Robustness and intelligence are becoming increasingly important in motion control systems. In multi-mass electromechanical systems, the estimation of damping
capability and design of robust controllers are among very important aspects. In this thesis, conventional control methods coupled with fuzzy logic and neural networks
are used to address these issues.
First, damping capability of multi-mass electromechanical systems is estimated. The maximal damping and complete damping cases are determined using the generalised model for a multi-mass electromechanical system. To eliminate the load variation influence and reduce elastic vibrations, robust modal control is proposed with observer-based state feedback and feedforward compensation.
The use of fuzzy logic dealing with uncertainties is investigated. Good transient performance is obtained, even in the case of changing plant parameters, by fuzzy tuning of the proportional-integral (PI) controller parameters. It is shown that PI controllers with fuzzy tuning can be used in cascade control in a two-mass system.
Fuzzy tuning schemes, based on expert knowledge, can be applied to sliding mode control to accelerate the reaching phase and reduce chattering for robustness enhancement.
In robust modal control , taking into account uncertainties in the plant parameters and disturbance rate of change, an improvement of observer robustness is achieved via a fuzzy tuning scheme of the predictive coefficient. Insensitivity to load variations is enhanced by continuously tuning the feedforward compensation coefficients. These fuzzy tuning schemes can be applied to robust modal control of multi-mass systems in the presence of uncertainties. Since tuning is a continuous process, exponential membership functions are used. However, with Gaussian or sigmoidal membership functions, similar results can also be obtained. Observer robustness achieved by fuzzy tuning is demonstrated to be suitable for incipient fault detection in dynamic systems.
Neural network-based techniques to the problem concerned are also presented. It is shown that a neural net controller can replace the role of a feedforward controller or a fuzzy logic controller. Moreover, a neural net-based controller can be used as a classifier for recognising the error and derivative-of-error patterns, and providing an appropriate control action to improve tracking performance. The proposed controller can be used in a two-mass system without a priori knowledge of the plant. Neuro-fuzzy approach is introduced with a feedforward compensation from an observer based
control loop and robust enhancement from a neural network model.
Tuning is a human experience to increase robustness. Fuzzy tuning is shown to be efficient thanks to the possibility of adopting this experience. Neurotuning with learning capability will be a subject for further research.


With the increasing competitive environment organizations are continually looking for innovative ways to not only acquired but also to retain their customers. The aim of this study is to establish the perceptions of hotel management of all sizes of hotel regarding the importance of customer retention practices. An interviewer administered, in office survey was used to collect data from a representative sample of 56 hotels in Gauteng province, South Africa. Probability, stratified, sampling was used to separate hotels according to ownership type and size. The findings indicate that no significant associations exist between the research variables and hotel size. It is evident, however, that significant differences exist between medium and large hotels when it comes to weekend guests who stay for business, as well as leisure, purposes. The study contributes to the relatively limited knowledge of services marketing in the hospitality industry, specifically in the hotel sector.

 Key words: Customer retention management, relationship marketing, compatibility management, customer defection, service failure, service recovery, hotels.


Ocular adnexa represent a complex system of delicate organs and functions which are the target of varied side effects. Most involve more than one component at a time, however landmark signs and symptoms can be outlined. Dry eye leads the list. The aqueous production of the tear film can be decreased by certain psychotherapeutic agents (especially the older ones), while the phospholipidic component, produced by the Meibomian glands, can be markedly affected by retinoids. On the other hand, cytostatic drugs like Docetaxel (and 5-FU at a lesser degree) frequently induce canalicular stenosis, resulting in epiphora. Amongst a long list of substances, diphosphonates used in the treatment of osteoporosis and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors used in erection deficiencies induce conjunctival irritation, either directly or by contiguity. Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis represent the most severe toxic insult to the mucosae. A recent chemotherapeutic agent, Imatinib, induces fluctuant palpebral edema in a majority of patients. Despite being applied topically, prostaglandin analogs exert a profound effect onto the cellular physiology of the eyelash and the ocular and palpebral melanocyte. Indirectly, immunosuppressive agents used in graft rejection control have been associated with the emergence of secondary neoplasia, mainly lymphoma, of which the orbit is a rare but possible location. Chronic administration of steroid drugs leads to hypertrophy of the orbital fat and proptosis.


I frame my exploration of global education with reference to two of the Reith Lectures given by Daniel Barenboim in 2006. Three possible models of global education are mapped, the neohumanist, the flat classroom and the multicultural world, and then the possibilities of a neohumanist inspired global pedagogy are expanded upon. Issues of epistemology and the tension of the local/global, agency/structure dichotomies are referred to in order to shift the discussion from the usual neo-liberal Western concerns over content and outcomes to an appreciation of service as a pedagogic context and of the possibilities of a prophetic yet pragmatic strategic pedagogy of hope.


Anderton & Carter claim that war significantly diminishes trade, challenging the earlier argument by Barbieri & Levy that there is no apparent systematic relationship between war and trade. Three main problems with Anderton & Carter's analyses are identified. First, and most importantly, they do not pay sufficient attention to the political dimension of trade or war. Second, they attribute more specificity to commercial liberal theory than actually exists. Third, the authors' empirical findings provide mixed support for liberal theory. While Anderton & Carter advance the debate, there is not enough evidence to support their conclusion that, on balance, war significantly impedes trade and that this fact deters leaders from engaging in war.


Introduction: The aim of the study is to assess the composition of renal stones by non chemical analysis that is by use of computed tomography (CT) values in Hounsfield Units (HU) and to compare the results of biochemical stone analysis collected post surgically done in biochemistry lab. Methodology: This is a prospective study, included patients in age group of 25 – 60yrs. Patients who were referred to radiology department from Urology and also patients referred from surgery with complaints of loin pain, groin pain, hematuria, crystalluria were recruited for the study. About 100 patients were screened with first line modality of ultrasound evaluation for identifying the presence of stone in kidney, later on positive confirmation from ultrasound evaluation they were further subjected to CT scan evaluation. "Urine was collected from all the patients with renal stones and urine pH was measured. Stones collected post surgically were used for the biochemical analysis to know the chemical composition of the stones RESULTS: The stone removed from the patients of this group contain high calcium content. Most of the stones removed from bladder comprises two categories 1.uric acid (mainly) 2.large stones more than 20 mm size were proved to be calcium stones possibly related to greater sunlight exposure, resulting in increase in insensible fluid losses and increase in vitamin D production. We obtained a reference from hounsfield units value from stones collected post surgically from the urological department. The stones are categorized into three types - Pure highly reflective crystalline white stones, Stones which appears most mostly black, Complex mild yellow stones. Conclusion: CT may enable accurate in vivo characterization of kidney stone composition.


Alopecia is a chronic dermatological disorder in which people lose some or all of the hair on their head and sometimes on their body as well. It is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the hair follicles. It is neither life threatening nor painful, though there can be irritation of the skin, as well as physical problems resulting from the loss of eyelashes and eyebrows. The aetiology and subsequent development of alopecia is not fully understood, but it is an autoimmune disorder that arises from a combination of genetic and environmental influences.1 We have included alopecia secondary to chemotherapy in the current review as, although there are fundamental aetiological differences, they may share similarities—for example, anxiety arising from the alopecia and the psychological impact relating to identity.

Alopecia has few physically harmful effects, but may lead to psychological consequences, including high levels of anxiety and depression. Medical treatment for the disorder has limited effectiveness, and the failure to find a cure can leave patients very distressed. This article reviews the research into the psychological impact of alopecia.

We conducted the searches for this clinical review in September 2005 through Ovid, focusing particularly on Medline, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science. Searches went as far back as 1980. The main terms used were: alopecia, stress, psychology, treatment, anxiety, depression, and trauma. We also examined the reference lists of articles found. We included all studies that focused on the psychological consequences of alopecia, irrespective of method used. Studies were excluded if they focused on androgenetic alopecia. We included studies relating to hair loss from chemotherapy, as some of the evidence shows that such hair loss can be psychologically damaging beyond the impact of the chemotherapy. We included a total of 34 studies in the analysis (table). …


The temperature dependence of the residual and spontaneous magnetization in ferrites with a 'weak' sublattice may be taken as evidence for the pyromagnetic effect — a magnetic analog of the pyroelectric effect — in which the magnetization of a sample increases on cooling in the absence of an external magnetic field. A confirmation of this has been provided by the observation of a thermodynamically inverse phenomenon, the linear magnetocaloric effect, in such ferrites. These effects are due to the unidirectional exchange anisotropy characteristic of ferrimagnets with a weak sublattice.


