Through a reading of two recent films, Marc Foster's zombie apocalypse movie, World War Z (2013) and Phillipe Loiret's socially-realist romance, Welcome (2009) this essay attempts to think about the nature of somatic depiction in the cultural representation of refugees. This reading takes its lead from Judith Butler's notion of appearance, both as a visible facade and the act of emergence as a form of politics, to qualify Giorgio Agamben's formulation of politics as a kind of biopolitics that exploits the refugee as a figure of exception. In line with Butler's intervention, this essay argues for an interpretive practice that reads the textual presentation of the body as carrying political content. That is to say that the representation of the body's physicality orientates the body's capacity to enter the realms of the civic. The visual appearance of the body is not a neutral manifestation of the body but rather a performative response to the state's attempt to circumscribe the forms of political action. Following Butler's logic, appearance can be construed as a kind of non-verbal speech-act that enters into dialogue with the institutional gatekeepers of the state.  Film analysis offers a useful way of concretising the logic of Butler's political argument especially given how commonly bodily spectacle features across a wide range of cinematic genre. Film theory has long recognised that cinema's form relies upon the framing and manipulation of the actor's body and this essay situates the representation of the body of the refugee within this tradition. By examining two films of quite different kinds it shows how the framing of the refugee's body emerges as a kind of political action that serves as a demand for rights. In the sensational genre of the zombie film, the refugee appears as double figure constituting both the human victim and infected monsters that they attempt to flee. World War Z shows how the attempt of the state to contain the infection by segregating different kinds of bodies (benign and threatening) requires that it too becomes a kind of monstrous other; inflicting damage onto a host of bodies and rendering the healthy citizen a kind of living dead. At the other end of the scale, the socially realist film works by counterposing the body of the citizen and the body of the refugee to highlight the differential concepts of the human that the state must employ in order to police its boundaries. In Welcome, the border appears to require the shaping of the somatic body as a means of overcoming the restrictions on movement, Through this process the refugee might appear to take the form of threatening masculinity that occupies political discourses of securitization and that is used to rationalize border restrictions. However, as a site of somatic needs (for breath, for food, shelter and finally for burial) the body of the refugee also becomes a site of demand for rights that indicts the state's use of the practices of exception and offers a model for critical practice that can critique the politics of asylum.


In order to study the role of polysaccharides (PS) in the colloidal organic matter (COM) pool for complexing 234Th, controlled laboratory experiments were carried out to determine the chemical nature of the strong Th(IV) binding to macromolecular organic ligands (>1 kDa). The partition coefficient of 234Th between marine COM and solution, Kc, is higher than that for any known marine mineral sorbent. PS‐enriched fractions of COM had the highest partition coefficient (Kc) of any sorbent for 234Th. Kc of 234Th and other metals, including Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, and Pu, were up to an order of magnitude higher than that for bulk COM. Most importantly, log Kc values correlated linearly with the fraction of PS‐enriched carbon (ƒPS) of marine COM, as Kc 5 Kc(0) × 102.2ƒPS The log Kc value of ~7.9 of the pure PS end‐member fraction was very similar to the highest values obtained for model acid PS (log Kc ~ 8). A value for the conditional stability constant for Th binding to the pure PS end member of 107.8 could be determined from a concentration of strong acid binding sites (with a pKa <=3) of 1.3 mmol g−1 COM. Through the novel use of gradient gel electrophoresis (including two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), the strong Th(IV) binding ligand was shown to be ~13 kDa in size and to have strong acidic functional groups. We propose that the observed variability of OC: 234Th ratios in suspended, and sinking matter in the ocean might be caused by the variability of PS content.


This book describes an approach to lexis and grammar based on the concept of phraseology and of language patterning arising from work on large corpora. The notion of 'pattern' as a systematic way of dealing with the interface between lexis and grammar was used in Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (1995) and in the two books in the Collins Cobuild Grammar Patterns series (1996; 1998). This volume describes the research that led to these publications, and explores the theoretical and practical implications of the research. The first chapter sets the work in the context of work on phraseology. The next two chapters give several examples of patterns and how they are identified. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss and exemplify the association of pattern and meaning. Chapters 6, 7 and 8 relate the concept of pattern to traditional approaches to grammar and to discourse. Chapter 9 summarizes the book and adds to the theoretical discussion, as well as indicating the applications of this approach to language teaching. The volume is intended to contribute to the current debate concerning how corpora challenge existing linguistic theories, and as such will be of interest to researchers in the fields of grammar, lexis, discourse and corpus linguistics. It is written in an accessible style, however, and will be equally suitable for students taking courses in those areas.


Sparsely settled forests (SSF) are poorly studied, coupled natural and human systems involving rural communities in forest ecosystems that are neither largely uninhabited wildland nor forests on the edges of urban areas. We developed and applied a multidisciplinary approach to define, map, and examine changes in the spatial extent and structure of both the landscapes and human populations of SSF in the United States. We estimated that the SSF in the contiguous United States, which are home to only 6–7% of the population, account for over 60% of all forested land and over 30% of all land. From 1990 to 2010 SSF declined in area by 16%, changing little overall but declining markedly in proximity to urban perimeters. A PCA ordination and cluster analysis of the human and landscape characteristics of SSF areas revealed complex and regionally variable patterns. Very broadly, SSF in the far northern and western states are less densely settled and more amenity driven, while the southeastern states north through Pennsylvania and Ohio are more densely settled and more agricultural. The socioeconomic characteristics of SSF are often quite variable at fine scales, especially in proximity to urban areas. Our improved multidisciplinary understanding of SSF raises important questions about regional differences in the dynamics, structure and future socioeconomic trajectories of these forests. To best manage these landscapes for the sake of both human and natural systems, SSF need to be considered a distinct land classification in their own right, not merely perceived as fuzzy boundaries around wild lands or urban areas.


ABSTRACT Diaporthe phaseolorum and Phomopsis longicolla isolates from soybean were examined using traditional mycological characteristics and molecular methods. Cultural characteristics including types of fruiting bodies and conidia were assessed for isolates collected from soybean stems and seeds. Cultures were identified as P. longicolla, D. phaseolorum var. caulivora, D. phaseolorum var. meridionalis, or D. phaseolorum var. sojae. Molecular markers for these groups were developed and analyzed using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the 5.8S ribosomal DNA. The ITS(4) and ITS(5) primers amplified PCR products for all isolates studied. Gel electrophoresis of undigested PCR products and DNA sequencing produced various fragment lengths including 604 bp for P. longicolla, 602 and 603 bp for D. phaseolorum var. caulivora, 603 bp for D. phaseolorum var. meridionalis, and from 597 to 609 bp for D. phaseolorum var. sojae. Digestion of these PCR products with enzymes AluI, HhaI, MseI, RsaI, and ScrFI resulted in distinct bands for identification of P. longicolla and the varieties of D. phaseolorum I. All P. longicolla, D. phaseolorum var. caulivora, and D. phaseolorum var. meridionalis isolates were distinguished using AluI and HhaI with RsaI or ScrFI. The banding patterns of D. phaseolorum var. sojae isolates were complex and were separated into 11 subgroups after digestion with AluI, HhaI, MseI, RsaI, and ScrFI. Phylogenetic analysis of 20 isolates of D. phaseolorum and P. longicolla based on the DNA sequence of the ITS region resolved six clades termed A, B, C, D, E, and F. Clade A included all sequenced D. phaseolorum var. caulivora isolates, two from Italy and one from the United States. Isolates in clade B were exclusively associated with D. phaseolorum var. meridionalis. Clades A and B formed a well-supported monophyletic group. Isolates in clades C, D, E, and F were morphologically defined as isolates of P. longicolla, D. phaseolorum var. sojae, and Diaporthe spp. The ITS sequences similarity of seven geographically diverse P. longi-colla isolates illustrated that P. longicolla isolates have a similar genetic background, with some affiliations to some D. phaseolorum var. sojae isolates. Morphological characteristics of the isolates along with the terminal clades of the ITS phylogeny suggest that P. longicolla is an individual species, D. phaseolorum var. caulivora and D. phaseolorum var. meridionalis are varieties of D. phaseolorum, and D. phaseolorum var. sojae is either several varieties of D. phaseolorum or possibly several distinct species.


