The unexpected high incidence of carcinoma of the prostate (up to 46 per cent.) is stressed. There is no clinical method of diagnosing an early cancer. Cancer usually starts in the posterior surface of the prostate first (in 75 per cent.). Of the three surgical methods applied to the enlarged prostate, the suprapubic has the highest mortality, and the indications for the transurethral resection method are too limited. Perineal prostatectomy is advocated because of its very low mortality, quick recovery and especially because it is directed towards the posterior surface of the prostate where carcinoma first appears. Where necessary the radical elimination of the malignant growth, including prostatic capsule, can be applied through the perineal. approach.


Genomic imprinting in mammals results in the expression of the alleles of a given gene being dependent on their parental origin. Although the existence of imprinted genes was postulated to explain aberrant development of uniparental embryos [1], it wasn't until 1991 that the first imprinted genes were identified by candidate approaches or fortuitously [2]. Given the serious developmental consequences of uniparental embryos, as well as some human syndromes associated with parental-specific deletion of particular chromosome regions, there has been great interest in discovering imprinted genes. As such, several unbiased approaches have been developed in the last 20 years with the goal of obtaining a complete list of imprinted genes. These approaches typically involved identifying genes that were present/absent in complete or partially uniparental embryos, although regions harbouring allele-specific DNA or chromatin modifications have also been used as an indicator of imprinted genes [3]. Earlier studies suggested that imprinted genes likely numbered in the low hundreds. Thus, it was startling to the imprinting community in 2010 when Gregg and colleagues reported >1,000 potential tissue-specific imprinted genes [4]. How could so many have been missed? In fact, others had previously used similar methodology but reported far fewer new imprinted genes [5], [6]. The answer, as discussed in a report from DeVeale and colleagues in this issue of PLoS Genetics [7], may not be that so many imprinted genes were missed, but that the limitations of the novel technology may not have been fully appreciated.

The experimental strategy that Gregg et al. and Babak and colleagues [4], [5] used to discover imprinted genes was to perform quantitative, whole-transcriptome sequencing (mRNA-seq) of samples from reciprocal hybrids (fetal or adult brain tissue from F1 hybrid mice, Figure 1) and to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at which one parental allele is preferentially expressed. Comparison of reciprocal cross samples should rule out genetic effects and mitigate against some experimental noise. The approach is conceptually simple, but it requires robust statistical methods to account for false positives and it is probably fair to say that this remains an area of methodological development.

Figure 1

Strategy for the generation and analysis of RNA from F1 hybrid mice.

By reanalysing mRNA-seq datasets from embryonic day 15 (e15) brain published by Gregg et al. [4] and e17.5 brain (their own, [5]), and using the same statistical approach, DeVeale et al. detect similar numbers of known imprinted genes. However, there was far less overlap in the new imprinted genes predicted from the two experiments: each predicted 400–500 candidates, but only about 50 were in common. Although these studies assayed fetal brain from different times, DeVeale and colleagues suspected that the discrepancy was more likely caused by technical issues in generation, mapping, or analysis of the mRNA-seq data.

A prerequisite in analysing large sequence datasets is to know how many candidates could appear "by chance" and to set thresholds to account for this. Although a false discovery rate (FDR) for a dataset can be predicted, there may be sources of experimental noise in the data that are not fully taken into account. Alternatively, it may be possible to determine an FDR empirically. DeVeale and colleagues did so by assuming that SNPs in the same coding exon of an imprinted transcript, but sufficiently distant to be sampled independently, should show the same parental allele expression bias; SNPs discordant in their direction of bias are more likely the consequence of sampling effects at the two positions. Of 1,388 SNP pairs, ∼20% disagreed on direction of bias, suggesting that as many as 40% of the predicted imprinted genes could be false positives. In a second approach, the authors analysed the number of candidates predicted in a "mock reciprocal" cross. This involves taking one F1 mRNA-seq dataset and comparing it with a second F1 dataset as if they were from reciprocal crosses. Worryingly, nearly as many candidate genes emerged from the mock reciprocal as a true reciprocal cross once known imprinted genes had been taken into account.

Using the FDRs determined from mock reciprocal crosses to set a threshold of significance, the authors then reanalysed reciprocal cross mRNA-seq datasets from four tissues: e15 and e17.5 whole brain, adult prefrontal cortex, and preoptic area [4], [5]. They detected 53 putative novel imprinted genes, including three that had already been validated by Gregg et al. Discounting 11 that were associated with known imprinted clusters, 42 candidates remained. They went on to verify a number of transcripts using an independent RT-PCR-based assay, including 17 candidates predicted by Gregg et al. (albeit of the "complex category", in which there was discordance between parental allele ratios at different SNPs in the same transcript). Six of their 11 candidates validated with parental origin-specific allelic expression bias, but none of the "Gregg candidates" did. Not surprisingly, validation was best in genes with the highest "imprinting score" (a combination of allelic bias and read depth), including genes with biased parental allele expression in multiple samples and concordant at multiple SNPs. These criteria make sense, but such reasoning does not exclude the possibility that there may be additional imprinted genes among the longer candidate lists that exhibit spatiotemporally restricted imprinted expression.

To account for these discrepant findings, DeVeale and colleagues [7] argue that there are potentially multiple sources of systematic error in quantifying allele-specific expression by mRNA-seq, but whether these in aggregate could explain the substantially greater number of candidate imprinted transcripts reported by Gregg et al. is unclear. Nevertheless, the current study demonstrates the importance of appropriate empirically determined FDRs and extensive validation of new candidates by an independent method. Convergent evidence from other datasets, for example, parental-allele-specific DNA methylation or histone modifications, as they become available, will also be useful [8].

Transcriptome sequencing has also been applied to imprinted gene identification in the mouse placenta. The placenta is particularly significant in the physiology of imprinting, owing to its role in regulating fetal growth by controlling the supply of nutrients. In this case, an additional confounding factor is expression of genes in maternally derived cells within the placenta that can remain even after careful dissection [9]. Recently, Okae et al. elegantly demonstrated by embryo transfer that genes highly expressed in contaminating maternal decidual tissue, or other maternal cells infiltrating the placenta, can appear imprinted with maternal-allele-specific expression [10]. Using mRNA-seq of reciprocal hybrid placenta, they identified ∼1,000 genes expressed predominantly from the maternal allele. However, imprinted maternal allele expression was unequivocally demonstrated for only one of 269 genes they sought to verify (in some additional cases, genuine imprinted expression could have been obscured by extremely high expression in contaminating maternal tissue). The success rate for genes with paternal-allele-specific expression was much higher (1/6). This important study casts doubt on a number of apparent imprinted genes previously reported to exhibit maternal-allele-specific expression restricted to the placenta.

Where does this leave us? First, there are probably not more than the few hundred imprinted genes that were predicted many years ago. Moreover, with the rapid development of high-throughput transcriptome sequencing, we have an unprecedented opportunity to identify imprinted genes in any species with a sequenced genome. Thus, understanding the roles of imprinted genes in disease, development, and evolution will be within reach. Nevertheless, the studies by DeVeale and Okae suggest that results from high-throughput screens must be carefully interrogated, including substantial validation by alternative methods.


Just 10 years ago, ophthalmic research was almost unheard of in Singapore. With little money and no infrastructure, ophthalmologists and scientists expressed scant interest in research. Today, however, ophthalmic research in Singapore is at a high international level, as exemplified by the activities of the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), which is capable of competing with and challenging the world's leading eye research centers. Indeed, the world-class research carried out at SERI has helped to extend Singapore's international reach as the country moves towards its goal of becoming a global city and a leading nation influencing developments across Asia and the world.This book summarizes a decade of hard work, dedication, and commitment by a handful of doctors and researchers in their efforts to establish SERI and ensure its success. In particular, the remarkable contributions of two of Singapore's ophthalmic pioneers, the late Associate Professor Chew Sek Jin and current Professor Donald Tan, are acknowledged. The book will inspire leaders of developing nations in visualizing how research can develop rapidly in their own country, and how support and facilities may materialize if they can gather a few dedicated, intelligent researchers.


An unusual alkaloid, talaramide A (1), was obtained from the mangrove endophytic fungus Talaromyces sp. (HZ-YX1). The structure of 1 was established by analysis of NMR spectroscopic data, X-ray diffraction data, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Talaramide A (1) is the second example of an alkaloid that possesses a unique oxidized tricyclic system. A possible biosynthetic pathway for 1 was proposed. Compound 1 showed promising inhibition of mycobacterial PknG activity with an IC50 value of 55 μM.


First hand accounts of research are a valuable part of students' understanding and integration of scientific material, yet it is often difficult to access scientists to discuss ongoing research projects. To address this issue, we offer details of a podcast called Science Sound Bites; a tool designed to supplement STEM and biology curricula at the middle and high school grade levels. Roughly 20 minutes in length, each episode consists of a candid interview of a PhD- or MD-level researcher about their current research, while infusing and defining field-specific scientific terminology. Additionally, each Science Sound Bites podcast comes with a short biography of the interviewee and a list of terms that are defined within the episode, which serves to help teachers find relevant podcasts for a given lesson plan. The goal of this podcast is to provide real world applications of science in an attempt to bridge the gap between scientists in the field and students in the classroom.


