The social constructionism perspective says that we never know what universal true or false is, what is good or bad, right or wrong; we know only stories about true, false, good, bad, right or wrong. The social constructionism abandons the idea of constructivist that individual's mind represents a mirror of reality. The constructionism is focused on relations and sustains the individual's role in social construction of realities. "Maps for the same territory" seems to be the essence of constructivist. The social constructionism is not interested to create maps; it surprises the processes that maps form. Our maps are formed from our experience and how we perceive them. All our maps are differing maps of the same world. Each of us creates our own worlds from our perceptions of the actual world. The social constructionism sees the language, the communication and the speech as having the central role of the interactive process through which we understand the world and ourselves.


Wind power is the most important renewable energy source in many countries today, characterized by a rapid and extensive diffusion since the 1990s. However, it has also triggered much debate with regard to the impact on landscape and vista. Therefore, siting processes of wind farm projects are often accompanied by massive public protest, because of visual and aural impacts on the surrounding area. These mostly negative consequences might be reflected in property values and house prices. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impacts of wind farms on the surrounding area through property values, by means of a hedonic pricing model, using both a spatial fixed (viewshed) effects (accounting for spatially clustered unobserved influences) and a Geographically Weighted Regression model (accounting for spatial heterogeneity). The analysis is the first of its kind undertaken for a local region in Continental Europe (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). Viewsheds are calculated for each property using a digital surface model. Focusing on proximity and visibility effects caused by wind farm sites, we find that proximity, measured by the inverse distance to the nearest wind turbine, indeed causes significant negative impacts on the surrounding property values. Thereby, local statistics reveal varying spatial patterns of the coefficient estimates across and within the city areas and districts. In contrast, no evidence is found for a statistically significant impact of the visibility of the wind farm turbines.


Middle ear infections (11EI) are a significant cause of morbidity among children, particularly for those who are Native cu:� living in northern geographic regions of Canada The widespread use of antimicrobial agents and the dramatic rise in the number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens encountered within Saskatchewan, create concern as to whether Significant differences exist between Native and Non-Native children in regards to the percentage of middle ear pathogens resistant to antimicrobial agents. The recognition that various communitiesmay serve as reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, has raised interest in studying the transmission of these bacteria. In order to clearly assess the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in terms of ethnicity and location, 285 middle ear aspirates were collected from Native and Non-Native children: 98 bacterial pathogens were recovered from 54 culture-positive individuals (68 % Non-Native, 32 % Native). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and demographic data acquisition were methods used for studying the epidemiology of resistance. Resistance to ampicillin was found in 20 % and 100 % of Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella caiarrhalis isolates, respectively. Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae was found in 13 % of the isolates. Overall, Non-Native children seemed to harbor antimicrobial resistant pathogens more frequently, (l7 %; p=O.OOl), specifically in regards to the number of ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae isolates (38 %; p< 0.005). Geographical trends in resistance were seen among children of race, however, limited demographic features could be ascribed to the risk of clonal spread of resistant pathogens. Recovery of antimicrobial resistant pathogens from children suffering from :MEl continues to be prevalent. Differences in resistance rates were seen among children of different ethnic backgrounds and who were


Language is central to children's emotional and cognitive development and the first language skills to be learned are listening and speaking. Class or group discussions are, however, often dominated by a small number of confident, not necessarily articulate children. Many other children remain silent, frequently showing reluctance to speak either to pupils or to teachers. The teacher is too often in the position of having to respond to the vocal and potentially disruptive pupils with the result that the silent minority are ignored. This study focusses on a group of twelve habitually quiet pupils - all originally in same class at primary school - who seemed unable or unwilling to communicate freely in school with either teachers or peers. This study: explores ways in which quiet pupils are educationally disadvantaged by an inability or unwillingness to talk to pupil and teachers in school; examines underlying factors which may have contributed to a child's reluctance to participate in class lessons; recommends teaching strategies which enable teachers to develop pupils' self-esteem through positive relationships, thus empowering them to take a more active role in their own education. Data were collected over a three year period: through a series of semi-structured interviews (with pupils, parents and teachers); observations of classroom interactions; transcripts of group discussions; detailed case studies and a teacher's journal. The data was analysed following ethnographic principles. Drawing on a review of Attachment Theory, the study concludes that much habitually quiet behaviour witnessed in schools may have its origins in anxious or deviant attachments in early parent-child relationships. The study also provides evidence that enlightened teaching strategies (for example, cooperative small group activities) are effective in empowering quiet pupils to participate fully in the social and academic life of the classroom.


OBJECTIVE Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) is involved in homocysteine and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) metabolism. Both products have been implicated in the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular diseases. The impact of CBS polymorphisms on aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and its clinical sequelae is poorly understood. METHODS Blood samples from all patients enrolled in the CARAS (Cerebral Aneurysm Renin Angiotensin System) study were used for genetic evaluation. The CARAS study prospectively enrolled aSAH patients at 2 academic institutions in the United States from 2012 to 2015. Common CBS polymorphisms were detected using 5'exonuclease genotyping assays. Analysis of associations between CBS polymorphisms and aSAH was performed. RESULTS Samples from 149 aSAH patients and 50 controls were available for analysis. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the insertion allele of the 844ins68 CBS insertion polymorphism showed a dominant effect on aSAH. The GG genotype of the CBS G/A single nucleotide polymorphism (rs234706) was independently associated with unfavorable functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale Score 3-6) at discharge and last follow-up, but not clinical vasospasm or delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). CONCLUSIONS The insertion allele of the 844ins68 CBS insertion polymorphism was independently associated with aSAH while the GG genotype of rs234706 was associated with an unfavorable outcome both at discharge and last follow-up. Increased CBS activity may exert its neuroprotective effects through alteration of H2S levels, and independent of clinical vasospasm and DCI.


Simple Summary We explore the differences in male and female dogs regarding personality traits as well as cognitive and perceptual processes. Our aim was to explore whether the differences in male and female dogs were affected by the domestication process. The results show that dogs are largely in line with the life-history theories, reflecting the sex differences described in wild animals. Abstract In this paper, we review the scientific reports of sex-related differences in dogs as compared to the outcomes described for wild animals. Our aim was to explore whether the differences in male and female dogs were affected by the domestication process, in which artificial selection is the main driver. For this purpose, we used information regarding personality traits, cognitive processes, and perception, for which there is a wide theoretical framework in behavioral ecology. Aggressiveness and boldness, described as a behavioral syndrome, were reported as being higher in males than females. Females also seemed more inclined to interspecific social interactions with humans in tasks that require cooperative skills, whereas males appeared more inclined to social play, thus implying different levels of social engagement between the sexes, depending on the context. Studies on cognitive processes underlined a greater flexibility in resorting to a particular navigation strategy in males. Most lateralization studies seem to support the view that males are preferentially left-handed and females are preferentially right-handed. Reports on visual focusing coherently rank females as superior in focusing on single social and physical stimuli. Only male dogs are able to discriminate kin; however, the timing of the olfactory recording in sexes is related to the stimulus relevance. Dogs are largely in line with life-history theories, which indicate that sex differences in dogs are mainly rooted in their biological and evolutionary heritage, remaining unchanged despite artificial selection. In contrast, the higher intraspecific sociability in wild male animals was not replicated in dogs.


Georgian architecture had its roots in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Out of that disaster grew the need for rapid redevelopment which was accomplished through standardization and the relaxation of restrictive practices in the building trades. This book investigates the decline in crafted buildings of the traditional client economies and the introduction of mass produced components which characterizeed an emerging consumerism. It is an approach which offers insights into our architectural heritiage by focusing on the traditions and innovations in the building methods of the time - the construction processes, the role of the building craftsmen, and the tools and materials they used. James Ayres describes how builders in London developed the terraced house and town centre building systems which influenced the architecture of Bath, Edinburgh, Dublin and distant Philadelphia. He takes us through the building processes craft by craft, from the work of the surveyors and labourers who established the foundations to the joiners and painters who finished the interiors. Ayres outlines the ways in which forms do not only follow functions but are also conditioned by materials and methods. He describes how, with the burgeoning industrialization of the second half of the 18th century, a separation emerged between making and designing, a division which led to the decline of the craftsman as designer. This led to a shift in power, a move from the empirical understanding of those involved in the processes of making to the theoretically based activities of architects.


The thesis examines pay among British childcare workers from 1994 to 2008. It uses childcare as an example of female care occupations and selects the UK as a case study because in recent years childcare services have expanded substantially. As childcare provision has become increasingly formal, the issue of the rewards attached to this type of work has become more pressing. The thesis asks why childcare workers in the UK have traditionally received low pay and to what extent they continue to do so. It explores the changes in childcare policy that have taken place since the mid-1990s in order to understand whether Government's increased commitment to childcare services has resulted in an improvement in workers' pay. The thesis develops a multi-layered analysis. First, based on a review of policy documents and secondary sources, the thesis examines British childcare policy and identifies the challenges to higher pay in the sector. Second, the thesis investigates changes in the characteristics and pay of the childcare workforce between 1994 and 2008 by using data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and from the Early Years and Childcare Providers survey. Finally, cultural assumptions about caring motivations and pay are explored on the basis of data from the LFS as well as findings from interviews with childcare workers. The thesis makes three main contributions. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods and a variety of information sources, it offers evidence on changes in the remuneration of British childcare workers, paying close attention to the way childcare policy, education policy and labour market institutions influence wage levels. Furthermore, drawing from the example of childcare in the UK, the thesis contributes to the wider debate on the undervaluation of women's work by pointing to some of the institutional dynamics that account for low pay in the sector. Finally, the thesis highlights the direct labour market impact of a childcare and early education policies, thus exploring an important dimension of welfare state analysis.