In this article, Professor Chester contrasts the American system of testation, with its high tolerance for testator control of property after death, with that in British Columbia where family protection is emphasized, even at the expense of dispositions as they appear in the will. He notes that in the United States surviving spouses have been protected through near universal passage of some form of elective or forced share. This share continues to be refined, for example, by applying it to assets left by a non probate will substitute, in addition to assets left by a will. However, few voices have been raised to protect children from a testator's whim. Chester argues that this situation is bad for the family, bad for society, and should be remedied. Chester argues that this remedy should not take the form of "forced share" legislation for children. Rather, he concludes that the English and Commonwealth system of family maintenance offers a better solution for the United States, particularly as this system is practiced in British Columbia. The British Columbia approach to varying a testator's will relies almost exclusively on judicial discretion rather than on forced share legislation. Chester concludes that when a will is challenged, the current United States preference for certainty in asset distribution by enforcing testator's will, should yield to judicial conception of a "just distribution" of the assets among family members, particularly children.


Abstract : Major Tony Pfaff, a former Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the United States Military Academy, addresses an important source of much of the confusion that currently surrounds many of the Operations Other Than War (OOTW) that the military finds itself participating in with increasing frequency. The author points out that, though the source of this confusion is primarily ethical, it has important operational implications as well. In the Just War Tradition, as well as the Law of War, there has always been a tension between winning and fighting well, and the peacekeeping environment does not change this. Commonly, the resolution of this tension is expressed in the maxim: always use the least amount of force necessary to achieve the military objective. This maxim applies, regardless of what environment one is in. The author's contention is, however, that the understanding of necessary is radically different in the peacekeeping environment than it is in more conventional operations. Failure to understand this results in a great deal of confusion as soldiers try to apply an ethic designed for dealing with enemies in environments where there are none.


Beta diversity, the compositional variation among communities or assemblages, is crucial to understanding the principles of diversity assembly. The mean pairwise proportional dissimilarity expresses overall heterogeneity of samples in a data set and is among the most widely used and most robust measures of beta diversity. Obtaining a complete list of taxa and their abundances requires substantial taxonomic expertise and is time consuming. In addition, the information is generally incomplete due to sampling biases. Based on the concept of the ecological significance of dominant taxa, we explore whether determining proportional dissimilarity can be simplified based on dominant species. Using simulations and six case studies, we assess the correlation between complete community compositional data and reduced subsets of a varying number of dominant species. We find that gross beta diversity is usually depicted accurately when only the 80th percentile or five of the most abundant species of each site is considered. In data sets with very high evenness, at least the 10 most abundant species should be included. Focusing on dominant species also maintains the rank-order of beta diversity among sites. Our new approach will allow ecologists and paleobiologists to produce a far greater amount of data on diversity patterns with less time and effort, supporting conservation studies and basic science.


Is partnership as an organisational principle a way to overcome the limitations of project-organisation and its focus on short-term outcomes? Or is the interest in partnership organisations only an expression of a trend or a fashion in the growing market for organisational development in complex situations? In this book 14 scholars get new data and make careful analysis of the partnership organisation both in theory and in practice. They analyse the effectiveness of the partnership organisation in implementing changes and innovation with long-term effects rather than short-term results. The ambition is to address practical dilemmas and problems in the partnership organisation by using different theoretical perspectives - theories about organisational learning, strategies for change, power and empowerment, gender analysis, governance and participation etc. The research presented is valuable in order to achieve deeper understanding of the pros and cons with the partnership organisation. When can it be useful? What kind of problems can be addressed? Which conditions are necessary if the partnership model is to be used? Editors are Lennart Svensson, professor of sociology at the University of Linkoping, Sweden and Barbro Nilsson, Ph.D. and lecturer of pedagogic at the Institution of Behaviour Science learning at the University of Linkoping. Also contributing are Ken Caplan, Leda Stott, Erik Lindhult, Ingela Malqvist, Marianne Parmsund, Ann-Christine Larsson, Maria Bogren, Sofia Wistus, Ragnar Andersson, Hanna Westberg, Anette Scoppetta and Gun Hedlund.


Wild Malayan red jungle fowl faecal samples were examined to determine the prevalence and species of Eimeria from their natural habitat. The birds possessed at least five coccidial species, namely Eimeria mitis, E. acervulina var. diminuta, E. praecox var. ceylonensis, E. maxima var. indentata and an unidentified Eimeria species. No attempt was made to name this unidentified species as information on
other stages was lacking. Intensively reared Malayan red jungle fowl chicks were used to study the pattern of coccidial infections. The chicks suffered from coccidiosis caused by E. tenella, E. necatrix and E. maxima. The mean prepatency period in these chicks was 9 days; their peak oocyst counts ranged from 136, 364 to 591, 200 oocysts per gram of faeces. Eimeria tenella was the most prominent pathogenic species encountered. Kamovsky's fixative and McNamara's Giemsa stain were used for the first time for processing mucosal tissue samples for the study of cellular response to E. tenella. Two groups of laboratory hatched chicks were each infected orally with E. tenella (NIAH, Japan strain) with either 15,000 or 30,000 oocysts whilst the third group remained as controls. Eosinophils increased significantly (P<0·05) while mast cells declined significantly (P<0·05) from day-5 to day-7 post infection.
The cell types recognised in the caecal mucosae were ultrastructurally quite similar to those reported from the domestic chicken. Most mast cell granules were surrounded by halos in various degranulating stages. The eosinophils had regular membrane bound dense granules. The heterophils possessed large, oval to spindle dense granules, small round to oval dense granules and small light, round to spindle granules. Mononuclear cells had proportionally large distinct double wall nuclei. The cytoplasm of lymphocyte contained prominent round mitochondriae whilst that of the plasma cell was packed with several strands of endoplasmic reticulum. This study showed that jungle fowls could suffer from coccidiosis when domesticated. However, proper management together with the necessary supportive
treatment with drugs could be effective against such infections.


