Motivated by the rapid experimental progress on the spin-orbit-coupled Mott insulators, we propose and study a generic spin model that describes the interaction between the non-Kramers doublets on a triangular lattice and is relevant for triangular lattice rare-earth magnets. We predict that the system supports both pure quadrupolar orders and intertwined multipolar orders in the phase diagram. Besides the multipolar orders, we explore the magnetic excitations to reveal the dynamic properties of the systems. Due to the peculiar properties of the non-Kramers doublets and the selective coupling to the magnetic field, we further study the magnetization process of the system in the magnetic field. We point out the selective measurements of the static and dynamic properties of the intertwined multipolarness in the neutron scattering, NMR and $\mu$SR probes and predict the experimental consequences. The relevance to the existing materials such as TmMgGaO$_{4}$, Pr-based and Tb-based magnets, and many ternary chalcogenides is discussed. Our results illustrate the rich physics and the promising direction in the interplay between strong spin-orbit-entangled multipole moments and the geometrical frustration.


Decision-making in pluralistic organizations, like hospitals, is a fragile process, particularly when they span professional boundaries, as in change or merger projects. The fragility is often explained by divergent goals, knowledge-intensive work processes and dispersed power structures. Due to the high autonomy of different actors decisions need to be made collectively and to a certain degree the consent of those affected by the decisions is required. In addition, decision-making is a cyclical process as decision effects feedback on the decision-makers.
However, the question of how actors carry out decisions over time has not been widely explored in management and organization theory. Traditional theories of rational choice do not incorporate the social and cyclical nature of nature of decision-making. We turn to literature of the process perspective that suggests understanding decision-making as a pattern of action unfolding over time. Emphasizing the role of time decisions emerge from the temporal proximity of challenge, solutions and decision maker. This paper uses a process lens to examine how different actors enact different decisions practices in order to enable collective strategic actions.
Although various scholars have established decision-making as a central concern of organizational science, less attention has been paid to the actual decision practices/processes in pluralistic organizations. Apparently, it is assumed that the ways of decision-making do not vary across a pluralistic organization. This paper addresses this gap by analyzing the diverse decision practices of different professions within a hospital.
This paper extends existing understandings of how distinct decision practices shape the process of strategic actions. We elaborate on the role of the professional background in making decisions, based on analysis of a longitudinal case study of a merger process between two hospitals. Our data show distinctly different decision-practices within a hospital: fast and personalized decision-making by surgeons, collaborative decision-making that appeals to the nurses' notion of caring, consensus-seeking understanding of emerging patterns that fits to the routines of internists and bureaucratically pre-planned project management by administrators. Our study makes two contributions: first, reaching a strategic decision and generating organization action around strategic goals is not only difficult because different interest groups pursue their own goals. But also, it is because the decisions practices within a pluralistic organization differ significantly; second, decision-making is heavily shaped and legitimized by the way actors perform their daily work. Such referencing stabilizes a specific decision-practice inside a professional domain. At the same time, organization-wide decisions during which different ways of decision-making join, making decisions becomes ambiguous.


A comparison of Hanks balanced salt solution, veal infusion broth (VIB), and charcoal viral transport medium for maintaining viability of type A influenza virus indicated approximately equal survival of virus on all three media at -70 and 4 degrees C, whereas at 25 degrees C virus survived best in VIB. VIB supplemented with bovine serum albumin was used as transport medium in a community-wide surveillance of febrile respiratory disease for influenza viruses. Unfrozen throat swab specimens were placed in VIB and stored at 4 degrees C for up to 5 days without effect on isolation frequencies of either type A or type B influenza virus or type 1 or type 3 parainfluenza virus. Comparison of indirect immunofluorescence with hemadsorption for detection of type A influenza virus in rhesus monkey kidney cultures revealed a requirement for at least five fluorescing cells to eliminate false positive indirect immunofluorescence tests and at least 3 days of incubation to eliminate false negative tests when compared with hemadsorption at later times. Detection frequencies for the two methods after 2 and 3 days of incubation were not significantly different.