There has been a dramatic increase in recent years in the number of people diagnosed with mental disorder. For example, in USA the NIMH estimates that, in any given year, 25% of the population has a diagnosable mental disorder. A prospective study found that, by age 32yrs, 50% of the general population had qualified for an anxiety disorder, 40% for depression and 30% for alcohol abuse or dependence. Fifty-one percent of boys and 49% of girls aged 13-19 have a mood, behaviour anxiety or substance abuse disorder. The World Health Organisation projects that by 2020 depression will be the second leading cause of worldwide disability. In South Africa psychiatric disorder has already knocked backache of its perch at the top of the disability log.


This reflection on colonial culture argues for an examination of "Indochina" as a fictive and mythic construct, a phantasmatic legacy of French colonialism in Southeast Asia. Panivong Norindr uses postcolonial theory to demonstrate how French imperialism manifests itself not only through physical domination of geographic entities, but also through the colonization of the imaginary. In this careful reading of architecture, film, and literature, Norindr lays bare the processes of fantasy, desire, and nostalgia constituent of French territorial aggression against Indochina.

Analyzing the first Exposition Coloniale Internationale, held in Paris in 1931, Norindr shows how the exhibition's display of architecture gave a vision to the colonies that justified France's cultural prejudices, while stimulating the desire for further expansionism. He critiques the Surrealist counter-exposition mounted to oppose the imperialist aims of the Exposition Coloniale, and the Surrealist incorporation and appropriation of native artifacts in avant-garde works. According to Norindr, all serious attempts at interrogating French colonial involvement in Southeast Asia are threatened by discourse, images, representations, and myths that perpetuate the luminous aura of Indochina as a place of erotic fantasies and exotic adventures. Exploring the resilience of French nostalgia for Indochina in books and movies, the author examines work by Malraux, Duras, and Claudel, and the films Indochine , The Lover , and Dien Bien Phu .

Certain to impact across a range of disciplines, Phantasmatic Indochina will be of interest to those engaged in the study of the culture and history of Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, as well as specialists in the fields of French modernism, postcolonial studies, cultural studies, and comparative literature.


Thermally driven artificial muscles, such as twisted polymer actuators (TPAs), are a promising new development in the field of smart materials. TPAs have potential applications in advanced prostheses, robotics, or any operation that produces excess heat and requires actuation. The theory explaining the actuation phenomenon of TPAs is based on the anisotropic thermal expansion of drawn polymers, which expand radially and contract axially under thermal loading. When the monofilaments are twisted, these thermal expansion properties remain relatively unchanged, but the internal fibers become helically aligned, thus causing the TPA to untwist when heated. TPAs can be used as torsional or linear actuators, depending on the configuration of the twist. In this work, we present experimental methods for acquiring untwisted monofilament thermal properties and thermal actuation data of straight twisted polymer actuators (STPAs). STPAs act as torsional actuators and can be thought of as elemental sections of the coiled linear actuators. The experimental data is then used to assess current, kinematic models for predicting STPA responses under free torsion. The results suggest that current models capture first order torsional and axial response due to thermal load and indicate areas for future refinement and research.


Piero Fornasetti was a master of the decorative imagination. His motifs conjure up the illusionism of Arcimboldo, the grand architectural fantasies of Piranesi and Palladio, and something of the wit of Pirandello or even Picasso. Fornasettis decorations transform furniture, created in collaboration with Gio Ponti, into art objects touched by trompe loeil humour. His designs endure in an astonishing variety of forms: chairs, desks, screens, pianos, plates, masks and other objects all present the artists timeless vocabulary. Fornasettis endless invention is celebrated here in a book published to coincide with a major retrospective exhibition in Paris. His visual puns and decorative devices are set out in the context of his paintings, little considered until now. Bibliophilia occupies centre stage, with graphic schemes, designs for imaginary libraries and bookcases set in ironic interiors. The book gathers a plentiful array of his famous Themes and Variations, a series of plate designs drawing on over 500 variations on the face of a famous operatic beauty. A full chronology of Fornasettis life and work accompanies the text.


In 1887 the Office of Indian Affairs requested that the Army evict the handful of white trespassers who claimed over 90 percent of the Round Valley Reservation in Northern California. The trespassers turned to local courts to block their evictions, and a county judge dispatched the Mendocino County sheriff to arrest the federal officer who persisted with his orders. The ensuing "Round Valley War" shows that, although elites associated with Indian affairs took federal supremacy on Indian Reservations for granted, and while historians have also tended to treat the West, and "Indian Country" in particular, as a domain where federal prerogatives reigned supreme, in the aftermath of the Civil War anti-statism and Democratic localism presented effective counterclaims to the coercive power of the federal state.


Owning a house can be very expensive. Therefore, the only alternative is to rent a house.
Before having a house for rent, people have to find house by surveying if there any
advertisement regarding rental house. To find a house for rent is absolutely not an easy
task. This process usually is time consuming and tiring. Thus, the Interactive House
Rental Information System (HRIS) prototype is developed in order to solve this
problem. This web-based system is able to help potential house renter to find the
available house by looking at the location on the interactive map. This system also
provide mailbox for communication purpose between house renter and house owner.
This project is developed for the house owner who have house for rent in Shah Alam
and potential house renter who are intended to rent a house in Shah Alam. This
prototype will give benefit to potential house renter in finding and renting house.
Besides, the house owner will have a platform to advertise and rent out their house.
Keyword: interactive map, mailbox


Abstract This work is a review of current trends in the stray flux signal processing techniques applied to the diagnosis of electrical machines. Initially, a review of the most commonly used standard methods is performed in the diagnosis of failures in induction machines and using stray flux; and then specifically it is treated and performed the algorithms based on statistical analysis using cumulants and polyspectra. In addition, the theoretical foundations of the analyzed algorithms and examples applications are shown from the practical point of view where the benefits that processing can have using HOSA and its relationship with stray flux signal analysis, are illustrated.


SIR,-We have found that premedication with dipyrone before bronchoscopy makes the passage of the bronchoscope easier. We have also found dipyrone to be an effective postoperative analgesic (mainly after abdominal surgery) when given on the second or third day after operation, and that in the patients in whom it was effective there was an increase in gas exchange in the lungs. This was perhaps due to deeper respiration resulting from the relief of pain, because there was no change in the respiratory minute volume after dipyrone in 20 healthy persons. These findings prompted us to try dipyrone in 82 patients suffering from an attack of asthma. In every case 2.5 g of the drug given intravenously interrupted the attack, and seven of the 82 patients were in status asthmaticus. In 31 of the 75 patients with acute asthma other drugs (aminophylline, orciprenaline, or hydrocortisone semisuccinate) had already been given without effect. In all the patients the intravenous injection of dipyrone resulted in the immediate disappearance of cyanosis and relief from the feeling of suffocation. In the seven patients with status asthmaticus the condition had been present for two to three days and had not been relieved by the usual pharmacological agents. One of the patients needed a second injection of dipyrone. I think the effectiveness of dipyrone in bronchial asthma needs further investigation, but I thought I should report the above findings now because of Vane's discovery' that aspirin-like drugs act by inhibiting the biosynthesis of prostaglandins. Dipyrone belongs to this class of drugs. It is also known that prostaglandins E2 and F2a exert opposing effects on the airways resistance in man.23 The bronchoconstrictor action of prostaglandin F2a is 10,000 times s'ronger in asthmatic patients than in healthy subjects.4 Recently Flower and Vane5 have described the selective inhibition of prostaglandin synthetase in brain by the antipyretic drug paracetamol. Dipyrone is a weak analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory drug. Gould it be that dipyrone is a selective inhibitor of the biosynthesis of prostaglandin F2a in the lungs?-I am, etc.,


In a prospective study of 41 consecutively referred newly diagnosed diabetic patients, we evaluated the predictive value of fasting and glucagon-stimulated C-peptide values, ketonuria, age, and body weight in the classification of subjects as insulin-requiring (IR) or non-insulin-requiring (NIR). The patients were followed up for ≥12 mo and classified as NIR if adequate glycemic control could be achieved without insulin (i.e., fasting plasma glucose < 8 mM and no glycosuria). Patients who needed insulin to obtain this status were classified as IR. We found that all subjects with plasma C-peptide values >0.60 nM 6 min after intravenous glucagon were NIR, whereas all IR subjects together with 3 NIR subjects had C-peptide values below this limit. All NIR subjects but 1 had fasting C-peptide values > 0.30 nM, and all IR subjects but 1 had C-peptide values below this limit. Seventy-five percent of the subjects could be correctly classified by use of age and percent desirable body weight. Thus, all subjects > 40 yr old and >100% ideal body weight were NIR, and all subjects below both these limits were IR. Ketonuria was found in 10 of 12 IR subjects and in 10 of 29 NIR subjects. We conclude that 1) 75% of the subjects could be correctly classified by use of age and percent desirable body weight only and 2) C-peptide measurements are useful in the classification of newly diagnosed diabetes, whereas presence of ketonuria is of limited value.


