Background: Hypothyroidism affects bile content, bile flow, and functions of the sphincter of Oddi, thereby increases the formation of common bile duct (CBD) stones. The exact prevalence of hypothyroidism in CBD stone patients is not known. Objectives: The aims are: (1) To investigate the prevalence of undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction in CBD stone patients compared with controls, (2) Comparison of lipid parameters in CBD stone patients and healthy controls, (3) Comparison of lipid parameters in CBD stone patients with and without thyroid dysfunction. Materials and Methods: This study recruited 44 CBD stone patients diagnosed with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) (cases). The control group includes 33 age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) matched healthy people. The control group underwent ultrasonography to exclude any asymptomatic cholelithiasis. Fasting blood samples were taken from all participants for measurements of serum total thyroxine (T4), serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Results: The mean values of TSH in cases and controls were 3.57 ± 1.7 and 2.58 ± 0.67, respectively (P value 0.0029). Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) found in 30% of cases compared with 9.09% of controls (P value < 0.05). In the CBD stone group, the prevalence of SCH was 36% in the patients older than 50 year compared to 22% in the less than 50 year age-group (P > 0.05). The prevalence of SCH was more in females (23%) compared with males (11%) (P > 0.05). There is a trend toward increase in the mean values of TC, LDL, and TG levels in cases compared to controls. There is a non-significant increase in mean HDL values in cases. On subanalysis of lipid parameters in CBD stone patients with and without thyroid dysfunction, there is a trend toward an increase in the mean TC and LDL-C in cases with SCH compared to those without SCH (P > 0.05). Conclusions: SCH was more common in the CBD stone patients compared with controls. SCH was more prevalent in CBD patients older than 50 years of age. Prevalence of SCH in CBD stone patients was more common in females compared to males. Dyslipidemia may be one of the contributing factors for increased CBD stone formation in SCH.


This book is the result of the international symposium, Establishment and Evaluation of Advanced Water Treatment Technology Systems Using Functions of Complex Microbial Community, organized in 2000 at the University of Tokyo. The volume presents the most recent progress in application of microbial community analysis, health-related microorganisms management, nutrient removal, waste sludge minimization and materials recovery, and water management in tropical countries. Included in this work are the following major topics in wastewater treatment: application of various innovative techniques of molecular biology such as FISH, DGGE to microbial community analysis of various types of wastewater treatment; microbial aspect of biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus; emission of nitrous oxide during nitrogen transformation; reduction of sludge production in the wastewater treatment process using membrane and material recovery of biopolymer and cell of photosynthetic bacteria. Health-related microbiology in water supply and water management using recent innovative molecular biological tools is presented and health risk management is discussed. The practical application of wastewater treatment in developing countries, especially tropical countries is also reviewed. Researchers in the field of environmental engineering and applied microbiology, and practical engineers who wish to learn the most recent progress in the microbiological aspect of water and wastewater management, will find this book a useful tool.


The authors propose a method and metric to quantify the consumer confusion between leading brands and copycat brands that results from the visual similarity of their packaging designs. The method has three components. First, image processing techniques establish the objective similarity of the packages of leading and copycat brands on the basis of their colors and textures. Second, a perceptual decision task (triangle test) assesses the accuracy and speed with which consumers can identify differences between brands from rapidly (300 milliseconds) flashed images of their packages. Third, a competing accumulator model describes the buildup of evidence on each of the alternative brands during consumers' perceptual decisions and predicts the accuracy and response time of brand identification. Jointly, these components establish the impact of copycat packaging's visual features on consumer confusion. The method is applied in a test of experimentally designed copycats and market copycats in 15 product categories. A three-tiered metric ("copy alert," "copy watch," and "copy safe") establishes the extent to which copycat brands imitate the package designs of target brands and identifies which visual features are responsible.


Kan spectra provide a combinatorial model for the stable homotopy category. They were introduced by Dan Kan in 1963 under the name semisimplicial spectra. A Kan spectrum is similar to a pointed simplicial set, but it has simplices in negative degrees as well and all its simplices have infinitely many faces and degeneracies. In the first part of this thesis, we define a functor from the category of Gamma-spaces to the category of Kan spectra without passing through any other category of spectra. We show that the resulting Kan spectrum of a Gamma-space A agrees with the usual object associated to A in the stable homotopy category by comparing it to Bousfield-Friedlander's spectrum construction. In particular, applying our construction to the Gamma-space associated to a symmetric monoidal category provides a combinatorial model of its algebraic K-theory spectrum. For the Gamma-space associated to an abelian group, this yields via the stable Dold-Kan correspondence the unbounded chain complex with the abelian group concentrated in degree zero. The second part of this work concerns group spectra and twisting structures. Group spectra are the group objects in the category of Kan spectra. They provide an algebraic, combinatorial model for the stable homotopy category. We transfer Brown's model structure from the category of Kan spectra to a Quillen equivalent model structure on the category of group spectra. We then construct the analogues of Kan's loop group functor and its right adjoint Wbar together with corresponding classifying bundles, so that the category of Kan spectra becomes a twisted homotopical category in the sense of Farjoun and Hess.


EDUCARE journal will provide a peer-reviewed forum for the publication of thought-leadership articles, briefings, discussion, applied research, case and comparative studies, expert comment and analysis on the key issues surrounding the educational studies in general and its various aspects. Analysis will be practical and rigorous in nature. The EDUCARE journal, with Print ISSN 1979-7877, was firstly published on August 17, 2008, in the context to commemorate the Independence Day in Indonesia. Since issue of February 2009 to date, the EDUCARE journal has been organized by the Lecturers of FKIP UMP (Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto) in Central Java; and published by Minda Masagi Press, as a publisher owned by ASPENSI (the Association of Indonesian Scholars of History Education) in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The EDUCARE journal is published twice a year, i.e. every August and February. Purwokerto, Indonesia: February 28, 2016. Dr. Haji Syamsuhadi Irsyad Honorable Patron of EDUCARE Journal in Bandung, West Java; and Rector of UMP in Purwokerto City, Central Java, Indonesia.


Many postdoctoral fellows in the STEM fields enter the academic job market with little knowledge of the process and expectations, and without any means to assess their qualifications relative to the general applicant pool. Demystifying this process is critical, as there is little information publicly available. In this work, we provide insight into the process of academic job searches by gathering data to establish background metrics for typical faculty job applicants, and further correlate these metrics with job search outcomes. We analyzed 317 responses to an anonymous survey for faculty job applicants from the May 2018 - May 2019 market cycle. Responses were about evenly split by gender, largely North American-centric and life science focused, and highly successful with 58% of applicants receiving at least one offer. Traditional metrics (funding, publications, etc.) of a positive research track record above a certain threshold of qualifications were unable to completely differentiate applicants that did and did not receive a job offer. Our findings suggest that there is no single clear path to a faculty job offer and that perhaps criteria not captured by our survey may also influence landing a faculty position above a certain threshold of qualification. Furthermore, our survey did capture applicants' perception of the faculty job application process as unnecessarily stressful, time-consuming, and largely lacking in feedback, irrespective of a successful outcome. We hope that this study will provide an avenue for better data-driven decision making by the applicants and search committees, better evidence-based mentorship practices by principal investigators, and improved hiring practices by institutions.


This paper summarises and updates the report of one of the seven Expert Working Groups established by the UK's Health Education Authority (HEA) in October 1996 to look at the potential for health promotion with key populations – in this case that of children and young people. It seeks to establish a revitalised agenda for research into the health and wellbeing of children and young people in the UK. The article describes how contemporary sociological understandings of children and childhood have implications not only for the way in which health and health promotion strategies are conceived, designed and implemented, but for our understanding of what health and health promotion initiatives should constitute. The article calls for more research into children's and young people's understandings of health, and the linguistic idioms in which those understandings are expressed, as well as into the social networks and social action spaces in which children and young people operate. It argues for better integration of research and policies concerning the health of children and young people, to include institutions, agencies and organisations that have an impact on the health of children and young people.


Educational transformation in South Africa not only brought about Outcomesbased
Education and Curriculum 2005 but also a new Learning Area/Subject, called Life Orientation (LO). A major challenge for LO as a new Learning Area/Subject is the preconceptions that exist about it, and the fact that the attitude of school principals is not conducive to the successful implementation of LO. Against this background it was deemed necessary to investigate teachers' perspectives regarding the implementation of LO in Grades R to 11. For the survey 248 schools (124 primary, 124 secondary) were randomly
selected, of which 157 returned questionnaires. Summary statistics were done using frequency tables and histograms. Comparisons of ordinal variables were performed using one-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. For the majority of the schools the learning outcomes, related to the movement component of LO in the General and Further Education and Training bands, are presented. The fact that most of the schools do not have qualified Physical Education teachers holds certain implications for the status of LO in general and more specifically for the growth and development of the
learners. To address this situation it is recommended that in-service and preservice
education and training of teachers commences immediately and that Higher Education Institutions become more involved in different forms of training initiatives than currently the practice. Keywords : Curriculum 2005; Further Education and Training Band; General Education and Training Band; Life Orientation; National Curriculum Statement; outcomes-based education; physical education; teacher training; teachers' perspectives. South African Journal of Education Vol. 29 (1) 2009: pp. 127-145


ABSTRACT Dementia is one of the greatest contemporary health and social care challenges, and novel approaches to the care of its sufferers are needed. New information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to assist those caring for people with dementia, through access to networked information and support, tracking and surveillance. This article reports the views about such new technologies of 34 carers of people with dementia. We also held a group discussion with nine carers for respondent validation. The carers' actual use of new ICT was limited, although they thought a gradual increase in the use of networked technology in dementia care was inevitable but would bypass some carers who saw themselves as too old. Carers expressed a general enthusiasm for the benefits of ICT, but usually not for themselves, and they identified several key challenges including: establishing an appropriate balance between, on the one hand, privacy and autonomy and, on the other: maximising safety; establishing responsibility for and ownership of the equipment and who bears the costs; the possibility that technological help would mean a loss of valued personal contact; and the possibility that technology would substitute for existing services rather than be complementary. For carers and dementia sufferers to be supported, the expanding use of these technologies should be accompanied by intensive debate of the associated issues.