This interactive journal tells the story of the 1916 Easter Rising through the eyes of a young Dublin boy. From the early preparations through to the bloody aftermath, find out about the main characters and events in a week that changed the course of Irish history. Includes pop-ups and flaps throughout and a fold-out facsimile of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.


ECMAScript 6 represents the biggest update to the core of JavaScript in the history of the language. In Understanding ECMAScript 6, expert developer Nicholas C. Zakas provides a complete guide to the object types, syntax, and other exciting changes that ECMAScript 6 brings to JavaScript. Every chapter is packed with example code that works in any JavaScript environment so you'll be able to see new features in action. You'll learn: How ECMAScript 6 class syntax relates to more familiar JavaScript concepts What makes iterators and generators useful How arrow functions differ from regular functions Ways to store data with sets, maps, and more The power of inheritance How to improve asynchronous programming with promisesHow modules change the way you organize code Whether you're a web developer or a Node.js developer, you'll find Understanding ECMA Script 6 indispensable on your journey from ECMAScript 5 to ECMAScript 6.


A monthly section highlighting the impact of technological development on consumers and the blindness/visual impairment field. We need your support. Please send news, reviews, and descriptions of new hardware, software, interfacing ideas, prototypes, training programs, job opportunities, volunteer usage, user evaluations, educational opportunities, exhibits—in short, anything and everything—to the Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 15 W. 16th St., New York, NY 10011. In addition, we will attempt to direct reader queries to the appropriate experts, and publish questions and answers of general interest. Ideas and suggestions are welcomed.


Visual deficits in schizophrenic patients are of particular interest because they reflect the deficient circuits of information processing in the brain. In our previous work, we showed that schizophrenic patients have decreased peak amplitudes and reduced cortical activity when performing a vernier offset discrimination task. However, it remains unclear whether these reduced amplitudes are caused by diminished activity or larger variability of amplitude peak latencies. Here, we analyzed the patients' deficits in terms of intra-participant trial-by-trial variability. ERPs variability were estimated using a two-step graph-based method. We found that patients had larger N1 peak amplitude latency variability than matched controls. After correcting for the latency variability, the patients still showed smaller and more variable N1 peak amplitudes than controls. Hence, peak amplitudes are both diminished and highly variable in the patients. These observations provide empirical evidence in support of theories of increased noise in patients with schizophrenia.


. Potential vorticity (PV) streamers and cutoffs are indicators to the Rossby wave breaking (RWB) near the extratropical tropopause. In the Rossby waves breaking, the formation of elongated high-PV stratospheric air tongues extending to the equator and tropospheric low PV air tongues extending to the pole are obtained. There are two types of wave breaking, which are referred to as equa-torward and poleward types of the RWB. Frequently, the PV tongues are stretched into narrow filaments, the so-called PV streamers that split to PV cutoff vortices. Here stratospheric PV streamer and cutoff are stratospheric features on isentropic surfaces. In this paper, the configuration of a potential vortex field for model data is investigated. The main areas of the RWB for the winter and summer periods are shown.


This thesis researches the most recent paradigm in information retrieval, which applies the neural language representation model BERT to rank relevant passages out of a corpus. The research focuses on a re-ranker scheme that uses BM25 to pre-rank the corpus followed by BERT-based ranking, exploring better fine-tuning methodology for a pre-trained BERT. This goal is pursued in two parts, in the first, all methods rely on binary relevance labels, while the second part applies methods that rely on multiple relevance labels instead. Part one researches methods that apply training data enhancement and the application of inductive transfer learning methods. Part two researches the application of single class multi label methods, multi class multi label methods and label-based regression. In all parts, the methods were evaluated on the fully annotated Cranfield dataset. This thesis demonstrates that applying inductive transfer learning with the Next Sentence Prediction task improves the baseline by presenting various methods to enrich the fine-tuning data for different levels of the BM25-BERT ranking pipeline. Also, this thesis demonstrates that application of a regression method results in above baseline performance. This indicates the superiority of this method over rule-based filtering of classifier results.


OBJECTIVE
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a major complication in diabetes mellitus. A novel method, high-tone external muscle stimulation (HTEMS), has been proven to be useful in the therapy of diabetic and uremic peripheral polyneuropathy. The aim of this study was to test the potential effect of HTEMS on ED in diabetic patients.

DESIGN
An open-label, self-controlled interventional prospective study was conducted at the 2nd Department of Internal Medicine and N.C. University of Pécs, Hungary. Six Type 2 diabetic patients (mean age 59 ± 7 years) with severe ED (International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score: 7.7 ± 8.5) and impaired renal function (eGFR: 61 ± 16 ml/min) were involved.

INTERVENTION
The thigh muscles of the patients were treated with HTEMS for 1 h 3 times per week for a duration of 4 weeks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Penile peak systolic velocity (PSV) (in the flaccid state and semi-rigid (after 10 mg intracavernous papaverine injection)), IIEF score, quality of life and laboratory parameters. At the beginning also the acute effect of HTEMS on penile PSV was investigated.

RESULTS
Under basal conditions penile PSV was rather low. The first HTEMS session of the thighs induced an insignificant increase of PSV in the flaccid state (4.1 ± 1.2 to 6.3 ± 3.3 cm/s) and a significant rise of PSV in the semi-rigid penis (from 6.5 ± 2.5 to 8.9 ± 2.2 cm/s (p = 0.009)). After 4 weeks of HTEMS treatment, under basal conditions no significant change of penile PSV (flaccid and semirigid) was observed. Similarly, IIEF score did not improve over the time period (7.7 ± 8.1 vs. 6.7 ± 8.5, p > 0.05). Also, metabolic parameters and eGFR were not influenced.

CONCLUSION
In a pilot study of diabetic patients with severe ED HTEMS of the thighs induced an acute rise of penile PSV in the semi-rigid state. However, after 4 weeks of HTEMS therapy the basal PSV and symptoms of ED were not improved.


Vein structures that have been described from the slope apron sediments of modern accretionary prisms represent brittle failure caused by an effective tensile stress. The effective stress arises from abnormal pore-water pressure acting in opposition to the compressional stresses on the sediment. Thus, even though σ 3 (the minimum stress) may be compressional, if the pore water pressure is of greater magnitude than σ 3 , the resultant effective stress will be tensional, and failure (opening of the veins) will occur in the σ 1 –σ 2 plane. As the veins open, the pore water can escape into the veins and eventually out of the sediment along more permeable (coarser) beds. The initial movement of pore water into the veins may entrain finer grains from the host rock near the vein walls, resulting in the observed finer grained vein filling. Then, as the veins close as pore water escapes, the elongate and platy grains may be rotated into near parallelism with the vein walls. The tributaries that are observed at the ends of some veins may be a result of continued dewatering after the veins have closed, as the pore water is forced to diffuse back into the sediment after being concentrated into an efficient flow by the parallel preferred orientation of the platy mineral grains in the vein.


