Background Small yet significant impacts of e-cigarettes on population smoking cessations rates indicate promise for harm reduction. However, non-smoking young people are increasingly experimenting with e-cigarettes, and while regular use remains rare, arguments for regulation have been driven by fears that e-cigarettes re-normalize smoking. Others counter that e-cigarettes may displace youth smoking and further de-normalize it. This study tests whether the secular decline in youth smoking prevalence, as well as perceived smoking norms, slowed or accelerated during the period from 2011–2015 (when e-cigarettes were emerging but prior to recent moves to regulate their use). Methods Data were taken from the Smoking Drinking and Drug Use survey in England, Health Behaviour in School Aged Children/School Health Research Network surveys in Wales, and the Scottish Adolescents Lifestyle and Substance Use Surveys between 1998 and 2015, including 247,515 13 and 15 year-old respondents. Segmented regression analyses examined trends for smoking prevalence (ever smoking and weekly smoking) and perceived smoking norms, testing for change in trend from 2011–15. Falsifiability checks examined change in trends for alcohol use and cannabis use for the same period. Results In final models for the whole sample, there was no change in rate of decline for ever smoking (OR=1.01; CI 0.99 to 1.03), with a marginally significant slowing in the rate of decline for weekly smoking (OR=1.04; CI 1.00 to 1.08). This slowing decline in weekly smoking was however limited to groups for whom rates were declining prior to 2010 at a rate which could not be sustained (i.e. girls and 13 year olds), and occurred in a greater magnitude for other substances, including cannabis use (OR=1.21, CI 1.18 to 1.25) and alcohol use (OR=1.17; CI 1.14 to 1.19). There was consistent evidence across all subgroups of an increased rate of decline in the percentage of young people saying that smoking is ok (OR=0.83; CI 0.81 to 0.86). Conclusion We found no evidence that the growing prevalence of e-cigarette use has led to increased experimentation with smoking, and some evidence that young people's perceptions against smoking as a normative behavior have hardened rather than softened. Although the decline in weekly smoking rates is slowing, this appears to reflect a floor effect and is of smaller magnitude than change in trend for other substances. While the idea that e-cigarettes renormalize smoking has been central to much policy debate surrounding regulation, these findings indicate no reason to believe that this renormalization is occurring.


The magnetocrystalline anisotroples of gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium and holmium have been investigated using a torque method. Measurements were made on single crystal oblate spheroids, the major planes of which contained either the hexagonal axis or the basal plane of the crystals. The torque magnetometer used automatically balanced the torque produced in the specimen by applying a current through a small coil suspended in a galvanometer magnet, the servoraechanism being provided by a light beam and photo cell amplifier system. Fourier analysis of the torque curves by computer provided values for the appropriate anisotropy constants. Torque measurements were made in the temperature range from 55 K to room temperature, and in applied magnetic field strengths up to 12.5 k0e. Because of the comparatively small field strengths available it was not possible to obtain any appreciable movement of the magnetisation from the basal plane in the cases of ferromagnetic Tb, Dy and Ho, and therefore no values could be assigned to the anisotropy constants. In the paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic temperature ranges the torque curves were described completely by one anisotropy constant K(_11), although the presence of strain In the specimen could greatly distort the curve. The anisotropy constant in the basal plane, K(_4), was measured for Gd, Tb and Dy. The easy directions in the basal plane were the a-axls for Gd, and the o-axls for Tb and Dy, although changes of easy direction were observed in Dy at temperatures where the anlsotropy was small. A torque measurement made in the basal plane of holmium just above the critical field showed twelvefold symmetry in the anisotropy energy, but the main energy minimum occurred at the b-axis. Comparison of the temperature variation of K(_4) with the prediction of Zener's theory was satisfactory only in the case of Gd. For torque measurements in the (lOIO) plane for antiferromagnetic Dy, the occurrence of ferromagnetism as a magnetic field larger than the critical value was rotated across the basal plane enabled the temperature variation of the critical field to be determined. The variation was found to be in agreement with other workers. Determinations of Ho showed a change of easy axis from the basal plane to the o-axis in the antiferromagnetic region, and back to the basal plane when the system became ferromagnetic. This behaviour contradicted neutron-diffraction measurements but is confirmed by magnetisation measurements. In the paramagnetic region a variation of K(_1) as H(^2)/(T-0)(^2) was established.


This paper is the first to study the distinct effects of Information Technologies (IT) and Communication Technologies (CT) on the skill, age, and age-skill composition of labour demand. The analysis is conducted on a sample comprising 10 developed countries, 30 industries covering the largest part of the economy, and the period 1982-2005. I find that IT intensity increases the relative demands for the high-skilled, low-skilled and oldest workers, while it decreases the relative demands for the medium-skilled and younger workers. Also, IT intensity increases the relative demands for the high-skilled and low-skilled of all age profiles, while it decreases the relative demands for the medium-skilled of all age profiles. CT intensity exerts opposite effects. Consistent with knowledge-based hierarchy theories highlighting the organisational aspect of the adoption of IT and CT by firms, the empowerment of agents at lower and higher levels of the hierarchy induced by IT and CT, respectively, rationalise these findings. I also find that the aforementioned effects operate mostly as of 1990, when the advancement rates of IT and CT were even higher than in the 1980s. Although a clear pattern of disproportionate effects across sectors is not identified, such a pattern across countries does exist: the inequalities generated by the two types of technologies are mitigated by higher union density.


To support risk-driven testing, we have developed CORAL, a language for risk analysis based on UML interactions. In this paper, we present its semantics as a translation of CORAL diagrams into English prose. The CORAL semantics is developed to help software testers to clearly and consistently document, communicate and analyze risks in a risk-driven testing process. We first provide an abstract syntax and a translation algorithm. Then, we evaluate the approach based on some examples. We argue that the resulting English prose is comprehensible by testers, is consistent with the semantics of UML interactions, and has a complexity that is linear to the complexity of CORAL diagrams in terms of size.


Evonik Industries is moving into the specialty silica field with the $630 million purchase of J.M. Huber Corp.'s silica operations. Separately, Evonik plans to build a $120 million precipitated silica plant near Charleston, S.C., to supply nearby tire makers with the additive. The purchase of the Huber business will take Evonik, which now makes silica mostly for industrial applications, into silica for consumer products such as toothpaste. With operations in the U.S., China, and India, the Huber business will have sales of about $300 million and operating income of about $60 million this year, the companies say. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2017. The new Charleston plant, meanwhile, will supply tire manufacturers with an additive that can cut auto fuel consumption by up to 8%, Evonik says. It is slated to open in 2018.


Background: CVD is the second leading cause of death in Canada. Mastery and selfesteem are psychosocial factors, suggested to be emerging risk factors for CVD. Purpose: The purpose of the study was two-fold; first to establish whether mastery and self-esteem predicted adherence to maintenance CR; and second, whether mastery and self-esteem improved after a 6-month maintenance CR program. Methods: Data were collected at the Brock University Heart Institute. The study involved a sample of 98 participants. At intake to the program and 6-month follow-up, participants completed a questionnaire battery which included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Pearlin-Schooler Mastery Scale. Results: Mastery and self-esteem scores did not alter the likelihood of adherence to the CR program. Mastery and self-esteem did significantly improve after 6-months of CR amongst participants with the lowest exercise capacity. Conclusion: Maintenance CR does improve mastery and self-esteem amongst those with diminished exercise capacity.


The key application scenario of wireless sensor networks is data gathering: sensor nodes transmit data, possibly in a multi-hop fashion, to an information sink. The performance of sensor networks is thus characterized by the rate at which information can be aggregated to the sink. In this paper, we derive the first scaling laws describing the achievable rate in worst-case, i.e. arbitrarily deployed, sensor networks. We show that in the physical model of wireless communication and for a large number of practically important functions, a sustainable rate of Theta(1/log2 n) can be achieved in every network, even when nodes are positioned in a worst-case manner. In contrast, we show that the best possible rate in the protocol model is Theta(1/n), which establishes an exponential gap between these two standard models of wireless communication. Furthermore, our worst-case capacity result almost matches the rate of Theta(1/log n) that can be achieved in randomly deployed networks. The high rate is made possible by employing non-linear power assignment at nodes and by exploiting SINR-effects. Finally, our algorithm also improves the best known bounds on the scheduling complexity in wireless networks.