We demonstrate a wavelength-tunable, fiber-coupled source of polarization- entangled photons with extremely high spectral brightness and quality of entanglement. Using a 25 mm PPKTP crystal inside a polarization Sagnac interferometer we detect a spectral brightness of 273000 pairs (s mW nm)(-1), a factor of 28 better than comparable previous sources while state tomography showed the two-photon state to have a tangle of T = 0.987. This improvement was achieved by use of a long crystal, careful selection of focusing parameters and single-mode fiber coupling. We demonstrate that, due to the particular geometry of the setup, the signal and idler wavelengths can be tuned over a wide range without loss of entanglement.


The second Metabolic Bone Disorders Course was organized by the Arab Society for Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes (ASPED) and the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) in collaboration with the UAE University. The first day of the course had scientific and educational sessions on the metabolic bone disorders of Rickets, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) and Hypophosphatasia (HPP) and included presentations of the subjects and cases by regional and international experts, who had been selected by the Scientific Committee. The second day had various sessions on disorders of calcium metabolism detailing various causes and case scenarios on hypocalcemia and hypercalcemia. A session was allocated for multidisciplinary health care professionals involved in metabolic disease which included talks by a Paediatric Rheumatologist, Orthopaedic surgeon and clinical biochemist. The final session on day 2 centred around skeletal dysplasia and various forms of miscellaneous bone disease. A summary of systemic manifestation of bone disease and role of paediatric endocrinologist in metabolic disease was highlighted. The speakers shared their expertise and regional experiences in the management of these disorders. Each topic was followed by a discussion session where the health care practitioners highlighted the challenges, regional and otherwise, in the management of these disorders. Ways to appropriately manage these disorders more efficiently was discussed with global standards.


The gene has assumed a cultural meaning that is independent of its biological definition – becoming a source of personal identity, a determinant of behavior and personality, and a basis of social stereotypes. This cultural construct of genetic essentialism has serious social policy implications.

Keywords:

determinism;
genetic essentialism;
personhood;
media;
social policy


Abstract Shift work that involves disruption to the body's circadian rhythm is classified as probably carcinogenic to humans based on limited evidence in humans and sufficient evidence in experimental animals. This article draws together the available information from the epidemiological, mechanistic and health and safety practice research to provide advice for practitioners. There is evidence that the increase in breast cancer risk amongst women who have worked night shifts is relatively modest and we cannot exclude the possibility that there is no cancer risk. If a causal association exists, the most likely mechanism is night time suppression of the production of the hormone melatonin. However, the observed increased risk of breast cancer amongst night shift workers may be due to higher prevalence of obesity and other lifestyle risks in this group of women. Current health and safety policies for shift work generally do not address cancer risks. Employers should develop a workplace policy for night work that informs workers about the potential cancer risks and possible strategies to minimize risks. Employers should also help reduce the cancer risk for shift workers through health promotion initiatives and encouraging access to cancer screening programmes. We summarize the evidence and recommendations in an infographic.


This article is about the importance of an institutional perspective of trust. The core argument is that the type, scope and organization of civil society play a crucial role for the high level of trust and social capital in the Scandinavian countries. We argue that both the legitimacy of public institutions and their ability to deliver over time depend on a vibrant organizational society in which the organizations have independent institutional significance in their own right. Similar to other key social institutions, their functions include shaping sets of values and reducing vulnerability and uncertainty. Furthermore, these organizations constitute an entirely necessary infrastructure for cooperation, which makes it possible for trust to be institutionalized, reinvested and converted into action, and which also demonstrates that cooperation is rational and yields results. The aftermath of the terror attacks in Norway in 2011demonstrated the existence of a strong civil society and its crucial role for community resilience. It contributed to curtailing widespread fear, mobilizing for collective manifestations of grief and restoring a sense of normalcy. However, the key role of civil society is not a permanent given. Developments within organized civil society may change their direct role as institutions and their indirect role as premise-setters and critical-correctors, particular in relation to the public sector. This may weaken the function of these organizations as key carriers of social trust.


The aim of our study was to perform repeated determination of specific antibody levels in mothers and their kids in order to assess indirectly the possibility of vertical transmission of toxoplasmosis in goats. Twenty-eight goats with their kids were included in the study. The following variables were assessed: number of born kids in relation to antibody titres of goats; levels of specific antibodies in the blood of goats and kids; and concentrations of immunoglobulins (Ig), total protein (TP) and total globulins (G) in order to define the end of colostral immunity and the start of active production of antibodies in kids under 69 days of age. Specific antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in goats were detected by IFAT in titres ranging from 0 to 1 280. Out of a total of 28 animals, 5 goats were negative (17.9%) and 23 goats were seropositive (82.1%). The goats delivered 42 kids. A total ratio of number of kids to number of mothers was 1.5. Partial evaluation of results in goats without positive titre against T. gondii before parturition and goats with positive titre showed that negative goats tended to have more kids (p < 0.1) (ratio 1.80) compared to positive goats (ratio 1.35). A significant decrease in levels of TP, Ig and G was observed between days 27 and 41. Samples taken on days 55 and 69 proved gradual increase of active production of antibody response, which was supported also by a significant increase (p < 0.01) of monitored non-specific immunity indicators. During this period, we observed increased titres of specific antibodies against toxoplasmosis in 20 kids (5 kids 41 days old, 5 kids 55 days old, and 10 kids 69 days old) and thus we could assume the possibility of vertical transmission of toxoplasmosis.


The delivery of calcium polysulfide (CPS) to the vadose zone using foam and the immobilization of Cr(VI) via reduction by the foam‐delivered CPS was studied in a series of batch and column experiments. Batch tests were conducted to select the foam‐generating CPS–surfactant solutions, to determine the solution foamability and the reducing potential of CPS‐containing foams, and to study the influence of foam quality, surfactant concentration, and CPS concentration on foam stability. Column experiments were performed to test the foam delivery of CPS to sediments under conditions similar to a field vadose zone, to study the foam transport and interaction with sediments, and to determine the extent of Cr(VI) immobilization using this novel delivery approach. Foams containing CPS with high reducing potential were prepared based on the batch tests. Sediment reduction by foam‐delivered CPS was observed in the columns. Massive mobilization of Cr(VI) from sediments occurred when CPS was delivered in aqueous solution. The Cr(VI) mobilization was minimized in column tests when CPS was delivered by foams, resulting in significant Cr(VI) in situ immobilization. These results demonstrated for the first time that foam injection can be successfully used for CPS delivery to the vadose zone and that foam‐delivered CPS can be applied for Cr(VI) immobilization in contaminated vadose zones.


Periphyton is an important food source at the base of freshwater ecosystems that tends to bioconcentrate trace elements making them trophically available. The potential for arsenic-a trace element of particular concern due to its widespread occurrence, toxicity, and carcinogenicity-to bioconcentrate in periphyton and thus be available to benthic grazers is less well characterized. To better understand arsenate bioaccumulation dynamics in lotic food webs, we used a radiotracer approach to characterize accumulation in periphyton and subsequent trophic transfer to benthic grazers. Periphyton bioconcentrated As between 3,200-9,700-fold (dry weight) over 8 days without reaching steady state, suggesting that periphyton is a major sink for arsenate. However, As-enriched periphyton as a food source for the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer resulted in negligible As accumulation in a full lifecycle exposure. Additional studies estimate dietary assimilation efficiency in several primary consumers ranging from 22% in the mayfly N. triangulifer to 75% in the mayfly Isonychia sp. X-ray fluorescence mapping revealed that As was predominantly associated with iron oxides in periphyton. We speculate that As adsorption to Fe in periphyton may play a role in reducing dietary bioavailability. Together, these results suggest that trophic movement of As in lotic food webs is relatively low, though species differences in bioaccumulation patterns are important.


We investigate graph colouring models for the purpose of optimizing TDMA link scheduling in Wireless Networks. Inspired by the BPRN-colouring model recently introduced by Rocha and Sasaki, we introduce a new colouring model, namely the BMRN-colouring model, which can be used to model link scheduling problems where particular types of collisions must be avoided during the node transmissions.

In this paper, we initiate the study of the BMRN-colouring model by providing several bounds on the minimum number of colours needed to BMRN-colour digraphs, as well as several complexity results establishing the hardness of finding optimal colourings. We also give a special focus on these considerations for planar digraph topologies, for which we provide refined results.


Purpose

The purpose of the present paper is to identify the cognitive processes associated with the construction of a false address, and explore how this can be used to identify and trace those who give a false address to police. It is hypothesized that most people find it difficult to spontaneously fabricate an entire false address. As a consequence they provide identifiable clues as to the real address being concealed.