ABSTRACT Wireless powered communication networks (WPCNs) have attracted much research interest in fifth generation (5G) wireless networks. With the help of WPCN, the reliability and battery life of wireless low-power devices can be enhanced. In this paper, we investigate throughput and ergodic capacity in WPCN-assisted amplify-and-forward relaying systems considering two transmission modes, including delay-tolerant and delay-limited. More importantly, we propose energy harvesting protocol so-called hybrid time switching-based and power splitting-based relaying (HTPSR) protocol in order to achieve optimal throughput. In particular, both time switching-based and power splitting-based coefficients in this scheme are considered. Unlike most previous works, we further focus on the impact of outdated channel state information (CSI) in WPCN. In order to evaluate information processing efficiency, the performance can be substantially improved by optimizing harvesting time and power coefficients of the received signal at the relay node for energy and information extraction. Thanks to Monte Carlo simulations, it is confirmed that the system performance is more sensitive to CSI estimation error, noise variance and signal-to-noise ratio which enable us in reasonable computations of HTPSR to obtain QoS requirement.


A self-scanned 1024 element photodiode array and minicomputer are used to measure the phase (wavefront) in the interference pattern of an interferometer to lambda/100. The photodiode array samples intensities over a 32 x 32 matrix in the interference pattern as the length of the reference arm is varied piezoelectrically. Using these data the minicomputer synchronously detects the phase at each of the 1024 points by a Fourier series method and displays the wavefront in contour and perspective plot on a storage oscilloscope in less than 1 min (Bruning et al. Paper WE16, OSA Annual Meeting, Oct. 1972). The array of intensities is sampled and averaged many times in a random fashion so that the effects of air turbulence, vibrations, and thermal drifts are minimized. Very significant is the fact that wavefront errors in the interferometer are easily determined and may be automatically subtracted from current or subsequent wavefrots. Various programs supporting the measurement system include software for determining the aperture boundary, sum and difference of wavefronts, removal or insertion of tilt and focus errors, and routines for spatial manipulation of wavefronts. FFT programs transform wavefront data into point spread function and modulus and phase of the optical transfer function of lenses. Display programs plot these functions in contour and perspective. The system has been designed to optimize the collection of data to give higher than usual accuracy in measuring the individual elements and final performance of assembled diffraction limited optical systems, and furthermore, the short loop time of a few minutes makes the system an attractive alternative to constraints imposed by test glasses in the optical shop.


This document specifies an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
mechanism for authentication and session key distribution using the
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Subscriber Identity
Module (SIM). GSM is a second generation mobile network standard. The
EAP-SIM mechanism specifies enhancements to GSM authentication and key
agreement whereby multiple authentication triplets can be combined to
create authentication responses and session keys of greater strength
than the individual GSM triplets. The mechanism also includes network
authentication, user anonymity support, result indications, and a fast
re-authentication procedure. This memo provides information for the
Internet community.


Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) sampling methods provide a mechanism for defining distant proposals with high acceptance probabilities in a Metropolis-Hastings framework, enabling more efficient exploration of the state space than standard random-walk proposals. The popularity of such methods has grown significantly in recent years. However, a limitation of HMC methods is the required gradient computation for simulation of the Hamiltonian dynamical system--such computation is infeasible in problems involving a large sample size or streaming data. Instead, we must rely on a noisy gradient estimate computed from a subset of the data. In this paper, we explore the properties of such a stochastic gradient HMC approach. Surprisingly, the natural implementation of the stochastic approximation can be arbitrarily bad. To address this problem we introduce a variant that uses second-order Langevin dynamics with a friction term that counteracts the effects of the noisy gradient, maintaining the desired target distribution as the invariant distribution. Results on simulated data validate our theory. We also provide an application of our methods to a classification task using neural networks and to online Bayesian matrix factorization.


Associate staff are all those who are employed in schools, but who are neither teachers, nor training to be teachers. The staff of the school are the key to effective and cost-effective education. This book is based on a study funded by the Department for Education. It presents findings from 25 schools where innovations have taken place. The authors attempt to assess the cost-effectiveness of the innovative posts. They also describe the boundaries between the daily activities of teaching and associate staff, the tensions that can arise and the considerable benefits that can occur.


Liquid scintillator detectors play a central role in the detection of neutrinos from various sources. In particular, it is the only technique used so far for the precision spectroscopy of sub-MeV solar neutrinos, as demonstrated by the Borexino experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy. The benefit of a high light yield, and thus a low energy threshold and a good energy resolution, comes at the cost of the directional information featured by water Cherenkov detectors, measuring 8B solar neutrinos above a few MeV. In this paper we provide the first directionality measurement of sub-MeV solar neutrinos which exploits the correlation between the first few detected photons in each event and the known position of the Sun for each event. This is also the first signature of directionality in neutrinos elastically scattering off electrons in a liquid scintillator target. This measurement exploits the sub-dominant, fast Cherenkov light emission that precedes the dominant yet slower scintillation light signal. Through this measurement, we have also been able to extract the rate of 7Be solar neutrinos in Borexino. The demonstration of directional sensitivity in a traditional liquid scintillator target paves the way for the possible exploitation of the Cherenkov light signal in future kton-scale experiments using liquid scintillator targets. Directionality is important for background suppression as well as the disentanglement of signals from various sources. ar X iv :2 10 9. 04 77 0v 1 [ he pex ] 1 0 Se p 20 21


The molecular role of the centrosome in the spindle checkpoint has been debated for some time. Müller et al. have now identified a function for a subset of core centrosomal proteins, namely their involvement in the spindle checkpoint. γ-tubulin ring proteins are functionally and biochemically integrated into checkpoint control, together with two of the major players in this pathway, BubR1 and Cdc20. However, the function of the γ-tubulin ring components was not linked to centrosome integrity, nor did it require localization to this organelle. H. Müller, M.-L. Fogeron, V. Lehmann, H. Lehrach, B. M. H. Lange, A centrosome-independent role for γ-TuRC proteins in the spindle assembly checkpoint. Science 314, 654-657 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Essential oil, sent by nature, is a complex mixture of volatile secondary metabolites. Its composition varies along with many parameters that can lead to misunderstanding of its wonderful pharmacological property. In fact, from postharvest treatment to the compound's identification through extraction approaches, the original chemotype of essential oils can be misdescribed. The pharmacological potentials of these oils are well known in the traditional system since time immemo-rial. Nowadays, some chemotypes of these oils had shown the effect against WHO's top 10 killer diseases. But the misuses of these essential oils are in part due to the lack of robust and easy analysis strategy that can allow the quality of the essential oils.


This article investigates experience effects for public officials. Using a unique data set of companies investigated under UK competition law, we find very strong experience effects for chairmen of investigation panels, estimated from the increase in experience of individual chairman. Probit and IV probit regressions indicate that replacing an inexperienced chairman with one of average experience increases the probability of a 'guilty' outcome by approximately 30% and, after chairing around 30 cases, a chairman is predicted to find almost every case guilty.


OPACs (online public access catalogs) in twelve Canadian academic libraries were evaluated using a checklist. Particular emphasis was placed on evaluation of functional capabilities and interface features which have been suggested in the literature by researchers. The findings of the study suggest that, among the ten areas evaluated, "Screen Display" is the best developed area, whereas "Subject Search Aids" is the weakest. Possible directions for the future development of OPACs are identified and areas for future OPAC research are suggested. * Introduction Numerous studies of OPACs have been conducted since their introduction in libraries in the early 1980s. Many studies have been devoted to the investigation of public acceptance, satisfaction with, and success in the use of OPAC systems. In other words, they have investigated the attitude and behavior of OPAC users. In this regard, the OPAC studies were fruitful. They revealed that the 1980s had witnessed the overwhelming success and growing popularity of OPACs in the minds of both librarians and the public, even though some technical problems remained unsolved.(1)(2) On the other hand, as Peters observed, "The development of online catalogues in the [1970s and] 1980s was governed by bibliographic networks, vendors of automated systems, and technical services librarians, not by the needs and expressed wishes of the library patrons."(3) There were many studies of the capabilities and features of individual OPAC systems. The purpose of these studies was to enhance the capabilities of specific OPAC systems or to create special functions for special uses. Developed by different OPAC vendors or library institutions, various OPAC systems were produced, and are still undergoing change. Hildreth, in 1982, noted that "the systems [the OPACs] not only differed in the range and complexity of their functional features, they [the OPACs] used different terms to describe them and different commands for invoking them."(4) Previous Research Several researchers have been engaged in the analysis and evaluation of the functional and interface features of existing OPACs. Hildreth and his team investigated ten OPAC systems.(5) They collected data through firsthand use of each system, by sending questionnaires to system producers or owners, and by reviewing the system documentation in each case. Numerous checklists were used to analyze the ten systems. This was the first comparative OPAC study that involved a large number of OPACs. The methodology provided a model for describing and comparing OPACs in later research projects, including the present one. The major findings of Hildreth's study were: * Little similarity existed in command language vocabulary or syntax among the ten OPACs studied; * Display formats of the ten OPACs varied significantly; * The number of available help features and displays varied considerably across the ten systems. Salmon,(6) employing Hildreth's conceptual framework and features classification, observed and compared the functional characteristics of twenty OPACs in U.S. libraries. In his paper, screen displays of various systems were used to illustrate the functional features of these OPACs. He presented feature comparison tables that showed that the OPAC field had evolved rapidly. As a result of his study, Salmon presented a list of features he suggested OPAC systems should offer. Fayen discussed, in general, the types of OPACs available in terms of their approaches to searching.(7) She briefly described features of twelve OPAC systems she thought were representative and suggested a list of factors that should be considered when planning to build or buy an OPAC. These included the size of the database, computer equipment available, costs, authority file capabilities, display options, and retrieval features such as Boolean operators, truncation and wildcard operators, browsing features, and numeric value searching. …


The rise in inequality and poverty is one of the most important economic and social issues in recent times. But in contrast to the literature on individual earnings inequality, there has been little work modelling (as opposed to documenting) household income dynamics. This is largely because of the difficulties created by the fact that on top of the human capital issues that arise in personal earnings, individuals are continually forming, dissolving and reforming household units. This paper proposes a framework for modelling household income dynamics. It emphasises the role of household formation and dissolution, and labour market participation. It allows standard economic theory to address the issues of household, as distinct from individual, income and poverty dynamics. We illustrate this framework with an application to poverty rates among young women in the US. We use this model to analyse differences in poverty experiences, particularly between black and white women.