A path to tackle liver-stage parasites Malaria parasites are evolutionarily prepared to resist drug attack. Resistance is emerging to even the latest frontline combination therapies, which target the blood stages of the Plasmodium parasite. As an alternative strategy, Antonova-Koch et al. investigated the possibilities of drugs against liver-stage parasites (see the Perspective by Phillips and Goldberg). To do so, they devised a luciferase-reporter drug screen for the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei. Three rounds of increasingly stringent screening were used. From this regime, several chemotypes that inhibit Plasmodium mitochondrial electron transport were identified. Excitingly, several new scaffolds, with as-yet-unknown modes of action but solely targeting the parasites' liver stages, emerged as promising drug leads for further development. Science, this issue p. eaat9446; see also p. 1112 Screening of more than half a million compounds for their ability to inhibit liver-stage Plasmodium development yields thousands of candidates. INTRODUCTION Malaria remains a devastating disease, affecting 216 million people annually, with 445,000 deaths occurring primarily in children under 5 years old. Malaria treatment relies primarily on drugs that target the disease-causing asexual blood stages (ABS) of Plasmodium parasites, the organisms responsible for human malaria. Whereas travelers may rely on short-term daily chemoprotective drugs, those living in endemic regions require long-term malaria protection such as insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and vector control. However, ITNs do not fully shield individuals from malaria, may lose potency with time, and can be bulky and difficult to use. Another concern is that mosquitos may become resistant to the active insecticides that are used in ITNs and vector control. RATIONALE As the possibility of malaria elimination becomes more tangible, the ideal antimalarial medicine profile should include chemoprotection. Chemoprotective medicines typically work against the exoerythrocytic parasite forms that invade and develop in the liver and are responsible for the earliest asymptomatic stage of the infection. Such medicines could be formulated to provide long-acting prophylaxis, safeguarding individuals that are living near or traveling to areas that have been cleared of parasites. Long-acting chemoprotection in endemic regions could also greatly reduce circulating parasite numbers and potentially replace a vaccine in an elimination campaign. Although millions of compounds have been screened for activity against parasite ABS, and some have been subsequently tested for potential prophylactic activity, large-scale searches that begin with prophylactic activity have not been performed because of the complexity of the assay: This assay requires the production of infected laboratory-reared mosquitoes and hand-dissection of the sporozoite-infected salivary glands from mosquito thoraxes. RESULTS To discover leads for next-generation chemoprotective antimalarial drugs, we used luciferase-expressing Plasmodium spp. parasites, dissected from more than a million mosquitoes over a 2-year period, to test more than 500,000 compounds for their ability to inhibit liver-stage development of malaria (681 compounds showed a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of <1 μM). Cluster analysis identified potent and previously unreported scaffold families, as well as other series previously associated with chemoprophylaxis. These leads were further tested through multiple phenotypic assays that predict stage-specific and multispecies antimalarial activity. This work revealed compound classes that are likely to provide symptomatic relief from blood-stage parasitemia in addition to providing protection. Target identification by use of functional assays, in vitro evolution, or metabolic profiling revealed 58 mitochondrial inhibitors but also many chemotypes possibly with previously unknown mechanisms of action, some which may disrupt the host pathogen signaling. CONCLUSION Our data substantially expands the set of compounds with demonstrated activity against two known targets of chemoprotective drugs, cytochrome bc1 and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. These present a rich collection of chemical diversity that may be exploited by members of the community seeking to accelerate malaria elimination with chemoprotection and chemoprophylaxis through open-source drug discovery. A Plasmodium vivax liver-stage schizont on a lawn of hepatocytes. The parasite schizont has been stained with antibodies to parasite HSP70 (red) and UIS4 (yellow). Cell (parasite and hepatoma) nuclei are shown in blue. This study identifies compounds that can prevent the development of these liver-stage parasites and may function as chemoprotective drugs for malaria. To discover leads for next-generation chemoprotective antimalarial drugs, we tested more than 500,000 compounds for their ability to inhibit liver-stage development of luciferase-expressing Plasmodium spp. parasites (681 compounds showed a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of less than 1 micromolar). Cluster analysis identified potent and previously unreported scaffold families as well as other series previously associated with chemoprophylaxis. Further testing through multiple phenotypic assays that predict stage-specific and multispecies antimalarial activity distinguished compound classes that are likely to provide symptomatic relief by reducing asexual blood-stage parasitemia from those which are likely to only prevent malaria. Target identification by using functional assays, in vitro evolution, or metabolic profiling revealed 58 mitochondrial inhibitors but also many chemotypes possibly with previously unidentified mechanisms of action.


This study investigated the influence of brain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) deficiency on simple and complex olfactory-based learning and memory in 2nd generation (F2) adult male rats. Rats raised and maintained on either an n-3-adequate or an n-3-deficient diet were tested for acquisition of an olfactory learning set and an olfactory memory task, and for motivation to obtain a water reward. Despite a 76% decrease in brain DHA, n-3-deficient rats were able to acquire most simple 2-odor discrimination tasks but were deficient in the acquisition of a 20-problem olfactory learning set. This deficit could not be attributed to changes in sensory capacity but, instead, appeared to represent a deficit in higher order learning.


Motivation: Due to the lack of a practical evaluation method to assist clients with measuring value in construction services when hiring service providers, there is greater emphasis on price rather than clients' values. Hence, this study was undertaken as a response to the above need. The research expects to deliver information needed to drive favourable outcomes through better understanding of clients' values about contractor and consultant services in the New Zealand construction industry. Knowledge gap: Understanding of clients' values is identified in New Zealand as one of the important knowledge gaps and key research questions that empirical research projects should focus on. The current research addresses the lack of non-price criteria and their measurement criteria based on clients' values in the New Zealand construction industry. Aim and objectives: The research aims to provide an overview of opinions of New Zealand construction industry participants regarding clients' values on procured services. The first objective is to evaluate the current level of understanding of clients' values in New Zealand construction industry. The second objective is to determine limitations of considering clients' values in procured services evaluation. Research method: Open ended interview questions were used to conduct semi-structured interviews with key construction project decision makers such as clients, consultants, and contactor organizations in New Zealand. The questions were sent to the interviewees via email, before the interview. The qualitative collected data received was analyzed by means of content analysis. Preliminary or anticipated finding: The research provided an overview of opinions of individual practitioners regarding clients' values on purchased services. Research significance: The investigation identified several areas where practice could be improved for service provider assessments. The research contributes to knowledge in the area of organisational decision making and consequently the psychology of making judgements.


This conceptual paper examines the prospects of liberalisation of the Indian retail sector, with a futuristic eye on the macro level human resources (HRs) implications and challenges. Drawing on broader theoretical concepts from the existing literature on globalisation and liberalisation, such as the 'race to the bottom' (RTB) and 'bottom of the pyramid' (BOP), it aims to first, look at the challenges global retail giants would face in order to adapt their organisational culture to the Indian business context. Second, in terms of sustainability, it looks at how the retail sector would cope with the vast requirement and challenges of its workforce. In doing so it identifies various implications on demographics, unemployment, indigenous traditions, RTB and reforms. This paper also identifies among others, three major challenges in the form of bureaucracy, corruption and online retail battles. It concludes by framing a conceptual model based on the implications and challenges discussed above. This paper thus contributes to new knowledge in the form of futuristic macro level HR implications and challenges within the prospective liberalisation of the retail sector in an emerging market economy, India.


The genus Acropora constitutes the most species-rich clade of hermatypic corals, and its members are important reef builders throughout their broad tropical range. In the Caribbean, acrop- orid populations have declined over the last 2 decades due to disease, hurricanes, predation, and bleaching episodes, and some are now subjects of conservation efforts. Genetic estimates of popula- tion connectivity and clonal structure should be part of these efforts, but such studies have been ham- pered by low levels of mitochondrial DNA variation in corals, and an apparent dearth of variable sin- gle-copy nuclear markers. Developing microsatellite markers in Acropora has proven especially difficult. We used Southern blotting to reveal that, indeed, some microsatellite motifs (AAC, AAG) are rare in the genome of the Caribbean species Acropora palmata. However, repeats with the motif AAT are both abundant and variable. We developed 8 polymorphic microsatellite markers for A. palmata, and performed crosses to confirm co-dominant inheritance patterns. Five of the 8 mark- ers tested show simple Mendelian inheritance (mean observed heterozygosity = 0.84, mean number of alleles per locus = 8.6). Along with outcrossed sexual larvae, individual egg donors also produced some triploid and selfed larvae that developed normally and survived for 80 h, when the experiment was terminated. The markers reveal variation among 3 Florida populations of A. palmata and among clones within 1 of these populations. Seven of the markers amplify DNA from A. cervicornis and 8f rom the hybrid A. prolifera. These markers should prove to be valuable tools for developing conservation strategies for Caribbean acroporid species.


Abstract Because of weld problems, the core grids of Units 1 and 2 at the Forsmark nuclear power plant have been replaced by grids of a new design, consisting of a single machined piece without welds. The qualifying structural analysis has been carried out considering dynamic loads, which implies that even loss-of-coolant accidents have to be included. Therefore, a detailed time description of the loads acting on the different internal parts of the reactor is needed. To achieve sufficient space and time resolution, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was considered to be a viable alternative. A CFD analysis of a steam-line break in the boiling water reactor of Unit 2 is the subject of this work. The study is based on the assumption that the timescale of the transient analysis is smaller than the relaxation time of the water-steam system. Therefore, a simulation of only the upper, steam part of the reactor with no two-phase effects (flashing) is feasible. The results obtained display a rather complex behavior of the decompression process, forcing the analysis of the pressure field to be accomplished through animation. In contrast, the computed instantaneous forces over different internal parts oscillate regularly and are approximately twice the forces estimated in the past by simpler methods, with frequencies of 30 to 40 Hz; top amplitudes of ~1.64 MN; and relatively low damping, ~25% after 0.5 s. According to the present results, this type of modeling is physically meaningful for simulation timescales smaller than the water-steam relaxation time, i.e., ~0.5 s at reactor conditions. At larger times, a two-phase model is necessary to describe the decompression process since two-phase effects are dominant. The results have not yet been validated with experiments, but validation computations will be run in the future for comparison with results of the Marviken tests.


Induction of apoptosis in Drosophila requires the activity of three closely linked genes, reaper, hid and grim. Here we show that the proteins encoded by reaper, hid and grim activate cell death by inhibiting the anti‐apoptotic activity of the Drosophila IAP1 (diap1) protein. In a genetic modifier screen, both loss‐of‐function and gain‐of‐function alleles in the endogenous diap1 gene were obtained, and the mutant proteins were functionally and biochemically characterized. Gain‐of‐function mutations in diap1 strongly suppressed reaper‐, hid‐ and grim‐induced apoptosis. Sequence analysis of these alleles revealed that they were caused by single amino acid changes in the baculovirus IAP repeat domains of diap1, a domain implicated in binding REAPER, HID and GRIM. Significantly, the corresponding mutant DIAP1 proteins displayed greatly reduced binding of REAPER, HID and GRIM, indicating that REAPER, HID and GRIM kill by forming a complex with DIAP1. These data provide strong in vivo evidence for a previously published model of cell death regulation in Drosophila.