A door-to-door trip may involve multiple traffic modes. For example, travelers may drive to a subway station and make a transfer to rail transit; alternatively, people may also start their trips by walking/cycling to a bus/subway station and then take transit in most of the trip. A successful eco-route planning thus should be able to cover multiple traffic modes and offer intermodal routing suggestions. Developing such a system requires to address extensive concerns. The dissertation is a building block of the multi-modal energy-efficient routing system which is being developed and tested in the simulation environment before real applications. Four submodules have been developed in the dissertation as partial fulfillment of the simulation-based system: energy consumption modeling, subway system development, on-road vehicles dynamic eco-routing, and information effect on route choice behavior. Other submodules such as pedestrian/bicycle modeling will be studied in the future. Towards the research goal, the dissertation first develops fuel consumption models for on-road vehicles. Given that gasoline light duty vehicles (LDVs) and electric vehicles were modeled in previous studies, the research effort mainly focuses on heavy duty vehicles (HDVs). Specifically, heavy duty diesel trucks (HDDTs) as well as diesel and hybrid-electric transit buses are modeled. The models are developed based on the Virginia Tech Comprehensive Powerbased Fuel consumption Modeling (VT-CPFM) framework. The results demonstrate that the model estimates are highly consistent with field observations as well as the estimates of the Comprehensive Modal Emissions Model (CMEM) and MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES). It is also found that the optimum fuel economy cruise speed ranges between 32 and 52 km/h for the tested trucks and between 39 and 47 km/h for the tested buses on grades varying from 0% to 8%, which is significantly lower than LDVs (60-80 km/h). The dissertation then models electric train dynamics and energy consumption in support of subway simulation system development and trip energy estimation. The dynamics model varies throttle and brake level with running speed rather than assuming constants as was done by previous studies, and the energy consumption model considers instantaneous energy regeneration. Both models can be easily calibrated using non-engine data and implemented in simulation systems and eco-transit applications. The results of the dynamics modeling demonstrate that the proposed model can adequately capture instantaneous acceleration/deceleration behavior and thus produce realistic train trajectories. The results of the energy consumption modeling demonstrate that the model produces the estimates consistent with the National Transit Database (NTD) results, and is applicable for project-level analysis given its ability in capturing the energy consumption differences associated with train, route and operational characteristics. The most suitable simulation testbed for system development is then identified. The dissertation investigates four state-of-the-art microsimulation models (INTEGRATION, VISSIM, AIMSUM, PARAMICS). Given that the car-following model within a micro-simulator controls longitudinal vehicle motion and thus determines the resulting vehicle trajectories, the research effort mainly focuses on the performance of the built-in car-following models from the energy and environmental perspective. The vehicle specific power (VSP) distributions resulting from each of the car-following models are compared to the field observations. The results demonstrate that the Rakha-Pasumarthy-Adjerid (RPA) model (implemented in the INTEGRATION software) outperforms the Gipps (AIMSUM), Fritzsche (PARAMICS) and Wiedemann (VISSIM) models in generating accurate VSP distributions and fuel consumption and emission estimates. This demonstrates the advantage of the INTEGRATION model over the other three simulation models for energy and environmental analysis. A new eco-routing model, comprehensively considering microscopic characteristics, is then developed, followed by a numerical experiment to test the benefit of the model. With the resulting eco-routing model, an on-road vehicle dynamic eco-routing system is constructed for in-vehicle navigation applications, and tested for different congestion levels. The results of the study demonstrate that the proposed eco-routing model is able to generate reasonable routing suggestions based on real-time information while at the same time differentiate eco-routes between vehicle models. It is also found that the proposed dynamic eco-routing system achieves lower network-wide energy consumption levels compared to the traditional eco-routing and travel time routing at all tested congestion levels. The results also demonstrate that the conventional fuel savings relative to the travel time routing decrease with the increasing congestion level; however, the electric power savings do not monotonically vary with congestion level. Furthermore, the energy savings relative to the traditional eco-routing are also not monotonically related to congestion level. In addition, network configuration is demonstrated to significantly affect eco-routing benefits. The dissertation finally investigates the potential to influence driver behavior by studying the impact of information on route choice behavior based on a real world experiment. The results of the experiment demonstrate that the effectiveness of information in routing rationality depends upon the traveler's age, preferences, route characteristics, and information type. Specifically, information effect is less evident for elder travelers. Also, the provided information may not be contributing if travelers value other considerations or one route significantly outperforms the others. The results also demonstrate that, when travelers have limited experiences, strict information is more effective than variability information, and that the faster less reliable route is more attractive than the slower more reliable route; yet the difference becomes insignificant with experiences accumulation. The results of the study will be used to enhance system design through considering route choice incentives. Multi-modal Energy Consumption Modeling and Eco-routing System Development


Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are currently recognized as a promising solution for reducing fuel consumption and emissions due to the ability of storing energy through direct connection to the electric grid. Such benefits can be achieved only with a supervisory energy management strategy that optimizes the energy utilization of the vehicle. This control problem is particularly challenging for PHEVs due to the possibility of depleting the battery during usage and the vehicle-to-grid interaction during recharge. This paper proposes a model-based control approach for PHEV energy management that is based on minimizing the overall CO2 emissions produced-directly and indirectly-from vehicle utilization. A supervisory energy manager is formulated as a global optimal control problem and then cast into a local problem by applying the Pontryagin's minimum principle. The proposed controller is implemented in an energy-based simulator of a prototype PHEV and validated on experimental data. A simulation study is conducted to calibrate the control parameters and to investigate the influence of vehicle usage conditions, environmental factors, and geographic scenarios on the PHEV performance using a large database of regulatory and "real-world" driving profiles.


The x-polarized and y-polarized beam modes of simple confining circularly symmetric spherical-mirror laser resonators may be represented with Laguerre–Gaussian functions. The corresponding r- and ϕ-polarized beam-mode profiles are found to be represented by a different Laguerre–Gaussian mode set. Though similar in name, these cylindrically polarized modes are fundamentally different from their rectangularly polarized counterparts. For example, the fundamental x-polarized mode is Gaussian, which has a maximum at the center of the beam, while the fundamental ϕ-polarized mode has a null at the beam center. The complete propagation characteristics of several types of azimuthally polarized Laguerre–Gaussian beams through optical systems representable by complex ABCD matrices are obtained. Cylindrically polarized Laguerre–Gaussian beams may be produced by inserting the appropriate Brewster window into a simple confining circularly symmetric laser resonator.


In this Article, I critically examine the role of normative masculinity in determining the shape and scope of the criminal law doctrine of rape by fraud, which purports to criminalize sexual intercourse procured through certain material deceptions. In application, the rape by fraud doctrine is exceedingly narrow — deceptively induced sexual intercourse is rarely criminalized as rape, despite deception's profound impact on the voluntariness of sexual consent. As the Article explains, the rape by fraud doctrine is thus in tension with the prevailing view that rape law principally protects a thick norm of individual sexual autonomy. Despite this tension, the narrowness of the rape by fraud doctrine is frequently defended, often by those who are most committed to individual autonomy elsewhere in rape law.Through an analysis of court decisions and academic commentary, I demonstrate that those defenses largely rest on appeals to a romanticized ideal of the practice of seduction. I illuminate the link between seduction and a prevailing ideology of normative masculinity that allocates social status for men on the basis of demonstrations of sexual conquest. That ideology perpetuates narratives in which women, through their capacity to grant or withhold consent, hold power over men when pursued as objects for sex. Indeed, within this account, the transgression of women's power is what makes sexual conquest worthy of masculine status. Deceptions used to procure sex are criminalized only in exceptional cases where the narratives of interpersonal power break down. Thus, the rape by fraud doctrine can be seen as codifying existing limits on masculine status transfer. Ultimately, I argue that understanding the rape by fraud doctrine in terms of normative masculinity exposes an important continuity between contemporary rape law and rape law historically, in which rape was a crime against men's property interest in women.


Rice husk is an important agricultural byproduct that has not been exploited yet to full capacity for advanced applications. The feasibility of obtaining high-value products such as bioactive hemicelluloses and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from rice husk is here demonstrated in a cascade biorefinery process using subcritical water extraction (SWE) prior to bleaching and acid hydrolysis and compared to traditional alkali pretreatments. The proposed SWE process enables the isolation of bioactive arabinoxylans with phenolic acid moieties, thus preserving their antioxidant and antibacterial properties that are lost during alkaline conditions. Additionally, SWE can be combined with subsequent bleaching and acid hydrolysis to obtain CNCs with large aspect ratio, high crystallinity, and thermal stability. The hydrothermal process also enables the recovery of silica particles that are lost during the alkali step but can be recovered after the isolation of the CNCs. Our biorefinery strategy results in the integra...


Aims: To determine patterns and causes of teeth extraction among children. Materials and methods: Total 1055 children participated in this study, ranging from 3 to 14 years old. Sociodemographic data was obtained, in addition to that, a number of dental information was also collected like the type of tooth/teeth extracted, and the reasons behind these extractions. All the data took nine months to be fully collected. Results: During the study period, 1709 teeth were extracted from 1055 children for various reasons. Majority of extractions that is 63.6% were done for decay reasons and its related complications. However, 6.61% of teeth were extracted for orthodontic reasons, and only 0.1% of them due to trauma. When comparing between primary and permanent teeth, a higher number of primary teeth 96.8% were extracted. Regarding the causes behind extraction, dental caries was the major cause. Additionally, the lower left first molar was the most frequent extracted tooth in both dentitions. Conclusions: Dental caries and its related pulpal pathologies remain the potential causes of teeth extraction. Lower left first molar was the most commonly extracted tooth in both primary and permanent teeth. These findings would call for extensive dental educational programs to overcome this problem.


Federal environmental law and policy ambitiously purports to provide clean air and water, protect endangered and threatened species, clean-up hazardous and toxic waste sites, and infuse environmental considerations into the decision-making process of all federal agencies with respect to major proposals impacting the environment. Despite such lofty goals and an expansion of the regulatory state, certain types of activities and associated risks have eluded statutory coverage. Additionally, these uncoordinated federal environmental statutes typically embody a singular and sometimes myopic focus, leading to unpredictable or undesirable regulatory gaps, constraints, and inefficiencies. Further, limitations on standing and judicial review may significantly limit the ability of private litigants to enforce compliance with substantive and procedural duties of federal agencies and other private actors. This article illuminates these complexities through the lens of a hypothetical but plausible scenario presenting controversial environmental issues associated with hydraulic fracturing operations. The various issues presented are discussed and analyzed by a fictional Supreme Court, drawing upon both recent and historically significant judicial decisions of the real U.S. Supreme Court and others. This conceit highlights the problematic interplay of the federal statutes and standards of judicial review. It also provides insight into potential methods to navigate the substantive and procedural challenges faced by private litigants, federal agencies, and the courts in applying these complex statutes to address modern environmental threats, such as those presented in hydraulic fracturing activities.