The book begins with an analysis of the technological infrastructure environment and of the manifold regulatory theories developed in the Internet Governance context. Based on this foundation the transnational normative ecosystem is outlined, followed by a detailed discussion of the substantive Internet Governance principles (such as legitimacy, participation, transparency, accountability). These considerations lead to the presentation of relevant international legal concepts (duty of co-operation, global public goods, shared spaces, due diligence, State responsibility) that merit more attention. The outlook proposes potential approaches for improving the future of the Internet Governance design.


Food in East Asia presents a collection of articles that treat a wide variety of aspects related to food in contemporary East Asia. Cuisine is a very persuasive tool for delineating East Asia as a region. Food and foodways of Greater China, Japan and Korea obviously differ from one another, but they all rest upon the foundations of ancient Chinese civilization that once dominated this part of the world. The use of chopsticks and a widespread consumption of processed soybeans rank among the most vivid indicators of the common heritage of the Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisines. Yet, the culinary cultures of contemporary East Asia are as much a product of the last hundred years as they are of the previous centuries. The crumbling of the ancient power structures within the region, brought about by the rise of Japan's imperialist ambitions since the late nineteenth century onward, triggered dietary transformations that affected not only the East Asian populations, but have also exerted a strong impact on global foodways. The selective readings collectively provide an insight into these transformations, focusing on the preparation and consumption of food. The articles are drawn from a variety of sources, covering a number of disciplines, the majority of which have been written in the past fifteen years. This selection offers up-to-date and high quality scholarship on food in East Asia and will be useful for scholars and students in the fields of area studies, sociology and anthropology, history and material culture studies.


A prominent strand of recent economic and legal scholarship hypothesizes that thirdparty information reporting (TPIR) is essential to modern tax collection. The slogan, "no taxation without information," has captured researchers' imagination and is even often presented as selfevident truth. This Article offers a fundamentally different perspective, arguing that the emphasis on TPIR is misplaced. TPIR is used largely in the collection of the personal income tax but not of many other types of modern taxes. Even for the personal income tax, TPIR also has close substitutes which do not involve information transmission to the government. Theoretically, appeals to TPIR are vitiated by the puzzle of payor compliance. And most purported empirical evidence for the effectiveness of TPIR fails to provide causal identification. I suggest that to better understand the institutional foundations of modern tax collection, we should stop thinking of business firms as "fiscal intermediaries" in a game of deterrence against tax evaders. Instead, it would be more fruitful to conceive of firms as sites of social cooperation under the rule of law. The co-evolution of the business firm and modern regulatory law may have enabled modern governments to practice precisely "taxation without information".


Even though our language is pervaded by metaphor, we do not necessarily think metaphorically. Knowing whether people make conceptual connections between a source and a target domain, and if so under which conditions, is of theoretical as well as practical interest, for example in text design. This paper experimentally investigates under which conditions people build their textual representations of a news article on a metaphorical schema. To disentangle the inconclusive output of recent reaction-time studies, we conduct a memory study. We probe the effect of signaling and conventionality on textual representations — two variables which have been ignored or conflated in previous studies. We find that people are more likely to metaphorically structure their representations of a news article to the extent that it contains novel metaphorical expressions. The inclusion of similes that explicitly signal extended mappings between source and target domains may also act as an aid to integration, although our evidence for this is more equivocal. These findings are discussed in relation to the career of metaphor theory and to the role of deliberateness in metaphor processing.


The multiple images of lensed quasars provide evidence on the mass distribution of the lensing galaxy. The lensing invariants are constructed from the positions of the images, their parities and their fluxes. They depend only on the structure of the lensing potential. The simplest is the magnification invariant, which is the sum of the signed magnifications of the images. Higher order configuration invariants are the sums of products of the signed magnifications with positive or negative powers of the position coordinates of the images. We consider the case of the four and five image systems produced by elliptical power-law galaxies with ψ ∝ (x 2 + y 2 q −2) β/2. This paper provides simple contour integrals for evaluating all their lensing invariants. For practical evaluation, this offers considerable advantages over the algebraic methods used previously. The magnification invariant is exactly B = 2/(2 − β) for the special cases β = 0, 1 and 4/3; for other values of β, this remains an approximation, but an excellent one at small source offset. Similarly, the sums of the first and second powers of the image positions (or their reciprocals), when weighted with the signed magnifications, are just proportional to the same powers of the source offset, with a constant of proportionality B. To illustrate the power of the contour integral method, we calculate full expansions in the source offset for all lensing invariants in the presence of arbitrary external shear. As an example, we use the elliptical power-law galaxies to fit to the data on the four images of the Einstein Cross (G2237+030). The lensing invariants play a role by reducing the dimensionality of the parameter space in which the χ 2 minimisation proceeds with consequent gains in accuracy and speed. Subject headings: gravitational lensing – galaxies: structure – quasars individual: G2237+030 – 2 –


Background: Our understanding of pathogens and disease transmission has improved dramatically over the past 100 years, but coinfection, how different pathogens interact with each other, remains a challenge. Cross-sectional serological studies including multiple pathogens offer a crucial insight into this problem.  Methods: We use data from three cross-sectional serological surveys (in 2003, 2007 and 2013) in a Baltimore emergency department to predict the prevalence for HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and herpes simplex virus, type 2 (HSV2), in a fourth survey (in 2016). We develop a mathematical model to make this prediction and to estimate the incidence of infection and coinfection in each age and ethnic group in each year. Results: Overall we find a much stronger age cohort effect than a time effect, so that, while incidence at a given age may decrease over time, individuals born at similar times experience a more constant force of infection over time. Conclusions: These results emphasise the importance of age-cohort counselling and early intervention while people are young. Our approach adds value to data such as these by providing age- and time-specific incidence estimates which could not be obtained any other way, and allows forecasting to enable future public health planning.


Sir Leon Radzinowicz was one of the last great exemplars of modern criminology. Yet he remains, 32 years since his retirement from the Wolfson chair of Criminology at Cambridge, an almost unrecognizably distant figure, largely unexamined, if not completely eclipsed, in the existing histories of the discipline. This, partly, is because many of the questions which Radzinowicz himself confronted are quite different from those which exercise criminologists today. But it is also, more decisively, because Radzinowicz's status as a thinker has never quite recovered from the critical assault to which his radical antagonists subjected it. My aim in what follows will be to re-examine the validity of that assault and to clarify the significance, if any, of Radzinowicz's 'pragmatic position' for contemporary criminological thought.


Since the IR multiple-photon decomposition probability of polyatomic molecules is a function of radiative fluence, the measured fraction of the dissociated molecules could be affected by the spatial distribution of radiation. In this paper the influence of the radiative distribution of a Gaussian beam on measured probability is investigated in detail. The main conclusions are that, for two special cases, namely, cylindrical beam and double-cone beam, one will be able to get information of the fluence dependence of real decomposition probability from measured energy dependence of average probability by means of a log–log plot. This article will be helpful for consideration of experimental conditions, summarizing of data, and comparison of the results of different experiments to avoid possible confusion.


Media outlets have argued that the United States has had an "intelligence failure", decrying the intelligence community for failing to warn the American people of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon in Virginia. In addition, there is constant clamor that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been unwisely stifled since the Church Committee hearings of 1975-76 (1) and the resultant executive orders of Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan that sought to govern the conduct of intelligence activities. (2) There is a cry to unleash the CIA from its perceived legal and policy restrictions and permit it to fight the terrorist threat facing the United States on terms that will succeed against this pernicious force. Some of this impetus comes from a rash of recent studies such as the report of the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorism (NCT), which urged the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to modify the Agency's current guidelines restricting the recruitment of agents with spotty human fights records, when applied to terrorist informants, with the assertion that "one cannot prowl the back streets of states where terrorist incidents occur and recruit only nice people." (3) Have the CIA and other intelligence community entities been unwisely constrained in their abilities to pursue the terrorist target by outmoded policies dating from the Cold War? This Article will examine four potential modifications to such policies. One possible change is to loosen restraints on the CIA in the recruitment of so-called "dirty assets". A second is to grant domestic law enforcement powers to the CIA to better pursue the terrorist target. Third, the government could repeal the prohibition in Executive Order 12,333 of assassination in peacetime. Finally, impediments could be removed that currently prevent the use of agents in special categories such as journalists, clerics, and academics, if the need is great and cooperation is voluntary. Each possibility will be addressed in turn. The theme underlying this analysis will be one of balancing. Our need to gather better intelligence about threats posed to the United States and the international community by transnational terrorist groups must be weighed against the constraints imposed by current United States law and practice, the U.S. Constitution, and our status as a constitutional democracy. I. RECRUITMENT OF "DIRTY ASSETS" To some degree, the argument over the use of unsavory assets is misleading. By definition, spies are liars, law-breakers, and traitors. They may not be violating U.S. law in supplying CIA spymasters with intelligence information about their own country's defenses or political decision-making, but they are surely violating the laws of the country that they are betraying. John Le Carre wrote with much accuracy when he crafted Alec Leamas' reply to his girlfriend's complaint about using a villain as an agent of East German intelligence: "What do you think spies are: priests, saints and martyrs? They're a squalid procession of vain fools, traitors too, yes; pansies, sadists and drunkards, people who play cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten lives. Do you think they sit like monks in London, balancing the rights and wrongs?" (4) Guidelines were established in 1995 that directed CIA case officers in the field to balance human rights and other criminal violations committed by their agents against the positive intelligence supplied or likely to be supplied by these agents. The unintended intersection of several different global and domestic developments after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union has prompted confusion over these guidelines and their implementation. At the end of the Cold War, the then-Deputy Director of Operations (DDO) at the CIA, Richard Stolz, observed that the Directorate probably had more reporting agents on its payroll than it needed to deal with the new post-Soviet world. …


Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Zambia, Mozambique & Malawi is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Let Victoria Falls carry you to the ultimate bird's-eye view, wander along the cobbled streets of Mozambique Island, or canoe past swimming elephants; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Zambia, Mozambique, and Malawi and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Zambia, Mozambique & Malawi Travel Guide: *Colour maps and images throughout *Highlights and itineraries show you the simplest way to tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interests *Insider tips save you time and money and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots *Essential info at your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, and prices *Honest reviews for all budgets - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss *Cultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including customs, religion, history, literature, music, dance, politics, wildlife, and cuisine *Over 51 local maps *Useful features - including Top Experiences, Month-by-Month (annual festival calendar), and Walking Safaris *Coverage of Lusaka, Lilongwe, Harare, Chingola, Kitwe, Ndola, the Copperbelt, Livingstone, Maputo, Beira, Vilankulo, Bazaruto Archipelago, Inhambane, Nampula, Blantyre, Limbe, Mzuzu, Karonga, Zomba, Mangochi, Monkey Bay, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Zambia, Mozambique & Malawi, our most comprehensive guide to Zambia, Mozambique, and Malawi, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less travelled. * Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Southern Africa guide for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Mary Fitzpatrick, Michael Grosberg, Trent Holden, Kate Morgan, Nick Ray, and Richard Waters. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)


Starting with the analysis model of the "arbor porphyriana", Bernhard Koch investigates the three concepts mentioned in the title of his essay. Security policy comprises all measures that serve to protect or defend a state against external threats – though the term security covers more than territorial defense today. At the same time, he says, the existence and possible defense of security interests – especially by means of (the threat of) physical force – require ethical legitimation. This also applies to members of the armed forces who, as potentially violent actors, are not exempt from accountability. For a long time, the question of the legitimation of military force was strongly focused on legal aspects and the distinction between ius ad bellum and ius in bello. More recently, however, soldiers have been required to "ensure they are aware of the ethical reasons for their deployment". This legitimation model is based on a human rights ethos that rests on a Christian understanding of peace. With reference to Thomas Aquinas, the author outlines this understanding as "an integral unity between man and his creator God – both within the individual human being and thus also between human beings". Even if that seems obsolete in pluralistic societies, he continues, Aquinas' assertion can still be understood. Starting with a state of affairs that transcends a mere legal definition of peace, peace ethics deals with questions of the legitimate use of force and statehood, and so in turn influences military ethical and security policy considerations. Finally, Koch argues that the importance of inner attitudes should be recognized in the didactics of ethics, and that to a significant extent peace ethics should be understood as a virtue ethics.


Objective Although the reasons for secondary loss of response to infliximab (IFX) maintenance therapy in Crohn's disease vary, dose intensification is usually recommended. This study investigated the cost-effectiveness of interventions defined by an algorithm designed to identify specific reasons for therapeutic failure. Design Randomised, controlled, single-blind, multicentre study. 69 patients with secondary IFX failure were randomised to IFX dose intensification (5 mg/kg every 4 weeks) (n=36) or interventions based on serum IFX and IFX antibody levels using the proposed algorithm (n=33). Predefined co-primary end points at week 12 were proportion of patients responding (Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) decrease ≥70, or ≥50% reduction in active fistulas) and accumulated costs related to treatment of Crohn's disease, expressed as mean cost per patient, based on the Danish National Patient Registry for all hospitalisation and outpatient costs in the Danish healthcare sector. Results Costs for intention-to-treat patients were substantially lower (34%) for those treated in accordance with the algorithm than by IFX dose intensification: €6038 vs €9178, p<0.001. However, disease control, as judged by response rates, was similar: 58% and 53%, respectively, p=0.81; difference 5% (−19% to 28%). For per-protocol patients, treatment costs were even lower (56%) in the algorithm-treated group (€4062 vs €9178, p<0.001) and with similar response rates (47% vs 53%, p=0.78; difference −5% (−33% to 22%)). Conclusions Treatment of secondary IFX failure using an algorithm based on combined IFX and IFX antibody measurements significantly reduces average treatment costs per patient compared with routine IFX dose escalation and without any apparent negative effect on clinical efficacy. Trial Registration No NCT00851565.


Summary and Conclusions
The present study tested the importance of tissue contact by a growing parasite in initiating a host response, and the need of such contact for effective resistance against a reinfection. The mouse tapeworm Hymenolepis nana, which utilizes either a tissue-phase pattern of growth or a lumenal one, was used as the experimental tool.
It was initially confirmed that egg infections of H. nana are strongly immunogenic against a challenge infection by the same parasite at the same stage of development, i.e., egg infections serve to immunize the host against an egg challenge. Natural age immunity was found to be relatively ineffective and premunition to be of some importance in adding to the host's resistance against reinfection, but to an uncertain degree. Considerable variation in normal host infectivity emphasized the importance of host strain and various environmental factors that may influence the parasite's infectivity or the host's ability to resist infection.
The second phase utilized an initiating or immunizing feeding of eggs, as before, but challenged this immunity with cysticercoids previously developed in beetles. Since these larvae undergo further development only in the host's intestinal lumen, the question of tissue immunity acting against a lumen-dwelling parasite was subjected to test. The results proved that such an effect can indeed take place, though to a less striking degree than does the resistance against a tissue-invading form (penetration of mucosa by hexacanth larvae hatching from eggs). More dramatic was an unexpected but consistent finding in previously uninfected mice fed cysticercoids. These cysticercoid infections proceeded to proliferate a new generation by autoinfection, resulting after 25 days in infection levels many times that originally fed. Autoinfection, confined as it is to cysticercoid infections in nonimmune hosts, implies that an egg infection is self-limiting as it initiates a tissue reaction and resistance against subsequent infection by eggs. The initial infection by cysticercoids developed in beetles involves no tissue phase; hence, no immediate immunogenic contact with host cells results, and no protective response occurs. Therefore, when these lumenal worms mature, their eggs, which can hatch locally and are immediately infective, do so, invade nearby unprotected villi and develop by the direct cycle. The result is readily apparent—a teeming mass of young worms newly emerged from sites of development in the villi and now returned to the intestinal lumen as a second generation. This is an autoinfection—a process extremely rare in helminth life cycles. Though eggs for the reinfection could have been derived from ingestion of infective mouse feces, from anal washing, or from a source of contamination outside the mouse rather than the hatching of eggs produced by worms within the host, it seems less likely than does internal reinfection or true autoinfection, judging from the precise timing of appearance of reinfections. Experimental verification that true autoinfection can occur has appeared elsewhere.
The immunogenic powers of an initial cysticercoid infection in protecting the mouse host against a challenge egg infection was tested in phase 3. These 5 experiments tested the effect of a primary cysticercoid infection on the egg challenge by varying the period between the 2 infections and the mode of reading the results (as adult worms or as cysticercoids within the host villi).
These experiments demonstrated a marked reduction in the challenge infection, however, measured, following cysticercoid feedings. Results are interpreted, however, not in terms of a direct immunizing effect of the cysticercoids, but on the capacity of these cysticercoids to multiply within the host, producing an autoinfection from eggs hatched in situ. These eggs then act as do eggs fed or consumed by the host in the usual manner. They hatch in the small intestine to release hexacanths (oncospheres), the clawing, penetrating larvae that invade and develop inside the mucosal villi. This invading action and subsequent development, rather than the presence of lumen-dwelling adults derived from the original cysticercoid feeding, produce the observed host resistance. The net effect is the same as that noted in the preceding experiments—direct tissue contact stimulates the immune response, and this response is strongly effective against a challenging tissue invasion under a variety of experimental conditions.
The final phase tested the effect of a primary infection with cysticercoids against a challenging infection with additional cysticercoids. Again, autoinfection provided the clue to otherwise anomolous results. Wherever autoinfection was clearly observed or could logically be deduced, a resulting immunity was seen to follow. This immunity was, therefore, traced to the tissue invasion resulting from the oncospheres of the reinfection generation developing within the host intestinal mucosa. Wherever reinfection clearly did not occur or could not logically be deduced, the results demonstrated a complete lack of protection by the host against a challenging infection with cysticercoids. Such challenge larvae developed in the normal proportion (about 75% of cysts fed), with worm size, distribution, and percentage autoinfection in about the same proportion as shown by a corresponding dose of cysticercoids fed to previously uninfected control mice. The following conclusions are suggested by these studies:
1.
The direct life cycle of Hymenolepis nana produced by an egg infection with cysticercoids developing in mouse villi is highly immunogenic.
2.
This immunity is particularly marked against a challenging infection by eggs that hatch and release tissue-invading oncospheres. Penetration and subsequent development of these larvae is strongly resisted by the immunized host.
3.
Immunity so induced is still effective, but to a markedly lesser extent, against lumen-dwelling cysticercoids developing to that stage by the indirect cycle in an insect intermediate host. Subsequent growth and strobilization of the young worm, confined to the intestinal lumen, is less affected by antibodies concentrated in mucosal cells than are larvae of the direct cycle which develop in these tissues. The intestinal zone invaded by oncospheres is generally the anterior third; whereas, that in which adults develop is the last few centimeters anterior to the cecum.
4.
Autoinfection, which can occur in approximately 50 to 70% of nonimmune mice fed cysticercoids of H. nana, may produce 1,500 or more adult worms from an initial infection of 10 to 25 cysticercoids. Such autoinfections do not occur in mice previously infected by eggs. Furthermore, the reinfection appears to be selflimited to 1 or 2 generations, since larvae of the new generation develop in host mucosal tissues and thereby elicit host responses that prevent penetration of oncospheres of another generation.
5.
The indirect life cycle of H. nana, in which cysticercoids develop in an insect and complete their development in a vertebrate host, is in itself not immunogenic in the final host. However, when an autoinfection occurs with its resultant tissue invasion by freshly hatched oncospheres of a second generation, the immunity is as strong as that following an initial feeding of eggs to the host.
6.
When no autoinfection occurs, an initial cysticercoid infection does not induce protection against a challenge infection by cysticercoids of the same worm.
7.
It is concluded that intimacy of tissue contact is of prime importance in stimulating a host response to parasitism by H. nana. These findings accord with views developed earlier that a locally effective antibody concentration results from close and continual association between host cells and a rapidly metabolizing parasite.