The aim of this study was to obtain mid-term results after total hip arthroplasty (THA) with cemented titanium stems. In all, 184 patients with a total of 202 THAs (cemented titanium stem) were clinically and radiologically examined after an average follow-up of 6 years (5-8). The recruitment was 86%. The Harris score was determined clinically. Radiologically, the directly postoperative radiographs were compared to the control radiographs according to the recommendations of Gruen et al. and Johnston et al. In 2 cases (1%) septical complications appeared after 2 years, which were treated in two-stage surgery. To date, revisions after loosening have been carried out in 3 cases (1.5%). This is equivalent to a revision rate of 2.5%. Three further cases showed evidence of loosening in more than 5 radiolucent lines (RLL), according to Gruen, making close-meshed controls necessary. Clinically, in all of the 6 cases of aseptic loosening, the Harris score remained above 80 points. In 36 cases, more than one RLL, compared to the postoperative radiographs, was ascertained and mainly found in zones 1, 7, 8, and 14. Substantial subsidence or varus could only be observed in one case. The clinical results in the Harris score were good or excellent in 78% and satisfactory in 20%. With an average of 75 at the time of follow-up, the age of the patients was, according to the indication that only patients above age 60 are to receive cemented-stem prostheses, clearly advanced. The body weight was significantly higher (82 kg; d = 2.4) in those 6 patients having evident RLL, than in patients without RLL. The ratio body weight to surface of the stem was especially different (1.5 kg/cm2 versus 1 kg/cm2; P < 0.005) in the two groups. This did not apply to sex or activity of the patient, size or kind of stem, Harris score, ectopic ossification, or body weight index. The biggest possible stem should be implanted. Not all cemented titanium stem prostheses are necessarily affected with a high rate of loosening at a mid-term follow-up.


BACKGROUND
The time to recurrence after surgical removal of primary pterygium (pterygium) and the association between the rate of recurrence and the postoperative interval remain unclear.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the amount of follow-up time needed to identify recurrence in patients after surgical removal of pterygium.

METHODS
We reviewed the files of 143 patients (143 eyes) with recurrent pterygium to determine the interval from surgery to recurrence.

RESULTS
Almost all (91.6%) of the recurrences appeared by 360 days after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS
One year is the optimal follow-up time to identify recurrence of pterygium.


Water governance is a sensitive and contentious issue that requires multi-stakeholder participation and judicious use of technology. The new water law in Afghanistan focuses on the participation of stakeholders in water management, equitable water allocation, task division, and decision-making at the sub-basin, basin, and national levels. This paper looks at a multi-stakeholder partnership approach aligned with technological solutions designed by ICIMOD to facilitate collaboration for the purpose of addressing the key challenges and exploring opportunities for river basin management in Afghanistan. ICIMOD helped to broker a context-specific partnering approach to strengthen collaboration for water resource management by embedding the principles and frameworks of collaborating in cooperation and strategic partnership with the Partnership Brokers Association, which entails a shift from commitments to engage with stakeholders to codesigning and implementing activities based on partnering principles to achieve the goal of water resource management in Afghanistan. The paper highlights and discusses the various cases of the project that offer reflections on the participatory approach adopted and the value addition that each partner, on the basis of their strengths, brings to the partnership. The paper highlights the positive impacts that multi-stakeholder partnerships can have on overcoming the complex challenges faced in strengthening water resource management in Afghanistan.


Big Data has turned out to be one of the popular expressions in IT the last couple of years. In the current digital period, according to the huge improvement occurring in the web and online world innovations, we are facing a gigantic volume of information. The size of data has expanded significantly with the appearance of today's innovation in numerous segments, for example, assembling, business, and science. Types of information have been changed from structured data-driven databases to data including documents, images, audio, video, and social media contents referred to as unstructured data or Big Data. Consequently, most of the organizations try to invest in the big data technology aiming to get value from their investment. However, the organizations face a challenge to determine their requirements and then the technology that suits their businesses. Different technologies are provided by variety of vendors, each of them can be used, and there is no methodology helping them for choosing and making a right decision. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to construct a roadmap for helping the organizations determine their needs and selecting a suitable technology and applying this conducted proposed roadmap practically on two companies.