A fiber amplifier that generates nearly transform-limited sub-picosecond pulses and greater than 100 W average power at 1.3-GHz repetition rate is described. Modest stretching of the seed pulses allows the amplifier to be operated in the linear regime. The amplified and dechirped pulses exhibit excellent beam quality, and can be frequency-doubled to produce green pulses at 65 W average power. Detailed characterization of the performance is presented.


The unique and internationally important wild reindeer Rangifer tarandus herd on the Hardangervidda plateau of southern Norway  has shown frequent and extreme fluctuations in harvest numbers for the past 60 years, despite considerable effort to stabilize the herd size at a winter carrying capacity of  9000 – 12 000 animals . In the absence of large mammalian predators, herd size is managed through hunting.  Here we attempt to unravel the causes of the management problems related to this population by examining the relative roles of historical, biological and management-related processes. From 1900 - 1950 the population remained mainly low due to a combination of generous harvest quotas, poaching and competition from domestic reindeer.  From 1950 - 2012 three extreme harvest peaks of between 4500 - 9500 animals occurred, followed by three equally extreme troughs including two shorter periods of total protection.  This extreme harvest fluctuation contrasts with the estimated annual harvest of 2300 - 3000 needed to stabilize the winter herd between 9000 - 12 000 animals.  We conclude that this population has been difficult to manage mainly because of 1) a management based on frequently unreliable population data on herd size (especially before 2001), 2) lack of  in depth analyses and evaluation of both recruitment and sex and age composition and 3) a low and highly variable harvest success (harvest/quota) due mainly to poor hunter mobility, a disadvantage when reindeer must be harvested from large flocks that constantly move upwind, seeking refuge on small areas with few hunters.  More reliable population data to create better harvest models plus increased hunter mobility are necessary to attain a more sustainable herd size, implying an improvement of the current herd survey methodology available to local reindeer boards.  Finally, a critical and independent evaluation of the scientific methodology employed to study and manage this herd is needed.


Idanre, which represents a unique topographical landscape within southwestern Nigeria, is being proposed to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for designation as a world heritage site. In line with this, we conducted a survey to document the rich geological, biological and cultural resources contained within the Ufe-Oke section of Idanre Hills. Our geological inventory revealed two major rock types, older porphyritic granite and fine grained granite, in addition to other minerals. We identified insects belonging to 174 species while fishes from 4 species were collected. Mammals belonging to 13 species were identified through trapping, sightings and signs, although an even greater variety was inferred from interviews with hunters and visits to local fetish markets. Patterns concerning how these biological taxa are distributed altitudinally along Ufe-Oke Hill are discussed. In addition, in the quarters within Ufe-Oke representing the ancient city of Idanre, we characterized about 200 pieces of anthropological material, which included pottery shards, beads, chinaware, brass bangles and ancient metal coins. We also identified various other major features of archeological interest. Finally we offer recommendations, in the light of our findings, concerning how the variety of resources catalogued in this study can be effectively harnessed while sus-taining at the same time the environmental integrity of this site, which offers the greatest opportunities and potential for tourism.


Why has the NLRA been so resistant to legislative change for more than 60 years? How was Congress able to enact two major labor relations laws within a 12-year period (1935 and 1947) but then unable to approve proposed reforms in the years since 1947? In an effort to answer these questions, the article closely examines contemporaneous newspaper accounts from the 1935 and 1947 legislative "successes" as well as from two more recent congressional "failures" in 1978 and 1992. The article's examination proceeds based on an analytic framework borrowed from political scientist John Kingdon that posits a recurring interplay among three separately developing process streams: problems that capture the attention of the policy community working in and around Congress; proposals generated and refined as potential solutions to the problems; and political climate that allows for or discourages openings in the legislative process to enact the possible solutions.The article concludes that all four legislative campaigns featured potentially enactable proposals that were concrete, feasible, and sufficiently refined by policy participants so that they might have ripened into statutory solutions. What separates successes from failures, however, are the magnitude and resonance of the perceived policy problems and also certain distinctive aspects of the political environment before and during floor consideration. An essential predicate for legislative success in 1935 and 1947 was that identified problems commanded exceptionally broad attention from the public at large as well as the labor-management policy community. The bills defeated in 1978 and 1992 involved far less public awareness of or investment in the policy problems identified by members of Congress, their staffs, and relevant interest groups. In addition, unusual extrinsic circumstances - such as the announcement of Supreme Court decisions, the fear of spreading communism at the dawn of the Cold War, and the presence of intense divisions over approval of the Panama Canal Treaties - generated either important momentum or substantial headwinds during key periods. The article describes in detail the factors contributing to legislative successes and failures, and then addresses possible lessons for the future of labor law reform.


This essay mobilizes Fanon as a point of entry into mapping the current state of postcolonial studies, and within that, reflects on what constitutes the postcolonial canon. Over a gradual course of the eighties and nineties, there has come about a transition from the field's founding moments in which anti-imperialism, tricontinentalism, Third World nationalism and aesthetics of realism and resistance thrived, to the current trends that show a slant toward postmodernist fragmentation, multiculturalism, issues of diaspora, metropolitan narratives as well as a proclivity toward theorizing the field itself. There are many reasons for this: the specific dynamics of the post-Cold War American culture within which these works were received; the compromised relationship between academic and commercial publishing culture, which made a jump from narratives of decolonization and neocolonialism to metropolitan multiculturalism; and the sway of postmodernism over academia as a whole, which led to a disregard for Marxist theories and, more importantly, to a neglect of realism as a mode and aesthetic in postcolonial theory. These factors have worked together to shape how the genealogy of postcolonial studies and its theory have come to be accepted as "obvious." This has, in turn, had strong repercussions for the kind of literature and theory that have come to be celebrated and canonized within the field. The essay draws on Anthony Alessandrini's  Frantz Fanon and the Future of Cultural Politics: Finding Something Different  (2014) and Neil Lazarus' The Postcolonial Unconscious ( 2011) to offer a reconstructed genealogy of the field of postcolonial studies.


A number of countries have delayed the opening of their capital markets to international" investment because of reservations about the impact of foreign speculators on both expected" returns and market volatility. We propose a cross-sectional time-series model that attempts to" assess the impact of market liberalizations, in the form of the offering of depositary receipts country funds and other financial instruments, in an extranational market and market volatility in emerging equity markets. We also examine the impact of capital market" liberalizations on the correlation of emerging equity market returns and the world market return. " Our empirical approach is designed to control for other economic events which might confound" the impact of foreign speculators on local equity markets. Whatever the empirical specification the cost of capital always decreases after a capital market liberalization but the effect is" economically and statistically weak. The effects on volatility and correlation are less robust."


BACKGROUND
Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is commonly implicated as a cause of poor athletic performance but there is limited and conflicting evidence for this association.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to determine if EIPH, based on endoscopic examination after racing, is associated with a variety of novel and established performance parameters.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective, observational cross-sectional study.

METHODS
Thoroughbred racehorses competing between 2012 and 2015 were examined on-course no earlier than 30 min after racing. Examinations were recorded and graded blindly by experienced veterinarians using a 0-4 scale. Linear mixed effect models were used for analysis of continuous response variables with horse name incorporated as a random effect to account for repeated sampling and horse variability. Generalised estimating equations were used for analysis of binary responses. Performance variables were examined in 2 models, comparing EIPH grade 0 to grades 1-4, and EIPH grade ≤2 compared with EIPH grades ≥3, controlling race factors that could influence performance.

RESULTS
There were 3794 observations collected from 1567 horses. EIPH was detected in 55.1% of observations. Horses with grade 4 EIPH were significantly more likely to have a lower finishing position and finish further behind the winner, less likely to place in the first 3 positions and collect race earnings, collected less earnings per race start and were slower over the last 600 m of the race than horses without EIPH (grade 0). Similar associations were seen in Model 2, with horses with EIPH grade ≥3 having inferior performance when compared to horses with EIPH ≤2.

MAIN LIMITATIONS
Enrolment was voluntary.

CONCLUSION
Mild to moderate haemorrhage was not associated with inferior race day performance in this population of Thoroughbred racehorses.


The dispersed optical heterodyne detected (OHD) birefringence and dichroism that result from the electronic response of nonresonant materials are described for a number of ultrafast pulse shapes. The OHD spectrograms that correspond to these dispersed instantaneous electronic responses display detuning oscillations along both the interpulse delay and the probe frequency dimensions. The frequency of these oscillations depends only on the detuning of the selected Fourier component of the probe pulse from the carrier frequency and the pulse shapes. This effect is demonstrated for Gaussian, sech2, and one-sided exponential probe pulses. For each of these pulse shapes the OHD spectrograms exhibit a characteristic dependence on detuning frequency. The effects of linear chirp on these OHD spectrograms are also considered. Experimentally observed nonresonant electronic spectrograms are compared with theory. These OHD spectrograms are also compared with the well-known frequency-resolved optical gating traces. Analysis of the OHD spectrograms may provide a more useful approach for the characterization of ultrafast pulses because of the phase-specific, amplitude level origin of these responses.