We present an algorithm for tracking video objects which is based on a hybrid strategy. This strategy uses both object and region information to solve the correspondence problem. Low-level descriptors are exploited to track object's regions and to cope with track management issues. Appearance and disappearance of objects, splitting and partial occlusions are resolved through interactions between regions and objects. Experimental results demonstrate that this approach has the ability to deal with multiple deformable objects, whose shape varies over time. Furthermore, it is very simple, because the tracking is based on the descriptors, which represent a very compact piece of information about regions, and they are easy to define and track automatically. Finally, this procedure implicitly provides one with a description of the objects and their track, thus enabling indexing and manipulation of the video content.


Newly appointed academic managers are expected to conduct and lead a wide variety of meetings. Often, however, these managers lack the skills needed to lead meetings that get meaningful results. "The Jossey-Bass Academic Administrator's Guide to Meetings" is specifically designed to help managers understand how to conduct successful meetings that accomplish specific objectives as efficiently as possible. This helpful resource includes practical guidelines and information that can be put into place immediately to help ensure that meetings run effectively.


The evolution of ambient intelligence has introduced a range of new opportunities to improve people's well-being. One of these opportunities is the use of these technologies to enhance workplaces and improve employees' comfort and productivity. However, these technologies often entail two major challenges: the requirement for fast and reliable data transmission between the vast number of devices connected simultaneously, and the interoperability between these devices. Conventional communication technologies present some drawbacks in these kinds of systems, such as lower data rates and electromagnetic interference, which have prompted research into new wireless communication technologies. One of these technologies is visible light communication (VLC), which uses existing light in an environment to transmit data. Its characteristics make it an up-and-coming technology for IoT services but also aggravate the interoperability challenge. To facilitate the continuous communication of the enormous amount of heterogeneous data generated, highly agile data models are required. The semantic approach tackles this problem by switching from ad hoc application-centric representation models and formats to a formal definition of concepts and relationships. This paper aims to advance the state of the art by proposing a semantic vocabulary for an intelligent automation platform with VLC enabled, which benefits from the advantages of VLC while ensuring the scalability and interoperability of all system components. Thus, the main contributions of this work are threefold: (i) the design and definition of a semantic model for an automation platform; (ii) the development of a prototype automation platform based on a VLC-based communication system; and (iii) the integration and validation of the proposed semantic model in the VLC-based automation platform.


Multibeam bathymetry and seismic reflection profiles of the New Jersey continental slope reveal a series of abandoned and now-buried submarine canyons that have apparently influenced the development of modern canyons. The buried canyons are infilled along nine slope-wide unconformities separating upper-middle Miocene to Pleistocene sediments that thin downslope. Canyons infilled during the Miocene occur in the southwest part of the study area where Miocene sediments are thickest. Other canyons, infilled during the Pleistocene, occur in the northeast part of the study area where Pleistocene sediments are thickest. When followed downslope, each of the buried canyons arrives at a confluence with a modern canyon, usually where the downslope-tapering sediment cover has failed to smooth over the buried canyon, leaving a sea-floor trough. Sea-ward of the confluences, the modern canyons have exhumed the buried canyons and use the older valleys to reach the base of the slope. Re-use of the lower slope reach of the buried canyons appears to have begun when the sea-floor troughs over the buried canyons captured sediment flows initiated along the upper slope and shelf break and confined them to follow the former path of the buried canyons to the base of the slope. The downslope erosion caused by the sediment.flows is proposed to have initiated the modern canyons, which eventually excavated and deepened the former routes of the buried canyons seaward of the sites of sediment flow capture. The occurrence of buried canyons where strata thickens alongslope suggests that infilling of the buried canyons occurred seaward of shelf-edge depocenters. The heightened sediment input to the slope in these regions may have also led to the initiation and growth of modern-day canyons. The temporal relation between modern canyon formation, sediment supply, and sea level, however, remains to be established.


Background: Nonresidential fires and resultant injuries and deaths have been on the rise the last decade in the United States. Although evacuation is a primary prevention method, people in the workplace still fail to evacuate when they hear a fire alarm. The current formative study applied the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) to identify belief factors associated with university employees' intention evacuate. Methods: Data were collected from employees at a large public university (N = 490) through an online survey. Multiple linear regression quantified the relative contribution of six RAA constructs that represent belief factors underlying employees' intention to leave the office building immediately the next time they hear a fire alarm. Findings: Nearly 60% of the variation in employees' intention to leave was predicted from the belief factors, adjusted R2 = 0.598, F(17, 472) = 43.80, p < .001. Controlling for demographic characteristics, five of the six RAA global constructs showed statistically significant independent associations with intention: instrumental attitude (B = .272, SE = .026, p < .001), experiential attitude (B = −.073, SE = .026, p = .024), injunctive norm (B = .210, SE = .075, p < .001), descriptive norm (B = .347, SE = .070, p < .001), and capacity (B = .178, SE = .077, p < .001). Conclusions/Applications to Practice: These findings show the RAA can be successfully applied to provide employees' perspective on safety decisions like evacuation. The belief factors' relative contributions can help safety professionals prioritize interventions to facilitate leaving immediately. Here the high weights for the two normative factors suggest addressing employees' descriptive beliefs that others like them leave and their injunctive beliefs that significant others, like supervisors and safety personnel, approve of their leaving.


Background/Context The administration of student discipline is one of many responsibilities under the purview of teachers and educational leaders across the country. Maintaining a safe environment with minimal disruptions is not an easy task. From existing research on student discipline, we have learned that critical examination of data and continuous reflection are important, particularly in light of documented disparities in discipline practices. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), before a school district may discipline a student with a disability for greater than 10 days, it must first conduct what is referred to as a manifestation determination review (MDR) (20 U.S.C. §1415(k)(1)(E)). During this review process, the current version of the law requires school districts to address two questions: (1) Was the student's behavior caused by, or did it have a direct and substantial relationship to, the student's disability? (2) Was the student's misconduct caused by the district's failure to implement the student's individualized education program (IEP), as required by law? This study examines the implementation of this standard. Research Question This study poses the following research question: What factors (explicit and implicit) influence decision makers when deciding whether a student's misconduct was a manifestation of his or her disability? Research Design This project used a case study approach to examine 80 MDR decisions in one large urban school district in order to better understand how decision makers implement this standard. Specifically, this study reviewed 40 randomly selected decisions wherein decision makers determined that the student's actions were not a manifestation of his or her disability and 40 randomly selected decisions wherein decision makers determined that the student's actions were a manifestation of his or her disability. Findings/Results Decision makers cited the academic and behavioral manifestations of students' disabilities, students' behavioral histories, students' ability to control their actions, and connections to the home and community. Despite these consistent factors, the striking similarities between Yes and No decisions illustrates the overall arbitrary nature of the decision-making process. Conclusions/Recommendations This article discusses implications that attend to both the procedure and substance of manifestation determination review.


Extracted from text ... Moneyweb's PERSONAL FINANCE October 2005 5
INVESTMENT MARKETS
Belinda
Anderson
WITH the 2010 football World Cup
just five years away, and government's
stated intention to build
infrastructure in South Africa generally,
this is becoming a theme for
smart investors to benefit from.
But what shares should one
pick? The construction companies
are obvious choices, but many of
the shares have already run up a lot,
and this is clearly not the only sector
that will do well.
Polaris Capital, which manages
the Nedbank Rainmaker and
Nedbank Entrepreneur Funds,
prefers shares like Altron and
Reunert as infrastructure beneficiaries.
The Altron ..