Layered viscosity, temperature-dependent viscosity, and surface plates have an important effect on the scale and morphology of structure in spherical models of mantle convection. We find that long-wavelength structures can be produced either by a layered viscosity with a weak upper mantle or temperature-dependent viscosity even in the absence of surface plates, corroborating earlier studies, However,combining the layered viscosity structure with a temperature-dependent viscosity results in structure with significantly shorter wavelengths. Our models show that the scale of convection is mainly controlled by the surface plates, supporting the previous two-dimensional studies. Our models with surface plates: layered and temperature-dependent viscosity, and internal heating explain mantle structures inferred from seismic tomography. The models show that hot upwellings initiate at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) with linear structures, and as they depart from CMB, the linear upwellings quickly change into quasi-cylindrical plumes that dynamically interact with the ambient mantle and surface plates while ascending through the mantle. A linear upwelling structure is generated again at shallow depths (<200 km) in the vicinity of diverging plate margins because of the surface plates. At shallow depths, cold downwelling sheets form at converging plate margins. The evolution of downwelling sheets depends on the mantle rheology. The temperature-dependent viscosity strengthens the downwelling sheets so that the sheet structure can be maintained throughout the mantle. The tendency for linear upwelling and downwelling structures to break into plume-like structures is stronger at higher Rayleigh numbers. Our models also show that downwellings tp first-order control surface plate motions and the locations and horizontal motion of upwellings. Upwellings tend to form at stagnation points predicted solely from the buoyancy forces of downwellings. Temperature-dependent viscosity greatly enhances tb: ascending velocity of developed upwelling plumes, and this may reduce the influence of global mantle flow on the motion of plumes. Our results can explain the anticorrelation between hotspot distribution and fast seismic wave speed anomalies in the lower mantle and may also have significant implications to the observed stationarity of hotspots.


Different approaches to measure the hospital competition index might lead to inconsistent results of the effects of hospital competition on innovation adoption. The purpose of this study is to adopt a different approach to define market area and measure the level of competition to examine whether hospital competition has a positive effect on hospital behavior, taking quality indicator projects participation as an example. A total of 238 hospitals located in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung were recruited in this study. Competition index was used as the independent variable, and participation lists of Taiwan Clinical Performance Indicator and Taiwan Healthcare Indicator Series in 2012 were used as dependent variables. All data used in this study were retrieved from the 2012 national hospital profiles and the participation list of the 2 quality indicator projects in 2012; these profiles are issued by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare annually. Geopolitical boundaries and 4 kinds of fixed radiuses were used to define market area. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and hospital density were used to measure the level of competition. A total of 12 competition indices were produced in this study by employing the geographic information system, while max-rescaled R2 was used to evaluate and compare the models on goodness of fit. The results show that the effects of hospital competition on quality indicator projects participation were varied, which mean different indicators for market competition might reveal different conclusions. Furthermore, this study also found the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index at 5-km radius was the optimum competition index.


Hardware/software co-design is an interesting topic for most embedded system architects. However, designers find integrating hardware and software communications interface challenging. A framework for integrating the software and hardware communication interface for computing in reconfigurable embedded systems, called IRES, is proposed. The framework supports reconfigurable computing architectures, based on traditional central processing unit and the reconfigurable field programmable gate array, and composed of the integration linker, the boot loader, small task-oriented operating objects and the hardware management unit. The integration linker enables the IRES to link hardware net-list files and tasks into one execution file, called the executor, constructed with the boot loader, the task-oriented operating kernel, the application tasks and the accelerating hardware functions. Task and hardware functions are segregated by program segment prefixes, designed to record interaction information of hardware and software resources. When the executor operates on the target-embedded environment, the implicit hardwire-call will be supported to invoke hardware functions in the task codes. The IRES successfully implements in the realised hardware platform, and this work verifies communication effectiveness between hardware and software through video compression applications.


Natural image matting is a fundamental problem in computational photography and computer vision. Deep neural networks have seen the surge of successful methods in natural image matting in recent years. In contrast to traditional propagation-based matting methods, some top-tier deep image matting approaches tend to perform propagation in the neural network implicitly. A novel structure for more direct alpha matte propagation between pixels is in demand. To this end, this paper presents a hierarchical opacity propagation (HOP) matting method, where the opacity information is propagated in the neighborhood of each point at different semantic levels. The hierarchical structure is based on one global and multiple local propagation blocks. With the HOP structure, every feature point pair in high-resolution feature maps will be connected based on the appearance of input image. We further propose a scale-insensitive positional encoding tailored for image matting to deal with the unfixed size of input image and introduce the random interpolation augmentation into image matting. Extensive experiments and ablation study show that HOP matting is capable of outperforming state-of-the-art matting methods.