In the many countries which have some form of regulation of ART, a public consultation of some sort is a frequent feature of either the process leading up to regulation or of the regulatory mechanism itself. Not surprisingly, widely divergent views on the moral and political acceptability of ART are expressed during such consultations. And while such diversity of opinion is to be expected, and some even argue welcomed, in pluralist liberal democratic societies, it is often unclear how these divergent community views are and ought to be fed into the opinion-forming and decision-making processes of governments or the bodies that advise them. This article discusses first why regulation of ART may be justified, even when there is radical moral disagreement in the community, and why public consultations should play a central role in the work that advisory bodies undertake in making regulatory recommendations to government. Then, it both proposes and justifies a method for dealing with the contradictory moral views expressed by interested parties during the consultation process. To illustrate this method, the example of the attempt by single and lesbian women to access donor insemination services and ART is used.


AIM Treatment of recurrent pterygium associated with symblepharon requires both suppression of fibrosis and reconstruction of limbal barrier. To achieve this, human amniotic membrane was transplanted and limbal autografts performed. METHODS Four patients with severe symblepharon resulting from multiple surgeries for pterygium were treated. Human amniotic membrane was obtained at caesarean section and preserved until surgery. After excision of the fibrous tissues, the amniotic membrane was placed on the sclera, and a limbal autograft transplantation was performed using limbal tissues taken from the affected eye. RESULTS Recurrence of symblepharon was not observed in any of the patients and significant suppression of the subconjunctival fibrosis was achieved. Ocular movement improved in all cases. Complete remission of pterygium regrowth occurred in three cases, and a slight (about 1 mm) recurrence occurred in one case. The limbal donor site showed the presence of mild depressions without the formation of pseudopterygium. CONCLUSION Transplantation of human amniotic membrane with a limbal autograft appears to be a promising surgical treatment for reconstructing the ocular surface in patients with recurrent pterygium associated with symblepharon.


We have examined the ability of insulin to regulate insulin action in primary cultured adipocytes, and found that insulin induces progressive insulin resistance in this target tissue. To assess effects at both receptor and postreceptor sites, we cultured cells in the absence (control) and presence of 100 ng/ml insulin, and, after various times, measured the dose response of insulin's ability to bind cell-surface receptors and stimulate 2-deoxyglucose transport. In control cells, insulin binding (0.2 ng/ml) was increased 10–13% due to an apparent increase in receptor affinity (6–24 h). A comparable increase in affinity was also observed in treated cells; however, concomitantly, insulin decreased the number of cell-surface receptors causing a slowly progressive net decrease in binding after a 6– 10-h lag (maximal 30% at 24 h). When insulin action was assessed in control cells, the functional consequence of increased receptor binding was hypersensitization (i.e., increased insulin sensitivity) manifested by a leftward shift in the 2-deoxyglucose dose-response curve. On the other hand, in the treated cells, insulin produced insulin resistance initially by decreasing insulin sensitivity. The ED50 for insulin stimulation of glucose transport increased 84% from 0.31 to 0.57 ng/ml at 6 h without a net change in insulin binding; this was the result of a decrease in coupling efficiency between occupied receptors and the insulin effect. Receptor uncoupling progressively increased in severity, but before the full effect was reached insulin also caused a rapid decline in maximally stimulated glucose transport rates (between 6 and 10 h). This decrease in insulin responsiveness (maximal 52%) exacerbated overall insulin resistance, and was indicative of a postreceptor defect in the glucose transport system. Finally, insulin-induced receptor downregulation contributed, along with uncoupling, to a further decrease in insulin sensitivity, and constituted a more long-term regulatory mechanism. We also observed that insulin could regulate the basal glucose transport system by preventing a progressive rise in basal transport observed in control cells. In conclusion, primary cultured adipocytes can be used to study long-term regulation of insulin action. We found that insulin induces progressive insulin resistance with sequential effects at multiple sites in the insulin action pathway, including decreased coupling efficiency between occupied receptors and stimulated glucose transport, a postreceptor defect in insulin responsiveness of the glucose transport system, and receptor downregulation. These mechanisms may be relevant to the cellular defects in insulin action present in clinical states of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia.


The total and dry body weight treated larvae of Aedes aegypti was significantly decreased at different time intervals under investigation (6, 12, 24, and 48 hrs) post-treatment with LC30 of Bt subsp. Kurstaki HD-1. The body water content was decreased significantly at 6 hrs post-treatment, while it was highly significant at the three other treatments. Also hemolymph volume was significantly decreased. A significant increase in hemolymph density was observed only at 12 hrs post treatment. The main of the total hemocyte count in the treated larvae at all inspected time was highly significant increased, also there was a marked variation in the hemocytes percentage of untreated and treated larvae of Aedes eagypti at time intervals. [Zakia, A.Gamal and Faten, F. Abuldahab. Physiological Studies on the Aedes eagypti larvae Culicidae, Diptera. Life Science Journal 2012; 9(1):844-849]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com.122 Key word: hemolymph, hemocytes, Aedes aegypti,hemolymph density,blood count,


We quantify the causal link between exchange rate movements and sovereign risk of 16 major emerging market economies (EMEs) by means of structural vector autoregressive models (SVARs) using data from 10/2004 through 12/2016. We apply a novel data based identification approach of the structural shocks that allows to account for the complex interrelations within the triad of exchange rates, sovereign risks and interest rates. We find that the direction and size of the response of sovereign risk to FX rate movements depend on the type of exchange rate measure we look at and on the size of the net foreign currency exposure of an economy. A depreciation of the domestic currency against the USD increases sovereign risk. In contrast, a depreciation of the effective exchange rate turns out to have only a significant effect on sovereign risk for countries with large negative net foreign currency exposures of the private sector. In this case, a depreciation of the NEER also induces an increase in sovereign risk. We conclude that the `financial channel' is more important in the transmission of exchange rate shocks to sovereign risk in comparison with the traditional `net trade channel'.


Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the subclinical vestibular dysfunction of patients with vestibular migraine (VM) in the interattack period who had no vestibular symptoms. We assessed ascending utricular and descending saccular pathways using cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP) in patients with VM and a healthy control group and then compared the electrophysiologic findings with each other. Materials and Methods: Between January 2017 and January 2018, 116 patients (aged 18–62 years) were enrolled in the study. The study group consisted of 68 women with VM and the control group comprised 48 healthy women. Results: For cVEMP findings, the mean left ear P1 latency of the VM group was statistically significantly longer than that of the control group (P = 0.024; P < 0.05). No statistical significance was found in left ear N1 latency, P1-N1 interpeak intervals and mean amplitudes between the VM and the control groups (P > 0.05). Amplitude asymmetry ratios (AARs) were not statistically significantly different between the two groups in cVEMP (P > 0.05). In terms of oVEMP findings, no statistically significant difference was found in the right ear parameters of N1, P1, P1-N1 intervals, and amplitudes of the VM and the control groups (P > 0.05). The left ear oVEMPs of the VM group showed absent responses in 12 cases and were statistically significant compared with the control group (P = 0.037; P < 0.05). The AARs were significantly greater for the the VM group than the control group in oVEMP (P = 0.006; P < 0.05). Conclusion: These electrophysiologic findings suggest that peripheral vestibular structures such as the utricle, saccule and also other central vestibular structures might be affected in VM. Patients with VM had subclinical vestibular dysfunction despite being in the interattack period. To support the diagnosis of VM, VEMPs are easy and cost-effective tests.


EBAUCHE
I have been reading Nana by Emile Zola for some time now, over a number of years. Zola's novel, his 'true story of the demi-monde', was published in instalments, first appearing in October 1879 in Le Voltaire. The definitive version in book form was published on 15 February by Charpentier. I read and I re-read the book, in both French and English. I digest the book, condensing it, organising it into themes, appearances; yes, I assimilate it. I read (one might say perform) my assimilations, and I have danced one, according to Jean-Luc Godard's film version, inviting others to join me. Some parts of my reading have been published in instalments. Herein they are assembled, a whole novel that is largely incomplete, as Nana or Nana slips from the grasp. Her value lies in that she can be exchanged. Her value lies in that another has had her. Her body has useful qualities, and these qualities are also of value. Nana or Nana is of value because she has been used; her potential for use is realised and finely calibrated. The cleavage between her use and exchange is less clearly demarcated. She eludes possession, no matter how many times she is had, no matter how many times it is read. There is no portrait of her, though Manet paints one which or who is like her. A horse is named for her, described in more detail than she. I take it upon myself to depict her, to speak for her and as her: a woman who is a book, a book that is a woman.