"This study examined individual, parenting context, and child characteristics associated with mothers' and fathers' perceptions of coparenting after accounting for the prenatal marital relationship among first-time parents. Seventy-eight mothers and forty-nine fathers participated by completing a variety of questionnaires during the prenatal period and again at 6 and 16 months after the birth of their first child. Multiple hierarchical regressions showed that for mothers, positive and undermining coparenting was primarily a function of prenatal marital functioning. For fathers, the parenting context and child characteristics predicted positive and undermining coparenting even after accounting for prenatal marital functioning, which was also a significant predictor. How parents interact with one another in their marriage before the infant's birth may set the context for whether they are able to create a positive coparenting relationship in the future. Implications for future research and intervention efforts are discussed."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.


The ability effectively and accurately to simulate distance in virtual and augmented reality systems is a challenge currently facing R&D. To examine this issue, we separately tested each of seven visual depth cues (relative brightness, relative size, relative height, linear perspective, foreshortening, texture gradient, and stereopsis) as well as the condition in which all seven of these cues were present and simultaneously providing distance information in a simulated display. The viewing distances were 1 and 2 m. In developing simulated displays to convey distance and depth there are three questions that arise. First, which cues provide effective depth information (so that only a small change in the depth cue results in a perceived change in depth)? Second, which cues provide accurate depth information (so that the perceived distance of two equidistant objects perceptually matches)? Finally, how does the effectiveness and accuracy of these depth cues change as a function of the viewing distance? Ten college-aged subjects were tested with each depth-cue condition at both viewing distances. They were tested using a method of constant stimuli procedure and a modified Wheat-stone stereoscopic display. The perspective cues (linear perspective, foreshortening, and texture gradient) were found to be more effective than other depth cues, while effectiveness of relative brightness was vastly inferior. Moreover, relative brightness, relative height, and relative size all significantly decreased in effectiveness with an increase in viewing distance. The depth cues did not differ in terms of accuracy at either viewing distance. Finally, some subjects experienced difficulty in rapidly perceiving distance information provided by stereopsis, but no subjects had difficulty in effectively and accurately perceiving distance with the perspective information used in our experiment. A second experiment demonstrated that a previously stereo-anomalous subject could be trained to perceive stereoscopic depth in a binocular display. We conclude that the use of perspective cues in simulated displays may be more important than the other depth cues tested because these cues are the most effective and accurate cues at both viewing distances, can be easily perceived by all subjects, and can be readily incorporated into simpler, less complex displays (e.g., biocular HMDs) or more complex ones (e.g., binocular or see-through HMDs).


This article presents the case of a mindfulness-based group therapy that was implemented in a residential treatment facility. The case presented comprised a group of adolescent males with disruptive behavior disorders. The group was designed to be appropriate for the unique demographics of the clients, with the intent to help the clients enhance and develop improved impulse control skills. The contents of the group were gathered and adapted from various mindfulness-based therapies. Attending the presented mindfulness group was found to produce increases in self-reported mindfulness skills and improvements in behavioral compliance. Recommendations are made for running similar groups.


In Slip Knot Investments v Du Toit 2011 4 SA 72 (SCA) the Supreme Court of Appeal had to determine if the material mistake of a contractual party induced by the fraud of an independent third party could sustain a plea of iustus error raised by the mistaken party. The position prior to this decision was uncertain and characterised by inconsistency, mostly occasioned by the application of the iustus error doctrine together with fault. The Supreme Court of Appeal found that in the circumstances the mistaken party was liable, despite the fraud of the third party, on the basis of the reliance theory. The decision is commendable for bringing a measure of certainty to the law of mistake on this point and indicating that the reliance theory (as opposed to the iustus error doctrine) is the appropriate means to resolving such cases. Nevertheless, it is suggested that although the general rule implied by the court's approach is entirely apposite, there may well be exceptional instances where on the basis of relevant policy considerations the reliance theory should not prevail and the mistaken party should be absolved from contractual liability. In this manner reliance, which at first seems reasonable for being induced by the conduct of the contract denier, may upon further reflection be regarded as unreasonable based on the consideration of risk creation at the hand of the contract assertor, for instance. Admitting exceptions in appropriate circumstances would also provide a degree of consonance with earlier case law, where, even if the court's approach was open to theoretical criticism, a court has intuitively felt that liability should not lie.


ABSTRACT BACKGROUND : Data on age in developing countries are subject to errors, particularly in circumstances where literacy levels are not high. A common error in age reporting is the tendency of rounding the ages to the nearest figure ending in '0' or '5' or to a lesser extent, to the nearest even  number. Because of this tendency, commonly known as "digital preference", age heaping occurs at certain ages. The aim of this study was to study this phenomenon and both Myers' and Whipple's Indexes were employed to identify the digit preference in Iranian national census, 2005. METHODS : Myers' and Whipple's Indexes were employed to study the pattern of digit preference. The Myers' Blended Index shows heaping at ages ending in 0 and 5 years, and the pattern of heaping is pronounced for both urban and rural populations. RESULTS : The quality of age reporting for the 2005 census data was poor if compared to the 1995 census data. Digit preference occurred most often in the female population compared to male one, and in rural areas compared to urban ones. CONCLUSIONS : It can be concluded that both males and females tend to misreport their ages before age 60 especially in rural areas. So, whenever any data gathering regarding age information occurs, the ID card should be used regardless of person's self report.


ABSTRACT The structural evolution and stratigraphic architecture of the Southern Lufeng Depression in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea show two second-order sequences (SSQ1 and SSQ2) and nine third-order sequences (WSQ1-5 and ESQ1-4) within the Eocene rift-related successions. Based on integrated interpretations of seismic reflections, well logs and core data, five distinct tectono-stratigraphic patterns are identified: (1) the initial synrift-I sequence (WSQ1) of low tectonic subsidence, overfilled by alluvial fan or fan-delta deposits and volcanic deposits, with no clear systems tracts; (2) the climax synrift-I sequences (WSQ2–4) developed in response to rapid tectonic subsidence, generally consisting of a low-stand systems tract (LST), transgressive systems tract (TST) and high-stand systems tract (HST); (3) the late synrift-I sequence (WSQ5) characterised by a decreased tectonic subsidence rate, dominated by braided delta, deep and shallow lacustrine sediments, mainly constructed by TST and HST; (4) the early synrift-II sequences (ESQ1–2) rapidly filled by braided deltaic sandstone and mainly composed of TST and HST with less common LST units; and (5) the late synrift-II sequences (ESQ3–4), which are totally filled by braided deltaic system in a shallow-water lake setting, presenting typical imbricate clinoforms or sub-parallel seismic configurations, consisting of only TST and HST components. During the climax stage of synrift-I development, the depositional setting changed from a prominent shallow lake (WSQ2) to a deep-lucustrine with turbiditic deposits (WSQ3) and finally dominated by mostly braided deltaic-shallow lacustrine deposits (WSQ4); the HST occupies an increasing proportion from early to late. Furthermore, the stratigraphic patterns, especially LST units of the climax synrift-I stage, are significantly influenced by topographic variations and slope-break belt types in the hanging dip-slope. This study reveals that the spatial and temporal evolution of lacustrine depositional and stratigraphic patterns were significantly controlled by the interplay of tectonic subsidence and sediment supply, and provides a fundamental basis for predicting the favourable reservoirs and geometry of source rocks related to the general variability of Eocene rift-related tectonic subsidence in the Southern Lufeng Depression of the Pearl River Mouth Basin. Furthermore, the topographic responses of differential active fault-stepped patterns associated with magma intrusions, highlight the variability of relevant sequence architectures in the hanging dip-slope in lacustrine rift basins.


Induction of LTP regulates psychiatric disease–associated signaling networks in the mouse CA1 hippocampus. Defining the PSD risk for psychiatric disease Li et al. stimulated mouse hippocampi to induce long-term potentiation (LTP; a form of synaptic plasticity), isolated the CA1 region, and then performed both a proteomic analysis and a protein-protein interaction analysis of the postsynaptic density (PSD), a cellular compartment containing more than 1500 proteins. Bioinformatics analysis of this data set indicated that risk factors associated with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia were contained within the phosphoproteins that were differentially regulated by the induction of LTP, such that excluding these proteins from the analysis completely removed any association with the risk of having either of these two psychiatric diseases. The data provided, along with this medical association of disease risk, should guide researchers and clinicians toward a better understanding of both the molecular changes that enable learning and memory as well as the complex neurological diseases involving proteins that are part of the PSD. The postsynaptic site of neurons is composed of more than 1500 proteins arranged in protein-protein interaction complexes, the composition of which is modulated by protein phosphorylation through the actions of complex signaling networks. Components of these networks function as key regulators of synaptic plasticity, in particular hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). The postsynaptic density (PSD) is a complex multicomponent structure that includes receptors, enzymes, scaffold proteins, and structural proteins. We triggered LTP in the mouse hippocampus CA1 region and then performed large-scale analyses to identify phosphorylation-mediated events in the PSD and changes in the protein-protein interactome of the PSD that were associated with LTP induction. Our data indicated LTP-induced reorganization of the PSD. The dynamic reorganization of the PSD links glutamate receptor signaling to kinases (writers) and phosphatases (erasers), as well as the target proteins that are modulated by protein phosphorylation and the proteins that recognize the phosphorylation status of their binding partners (readers). Protein phosphorylation and protein interaction networks converged at highly connected nodes within the PSD network. Furthermore, the LTP-regulated phosphoproteins, which included the scaffold proteins Shank3, Syngap1, Dlgap1, and Dlg4, represented the "PSD risk" for schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder, such that without these proteins in the analysis, the association with the PSD and these two psychiatric diseases was not present. These data are a rich resource for future studies of LTP and suggest that the PSD holds the keys to understanding the molecular events that contribute to complex neurological disorders that affect synaptic plasticity.