To investigate the dominant sediment transport and trapping mechanisms, a semi-analytical three-dimensional model is developed resolving the dynamic effects of salt intrusion on sediment in well-mixed estuaries in morphodynamic equilibrium. As a study case, a schematized estuary with a converging width and a channel-shoal structure representative for the Delaware estuary is considered. When neglecting Coriolis effects, sediment downstream of the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) is imported into the estuary through the deeper channel and exported over the shoals. Within the ETM region, sediment is transported seaward through the deeper channel and transported landward over the shoals. The largest contribution to the cross-sectionally integrated seaward residual sediment transport is attributed to the advection of tidally averaged sediment concentrations by river-induced flow and tidal return flow. This contribution is mainly balanced by the residual landward sediment transport due to temporal correlations between the suspended sediment concentrations and velocities at the M2 tidal frequency. The M2 sediment concentration mainly results from spatial settling lag effects and asymmetric bed shear stresses due to interactions of M2 bottom velocities and the internally generated M4 tidal velocities, as well as the salinity-induced residual currents. Residual advection of tidally averaged sediment concentrations also plays an important role in the landward sediment transport. Including Coriolis effects hardly changes the cross-sectionally integrated sediment balance, but results in a landward (seaward) sediment transport on the right (left) side of the estuary looking seaward, consistent with observations from literature. The sediment transport/trapping mechanisms change significantly when varying the settling velocity and river discharge.


Current studies indicate that neglecting the effect of intermediate diaphragms might lead to highly conservative values for bending moment distribution factors and result in non-economic designs for skew bridges. This paper reports on a parametric study performed on 160 prototypes of straight and skew concrete multicell box-girder bridges. The obtained results were used to develop practical expressions to account for the diaphragm effects on American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials formulas for live load distribution factors. It was observed that decks with internal transverse diaphragms perpendicular to the longitudinal webs are the best arrangement for load distribution in skew bridges.


The aims of this thesis are to assess health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) in a general population and among patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD). Instruments include the generic health-profile instruments Short Form 36 (SF-36) and Short Form 12 (SF-12); the preference-based methods: rating scale (RS), time trade-off (TTO), standard gamble (SG) and the contingent valuation method of measuring willingness-to-pay (WTP); and the disease-specific Dermatology Life Quality Instrument (DLQI). Further aims were to assess, from an equity perspective, the extent to which socioeconomic factors influence HRQoL and price sensitivity toward increases in user charges for R drugs. Finally the aim is to examine the relationships among health-profile and preference-based measures and willingness-to-pay.Data are based on a general population survey conducted in Uppsala County and on a self-administeredquestionnaire and a face-to-face interview with dermatology patients.The results indicate that inequities in HRQoL are present with respect to several socioeconomic variables. Women generally report lower HRQoL than do men, and a higher level on socioeconomic factors is associated with higher HRQoL. Price sensitivity was lower among those with higher age, income, education, and self-rated health. Price sensitivity was highest for antitussives and lowest for climacteric drugs.The mean SF-36 scores for dermatology patients are mainly below those of the age and gender matched general population in Sweden. Our result suggests that there is no difference in HRQoL between patients with only psoriasis and AD patients, but patients with psoriatic arthritis have a decidedly lower HRQoL than both these groups.Regression analysis of the health-state utilities with age, gender, and the SF-12 as explanatory variables explains about 50% of the variance in the RS answers and about 25% of the variance in the TT0 answers. Among dermatology patients, utility measures are correlated with the SF-36 and the DLQI in the expected way, with the correlations being strongest for RS. WTP was correlated with the DLQI, but not with the SF-36. This thesis shows that HRQoL in a general population is associated with socioeconomic factors, and thatinequalities exist in the distribution of HRQoL. Compared with a general population, patients with skin diseases have a reduced HRQoL. The results suggest that the SF-12 can be converted to health-state utilities.