Treatment of pathological fear typically involves exposure to the feared stimulus. This procedure is effective in reducing fear in the short term. However, many patients relapse, i.e. show a return of fear. The present thesis explored a novel route to counter the renewal of fear. Previous research has shown that exposure-based treatments result in inhibition of the fear memory (i.e., the association between a stimulus and its catastrophic consequence), and that a weakening of the fear memory is associated with a reduction in fear renewal. That is, if a person will come to evaluate the fear memory less negatively, then its (re)activation evokes a less intense fear response. Another line of previous research has shown that making eye movements during recall of an aversive memory causes a less negative evaluation of that memory. Specifically, the 'dual task' reduces memory vividness and emotionality, and this technique is widely used in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Hence, we hypothesized that making eye movements during recall of a fear memory results in fear renewal attenuation. Multiple laboratory experiments in healthy participants were conducted to test these hypotheses. Findings are that making eye movements during recall of an aversive memory reduces the self-reported vividness and emotionality of the memory, and that these reductions are maintained at a 24 hr follow-up test. Next, we showed that the dual task is associated with lower levels of self-reported fear and less return of fear after extinction. We further elucidated that whereas fear reduction via violation of threat expectancies is associated with fear renewal, fear reduction via a reevaluation of the catastrophic outcome is not. Given that the eye movement intervention primarily focusses on the latter pathway, this suggests further that the dual task is a potentially useful technique for the attenuation of fear renewal. The results of a final experiment suggest that therapists should be careful when determining what memory features are recalled during the eye movement intervention. For example, after a violent attack, a person may recall the moment a knife was put to the neck, but also contextual stimuli such as the appearance of the perpetrator. Findings are that the blurring of a danger cue representation (e.g., the face of a perpetrator) reduces discriminability between this danger cue and perceptually similar stimuli (e.g., faces of other persons), and thereby increases the generalization of fearful responding. To summarize, the laboratory experiments reported in this thesis provide preliminary support suggesting that blurring of aversive memory by dual-tasking may provide a novel route to the reduction of fear renewal.


Lagrangian particle-tracking models are a computationally intensive, but massively parallelizable method for investigating marine larval dispersal processes, seed dispersal of plants, or a variety of other material transport processes. In order to fully capture the distribution of potential dispersal patterns, highly efficient models with the capacity to simulate tens of millions or more particles are needed. Traditionally, this goal has been achieved using models written in Fortran and parallelized using Message Passing Interface (MPI). This project is an investigation of a variety of techniques for parallelizing Lagrangian particle-tracking models, including using MPI, OpenMP, and graphics processing units (GPUs). This report summarizes the implementation of each parallelization strategy, compares the performance of each implementation, and concludes with suggestions for further development that could be done on this model.


Pro ASP.NET Web API shows you how to build flexible, extensible web services that run seamlessly on a range of operating systems and devices, from desktops to tablets to smart phoneseven the ones we dont know today. ASP.NET Web API is a new framework designed to simplify web service architecture. So if you're tired of interoperability issues between inflexible web services and clients tied to specific platforms or programming languages, or if you've ever struggled with WCF, this book is for you. To start with, you'll get up to speed on Web API's modern HTTP programming model, REST and your hosting options. You'll then dive into building a real application over a series of three chapters,so you canget an immediate feel for how this technology works in practice. The second half of the book features dedicated chapters on topics like routing, controllers, validation and tracing, and the authors close with discussions on performance, hosting and an all-important look at unit testing to help you prepare your application for the real world. ASP.NET Web API makes HTTP a first-class citizen of .NET. With Pro ASP.NET Web API, you can build HTTP-based web services for your company or business, expose your data to the world across different formats and devices and gain the best possible global reach for your application. What youll learn The basics of HTTP web services How to build HTTP-based web services on the .NET platform In-depth knowledge of ASP.NET Web API and its processing architecture How to Unit Test an ASP.NET Web API application Asynchronous programming with ASP.NET Web API Consuming HTTP-based web services across several different clients Who this book is for Whether youve previously worked with WCF or are an ASP.NET developer diving into web services for the first time, Pro ASP.NET Web API will show youa clean, modern approach to building HTTP web services. Table of Contents Introduction to ASP.NET Web API Introduction to Asynchronous Programming in .NET HTTP, REST, and Hypermedia HttpClient Sample Application: Application Structure and Domain Model Sample Application: Building the Web API Sample Application: Building the Wrapper and Web Client Routing Controllers and Actions Message Handlers Filters Media Type Formatters and Model Binding Input Validation Dependency Resolution Unit Testing and Integration Testing Optimization and Performance Hosting Tracing, Logging, and API Documentation


This paper examines the sustainability of recruitment in the United Nations (UN), the largest global inter-governmental organization working on sustainable development. It investigates the sustainability of UN recruitment on three main dimensions: remuneration and job stability; meritocracy and fairness; cost and efficiency, with the data from recent vacancy advertisements of two UN specialized agencies. The analytical results suggest that being different from the existing knowledge of UN recruitment, the job stability in UN as shown by the data is higher due to the large proportion of staff vacancies and long-term job contracts. The remunerations to UN job incumbents are high, not only because of the widely-known attractive packages which are provided referring to the highest remuneration levels of national civil service, but also due to the subsidies of working in hardship places. Also, it is found that UN specialized agencies have developed detailed competency frameworks for recruitment to ensure the meritocracy. However, due to the essential monitoring procedures, UN recruitment is often lengthy and costly. Therefore, in the dilemma of meritocracy, fairness, and efficiency in recruitment, efficiency is not highly emphasized in UN recruitment practice, in comparison with meritocracy and fairness. Practical recommendations for improving sustainability of UN recruitment are provided, but more evidence and implications are to be provided by future research.
Key Words: United Nations; Recruitment; Sustainability; Meritocracy; Efficiency


Infrastructures facilitate economic growth, protect human health and the environment and promote welfare and prosperity. Modern societies, therefore, rely heavily on continuous and reliable services provided critical infrastructure. Destruction to the infrastructure can lead to severe economic and social impacts and can also lead to loss of lives. To further complicate matters, modern infrastructures operate as a 'system of systems' with many interactions and interdependencies among these systems. Thus damage in one infrastructure system can cascade and result in failures and cascading effects onto all related and dependent infrastructures. To minimise such damages and impacts, it is vital to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure. This paper intends to present a resilience framework for critical infrastructure. Firstly a resilience definition has been established by reviewing the existing definitions. Then existing resilience frameworks were analysed to identity the suitable components for the proposed framework for critical infrastructure. Finally a layered approach framework has been developed to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure. The framework was developed based on comprehensive literature review. It was further validated with stakeholder feedback sessions. The framework consists of 4 layers that are independent and interdependent. Climatic hazards including current and future climate change, infrastructure, their networks and interdependencies, risks and impacts and capacities are the main layers. Each layer will have its unique features and its relationships with other layers. Climatic hazards will contribute to increased risks and impacts. Critical infrastructure is more vulnerable when exposed to climate hazard and uncertainty of climate change and will lead to risks and impacts. The capacities will help to determine the resilience level and will help to reduce the risks and impact. The framework serves as a diagnostic model to determine the existing resilience level of critical infrastructure and to improve the resilience by making necessary changes to the layers.


The late Paleozoic archives the greatest glaciation of the Phanerozoic. Whereas high-latitude Gondwanan strata preserve widespread evidence for continental ice, the Permo-Carboniferous tropics have long been considered analogous to today9s: warm and shielded from the high-latitude cold. Here, we report on glacial and periglacial indicators that record episodes of freezing continental temperatures in western equatorial Pangaea. An exhumed glacial valley and associated deposits record direct evidence for glaciation that extended to low paleoelevations in the ancestral Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, the Permo-Carboniferous archives the only known occurrence of widespread tropical loess in Earth9s history; the volume, chemistry, and provenance of this loess(ite) is most consistent with glacial derivation. Together with emerging indicators for cold elsewhere in low-latitude Pangaea, these results suggest that tropical climate was not buffered from the high latitudes and may record glacial-interglacial climate shifts of very large magnitude. Coupled climate–ice sheet model simulations demonstrate that low atmospheric CO 2 and solar luminosity alone cannot account for such cold, and that other factors must be considered in attempting to explain this "best-known" analogue to our present Earth.


A major problem with most contemporary social studies textbook series is that they cannot see the forest for the trees. Instead of being designed to accomplish major, long-term goals that reflect the purpose of social education, they have been constructed to cover long lists of topics and skills found in state and district curriculum guidelines. Frequently not only the content but even the stated goals in these series are trite. As a result, they are long on isolated facts and skills, but short on integration and application of social learning. The authors advocate honoring major social education goals, not just in theory but in practice, and offer examples of what this might mean in a primary-grade unit on shelter as a basic human need and in a fifth-grade U.S. history unit on the American Revolution. They conclude with a list of principles that might guide attempts to focus social studies instruction more clearly around major social education goals. An 11-item list of references is included. (Author/DB) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *******************************.***************************************


Records of patent Ancylostoma braziliense infections in man have been reviewed by Stoll (1947) and Biocca (1951). Biocca's studies indicated that A. ceylanicum, generally regarded as a synonym of A. braziliense, is a valid species which in some parts of the world is a relatively frequent intestinal parasite of man, whereas the occurrence of A. braziliense in the intestine of man will require further proof. A. braziliense in a Texas boy, reported by Dove (1928, 1932), was accepted by Stoll as a verified record, and is the only such report of human infection in North America.
Dove's report was based chiefly on the following observations:
(1) Between September, 1927 and February, 1928, larvae cultured from a boy's stool were inoculated into three "clean" kittens and one pup. Worms later removed from these animals were identified as Ancylostoma braziliense. These findings were regarded as proof that the boy harbored an intestinal infection of A. braziliense.