Mobilizable plasmids lack necessary genes for complete conjugation and are therefore non-self-transmissible. Instead, they rely on the conjugation system of conjugal plasmids to be horizontally transferred to new recipients. While community permissiveness, the fraction of a mixed microbial community that can receive self-transmissible conjugal plasmids, has been studied, the intrinsic ability of a community to mobilize plasmids that lack conjugation systems is unexplored. Here, we present a novel framework and experimental method to estimate the mobilization potential of mixed communities. We compare the transfer frequency of a mobilizable plasmid to that of a mobilizing and conjugal plasmid measured for a model strain and for the assayed community. With Pseudomonas putida carrying the gfp-tagged mobilizable IncQ plasmid RSF1010 as donor strain, we conducted solid surface mating experiments with either a P. putida strain carrying the mobilizing IncP-1α plasmid RP4 or a model bacterial community that was extracted from the inner walls of a domestic shower conduit. Additionally, we estimated the permissiveness of the same community for RP4 using P. putida as donor strain. The permissiveness of the model community for RP4 [at 1.16 × 10-4 transconjugants per recipient (T/R)] was similar to that previously measured for soil microbial communities. RSF1010 was mobilized by the model community at a frequency of 1.16 × 10-5 T/R, only one order of magnitude lower than its permissiveness to RP4. This mobilization frequency is unexpectedly high considering that (i) mobilization requires the presence of mobilizing conjugal plasmids within the permissive fraction of the recipients; (ii) in pure culture experiments with P. putida retromobilization of RSF1010 through RP4 only took place in approximately half of the donors receiving the conjugal plasmid in the first step. Further work is needed to establish how plasmid mobilization potential varies within and across microbial communities. This method has the potential to provide such insights; in addition it allows for the direct isolation of in situ mobilizing plasmids together with their endogenous hosts.


Microbes are an often overlooked part of an ecosystem because of their small size and lack of morphological characters; however their presence is vital for every kind of known life. The human microflora is an essential and play very important role in health and disease. This study was done for isolates and identifies some samples from deferent section in the human body from Egypt. Twenty samples were collected as following: Five saliva samples of 3 children school volunteers aged (4-10 years) were collected from 3 schools in Alexandria Governorate, Egypt and 2 adult samples aged (22,30 years) were collected randomly. Five feces samples of infant babies aged (3-6 months).Ten teeth samples were collected from adult teeth roots. From our results 42 predominant colonies morphology isolated on MRS agar, BHI agar, MSA and SF agar from 12, 16 and 14 samples of saliva, teeth and faeces respectively. This found to be 24 cocci cells, 14 rods cells and 4 yeasts cells. These bacteria were identified as: 1 Staph.lentus; 5 Staph.xylosus; 1 B. brevis; 3 Lactobacillus acidophilus; 2 Lactobacillus plantarum; 8 Bacillus sp. and 18 Ec.faecalis


In surface water nanofiltration (NF) for drinking water production, 15 to 25% of the feed is rejected by the membranes. Two complementary approaches are investigated in order to manage concentrates. On one hand, an additional NF stage allows an increase in the yield of drinking water production from 85 to 94%. Thirty-days filtration cycles are achieved. Conductivity, natural organic matter (NOM) and micropollutant contents of permeate fully satisfy drinking water standards. On the other hand removal of phosphonates, micropollutants and NOM is investigated in order to treat the concentrate before disposal. Phosphorus is removed by adsorption on pre-treatment sludge: removal reaches 82% with 100 ppm of suspended solids. To eliminate pesticides and NOM, adsorption on granular activated carbon (GAC) is studied with pilot scale fixed bed columns. Within 20 minutes contact time, selected pesticides are completely eliminated. NOM removal is approximately 30% with wood based GAC.


We study the problem of discovering reliable causal rules from observational data.
Traditional descriptive rule discovery techniques do not suffice to this end, as
they struggle with the consistent detection of (potentially rare) conditions that
have a strong effect on an output variable of interest. Among the sources of
inconsistency are that naive empirical effect estimations have a high variance,
and, hence, their maximization is highly optimistically biased unless the search
is artificially restricted to high frequency events. Secondly, observational effect
measurements are often highly unrepresentative of the underlying causal effect
because they are skewed by the presence of confounding factors. This is a concern
especially in scientific data analysis.
To address these issues, we present a novel descriptive rule discovery approach
based on reliably estimating the conditional effect given the potential confounders.
We demonstrate that the corresponding score is a conservative and consistent effect
estimator, identify the admissible data generation process under which causal
rule discovery is possible, and derive an efficient optimization algorithm that
successfully detects valuable rules on a multitude of real datasets. Important for
both causal and associational data exploration, the presented approach naturally
allows for iterative rule discovery, where new non-redundant rules can be found by
treating previously discovered rules as confounders in subsequent iterations.


Abstract Background: The epidemiology of rape is a very complex issue that is difficult to research. The meaning of rape is different for different countries, religions, and socio-economic groups, and it involves both stigma and discrimination. Therefore, rape statistics are either not available or incomplete. This study was an attempt to highlight the problem of rape in the Mthatha area of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Objectives: To estimate the trend of sexual assault in the Mthatha area of South Africa. Methods: This is a review of the Sinawe Centre's records of victims of sexual assault. The centre is the only official centre in this region that deals with cases of sexual assault. Results: A total of 2 378 victims of sexual assault seen at Sinawe Centre over a period of six years (20012006). The average rate of sexual assault was 198 per 100 000 women a year. There was a tenfold increase of sexual assault from 39 per 100 000 women in 2001 to 417 per 100 000 women in 2006. Of the victims, 70.9% were children under the age of 20 years. In total, 46.3% were under the age of 16 years, and 22.9% were younger than 11 years. Children of five or younger represented 9.4% of the sexual assault victims. The least vulnerable age group (1.3%) is those between 46 and 50 years. The minimum cost for a successful conviction of a rape case is between R5 000 and R10 000, and, of course, does not account for the pain and suffering of the family involved. Conclusion: The rate of sexual abuse is increasing in the Mthatha area of South Africa.


Healthy ageing is a challenge for many countries with significant shares of elderly people. Literature refers to China's ageing population as a ticking time bomb which paradoxically is both a challenge and an opportunity for the country. Health is considered an important determinant of economic growth and competitiveness. The health of the elderly population determines its need for resources and care. Thus, investing in healthy ageing contributes to economic and social well-being. This study is a review of literature on the social and economic aspects of healthy ageing. It summarizes alternative approaches presented in literature to ease pressures of a rapidly growing ageing population. The main focus is on strategies for healthy ageing, policy practices and measures, organization, finances and manpower resources to promote healthy ageing in China. Up-to-date theories and methods applied to household surveys and population statistics are used to quantify the problem, resource requirements and estimating the social and economic benefits of having policies and measures for healthy ageing. Conclusions are drawn with respect to conditions of healthy ageing in China and about the state policy in this regard.


High temperature superconductors (HTS) are not well understood despite intensive research over the past three decades. Recently, the stripe phase which is a form of charge and spin density modulation has received more attention due to its prevalence in these systems. However, the effects of stripes on the electronic properties of HTS have remained elusive, and new experimental results are needed to shed light on this pressing matter. In this Thesis, we develop several experimental setups and data analysis methods to perform high-precision magneto-transport experiments including electrical resistivity, thermopower, Nernst effect, and other specially designed measurements for temperatures down to 5 K and magnetic fields up to 16 T. These methods enabled us to perform systematic investigations on La2-xBaxCuO4 where stripe correlations are known to be the strongest among HTS families. Our experimental results demonstrate that in this high-Tc family, the surface and the bulk of the same sample exhibit two distinct and tunable superconducting transition temperatures, with the value at the surface significantly enhanced – up to 64% relative to the bulk of the sample for the materials we studied. Notably, the occurrence of this novel effect coincides with that of the stripe order, suggesting a possible link between the two. The effects of stripes on superconducting fluctuations and quasiparticle transport are further investigated with Nernst effect measurements. Several unusual features are observed which are discussed in the context of superconducting stripes with preferred spatial arrangements. The latter part of this Thesis focuses on developing a tunnel-diode-oscillator setup for the measurement of magnetic penetration depth on unconventional superconductors. This technique can be optimized for a part-per-billion precision level which makes it very useful in addressing several fundamental problems such as the determination of pairing symmetry. In particular, its compatibility with dilution refrigerator makes it a valuable probe for low-Tc materials such as heavy-fermion systems. During the construction of the setup, we analyzed earlier penetration depth data of skutterudite superconductor LaOs4Sb12 in order to obtain guidance on the physics and parameters required for the abovementioned apparatus. Our results indicate multiband s-wave superconductivity in this compound. The finding is further discussed in reference to the unconventional pairing symmetry observed in the closely related material PrOs4Sb12.


Abstract. The results of the study aimed to assess the influence of future nuclear power plant Hanhikivi-1 upon the local thermal conditions in the Bothnian Bay in the Baltic Sea are presented. A number of experiments with different numerical models were also carried out in order to estimate the extreme hydro-meteorological conditions in the area of the construction. The numerical experiments were fulfilled both with analytically specified external forcing and with real external forcing for 2 years: a cold year (2010) and a warm year (2014). The study has shown that the extreme values of sea level and water temperature and the characteristics of wind waves and sea ice in the vicinity of the future nuclear power plant can be significant and sometimes catastrophic. Permanent release of heat into the marine environment from an operating nuclear power plant will lead to a strong increase in temperature and the disappearance of ice cover within a 2 km vicinity of the station. These effects should be taken into account when assessing local climate changes in the future.