Methods

A quasi-experimental research design was employed where 142 students were first asked to generate a false address and second to analyse it to ascertain how random they considered it to be.

Results

Participants, overwhelmingly, stated that the false addresses generated contained elements of truth which could be used to identify their real place of residence. Although most participants appeared capable of generating bona fide false postcodes, comparison with an official UK postcode list identified over 60% did not actually exist.

Conclusion

People generally rely on pre-existing address knowledge as opposed to random generation, with the latter appearing more cognitively effortful. As such, they often unwittingly provide clues to the real address being concealed, therefore, affording increased possibilities in identifying them as liars at point of contact and in tracing them after the fact.


Abstract. Tropospheric ozone (O3) is an important air pollutant that affects human health, ecosystems, and climate. The contributions of O3 precursor emissions from different geographical source regions to the O3 concentration can help to quantify the effects of local versus remotely transported precursors on the O3 concentration in a certain area. This study presents a "tagging" approach within the WRF-Chem model that attributes O3 concentration in several European receptor regions to nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from within and outside of Europe during April–September 2010. We also examine the contribution of these different precursor sources to various O3 metrics and their exceedance events. Firstly, we show that the spatial distributions of simulated monthly mean MDA8 from tagged O3 source regions and types for late spring, summer, and early autumn 2010 varies with season. For summer conditions, O3 production is dominated by national and intra-European sources, while in the late spring and early autumn intercontinental transported O3 is an important contributor to the total O3 concentration. We have also identified shipping activities in the Mediterranean Sea as an important source of O3 for the Mediterranean countries, as well as the main contributor to high modelled MDA8 O3 concentration in the Mediterranean Basin itself. Secondly, to have a better understanding of the origin of MDA8 O3 exceedances, we compare modelled and observed values of MDA8 O3 concentration in the Po Valley and Germany–Benelux receptor regions, revealing that the contribution from local sources is about 41 % and 38 % of modelled MDA8 O3 during the exceedance days, respectively. By examining the relative contributions of remote NOx sources to modelled and observed O3 exceedance events, we determine that model underrepresentation of long-range O3 transport could be contributing to a general underestimation of modelled O3 exceedance events in the Germany–Benelux receptor region. Thirdly, we quantify the impact of local vs. non-local NOx precursors on O3 production for each European receptor region using different O3 metrics. The comparison between mean, MDA8 and 95th percentile O3 metrics accentuates the importance of large contributions from locally emitted NOx precursors to the high end of the O3 distribution. When we compare the vegetation and health metrics, we notice that the SOMO35 and AOT40 indexes exhibit rather similar behaviour, while the W126 index accentuates the importance of local emissions. Overall, this study highlights the importance of a tagging approach to quantify the contribution of local and remote sources to the MDA8 O3 concentration during several periods as well to different O3 metrics. Moreover, this method could be applied to assess different mitigation options.


Cayley-Dickson doubling procedure is used to construct the root systems of some celebrated Lie algebras in terms of the integer elements of the division algebras of real numbers, complex numbers, quaternions and octonions. Starting with the roots and weights of SU(2) expressed as the real numbers one can construct the root systems of the Lie algebras of SO(4), SP (2) ≈ SO(5), SO(8), SO(9), F4 and E8 in terms of the discrete elements of the division algebras. The roots themselves display the group structures besides the octonionic roots of E8 which form a closed octonion algebra. The automorphism group Aut(F4) of the Dynkin diagram of F4 of order 2304, the largest crystallographic group in 4-dimensional Euclidean space, is realized as the direct product of two binary octahedral group of quaternions preserving the quaternionic root system of F4 .The Weyl groups of many Lie algebras, such as, G2, SO(7), SO(8), SO(9), SU(3)XSU(3) and SP (3)× SU(2) have been constructed as the subgroups of Aut(F4) .We have also classified the other non-parabolic subgroups of Aut(F4) which are not Weyl groups. Two subgroups of orders192 with different conjugacy classes occur as maximal subgroups in the finite subgroups of the Lie group G2 of orders 12096 and 1344 and proves to be useful in their constructions. The triality of SO(8) manifesting itself as the cyclic symmetry of the quaternionic imaginary units e1, e2, e3 is used to show that SO(7) and SO(9) can be embedded triply symmetric way in SO(8) and F4 respectively.


Metamaterials based on arrays of subwavelength dielectric structures have recently proved to be a viable research tool towards the realization of various photonic devices. In the current study we introduce a new approach towards efficient light trapping and broadband absorption of solar radiation based on silicon surface arrays composed of subwavelength trumpet non-imaging light concentrators (henceforth, trumpet arrays). In geometrical optics, a three-dimensional trumpet non-imaging light concentrator is a hyperboloid of revolution with an ideal light concentration ratio. We use finite-difference time-domain electromagnetic calculations to examine the optical response of an infinite cubic-tiled substrate-less silicon trumpet array under normal illumination. The absorptivity spectra of trumpet arrays are characterized by strong absorption peaks, some of which are just below the Yablonovitch limit. The enhanced light trapping is attributed solely to the efficient occupation of the array Mie modes, and we show absorption enhancement at near infrared that is an order of magnitude higher than that of the optimized nanopillar (NP) arrays. We show superior broadband absorption of solar radiation in trumpet arrays (with unoptimized geometry) compared with that of the optimized NP arrays (∼26% enhancement). The higher optical absorption in the trumpet array is governed by low transmissivity, in contrast to the NP array in which the absorption is governed by low reflectivity. Finally, we show that low reflectivity in trumpet arrays is governed by modal excitation at the upper part of the trumpets (which is also supported by the weak dependency of the reflectivity on the array height), whereas the transmissivity is governed by modal excitation at the lower part of the trumpets.


Contemporary discussions of the problem of ugliness in Kant's aesthetic theory have, to my knowledge, left unexplored the relation of disgust to ugliness. At most, they have explained away disgust as merely an extreme form of ugliness or displeasure, as Guyer did in his interpretation of ugliness in Kant's aesthetic theory,[1] and by that strayed from the phenomenological and conceptual uniqueness of disgust in comparison to ugliness, while Kant, as I argue, did not. As a matter of fact, careful investigation of the concept of disgust in Kant's writing will reveal the distinctive and multifaceted character that he ascribed to this phenomenon. By examining Kant's treatment of disgust in comparison with more comprehensive contemporary studies given by phenomenologist Aurel Kolnai, psychologist Paul Rozin, and the social study of William Ian Miller, I will address the ways in which disgust can penetrate artistic representation without subverting it and, more closely, interrogate the role of disgust in contemporary art. Furthermore, within Kant's aesthetic framework, I will suggest a theoretical difference between disgust and the concept of aesthetic ugliness.


The article is based on a critical cosmopolitan outlook on dialogue as not aimed at reaching consensus, but rather keeping dialogue of difference open, with the ability to reach common understanding of human rights on conflicting grounds. Intersectional dialogue is used as a concept that opens up possibilities to study, in a pragmatic sense, the 'cosmopolitan space' in which different axles of power met in the historical drafting of human rights. By enacting analysis of United Nations (UN) documents from 1948 on the process of drafting the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) the conceptualization of intersectional dialogue is put to work. The utopian foundation for deliberative democracy as dialogue in the absence of power and interest does not acknowledge the reality in which the human rights were negotiated and debated. The paper questions the dominant narrative of a western philosophical ground for the universality of human rights.


The response to fire of concrete structural members depends on the thermal, mechanical, and deformation properties of concrete. These properties vary significantly with temperature depending on the composition and characteristics of the concrete batch mix as well as heating rate and other environmental conditions. The paper presents the effects of a high temperature on selected physical properties of concrete. The main aim of the article is the evaluation of monitoring concrete properties loaded in a few thermal steps up to 1200 °C. Therefore, the concrete specimens were heated in a programmable laboratory furnace at a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The specimens were loaded at six temperatures, 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C, 1000 °C, and 1200 °C maintained for 60 minutes. The acoustic emission activity and some material characteristics were evaluated in a three-point bending test.


Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the toxicity of the extract obtained from the cyanobacterial cells derived from the waters of Zemborzycki dam reservoir with use of a battery of biotests. The taxonomic identification of the bloom-forming cyanobacteria revealed high abundance of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Dolichospermum spp. (Anabaena spp.) and in a lower degree of Microcystis aeruginosa and Planktothrix agardhii. In the extract obtained from concentrated cyanobacterial cells, hepatotoxin microcystin-LR at a concentration of 22.89 ± 3.74 μg/L and neurotoxin Antx-a at 13.02 ± 0.01 μg/L have been detected. Toxicity of the extract was evaluated with the following assays: Daphtoxkit F magna with the crustacean Daphnia magna, Thamnotoxkit F with the crustacean Thamnocephalus platyurus, Rotoxkit F with the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus and Protoxkit F with ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. The most sensitive organism among all studied was T. platyurus for which EC50 was estimated to be 1.2% of the initial extract concentration. On the basis of the highest obtained value of the toxicity unit (TU = 83) the studied sample was classified to the IV class, which is of high acute toxicity. Additionally, it was found that reactivity on cyanobacterial products differs greatly among organisms used in bioassays, which indicate the need for using a set of biotests.