This project explores the plant-scale process design and economic viability of production of ethylene glycol using a patented direct route from cellulose. Switchgrass was selected as the source of cellulose because it is a low-cost, non-feedstock plant capable of growing under a variety of conditions. The plant is designed to produce 100 million pounds of 99.5 % pure ethylene glycol which is the required purity for ethylene glycol used in plastic bottle production. The project is environmentally friendly and meets the Federal and state emission regulations. The process design consists of three major components: pre-treatment, reaction and separation. In the pretreatment stage, the switchgrass is ground and cellulose is extracted using highly dilute base. The reaction occurs in water solvent under 5 MPa of hydrogen in a fixed bed catalytic reactor with a retention time of 30 minutes. The ethylene glycol product is separated from the solvent and byproducts by flash vessels and column distillation in order to attain 99.5 % purity. A side product, propylene glycol, is also produced at 99.5 % purity and is separated in a similar fashion. For the economic analysis, the plant was assumed to be located in Tennessee (near the Gulf Coast) where switchgrass is readily available. The total capital investment is $349,000,000, including a working capital of $7,747,000. The process is sensitive to the amount of solvent used. In the base case scenario using the same amount of solvent as used in the patent with ethylene glycol priced at $0.50/lb, propylene glycol byproduct priced at $0.78/lb, switchgrass priced at $50/dry ton, hydrogen priced at $1.00/lb, and catalyst priced at $5.08/lb, the net present value (NPV) of the project is negative $565,500,000 based on an interest rate of 15%, and the investor's rate of return (IRR) is negative. The process is not profitable under the current conditions but may become profitable with advances in technology as described by the sensitivity analysis section of the report. Although the current version of the process is unprofitable, it is expect that the further development of the technology described in the referenced patent will allow for profitable future versions of this process, and it is recommended by the design team that the management retain this report for future reference This working paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/cbe_sdr/44 Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Senior Design Reports (CBE) University of Pennsylvania Year 2012 CELLULOSE TO COKE BOTTLES Process for converting switchgrass to ethylene glycol Quyen Dinh University of Pennsylvania Dominique Ingato University of Pennsylvania Bill Evangelista University of Pennsylvania Brian Leone University of Pennsylvania


The process of lock acquisition in a high-finesse suspended Fabry–Perot cavity used in the LIGO 40-m interferometer is numerically simulated. The simulation, including a model of the cavity optical transient response as the mirrors swing through resonance, demonstrates that acquisition of lock by the controller depends on the relative velocity of the mirrors and establishes a threshold velocity below which acquisition may take place. The model results are used to implement a real-time controller that analyzes the transient response, extracts the mirror velocity, and then guides the mirrors into resonance with relative velocity under the threshold. The result is a factor-of-10 decrease in the experimentally observed acquisition time.


The Optimal Estimation (OE) technique is developed within the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) to retrieve subskin Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from AQUA's Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer—Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). A comprehensive matchup database with drifting buoy observations is used to develop and test the OE setup. It is shown that it is essential to update the first guess atmospheric and oceanic state variables and to perform several iterations to reach an optimal retrieval. The optimal number of iterations is typically three to four in the current setup. In addition, updating the forward model, using a multivariate regression model is shown to improve the capability of the forward model to reproduce the observations. The average sensitivity of the OE retrieval is 0.5 and shows a latitudinal dependency with smaller sensitivity for cold waters and larger sensitivity for warmer waters. The OE SSTs are evaluated against drifting buoy measurements during 2010. The results show an average difference of 0.02 K with a standard deviation of 0.47 K when considering the 64% matchups, where the simulated and observed brightness temperatures are most consistent. The corresponding mean uncertainty is estimated to 0.48 K including the in situ and sampling uncertainties. An independent validation against Argo observations from 2009 to 2011 shows an average difference of 0.01 K, a standard deviation of 0.50 K and a mean uncertainty of 0.47 K, when considering the best 62% of retrievals. The satellite versus in situ discrepancies are highest in the dynamic oceanic regions due to the large satellite footprint size and the associated sampling effects. Uncertainty estimates are available for all retrievals and have been validated to be accurate. They can thus be used to obtain very good retrieval results. In general, the results from the OE retrieval are very encouraging and demonstrate that passive microwave observations provide a valuable alternative to infrared satellite observations for retrieving SST.


The first wraparound insurance tax shelter was marketed in the mid-1960s as a means for contract owners to exploit the inconsistency arising from the difference in the tax treatment of investment returns earned inside variable insurance contracts and the economically similar returns available outside such contracts. Federal income tax is deferred (and in some cases eliminated) on the income accruing inside variable insurance products - called inside buildup. In the most recent iteration of the wraparound insurance gambit, insurance companies wrapped private-placement, hedge-fund interests inside variable insurance products in order to allow contract owners to defer tax on the ordinary income thrown off by such interests. The tax agencies have developed a legal framework that has been fairly effective at cutting back particular iterations of the shelter. This framework, generally referred to as the investor control doctrine, has, however, been unable to stop altogether the periodic flourishing of new forms of wraparound insurance. In addition, the framework's success in curbing particular iterations of the shelter may allay immediate fairness concerns and thereby mask the need for broader reform of the underlying systemic flaw.


Poster presented at the 2018 Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium.The field of nuclear forensics has been noted of relevance in the effort to tackle illicit trafficking of nuclear material. Forensic signatures can be considered a 'fingerprint' of the material, obtained by analytical methods such as X-Ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The forensic signatures obtained from characterising nuclear material may help to determine the origin and processing conditions of the sample. The aim of this project is to investigate how the physical and chemical characteristics of UO3 powder produced from aqueous reprocessing are affected by the processing route, conditions and impurities present. This will be used to develop a library of characteristic forensic signatures to aid in the discrimination of material from different sources.To date, work in this project has included the investigation of forensic signatures of studtite calcination products, whereby calcination products up to 1050 ˚C were characterised. Further investigations are being carried out into using X-Ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) as a means of characterising amorphous UO3 phases produced by calcination. Additionally, an investigation into the effect of a fractional factorial matrix of processing variables on UO3signatusignatures (from studtite intermediate) is being conducted. Note from author: In this presentation, the thermal decomposition of synthetic studtite is examined for its potential nuclear forensic signatures. The morphologies of the finished particles are presented for discussion.


BACKGROUND
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition characterized by rapid hair loss in the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes, for which treatments are limited. Baricitinib, an oral, selective, reversible inhibitor of Janus kinases 1 and 2, may interrupt cytokine signaling implicated in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata.

METHODS
We conducted two randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials (BRAVE-AA1 and BRAVE-AA2) involving adults with severe alopecia areata with a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score of 50 or higher (range, 0 [no scalp hair loss] to 100 [complete scalp hair loss]). Patients were randomly assigned in a 3:2:2 ratio to receive once-daily baricitinib at a dose of 4 mg, baricitinib at a dose of 2 mg, or placebo. The primary outcome was a SALT score of 20 or less at week 36.

RESULTS
We enrolled 654 patients in the BRAVE-AA1 trial and 546 in the BRAVE-AA2 trial. The estimated percentage of patients with a SALT score of 20 or less at week 36 was 38.8% with 4-mg baricitinib, 22.8% with 2-mg baricitinib, and 6.2% with placebo in BRAVE-AA1 and 35.9%, 19.4%, and 3.3%, respectively, in BRAVE-AA2. In BRAVE-AA1, the difference between 4-mg baricitinib and placebo was 32.6 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI], 25.6 to 39.5), and the difference between 2-mg baricitinib and placebo was 16.6 percentage points (95% CI, 9.5 to 23.8) (P<0.001 for each dose vs. placebo). In BRAVE-AA2, the corresponding values were 32.6 percentage points (95% CI, 25.6 to 39.6) and 16.1 percentage points (95% CI, 9.1 to 23.2) (P<0.001 for each dose vs. placebo). Secondary outcomes for baricitinib at a dose of 4 mg but not at a dose of 2 mg generally favored baricitinib over placebo. Acne, elevated levels of creatine kinase, and increased levels of low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were more common with baricitinib than with placebo.

CONCLUSIONS
In two phase 3 trials involving patients with severe alopecia areata, oral baricitinib was superior to placebo with respect to hair regrowth at 36 weeks. Longer trials are required to assess the efficacy and safety of baricitinib for alopecia areata. (Funded by Eli Lilly under license from Incyte; BRAVE-AA1 and BRAVE-AA2 ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT03570749 and NCT03899259.).