This study explores the relationship between trust and establishment performance. The outcome indicators are management's assessment of the economic or financial situation of the workplace and its relative labor productivity. Trust is initially measured using the individual survey respondent's assessment of the 'contribution' of the other side, the rating of the employee representative being favored over that of management as less subject to feedback from performance. Although the potential endogeneity of employee trust is taken into account, an improved measure is constructed from the discrepancy or dissonance between the assessments of the two sides as to the quality of industrial relations at the workplace. All trust measures are associated with improved establish-ment performance. However, there is no suggestion from specifications using the two more favored trust measures that any one type of formal workplace representation – either works councils or union bodies – is superior. Dissonance, if indeed exogenous, demonstrates that good industrial relations trump type of workplace representation.


A panel of six neutralizing murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to equine arteritis virus (EAV) was produced. The MAbs were characterized by Western immunoblotting assay and competitive ELISA. The six MAbs identify a single neutralization site on a 29K envelope glycoprotein. Deglycosylation of viral proteins prior to immunoblotting showed that the 29K protein is the glycosylated form of a 20K protein. Equine antiEAV serum also strongly bound the 29K glycoprotein, as well as an unglycosylated protein of 17K. The equine autisera to EAV blocked the binding of a selected MAb to EAV, whereas normal equine serum did not. Two neutralization-resistant escape mutant (EM) variants of the EAV prototype were produced using MAb 6D10. The phenotypic properties of the EM viruses were characterized by neutralization and immunoblotting assays with two MAbs (6D10 and 5G11). The two MAbs failed to neutralize either EM virus, and they did not react in an immunoblot assay with any proteins of the EM viruses. In contrast, binding of the equine antiserum to viral proteins was equivalent with prototype and EM virus strains. These data clearly indicate that a 29K envelope glyeoprotein expresses at least one neutralization determinant of EAV.


We assess point and density forecasts from a mixed-frequency vector autoregression (VAR) to obtain intra-quarter forecasts of output growth as new information becomes available. The econometric model is specified at the lowest sampling frequency; high frequency observations are treated as different economic series occurring at the low frequency. We impose restrictions on the VAR to account explicitly for the temporal ordering of the data releases. Because this type of data stacking results in a high-dimensional system, we rely on Bayesian shrinkage to mitigate parameter proliferation. The relative performance of the model is compared to forecasts from various time-series models and the Survey of Professional Forecaster's. We further illustrate the possible usefulness of our proposed VAR for causal analysis.


Abstract Recent molecular phylogenetic and molecular clock data both suggest a pre-Mesozoic age for the divergence of the angiosperm lineage from other seed plants, greatly predating the confirmed fossil record of the angiosperm crown group. In addition, molecular phylogenetic studies have not supported the morphologically based conclusion that gnetophytes are the extant sister group to angiosperms. We examine these relationships and divergence ages by using a novel approach of examining the presence of oleanane. This includes the development of methods using zeolites to preferentially reduce hopanes that can co-elute with oleanane. The presence of this molecular fossil strongly correlates with angiosperm diversification; in its functionalized form, along with its triterpenoid precursors, it is found in many living angiosperms. Our data show that among non-angiosperm seed plants examined thus far, oleanane is found only in fossil Cretaceous Bennettitales and Permian Gigantopteridales, both of which share characteristics with angiosperms. Previous morphological phylogenetic results indicate Bennettitales could be a sister group to or member of the angiosperm stem lineage, and results of our preliminary phylogenetic analysis including the Gigantopteridales suggests the same. Our data, based on a new pyrolysis method to treat living species, support previous research indicating that oleanane and its precursors are absent in living gnetophytes. If oleanane originated once in seed plants then the angiosperm stem lineage would have diverged from other seed plant lineages by the late Paleozoic.


Numerous man-made structures around the world have been subjected to considerable damage due to differential heave from moisture absorbed by expansive clay foundation soils. It has been estimated that the annual cost of damage from expansive soils in the United States alone is $2.3 billion. The actual heave is a function of many factors, e.g., climatic conditions, moisture content of the soil immediately prior to placement of the structure, the amount and type of foundation soils, and the overburden load at the foundation level. Of the three most prominent clay minerals—illite, kaolinite, montmorillonite—the latter constitutes the most expansive type of clay soil. The current design practice for construction in expansive clay subsoil starts with a study of the site to determine the soil's characteristics. The appropriate correction action may include stabilization by chemical means, presaturation, compaction, and the design of engineered-type foundations, such as pier and grade-beam, and reinforced slabs. The relative cost of alternative designs should be evaluated in terms of the risks involved.


Abstract: The last few decades have seen a proliferation of research on study abroad (SA). A review of SA research literature shows general inconsistencies and inconclusiveness on certain issues, particularly on SA outcomes and their factors. This article discusses such inconsistencies in terms of the highly variable contexts and vastly unstable nature of second language acquisition (SLA). It is evident that the amount and the quality of interactional encounters with native speakers, along with learners' identity, play a major role in language acquisition in the SA context. Accordingly, the researcher argues for a socialization perspective on documenting and interpreting the SLA process in the SA context, with an emphasis on learner identity. Key words: identity, qualitative research, second language acquisition, socialization, study abroad This article presents a brief review of research literature on study abroad (SA) with a focus on the inconsistencies and inconclusiveness of certain issues. An argument follows for a second language socialization (SLS) perspective as the best approach to construe the otherwise puzzling phenomena. Wilkinson (1998) called for a shift of SA studies from the ''product,'' such as linguistic gains and attitude change after SA, to the ''process,'' i.e., what actually happens before, during, and after the sojourn that brings about the outcome. In echoing such advocacy for a focus on process, the researcher argues for documenting and interpreting the process of the SA experience from a language socialization perspective. Background of the Study The practice of study abroad has a long history, and research on SA has proliferated in the last few decades. As an increasing number of SA programs are being offered to secondary school and higher education students as part of their learning experience, SA research literature is vital in shedding light on the positive values and the challenges of SA. Review of Literature This section presents and reviews the research literature on SA and socialization to show the factors being studied in the field of SA research, and the interconnections of SA, identity, and SLS. The present study addresses the complexity of language acquisition within the SA context, as demonstrated by the inconsistency and variation of outcomes reported in much of the research literature. The researcher proposes a language socialization framework as the most appropriate approach to encompass the highly variable elements and interactive nature of second language acquisition (SLA) in the SA context. Study Abroad A majority of the existing research literature on SA has focused on the outcome, or the ''product,'' of SA in the improvement and changes of language skills, pragmatic and cultural competence, affect, and attitudes (e.g., Allen & Herron, 2003; Carroll, 1967; Freed, 1995a, 1995b; Spenader, 2008). Other SA studies have explored the process of SA, emphasizing the experience and the evolving elements from the experience. Among the many factors studied were duration of SA, students' proficiency level, accommodation settings, motivation, individual differences, identity and level of acculturation, and formal instruction. Is SA Necessary? Though questions on the value and necessity of naturalistic language input for learning a second language (L2) have been raised from time to time (e.g., Rothman & Iverson, 2007), the positive aspect of SA has been generally supported by a large number of studies (e.g., Allen & Herron, 2003; Balaz & Williams, 2004; Huebner, 1995). The importance of SA in SLA is strongly advocated by Kubler (1997), who, based on extensive experience as a foreign language program director, argued that SA should be seen and planned as ''an essential component'' of foreign language curriculum, so that students can achieve advanced foreign language proficiency in the full cultural context. …


The research objective was to analyzing fluctuations in aggregate demand growth variables are C, I, G, X, M and also regional gross domestic product for the year 1993-2010. To calculate and analyze some of the factors that affect the change of macro- regional components of aggregate demand in the years 1993-2010 Jambi Province. During the period 1993-2010 the economic growth rate Jambi average of 5 percent annually. Partially visible growth of household consumption by 23 percent investment by 18 per cent, 26 per cent of government spending, net exports of 43 percent. For calculate and analyze some factor that affect the change, here using regression equation with non log and log.


m-Aminostyrene has been synthesised, by a known route, from acetophenone. This monomeir has been, homopolymerised and copolymerised with styrene by means of 2,2'-azoisobutyronitrile, as the initiator, at two concentrations (0.2 and 0.4% on the weight of the monomers). The polymeric amines have been characterised by intrinsic viscosity determinations in aniline. The polymeric amines have been converted to their respective diazonium chlorides, which have been obtained in homogeneous solution in acidic aqueous methanol, and thereafter the kinetics of their decomposition, at 29.8°, have been studied. The rate-constants of the decomposition of the polymeric diazonium cations in acidic aqueous methanol with those of benzene- and m-cumene-diazonium cations in similar solution have been compared in order to assess the contribution of the chain structure of the polymeric diazonium compounds to the rate of decomposition, and to ascertain whether any specifically macromolecular reactivity . factors operate in the decomposition of polymeric diazonium cations. A number of standard diazonium replacement reactions have been effected with the polymeric amines, resulting in the introduction of chlorine, bromine and iodine atoms and thiol groups. The structures of the replacement products have been tentatively discussed.