The Semail ophiolite complex of the northern Oman Mountains was obducted during Cenomanian to Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) times onto the Arabian continental margin. During this time span, schistose metamorphic rocks of amphibolite and greenschist facies exhibiting polyphase deformation were formed and accreted below the ophiolite slice. Whole-rock and mineral analyses confirm that the amphibolites were originally tholeiitic basalts comparable to present day occurrences at mid-ocean ridges. A comparison of trace element geochemistries, however, suggests that the protoliths were not equivalent to the Haybi alkaline and transitional tholeiites found in the underlying structural slice, or to the Semail ophiolite volcanic rocks which lie structurally higher in the sequence. It is therefore suggested that the amphibolites may have been derived from Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous oceanic basalts not recognized elsewhere in the Oman Mountains. Structurally beneath the amphibolites within the metamorphic sheet, greenschist facies metasedimentary rocks, including quartzites and marbles, are interbanded with metabasite horizons containing actinolite and, less commonly, blue crossitic amphiboles. It is suggested that the sedimentary and volcanic protoliths were metamorphosed in a subduction zone environment during initial ophiolite displacement, and were accreted to the base of the ophiolite during progressive underthrusting.


UCL Press was relaunched at UCL in June 2015, as the UK's first fully open access university press. It publishes scholarly monographs, textbooks, edited collections, scholarly editions and journals. All publications are made freely available online in open access form and print books are also sold via retailers at an affordable price. UCL authors are funded to publish open access with the Press. This article describes its activities in more detail and offers the model as one that other institutions can follow.


"In an era when American leadership seems sunk in petty power struggles and shallow media spectacles, some of our icons have much to teach us about the forms of leadership that can still speak to the democratic possibilities of the American people," writes Bruce Miroff. In "Icons of Democracy," Miroff looks at how nine American leaders have either successfully encouraged or undermined citizens' participatory role in their democracy and helps us rediscover what leadership has meant in the past and how it can reinvigorate public life today. In a blend of history, biography, political science, and political theory, Miroff offers examples of the finest democratic leadership as well as cautionary tales of prominent leaders whose styles were essentially aristocratic. His study examines John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eugene V. Debs, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King, Jr., as leaders who embodied or advanced democratic ideals. He also presents iconoclastic analyses of Alexander Hamilton, Theodore Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy, in which he concludes that these leaders actually discouraged a truly participatory democracy. In addition, in a new preface to this edition he criticizes Bill Clinton as a postmodern leader more concerned with political fashion than democratic vision.


The objective of the study was to find ways of improvement of the dissolved air flotation process by studying the flow structure. The paper presents experimental data on flow structures and the relation between the flow structure and the removal efficiency. Measurements have been performed in a pilot plant with an Acoustical Doppler Velocimeter. The water velocity was measured in a grid net, giving insight into the flow structure. The removal efficiency was analysed at Malmo wastewater treatment plant in Sweden. The pilot plant separated biological floc from a Kaldnes Moving Bio-Bed Reactor (MBBR). The efficiency of the separation was analysed by measurements of suspended solids in the influent and the effluent. Air content was measured inside the tank and in the re-cycle. The result showed that basically two flow structures existed; the stratified and the short-circuit flow structure. The stratified flow structure seemed correlated to efficient separation of particles while the short-circuit flow structure seemed to have a negative effect, especially when the flow structure was affected by varying the re-cycle rate, i.e. the air content. Conclusively, the flow structure seemed to be correlated to type of flow structure. However, studies with higher concentration of suspended solids for verification were suggested.


The Tertiary Piedmont Basin (TPB) stretches along the Piedmont-Liguria border and is a late- to post-orogenic basin that evolved in a piggy-back position on the Monferrato thrust belt. Its depositional story is strongly controlled by tectonic and eustatic events. The basin was filled with mainly marine sediments (upper Eocene-upper Miocene), which unconformably overlie the Ligurian Alps and the Northern Apennines. The early stage of sedimentation of TPB records a transgressive phase (time-transgressive from the eastern to the western sectors, upper Eocene-upper Oligocene), characterized by the deposition of alluvial fan and fan delta siliciclastic conglomerates and sandstones, marine shallow-water coarse to fine grained siliciclastic sediments, and reef limestones. The TPB reefal buildups, which developed close to the paleoshoreline, have a lower Rupelian-middle Chattian stratigraphic distribution and are restricted to the central part of the southern margin of the TPB. The Valzemola-San Bernardino reef is the younger and the westernmost settlement, while the Val Lemme reef represents the older and easternmost one. The depicted stratigraphic and geographic distribution may be the result of a combined climatic and tectonic control. The lack of reef settlements west of Valzemola-Bric S. Bernardino may be due to climatic condition unfavourable for the reef development (temperature cooler than those of the early Rupelian-middle Chattian time interval). The absence of reefs in the area to the east of Val Lemme may be the consequence of bottom instability and high sedimentation rates (unfavourable conditions for the reef development) caused by the syn-sedimentary tectonic activity along the Scrivia fault, during the time interval spanning from the late Eocene to the early Oligocene (notwithstanding the favourable climatic conditions). Finally, the age of the older reefal complex, i.e. early Rupelian (Val Lemme), gives an obvious constraint to the age of the end of the N-vergent thrusting phase of the Voltri Unit onto the flysch units and its sedimentary cover.


oastal sabkha area of Abu Dhabi extends about 300 kIn long and 1 5 km wide. It consists of a series of hypersaline (47%0) lagoons surrounded by salt-encrusted flat sabkhas. Temperature there may reach 60°C in the summer. Moreover, the salinity of the lagoons is very high and may reach 70%0. The objec6ve of tms study was to assess the possibility of utilizing salinity gradient in olar ponds andlor production of solar salt along Abu Dhabi coasts. This study was conducted in sabkha area which extends from AI Mafraq-AI Sil'a Highway, near the atellites Station (kilo 25 5 Dy ] 7 Street) until Khor AI-Bazem and AI-Dhabeia area and is bounded approximately by latitudes 22°40' and 26° 1 0'N and longitudes 5 1 °3 5 ' and 5 6°25'E. The collected sediment samples were subjected to sedimentological and mineralogical analyses using grain size, X-ray diffraction, petrographic analysis, carbonate content and salts crystals; while the water samples were subjected to chemical analyses. The results of this study indicated that the sediments of the sabkha area around Abu Dhabi coast are formed of a mixture of sand-sized carbonate and evaporite minerals. A major mineral of evaporite that was recorded by X-ray diffraction technology was halite (NaCl); while carbonate mineral was calcite (CaC03). Results of the petrographic analysis had similar manner of X-ray analysis's results; all sediment samples are mainJy consisting of calcite and halite in addition to quartz minerals. The high carbonate content reflected the origin of the sediments that was marine input and came from the sea. Salts crystals analysis approved the dominance of an isometric crystal. Generally, sediments characterizations approved that Abu Dhabi sabkhas have halite mineral in hjgh quantity wruch encourages crystallizing solar salts and/or building of solar ponds. The study found that climatic conditions in Abu Dhabi coastal-plain sabkhas, lead to the formation of marine brines sodium-chloride to chloride dominated type with a pH value of (8.0). Due to the evaporation of the groundwater the evaporite minerals especially halite were precipitated. The present study showed that Abu Dhabi coastal sabkha system is open for sodium and chloride and this resulted in an increase in the a+ and cr ion concentrations and the formation of halite mainly on sabkha's urfaces of the supratidal flats. l is gives an indication that the studied area has reasonable amounts of halite mineral essentially to assemble a natural salruty gradient. The study also evaluated the thermal stratification of sabkha's water in different sites of the study area by measuring various properties (pH, Temp. E . c., TDS, colour, odour) directly in the field at different times (February, April, and August 2008). The measured temperature, salinity and electrical conductivity of the water samples indicated the possible occurrence of natural gradient in the sabkhas area. According to the reported sediments and water characterizations results the suggested area of the studied sabkhas along Abu Dhabi coast have favourable condition to crystallize solar salt and/or build up natural salinity gradient. On the other hand, the reported results can be considered as documentation of the sedimentological, mineralogical and hydrogeochemical characteristics of Abu Dhabi's sabkhas and could be useful for planners and researchers interested in Abu Dhabi coastal systems.


The Questa Weathering and Stability Study included detailed earth-science characterization of hydrothe rmallyaltered igneous rock-pile and analog materials and associated groundwater. Radiometric dating demonstrates that natural weathering processes and their mineral ogical outcomes have been active at Questa over a million years or more. Dissolution of pyrite, calcite, and silicate minerals is the predominant geochemical r eaction that results in low-pH, high-TDS seepage and precipitati on of gypsum, jarosite, and iron hydroxide minerals . Silicate minerals in the Questa rock piles dissolve congruen tly, without producing clay minerals. Seepage waters are thermodynamically under-saturated with respect to all silicate minerals (including clay minerals), sulfides, and carbonates, but are satura ted with respect to jarosite, ferric oxides, and gy psum. Clay minerals at Questa formed under hydrothermal, not weathering, conditions. Secondary precipitates pred icted from water chemistry are directly observed, and loc ally they act to cement rock fragments in rock pile s and debris flows.