A room temperature model lias been developed which simulates certain aspects of the slag-raetal-gas reactions that occur in L.3). steelmaking. In the model the molten iron was represented by a pool of sodium amalgam, the slag by a mixture of water and glycerol and the oxygen by a hydrogen chloride-nitrogen jet. Droplets of amalgam ejected from the bath by the impinging gas jet, reacted with the hydrogen chloride dissolved in the model slag to produce bubbles, thus forming a dynamic foam. To gain more information about the fundamental refining processes in the model, the behaviour of single droplets of amalgam in acid media has been studied. When the sodium content of individual droplets was high, the rate of reaction was controlled by the discharge of hydrogen ions at the reaction interface, with rate dependence on the hydrogen ion concentration in the aqueous phase. This is analogous to decarburisation rate control by transport of oxygen ions in the slag phase.Under hydrogen ion discharge control, the refining rate in the model converter initially increased but eventually attained an approximately steady value. The level of this rate plateau was shown to be strongly influenced by the rate of transfer of hydrogen chloride from the jet gases to the slag phase. Similarly in oxygen steelmaking the decarburisation rate plateau has been shown to be determined mainly by the oxygen blowing rate. The model converter has been used to qualitatively investigate the effect of lance height, jet momentum and mass flow rate of gaseous reactant into the reaction vessel on the mean plateau refining rate. The results obtained compare favourably with analogous variables in steelmaking practice. In addition the effect on the refining rate of pressurising the reaction vessel has also been investigated. An improvement in refining rate was achieved, partly due to improved slag-metal drop contact and partly to increased hydrogen chloride flow rate. It is not believed that such asignificant improvement would be achieved for steelmaking conditions although there might be some advantage derived from improved control over slopping at high oxygen flow rates. When the sodium content of single amalgam droplets fell below a critical level, determined by the acid concentration in the aqueous phase, the rate of reaction became controlled by sodium transport to the reaction interface. This is analogous to decarburisation rate control by carbon transport within iron droplets. In both the model converter and in steelmaking this gives rise to a progressively decreasing refining rate.


A. Poverty as Grounds for Termination Poverty frequently plays a role in child removal and failed reunification, (81) with studies indicating that "[o]nly when there is no adequate source of income are the children more likely to be removed, and at a very high rate." (82) As a related matter, Professor Dorothy Roberts has observed that "[p]arental income is a better predictor of removal from the home than is the severity of the alleged child maltreatment or the parents' psychological makeup. ... Child removal continues to relate more to saving children from poverty than protecting them from physical harm." (83) Indeed, child protection agencies most frequently cite neglect, which is the failure of a parent to provide for the basic needs of the child, (84) "as the primary reason children are removed from the custody of their parents." (85) Data from 2008 show that 78.3% of child maltreatment reports indicated neglect, while 17.8% indicated physical abuse, 9.5% indicated sexual abuse, and 7.6% indicated psychological maltreatment. (86) Neglect may be manifest, for example, in malnutrition, failure to provide shelter, lack of adequate clothing, poor hygiene, inadequate health care, and lack of appropriate supervision. (87) However, these concerns also tend to be consequences of poverty, and they may reflect differing cultural values or community standards of care. (88) Historian Linda Gordon explains that "[p]overty is confused with neglect ... because '[poverty] often comes packaged with depression and anger, poor nutrition and housekeeping, lack of education and medical care, leaving children alone, exposing children to improper influences.'" (89) This confusion leads to judgments that parents are unfit, even when they merely lack adequate resources to provide for their children. (90) Recognizing that low socio-economic status can undermine a parent's ability to care for a child because of the attendant struggle to meet the child's first-order needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare, some state legislatures have forbidden termination of parental rights solely on the basis of poverty. (91) Courts, too, have held that poverty alone is an insufficient ground for terminating parental rights. (92) Despite these judicial and statutory limitations, many states continue to infer child neglect based on poverty alone. We acknowledge the great difficulty in drawing a line between poverty-driven neglect on the one hand and intentional or active parental neglect on the other. The former might be thought of as passive on the part of the parents, whose circumstances are beyond their control and who do not choose to deprive their children. The latter implicates the parents' agency and culpability, and such behavior would justify child removal. The difficulty in drawing a line between the two scenarios presumably reflects the fact that most situations lie along a continuum between them. indeed, we found no commentator who seriously attempts to explain how child protective authorities and courts should distinguish between the two when deciding cases. In fact, few courts seriously grapple with the distinction between the two. (93) But the challenge of differentiating between willful or active neglect on the one hand and the consequences of insufficient resources on the other does not justify removal of children living in poverty. instead, this very difficulty should make authorities more cautious about removing children from impoverished families based on a finding of neglect. Further, if courts do not take seriously this distinction, parents living in poverty will be discouraged from seeking the information and assistance they need out of fear that doing so might attract the state's attention and eventually lead to the loss of their children. B. Under Scrutiny Family reluctance to seek public assistance may be justified. in fact, child welfare agencies are four times more likely to investigate families receiving public assistance and to remove their children, compared to other families. …


The bilateral diplomatic relations between South Africa and Nigeria have for years been characterised in tandem by business co-operation and competition for continental dominance. South Africa has been the leading economy on the continent, followed by Nigeria and Egypt. However, things took a drastic turn in April 2014 when Nigeria's rebased gross domestic product (GDP) put it ahead of South Africa as the continent's economic powerhouse. Nigeria's remarkable economic boom, resulting in an output more than 40% larger than that of South Africa, calls for an effort to assess and forecast possible resultant effects on bilateral relations between South Africa and Nigeria. This brief seeks to reflect on the co-operative and competitive dynamics characterising the bilateral relations between the two countries, and to examine any possible resultant political and economic dividends that may promote the development of both countries and the continent as a whole. It concludes that the economic boom in Nigeria should be viewed within the context of the achievement of NEPAD's objectives, and goes on to recommend actions for improving bilateral trade between the two countries. It further suggests that Nigeria and South Africa should get OPEC and BRICS to rally behind the aspirations of the African Union on repositioning the continent in global affairs.


The gap between the internationally agreed climate objectives and tangible emissions reductions looms large. We explore how the supreme decision‐making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Conference of the Parties (COP), could develop to promote more effective climate policy. We argue that promoting implementation of climate action could benefit from focusing more on individual sectoral systems, particularly for mitigation. We consider five key governance functions of international institutions to discuss how the COP and the sessions it convenes could advance implementation of the Paris Agreement: guidance and signal, rules and standards, transparency and accountability, means of implementation, and knowledge and learning. In addition, we consider the role of the COP and its sessions as mega‐events of global climate policy. We identify opportunities for promoting sectoral climate action across all five governance functions and for both the COP as a formal body and the COP sessions as conducive events. Harnessing these opportunities would require stronger involvement of national ministries in addition to the ministries of foreign affairs and environment that traditionally run the COP process, as well as stronger involvement of non‐Party stakeholders within formal COP processes.