Obligate mating of females (queens) with multiple males has evolved only rarely in social Hymenoptera (ants, social bees, social wasps) and for reasons that are fundamentally different from those underlying multiple mating in other animals. The monophyletic tribe of 'attin') fungus–growing ants is known to include evolutionarily derived genera with obligate multiple mating (the Acromyrmex and Atta leafcutter ants) as well as phylogenetically basal genera with exclusively single mating (e.g. Apterostigma, Cyphomyrmex, Myrmicocrypta). All attine genera share the unique characteristic of obligate dependence on symbiotic fungus gardens for food, but the sophistication of this symbiosis differs considerably across genera. The lower attine genera generally have small, short–lived colonies and relatively non–specialized fungal symbionts (capable of living independently of their ant hosts), whereas the four evolutionarily derived higher attine genera have highly specialized, long–term clonal symbionts. In this paper, we investigate whether the transition from single to multiple mating occurred relatively recently in the evolution of the attine ants, in conjunction with the novel herbivorous 'leafcutte' niche acquired by the common ancestor of Acromyrmex and Atta, or earlier, at the transition to rearing specialized long–term clonal fungi in the common ancestor of the larger group of higher attines that also includes the genera Trachymyrmex and Sericomyrmex. We use DNA microsatellite analysis to provide unambiguous evidence for a single, late and abrupt evolutionary transition from exclusively single to obligatory multiple mating. This transition is historically correlated with other evolutionary innovations, including the extensive use of fresh vegetation as substrate for the fungus garden, a massive increase in mature colony size and morphological differentiation of the worker caste.


In this diagnostic test validation study, we assessed the clinical accuracy and HPV genotyping performance of the INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra II (INNO-LiPA) within the VALGENT-3 framework. VALGENT is designed to assess the analytical and clinical performance of HPV tests with genotyping capacity. The VALGENT-3 panel comprised 1300 consecutive cervical cell specimens enriched with 300 samples with abnormal cytology obtained from women attending the Slovenian cervical cancer screening programme. The INNO-LiPA allows type-specific detection of 32 HPV types; however, for the clinical accuracy assessment, we considered it as high-risk (hr)HPV positive when at least one of the following HPV types was present: HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, HPV33, HPV35, HPV39, HPV45, HPV51, HPV52, HPV56, HPV58, HPV59, and HPV68. Clinical accuracy for detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) was compared between INNO-LiPA and Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2), which is a standard comparator test for HPV tests used in cervical cancer screening. In addition, hrHPV and type-specific detection HPV types were compared between INNO-LiPA and Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test (Linear Array). The prevalence of hrHPV determined by INNO-LiPA was 17.1% (95% CI, 15.0–19.2%) in the screening population. HrHPV testing with INNO-LiPA had a sensitivity for CIN2+ of 96.9% (95% CI, 92.1–99.1%) which was non-inferior to HC2 (relative sensitivity of 1.01; 95% CI, 0.97–1.04; pn.inf = 0.0002) and a specificity for ≤CIN1 of 85.3% (95% CI, 83.2–87.3%) which was inferior to HC2 (relative specificity of 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93–0.97; pn.inf = 0.9998). Genotyping agreement between INNO-LiPA and Linear Array was excellent for hrHPV, HPV16, HPV18, HPV35, HPV45, HPV58 and HPV59, but good or fair for other HPV types. To conclude, INNO-LiPA demonstrated non-inferior clinical sensitivity but lower specificity compared to HC2 in addition to excellent concordance compared to Linear Array for hrHPV and some genotypes.


As we celebrated the one-hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I in 2018, we recalled the extraordinary acts of heroism, both individual and cultural, which contributed to bringing about the war's conclusion. Reims, France, was literally at the front lines of the war. The two hundred–plus miles of caves below the city, quarried by Romans in the third and fourth centuries ad and adopted for wine production and storage by the champagne industry in modern times, became a place of refuge for the citizens of Reims, as well as for French soldiers heading to and returning from the war. The local people who remained during the war rode out more than a thousand continuous days of bombing by living in the caves, where butchers set up shop, children attended school, Christian worship services were given, and musical concerts took place. Meanwhile, the champagne industry continued to produce wine under incredibly harsh conditions. This article tells the incredible story of survival in the face of the war both for the citizens of Reims and the champagne industry, and how the war contributed to the industry subsequently solving problems that had plagued it for decades.


OF THESIS CHARACTERISTICS AND ETHICS OF E-THERAPY WEBSITES WITH MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS The current survey of 83 e-therapy websites with marriage and family therapists examined what consumers seeking online therapy or therapy over the phone might find on the Internet. The study explored how e-therapy websites characterize their services and comply with the ethical guidelines of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Furthermore, differences in compliance with ethical guidelines among the three types of the websites (individual practice websites, group practice websites, and independent contractor websites) were analyzed. Results indicated that a majority of the websites lack information regarding several major areas (e.g., crisis resources, terms of service, procedures to treatment of minors, procedures to provision of therapy across borders). In support of previous findings, compliance to ethical guidelines was low and uneven. The websites focused mostly on positive aspects of e-therapy and in some cases, used suggestive or misleading language. When the three groups were compared, the independent contractor websites demonstrated statistically significantly higher compliance than the other two groups. This study points out several disturbing patterns and calls for clear e-therapy guidelines, which are currently lacking.


This study was undertaken to measure the effect of fattening duration (60, 80, and 100 days) on growth performance and carcass characteristics of male kids from indigenous Hair and Honamli goat breeds reared under intensive fattening systems in Turkey. Fattening duration had a significant effect (P < 0.001) on the fattening performance and a number of carcass characteristics of kids. An interaction was detected between genotype and fattening duration for average daily gain (ADG). Hair goat kids grew at a faster rate than Honamli kids in the 20-40 day and 40-60 day fattening periods, but they maintained relatively similar ADGs within other fattening periods. On average, over the course of the fattening trial, Honamli kids grew at an average daily rate of 209 g/head, while Hair goat kids grew at a daily rate of 231 g/head. Dressing percentage and carcass lean and fat percentages of kids increased (P < 0.05-0.001) with slaughter age and weight for both genotypes, whereas the percentage of bone decreased (P < 0.001) with each successive fattening period. No genotypic differences were detected for a number of carcass characteristics at the time of slaughter, with the exception of relatively higher (P < 0.01) fat deposit rates within the kidney and pelvic areas for Hair kids.


Objective The objective of this study was to examine changes in patient routes into genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics since policy changes in England sought to improve access to sexual healthcare. Methods Cross-sectional patient surveys at contrasting GUM clinics in England in 2004/2005 (seven clinics, 4600 patients) and 2009 (four clinics, 1504 patients). Patients completed a short pen-and-paper questionnaire that was then linked to an extract of their clinical data. Results Symptoms remained the most common reason patients cited for attending GUM (46% in both surveys), yet the proportion of patients having sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis/es declined between 2004/2005 and 2009: 38%–29% of men and 28%–17% of women. Patients in 2009 waited less time before seeking care: median 7 days (2004/2005) versus 3 days (2009), in line with shorter GUM waiting times (median 7 vs 0 days, respectively). Fewer GUM patients in 2009 first sought care elsewhere (23% vs 39% in 2004/2005), largely from general practice, extending their time to attending GUM by a median of 2 days in 2009 (vs 5 days in 2004/2005). Patients with symptoms in 2009 were less likely than patients in 2004/2005 to report sex since recognising a need to seek care, but this was still reported by 25% of men and 38% of women (vs 44% and 58%, respectively, in 2004/2005). Conclusions Patient routes to GUM shortened between 2004/2005 and 2009. While GUM patients in 2009 were less likely overall to have STIs diagnosed, perhaps reflecting lower risk behaviour, there remains a substantial proportion of high-risk individuals requiring comprehensive care. Behavioural surveillance across all STI services is therefore essential to monitor and maximise their public health impact.


Abstract Background The study site started its roll-out of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention of mother-to-child transmission in 2006. All patients were counselled by trained counsellors, before seeing a doctor. At the pharmacy the medicines were collected with no intense counselling by a pharmacist as the patients would have visited the trained counsellors first. Subsequently it was found that there were many queries regarding HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Thus a dedicated antiretroviral pharmacy managed by a pharmacist was established to support the counsellors. Objectives The objective of the study was to assess the impact of a pharmacist intervention on the knowledge gained by HIV and AIDS patients with regard to the disease, antiretroviral drug use (i.e. how the medication is taken, its storage and the management of side effects) as well as adherence to treatment. Method This study was undertaken at a public sector hospital using anonymous structured questionnaires and was divided into three phases: pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention phases. After obtaining patient consent the questionnaires were administered during the first phase. A month later all patients who visited the pharmacy were counselled intensely on various aspects of HIV and antiretroviral medication. Thereafter patients who participated in Phase 1 were asked to participate in the second phase. After obtaining their consent again, the same questionnaire was administered to them. Quantitative variables were compared between pre-intervention and post-intervention stages by using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. Categorical variables were compared using McNemar's Chi-square test (Binary) or McNemar-Bowker test for ordinal variables. Results Overall the mean knowledge score on the disease itself had increased significantly (s.d. 6.6%), (p < 0.01), after the pharmacists' intervention (pre-intervention was 82.1% and post-intervention was 86.3%). A significant improvement was noted in the overall knowledge score with regard to medicine taking and storage (p < 0.05) and the management of the side effects. There was a non-significant difference between the adherence in pre-intervention and in post-intervention (p = 0.077). Conclusion Pharmacists' intervention had a positive impact on HIV infected patients' HIV and AIDS knowledge on both the disease and on the antiretroviral drug use and storage.