The Sima del Elefante site, located in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain), is an important Pleistocene archaeopalaeontological locality that has been excavated every year since 1996. At least two main infill phases have been identified: a first (TELRU) early Pleistocene phase that has provided a rich faunal assemblage, various stone tools and the earliest human remains from western Europe; and a second phase (TEURU) attributed to the Middle Pleistocene. In this paper, for the first time we present a description of the TEURU small-mammal assemblage and its subsequent biochronological, palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic implications. The small-mammal assemblage is highly diverse and comprises at least 17 species: 3 insectivores (cf. Erinaceus sp., Crocidura sp. and Sorex sp.); 4 chiropters (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rhinolophus gr. euryale-mehelyi, Myotis gr. myotisoxygnathus and Miniopteurs schreibersii); 9 rodents (Myodes glareolus, Microtus arvalis, Microtus agrestis, Iberomys brecciensis, Terricola cf. atapuerquensis, Arvicola sp., Apodemus sylvaticus, Eliomys quercinus and Allocricetus bursae) and 1 lagomorph (Oryctolagus sp.). Such an association suggests a late Middle Pleistocene age (ca. 250-350 ka), a patchy landscape dominated by humid meadows and woodland areas, and mild climatic conditions. These results are compared with other proxies, such as the herpetofauna, malacofauna, large-mammals and charcoals, providing a new scenario for the climatic and environmental conditions that prevailed during the latest Middle Pleistocene in the Sierra de Atapuerca. 2


The power grid, especially distribution grid, has been more complicated due to distributed generations (DGs) with renewable energy sources and the smart grid. The complexity changes two things in terms of a fault; higher prospective fault current and the temporal variation of sources and loads. To correspond to those remarkable changes, we propose a fault current controller (FCC) named "smart FCC." The smart FCC consists of a superconducting coil with a freewheeling diode if necessary, four thyristors, and a control unit. Smart FCC can not only limit but also control the current when a fault occurs. The smart grid technology can provide so enough information that it is possible to estimate which level of limited current should be the best in the real-time situation of the grid. Based on a real-time calculation of optimal fault current using the smart grid monitoring technologies, this new device is always ready to adjust the fault current. In this paper, we introduce a concept of the smart FCC and prove the concept. Various topologies have been proposed and simulated. Finally, a case study on a distribution class of 22.9 kV smart FCC has been conducted based on a conceptional system design.


Ever since Oedipus Rex, absent characters have played an important part in dramatic construction. Many dramas are built around the quest for such an absent character. For example, the dead fathers in Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, and Ghosts are all driving forces of dramatic action. The absent character, however, needn't be dead. The father in Miss Julie, like the elusive Mr. Godot, never appears, but his implied presence acts as a dramatic catalyst. An absent character is a character who does not appear in the play, but who is the focus of attention for the other characters and is central to the play's plot. The absent character does not appear in the play's plot, the action that unfolds before the audience, but is part of the play's story, the overall narrative of actions that take place before the plotted action or in between the scenes. Objects and people associated with the character recreate the character's presence, a presence which influences the play's action. The absent character takes on many forms and one form which appears in three modern American dramas is that of the sacrificial victim. In Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interlude, Arthur Miller's All My Sons, and Steve Metcalfe's Strange Snow, the absent character is a dead war hero. None of these plays can be considered the pinnacle of a playwright's dramatic achievement nor do they rank high in the canon of American drama; yet all are significant. Even though O'Neill had previously established himself as a playwright, strange Interlude brought him into association with the Theatre Guild and gave him a larger audience appeal. Despite its length, Strange Interlude was a success. It spawned several road productions and sold well as a published script. All My Sons was Arthur Miller's first Broadway success. It earned him a Drama Critics Circle Award and helped establish him as a noted playwright. Stephen Metcalfe's Strange Snow received an off-Broadway production and was later made into the motion picture Jacknife, which received critical acclaim. These plays open up a need to investigate the relationship between the absent character, the concept of mourning, and the conflictual nature of war. According to Susan Cole, "Mourning ritual, like tragedy, is a performance of ambivalence on behalf of an absent presence" (1). There is a clear conncetion between tragic drama, the absent one, and mourning. Tragic drama, notably Oedipus Rex, focuses on "the will to supplement or displace a dominant presence even in its absence" (McDonald 155), a need to replace an absent father with a present son. For William Ridgeway, tragic drama originated in the funeral dances before the tomb of a dead hero (61). Tragic dramas often focus on mourning rituals and on the reappearance of the dead. Such is the case in the three dramas in this study. The dramas themselves take on a funereal tone; they depict a world in mourning. But in these dramas, as in the cases of Oedipus Rex and Hamlet, mourning is connected with a crime and a guilty secret. In each of the plays, there has been an actual or implied crime committed against the hero, either directly or indirectly, by a father figure. War itself is attached to violence and impurity. Also, it is primarily a sacrifice of the sons by their fathers although other Characters also feel the guilt and partake of the crime. This guilt intensifies the mourning process. These dramas follow the same pattern as Oedipus Rex and Hamlet. Both plays follow a paradigmatic pattern in which "mourning is brought about by an initial crime" (Lacan 41). The notion that the ghosts of those murdered must have their sorrows remembered is an ancient concept at the heart of dramatic ritual (Ridgeway 37). The search for a criminal action or a guilty secret determines the dramatic structure of many mourning plays. And such searches take the form of some combination of the detective story and the tragic drama (Auden 16). …


BACKGROUND
Periodontal disease is thought to be associated with increased risk of systemic diseases and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including pregnancy hypertension (PH). The aim of the present study is to find the prevalence of periodontal disease in females with PH in a rural-based medical institute.

METHODS
The present case control study was performed with 200 females, 100 with PH and 100 without PH. Antenatal periodontal screening was performed within 72 hours of their hospital admission for delivery. The periodontal parameters assessed were oral hygiene index-simplified, gingival index, mean probing depth, and loss of attachment.

RESULTS
Prevalence of periodontal disease was 65.5% and was significantly higher (P <0.0001) in females with hypertension (relative risk = 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3 to 1.9). Socioeconomic status, education, occupation, and body mass index did not appear to influence the relationship between periodontal disease and PH on bivariate multiple logistic regression analysis. Nulliparous females were at higher odds to develop periodontal disease and PH (odds ratio = 1.7; 95% CI = 0.5 to 6.1). As the severity of periodontal disease increased from moderate to severe, the severity of hypertension also increased (r(2) = 0.8 and 0.5 for moderate and severe periodontal disease, respectively).

CONCLUSION
Periodontal disease is more prevalent in females with PH.


Precision farming may play an important role in agricultural innovation. The study focuses on the attitude of Hungarian farmers toward precision farming. Based on the relevant technical literature, we performed a nationally representative questionnaire survey of 594 farmers and deep interviews with experts and farmers (30 persons). As regards the questionnaire, the authors found that the management of the average farm size in Hungary has the highest willingness to innovate and the second highest level of education among the developed clusters. The survey shows undertrained farmers with large farms to be the second most open group, which may result in the partial application of precision farming techniques. One of the most unexpected results of the Precision Farmers' cluster is that the positive socio-economic utility of precision farming is rated as extremely low. In-depth interviews prove that the use of precision technologies does not increase local social cohesion. Strong organisational isolation of precision farmers prevents the spread of innovation knowledge and precision farming amongst the farming community, and the challenges of competitiveness alone do not force farmers to apply precision farming. Our results may be useful for the establishment of agricultural strategy.


We have used a panel of murine mAb against chicken TCR and associated molecules to study the effect of cyclosporin A (CsA) on the ontogeny of the different sublineages of T cells. After injection of CsA (20 mg/kg/day from day 0 to 20) we observed a significant suppression of the normal maturation of the TCR2 (alpha beta TCR) cells in their transition from cortical CD4+CD8+ thymocytes to the mature single positive cells in the thymus medulla. The TCR3 subpopulation, a distinct form of alpha beta-like TCR in chickens, was inhibited from initially developing within the cortex by CsA, indicating that the TCR3 subpopulation is functionally distinct from the TCR2+ cells. In contrast, the maturation and peripheral emigration of TCR1 (gamma delta TCR) cells was unaffected by CsA treatment. Mature splenic T cells sorted for either TCR1+ or TCR2+ subsets were equally sensitive to CsA blockade of Con A-stimulated mitogenesis, indicating that there is no inherent difference in CsA sensitivity between these sublineages. Furthermore, no difference was detected in the expression of class II MHC Ag in thymi of birds treated with olive oil vs CsA. Inasmuch as the mechanism of CsA action appears to involve inhibition of TCR initiated signal transduction for lymphokine synthesis, these data indicate that a similar signaling is involved in thymic repertoire selection for TCR2. The lack of an effect on TCR1 cell maturation suggests that the TCR1 repertoire may not undergo selection in the thymus as do TCR2+ cells.


We deformed cores of peridotite with ∼10%–15% lizardite and chrysotile serpentine to determine the influence of serpentine content on the strength and the style of deformation. The strength, the pressure dependence of strength, and the nominally nondilatant mode of brittle deformation of slightly serpentinized peridotites are comparable to those of pure serpentinites. These results indicate that deformation is accommodated primarily by serpentine, while olivine, despite being the more abundant component, remains nominally undeformed. On the basis of these data and previous work, we determine that the transition from a "strong," dilatant dunite rheology to a "weak," nondilatant serpentinite rheology is not a linear function of the degree of serpentinization. Instead, an abrupt transition in strength is observed at low degrees of serpentinization. The pressure of the transition from localized to distributed deformation also decreases abruptly, from >1000 MPa to 150–350 MPa. The change in rheological behavior occurs at a serpentine content of 10%–15% or less, which corresponds to published compressional seismic velocity of >7.8–7.5 km/s at a pressure of 200 MPa. The seismic velocity of the oceanic lithosphere, particularly of that formed at slow spreading ridges, can thus provide constraints on its mechanical properties at depth. Because slightly serpentinized peridotites have a rheology similar to that of pure serpentinite, significant lithospheric weakening may occur after the onset of alteration near or at the ridge axis.