Structurally simple pyrazole derivatives that exhibit excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) were synthesized. While these compounds displayed deep violet fluorescence in solution, in the crystalline state they showed white emission from the enol and keto forms.


Eye injuries are common in sports. Team physicians need to be able to recognize and treat common injuries and know when to refer other problems. This article highlights the current treatment of common sports-related eye injuries and reviews some of the new literature. Nearly 90% of all sports-related eye injuries can be prevented with adequate eye protection and will be discussed in some detail in the article.


This paper presents the converter design of a single-phase non-isolated step-down controlled rectifier for power factor improvement and output voltage regulation. The converter consists of a full-bridge diode rectifier and a DC–DC interleaved buck converter of two or more switching cells that has an LC filter in its input. It is proposed that the interleaved switching cells operate in discontinuous conduction mode and the current through the input LC filter be continuous, avoiding switching frequency components to be injected into the grid. The controller, which has a simple structure and a small number of sensors, allows the system to achieve a high power factor. It also regulates the output voltage to a constant reference. An experimental prototype is built and tested to validate the analysis and proposed design. The closed-loop converter is evaluated both in a steady state and in transient conditions. At steady state, the converter achieves a power factor above 0.9 with a maximum of 45.4% THD at 110.1W. The main contributions of this paper are guidelines for the design of the converter, open-loop analysis, and converter control.


Electronic cigarettes pose competitive threats to the makers of traditional cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine gum and patches. It is no surprise that these producers, and the governments that earn revenue from tobacco taxes, respond by seeking controls on the competition. Similarly, despite evidence that e-cigarettes may be beneficial in helping tobacco smokers quit, assorted public health researchers and groups have attacked e-cigarettes as a health danger. This episode allows application of the Bootlegger and Baptist theory of regulation. Diverse groups, not necessarily working together, and with different motives, share in a goal of limiting how e-cigarettes enter the market. Those who profit from the current tobacco market structure and some health advocates plead for politicians and regulators to restrict the new product.


A new specification of the expected utility model of international conflict places expected utilities within a polar coordinate system; treats third-party choices in a manner more consistent with classical forms; estimates the expected utilities derived from not challenging existing policies; more fully represents the expected costs of conflict; and normalizes expected utilities regardless of system size. By assuming that the probability of escalation of a dispute increases monotonically with leaders' expectations of gain, we derive continuous functions for the probabilities of war, intervention, violence, and peace. The revised theory significantly improves our ability to discriminate between violent and nonviolent disputes and between violent disputes that escalated to warfare and those that did not in Europe between 1816 and 1970.


A rich set of interpretable dimensions has been shown to emerge in the latent space of the Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) trained for synthesizing images. In order to identify such latent dimensions for image editing, previous methods typically annotate a collection of synthesized samples and train linear classifiers in the latent space. However, they require a clear definition of the target attribute as well as the corresponding manual annotations, limiting their applications in practice. In this work, we examine the internal representation learned by GANs to reveal the underlying variation factors in an unsupervised manner. In particular, we take a closer look into the generation mechanism of GANs and further propose a closedform factorization algorithm for latent semantic discovery by directly decomposing the pre-trained weights. With a lightning-fast implementation, our approach is capable of not only finding semantically meaningful dimensions comparably to the state-of-the-art supervised methods, but also resulting in far more versatile concepts across multiple GAN models trained on a wide range of datasets.1


Palmitic acid (PA) and 1-hexadecanol (HD) strongly affect the phase transition temperature and molecular packing of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) monolayers at the air–water interface. The phase behavior and morphology of mixed DPPC/PA as well as DPPC/HD monolayers were determined by pressure-area-isotherms and fluorescence microscopy. The molecular organization was probed by synchrotron grazing incidence x-ray diffraction using a liquid surface diffractometer. Addition of PA or HD to DPPC monolayers increases the temperature of the liquid-expanded to condensed phase transition. X-ray diffraction shows that DPPC forms mixed crystals both with PA and HD over a wide range of mixing ratios. At a surface pressure (π) of 40 mN/m, increasing the amount of the single chain surfactant leads to a reduction in tilt angle of the aliphatic chains from nearly 30° for pure DPPC to almost 0° in a 1:1 molar ratio of DPPC and PA or HD. At this composition we also find closest packing of the aliphatic chains. Furth...