Esaki diodes are tunnel diodes with a very abrupt and degenerately doped PN junction. This abrupt junction causes the conduction bands to overlap, thus allowing for tunneling when a small bias is applied. 111-V on silicon Esaki tunnel diodes offer higher performance at lower power supplies compared to silicon. A vertical mesa etch is used to isolate the Esaki devices from each other. The etch results in a significant undercut below the gold contact which can cause issues with electrical testing. When probed the gold contact can short to the substrate. The solution to this is the addition of a dielectric layer around the tunnel diode. The dielectric layer will reduce the topography variation caused by the mesa etch and prevent the metal contact from shorting to the surface. Bisbenzocyclobutene (BCB) is a spin on polyimide with a low dielectric constant (k = 2.5) and a high degree of planarization. The development of BCB planarization process allows for better electrical testing of the Esaki diodes. Further, this BCB planarization process can be incorporated into e-beam lithography process and utilized in the fabrication of Tunneling Field Effect Transistors (TFET) and Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate long term outcomes of autologous pubovaginal fascial sling (AFPVS) as a salvage procedure following different types of failed anti-incontinence surgeries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who had undergone salvage AFPVS after any kind of anti-incontinence surgery from 2005-2015 at our medical center. Patients were contacted by telephone. Revised Urinary Incontinence Scale (RUIS) was used to determine the success rate.

RESULTS
A total of 40 patients out of 51 were successfully contacted. Mean patient age was 50.8± 9.8 years (range30-75) and mean follow up was 62.6±32.4 months (range12-120). Of 40 patients, 14(35%) had pure SUI and 26(65%) complained of mixed urinary incontinence. A total of 15(37.5%) patients had a failed Burch colposuspention, 5(12.5%) TVT, 8(20%) TOT, 3 (7.5%) AFPVS and five (12.5%) patients had history of failed mini-sling procedure. Four (10%) patients had undergone more than one anti incontinence surgeries. Overall success rate was 65% in our study. New onset urge urinary incontinence was detected in 25% of patient which was negatively associated with satisfaction and recommendation.  There was no statistically significant correlation between mixed urinary incontinence, type or number of previous failed surgeries with success however presence of pure SUI had a strongCOCLUSION: Autologous pubovaginal fascial sling might be considered as a safe and efficacious salvage surgical option following failed midurethral slings, Burch colposuspention and even AFPVS itself. It will provide reasonable long term results with no major complications.


Unlike mutual funds, hedge funds are reluctant to provide detailed information on their investment portfolios. Since hedge funds may use niche investment strategies in narrow market segments, fund managers portend that thorough disclosure of their portfolio holdings—which are important to assessing future returns—would crowd out their trades, thus decreasing opportunities to generate outsized returns. However, incomplete disclosure can have some undesirable side effects. It might encourage hedge fund managers to take positions that are riskier than provided for by the manager's mandate. Investors even risk fraudulent behavior, since the action of hedge fund management may be detected only when a fund has failed.This article presents the results of a comprehensive survey of hedge fund managers and investors on current hedge fund reporting practices. The authors find that the quality of hedge fund reporting is considered an important investment criterion. In analyzing the spectrum of opinions, the authors identify critical points of conflict between investors and managers.They find that investors are especially dissatisfied with the quality of information on liquidity and operational risk exposure. The survey also reveals that inappropriate performance measures are prevalent.


This paper considers the problem of reliable communication over discrete-time channels whose impulse responses have length L and exactly S ≤ L non-zero coefficients, and whose support and coefficients remain fixed over blocks of N >; L channel uses but change independently from block to block. Here, it is assumed that the channel's support and coefficient realizations are both unknown, although their statistics are known. Assuming Gaussian non-zero-coefficients and noise, and focusing on the high-SNR regime, it is first shown that the ergodic noncoherent channel capacity has pre-log factor 1-(S)/(N) for any L. It is then shown that, to communicate with arbitrarily small error probability at rates in accordance with the capacity pre-log factor, it suffices to use pilot-aided orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) with S pilots per fading block, in conjunction with an appropriate noncoherent decoder. Since the achievability result is proven using a noncoherent decoder whose complexity grows exponentially in the number of fading blocks K, a simpler decoder, based on S+1 pilots, is also proposed. Its ε-achievable rate is shown to have pre-log factor equal to 1-(S+1)/(N) with the previously considered channel, while its achievable rate is shown to have pre-log factor 1-(S+1)/(N) when the support of the block-fading channel remains fixed over time.


Nursing homes as care institutions seek to offer a home where people can live until their death. A potential conflict, therefore, exists as nursing homes are both a place where life is lived and where death is regularly encountered. It has been proposed that within residential care homes for older people, dying individuals are separated from living people. Drawing on fieldwork undertaken in four English nursing homes the management of the dying process and the relationship between life and death is explored. There is much uncertainty inherent in the boundary between life and death for many residents in nursing homes. The relationship between life and death for these residents is less about the sequestration of dying people from living people, but rather the creation of transitional states between these two polarities.


Starting with a formal problem specification, we show how to progressively achieve a parallel distributed solution, using convenient transformations of specifications. In order to achieve a solution, we use rewriting techniques applied in the context of transformations. This paper explains the methodology, points out its advantages and its requests. We first, introduce the specification language CO-OPN used to express both abstract specification and implementation. CO-OPN is a structured version of algebraic specification and Petri nets in which adequate notions of equivalence can be formalized to handle the concept of correct transformations. Then we introduce the general technique of applying transformations to get specifications progressively closer to the implementation level. These transformations are classified into two levels, the high level transformation performing abstract modification of algorithm and the low level transformations which are applicable on the specification closer to the implementation. Finally, a concrete example will show how the simple "permutation sort" can be transformed quite automatically in a distributed implementation of a "quick sort" algorithm.


In a parliamentary system, party discipline is the impulse; when it falls short, the government usually falls. Conceivably, the platform of Indian politics suffers with innumerous practical disorders. The politics of defection is one such specie entailing gross miscarriage of fair conduct turning politics into a game of thrones (powers). This practice of political nomaditude can trace its seed in the womb of British House of Commons. Therein, if a legislator was found to cross the floor, the party considered him disloyal. In other words, the legislator lost his allegiance to his former party by joining another party. This very phenomenon, in practice has a two way traffic i.e. ruling party to the opposition party or vice versa. The democracies like USA, Australia and Canada were also aware of this fashion of swapping loyalties. There have been several instances of great politicians changing party allegiance, for example Winston Churchill, Ramsay McDonald, William Gladstone etc. Nevertheless, it is interesting to cite that irrespective of such practice of changing party allegiance, none of the democracies in the west ever desired or felt the need to legislatively ban defections. But, exceptionally India can be traced to have passed anti-defection laws. The politics of defection had been a unique popular phenomenon on the floor of Indian Parliamentary system gradually gulping the democratic essence and synchronization of the Federation. This study is both analytical and doctrinal, which tries to examine whether representative democracy has lost its essence due to political nomadism. The present study also analyzes the classical as well as contemporary pulse of floor crossing amidst dynastic politics in a representative democracy. It will briefly discuss the panorama of defections under the Indian federal structure in the light of the antidefection law and an attempt has been made to add valuable suggestions to streamline remedy for the still prevalent political defections. Keywords—Constitutional law, defection, democracy, political anti-trust.


Dual-immersion is a bilingual education method offered that places English as a first language (EFL) and English language learner (ELL) students in the same classroom to learn two languages at the same time. This study examines whether second language acquisition through dual-immersion supports literacy for both ELL and EFLS children over time. Students' scores on standardized tests (ITBS, TAKS, Logramos, Stanford 9, and Aprenda) were studied to assess the impact, if any, of dual-immersion instruction vs. regular/bilingual education on reading development. Scores from 2000 through 2004 were gathered and analyzed for students enrolled in a dual-immersion class which started in kindergarten in 2000. These scores were compared to scores of students enrolled in regular and bilingual education classrooms for the same amount of time at the same school to examine whether there was an effect for students in the dual-immersion class. It was found that no significant difference existed between the groups. All groups were performing at a passing level on the standardized tests. The dual-immersion class was performing as well as the regular education class on standardized tests in both English and Spanish.


Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the social sciences are typically not double-blind, so participants know they are "treated" and will adjust their behavior accordingly. Such effort responses complicate the assessment of impact. To gauge the potential magnitude of effort responses we implement a conventional RCT and double-blind trial in rural Tanzania, and randomly allocate modern and traditional cowpea seed varieties to a sample of farmers. Effort responses can be quantitatively important—for our case they explain the entire "treatment effect on the treated" as measured in a conventional economic RCT. Specifically, harvests are the same for people who know they received the modern seeds and for people who did not know what type of seeds they got; however, people who knew they had received the traditional seeds did much worse. Importantly, we also find that most of the behavioral response is unobserved by the analyst, or at least not readily captured using coarse, standard controls.