Organisations have spent billions of dollars (USD) on investments in data warehouses. Many have succeeded, but many have also failed. These failures are considered mostly to be of an organisational nature and not of a technological, as one might have expected. Due to the failures, organisations have problems to derive business value from their data warehouse investments. Obtaining business value from data warehouses is necessary, since the investment is of such a magnitude that it is clearly visible in the balance sheet. In order to investigate how the business value may be increased, we have conducted an extensive literature study, aimed at identifying opportunities and future directions, which may alleviate the problem of low return on investment. To balance the work, we have also identified pitfalls, which may hinder organisations to derive business value from their data warehouses. Based on the literature survey, we have identified and motivated possible research areas, which we consider relevant if organisations are to derive real business value from their data warehouses. These areas are: * Integrating data warehouses in knowledge management. * Data warehouses as a foundation for information data super stores. * Using data warehouses to predict the need for business change. * Aligning data warehouses and business processes. As the areas are rather broad, we have also included examples of more specific research problems, within each possible research area. Furthermore, we have given initial ideas regarding how to investigate those specific research problems.


3 Introduction 4 Literature Review 5 Purpose 17 Methods 18 Participants 19 Instrumentation 19 Procedures 20 Data Analysis 20 Results 21 Discussion 30 Conclusion 37 Appendix A 39 References 44 Psychological Aspects of Gymnastics 3 Abstract Context: Gymnastics is known for high-risk skills, intense competition settings, and a constant pressures to stay fit (White & Bennie, 2015). It is important for the Athletic Trainers' (ATs) to take this into consideration when determining the best treatment plans for gymnasts who present with psychological symptoms (i.e., eating disorders, mental health disorders). Objective: To explore ATs' experiences working with collegiate gymnasts and their perceptions on their role in treating athletes with psychological symptoms. Design: Mixed methods, non-experimental exploratory design. Participants: ATs who are active members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association. 64% of respondents were female, 30% male. 43% were between the ages of 20-30 years old. 28% had more than 14 years of experience as an AT. A majority (64%) reported having their master's degree and 14% have a doctorate degree and 32% of respondents worked directly with a gymnastics team. Data Collection & Analysis: Online survey was created to gather demographic information on respondents as well as insights into experiences of working with gymnasts. Cronbach coefficient α and item analysis were used to explore internal consistency of two sections of the survey instrument. Independent-samples t-tests and One-way ANOVA were used to determine differences between respondents. Descriptive statistics and central tendency were calculated. Open-ended question responses were coded and analyzed into initial themes before being further analyzed. Results: Forty-seven surveys were completed. For the Confidence & Responsibility section of the survey instrument Cronbach coefficient was α = 0.79 with an item analysis that ranged from α = 0.75-0.82. For the Observed Psychological Symptoms section the Cronbach coefficient was α = 0.96 with an item analysis ranging from 0.961-0.966. Independent samples t-tests found that female participants detected depression due to weight gain, unwillingness to be patient in rehabilitation, and concerns about disappointing others more often in their athletes than male participants. One-way ANOVAs revealed that ATs with a clinical doctorate believed that it is their responsibility to recognize and treat athletes with mental health disorders were greater than 3.29 + 1.15 (F (3.31) = 3.37, p=0.028). They also reported higher confidence levels in approaching athletes with eating disorders compared to 4.03 + 0.66 (F (3.31) =3.96, p=0.015). ATs emphasized the "team approach" when treating athletes with mental health disorders. ATs believe that it is their responsibility to recognize the signs and symptoms associated with various psychological disorders and then refer athletes to an expert in the field to provide the most effective care. Conclusion: Education should prepare ATs to detect symptoms of a psychological disorders and provide informational and social support to athletes. Results from this study stress the need for written referral protocols to sport psychologists, dieticians and other specialists to provide athletes with holistic care.Context: Gymnastics is known for high-risk skills, intense competition settings, and a constant pressures to stay fit (White & Bennie, 2015). It is important for the Athletic Trainers' (ATs) to take this into consideration when determining the best treatment plans for gymnasts who present with psychological symptoms (i.e., eating disorders, mental health disorders). Objective: To explore ATs' experiences working with collegiate gymnasts and their perceptions on their role in treating athletes with psychological symptoms. Design: Mixed methods, non-experimental exploratory design. Participants: ATs who are active members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association. 64% of respondents were female, 30% male. 43% were between the ages of 20-30 years old. 28% had more than 14 years of experience as an AT. A majority (64%) reported having their master's degree and 14% have a doctorate degree and 32% of respondents worked directly with a gymnastics team. Data Collection & Analysis: Online survey was created to gather demographic information on respondents as well as insights into experiences of working with gymnasts. Cronbach coefficient α and item analysis were used to explore internal consistency of two sections of the survey instrument. Independent-samples t-tests and One-way ANOVA were used to determine differences between respondents. Descriptive statistics and central tendency were calculated. Open-ended question responses were coded and analyzed into initial themes before being further analyzed. Results: Forty-seven surveys were completed. For the Confidence & Responsibility section of the survey instrument Cronbach coefficient was α = 0.79 with an item analysis that ranged from α = 0.75-0.82. For the Observed Psychological Symptoms section the Cronbach coefficient was α = 0.96 with an item analysis ranging from 0.961-0.966. Independent samples t-tests found that female participants detected depression due to weight gain, unwillingness to be patient in rehabilitation, and concerns about disappointing others more often in their athletes than male participants. One-way ANOVAs revealed that ATs with a clinical doctorate believed that it is their responsibility to recognize and treat athletes with mental health disorders were greater than 3.29 + 1.15 (F (3.31) = 3.37, p=0.028). They also reported higher confidence levels in approaching athletes with eating disorders compared to 4.03 + 0.66 (F (3.31) =3.96, p=0.015). ATs emphasized the "team approach" when treating athletes with mental health disorders. ATs believe that it is their responsibility to recognize the signs and symptoms associated with various psychological disorders and then refer athletes to an expert in the field to provide the most effective care. Conclusion: Education should prepare ATs to detect symptoms of a psychological disorders and provide informational and social support to athletes. Results from this study stress the need for written referral protocols to sport psychologists, dieticians and other specialists to provide athletes with holistic care. Psychological Aspects of Gymnastics 4 PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF GYMNASTICS AS PERCEIVED BY ATHLETIC TRAINERS


Managers are often evaluated and selected on the basis of their portfolio's stand-alone risk and return properties. This is too narrowly focused. The basics of mean-variance optimization tells us that covariance and the relationship of a security's returns within the context of the overall portfolio is important. We illustrate how the basics of portfolio construction with individual securities also applies to building a portfolio of managers. First, we show the statistical properties of different asset classes, as more and more managers are used to get exposure to the asset class. Depending on the asset class, tracking error, relative skewness, and relative excess kurtosis improve at different rates. This is important for considering how many managers may be necessary to get exposure to an asset class. We then illustrate an optimization method of combining the managers. Although the managers, on their own, may not have statistically positive alphas, they can be combined in a way to improve the likelihood that the portfolio of managers has a statistically positive alpha. The optimization method is not a substitute for traditional due diligence. It is just one additional tool useful for manager selection and portfolio construction. TOPICS: Wealth management, portfolio construction, manager selection Key Findings • Combining managers can reduce tracking error, but the relationship between tracking error reduction and manager addition depends on the asset class. Specifically, it depends on the average tracking error and average correlation of excess returns within an asset class. • A slightly modified Sharpe ratio is equivalent to a t-value. An information ratio (with Jensen's alpha in the numerator) can also be interpreted as t-value. Maximizing these ratios is equivalent to maximizing confidence that the excess return or alpha will be positive. • Individual managers with no or even negative alpha can be combined to give positive alpha.


Abstract. Generally, investigation of long-term mangroves fragmentation changes can be used as an important tool in assessing sensitivity and vulnerability of these ecosystems to the multiple environmental hazards. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the trend of mangroves fragmentation changes in Khamir habitat using satellite imagery and Fragstats software during a 30-year period (1986–2016). To this end, Landsat images of 1986, 1998, and 2016 were used and after computing the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to distinguish mangroves from surrounding water and land areas, images were further processed and classified into two types of land cover (i.e., mangrove and non-mangrove areas) using the maximum likelihood classification method. By determining the extent of mangroves in the Khamir habitat in the years of 1986, 1998 and 2017, the trend of fragmentation changes was quantified using CA, NP, PD and LPI landscape metrics. The results showed that the extent of mangroves in Khamir habitat (CA) decreased in the period post-1998 (1998–2016). The results also showed that, the NP and PD increased in the period of post-1998 and in contrast, the LPI decrease in this period. These results revealed the high degree of vulnerability of mangroves in Khamir habitat to the drought occurrence and are thus threatened by climate change. We hope that the results of this study stimulate further climate change adaptation planning efforts and help decision-makers prioritize and implement conservative measures in the mangrove ecosystems on the northern coasts of the PG and the GO and elsewhere.