Abstract Lenalidomide (LEN) treatment in multiple myeloma (MM) results in a superior outcome. However, there is concern for increased myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia (MDS/AML) associated with LEN. Thus, bone marrow morphology and cytogenetics studies from 40 patients were evaluated for early signs of MDS prior to therapy, during therapy and at follow-up. Newly diagnosed patients with MM treated with LEN and dexamethasone (LD) alone or followed by autologous stem cell transplant (LD/ASCT), or patients with relapsed/refractory MM treated with LEN, bendamustine and dexamethasone (BLD) were included. One patient developed MDS. Baseline prevalence of mild morphologic myelodysplasia was highest in pretreated patients with MM (BLD, 71%), but was also seen in newly diagnosed patients (LD and LD/ASCT, 17%). The prevalence of myelodysplasia did not increase over time. Thus, this study did not reveal rapidly emerging MDS in 39 of 40 patients with MM treated with LEN. The development of MDS in one patient suggests that longer follow-up is needed for all.


A wide range of technologies has been developed to enhance assessment, but adoption has been inconsistent. This is despite assessment being critical to student learning and certification. To understand why this is the case and how it can be addressed, we need to explore the perspectives of academics responsible for designing and implementing technology-supported assessment strategies. This paper reports on the experience of designing technology-supported assessment based on interviews with 33 Australian university teachers. The findings reveal the desire to achieve greater efficiencies and to be contemporary and innovative as key drivers of technology adoption for assessment. Participants sought to shape student behaviors through their designs and made adaptations in response to positive feedback and undesirable outcomes. Many designs required modification because of a lack of appropriate support, leading to compromise and, in some cases, abandonment. These findings highlight the challenges to effective technology-supported assessment design and demonstrate the difficulties university teachers face when attempting to negotiate mixed messages within institutions and the demands of design work. We use these findings to suggest opportunities to improve support by offering pedagogical guidance and technical help at critical stages of the design process and encouraging an iterative approach to design.


In camel, 25-hydroxyvitamin D content, quality parameters and lipid oxidation in raw and cooked meat during ageing at cold, and relationship between these parameters were investigated. The pH value of the raw meat was significantly (P<0.05) lower from the day 3 postmortem, and CL was maintained significantly (P<0.05) higher from the day 5 postmortem. Compared to raw meat, cooked meat levels of MDA (μmoles/Kg) were significantly very higher 7 d and 10 d postmortem.In raw and cooked meat, the content of 25-OH-D showed no significant variation during all postmortem ageing times. However, cooked meat showed a significant (P<0.05) increase of 25-OH-D levels by comparison to raw meat.In both raw and cooked meat, 25-OH-D levels were negatively correlated with those of MDA, DL and CL, and those of MDA were positively correlated with DL and CL. During cold ageing, raw and cooked meat was subjected to a water loss and lipid peroxidation without significant alteration of 25-OH-D content. This metabolite may be implicated in antioxidant status of camel meat.


Preclinical and clinical evidence collected over the past years suggests that Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the main compounds of the plant Cannabis sativa, presents potential therapeutic activity for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and drug-use disorders. Studies carried out in animal models revealed that CBD presents anxiolytic-like effects in different paradigms such as the Vogel conflict test [1], the elevated plus maze test [2] and the fear conditioning test [3-6]. Antidepressant-like effects were reported in mice following acute or repeated CBD administration in the forced swim [7] and in the tail suspension tests [8]. In addition, CBD decreased defensive behaviors evoked by predator exposure, a proposed model of panic attacks and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [9,10]. Interestingly, CBD reversed the alteration of prepulse inhibition (PPI) observed in spontaneously hypertensive rats [11] and in a glutamate-based models of psychosis [12] and exhibited a similar profile compared with atypical antipsychotic drugs [13,14]. Indeed, CBD improved cognition in several preclinical models of cognitive impairment [15]. Recent evidences pointed out that CBD might be a potential treatment for drug-use disorders. CBD reduced heroin craving and relapse [16], and cocaine [17] and alcohol consumption mice [18]. In clinical studies, CBD reduced anxiety and the psychotic-like symptoms induced by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (i"9-THC) [19]. Indeed, CBD reduced anxiety in healthy volunteers [20-22], in treatment-naive social phobic patients [23] and in posttraumatic stress disorder [24]. Also, CBD reduced the psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia [25,26] and in Parkinson´s disease [27,28].


Over the past few decades, capital flows of all types have increased tremendously for both developed and developing countries. The lion's share of this increase went to foreign direct investment (FDI). However, despite this surge in FDI for both sets of countries, developed countries still receive more FDI. What are the determinants of FDI in both sets of countries? This is the key question asked in this book.


Abstract Technological advances opened up new ways of directing cell fate conversion from one cell lineage to another. The direct cell conversion technique has recently attracted much attention in regenerative medicine to treat devastated organs and tissues, particularly having limited regenerative capacity such as the heart and brain. Unfortunately, its clinical application is severely limited due to a safety concern and immunogenicity of viral vectors, as human gene therapy did in the beginning stages. In this study, we examined the possibility of adopting non-viral vectors to direct cell conversion from mouse embryonic fibroblasts to induced cardiomyocytes (iCM) by transient transfection of four types of chemically synthesized micro-RNA mimics (miRNA-1, 133, 208, and 499). Herein, we tested several commercial and synthetic non-viral gene delivery carriers, which could be divided into three different categories: polymers [branched PEI (bPEI), bioreducible PEI (PEI-SS), deoxycholic acid-conjugated PEI (DA-PEI), jetPEI™, SuperFect™], lipids (Lipofectamine 2000™), and peptides (PepMute™). According to the analyses of physicochemical properties, cellular uptake, and cytotoxicity of the carrier/miRNA complexes, DA-PEI exhibited excellent miRNA delivery efficiency to mouse embryonic fibroblasts. One week after a single treatment of DA-PEI/miRNA without other adjuvants, the cells started to express cardiomyocyte-specific markers, such as α-actinin and α-MHC, indicating the formation of cardiomyocyte-like cells. Although the overall frequency of non-viral vector induced cardiomyogenic transdifferentiation was quite low (ca. 0.2%), this study can provide compelling support to develop clinically applicable transdifferentiation techniques.


Unlike other EU Member States, existing studies on public procurement challenges in UK local government lack empirical analysis. The Law Commission has identified this as an area for review. Little is known about the frequency and distribution of such challenges within the UK. Consequently, observations made on the number of procurement disputes actually leading to judicial review applications are speculative. This article, for the first time, generates new empirical data on the subject and makes reform recommendations. Using data elicited from nearly 400 local government bodies, the national and regional frequency and distribution of such challenges is illuminated for the first time. Glaring inability by Local Government bodies to retain and retrieve data pertaining to Local Government procurement was revealed by the study; the frequency and distribution of challenges was seen to vary widely across different UK regions; the number of challenges has risen significantly following 2009 law and policy reforms (rather than reduce); and the insights generated in the article will support the Law Commission's call for further study of internal administrative review systems within public bodies so the connection between administrative justice and those seeking natural justice in procurement disputes is better understood.
judicial review, local government, public procurement, freedom of information, policy reform.