ABSTRACT Adaptation and Transmission in Early East Asian Funerary Arts: The Three Goguryeo Four Spirits Tombs in Ji'an, China Heather B. Sutherland Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt The Donggou Four Spirits Tomb and Five Helmets Tombs 4 and 5 located in Ji'an, China are the subject of this dissertation. The tombs' structures and the main theme of their pictorial programs, the Four Spirits (the Green Dragon, the Red Bird, the White Tiger, the Dark Warrior, and, sometimes, the Yellow Dragon), identify them as belonging to the late Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BCE-668 CE), one of the Korean Three Kingdoms. However, the interior decoration displays a multitude of regional variations making them unique among Goguryeo tombs with murals. Stylistically, the tomb paintings clearly belong to the sixth or early-seventh century. However, the main images and ideology the Ji'an murals represent can be traced to developments that occurred in Han China (202 BCE-220 CE) and demonstrate an affinity for and deep understanding of ancient Chinese mythology and cosmology. This study attempts to identify and analyze the myriad images within the three Ji'an Four Spirits tombs. This dissertation utilizes a variety of textual and visual sources. A combination of primary and secondary historical texts, both Korean and Chinese, are used to understand the period in which these tombs were created. Mythological and religious texts from the Zhou and Han periods of China are also important resources; concepts and creatures referred to in these texts permeated the funerary cultures of the later time periods, even on the Korean peninsula. In addition, funerary contracts and epitaphs as well as mirror inscriptions offer insight into the images found in the three Ji'an tombs. Mirrors are particularly important artifacts because, as portable objects, they demonstrate how images and concepts traveled to distant lands. Objects found in China, Korea, and Japan are evidence of the cultural interaction that the texts describe. Through these sources, many of the images within the three tombs can be identified. The imagery within the tombs can be interpreted as a symbolic recreation of the universe as well as aids for the deceased's ascension to the immortal realm. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group East Asian Languages & Civilizations This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/40 First Advisor Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt Second Advisor Victor H. Mair Third Advisor Frank L. Chance


This thesis is a study of the late medieval clergy in the diocese of Norwich. The inquiry examines the career-paths of individual clerks from their schooling through their ordination and appointment to livings and to their achievements. Special attention is paid to patterns of advancement in the Church and to the differences between the career-paths of clerks from diverse educational backgrounds and aspirations,
The work is divided into four major parts; each but the last consists of three chapters which deal with topics relevant to the principal theme.
As education was a prerequisite for ordination the initial questions are directed towards the problems of schools and schooling. An examination of all known schools and educational benefactions aims to determine the number and type of schools and the range of provisions available to the region. The inquiry next focusses on the availability of patronage and its significance in the lives of the young aspirants who needed moral and financial support to set out on the road to a clerical career. Was there a shortage of priests or was there an oversupply? To find answers to this question the size of the clerical population and the number of benefices and other livings are surveyed and analysed.
Attention is next turned towards the manifold nature of clerical careers. This part of the study examines the parish priests at work. It looks at their pastoral and temporal duties, at their finances and living standards, and at their activities at home and within the community. An analysis of book ownership seeks answers to questions touching the cultural interests and development of the clergy.
The pastoral duties of the parish priests included extra responsibilities during the time of Lollard infiltration. From the first isolated cases, through the heresy trials of the period and until the end of the century clerks in the diocese were instructed to be alert to beliefs contrary to the Church's teaching and to attempt to eliminate such beliefs in any way they were able.
The last part of the dissertation considers the career achievements of the clerks of the diocese during the century and beyond. It is contended here that higher offices in the church were reached by only a few but that for many moderate wealth, influence and learning still meant a significant upward movement socially.
The thesis is based on a thorough examination of the Norwich diocesan records and other relevant materials. The methods applied for the analysis of these documents are described in the introductory chapter preceding the main parts of the thesis.


Background Concerns about the cost and convenience of postsurgical physical therapy (PT) have sparked interest in unsupervised, home-based rehabilitation. However, the effectiveness of unsupervised home exercise after primary TKA has not been previously evaluated. Questions/purposes (1) Can unsupervised home exercise after surgery provide noninferior recovery of passive knee flexion compared with formal outpatient PT? (2) Does a web-based platform for home-based exercise provide an advantage compared with a printed PT manual? Methods We conducted a randomized, noninferiority trial involving 290 patients (20% of the 1464 eligible patients who could be contacted) who underwent primary TKA from March 2016 to April 2018. We included patients > 18 years old who were undergoing primary, unilateral TKA and provided written consent. We excluded patients with preoperative knee flexion < 90°, patients considering surgical intervention in a hip or the contralateral knee, patients discharged to an extended care facility, and revision or conversion TKA. We randomized patients to one of three groups: outpatient PT, unsupervised home exercise using a web-based platform (web PT), or unsupervised home exercise using a printed paper manual (paper PT). We also implemented a "delayed recovery intervention" within the home exercise program, in which patients were obliged to begin outpatient PT if knee flexion was < 70° at 2 weeks or < 90° at 4 weeks. The primary outcome was change in knee flexion from preoperative baseline after 4 to 6 weeks and 6 months. Secondary outcomes included Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), time back to activities of daily living, and time off narcotics. All analyses were intention to treat, and the noninferiority margin was 5% with maximum flexion as the outcome of interest for this parameter. Results Adjusted differences in change in passive flexion for web PT +3° (95% confidence interval [CI], -1.2° to 6.4°) and paper PT +5° (95% CI, 0.99°-8.6°) were not inferior to outpatient PT based on a predefined 5° margin. Change in knee flexion from baseline was 0° for outpatient PT, -2° for web PT, and -1° for paper PT after 4 to 6 weeks and 8°, 8°, and 12° for the three groups, respectively, after 6 months. Additionally, there was no difference in the change in KOOS from baseline at 4 to 6 weeks or 6 months postoperatively as well as time back to work, driving, and walking without an assistive device. Conclusions Unsupervised home exercise is an effective rehabilitation strategy after primary TKA and was noninferior to formal outpatient PT in selected patients. It is worthwhile to reconsider the current practice of automatically designating patients for outpatient PT after primary TKA, because appropriately selected patients with adequate clinical support can achieve similar results at home. Level of Evidence Level I, therapeutic study.


Introdution: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms enrolled in the relationship between increased BP variability, heart damage and mortality in different pathophysiological conditions as hypertension, heart failure and myocardial infarction. Method: Wistar rats were divided into control and S (n=10, 8weeks). Sinoaortic denervation (S) was performed using the method previously described. BP and HR were analysed using a data acquisition system. BP variability was analyzed by spectral analysis. Left ventricle systolic ejection and diastolic isovolumetric relaxation time were evaluated by echocardiography. Cardiac fibrosis and cardiomyocytes diameter were quantified by histological analysis. CO, cardiac blood flow and cardiac index were evaluated using colored microspheres. Result: No difference was observed in BP and HR (C:104±2 vs 106±2 mmHg; C:313±7 vs 329±3 bpm), while BP variability was increased after S (C:29±2 vs 46*±5 mmHg). Left ventricle systolic ejection was decreased (C:72±0.9 vs 64*±1.5%) and diastolic isovolumetric relaxation time (C:21±1 vs 35*±1 ms) was increased in S group. Moreover, it was observed a reduction in CO (C:111±5 vs 81*±5 mL/min), an increase in cardiac resistance (C:35±1.8 vs 66*±2.6 mL/min/mmHg) and a decreased in cardiac index (C:320±9.7 vs 270*±8.1 l/min/m2) in S group. Those alterations resulted in decreased myocardial blood flow (C:3.47±0.21 vs 1.6*±0.3 mL/min/g). An increased cardiomyocytes diameter (C:14.9±0.3 vs 18.9*±0.3μm),fibrosis (C:0.85±0.08 vs 3.28*±0.2%) and cardiac hypertrophy index (C:3.07±0.06 vs 3.97*±0.1) were observed in S group.The association of all those changes lead to a 72% higher mortality in animals with increased blood pressure variability.(*p Conclusion: An increased BP variability resulted in a reduced cardiac blood flow, CO and cardiac index and an increased in myocardial resistance this adaptations occours as a attempt to homeostasis maintenance. Howerer, the morphofunctional alterations showed a diastolic dysfunction, increased cardiac hypertrophy index and fibrosis as a resulted. These adjustements could be a determinant factor in cardiac damage and in mortality in different pathological conditions, independently of BP levels.


Placebo-controlled field efficacy trials of new Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccines may be impractical. Therefore, an animal model to evaluate efficacy of candidate JE vaccines is sought. Previous work has shown that exposure of monkeys to JE virus (JEV) via the intranasal route results in encephalitis. Here we report the further development of this model and the availability of titered virus stocks to assess the protective efficacy of JE vaccines. To determine the effective dose of our JE challenge virus, dilutions of a stock JEV (KE-93 isolate) were inoculated into four groups of three rhesus monkeys. A dose-dependent response was observed and the 50% effective dose (ED50) was determined to be 6.0 x 10(7) plaque forming units (pfu). Among animals that developed encephalitis, clinical signs occurred 9-14 days postinoculation. Infection with JEV was confirmed by detection of JEV in nervous tissues and IgM to JEV in the cerebrospinal fluid. Viremia with JEV was also detected intermittently throughout infection. Validation of the model was performed using a known effective JE vaccine and saline control. One ED90 of virus (2.0 x 10(9) pfu) was used as a challenge dose. Four of four animals that received saline control developed encephalitis while one of four monkeys administered the JE vaccine did so. This study demonstrates that the virus strain, route of inoculation, dose, and the outcome measure (encephalitis) are suitable for assessment of protective efficacy of candidate JE vaccines.