Cloud performance diagnosis and prediction is a challenging problem due to the stochastic nature of the cloud systems. Cloud performance is affected by a large set of factors such as virtual machine types, regions, workloads, wide area network delay and bandwidth. Therefore, necessitating the determination of complex relationships between these factors. The current research in this area does not address the challenge of modeling the uncertain and complex relationships between these factors. Further, the challenge of cloud performance prediction under uncertainty has not garnered sufficient attention. This paper proposes, develops and validates ALPINE, a Bayesian system for cloud performance diagnosis and prediction. ALPINE incorporates Bayesian networks to model uncertain and complex relationships between several factors mentioned above. It handles missing, scarce and sparse data to diagnose and predict stochastic cloud performance efficiently. We validate our proposed system using extensive real data and show that it predicts cloud performance with high accuracy of 91.93%.


Jack Lightstone's "Commerce of the Sacred" remains an original and influential contribution to Judaic studies. Lightstone offers critical perspectives on the practices and beliefs of Greco-Roman Jews who lived outside of Palestine and beyond rabbinic control or influence. He investigates their influence on early Christians and examines how the two communities defined themselves in relation to each another. He challenges the view of Judaism as a single set of practices and beliefs and argues that Jews of the Greco-Roman Diaspora did not retain a shared, biblical 'perception of the world' centered on the Jerusalem temple. Rather, they believed multiple points of contact between God and man could be made through particular rites: prayer in the presence of the sacred scrolls, pleas for help at the tombs of dead saints and martyrs, and the interventions of holy men with alleged supernatural powers, to name a few.Many early Christians also participated in this Judaic 'commerce of the sacred', blurring the social and religious boundaries that distinguished Jews and Christians. Lightstone innovatively combines approaches from the history of religions and social anthropology to provide a different picture of Judaism during this period. Featuring a new foreword and an updated bibliography, "Commerce of the Sacred" resituates the Jews in the Greco-Roman world.


Designing heterogeneous distributed systems requires of the use of tools that facilitate the deployment and the interaction between platforms. In this paper we propose using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and REpresentational State Transfer (REST), two main approaches for creating applications based on distributed services, for distributed computation. Our aim is to demonstrate how they could be used to develop evolutionary computation systems on heterogeneous platforms, taking advantage of their ability to deal with heterogeneous infrastructures and environments, and giving support for parallel implementations with a high platform flexibility. Both approaches are different and present some advantages and disadvantages for interfacing to web services: SOAP is conceptually more difficult (has a steeper learning curve) and more "heavy-weight" than REST, although it lacks of standards support for security. The results obtained on different experiments have shown that both SOAP and REST can be used as communication protocol for distributed evolutionary computation. Results obtained are comparable, however for large amounts of data (big messages), REST communications take longer than SOAP communications.


Lithospheric thickness of continents, obtained from Rayleigh wave tomography, is used to make maps of the lithospheric thickness of Pangea by reconstructing the continental arrangement in the Permian. This approach assumes that lithosphere moves with the overlying continents, and therefore that the arrangement of both can be obtained using the poles of rotation obtained from magnetic anomalies and fracture zones. The resulting reconstruction shows that a contiguous arc of thick lithosphere underlay most of eastern Pangea. Beneath the western convex side of this arc, there is a wide belt of thinner lithosphere underlying what is believed to have been the active margin of Pangea, here named the Pangeides. On the inner side of this arc is another large area of thin lithosphere beneath the Pan-African belts of North Africa and Arabia. The arc of thick lithosphere is crossed by bands of slightly thinner lithosphere that lie beneath the Pan-African and Brasiliano mobile belts of South America, Africa, India, Madagascar, and Antarctica. This geometry suggests that lithospheric thickness has an important influence on continental deformation and accretion.


In this paper the generalization of the concept of crystallized rate regions for MIMO/OFDM transmission is introduced. The extension from the SISO to MIMO case of the timesharing convex hull is discussed and a new definition of the cost function for the game is derived. Finally, a new game definition is provided followed by the simulation results for the MIMO case. Moreover, the OFDM transmission case is investigated, which can be treated as the special case of the MIMO system, when the channel transfer matrices are diagonal.


This is originally Published by Scholars Press. It is now Available from Duke University Press. It is a fresh look at Genesis 1-11 from the perspectives of comparative literature and cultural anthropology. Susan Niditch reveals how Hebrew narratives of chaos, creation, and cosmos structure a mythic-literary world and create an order for human existence. Both the scholar and the student will find Niditch's imaginative interpretation illuminating.


Infrastructure plays a critical role in boosting the economy's overall productivity and development toward improving the quality of life. Public–private partnership (PPP) is considered as one of the key modalities for sustainable infrastructure development. This paper analyzes and compares the PPP systems in the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia to identify the requirements for making this modality an effective catalyst for infrastructure's contribution to sustainable development. These countries have used the increased capacity and transactional experience in handling these partnerships to develop their PPP markets and strengthen their institutional framework to increase the use of PPPs to provide infrastructure services. A comparative analysis is then conducted to draw lessons for other economies in developing Asia seeking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their PPPs. The analysis underscores how strong institutions, unified procurement frameworks, and effective dispute resolution mechanisms can improve the implementation of infrastructure PPPs.


Santayana once said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, the implication being that we can avoid future mistakes by paying better attention to past ones. Perhaps this is so. Or perhaps it is as George Bernard Shaw once said — that we learn from history only that we learn nothing from history. Yet one thing is surely clear. To the extent that modern injustices have identifiable historical antecedents, we rightly stand doubly condemned for them.This Essay looks at four modern church-state cases which span the First Amendment spectrum. The plaintiffs are religiously diverse — one is a Wiccan, one is a Muslim, one is an evangelical Protestant, and one is an atheist. Unsurprisingly, their claims find support in very different political communities. But the plaintiffs in these cases all have certain things in common. They are all, in their own ways, religious minorities. All of their legal cases were ultimately lost. And most importantly for the purposes of this Essay, each of their cases connects deeply with the nineteenth-century history of Catholicism in this country.In various ways, Catholics of the nineteenth century were mistreated by the Protestant majority. The injustices they faced were sanctioned by courts as well as legislatures, and legal rules were created to render their injuries both judicially non-cognizable and socially invisible. These four modern plaintiffs are, in some ways, latter-day Catholics. They suffer some of the same injuries; indeed, they are sometimes inhibited by the very same legal doctrines created to repress the Catholic minority over a century ago. One can think of these four plaintiffs as the new Catholics — or, perhaps more accurately, as the new victims of the old anti-Catholicism. As we struggle with our twenty-first century challenges of religious pluralism, it helps to realize how much our struggles have in common with earlier ones. Perhaps, armed with this knowledge, we can do a bit better now than our forefathers did then.


Classic climatic models use constitutive laws without any response time. A more realistic approach to the natural processes governing climate dynamics must introduce response time for heat and radiation fluxes. Extended irreversible thermodynamics (EIT) is a good thermodynamical framework for introducing nonclassical constitutive laws. In the present study EIT has been used to analyze a Budyko‐Sellers one-dimensional energybalance model developed by G. R. North. The results present self-sustained periodic oscillations when the response time is greater than a critical value. The high-frequency (few kiloyears) damped and nondamped oscillations obtained can be related to abrupt climatic changes without any variation in the external forcing of the system.


In the horticultural fresh food supply chain network in the Netherlands, a crisis is emerging. The market is out of balance and many growers are facing bankruptcy, in the period of 2011–2013, 50% of the growers were not able to pay interest and redemption. Trust between participants in the supply chain network has decreased. This chapter presents the currently not established and identifies design requirements for new systems to address this challenge and provide directions for possible improvement. As a result, this chapter introduces the concept of SamenMarkt, a participatory system in which multi-agent system technology enables distributed price negotiation, distribution and communication between producers, retailers and consumers. A SWOT analysis of the concept of SamenMarkt is provided together with a research and development plan in which simulation and emulation create the basis for stakeholderand participant involvement in the design process of a distributed digital market place. Further research aims to study how SamenMarkt can provide a solution space for the emerging global food crises. At present, we are using agent-based modelling to simulate the present market and scenarios. The next step will be to build the actual agent-based platform for real-time negotiations and business intelligence.


Many wetland communities are fire prone or fire dependent, especially those dominated by forbs and grasses. Despite our considerable knowledge about fire effects on wildlife in uplands, there is a relative paucity of information about effects of fire in wetland systems. Long-legged wading birds (herons, egrets, ibises, storks, spoonbills; order Ciconiiformes) may benefit from fire through the exposure of prey after vegetation removal, or through a trophic response of prey to increased availability of nutrients and increased light. We conducted aerial surveys of foraging wading birds in prescribed burns and adjacent unburned areas in the central Everglades, Florida, USA, to determine if wading birds select for burned habitats. We measured aquatic prey density in burned and unburned sawgrass (Cladium mariscus [L.] Pohl ssp. jamaicense [Crantz] Kük), and densities of prey injured or killed in the fires. We also observed foraging great egrets (Ardea alba L.) in and adjacent to prescribed burns to determine whether foraging success (i.e., capture efficiency and capture rate) differed between burned and unburned areas. Great egrets and white ibises (Eudocimus albus L.) selected for burns and areas of deeper water adjacent to burned areas, and avoided dense, tall, unburned vegetation. Measured densities of prey killed by the fire were very low. Live aquatic prey densities did not differ between burned and unburned sawgrass. Great egrets had higher capture rates in sloughs adjacent to burns than in burned areas, but were more efficient at capturing prey in burned areas than in adjacent sloughs. Prescribed fires created short-term shallow water habitats (burned areas) with limited submerged and emergent vegetation, making prey in burns more vulnerable despite lower densities (availability) compared to adjacent sloughs. This research suggests that prescribed fire in grass-dominated wetlands may attract predators like wading birds primarily because removal of vegetation makes prey easier to capture.