For several years, Jordan has been working in building and improving its e-government infra structure. As a result, there have been some improvements in the position of Jordan e-government relative to the worldsâ?? e-governments (according to some reports). However, some metrics and statistics about the online users do not indicate that there is a large percent of Jordanian citizens who are using or utilizing e-government websites. This research tries to evaluate the progresses and weaknesses in those websites. It also focuses on the lack of local certificate authorities in Jordan as one of the major factors that is limiting the overall online business and activities in Jordan. There are few websites in Jordan that are certified (by international third parties). This forces those websites to outsource trust to third international parties. Digital certificates are one of the major required parts for building an infrastructure for the e-government in particular and the e-business in general.


The Myc oncoproteins belong to a family of transcription factors composed by Myc, N-Myc and L-Myc. The most studied components of this family are Myc and N-Myc because their expressions are frequently deregulated in a wide range of cancers. These oncoproteins can act both as activators or repressors of gene transcription. As activators, they heterodimerize with Max (Myc associated X-factor) and the heterodimer recognizes and binds a specific sequence elements (E-Box) onto gene promoters recruiting histone acetylase and inducing transcriptional activation.
Myc-mediated transcriptional repression is a quite debated issue. One of the first mechanisms defined for the Myc-mediated transcriptional repression consisted in the interaction of Myc-Max complex Sp1 and/or Miz1 transcription factors already bound to gene promoters. This interaction may interfere with their activation functions by recruiting co-repressors such as Dnmt3 or HDACs. Moreover, in the absence of , Myc may interfere with the Sp1 activation function by direct interaction and subsequent recruitment of HDACs. More recently the Myc/Max complex was also shown to mediate transcriptional repression by direct binding to peculiar E-box.
In this study we analyzed the role of Myc overexpression in Osteosarcoma and Neuroblastoma oncogenesis and the mechanisms underling to Myc function.
Myc overexpression is known to correlate with chemoresistance in Osteosarcoma cells. We extended this study by demonstrating that c-Myc induces transcription of a panel of ABC drug transporter genes. ABCs are a large family trans-membrane transporter deeply involved in multi drug resistance. Furthermore expression levels of Myc, ABCC1, ABCC4 and ABCF1 were proved to be important prognostic tool to predict conventional therapy failure.
N-Myc amplification/overexpression is the most important prognostic factor for Neuroblastoma. Cyclin G2 and Clusterin are two genes often down regulated in neuroblastoma cells. Cyclin G2 is an atypical member of Cyclin family and its expression is associated with terminal differentiation and apoptosis. Moreover it blocks cell cycle progression and induces cell growth arrest. Instead, CLU is a multifunctional protein involved in many physiological and pathological processes. Several lines of evidences support the view that CLU may act as a tumour suppressor in Neuroblastoma.
In this thesis I showed that N-Myc represses CCNG2 and CLU transcription by different mechanisms.
• N-Myc represses CCNG2 transcription by directly interacting with Sp1 bound in CCNG2 promoter and recruiting HDAC2. Importantly, reactivation of CCNG2 expression through epigenetic drugs partially reduces N-Myc and HDAC2 mediated cell proliferation.
• N-Myc/Max complex represses CLU expression by direct binding to a peculiar E-box element on CLU promoter and by recruitment of HDACs and Polycomb Complexes, to the CLU promoter.
Overall our findings strongly support the model in which Myc overexpression/amplification may contribute to some aspects of oncogenesis by a dual action: i) transcription activation of genes that confer a multidrug resistant phenotype to cancer cells; ii), transcription repression of genes involved in cell cycle inhibition and cellular differentiation.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the abundance and preservation state of the tests of Hoeglundina elegans , with the goal to propose a new preservation index for deep-sea sediments. In seawater, aragonite is more soluble than calcite; the benthic foraminiferal species H. elegans produces aragonitic tests, thereby providing potential proxies for subtle variations in carbonate preservation. Using two proxies based on H. elegans , as well as three other carbonate-dissolution proxies, we interpret the main drivers of carbonate dissolution in the western South Atlantic Ocean from a core, GL-854 (water depth 2220 m) from the western South Atlantic Ocean, Santos Basin.

The H. elegans (>150 μm) abundance and the HelP Index ( Hoeglundina elegans Preservation Index), based on five test-preservation degrees, were assessed to determine the state of aragonite preservation. Images were taken using SEM to demonstrate each degree of preservation and to observe the ultrastructural breakdown of the tests' walls. The other parameters determined were planktonic foraminiferal Fragmentation Index (FI), %CaCO3 and sand fraction (>63 μm). The H. elegans abundance, HelP Index, and sand fraction correlated positively, and those proxies correlated inversely with the FI. The weakest correlations were between %CaCO3, and the other proxies. Subtle differences in proxy responses were consistent with specific stages of carbonate dissolution, ranging from the aragonite lysocline to the Calcite Compensation Depth. The results revealed alternating modes of high and low carbonate preservation throughout the core and the primary driver of carbonate dissolution appeared to be variation in the aragonite saturation state influenced by circulation-induced changes in water masses. The carbonate dissolution observed in specific intervals, probably due to shoaling of the Aragonite Compensation Depth, suggests a mixing zone with more corrosive southern-sourced water and less corrosive northern-sourced water at the depth where the core was located.


Bow shocks are ubiquitous astrophysical phenomena resulting from the supersonic passage of an object through a gas. Recently, pre-transit absorption in UV metal transitions of the hot Jupiter (HJ) exoplanets HD 189733b and WASP12-b have been interpreted as being caused by material compressed in a planetary bow shock. Here we present a robust detection of a time-resolved pre-transit, as well as in-transit absorption signature around the HJ exoplanet HD 189733b using high spectral resolution observations of several hydrogen Balmer lines. The line shape of the pre-transit feature and the shape of the timeseries absorption provide the strongest constraints on the morphology and physical characteristics of extended structures around an exoplanet. The in-transit measurements confirm the previous exospheric Hα detection, although the absorption depth measured here is ∼50% lower. The pre-transit absorption feature occurs 125 minutes before the predicted optical transit, a projected linear distance from the planet to the stellar disk of 7.2 Rp. The absorption strength observed in the Balmer lines indicates an optically thick, but physically small, geometry. We model this signal as the early ingress of a planetary bow shock. If the bow shock is mediated by a planetary magnetosphere, the large standoff distance derived from the model suggests a large planetary magnetic field strength of Beq = 28 G. Better knowledge of exoplanet magnetic field strengths is crucial to understanding the role these fields play in planetary evolution and the potential development of life on planets in the habitable zone.


The glycine receptor chloride channel (GlyR) is a member of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor family of ligand-gated ion channels. Functional receptors of this family comprise five subunits and are important targets for neuroactive drugs. The GlyR is best known for mediating inhibitory neurotransmission in the spinal cord and brain stem, although recent evidence suggests it may also have other physiological roles, including excitatory neurotransmission in embryonic neurons. To date, four alpha-subunits (alpha1 to alpha4) and one beta-subunit have been identified. The differential expression of subunits underlies a diversity in GlyR pharmacology. A developmental switch from alpha2 to alpha1beta is completed by around postnatal day 20 in the rat. The beta-subunit is responsible for anchoring GlyRs to the subsynaptic cytoskeleton via the cytoplasmic protein gephyrin. The last few years have seen a surge in interest in these receptors. Consequently, a wealth of information has recently emerged concerning GlyR molecular structure and function. Most of the information has been obtained from homomeric alpha1 GlyRs, with the roles of the other subunits receiving relatively little attention. Heritable mutations to human GlyR genes give rise to a rare neurological disorder, hyperekplexia (or startle disease). Similar syndromes also occur in other species. A rapidly growing list of compounds has been shown to exert potent modulatory effects on this receptor. Since GlyRs are involved in motor reflex circuits of the spinal cord and provide inhibitory synapses onto pain sensory neurons, these agents may provide lead compounds for the development of muscle relaxant and peripheral analgesic drugs.


Abstract. In 2008 the temporal focus of the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project was expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29–2.97 million years ago). This project is referred to as PlioMIP (Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project). Two experiments have been agreed upon and comprise phase 1 of PlioMIP. The first (Experiment 1) will be performed with atmosphere-only climate models. The second (Experiment 2) will utilise fully coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed model intercomparison project description which documents the experimental design in a more detailed way than has previously been done in the literature. Specifically, this paper describes the experimental design and boundary conditions that will be utilised for Experiment 1 of PlioMIP.