Description: Unmanned air vehicles are becoming increasingly popular alternatives for private applications which include, but are not limited to, fire fighting, search and rescue, atmospheric data collection, and crop surveys, to name a few. Among these vehicles are avian-inspired, flapping-wing designs, which are safe to operate near humans and are required to carry payloads while achieving manoeuverability and agility in low speed flight. Conventional methods and tools fall short of achieving the desired performance metrics and requirements of such craft. Flight dynamics and system identification for modern feedback control provides an in-depth study of the difficulties associated with achieving controlled performance in flapping-wing, avian -inspired flight, and a new model paradigm is derived using analytical and experimental methods, with which a controls designer may then apply familiar tools. This title consists of eight chapters and covers flapping-wing aircraft and flight dynamics, before looking at nonlinear, multibody modelling as well as flight testing and instrumentation. Later chapters examine system identification from flight test data, feedback control and linearization. Presents experimental flight data for validation and verification of modelled dynamics, thus illustrating the deficiencies and difficulties associated with modelling flapping-wing flight Derives a new flight dynamics model needed to model avian-inspired vehicles, based on nonlinear multibody dynamics Extracts aerodynamic models of flapping flight from experimental flight data and system identification techniques


Stochastic control problems for controlled Markov processes models with an infinite planning horizon are considered, under some non-standard cost criteria. The classical discounted and average cost criteria can be viewed as complementary, in the sense that the former captures the short-time and the latter the long-time performance of the system. Thus, we study a cost criterion obtained as weighted combinations of these criteria, extending to a general state and control space framework several recent results by Feinberg and Shwartz, and by Krass et al. In addition, a functional characterization is given for overtaking optimal policies, for problems with countable state spaces and compact control spaces; our approach is based on qualitative properties of the optimality equation for problems with an average cost criterion.


Abstract: A key problem of modular neural networks is finding the optimal aggregation of the different subtasks (or modules) of the problem at hand. Functional networks provide a partial solution to this problem, since the inter‐module topology is obtained from domain knowledge (functional relationships and symmetries). However, the learning process may be too restrictive in some situations, since the resulting modules (functional units) are assumed to be linear combinations of selected families of functions. In this paper, we present a non‐parametric learning approach for functional networks using feedforward neural networks for approximating the functional modules of the resulting architecture; we also introduce a genetic algorithm for finding the optimal intra‐module topology (the appropriate balance of neurons for the different modules according to the complexity of their respective tasks). Some benchmark examples from nonlinear time‐series prediction are used to illustrate the performance of the algorithm for finding optimal modular network architectures for specific problems.


The aim of this study was to investigate customer service quality at DUT. The objectives were: to identify students' expectations of service quality in sport at the DUT; to determine students' perceptions of the service quality in sport at DUT; to determine the gap between expectations and perceptions; and to analyse the relationship between selected biographical characteristics and expectations and perceptions of students, using a questionnaire developed from the SERVQUAL instrument. A total of 400 students have completed the survey during the period May 2010 to June 2010. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Several service quality dimensions were identified and as expected, students' experiences of service delivery fell short of their expectations particularly for the dimension. All the service quality dimensions in the students' surveys of sport at the DUT contain negative mean gap scores. From these findings the Sports department at the DUT can identify more specifically the failures in its service quality and seek to improve upon them. Service quality dimensions that are deemed to be good predictors of service quality for students of the DUT sport offering have been related to factors such as the "Tangibility", Reliability", "Responsiveness", "Assurance" and "Empathy. It can be observed that all these dimensions have highly negative mean gap scores. Consequently, the Durban University of Technology will have to address these dimensions more precisely in its attempt to improve its service quality, especially the "Reliability" Dimension, which has emerged as the most important service quality predictor.


BACKGROUND
One key aspect of person-centredness is striving to understand both the patients' experiences and behaviours from their perspective. These aspects are precisely those that staff in dementia care highlight as causing them most difficulty because the people in their care have major problems expressing themselves. There is thus a need to develop a method to help the staff to achieve interpretation through reflection.

AIM
The aim of this study was to explore the use of drama as a tool to support reflection among staff working in the residential care of people with dementia.

DESIGN
A qualitative evaluation of a programme consisting of three drama sessions with staff working in residential care (n = 10 nurse assistants).

METHODS
Data comprised observations and tape recordings of the sessions, the researchers' reflections after each session and a focus-group interview with the participants. The texts were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS
The analysis showed that: (i) the exercises stimulate reflection about daily caring practice; (ii) the participants must receive extensive information about the purpose of the sessions; (iii) the research team must secure the defined frames and conditions and have practical knowledge about caring for people with dementia and (iv) the management needs to be stable, committed and supportive.

CONCLUSION
Drama seems to be a valid tool to aid reflection, but several adjustments are needed concerning both the content of the sessions and the methodology. When designing a larger intervention study, it would be preferable to the sessions to be combined with staff support to effect changes in care provision resulting from their increased awareness of the residents' situation and experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Our results showed that drama can be a means to enhance reflection among staff in residential care for people with dementia. Further research is however needed concerning the effects for the staff's situation and nursing care quality.


Background: Violence against women is a serious public health problem and human right abuse. Psychological abuse was the most common form of intimate partner violence that has not been noticed by policy makers. The magnitude ranges up to 90% among different populations. Developing countries including Ethiopia are at high risk of psychological abuse of women by their spouse. To the best of our knowledge, little has been studied in Ethiopia and no study has been conducted in the study area. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the magnitude and associated factors of psychological spousal against pregnant women.
Methods: This study was a facility based cross sectional study including 409 pregnant mothers at Debre Markos town from March-April, 2018. The study participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. A pretested and validated questionnaire was used. Binary logistic regression (Bivariable and Multivariable) was employed. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to declare statistically significant variables on the basis of p<0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression model.
Results: This study found that 119 (29.1%) of pregnant women have experienced psychological abuse by their spouse during their pregnancy period. Residence (AOR: 2.87, 95%CI: 1.11-7.39), age of partner (AOR: 2.68, 95%CI: 1.25-5.75), unwanted pregnancy (AOR: 3.55, 95%CI: 1.08-11.66), history of abortion (AOR: 2.79, 95%CI: 1.13-6.89), and mother's age (AOR: 0.24, 95%CI: 0.11-0.50), have emerged as predictors for psychological spousal abuse during pregnancy.
Conclusions: The magnitude of psychological abuse against pregnant women by their spouse was high in this study. Socio-demographic and pregnancy related factors were important predictors of psychological violence. Consequently, it demands tremendous efforts to mitigate the problem through designing effective and appropriate measures.
Key words: Psychological spousal abuse, pregnant women, Antenatal care, Ethiopia


ABSTRACT: Meditation, childbirth meditation, and advanced natural childbirth are defined. The medical paradigm has been expanding, allowing meditation to be seen as an increasing medical and psychological resource in the West. This has resulted in inevitable influence on childbirth. The physiological and psychological benefits of meditation pertaining to pregnant women who meditate are described. Research on the various meditation hormonal benefits and immune enhancement is summarized. The benefits of meditation impacting the labor process are described. An expanded vision of childbirth anatomy is described in the context of meditation methods designed specifically for childbirth. Directions for childbirth meditation research are discussed. KEY WORDS: Discipline, DHEA, Endorphines, Enrichment, Meditation, Melatonin, Serotonin, Visualization. INTRODUCTION Both the words medicine and meditation come from the Latin word mederi, which means "to cure" (Kabat-Zinn, 1990, p. 163). Meditation is a consciousness discipline that enables practitioners to experience optimal levels of cognitive function and optimal levels of psychophysical health, normally blocked by the mind in its undisciplined activity. Meditation science is based on venerable traditions, primarily Buddhist and Hindu, and has extensive knowledge of short and long term benefits of proven methods transmitted in those traditions. Childbirth meditation is the practice of meditation as an enrichment method in prenatal care and as a valuable postnatal care method. With the progressive increase of the presence of meditation traditions and traditionally trained meditation teachers in the West in the past 50 years, and with meditation now widely accepted as a valuable health enhancement factor, many thousands of women who practice meditation have experienced meditation benefits during pregnancy and delivery. Many women who are pregnant have had substantial experience of meditation from the various available traditions. Some women who have no experience of meditation seek meditation and yoga methods to benefit their pregnancies. Childbirth meditation is an important subject for research and may impact childbirth medicine. Advanced natural childbirth refers to new childbirth methods in which meditation practices give women empowering new means to adhere to the principles of natural childbirth. In this article we will discuss specific advanced natural childbirth methods. In describing the method of Womb Breathing, we will discuss a new vision of childbirth anatomy that includes energy body anatomy. GROWTH OF MEDITATION IN THE WEST The presence of meditation in Western life in the post cold war era has become ubiquitous. "Meditation ... is fast appearing in unexpected places throughout modern American culture. Secretaries are doing it as part of their daily noon yoga classes. Preadolescent teenagers dropped off at the YMCA by their mothers on a Saturday morning are learning it as part of their karate training. Truck drivers and housewives in the Stress Reduction Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center are practicing a combination of Hindu yoga and Buddhist insight meditation to control hypertension [and pain]. Star athletes prepare themselves for a demanding basketball game with centering techniques they learned in Zen" (Murphy, M., and Donovan, S., 1999, p. 1). The increasing use of meditation in all aspects of medicine has been remarkable. Since the start of the landmark research at the Harvard University Medical School in the 1960s, and particularly since the advent of the medicine/meditation program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (UMMC) starting in 1979, meditation has been widely researched and used increasingly in medical applications. It is the sign of a vital shift in the medical paradigm. Until the late 20th century medical science was dominated by deterministic, physical evidence-based criteria (also called mechanical, material or physical medicine). …


We report herein the study of the cleavage fragments generated by autoproteolysis of the St. Louis encephalitis virus recombinant protease. The cleavage sites leading to truncated forms were identified by microsequencing, which revealed an unexpected altered specificity of the recombinant proteinase towards unusual sequences.