Developing a real-life spoken dialogue system must face with many practical issues, where the out-of-vocabulary (OOV) words problem is one of the key difficulties. This paper presents the OOV detection mechanism based on the word confidence scoring developed for the d-Ear Attendant system, a spontaneous spoken dialogue system. In the d-Ear Attendant system, an explicit filler model is originally used to detect the presence of OOV words [1]. Although this approach has a satisfactory OOV detection rate, it badly degrades the accuracy of in-vocabulary (IV) detection by 4.4% absolutely (from 97% to 92.6%). Such the degradation will not be acceptable in a practical system. By using a few commonly used acoustic confidence features and some new context confidence features, our confidence measure method not only is able to detect the word level speech recognition errors, but also has a good ability for OOV words detection with an acceptable false alarm rate. For example, with a false rejection rate of 2.5%, the false acceptance rate of 26% is achieved.


Background Patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) are at an increased risk for aortic structural damage; however, the timing and predisposing characteristics for development of aortic aneurysm is poorly understood. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and predictors of thoracic aortic aneurysm in a large single-institution cohort of patients with biopsy-proven GCA. Methods A retrospective review was performed to identify all patients with biopsy-proven GCA from 1998 through 2013. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiographic, and treatment data at baseline and subsequent followup visits were collected. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate cumulative incidence and Cox models were used to examine potential predictors of development of aneurysm/dilatation of the thoracic aorta. Results The cohort included 286 patients with biopsy-proven GCA (213 females and 73 males, mean [±SD] age 75 [±7.6] years) with a mean (±SD) follow up of 6 (±3.9) years. 130 patients had 280 imaging studies (41% magnetic resonance angiography [MRA], 55% computed tomographic angiography [CTA] and 4% conventional angiography). The median time from diagnosis to first imaging study was 0.2 [interquartile range (IQR) 0.0, 2.7] years. Of the 130 patients, 48% underwent follow up imaging studies. At the first imaging study, 14 (11%) patients had evidence of aneurysm or dilatation of the thoracic aorta and 28 (22%) patients had thoracic aorta thickening. Excluding prevalent cases, the cumulative incidence (±SE) for aneurysm/dilatation of the thoracic aorta during followup was 0% at both 1-yr and 2-yrs but increased to 9% (±0.4) at 5-years. Among all patients with GCA evaluated with vascular imaging, thoracic aortic aneurysm/dilatation was detected in 11% (±3) at 1-yr, 11% (±3) at 2-yrs, and 15% (±3) at 5-yrs. Patient baseline demographics, cardiovascular risk, clinical presentation, laboratory values, and initial treatment were assessed to predict incidence of thoracic aortic damage. Baseline thickening of the thoracic aorta was not a risk factor for subsequent aneurysm/dilatation (p=0.99). Neither the presence of relapse (p=0.99) nor the number of relapses (p=0.65) were associated with development of thoracic aortic damage [HR (95% CI): 0.88 (0.50, 1.54); p=0.65]. Furthermore, there was no difference in initial prednisone dose between patients who did and did not develop aortic damage. The sole predictor for development of thoracic aortic aneurysm/dilatation was a history of smoking [HR (95% CI) 28.1: (1.59, 495.71); p=0.023]. Conclusions In our cohort, thoracic aortic aneurysm/dilatation was seen in 11% of patients at baseline evaluation and increased to 15% at 5-yrs after diagnosis. Former smokers were at a 28-fold increased risk for developing thoracic aortic damage. Surveillance for aortic damage should be pursued in all patients with GCA, particularly those with a smoking history. Prospective investigations into screening methods and optimal frequency are warranted. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Tracheoesophageal bypass was made in 114 patients after laryngectomy for reestablishment of voice. Of them, 17 (14.4%) patients had pharyngospasm which hinders voice recovery. To prevent this complication, the authors propose a special surgical policy which is different for delayed and primary (intraoperative) prosthesis.