It has been suggested that quasi-electrostatic electric fields from thunderclouds might produce whistler ducts by driving plasma interchange of geomagnetic flux tubes. Using lightning activity as a proxy for the presence of electrified clouds, the relation between thunderclouds and duct number was investigated through the study of two periods of 10 days, that is from June 13–22, 1993, and August 6–15, 1993. Typical duct numbers observed using NAA transmissions (24.0 kHz, Cutler, Maine) received at Faraday during the nights of June and August 1993 were ∼ 7, while the maximum duct numbers were 9–12. Duct numbers dropped down to zero or near zero during the day. Times of increased duct number could not be clearly associated with increased thunderstorm activity in the duct footprint region. Duct numbers observed on the path from NLK (24.8 kHz, Seattle, Washington) to Dunedin, New Zealand, were also studied, where very low thunderstorm activity levels imply that thundercloud-driven duct formation should not be significant. The typical nighttime peak was ∼ 5 at about 1000 UT (23 LT). The difference between duct numbers in areas with high thunderstorm activity and quiet areas might be thought to be due to thundercloud duct formation. However, the F region absorption on the NLK footprints at 1000UT (23 LT) in June was found to be equivalent to 0000 UT (20 LT) in June on the NAA duct footprints. The typical number of ducts observable on the NAA path at 0000 UT in June is ≈ 5, very similar to the number observed on NLK at 0930 UT. The results found in this study are consistent with the idea that ionospheric absorption is a significant influence on the number of ducts observed. It does not appear that quasi-electronstatic fields from thunderclouds play a significant role in the formation of plasmaspheric whistler ducts. The similarity in quiet time midlatitude duct nuumbers at these two different locations suggest a globally consistent duct formation mechanism, such as the interchange of magnetospheric tubes of plasma induced by spatially varying electric fields in the E region.


Electricity prices on the European market have decreased significantly over the past few years, resulting in a deterioration of Swiss hydropower firms' competitiveness and profitability. One option to improve the sector's competitiveness is to increase cost efficiency. The goal of this study is to quantify the level of persistent and transient cost efficiency of individual firms by applying the generalized true random effects (GTRE) model introduced by Colombi et al. (Journal of Productivity Analysis 42(2): 123–136, 2014) and Filippini and Greene (Journal of Productivity Analysis 45(2): 187–196, 2016). Applying this newly developed GTRE model to a total cost function, the level of cost efficiency of 65 Swiss hydropower firms is analyzed for the period between 2000 and 2013. A true random effects specification is estimated as a benchmark for the transient level of cost efficiency. The results show the presence of both transient as well as persistent cost inefficiencies. The GTREM predicts the aggregate level of cost inefficiency to amount to 21.8% (8.0% transient, 13.8% persistent) on average between 2000 and 2013. These two components differ in interpretation and implication. From an individual firm's perspective, the two types of cost inefficiencies might require a firm's management to respond with different improvement strategies. The existing level of persistent inefficiency could prevent the hydropower firms from adjusting their production processes to new market environments. From a regulatory point of view, the results of this study could be used in the scope and determination of the amount of financial support given to struggling firms.


How does global Christianity relate to processes of globalisation and modernization and what form does it take in different local settings? These questions have lately proved to be of increasing interest to many scholars in the social sciences and humanities. This study examines the tensions, antagonisms and outright confrontations that can occur within local Christian communities upon the arrival of global versions of fundamentalism and it does so through a rich and in-depth ethnographic study of a single case: that of Pairundu, a small and remote Papua New Guinean village whose population accepted Catholicism, after first being contacted in the late 1950s, and subsequently participated in a charismatic movement, before more and more members of the younger generation started to separate themselves from their respective catholic families and to convert to one of the most radical and fastest growing religious groups not only in contemporary Papua New Guinea but world-wide: the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. This case study of local Christianity as a lived religion contributes to an understanding of the social and cultural dynamics that increasingly incite and shape religious conflicts on a global scale.


In this paper we take a "market-based" approach to examine whether increased school expenditures are valued by potential residents and whether the current level of public school provision is inefficient. We do so by employing an instrumental variables strategy to estimate the effect of state education aid on residential property values. We find evidence that, on average, additional state aid is valued by potential residents and that school districts appear to spend efficiently or, if anything, underspend. We also find that school districts spend less efficiently in areas in which they face little or no competition from other public schools, in large districts, and in areas in which residents are poor or less educated. One interpretation of these results is that increased competition has the potential to increase school efficiency in some areas.


The ability of foodborne pathogens to gain entry into food supply systems remains an ongoing concern. In dairy products, raw milk acts as a major vehicle for this transfer; however, the sources of pathogenic bacteria that contaminate raw milk are often not clear, and environmental sources of contamination or the animals themselves may contribute to the transfer. This survey examined the occurrence of 9 foodborne pathogens in raw milk and environments of 7 dairy farms (3 bovine, 3 caprine, and 1 ovine farm) in summer and autumn, in Victoria, Australia. A total of 120 samples were taken from sampling points common to dairy farms, including pasture, soil, feed, water sources, animal feces, raw milk, and milk filters. The prevalence of the Bacillus cereus group, Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, Cronobacter, Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella, coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), and Yersinia enterocolitica across the farms was investigated. The 2 most prevalent bacteria, which were detected on all farms, were the B. cereus group, isolated from 41% of samples, followed by Cl. perfringens, which was isolated from 38% of samples. The highest occurrence of any pathogen was the B. cereus group in soil, present in 93% of samples tested. Fecal samples showed the highest diversity of pathogens, containing 7 of the 9 pathogens tested. Salmonella was isolated from 1 bovine farm, although it was found in multiple samples on both visits. Out of the 14 occurrences where any pathogen was detected in milk filters, only 5 (36%) of the corresponding raw milk samples collected at the same time were positive for the same pathogen. All of the CPS were Staphylococcus aureus, and were found in raw milk or milk filter samples from 6 of the 7 farms, but not in other sample types. Pathogenic Listeria species were detected on 3 of the 7 farms, and included 4 L. ivanovii-positive samples, and 1 L. monocytogenes-positive water sample. Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli were identified in fecal samples from 3 of the 7 farms and in a single raw milk sample. Cronobacter species were identified on 4 of the 7 farms, predominantly in feed samples. No Y. enterocolitica was detected. Results of this study demonstrate high standards of pathogen safety across the 7 farms, with a low incidence of pathogens detected in raw milk samples. Monitoring feed contamination levels may help control the spread of bacterial species such as Cl. perfringens and B. cereus through the farm environment, which is a natural reservoir for these organisms.


Since ten or fifteen years ago, civic education is coming back to the foreground of the news. It is now an obligatory school subject in primary and lower secondary school, the college, namely nine years of a schooling which it is as a rule the same for all pupils. The author introduces programmes from primary school and from the college. However, between official programmes and what is effectively taught, differences are often very large. What some primary school's teachers say about what they teach and about college's pupils provides another point of view on civic education. A short evocation of the history of civic education in French school puts in prospect actual choices and specific problems of this school subject, in particularly its difficult stabilisation. The article closes with the presentation of some tensions and contradictions which are necessary to take into account to think and to implement civic education.


We theoretically analyze the performance of free-space optical (FSO) systems using rectangular quadrature-amplitude modulation (QAM) and an avalanche photodiode (APD) receiver over atmospheric turbulence channels. Both log-normal and gamma-gamma channel models are used in the analysis for the cases of weak/moderate and strong atmospheric turbulence. The system bit error rate, when Gray code mapping is employed, is theoretically derived taking into account various link conditions and system parameters, including the APD shot noise, thermal noise, channel attenuation and geometrical loss, atmospheric turbulence strengths, and link distances. The numerical results show that using APD with a proper selection of the average gain could greatly benefit the performance of the system; as a matter of fact, in the case of optimal gain, the system using an APD receiver could provide 7 dB gain in comparison with the one with a positive-instrinsic-negative receiver. We also quantitatively discuss the impact of link conditions and system parameters on the selection of optimal APD gain.


Can the foreign accent of a speaker be recognized based on suprasegmental temporal information? For a perception experiment we created stimuli based on German sentences read by six French and six English speakers. These foreign-accented sentences were manipulated by (1) applying a lowpass filter with a cutoff frequency of 300 Hz and (2) applying the same lowpass filter and monotonizing F0. In a between-subject 2AFC perception experiment we tested the accent recognition ability of 15 Swiss German listeners per signal manipulation condition. The results showed that speakers' native language could be recognized above chance in both conditions. However, listeners obtained significantly lower recognition scores in the monotonized condition. Furthermore, higher recognition scores were obtained for French-accented speech in the monotonized condition, a result that is discussed in light of research on speech rhythm. We further report an effect for speaker within each accent group. The results suggest that suprasegmental temporal information allows for foreign accent recognition to some degree.


Learning to live with diabetes in such a way that the new conditions will be a normal and natural part of life imposes requirements on the person living with diabetes. Previous studies have shown that there is no clear picture of what and how the learning that would allow persons to incorporate the illness into their everyday life will be supported. The aim of this study is to describe the phenomenon of support for learning to live with diabetes to promote health and well-being, from the patient's perspective. Data were collected by interviews with patients living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The interviews were analysed using a reflective lifeworld approach. The results show that reflection plays a central role for patients with diabetes in achieving a new understanding of the health process, and awareness of their own responsibility was found to be the key factor for such a reflection. The constituents are responsibility creating curiosity and willpower, openness enabling support, technology verifying bodily feelings, a permissive climate providing for participation and exchanging experiences with others. The study concludes that the challenge for caregivers is to create interactions in an open learning climate that initiates and supports reflection to promote health and well-being.