72 1024x768 Various studies stated that the increase concentration of fluoride in toothpastes leads to the reduction of calcium loss in enamel. Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the difference between the effect of 1300ppm fluoride with carrageenan toothpaste and 1000ppm fluoride only toothpaste on roughness and hardness of enamel surface. Methods: Enamel specimens were obtained from 30 extracted human premolars. The enamel specimens were randomly assigned to one of the three groups, 1300ppm fluoride with carrageenan toothpaste, 1000ppm fluoride only toothpaste and toothpaste with no fluoride as a negative control. The samples were immersed in 1% citric acid with pH 4 for 150 seconds for demineralization, afterwards exposed to each toothpaste for 6 minutes. Results: The results demonstrated that toothpaste with 1300ppm fluoride with carregeenan has two times greater efficacy in triggering remineralization than toothpaste with 1000ppm fluoride only, with regards to surface roughness and hardness recovery in an in vitro caries model. Conclusion: The results suggested that treatment of enamel with toothpaste containing 1300ppm fluoride with carrageenan has high potential in inducing remineralization on enamel. DOI: 10.14693/jdi.v20i1.125


Title of Dissertation: BAYESIAN APPROACHES TO LEARNING FROM DATA HOW TO UNTANGLE THE TRAVEL BEHAVIOR AND LAND USE RELATIONSHIPS Marco Giovanni Scuderi, 2005 Dissertation Directed By: Dr. Kelly Clifton, Department of Urban Studies and Planning The body of research on land use and travel behavior relationships reaches widely different conclusions with results varying even when considering a single author. The hypothesis of this research is that these differences arise, in part, from the fact that the vast majority of these studies do not address all the theoretical travel behavior tenets and are therefore ad-hoc in nature. An inductive approach to the study of the relationships between land use and travel behavior, prior to carrying out traditional deductive studies, can help improve the outcomes by providing an opportunity to identify and test such relationships. With data sourced from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey Add-On, supplemented with local land use data, this study uses heuristic search algorithms to evaluate relationships hidden in the data without these being framed, a priori, by specific statistical constructs. Bayesian scoring is used to evaluate and compare the results from actual data collected for the Baltimore Metropolitan Area with the set of predominant conceptual frameworks linking travel behavior and land use obtained from the literature. Results show that socioeconomic factors and land use characteristics act in a nested fashion, one in which socioeconomic factors do not influence travel behavior independently of land use characteristics. The land use travel behavior connection is specifically strong only for particular combinations of socioeconomic characteristics and a land use mix which includes both moderate residential densities and a significant amount of commercial opportunities. The study also finds that the heuristic search approach to derive relationships between land use and travel behavior does work, that this technique needs to be fine tuned for the proper use of spatially explicit data, and that although the research outputs are an unbiased representation of the land use travel behavior relationships, they need proper interpretation, especially in light of persisting theoretical questions still driving this research field. The study concludes that an inductive approach to the analysis of the relationships between land use and travel behavior provides valuable knowledge of the data that can be used to better formulate deductive studies, so that the two methodologies are complementary to each other. BAYESIAN APPROACHES TO LEARNING FROM DATA HOW TO UNTANGLE THE TRAVEL BEHAVIOR AND LAND USE RELATIONSHIPS


Using current methodologies, drug delivery to small airways, terminal bronchioles, and alveoli (deep lung) is inefficient, especially to the lower lungs. Urgent lung pathologies such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and post-lung transplantation complications are difficult to treat, in part due to the methodological limitations in targeting the deep lung with high efficiency drug distribution to the site of pathology. To overcome drug delivery limitations inhibiting the optimization of deep lung therapy, isolated rat Sertoli cells preloaded with chitosan nanoparticles were use to obtain a high-density distribution and concentration (92%) of the nanoparticles in the lungs of mice by way of the peripheral venous vasculature rather than the more commonly used pulmonary route. Additionally, Sertoli cells were preloaded with chitosan nanoparticles coupled with the anti-inflammatory compound curcumin and then injected intravenously into control or experimental mice with deep lung inflammation. By 24 h postinjection, most of the curcumin load (~90%) delivered in the injected Sertoli cells was present and distributed throughout the lungs, including the perialveloar sac area in the lower lungs. This was based on the high-density, positive quantification of both nanoparticles and curcumin in the lungs. There was a marked positive therapeutic effect achieved 24 h following curcumin treatment delivered by this Sertoli cell nanoparticle protocol (SNAP). Results identify a novel and efficient protocol for targeted delivery of drugs to the deep lung mediated by extratesticular Sertoli cells. Utilization of SNAP delivery may optimize drug therapy for conditions such as ARDS, status asthmaticus, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, and complications following lung transplantation where the use of high concentrations of anti-inflammatory drugs is desirable, but often limited by risks of systemic drug toxicity.


The article discusses the abundance and interaction of rules aimed at determining the law applicable to cross-border consumer contracts. Firstly, it examines whether there is a continuing need for conflict-of-laws rules that stem from consumer-related directives. It then addresses the question of whether the Estonian Law of Obligations Act's conflict-of-laws rules comply with the consumer-related directives. Lastly, the relations between the conflict‑of‑laws rules stemming from consumer-related directives and the Rome I Regulation are analysed. The authors conclude that the level of consumer protection afforded by Rome I seems to allow for a waiver of the various simultaneously existing directive-based conflict rules. Such renunciation would not only resolve the issue of inaccurate transposition to national laws – an apparent problem for the Estonian legislator as well – but also contribute to legal certainty. While the conflict-of-laws rules of Rome I and the national directive-based rules coexist, the latter are to be considered subordinately to Rome I. The conflict rules of the Estonian Law of Obligations Act are deemed to be only domestically mandatory and therefore not to be viewed as overriding mandatory rules in the sense of Article 9 of Rome I.


Large, high-resolution displays demonstrated their effectiveness in lab settings for cognitively demanding tasks in single user and collaborative scenarios. The effectiveness is mostly reached through inherent displays» properties - large display real estate and high resolution - that allow for visualization of complex datasets, and support of group work and embodied interaction. To raise users» efficiency, however, more sophisticated user support in the form of advanced user interfaces might be needed. For that we need profound understanding of how large, tiled displays impact users work and behavior. We need to extract behavioral patterns for different tasks and data types. This paper reports on study results of how users, while working collaboratively, process spatially fixed items on large, tiled displays. The results revealed a recurrent pattern showing that users prefer to process documents column wise rather than row wise or erratic.


The Passiflora L. genus covers a diversity of wild species with ornamental potential, especially due to the intrinsic beauty of its exotic flowers, flowering more than once a year and the lush foliage. However, Passiflora seeds present dormancy complicating seed germination and the establishment of commercial plant production with species with high ornamental potential. This study was conducted to determine the best pre-germination treatments to overcome seed dormancy for Passiflora quadrangularis, P. nitida, P. foetida, P. eichleriana, P. alata, P. cincinnata, P. mucronata, P. micropetala, P. suberosa, P. morifolia and P. tenuifila . The experimental design was completely randomized, with five treatments and four replicates, with 25 seeds per plot. Pre-germination treatments were: seeds soaked in 1,000 mg L- 1 GA3 (gibberellic acid) for 6 hours, seeds soaked in 0.2 % KNO3 (potassium nitrate) for 24 hours, seeds soaked in 1 % KNO3 for 24 hours, partial seedcoat scarification with sandpaper number 120 and control (seeds untreated). Percentage of germination, germination velocity index and radicle length were evaluated for all species. The results showed that GA3 was effective to overcome seed dormancy in P. suberosa (86%), P. morifolia (68 %) and P. tenuifila (54%). KNO3 1% had significant effect on overcoming dormancy in seeds of P. eichleriana (66%) and scarification with sandpaper increased seed germination of P. micropetala (38%).


Cleaning is an essential step to ensure the safe processing of reusable medical devices. In recent years, national and international standards and guidelines have matured to define scientifically sound analytical requirements to define endpoints for cleaning. Although these requirements can be based on what is practically achievable in clinical practice, it is important to ensure that cleaning endpoints are scientifically based to ensure patient safety. The impact of protein cleaning endpoint concentrations at or greater than 6.4 μg/cm2, the current recommended cleaning level, in posing a toxicity or immune risk to patients has not previously been evaluated. This study investigated the impact of residual protein levels on patient toxicity and concluded that an acceptable level of protein in cleaning efficacy studies to be in the 3-6.4 μg/cm2 range.


The cross-spectral density matrixes of electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model sources that are completely unpolarized or completely polarized are derived. We find that both the completely unpolarized stochastic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam and the completely polarized stochastic electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model beam will keep their spectral degree of polarization or become partially polarized under different constraint conditions during their propagation in free space or through turbulent atmosphere. We give necessary theoretical explanation to the physical phenomena. They are considered as coherence-induced polarization changes and spectral density-induced polarization changes.


This thesis studies the effects of gas ambients on the electrical properties of the insulator-semiconductor interface of a MIS capacitor. A microcomputer-controlled instrumentation system has been developed to extract this information from measurement of the a.c. admittance of MOS or MIS devices. The system incorporates several novel developments in circuitry and software which enable these admittance data to be automatically collected and processed in the frequency domain by remote recalibration of the instrumentation. This advancement permits interface state density information to be calculated more quickly and accurately than has been previously possible using manually-operated equipment. The system has been used to investigate the influence of gases on the density of interface states in a MIS capacitor, in particular the palladium/silicon dioxide/silicon structure which is sensitive to hydrogen gas. A distinct change in the distribution of surface state density across the silicon bandgap has been observed upon exposure to a hydrogen ambient. An alternative insulating layer, an organic Langmuir-Blodgett film multilayer of ω-tricosenoic acid, has been characterised and examined, and increased sensitivity of this structure to hydrogen gas has been indicated.


Print of a watercolor painting by Walter Ernest Webster. Wa woman (ballerina) sits on a balcony railing while a young man with his arm resting on railing stares upward at her. The woman wears a large flouncing skirt, or tutu and ballet slippers in white. She clutches a blue shawl around her. He hair is blonde and rather short. The man wears a red coat. In the background are flowers, trees and architectural features. On the floor is a bouquet of red flowers.