The theory of social character developed by Erich Fromm asserts that the significance of experience is intimately linked to the material conditions under which persons, located in a specific economic system, live. The shared character traits thus correspond to the social role that these persons play. In the case of women, existing literature does not focus on their function as reproducers of the work force within the family, although this is a generalized function and additional to out-of-home work. This function has a transcendent importance to the development and emotional health of children, as has been established in longitudinal research of attachment theory. This study explores Mexican mothers' shared character traits, a systematized appraisal of their attitudes towards their lives and their children, their states of mind, and the quality of care they provide as well as their relationship to attachment patterns of their infants; some come from urban Middle, Middle-upper and Upper-class families and others from Poor indigenous peasant families. The fundamental focus is on the woman's participation inside the family, although it does not exclude the possibility that some of these mothers handle not only the care giving and housework but also work outside of the home (the "double shift"). It con- cludes that the daily material conditions of existence are closely related to shared character traits and that these are in turn related to patterns of attachment in their in- fants, their sensitivity in the treatment of their babies, and the results of their Adult At- tachment Interviews. Women have been the support and pillar of subsistence for urban populations as well as the most poor and disadvantaged communities. This role played by women is as widespread as undocumented in literature.


The devices running embedded applications tend to be battery-powered, and the energy efficiency of their operations is an important enabler for the wide adoption of the Internet-of-Things. Optimization of energy usage depends on modelling power consumption. A model-based simulation must consider parameters that depend on the device used, the operating system, and the distributed application under study. A realistic simulation thus depends on knowledge regarding how and when devices consume energy. This paper presents an approach to direct measurement of energy consumed in the different execution states of the device. We present the architecture and the measurement process that were implemented. We provide a reference architecture, whose constituent parts can be implemented in different manners, e.g. the processing unit of the device can be the chip on a mote, or an FieldProgrammable Gate Array (FPGA) implementation. Details are given regarding the setup of the experimental tests, and a discussion of the results hints at which architecture is the best for each application under study. The presented methodology can be extended easily to new architectures and applications, to streamline the process of building realistic models of power consumption.


Naturally occurring nuclear reactors existed in uranium deposits on Earth long before Enrico Fermi built the first man-made nuclear reactor beneath Staggs Field in 1942. In the story of their discovery, there are important lessons to be learned about scientific inquiry and scientific discovery. Now, there is evidence to suggest that the Earth's magnetic field and Jupiter's atmospheric turbulence are driven by planetary-scale nuclear reactors. The subject of planetocentric nuclear fission reactors can be a jumping off point for stimulating classroom discussions about the nature and implications of planetary energy sources and about the geomagnetic field. But more importantly, the subject can help to bring into focus the importance of discussing, debating, and challenging current thinking in a variety of areas.


Developments in patent law over the past generation, as exemplified by the Patent Board of Appeals and Interferences' recent decision in Ex parte Lundgren, have all but done away with several venerable principles relating to patent eligibility - among them rules that all patentable inventions must pertain to the technological arts, that they may not read on mental steps, and that patentable processes must effect a physical transformation - in favor of an approach that asks only whether an invention has practical utility and is predictable in its effects. As a result, patentable subject matter now includes both the technological and the liberal arts; patent claims may read on steps that are capable of being performed mentally; and patentable processes need not effect any physical transformation of matter or energy external to the human actor. Debate over the wisdom of this expansion of patentable subject matter often focuses on the patentability of computer-related art, but also arises in cases such as Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings v. Metabolite Laboratories, Inc., which involved a diagnostic process. Although the Supreme Court raised hopes, when it decided to grant review in Metabolite, that it would issue a definitive ruling either confirming or rejecting the modern trend, those hopes were dashed this past June when the Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted. This essay questions whether the modern trend with respect to patentable subject matter - neat, orderly, rational, and logical though it may appear to some observers to be, in contrast to the more restrictive, even arbitrary, approach embodied in the technological arts, mental steps, and physical transformation doctrines - is really such a wise development after all. Taking a cue from the (admittedly non-patent related) writings of the Anglo-Irish statesmen and political theorist Edmund Burke, I argue that some aspects of the older approach to patentable subject matter may have embodied an underappreciated wisdom, to the extent the older doctrines prevented patent law from intruding upon both laws of nature and human liberty interests, including freedom of speech and personal autonomy. As times change, the law too must change, and it would be foolish to exclude computer and business-related art from the scope of patentable subject matter altogether; properly reformed and refined, however, the older doctrines still may play a useful role in preventing patent law from unduly extending its reach into every nook and cranny of human endeavor.


The forthcoming General Election will be one of the most decisive in British post-war history. If the Conservatives were to win again, it would confirm that British democracy is a sham - that we live in a one party state and the electorate will exact no penalty for broken promises and the abuse of power. Will Hutton argues that the tories can no longer be trusted: the recent economic 'growth' is little more than a catch-up from the lost recession years, while investment is still weak and inflation high; Black Wednesday revealed the Governments economic incompetence; and taxes have risen by a record in post-war Britain. Tony Blair has skilfully exploited the Tory divisions and successfully remodelled his party: New Labour is reformist, committed to social justice, solidarity and achievable levels of equality. The years of Tory Government have revealed the shortcomings of a free-market economy: a big shift of economic power to the employers and a sharp rise in in equality. Will Hutton urges Labour not to embrace a Conservative agenda in economic terms but to deal with the challenge of structuring the free-market economy to get the best balance of growth and a good society, and to make fundamental choices over the character of the capitalism we want to develop.


Ethiopia has failed to produce enough food to feed its population and the country has remained as one of the poorest countries in the world. Land degradation has been identified as one of the most serious problems that threaten the sustainability of agriculture in the country. In an effort to address this problem, the government has given due attention for soil and water conservation in the country. However, definitive and quantitative information regarding soil conservation and its interactions with farm productivity is lacking.we evaluate the impact of soil conservation interventions on technical efficiency of smallholder farm households in Arsi Negelle district of Ethiopia using cross sectional data collected from randomly selected 160 sample households during 2011/12 production season. Stochastic frontier method has been used to extract the efficiency scores from the production function and to measure the impact of conservation practices on technical efficiency; Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was employed. The logistic regression estimation of factors affecting participation in soil conservation revealed that educational level of the household head, farming experience and frequency of extension contact significantly affected the participation decision of households in soil conservation. In matching processes, kernel matching with band width of 0.5 was found to be the best matching algorism. This method was also checked for covariate balancing with a standardized bias, t-test, and joint significance level tests. The results revealed that households that participate in conservation practice have got an improvement of 3.16 percent in technical efficiency than those households that were not participated which shows participation has a significant, positive and robust impact on the outcome variables. Therefore, policy makers and other stockholders should give due attention in soil conservation.


There is increasing recognition of the importance of consumer financial markets in the greater scope of global financial markets. In the recent past, this importance has been particularly amplified by the contribution of household debt and personal bankruptcy on the Global Financial Crisis which began 2007. To this end, this area of research has become topical among scholars, policymakers and legislators as they apply themselves towards finding a 'silver-bullet' solution. A plethora of studies have been conducted on the issue. However, the general trend in approach adopted by most of these studies has resulted in recommending piece-meal solutions. The conviction is that a more comprehensive, birds-eye-view approach is required if any meaningful strides are to be gained in resolving this problem. This paper contributes to the literature by proposing a theoretical framework that merges the different theoretical angles from the extant literature. In particular, the proposed model suggests that the theoretical underpinnings of economic theory and psychological paradigm, combined with the macro factors of government intervention strategy and financial information intermediaries provide pillars required for the remodelling of consumer financial markets. It is only through a good understanding of the interrelations that exist among these factors can consumer financial markets be remodelled with a view to enhance the performance and efficiency of the greater financial markets.


Objective: To compare the outcome of abdominal versus vaginal of hysterectomy in terms of hospital stay, the rate of complications and patient's satisfaction. Study design and setting: This was an observational study and carried out at Gynae and Obs department of LUMHS Jamshoro, from December 2010 to August 2013. Methodology: A total of 90 patients with the benign gynecological disease were included. Patients with Gynecological malignancies and emergency obstetrical hysterectomies were excluded. Patients received in the outdoor department with a fibroid, adnexal mass, abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, uterovaginal prolapse and were admitted. All the patients were underwent an abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy. Data was recorded on pre-designed proforma. Results: The mean age was 48.34±11.3 years. Intraoperative complications were more significant in abdominal hysterectomy pvalue of 0.001. Post-operative complications were also significantly high in patient underwent abdominal hysterectomy as compared to vaginal hysterectomy p-value 0.001, as out 50 cases of vaginal hysterectomy 16.0% were found with postoperative febrile morbidity, 3.0% had paralytic ileus, 6.0% had developed wound infection and 6.05 were found with thrombophlebitis, while only one case had developed vault haematoma in patients of vaginal hysterectomy. Mean of the Hospital stay was significantly higher 6.33+2.32 days in patients of abdominal hysterectomy, p-value 0.001. Most of patients 28(70.0%), of vaginal hysterectomy showed significant satisfaction, p-value 0.001. Conclusion: It is concluded that vaginal hysterectomy is the best route of hysterectomy for utero vaginal prolapse (descent of uterus) it can be done safely for other benign conditions of the uterus (non-descent of the uterus).