The proteins TSC1 and TSC2 can be found in a complex, and mutations in the genes for these proteins are associated with the human disorder tuberous sclerosis (a condition characterized by benign tumors in multiple organs). Two groups (Tapon et al. and Potter et al.) identified and characterized the TSC1 and TSC2 homologs in Drosophila. The Drosophila Tsc1 gene was identified in screens for mosaic flies with enlarged eyes. The mutant cells were larger than the adjacent wild-type cells, and this phenotype could be observed in several tissues in addition to the eye. Disruption of either the Tsc1 or Tsc2 gene resulted in increased cell number and cell size in many organs, with an increase in the number of cells in the cell cycle and a decrease in the length of time spent in G1. Both groups also showed that overexpression of Tsc1 and Tsc2 resulted in decreased cell number, cell size, and organ size and prolonged the amount of time the cells spent in G1. Genetic interactions among cyclins D, E, A; the cyclin-dependent kinase 4; and Tsc1 and Tsc2 were observed by Tapon et al. Genetic interactions, reported by both Tapon et al. and Potter et al., between various elements of the insulin signaling pathway and Tsc1 and Tsc2 were also seen, suggesting that the TSC complex is a negative regulator of the insulin signaling pathway. N. Tapon, N. Ito, B. J. Dickson, J. E. Treisman, I. K. Hariharan, The Drosophila tuberous sclerosis complex gene homologs restrict cell growth and cell proliferation. Cell 105, 345-355 (2001). [Online Journal] C. J. Potter, H. Huang, T. Xu, Drosophila Tsc1 functions with Tsc2 to antagonize insulin signaling in regulating cell growth, cell proliferation, and organ size. Cell 105, 357-368 (2001). [Online Journal]


Qualitative lignin analysis relies rather much on studies of lignin degradation products. As concerns precise quantification of lignin's composition such studies in general have obvious limitations. Aromatic acids obtained on permanganate oxidation of pretreated lignins (cleavage of ethers and alkylation of phenolic groups) offer a possibility to estimate the amounts of differently substituted aromatic units in lignins. An equation is derived for the calculation of the gross composition of lignins based on the yields of methoxy-substituted aromatic acids obtained on permanganate oxidation of lignins with methylated phenolic groups. The equation could also be used for the calculation of the phenolic content in a lignin sample based on permanganate oxidation data, provided that such data are available for a similar lignin sample with known phenolic content. Literature data for milled wood lignin from spruce are used to exemplify the calculations.


Quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) has recently emerged as a powerful label-free technique in the field of living cell imaging allowing to non-invasively measure with a nanometric axial sensitivity cell structure and dynamics. Since the phase retardation of a light wave when transmitted through the observed cells, namely the quantitative phase signal (QPS), is sensitive to both cellular thickness and intracellular refractive index related to the cellular content, its accurate analysis allows to derive various cell parameters and monitor specific cell processes, which are very likely to identify new cell biomarkers. Specifically, quantitative phase-digital holographic microscopy (QP-DHM), thanks to its numerical flexibility facilitating parallelization and automation processes, represents an appealing imaging modality to both identify original cellular biomarkers of diseases as well to explore the underlying pathophysiological processes.


Aim: The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the anger states of the relatives of critically ill patients admitted to the emergency departments and the reasons for these anger states. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the Emergency Department of a University Hospital between September 2013 and January 2014; 202 relatives of critically ill patients who matched the inclusion criteria and accepted to participate were included in the study. The "questionnaire," which was prepared by the researcher in line with the literature and involved the demographic characteristics of patient relatives and reasons of their anger at the emergency department, was used as the data collection tool. Results: It was determined that 29.2% of the patient relatives were enraged by the emergency department; 18.6%, about the registration procedures; 45.8%, about the treatment duration; 42.4%, about the deficiency of treatment; 13.6%, about the deficiency of medical staff; 3.4%, about the deficiency of the waiting environment; 49.2%, about the lack of information; 39.0%, about the lack of communication; 44.1%, about the irrelevance of the medical staff; and 57.6%, about the waiting time. It was noted that 32.2% would have decreased anger if the waiting time was reduced. Conclusion: Summarily, it is considered that making the required explanations to patients/patient relatives, providing large and comfortable recreation places where they can wait, increasing the number of medical staff, and approaching patients with an empathetic attitude will increase the satisfaction of patients/patient relatives, meet their expectations, minimize communication problems, and decrease anger levels.


This thesis focuses on the significant effect on business performance as a result of the dynamic connection between information technology (IT) strategy and business strategy. After an extensive review of the relevant literature, the important dimensions of the content and process domains of IT strategy and business strategy were identified and operationalised. Consequently, a conceptual model is developed to explain the structural relationship between IT strategy, business strategy and business performance. A Questionnaire survey was used as the main data collection tool within all the local oil companies in Libya. The main findings of this research indicate that the position in the company does have an effect on views regarding the concept of business strategy/IT strategy, content of business strategy/IT strategy, and the process of business strategy/IT strategy. This is clearly an important factor to achieve their goals because IT strategies are a powerful source of competitive advantage. This study has made a contribution to knowledge, it raises and improves the understanding of the effect of IT on competitive advantage in Libyan oil companies and developed a model that pays attention to the content and process of dimensions of IT strategy and business strategy. This model can be used by Libyan oil companies and other companies in developing countries when using IT strategy and business strategy in their information systems investments.


To date, inequality orderings for ordered response data are only suitable for comparing distributions that share a common median state. In this paper we propose a methodology for comparing distributions irrespective of their medians. We set out to do so by introducing a general pre-ordering and equivalence relation defined over distributions with different median responses, leading us naturally to derive a partial ordering over equivalence classes. We then discuss the implications of our results for the axiomatic derivation of inequality indices for ordered response data.


The twelve harmonic intervals possible within an octave and reproduced octave in both a high register and low register (geometric mean respectively: 1,510 and 185 Hz) over a three-octave range were judged by 43 university students using a semantic differential. The semantic differential scale was made up of 30 bi-polar adjective rating scales chosen from descriptions of musical interval expressiveness developed by music theorists. Factor analysis of the students' responses grouped the scales along three factors: emotional evaluation, activity and potency. The first two factors proved to be important in interval discrimination and to have the same trend; the latter was less important and resulted in neutral scores. Analysis made with ANOVA revealed a significant Register x Interval interaction for the thirds, the perfect fourth, the sixths and the minor seventh. For these, a high register presentation tended to polarise the bichord perception positively, while with a low register presentation the bichords tended to be perceived as neutral or moderately negative. For intervals with a clear harmonic connotation of consonance or dissonance (octave, fifth, seconds, augmented fourth and major seventh), however, profiles were univocal. The influence of register on the students' semantic differentiation of the intervals was significant: low register bichords were evaluated more negatively emotionally in comparison to high register bichords. Dissonant bichords were clearly perceived as more negative, unstable and tense than consonant ones which were evaluated within a neutral zone. Musical expertise was not a significant factor in the evaluation of the intervals. Mode proved to be significant on seven scales with a weak effect. Gender proved to influence interval evaluation in that females responded with a greater polarisation of scores and greater perception of a sense of activity and tension.


This study aims to determine the conformity of contract rahn based Fatwa DSN-MUI at Sharia Mandiri Bank Branch Office Dharmahusada Surabaya. Contract rahn at Sharia Mandiri Bank only be used for products BSM Gold Pawn. The method used is a qualitative approach using case study strategy. The research object is the Sharia Mandiri Bank. Results of this research based on five domains from the mechanism of implementation contract Rahn in Sharia Mandiri Bank Branch Office Dharmahusada Surabaya with Fatwa DSN-MUI. From these domains, there are four domains that have conformity with Fatwa DSNMUI, that was marhun utilization domain, maintenance and storage marhun, sale / auction marhun as well as the cost of Ijarah contract. While in the charge domain on marhun against the costs Ijarah in Sharia Bank Mandiri KCP Dharmahusada don't have conformity based on Fatwa DSN No.25 / DSN-MUI / III / 2002 the second point number four.


A well-known hypothesis, with far-reaching implications, is that biological evolution should preferentially lead to states that are dynamically critical. In previous papers, we showed that a well-known model of genetic regulatory networks, namely, that of random Boolean networks, allows one to study in depth the relationship between the dynamical regime of a living being's gene network and its response to permanent perturbations. In this paper, we analyze a huge set of new experimental data on single gene knockouts in S. cerevisiae, laying down a statistical framework to determine its dynamical regime. We find that the S. cerevisiae network appears to be slightly ordered, but close to the critical region. Since our analysis relies on dichotomizing continuous data, we carefully consider the issue of an optimal threshold choice.


Private arbitration as an alternative to litigation has been viewed by many authorities as an important method of improving judicial administration. This Comment, in evaluating courts' attitudes toward arbitration, will analyze the standards used by courts in deciding whether issues are appropriate subjects for arbitration. Because arbitration can have no legal effect unless courts are willing to support the arbitrator's award, the standards used to determine whether an issue is arbitrable are critical to the future of arbitration. The Comment examines four areas law that illustrate a variety of judicial attitudes toward arbitrability: labor-management relations, domestic relations, will probation and estate distribution, and consumer affairs.


This study was carried out to determine effects of technology transfer on
Malaysian-based electronic firms by examining whether the factors found to be
inherent (i.e. corporate culture, organisational structure and system, skills, language,
flow of communication, attitude and behaviour of manager and employee, and
transfer of personnel) in technology transfer in the West were applicable in the
technology transfer process in Malaysian firms. The study focused on two types of
firms, which were electronic-based, i.e. Japanese and American firms. Investigations
were also made to elucidate the influence of information technology (IT) on
technology transfer.Data for this study were obtained through personal interviews, structured
questionnaire and secondary sources. Results showed that the inherent factors
operating in the technology transfer process in Malaysia were in conformity with
those found in technology transfer processes occurring in the West. Comparatively, it
was found that the Japanese firms underwent more intense changes in their
organisational aspect in order to adopt new technologies. The American firms, on the
other hand, were found to be agreeable to the notion that IT influenced the
technology transfer process. This was because the Americans were more exposed to
the usage of IT in the said area as compared to the Japanese.
This study showed that human and organisational aspect of a firm were
important in ensuring successful implementation of new technologies in the
respective firms. However, further research should be carried out to determine the
degree of importance of the inherent factors, which are responsible in ensuring
successful technology transfer.