The main purpose of the current thesis was to test and expand the recently developed Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. The advantage of this model is that it recognizes the uniqueness of each work environment, which has its own specific job demands and job resources. According to the JD-R model, job demands and job resources evoke two relatively independent processes that explain work-related well-being. Based on the first, health impairment process, high job demands exhaust employees' resources and may therefore lead to energy depletion (i.e. burnout). In contrast, according to the motivational process, job resources, due to their motivational potential, induce employees to meet their goals, and in turn, may lead to work engagement. With a series of cross-sectional and diary studies in various occupations (i.e. home care organizations, electric engineering company, flight attendants, and fast-food restaurant employees), and in two different countries (Greece and The Netherlands), the thesis supported these main assumptions of the JD-R model. Additionally, more evidence was provided for the model's understudied buffer hypothesis. In line with predictions, results revealed that the allocation of specific job resources may mitigate the effect of specific job demands on the core dimensions of burnout (i.e. exhaustion and cynicism), particularly when the levels of demands are high. Furthermore, the thesis addressed one of the most important points of criticism on the JD-R model, namely that it neglects the role of the person in explaining well-being. Particularly, the function of three personal resources (i.e. self-efficacy, organizational-based self-esteem, and optimism) in the model's processes was examined. It was predicted that, personal resources, just like job resources, would moderate the relationship between job demands and burnout. However, this hypothesis was not confirmed. Nevertheless, the studies of the thesis did support the mediating role of personal resources in the model's motivational process both at the between-person, and at the within-person level. The findings showed that resourceful work environments activate feelings of efficiency, significance and optimism in employees. Because employees feel confident and capable, they are motivated to fulfill their tasks, and are more engaged in their work. Consequently, this state of work engagement was found to have a positive impact on performance over short periods of time, and to result in better financial outcomes. Also, it was shown that resourceful environments make employees to feel more capable to perform their tasks without investing excessive effort. Thus, it is likely that they will not become overly fatigued. Furthermore, the thesis provided some evidence that job and personal resources are reciprocal over the course of time. This finding supports the idea of so-called 'resources caravans', according to which the existence of resources generates more resources, in a form of a gain spiral. To conclude, the thesis resulted in an expanded version of the JD-R model that takes into account the dynamic interplay between the work environment and the person in explaining work-related well-being and performance. This expanded JD-R model may be a useful instrument for designing organizational interventions that lead to healthy and engaged employees, and thriving organizations.


By use of in situ hybridization experiments on mouse embryo sections, we compare the transcript patterns of three homeo-genes from the Hox-1.4 subfamily (Hox-1.4, -2.6 and -5.1). Genes within a subfamily are true homologues, present in the genome as a result of duplication of an ancestral homeo-gene cluster. We show that Hox-1.4, -2.6 and -5.1 are similar, although apparently not identical, in the limits of their transcript domains along the anteroposterior axis. Within the prevertebral column of the 12 1/2 day embryo, for example, the anterior boundary of transcripts for each of the three genes was most obvious at the junction of the first and second prevertebrae. Similarly, all three genes showed an anterior boundary of transcripts within the central nervous system that was located in the mid-myelencephalon of the hindbrain. Both in the prevertebral column and hindbrain, however, Hox-2.6 and Hox-5.1 transcripts extended slightly anterior to the anteriormost limits detected for Hox-1.4. In spite of close similarities in the positions of their transcript domains, Hox-1.4, -2.6 and -5.1 displayed striking stage- and tissue-dependent differences in the relative abundance of their transcripts. For example, Hox-5.1 transcripts were abundant within mesoderm and ectoderm of early stages (8 1/2 and 9 1/2 days), yet were detected only weakly in mesodermal components of the lung and stomach at 10 1/2 days, and were apparently absent from these tissues at 12 1/2 days. In contrast, Hox-1.4 and Hox-2.6 transcripts were relatively weakly detected at 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 days, but were abundant within the lung and stomach at 12 1/2 days. Our findings suggest, but do not prove, that genes within the Hox-1.4 subfamily might be coordinately regulated in their expression. We discuss the patterns of mouse homeo-gene expression now observed in terms of models originally devised for Drosophila. We also propose how our new findings may help to explain any selective advantage to the vertebrates of homeo-gene duplication to form subfamilies.


Protein crystals are formed via ordered arrangements of proteins, which assemble to form supramolecular structures. Here, we show a method for the assembly of supramolecular protein cages within a crystalline environment. The cages are stabilized by covalent cross-linking allowing their release via dissolution of the crystal. The high stability of the desiccated protein crystals allows cages to be constructed.


In this comprehensive guide to creating e-commerce website using PHP and MySQL, renowned author Larry Ullman walks you through every stepdesigning the visual interface, creating the database, presenting content, generating an online catalog, managing the shopping cart, handling the order and the payment process, and fulfilling the orderalways with security and best practices emphasized along the way. Even if youre an experienced web developer, youre guaranteed to learn something new. The book uses two complete e-commerce site examples, with various features and goals, to present the widest possible range of e-commerce scenarios. This fully updated and expanded second edition includes an additional and new payment processing example, and also reflects the latest changes in PayPals options and methodologies. There are new chapters on marketing-related tools to improve the site and sales, on adding functionality via Ajax, and on implementing e-commerce functionality using OOP instead of procedural code. Effortless E-Commerce with PHP and MySQL, Second Edition teaches you how to: Think of the customer first, in order to maximize sales and customer satisfaction Create a safe server environment and database Use secure transactions and prevent common vulnerabilities Incorporate different payment gateways Design scalable sites that are easy to maintain Build administrative interfaces Extend both examples to match the needs of your own sites


Combating the spread of invasive fish is problematic, with eradication rarely possible and control options varying enormously in their effectiveness. In two small impoundments in north-eastern Australia, an electrofishing removal program was conducted to control an invasive tilapia population. We hypothesised that electrofishing would reduce the population density of Oreochromis mossambicus (Mozambique tilapia), to limit the risk of downstream spread into areas of high conservation value. We sampled by electrofishing monthly for 33 months. Over this period, there was an 87% decline in catch per unit effort (CPUE) of mature fish, coupled with a corresponding increase of 366% in the number of juveniles, suggesting a density-dependent response in the stock–recruitment relationship for the population. Temperature was inversely related to CPUE (r = 0.43, lag = 10 days), implying greater electrofishing efficiency in cooler months. The reduction in breeding stock is likely to reduce the risk of spread and render the population vulnerable to other control measures such as netting and/or biological control. Importantly, the current study suggests routine electrofishing may be a useful control tool for invasive fish in small impoundments when the use of more destructive techniques, such as piscicides, is untenable.