Despite the growing use of public interest litigation (PIL) as a mechanism for pursuing the goals of social justice and enhanced democratic constitutionalism, there is scant comparative analysis of the phenomenon among the three East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In tandem with the regional East African Court of Justice (EACJ) to which all three countries are members, PIL is growing at a significant pace and has the potential to impact the structures of governance, accountability, and equality in the region. This Article analyzes the manner in which this type of litigation has grown, and assesses the extent to which it has affected socioeconomic and political conditions in the region. Using the analogy of cement and its unique properties, the examination is conducted against the backdrop of the constitutional developments that have taken place in East Africa over the last twenty years, starting with the promulgation of a new constitution for Uganda in 1995 (aging cement), considering the 2010 'transformative constitution' in Kenya (setting cement), and engaging with the current debate over the introduction of a new constitutional instrument in Tanzania, where the cement is undergoing a 'remixing.' Does PIL offer a serious and sustainable antidote to the three countries' experiences of authoritarian rule, judicial lethargy, and community marginalization?


Demand response (DR) is becoming an increasingly important part of power grid planning and operation. The advent of the Smart Grid, which mandates its use, further motivates selection and development of suitable software protocols to enable DR functionality. The OpenADR protocol has been developed and is being standardized to serve this goal. We believe that the development of a distributable, open source implementation of OpenADR will benefit this effort and motivate critical evaluation of its capabilities, by the wider community, for providing wide-scale DR services.


A survey of available literature on Yoga Sādhanā (philosophy and practice of yoga) in our times suggests that it has been built up using conceptual frameworks and categories developed in modern (mostly Western) intellectual tradition. Traditional advocates and practitioners of yoga on their part feel (justifiably so) that contemporary Yoga Sādhanā is a product of appropriation of whatever the moderns deemed useful in yoga after detaching it from its Vedic and Indic context while at the same time retaining exegetical control over its interpretation and dissemination. That human beings think, judge, feel, and act differently is incontestable. Such "differently" posited difference, however, cannot be total or exclusive. Because otherwise, no difference could be identified, articulated, and claimed. This suggests the existence of a deeper similarity that makes understanding and communication among cultures and philosophies possible. In light of the preceding, it is argued here that Yoga Sādhanā, and the metaphysics undergirding it, should be approached in a collaborative, i.e., modern Western ("Etic" or outsider) as well as traditional Vedic ("Emic" or insider) scholarly perspectives. Such an integrative framework accordingly is proposed here incorporating (by way of illustration) insights discernible in the works of two Western (Ian Whicher and Soraya Franco) and two Vedic (Swami Kuvalayananda and T. Krishnamacharya) advocates of Yoga Sādhanā.


X-band dual-polarization (multi-parameter) radars were used to observe a supercell storm that generated an F3 tornado in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on 6 May 2012. The observed data collected for this storm clearly exhibited the typical polarimetric features of a supercell storm, such as the ZDR (differential reflectivity) arc, ZDR column, and the KDP (specific differential phase) column, as well as their time evolution. The ZDR arc emerged at 10 to 15 min before the tornadogenesis. The ZDR column appeared approximately 1 h before the formation of the ZDR arc and was intermittent until tornadogenesis. As the ZDR arc appeared, the column became tall and stable and lasted until the dissipation of the tornado. These ZDR signatures of the supercell storm persisted for approximately half an hour.


The article discusses the rise of a multistakeholder approach to internet policymaking and takes a critical stance with regard to the sole reliance on the multiplicity of stakeholders rather than focusing on the heterogeneity of stakeholders' interests. The article analyses the evolution of the multistakeholder discourse from the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society to the NETmundial Multistakeholder Statement. Secondly, it presents a selection of examples of stakeholder inclusion within policy-development processes at national and international level. Thirdly, it argues that the focus on the diversity of stakeholders' interests, rather than the mere affiliation with different stakeholder groups, may provide a more suitable conceptual framework for the elaboration of sustainable policies. As a conclusion, an embryonic model of heterostakeholder approach is put forward. Such an approach may be used to assess the diversity of interests represented within internet governance processes and strengthen pluralism of ideas and interests.


The goal of this research was to model the potential impact of climate change on food production, in the FraserValley and Peace River regions of British Columbia (BC), using historical crop yield and climate data. Weidentified eight indicator crops of importance for these regions of BC and utilized historical Census ofAgriculture and climate data (temperature and precipitation) to model future potential impacts of climate changeon agriculture. We developed three climate change scenarios for these eight indicators crops (extreme, moderate,and business as usual). Under the most extreme climate model scenario the Fraser Valley is expected toexperience cooler summers and springs and wetter summers, with incremental increases in oat, blueberry andgreen bean yields by 2050. These same climate conditions were predicted to decrease the yields for raspberrycrops by 2050, while barley and wheat crop yields remain steady. The business as usual scenario, where springsand summers are warmer and summers are wetter in the Fraser Valley, predicted increased barley, oat, wheat, andblueberry crop yields by 2050, while yields of raspberries were predicted to decrease and green bean yields areexpected to be steady. Under the more conservative climate change scenario conditions, yields should remainsteady for all crops, except green beans where yields will increase by 2050. Future climate conditions for thePeace River area were much different from the Fraser Valley. All three scenarios forecasted warmer and wettersprings and summers with decreased evapotranspiration and moisture deficits. These changes in climateconditions predicted declines in wheat, canola, and barley crop yields by 2050, while incremental increases inoat and dry pea crop yields could be expected by 2050.


Objective: To evaluate the adequacy of the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women following distal radial and \or hip fracture. Methods: A retrospective review of patients with distal radial /or hip fracture at 2 referral hospitals .A computer based registry at (KHMC) and a patient's chart review at (PHH) was used to obtain patients information. One hundred and four patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Accumulated data were reviewed and analyzed using the non parametric U test. Results: One hundred and four female patients aging 55 years or older were assigned for this study, of whom,47 patients [45%} and 57 patients(54%)were found to have distal radial and hip fracture respectively, while 19 patients(1%) were found to have both hip and distal radial fractures. Only 36 patients (34.6%) underwent bone densitometry measurement, while 20 patients (19%) had received treatment for osteoporosis and only 12 patients (1.1%) had received both bone densitometry and medications for osteoporosis. Conclusion: The current physicians practice at the royal medical services in Jordan may be inadequate for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Key wards: postmenopausal osteoporosis, hip fracture, distal radial


This paper looks at the dynamics affecting the external dimensions of the EU's labour immigration policy. It assesses the role and functions of mobility partnerships as a mechanism for governing circular migration schemes that allow the temporary movement of individuals for employment purposes between EU member states and non-EU countries. The paper argues that given the actual origins, rationale, conditional nature and kinds of circular migration policies advocated by these partnerships, they should be considered 'security' partnerships for the participating EU member states and to a limited extent for the non-EU countries. At the same time, they could be regarded as 'insecurity' partnerships for the coherency and legitimacy of the EU's labour immigration policy, as well as the liberty and security of the third-country workers.


Mammalian Sirtuin protein family consists of SIRT1-SIRT7. Sirtuins are NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs) known to regulate metabolic homeostasis, chromatin structure and DNA repair thereby regulating genomic stability. They were first discovered in yeast as silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) that promote longevity (1). Subcellular localization of sirtuins varies depending on the type of cell and the function associated with the sirtuin. For most part, SIRT1 is nuclear and mediates the effects of calorie restriction which reduces tumor formation and stress-induced apoptosis. SIRT1 also mediates cancer drug resistance. SIRT2 is predominantly cytoplasmic and regulates oxidative stress. SIRTs 3, 4 and 5 are in mitochondria and regulate mitochondrial functions such as energy usage. SIRT6 is nuclear and regulates DNA repair and SIRT7 is nucleolar regulating rRNA transcription (2). SIRTs 4 and 5 have weak deacetylase activity but SIRT4 has ADP-ribosylase activity and SIRT5 has demalonylase and desuccinylase activities. Besides deacetylation, SIRT6 also regulates TNFα secretion by modulating its lysine fatty acylation (3).


The objective of this study was to investigate morphometric variation of Minahasa horses. Body measurements and live-weight were taken on 195 mare and 310 stallion of Minahasa horse. A multivariate approach was adopted to provide description of both body shape and body size of four Minahasa local horse populations, i.e. Tomohon, Manado, South Minahasa, and Minahasa. Statistical methods employed in this study were general linear model, simple discriminant analysis, and principle component analysis were used to construct phylogenic trees. The results showed that Tomohon's horse population had higher body weights and body measurements (P<0.05) than those from three other areas (Manado, South Minahasa, and Minahasa). The hip width is the most discriminant variable to determine the differences among Minahasa local horse population. The results support establishment of strategy to promote the use and the development of local adapted horse.