A quantitative social media content analysis was conducted to examine the role of anonymity, imagined audience and impression management, and incivility in the context of a controversial Eurovision Song Contest win. User comments to posts featuring the artist's winning performance from Facebook and YouTube were culled and analyzed. Although comments about the singer's performance were predominantly positive on both platforms, non-performance-related comments were far more negative on Facebook than on YouTube. Though valence of the replies targeting other social media users and the Eurovision organization ranged from neutral to negative, as predicted by notions of imagined audience and impression management, YouTube comments were more negative than Facebook comments toward other users. YouTube comments also contained more profanity than Facebook comments. In terms of interacting with other users, YouTube comments more frequently targeted other users and used more profane language in doing so. Overall, the results suggest that anonymity may not necessarily promote negative commenting behaviors; however, the desire for impression management triggered by the nature of imaginary audience could influence social media user interactions.


Optofluidic devices offer flexibility for a variety of tasks involving biological specimen. We propose a system for three-dimensional (3D) sensing and identification of biological micro-organisms. This system consists of a microfluidic device along with a digital holographic microscope and relevant statistical recognition algorithms. The microfluidic channel is used to house the micro-organisms, while the holographic microscope and a CCD camera record their digital holograms. The holograms can be computationally reconstructed in 3D using a variety of algorithms, such as the Fresnel transform. Statistical recognition algorithms are used to analyze and identify the micro-organisms from the reconstructed wavefront. Experimental results are presented. Because of computational reconstruction of wavefronts in holographic imaging, this technique offers unique advantages that allow one to image micro-organisms within a deep channel while removing the inherent microfluidic-induced aberration through interferometery.


This concise introduction to the growth and evolution of geopolitics as a discipline includes biographical information on its leading historical and contemporary practitioners and detailed analysis of its literature.
 An important book on a topic that has been neglected for too long, Geopolitics: A Guide to the Issues will provide readers with an enhanced understanding of how geography influences personal, national, and international economics, politics, and security. The work begins with the history of geopolitics from the late 19th century to the present, then discusses the intellectual renaissance the discipline is experiencing today due to the prevalence of international security threats involving territorial, airborne, space-based, and waterborne possession and acquisition.
 The book emphasizes current and emerging international geopolitical trends, examining how the U.S. and other countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, India, and Russia, are integrating geopolitics into national security planning. It profiles international geopolitical scholars and their work, and it analyzes emerging academic, military, and governmental literature, including "gray" literature and social networking technologies, such as blogs and Twitter.


Ultrasound has been demonstrated to be a perfect tool for NDT. There are several detectors that can be applied in NDT, for example fibre Bragg grating, interferometry, etc. Here we concentrate in polarimetric optical fibre detection. In this paper we develop a simple but realistic analysis of the ultrasonic wavefront integration technique along an optical fibre for acoustic detection. Our model considers the perturbation caused by the acoustic wave as an isotropic change in the effective refractive index of the sensing fibre used as the detection system and neglects the polarization modulation. Also we assume the stress homoegeneous through the section of the fibre. The theoretical analysis has been simulated in MATLAB. In this program we have analyzed the relation between the length of the sensing fibre, its distance to the ultrasound source and its sensitivity to ultrasound detection, for different orientations of the source with respect to the sensing fibre. The results indicate that optimum ultrasonic detection may be achieved through careful positioning and orientation of the optical fibre. These results may be applied, for example in NDT, where scattered ultrasound from defects introduces new effective sources that may be characterized by arrays of these integrating sensors.


This paper describes the design, fabrication, and analysis of an experiment that demonstrates the stability and control system characteristics of an aircraft constrained at the center of gravity in an air flow field. Given a set of basic requirements, the physical system (including the airframe, wings, tail, and mounted ball bearing) was designed, modeled, and manufactured. With the aircraft placed in front of a fan and allowed to rotate freely with the ball bearing, an angular rate sensor and servo motor to the deflect the elevator may be connected to any computer using an analog/digital Data Acquisition (DAQ) device to send and receive signals needed for the real-time control of the system. Using Simulink and Matlab 1 with the DAQ device, the user may take data on the response of the aircraft and design the control system. The basic open loop input/output responses, system identification, and comparison to a theoretical model are described, and future work will be used to identify the closed loop control characteristics of the experiment. Nomenclature


This review article highlights progress in understanding the optical properties of paper. Paper's appearance can be defined in terms of its opacity, brightness, color, fluorescent properties, gloss, and various quantities related to its uniformity. The phenomena that give rise to paper's optical properties, especially its ability to scatter and absorb visible light, are highly dependent on paper's structure and its chemical composition. In an effort to engineer low-cost products having relative high opacity and brightness, it is necessary to optimize the material selection and processing conditions. The dimensions of solid materials and void structures within the paper are key factors for optimizing the optical properties. In addition, additives including bleaching agents, mineral particles, dyes, and fluorescent whitening agents can impact paper's optical properties Paper's appearance depends, in subtle ways, on the processes of its manufacture.


Stable isotopes were used to examine differential effects of fish farm waste on the water column and sediments. To achieve this objective, we chose 3 marine fish farms located along the coast of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea) as point-source disturbances, and a control area. The hypothesis that carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of particulate (POM) and sedimentary (SOM) organic matter varied with increasing distance (from cages to 1000 m) was tested at 3 levels of hydrodynam- ics: low (mean velocity of current (MVC) ~12 cm s -1 ), intermediate (MVC ~22 cm s -1 ), and high (MVC ~40 cm s -1 ). Different isotopic signals from allochthonous (fish waste) over natural (phytoplankton, terrigenous, and sand microflora) inputs allowed identification of the 'spatial effect regime' of fish farming. The increasing water current velocities seem to proportionally enlarge the relative area of influence of the cages, particularly on sediments. At low hydrodynamics, an increasing contribution of terrigenous signals was inferred: POM and SOM showing a depleted gradient of C (ranging from -22.0 to -24.0‰) and N (from 5.0 to 2.0‰). At an intermediate hydrodynamic level, C and N showed a slight increase in waste contribution, particularly in POM (δ 15 N from 2.6 to ~4.0‰). At high hydro- dynamics, an enriching isotopic gradient (δ 15 NPOM-SOM from 1.8 to 4.6‰) suggested a notable contribution of fish waste. Accordingly, the dispersal of waste from the cages seemed to be related to movements at the bottom of the water column, confirming the recently identified role played by resuspension movements.


The purpose of this investigation was to explore the depiction of trees in three dimensions on a microcomputer. While the use of computer-aided design in landscape architecture is increasing, imagery for plant materials is found to be at a more or less symbolic level. The literature concerning previous inquiries into the mechanisms of tree growth and differentiation provide a good deal of information ranging from physiological basics to sophisticated structural and mathematical growth models. This forms the basis from which programming work proceeded. In this context, the body of work reported here emphasizes the development of a programming methodology for achieving better tree images, rather than the sophistication of the images themselves. A major goal in this effort was simplicity in the resulting algorithms. This is significant in both minimizing use of computer memory, and in aiding the transfer of the algorithms to other devices and uses. Discussed are the developmental steps taken from an initial tree model requiring a digitizing tablet and the internal storage of coordinates, to a tree model in which machine memory and algorithm complexity are minimized. The methodology deemed most useful is that of storing the tr:es as a general set of rules for image generation, rather than a lengthy data file for each tree. The operational value of this process is intrinsic to future applications; whether six discrete tree types are to be used or sixty types, the computer is working vii


The effective protection distance is the maximum allowable length of the line between an SPD (Surge Protective Device) and the equipment to be protected. The evaluation of this quantity can be performed in many ways and a standard procedure does not exist. The aim of this work is to contribute to the proposal of a simple and reliable calculating method. This aim has been pursued by combining the results of a theoretical analysis with those of a series of numerical simulations


Studies on the cultivation of medicinal plants are of relevance to the population since they are primary sources of medication. Among these plants stands out the rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) for having diverse therapeutic properties. The objective of this work was to evaluate the initial growth and nutritional status of rosemary plants grown with different co'ncentrations of nitrogen and sulfur. The treatments were distributed in a 4x2 factorial scheme with four nitrogen doses: 105, 210, 315, and 420 mg L-1 of nitrogen combined with two sulfur doses: 32 and 64 mg L-1 with seven replications totaling 56 experimental units. The seedlings were obtained through asexual propagation (cuttings), originating from parent plants. The experimental units were arranged in a completely randomized design. Growth evaluations were carried out at 120 days of cultivation, using: plant height (HT) stem diameter (DS), root dry matter mass (RDM), stem dry matter mass (SDM), mass leaf dry matter (LDM), total dry matter (TDM), shoot dry matter mass (SDMS). The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and depending on the level of significance in the F test, the study was carried out using the means test (Tukey 5%). The agronomic characteristics (HT), (DS), (RDM) and (MDMAP) were significant for N. Only (RDM) showed significant interaction for the doses of N and S. The dose 420 mg L-1 promoted the highest concentrations in the components leaf and stem. The lowest dose 105 mg L-1, N promoted the highest concentrations of S in the leaf and stem. The assimilation of S by the rosemary plants was dependent on the doses of N.