In this article we aim to provide a minimally sufficient theoretical framework to argue that it is time for a re-conception of the notion of text in the field of digital textual scholarship. This should allow us to reconsider the ontological status of digital text, and that will ground future work discussing the specific analytical affordances offered by digital texts understood as digital texts. Following from the argument of Suzanne Briet regarding documentation, referring to Eco's understanding of 'infinite semiosis', and accounting for the reciprocal effects between carrier technology and meaning observed by McLuhan, we argue that the functions of document and text are realized primarily by their fluid nature and by the dynamic character of their interpretation. To define the purpose of textual scholarship as a 'stabilisation' of text is therefore fallacious. The delusive focus on 'stability' and discrete 'philological fact' gives rise to a widespread belief in textual scholarship that digital texts can be treated simply as representations of print or manuscript texts. On the contrary—digital texts are texts in and of themselves in numerous digital models and data structures which may include, but is not limited to, text meant for graphical display on a screen. We conclude with the observation that philological treatment of these texts demands an adequate digital and/or computational literacy.


Objectives The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the role of otoendoscopy in performing stapedotomy in clinically otosclerotic patients. Patients and methods Twenty patients presenting with clinically diagnosed otosclerosis were randomly selected from the outpatient ENT clinic in a tertiary referral Institutional Hospital. All patients were subjected to transcanal totally endoscopic stapes surgery (TTESS) from early 2013 to the fall of 2014. Methods This prospective study demonstrated the detailed technique of TTESS using mainly 0° lens of 14 cm length rigid endoscope for elevating the tympanomeatal flap, handling the chorda tympani nerve, curettage of posterior bony canal wall, visualization of oval window niche structures, creation of stapedotomy, and accurate prosthesis insertion. Postoperative audiogram was performed after 2 months. Assessment of postoperative complications, especially change in taste sensation, was carried out. Results The chorda tympani nerve was preserved in all cases. Two cases had change in taste sensation that was improved within 6 months postoperatively. There was a significant improvement in hearing. The preoperative air-bone gap mean value was 40.30±6.38, and the postoperative mean value was 7.15±4.27 (P=0.001), with complete closure of air-bone gap in four cases. No facial paralysis or tympanic membrane perforation was encountered during the follow-up period. Conclusion Transcanal totally endoscopic stapes surgery is a feasible and safe technique for the surgical management of conductive hearing loss associated with otosclerosis, which is recommended in bilateral and revision cases.


In the countries of the European Mediterranean region (and, specifically, in the territories in which the Romance languages are spoken today), a significant part of the historical toponymy has close links with the rural world and its agrarian activities. This is no chance happening as the first extensive agrarian colonization of these countries was carried out under the Roman Empire. It was also under the rule of this Empire that the pagus was created and became widespread: a legal (and not just a linguistic) concept that referred to the land which was to be farmed and cultivated. And the vestiges of this concept remain visible today in features such as the landscape and the toponymy. In this paper, we wish to present the results of our examination of the links between the agrarian landscape and its toponymy at various points of the Iberian Peninsula. In so doing, we focus our study on a series of present-day place names in Catalonia, Aragon and Valencia. We analyse the features that these names have in common and the differences that they present. And, finally, we explain the general correlations that can be observed between these toponyms and certain landscape types or patterns.


Approximately fifty percent of the bridges in the United States are considered deficient. The deterioration of the concrete components is a leading cause of the problem. The deterioration of concrete bridge decks is due primarily to corrosion of the reinforcing steel in the concrete. A promising solution to the problem is the use of fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) as a replacement for reinforcing steel. The use of FRP as reinforcement has the following advantages of lightweight, high tensile strength, corrosion resistance, flexibility, and electromagnetic resistance. This paper looks at the use of FRP as reinforcement in concrete beams and compares the information from deflection measurements of different configurations. Also, a material cost comparison is made to determine the cost of using the FRP reinforcement over standard steel reinforcement. Concrete bridge deck systems are designed using steel and fiber-reinforced plastics and allowable stress and load resistance factor methods. Recommendations for further study and uses of FRP are made.


The mechanical reliability of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is a major concern for fuel cell vehicles. Hygrothermal cyclic conditions induce mechanical stress in MEAs and cracks form under operating conditions. This paper investigates the failure mechanism of MEAs under several mechanical and environmental conditions with the aim of designing durable PEFCs. We performed static tensile tests and low-cycle fatigue tests on MEAs. During the tensile tests, the temperature and humidity of the test chamber were controlled and surface crack formation of MEAs was observed in situ by a video microscope. Low-cycle fatigue tests were performed at ambient conditions and the number of cycles to crack formation was measured. The results reveal that the temperature and the humidity affect the mechanical properties of MEA. Observations of MEAs during tensile tests reveal that cracks form on the surface of catalyst layers immediately after the MEAs yield. These results indicate that reducing the deformation mismatch between the catalyst layer and the proton exchange membrane is important for suppressing crack formation in MEAs. The results of low-cycle fatigue tests reveal that the fatigue strength of a MEA follows the Coffin–Manson law so that fatigue design of MEAs based on the Coffin–Manson law is possible. This result is valuable for designing durable PEFCs.


The axial and lateral load testing of three, 30 inch (76cm) diameter, permanently cased drilled shafts is analyzed herein. The prototype shafts were founded in (or on) Hartford Shale bedrock, overlain by approximately 30 feet (9m) of layered fill and soils. The three shafts were tested vertically, one for end-bearing, one for rock socket side-shear, and one for end-bearing combined with side-shear. The center shaft was tested for pure socket shear by using a double casing. The two outer shafts were then tested laterally by simultaneously jacking outward against the center shaft. Load test instrumentation included two pressure cells, three inclinometer tubes, nine rock extensometer/telltales and over fifty vibrating wire strain gauges. Laboratory testing was performed on rock and concrete core samples. Stress-strain response is computed for the bedrock, concrete, and soil. The resulting test values are compared with expected and published values. End-bearing and socket side-shear strengths are also analyzed and discussed.


This paper addresses the problem of fault-tolerant control for Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems with actuator faults. First, a general actuator fault model is proposed, which integrates time-varying bias faults and time-varying gain faults. Then, sliding-mode observers (SMOs) are designed to provide a bank of residuals for fault detection and isolation. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, a novel fault-diagnostic algorithm is proposed to estimate the actuator fault, which removes the classical assumption that the time derivative of the output errors should be known as in some existing work. Further, a novel fault-estimation observer is designed. Utilizing the estimated actuator fault, an accommodation scheme is proposed to compensate for the effect of the fault. In addition, a sufficient condition for the existence of SMOs is derived according to Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, simulation results of a near-space hypersonic vehicle are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.


The present study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of two educational methods of learning by summarizing, and learning through teaching on the comprehension of sixth grade elementary male students. This was an applied study and the research design was experimental with a pre-test and post-test approach and the control group. The study population included all sixth grade male students at Allameh Tabataba'i School, who were studying in the academic year of 2018-2019. The random available sampling method was used in this study. The total number of students were 59, all of which were participated in the study and divided into three different groups by random convenience sampling method. Then, the first experiment group members (15 subjects) were trained in 8 learning sessions through teaching method. The subjects in the second experimental group (15 subjects) were trained in 8 learning sessions by summarizing method. The control group (n = 29) received no training. Two researcher-made questionnaires were designed to assess the comprehension level of the students. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance in the SPSS software. Emphasizing the findings of the research, it can be argued that both learning methods had a favorable effect on the students' comprehension, and increased the students' comprehension level. Based on these findings, one can conclude that these two educational methods have a great impact on increasing the comprehension of sixth grade elementary students.