Behavioral finance is a powerful tool when used effectively by investors and financial advisers. Although this usefulness is generally accepted in theory, the practical value of behavioral advice to investors has not been quantified to a large degree. The article provides a quantitative analysis of behavioral mistakes using a fictional case study of a private family that is making two key behavioral mistakes: loss aversion and mental accounting. First, these biases are explained, with examples. Next, the case study illustrates and quantifies investment losses due to behavioral mistakes. The key conclusion of the case study is that making behavioral mistakes causes investors to forgo returns, and this loss of return can be significant. However, if advisers and investors can recognize and correct behavioral mistakes, recouping or avoiding these gains is possible; these losses are not necessary. In sum, the value of behavioral advice is significant. TOPICS: Wealth management, long-term/retirement investing


Introduction: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment and dementia than healthy older adults. The aim of this study was to investigate smoking history as a risk factor for cognitive decline in PD. Method: One hundred thirty-nine PD patients aged 50 years and older (Hoehn and Yahr = 1–3) were recruited from a clinical database. Global cognitive function was assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and smoking history was investigated as part of a standard clinical interview. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to develop a model for predicting participants' MMSE scores from age, education, Hoehn and Yahr stage, disease duration, the number of vascular risk factors and the number of smoking pack-years. Results: The regression model significantly accounted for 22.9% of the variance in MMSE scores. Significant predictors were education (β = .312, p < .001), age (β = −.215, p = .013) and total smoking pack-years (β = −.180, p = .029). In former smokers, the number of years since quitting had no effect on global cognition and there were no significant difference between patients who had quit smoking more than 10 years ago and those who had quit less than 10 years ago, F(1, 63) = 1.72, p = .195. Conclusion: Smoking history was associated to global cognitive impairment in PD even in patients who had quit smoking. These results are in line with findings in healthy older adults that have linked smoking to cognitive impairment, global brain atrophy and functional changes. Future studies should consider a broader assessment of cognitive functions.


BACKGROUND: Short bowel patients with a jejunostomy have large volume stomal outputs, which may in part be due to rapid gastric emptying of liquid. Short bowel patients with a preserved colon do not have such a high stool output and gastric emptying of liquid is normal. AIMS: To determine if differences in the gastric emptying rate between short bowel patients with and without a colon can be related to gastrointestinal hormone changes after a meal. SUBJECTS: Seven short bowel patients with no remaining colon (jejunal length 30-160 cm) and six with jejunum in continuity with a colon (jejunal length 25-75 cm), and 12 normal subjects. METHODS: The subjects all consumed a 640 kcal meal; blood samples were taken for 180 minutes for measurement of gastrointestinal hormones. RESULTS: Patients with a colon had high fasting peptide YY values (median 71 pmol/l with a colon; 11 pmol/l normal subjects, p < 0.005) with a normal postprandial rise, but those without a colon had a low fasting (median 7 pmol/l, p = 0.076) and a reduced postprandial peptide YY response (p < 0.050). Motilin values were high in some patients without a colon. In both patient groups fasting and postprandial gastrin and cholecystokinin values were high while neurotensin values were low. There were no differences between patient groups and normal subjects in enteroglucagon, pancreatic polypeptide, or somatostatin values. CONCLUSIONS: Low peptide YY values in short bowel patients without a colon may cause rapid gastric emptying of liquid. High values of peptide YY in short bowel patients with a retained colon may slow gastric emptying of liquid and contribute to the "colonic brake'.


Image segmentation is one of the most common steps in digital image processing. The area many image segmentation algorithms (e.g., thresholding, edge detection, and region growing) employed for classifying a digital image into different segments. In this connection, finding a suitable algorithm for medical image segmentation is a challenging task due to mainly the noise, low contrast, and steep light variations of medical images. Due to the inherently parallel nature of image segmentation algorithms, they suit well for implementation on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The main goal of this paper is to improve the performance of fuzzy c-means clustering through the parallel implementation of this algorithm. Although fuzzy c-means clustering is an important iterative clustering algorithm, it is computationally intensive and uses the same data between the iterations. The center of the clusters changes in each iteration, which requires a considerable amount of time for large data sets. The parallel fuzzy c-means clustering is implemented by applying pipeline parallelism on GPU. The experimental results show that the performance is improved up to 23.35x. Next, the watershed algorithm is applied to the final segmentation. In this paper using parallel fuzzy c-means clustering and computations we have attained competing results with other papers. The implementation results on the BRATS2015 show that the accuracy of diagnosis in Dice Similarity Coefficient metric 97/33% is obtained. This improvement is achieved using enhancing edges and reducing noises in images.


This report documents a demonstration of a software modeling tool from Romonet that was used to predict energy use and forecast energy use improvements in an operating data center. The demonstration was conducted in a conventional data center with a 15,500 square foot raised floor and an IT equipment load of 332 kilowatts. It was cooled using traditional computer room air handlers and a compressor-based chilled water system. The data center also utilized an uninterruptible power supply system for power conditioning and backup. Electrical energy monitoring was available at a number of locations within the data center. The software modeling tool predicted the energy use of the data center?s cooling and electrical power distribution systems, as well as electrical energy use and heat removal for the site. The actual energy used by the computer equipment was recorded from power distribution devices located at each computer equipment row. The model simulated the total energy use in the data center and supporting infrastructure and predicted energy use at energy-consuming points throughout the power distribution system. The initial predicted power levels were compared to actual meter readings and were found to be within approximately 10 percent at a particular measurement point, resulting in a site overall variance of 4.7 percent. Some variances were investigated, and more accurate information was entered into the model. In this case the overall variance was reduced to approximately 1.2 percent. The model was then used to predict energy use for various modification opportunities to the data center in successive iterations. These included increasing the IT equipment load, adding computer room air handler fan speed controls, and adding a water-side economizer. The demonstration showed that the software can be used to simulate data center energy use and create a model that is useful for investigating energy efficiency design changes.


Digital stabilization of unstable equilibria of linear systems may lead to small amplitude stochastic-like oscillations. We show that these vibrations can be related to a deterministic chaotic dynamics induced by sampling and quantization. A detailed analytical proof of chaos is presented for the case of a PD controlled oscillator: it is shown that there exists a finite attracting domain in the phase-space, the largest Lyapunov exponent is positive and the existence of a Smale horseshoe is also pointed out. The corresponding two-dimensional micro-chaos map is a multi-baker map, i.e. it consists of a finite series of baker's maps.


Sustainability, defined by natural scientists as the capacity of healthy ecosystems to function indefinitely, has become a clarion call for business. Leading companies have taken high-profile steps toward achieving it: Wal-Mart, for example, with its efforts to reduce packaging waste, and Nike, which has removed toxic chemicals from its shoes. But, says Unruh, the director of Thunderbird's Lincoln Center for Ethics in Global Management, sustainability is more than an endless journey of incremental steps. It is a destination, for which the biosphere of planet Earth--refined through billions of years of trial and error--is a perfect model. Unruh distills some lessons from the biosphere into three rules: Use a parsimonious palette. Managers can rethink their sourcing strategies and dramatically simplify the number and types of materials their companies use in production, making recycling cost-effective. After the furniture manufacturer Herman Miller discovered that its leading desk chair had 200 components made from more than 800 chemical compounds, it designed an award-winning successor whose far more limited materials palette is 96% recyclable. Cycle up, virtuously. Manufacturers should design recovery value into their products at the outset. Shaw Industries, for example, recycles the nylon fiber from its worn-out carpet into brand-new carpet tile. Exploit the power of platforms. Platform design in industry tends to occur at the component level--but the materials in those components constitute a more fundamental platform. Patagonia, by recycling Capilene brand performance underwear, has achieved energy costs 76% below those for virgin sourcing. Biosphere rules can teach companies how to build ecologically friendly products that both reduce manufacturing costs and prove highly attractive to consumers. And managers need not wait for a green technological revolution to implement them.


Skin cancer is a dangerous disease. Benign and malignant melanomas are one of the skin cancer diseases. Melanoma is a highly dangerous disease. It can be curable if it is detected early. Benign can be cured easily but malignant cannot be cured fastly. Benign and malignant melanoma appears in the early stages while differentiating them. Different methods have been used for differentiating them. Skin cancer can be detected in early stages by visualizing with clinical screening by dermoscopic analysis. Detecting automatically skin lesion is a typical task. Skin cancer symptoms are small blood vessels visible, thickened patch, ulcers and bleed. Skin cancer detected by capturing images with a skin magnifier with polarized light and diagnosed with deep learning classifier in which data augmentation and weights can be added to it. In this CNN classifier is used in which RESNET-50 and VGG-16 were used in which image were resized and weights were added and then the augmentation of the data can be done.


Phycocyanin is a pigment-protein complex synthesized by blue-green microalgae such as Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis. This pigment is used mainly as natural colouring in food industry. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential health benefits of this natural pigment. The price of phycocyanin is a vital factor that dictates its marketability. The cost of culturing the algae, particularly from the substrate used for growth, is one of the main factors that determine the price of phycocyanin. Another important factor is the growth yield of the algae. In our research, agricultural waste such as charcoal produced from rice husk was utilized for the algae cultivation to replace the synthetic chemicals such as urea and triple superphosphate used the mineral medium. The use of this low cost substrate increases the cell concentration by 60 % during 8 days' cultivation to reach 0.39 g/l. The phycocyanin extraction was performed using water at the different biomass-to-solvent ratio and shaking rates. The phycocyanin concentration and purity (A615/A280) obtained were 1.2 g/l and 0.3. These values are 40 % and 20 % lower than the value obtained from the algae produced using the synthetic chemicals. Further purification produced the extract purity required for food grade. The biomass-solvent ratio does not significantly affect the extract purity; however, the higher shaking rate during extraction reduces the purity. This finding demonstrates the potential of using rice husk as an alternative substrate to cultivate algae for phycocyanin extraction.