Coastal storm activity for the eastern North Island, between East Cape and Wellington, has been quantified from a meteorological perspective through the use of cyclone tracks and extreme winds and from an oceanographic perspective by using hindcast wave information. It has culminated in the production of a high quality, digital coastal storm database for the eastern North Island. Together, this information provides a new understanding of coastal storm behaviour for the eastern North Island. A regional database of historical coastal storms along the eastern North Island between 1930 and 2005 (75 years) is now available in digital format. Coastal storms were identified as bouts of strong winds (≥ 10.5 m.s) from long-term local wind records from 1962 to 2005, and prior to this period, coastal storms were qualitatively recognised as any event leading to coastal shipping disruptions/delays, large wave conditions along the coast, episodes of coastal erosion and strong onshore wind periods. This digital database consists of five informative components that include storm meteorology, storm oceanography, impacts and damages, storm photo's and images, and data sources. It has identified a set of five storm types for the eastern North Island consisting of Trough/Ridges, East Coast Lows, Subtropical Lows, Tasman Sea Lows, and Cyclone-Anticyclone pair. The two dominant types are Trough/Ridge and East Coast Low, with the Trough pattern involving weather systems primarily from the southern ocean, whilst East Coast Lows involve large cyclones off the coast that can be distantly generated (from the Tasman Sea or subtropics) or locally generated around NZ from southern ocean troughs. The most intense coastal storms off the eastern North Island are East Coast Lows involving cyclones from the subtropics. These storm events reveal blocking-type anticyclones east of the Chatham Islands play a vital role in coastal storm activity by steering cyclones southward towards NZ and then blocking any eastward movements so that cyclones become slow-moving off the east coast. These factors increase the intensity of pressure gradients directly over eastern NZ. The Gisborne region, for the 1962-1991 period (30 years), had an annual average of three coastal storms and displays peak activity in September. These storms are overwhelming from the south and southeast. A longer dataset of local winds at Wellington, spanning 1962-2005 (44 years), produced an annual average frequency of 9 coastal storms per year. The monthly distribution revealed peak storm activity in June and heightened activity between May and August. Both short-lived, high intensity storms (winds ≥14.5 m.s for at least 12 hours) and long-lived, lower intensity storms (winds ≥ 10.5m.s for at least 24 hours) were identified for the Wellington region. Approximately 70% of these coastal storms persisted for up to two days duration and are predominately from the south and southwest. Furthermore, the more exposed nature and steep terrain surrounding Wellington means a greater likelihood of higher intensity coastal storms compared to the Gisborne region. Strong cyclonic systems in the southwest Pacific cluster in the central Tasman Sea and east of the Chatham Islands in all seasons and are most frequent in winter. It is during winter that a clear frequency maximum is spotted over North Cape and appears to be related to the presence of slow-moving cyclones rather than high counts of discrete systems. Strong cyclones tend to form in the western Tasman Sea, in the subtropics near 22-23°S, and near North Cape. This local formation off North Cape could be related to the Tasman front and North Cape eddy which create warm sea surface temperature anomalies. The complete life cycle of all strong cyclones shows formation, intensification and maturity in the western-central Tasman Sea, and therefore, a large proportion of these cyclones approaching NZ are weakening systems. However, local generation and intensification near North Cape and the Chatham Islands ensures strong cyclones continue to influence eastern NZ, and further indicates weakened Tasman Sea cyclones can drive coastal storm events through interactions with ridges and high pressure systems. Strong cyclones are most frequent around NZ in August when an average of 4-5 systems per month occurs. Extreme onshore winds off the eastern coast of NZ consist principally of winds from the southwest and south with a single high latitude frequency maximum near the dateline. These winds are generated from southern ocean cyclonic activity and their northward-extending troughs that pass over NZ, and their spread onto eastern NZ means they likely represent intense coastal storm events. Southeast, east and northeast winds rarely reach up to and beyond 20 m.s over the seas to the east of NZ and generally cluster north of 40-45°S indicating both subtropical and higher midlatitude source mechanisms. Extreme southeast winds are generated by the eastern flanks of large anticyclones that occupy the western Tasman Sea or large anticyclones south of the Chatham Islands. The principal frequency maximum of east and northeast winds is remote from NZ appearing near 165°W, and represent distant generation areas for large swell events (rather than coastal storm activity). These winds that occur over northern NZ are associated with a Tasman Sea or subtropical cyclone off North Cape in combination with a large anticyclone or ridge over/or east of the South Island. In contrast, the distant core for eastward of NZ are generated off the backs of large anticyclones with a trough or cyclone on its northern flank. The deep-water wave climate off the eastern North Island is dominated by waves from the south. Between 9 and 13 large wave events occur each year between East Cape and Wellington and are most likely in the months of May, June and July. In contrast, large storm waves from the southeast, east and northeast have annual average frequencies of 1-3 events. The Gisborne coast was found to be the most exposed with large deep-water waves (≥ 3m) coming from the northeast through to the southwest. However, waves from the south and southwest are the largest and most persistent. The meteorology creating these waves are southern ocean troughs whilst the less frequent waves from the easterly quarter involve low pressure systems east or northeast of NZ. The different proxies for studying coastal storms all have shortfalls and arrive at different levels of coastal storm activity. It is suggested here that an optimal mix of these proxies can be used to identify damaging coastal storms along the eastern North Island.


Bengkoang has long been used by ancestors as a raw material for cosmetics. In Indonesia, it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon juice and powdered chili. However, scientific evidences that support the use of bengkoang have not been widely published. Phytosterols from the bengkoang root have been isolated and identified based on their NMR spectrum data and mass spectrum. The result of the structure elucidation informed that ß-sitosterol and stigmasterol are major components of phytosterol in bengkoang root. Phytosterol content was about 0.02% of dry weight bengkoang or 2.76 % in petroleum ether extract of bengkoang, with a ratio of ß-sitosterol and stigmasterol (65:35). Therefore, bengkoang can be further exploited as a raw material of phytosterol supplement.


One provision of the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would address the catastrophic underenforcement of the statutory right of employees to bargain, which results in half of all newly certified or recognized unions failing to secure a first collective bargaining agreement. It is an important reform for a seriously dysfunctional aspect of federal labor law and it will be a substantial improvement over the status quo. While political and media conversation surrounding EFCA has largely focused on the changing the process by which unions are selected, the provision for first contract arbitration is as important to the protection of the right to unionize.This Article argues that some form of mandatory interest arbitration for first contract disputes is an appropriate means of stabilizing employee-management relations given the extraordinary difficulties that unions currently experience in negotiating first contracts, the weakness of current NLRB and economic remedies, and the rippling effects of these difficulties on nascent unions. The Article surveys the empirical literature on the operation of interest arbitration in the public and private sector in the United States and in Canada and demonstrates that interest arbitration would increase the incentive for employers to negotiate in good-faith and make reasonable proposals. The Article shows that none of the alternative reforms to the law of collective bargaining and to NLRB procedures for protecting the right to bargain will be effective in addressing failures to bargain to a first contract. The Article also demonstrates that a statutory requirement of first contract arbitration is well within Congress' power and does not represent an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority.


1. Matrix population models are tools for elucidating the association between demographic processes and population dynamics. A large amount of useful theory pivots on the assumption of equilibrium dynamics. The preceding transient is, however, of genuine conservation concern as it encompasses the short-term impact of natural or anthropogenic disturbance on the population. 2. We review recent theoretical advances in deterministic transient analysis of matrix projection models, considering how disturbance can alter population dynamics by provoking a new population trajectory. 3. We illustrate these impacts using plant and vertebrate systems across contiguous and fragmented landscapes. 4. Short-term responses are of fundamental relevance for applied ecology, because the time-scale of transient effects is often similar to the length of many conservation projects. Investigation of the immediate, post-disturbance phase is vital for understanding how population processes respond to widespread disturbance in the short- and into the long term. 5. Synthesis and applications. Transient analysis is critical for understanding and predicting the consequences of management activities. By considering short-term population responses to perturbations, especially in long-lived species, managers can develop more informed strategies for species harvesting or controlling of invasive species.


The private sector assumes that logistics centers create cost benefits for their operations. On the other hand, the public sector also assumes that logistics sectors maintain harmony with an aim to improve the logistics network structure and efficiency. In Turkey, nineteen logistics centers are on-going to develop a system approach and integrate different transportation modes to increase logistics performance. In this study, we focused on a multi-stage methodology that combines the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, spatial statistics and analysis approaches to evaluate the suitability degrees of the logistics centers in the study area. To reach the suitability levels, seven decision criteria were considered alongside their priority levels. These criteria were proximities to highway, railway, airports, and seaports; volume of international trade; total population; and handling capabilities of the ports. The reached suitability degrees were tested using a sensitivity analysis. Different scenarios were discussed to understand how the decision environment might illustrate differences in spatial aspect.
First published online 25 May 2016


This dissertation aims to analyse community attitudes towards National Parks in rural Kenya,
with particular regard to the extent to which policy change has either successfully or
unsuccessfully integrated the local people within the Parks. Particularly, focus will be placed
upon the Amboseli National Park, investigating community attitudes and policies for that region.
Recent research has shown a shift from 'fortress' conservation involving the exclusion of the
local people, towards 'community' conservation which emphasises the need for local
involvement. However, this shift in ideology and policies appear to be difficult to see in
practice. Often research concludes there have been some successes with community
conservation but is yet to reach its full potential. This research examines the complex history of
Kenya and the Amboseli region and is crucial to gaining an understanding of why the Amboseli
National Park has caused countless conflicts. The results of the research show conflicting views
between the Parks and the communities within. Authorities on this matter however, now state
that the recent implementation of enhanced ecotourism and communication systems between the
Parks and the communities has improved relationships and created a more pragmatic resolution
to the integration of the locals within the Parks. The local communities struggle with constant
human wildlife conflicts and state they are gaining nothing from the Park and are not being
integrated, more over they are being excluded. This dissertation examines the relationship
between the parks and the people, and through the study of research and the practical application
of theoretical understanding, it suggests how some of the conflicts could be resolved or reduced.