Binocular single vision is the ability to use both eyes simultaneously so that each eye contributes to a common single perception. Normal binocular single vision occurs with bifoveal fixation and normal retinal correspondence in everyday sight. There are various anatomical and physiological factors concerned in the development of Binocular vision. The development of binocular function starts at 6 weeks and is completed by 6 months. Any obstacles, sensory, motor, or central, in the flex pathway is likely to hamper the development of binocular vision. The presence of these obstacles gives rise to various sensory adaptations to binocular dysfunction. Clinically the tests used can be based on either of the two principles: (A) assessment of relationship between the fovea of the fixing eye and the retinal area stimulated in the squinting eye, viz. Bagolini striated glasses test, red filter test, synoptophore using SMP slides for measuring the objective and subjective angles, and Worth 4-dot test; and (B) Assessment of the visual directions of the two foveae, viz. after image test (Hering Bielschowsky); and Cuppers binocular visuoscopy test (foveo-foveal test of Cuppers). Anomalies of binocular vision results in confusion, diplopia, which leads to suppression, eccentric fixation, anomalous retinal correspondence, and amblyopia.


The W3 GMC is a prime target for the study of the early stages of high-mass star formation. We have used Herschel data from the HOBYS key program to produce and analyze column density and temperature maps. Two preliminary catalogs were produced by extracting sources from the column density map and from Herschel maps convolved to 500 μm resolution. Herschel reveals that among the compact sources (FWHM < 0.45 pc), W3 East, W3 West, and W3 (OH) are the most massive and luminous and have the highest column density. Considering the unique properties of W3 East and W3 West, the only clumps with ongoing high-mass star formation, we suggest a "convergent constructive feedback" scenario to account for the formation of a cluster with decreasing age and increasing system/source mass toward the innermost regions. This process, which relies on feedback by high-mass stars to ensure the availability of material during cluster formation, could also lead to the creation of an environment suitable for the formation of Trapezium-like systems. In common with other scenarios proposed in other HOBYS studies, our results indicate that an active/dynamic process aiding in the accumulation, compression, and confinement of material is a critical feature of the high-mass star/cluster formation, distinguishing it from classical low-mass star formation. The environmental conditions and availability of triggers determine the form in which this process occurs, implying that high-mass star/cluster formation could arise from a range of scenarios: from large-scale convergence of turbulent flows to convergent constructive feedback or mergers of filaments.


PURPOSE
Ureteral stents are used in various modern urologic procedures. Although forgotten double-J (JJ) stents are an infrequent problem, they are associated with significant medical problems. Encrustation from excessive indwelling time increases morbidity and may require extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to free the coils of the cementing calcerous material. An effective system should be in place to ensure timely removal. The previously used "card" system not only is difficult to manage but has proved unreliable. We describe a computerized program that tracks JJ stents and alerts physicians about stents that need removal.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Two hundred eighteen patients who were stented between January 1997 and December 1998 were tracked through an integrated computerized program. This program keeps a log of all patients who received a JJ stent and determines the last date by which it should be removed. Patients are reminded if they have not returned for removal of the implant 2 weeks before it is overdue.

RESULTS
Two hundred twenty-five JJ stents were placed in 218 patients. Comparison of data between the periods before and after computer program inception showed that the incidence of stents retained longer than their expiration time decreased from 12.5% to 1.2% in the first year of the program and 1.5% in the second year of the program.

CONCLUSIONS
Forgotten implants pose a significant management dilemma for physicians. Our tracking program significantly lowered the incidence of overdue JJ stents from 12.5% to 1.2% and 1.5% in the first and second years, of the program respectively (p = .00039). We propose that this technically simple program should be in place for all implants placed in patients. The problems we encountered in the smooth running of this system could be averted by incorporating several recommendations.


To evaluate the potency of potential helicase modulators, we developed an assay of helicase enzyme activity. Using a DNA or RNA biotin labelled oligonucleotide and after the addition of a recombinant helicase, the nucleic acid unwinds, causing the emission of luminescence, which is quantified with a particular antibody. In our assay, one of the DNA oligos was biotinylated, while the other was labelled with digoxygenin (DIG), both in their 5' termini. The biotin molecule immobilises the DNA duplex on a neutravidin-coated plate and the helicase activity is measured through the unwinding of DNA, due to ATP activation. The subsequent release of DIG-labelled oligos results in a luminescence signal measured with a chemiluminescence antibody. Our goal was to provide a high throughput screening method for potential helicase inhibitors. The method described in this paper has been demonstrated to be fast, easy and reproducible and doesn't use radiochemicals.


Through Internet, a cloud computing system provides shared resources, data, and information to users or tenant users in an on-demand and pay-as-you-go styles. It delivers large-scale utility computing services to a wide range of consumers. To ensure that their provisioned service is acceptable, cloud providers must exploit techniques and mechanisms that meet the service-level-agreement (SLA) performance commitment to their clients. Thus, performance issues of cloud infrastructures have been receiving considerable attention by both researchers and practitioners as a prominent activity for improving service quality. This paper presents an analytical approach to percentile-based performance analysis of unreliable infrastructure-as-a-service clouds. The proposed analytical model is capable of calculating percentiles of the request response time under variable load intensities, fault frequencies, multiplexing abilities, and instantiation processing time. A case study based on a real-world cloud is carried out to prove the correctness of the proposed theoretical model. To achieve optimal performance-cost tradeoff, we formulate the performance model into an optimal capacity decision problem for cost minimization subjected to the constraints of request rejection and SLA violation rates. We show that the optimization problem can be numerically solved through a simulated-annealing method.


Use this guide and see how easy (and free) it is to use your registered Bulldog ID Card to borrow books online from the Maryland USMAI libraries.


OBJECTIVE
To reconstruct and analyse mortality trends in children younger than 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa between 1950 and 2000.

METHODS
We selected 66 Demographic and Health Surveys and World Fertility Surveys from 32 African countries for analysis. Death rates were calculated by yearly periods for each survey. When several surveys were available for the same country, overlapping years were combined. Country-specific time series were analysed to identify periods of monotonic trends, whether declining, steady or increasing. We tested changes in trends using a linear logistic model.

FINDINGS
A quarter of the countries studied had monotonic declining mortality trends: i.e. a smooth health transition. Another quarter had long-term declines with some minor rises over short periods of time. Eight countries had periods of major increases in mortality due to political or economic crises, and in seven countries mortality stopped declining for several years. In eight other countries mortality has risen in recent years as a result of paediatric AIDS. Reconstructed levels and trends were compared with other estimates made by international organizations, usually based on indirect methods.

CONCLUSION
Overall, major progress in child survival was achieved in sub-Saharan Africa during the second half of the twentieth century. However, transition has occurred more slowly than expected, with an average decline of 1.8% per year. Additionally, transition was chaotic in many countries. The main causes of mortality increase were political instability, serious economic downturns, and emerging diseases.