The idea of cross or multiculturalism in today's rhetorical scholarship is essential because it allows scholars to apply a critical perspective to traditional modes of rhetorical scholarship. Many contemporary scholars, such as George Kennedy, Xing Lu, Roberta Blinkley and Carol Lipson have recently embraced a cross-cultural rhetorical perspective in their works. At the same time, other scholars have critiqued the traditional canon as too limiting and too reliant on notions of rationality, logic, antagonism and truth. Sonja Foss and Cindy Griffin provide one such critique of the Greco-Roman tradition by approaching the idea of rhetoric through an invitational lens that focuses on values of equality, immanent value, and self-determination, and seeks to use these values to de-center the Platonic/Aristotelian notion of rhetoric as antagonistic argument and persuasion. I want to consider the possibility that the underlying values offered by Foss and Griffin in their efforts to counter Aristotelian rhetoric productively resonate with the rhetorical visions developed in other ancient culture's rhetoric. More specifically, in this thesis I seek to explore the resonance between the values of invitational rhetoric and the rhetorical values and styles of two prominent ancient Chinese traditions: Confucianism and Daoism. I aim to show that Foss and Griffin's principles of equality, immanent value, and self-determination can be found within the ancient texts of China and serve as an unconscious reminder that the cross-cultural ideas influencing our rhetorical archives often times go unacknowledged. Bridging the Gap: An Invitational Approach to Confucianism and Daoism


In interpersonal value conflicts ethical principles are employed to justify own actions. However, there is competition among ethical principles. Therefore the preference for a specific ethical principle may be merely a function both of personal values and of the value-laden situations in which actions are made. A German sample of 132 partici-pants rated their agreement on ten justifications in seven experimentally constructed situations. The situations varied in their expression of values, organized by the value circle (Schwartz, 1992). The justifications assess five ethical principles (deontology, utilitarianism, partiality, hedonism, and intuitionism). Variance components of the agreement ratings were separated using GLM and plotted in the value circle. Preferences for ethical principles depended on both the value content of situations and the responder values. The Person x Situation interaction was not significant. The results illustrate the difficulties in gaining agreement on arguments among individuals with conflicting values.


Software product lines are able to describe multiple products sharing a common base of features and are commonly described as feature models. For complex software product lines, automatic analyses are required to ensure validity and to improve the interactive configuration process. Modern SAT solvers are vital components for the validation process of feature models. The increasing variability of software product lines implies the need to use more expressive solvers like SMT solvers. To assist the development of feature modeling tools, we compare SAT and SMT solvers for the automated analysis of feature models. During this thesis, we create an abstract data type to formally define analyses for feature model defects and their explanations. The result shows that SAT solvers are more efficient at detecting the defects, while SMT solvers can find explanations for them multiple times faster. Feature models can be further expanded by attaching attributes to features. Such attributes may contain a numerical value. Additionally, one attribute can be defined for multiple features. In this thesis, we aim to support the interactive configuration process, by providing the range of the sum of values for an attribute. Such ranges depend on the remaining choices in a configuration of the product line. We provide an exact computation using SMT and an approximation using a heuristic. The evaluation results show that an SMT solver is not suitable for supporting interactive configuration. However, the approximated ranges of the provided heuristic were very close to the exact ones.


Early downstream responses of T lymphocytes following T cell antigen receptor (TCR) activation are mediated by protein complexes that assemble in domains of the plasma membrane. Using stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture and mass spectrometry, we quantitatively related the proteome of αCD3 immunoisolated native TCR signaling plasma membrane domains to that of control plasma membrane fragments not engaged in TCR signaling. Proteins were sorted according to their relative enrichment in isolated TCR signaling plasma membrane domains, identifying a complex protein network that is anchored in the vicinity of activated TCR. These networks harbor widespread mediators of plasma membrane-proximal T cell activities, including propagation, balancing, and attenuation of TCR signaling, immune synapse formation, as well as cytoskeletal arrangements relative to TCR activation clusters. These results highlight the unique potential of systematic characterizations of plasma membrane-proximal T cell activation proteome in the context of its native lipid bilayer platform.


Quality of Experience (QoE) is a time-varying perceptual process. Despite its complexity and numerous impacting factors, recent efforts have been made to come up with subjective assessment methodologies of QoE. However, no time-continuous variant of subjective evaluation methodologies have been proposed. Considering that an explicit time-continuous assessment could impact the experience itself, validity of conclusions from such an evaluation can be put in question. The solution proposed here is an implicit time-continuous assessment methodology indicating the time-periods of an audio-visual stimulus during which an experience is assessed. The motivation behind this methodology is to provide additional and non-redundant information enabling further investigations in Sense of Presence (SoP). SoP is one of the major metrics in immersive technologies, highly correlated with QoE. This paper describes a work in progress for such an evaluation methodology design.


Depolarization of quantum fields is handled through a master equation of the Lindblad type. The specific feature of the model is that it couples the field modes to a randomly distributed atomic bath dispersively. The depolarizing dynamics emerging from this approach is analyzed for relevant states.


The polar marine environment is characterised by low stable temperatures with seasonal variations ranging from ±3°C at lower latitudes to only ±0.2°C at high latitudes. The Arctic basin is dominated by multi-year ice. whereas the Antarctic is subject to large seasonal changes in the cover by annual sea ice. Primary production is intensely seasonal nearshore but probably less so in offshore waters where significant production is associated with the marginal ice zone. Oxygen consumption in polar zooplankton is low compared with temperate and tropical species. Annual growth rates are generally slow and, especially in herbivores, highly seasonal. It is likely that fast growth rates are possible for polar zooplankton in areas of high food availability such as ice-edge blooms, but these growth rates are not usually achieved in the more oligotrophic open-ocean areas. Lipid stores in polar herbivorous zooplankton are generally high, although some euphausiids and gelatinous zooplankton also rely on degrowth to provide energy over winter. Ice-edge blooms are of great importance to the polar marine food web although the quantitative significance of winter feeding under ice has yet to be resolved. Comparison of data on lipid storage and oxygen consumption for polar zooplankton indicates that there are large differences in the energy requirements of benthos and crustacean zooplankton. This is probably related to the high metabolic cost of staying in the water column. In contrast gelatinous zooplankton (salps, ctenophores. medusae and siphonophores) have a low energy throughput, related to a body composition which renders them essentially neutral in buoyancy and a slow but efficient means of locomotion. Under good feeding conditions many species can therefore grow and reproduce very rapidly. This emphasises the distinct energetic regime of gelatinous zooplankton, now known to be a group of major ecological importance in most waters of the world.


This paper explores life insurance holdings from a general equilibrium perspective. Drawing on the data explored in Chambers, Schlagenhauf, and Young (2003), we calibrate an overlapping generation's life cycle economy with incomplete asset markets to match facts regarding the uncertainty of income and demographics. We then estimate that life insurance holdings for the purpose of smoothing family consumption are so large that they constitute a puzzle from the perspective of standard economic theory. Furthermore, the welfare gains from a life insurance market are concentrated in the minds of households who use the real world market very little.


Clustering, the unsupervised classification of objects into groups, is a widely used technique in exploratory data analysis. The clustering problem is a very complex one, and a popular heuristic for solving it is the Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm. SA is an approximation algorithm that involves generating a neighborhood solution by perturbing the current solution in a small, yet meaningful way. This new solution is accepted with a probability of 1 if it is quantitatively better than the current solution, and accepted according to the Metropolis criterion otherwise. Cluster quality is measured using the Sum of Squared Error (SSE) criterion. This paper presents an SA algorithm that uses a new type of perturbation to generate solutions. Whereas most SA clustering algorithms perturb data point memberships directly, our algorithm perturbs a randomly chosen center using Gaussian mutation, and then reassigns data points in a nearest neighbor fashion. Experimental results on a diverse collection of data sets demonstrate that our algorithm has comparable effectiveness to other SA algorithms, while being much faster due to its simplicity.


BACKGROUND
The correlation of intra-operative frozen section diagnosis with final diagnosis on permanent sections is an integral part of quality assurance in surgical pathology laboratories. However, there is scant data on this topic from Pakistan. Similarly, no local study has looked at frozen section turnaround times.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To analyze indications, discrepancies and deferrals for all frozen sections performed or received at our institution over a 1-year period and to determine the turnaround time for frozen section diagnoses in our cases.

DESIGN
A retrospective study, was undertaken, of all frozen sections reported at our institution between 1 st January 2006 and 31 st December 2006. The records of these cases were reviewed. The number and types of discrepancies, including sampling and interpretation errors were determined. The deferred cases and causes for deferral were also determined. The turnaround times of all cases were recorded. Agreement rates were calculated as percent agreement, sensitivity/specificity and positive and negative predictive values.

RESULTS
A total of 356 specimens were received. Out of these, 14 cases (3.93%) were deferred to permanent sections. Of the remaining 342 cases, the discordant diagnostic frequency was 2.92% while the concordant diagnostic frequency was 97.08%. The most common pathological processes encountered were presence/typing of neoplasm (51.12%) and assessment of surgical margins (27.53%). The average turn-around time for frozen section diagnosis was 23 minutes; 60% of the cases were reported in 20 minutes or less.

CONCLUSIONS
The accuracy of frozen section diagnosis at AKUH pathology department can be interpreted as comparable with most international quality control statistics for frozen sections. The overall error and deferral rates are within the range of previously published errors in pathology. Deferrals and errors in some sub-specialties were higher than in others. The results suggest specific measures should be taken to reduce the number of discrepancies. The overall goal is to reduce errors, reduce the number of deferrals and improve frozen section diagnosis turnaround times.