This paper provides an overview of the nutritional management and care of people living with motor neurone disease (MND) in a specialist nutrition clinic. A specialist pathway of care has been developed to enable people living with MND to undergo a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) procedure in a safe way; the pathway incorporates attendance at a dedicated nutrition clinic, a stratification tool to identify patients with a high periprocedural risk and a PEG insertion team with significant experience in the MND population. Since this pathway has been in place, gastrostomies have been successfully placed in patients with a forced vital capacity (FVC) of less than 50%; previously, this would not have been possible.


Soybean cyst nematode caused by Heterodera glycines Ichinohe is the most devastating pest in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Resistance to SCN is complex, polygenic, race and cultivar specific, and it is controlled by several quantitative trait loci (QTL). Our objective was to identify and map QTL for SCN resistance to races 3 (HG Type 0) and 5 (HG Type 2.5.7) using a high density SNP-based genetic linkage map based on the PI438489B by 'Hamilton' (PIxH, n=50) recombinant inbred line population. The PI438489B by Hamilton map contained 648 SNPs distributed on 31 LGs with coverage of 1,524.7 cM and an average distance of 2.35 cM between two markers (Kassem et al., 2011). Using interval mapping (IM) and composite interval mapping (CIM), eight QTL were identified for SCN resistance to races 3 and 5 on 7 differ ent soybean chromosomes. Four QTL for resistance to SCN race 3 were identified and mapped on chromosomes 7, 13, 15, and 16. Similarly, four QTL for resistance to SCN race 5 were identified and mapped on chromosomes 5, 8, and 11. The QTL identified here will be highly beneficial in breeding programs to develop cultivars with resistance to both SCN races 3 and 5.


In this study, the full-field pulse-echo ultrasonic wave propagation imaging (FFPE-UWPI) technique is proposed for three-dimensional damage evaluation. To realize this objective, a full-field pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging (FFPE-UPI) system has been developed using Q-switched Nd: YAG laser to generate diverse mode ultrasounds by thermoelastic mechanism at the impinging point of generation laser beam, laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) sensor for sensing ultrasound and two axis transition stage for raster sca n of two laser beams, so that the FF-PE-UPI system allows scanning of both ult rasonic excitation and sensing laser beams simultaneously, this generation and sensing principle is repeated over the scan area. Contrary to the conventional ultrasonic propagation imaging which has imaged in-plane guided wave propagated from a single ultrasonic source or multiple source, the proposed system makes full-field ultrasound as large as the scanned area and visualizes longitudinal wave propagation through the thickness. Thus, the system allows us to evaluate the damage three dimensionally with more accurate sizing and shaping. To verify the effectiveness of the system, an aluminium plate of 4 mm with a 2 mm thickness at the milled area was tested. From the imaging results obtained from the FF-PE-UWPI technique, the damage on the tested specimen was successfully detected, localized and clearly visualized.


The open-circuit potential and the entropy of reaction for Li in the intercalation compound Li y Mn 2 O 4 were simulated with the Monte Carlo method. Two variations of the Monte Carlo method were implemented: one with the open-circuit potential being held constant, and one with concentration of lithium ions being held constant. The entropy of reaction simulated by the constant-potential method agrees with the experimental data in terms of overall shape. The value of the entropy obtained from the simulation is also of comparable magnitude to the experimental data, but with a displaced composition dependence. Only open-circuit-potential isotherms were obtained from the constant-Li-concentration method because results were not sufficiently precise to generate a smooth entropy curve. Nonetheless, the isotherms obtained from the constant-Li-concentration method still capture the basic feature of an isotherm, such as the sudden change of slope at y approximately equal to 0.5 and the frustration of the ordering process due to the presence of pinned Li ions.


# Which drugs cause cancer? {#article-title-2}

Animal tests yield misleading results

FOR Despite President Nixon's War on Cancer, launched in 1971, and billions of dollars spent since then, cancer remains the second-leading killer of Americans. Around 40% of us will get cancer, and half of us will die from it.1 This cease-less tide of human suffering starkly questions the effectiveness of our strategies, including the accuracy of our methods for identifying human carcinogens.

Millions of laboratory animals have been sacrificed for this purpose. Thousands of chemicals, including ever-increasing numbers of therapeutic drugs, are consequently described as potentially carcinogenic. Yet, are animal experiments really predictive of human carcinogenicity?

The agency most responsible for protecting Americans from environmental contaminants is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the chemicals of greatest public health concern are described within its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) toxic chemicals database. We recently surveyed this database to assess the human utility of animal carcinogenicity data. Most chemicals lack human exposure data and possess only animal carcinogenicity data. In the majority of cases, however—58.1% (93/160)—we found that the EPA considered the animal data inadequate to support the useful human carcinogenicity classifications of probable carcinogen or non-carcinogen.2

But at least the animal data were predictive for 42% of chemicals. Or were they? A comparison of EPA carcinogenicity classifications with those assigned by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) yielded disturbing results. For the 128 chemicals with human or animal data assessed by both agencies, human carcinogenicity classifications were similar only for those 17 possessing significant human data. For the 111 primarily reliant on animal data, the EPA was far likelier than the IARC to assign carcinogenicity classifications indicative of greater human risk.2

The IARC is widely recognized as the world's leading authority on carcinogenicity assessments. Such profound differences …

Correspondence to:


It is important to sufficiently guarantee an automotive system's safety, because otherwise terrible consequences may happen. Generally the safety in an automotive system includes two aspects: reliability and timeliness. Previous studies have proposed many approaches to how to improve them. However, few of them consider the development cost along with their improvement. In this study, we aim to propose a method that can build a safety-guaranteed and development cost-minimized schedule for functionality modeled as a directed acyclic graph running on an automotive system. Unlike previous studies that tightly couple the development cost minimization with other requirements together, we start by building a schedule with the minimum development cost by ignoring safety requirement. Then, reliability and real-time requirements are subsequently taken into consideration. Together with automotive safety integrity level decomposition options provided by International Standard called ISO 26262, the decomposition is evaluated for each task to improve its safety, and tasks are then successively chosen to adjust the schedule, such that its safety can be maximized with incurring the least extra development cost. This procedure continues until a schedule that meets safety requirement is built. Experiments on a real-life automotive benchmark and extensive synthetic functionality demonstrate that our proposed heuristics outperform the state-of-the-art heuristic algorithm, and a typical intelligent optimization algorithm.


Objective: This study was performed to evaluate self-medication for the treatment of self-diagnosed dysmenorrhoea among a group of University of Maiduguri female students. Methods: The population of this randomized study was 289 female students suffering from dysmenorrhoea out of over 25 000 students attending a college of medicine and eight non-medical faculties of university of Maiduguri in Borno state, Nigeria. The students were interviewed using a self-administered pre-tested structured questionnaire in January, 2011. Results: The Mean ± Standard Deviation (SD) of age of the participants was 22.50 ± 3.12 years. Significant number 112 (38.8%) of participants use drugs to remedy menstrual pains followed by non-drug therapy while few combine both the drug and non-drug therapy for the pain management (p < 0.001). The most common non drug remedies employed by the participants were taking a hot bath (15.2%) and placing a heating pad on abdomen (5.5%). However, the most common drugs used by the participants were Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) which were usually taken orally at the onset of menstruation. Among the participants that used drug, 72% found it effective while 4.2% reported ineffectiveness. Significant majority of the participants usually self-prescribed their drugs, and were ignorant of the common side effects of these drugs (p < 0.001). Most participants (63%) spent 300 Nigerian Naira and below (1.9048 US Dollar and below) on drugs for dysmenorrhoea every month. Conclusion: The results confirmed that NSAIDs were the most common drugs used for dysmenorrhoea treatment, but frequently used without knowledge of potential side effects due to self-medication. Therefore, we recommend educational intervention by health care professionals.


The book of "Ecclesiastes" is the result of a long process of interpretation; it is a booklet of wisdom that has gone through two important and successive remodelings. The methodological approach defined by the concept of "relecture" or "rereading" requires not limiting oneself to a work of literary criticism with the sole objective of isolating a few redactional elements in this biblical book. It thus becomes urgent to place a particular accent on the study of the global structure that has marked the work at each stage of this transmission. The present book consequently proposes a distinct literary and theological interpretation for each form found in this writing.
The first part expounds the initial booklet which is the work of the master of a school of wisdom, called "Qoheleth the Wise". In a clearly structured argumentative procedure this teacher develops a "dialectical" thought that gives an account of the negative aspects of life on the one hand and the joy of living on the other. This first literary form may be dated at the Persian era, during the Vth Century B.C.
The first rereading (by the "Disciple") modifies the book in a fundamental way: it sets its pessimistic key of interpretation at the very start, in 1,2, and uses it regularly as a leitmotiv in the new structuring of the received passages and supplementary paragraphs, as well as in the conclusion of 12,8. The prevalence of a resignated thought may easily be explained by the chaotic situation of the first decades of the Hellenistic period.
The tension thus brought about between the praise of joy and the profound pessimism gave rise to a problem of interpretation for the later readers of the book. A second rereading (that of the "Redactor-Theologian") proposes the following solution: it attributes the negative aspects exclusively to the world of humans and places all hopes in God and eternity. This thought can be the best brought out in view of the theological tendencies expressed in the latter part of the IIIrd Century B.C.