The diffusion of Be during post-growth rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in InGaAs layers grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) has been studied. The observed secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) concentration distributions, obtained for annealing cycles with time durations of 10 s to 240 s and temperatures in the range for Be doping concentration of , could be explained by a kick-out mechanism considering neutral Be interstitials and singly positively charged group III self-interstitials. Be and Ga, In interstitial diffusivities, the equilibrium concentration of Ga and In interstitials, as a function of temperature, are obtained from this work.


Many porphyrin oligomers exhibit large two-photon absorptions (TPA) at fundamental photon energies around 1.5 eV, while the corresponding monomers have negligible TPA cross-sections in that energy range. In general, our understanding of nonlinear absorption in these compounds is rather limited compared to that of linear absorption. Here, we seek to provide insight into this issue by examining various structural aspects of porphyrin dimers and analyzing how they lead to either "pure" or double resonance-enhanced TPA cross-sections. To do so, we have carried out highly correlated quantum-chemical calculations on model chromophores which differ by their central π-conjugated bridges or acceptor moieties. In a number of such dimers, the calculated energies of the lowest two-photon active states are stabilized and display significant cross-sections as the electronic coupling strength between the two porphyrin moieties becomes significant; in these instances, the lowest electronic TPA-active state is located in an energy range preventing contributions from double resonance effects. On the other hand, in dimers in which the porphyrin moieties are either very strongly or very weakly electronically coupled, the TPA cross-sections are mainly due to double resonance effects.


Malignant germ cell tumours are a group of rare cancers whose incidence peaks in late adolescence and early adulthood. Dysgerminomas of the ovary and seminomas of the testis are analogous diseases, but seminomas have a 10-fold higher incidence. The two tumours are morphologically identical and are only differentiated by surrounding organ-specific tissue or testicular germ cell neoplasia in situ. They share genetic features including KIT and RAS mutations, amplification of chromosome 12p, and expression of pluripotency markers (NANOG (Nanog homeobox), OCT3/4 (Octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4), and SAL4 (Spalt-like trascription factor 4)). Both histologies are exquisitely sensitive to platinum chemotherapy, and the combination of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) yields survival rates greater than 90%. However, BEP causes significant, lifelong toxicity (cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, and neurological) in these young patients with an expectation of cure. Here, we comprehensively review the biological features of dysgerminoma and seminoma to demonstrate that they are biologically analogous diseases. We present available clinical trial data supporting de-escalation of chemotherapy treatment. Finally, we propose that future trials should enrol men, women, and children to benefit all patients regardless of age or sex.


The nuclear structure properties of the odd and even tin isotopes are studied, making use of an improved inverse gap equation (IGE) method and the quasiparticle theories. The two-body nuclear force assumed is a realistic potential {or reaction matrix) renormalized for the core polarization; two cases are considered: a) the potential of Tabakin, b) the reaction matrix of Yale-Shakin. While most types of levels are obtained in good agreement with experiment, others sharply disagree with the data. Only poor agreement with experiment is obtained for the electromagnetic properties of some of the calculated states and for the inelastic electron-scattering form factors. Spectroscopic factors for the oneand two-nucleon transfer reactions are presented and discussed. A warning is given against too much optimism about the indiscriminate applicability of the IGE method. Possible explanations for the difficulties of the method are discussed.


Development and testing of new embryo production components is important to improve the outcome following in vitro production of bovine embryos. The objective of this study was to compare media used in two bovine embryo production systems (control and EmbryoTrans Biotech: ETB). In Exp. 1, abattoir-derived cumulus-oocyte complexes were randomly assigned and in vitro matured (IVM) in either control [Medium 199 with Earles salts (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA), supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (Hyclone, Logan, UT, USA), 1% penicillin/streptomycin (Invitrogen), 0.2 mM sodium pyruvate, 2 mM L-glutamine (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO, USA), and 5.0 µg mL–1 of Folltropin®-V (Vetoquinol, Pullman, WA, USA)] or ETB BO-IVM medium for 21 to 24 h. IVF was conducted in 500 µL of pre-equilibrated modified Tyrode-lactate medium for control (Pryor et al. 2011 Theriogenology 75, 24–33) or ETB BO-IVF in Nunclon® 4-well multi-dishes (VWR Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA, USA). Seventeen hours post-insemination, presumptive zygotes were cleaned of cumulus cells and cultured in either Bovine Evolve (Zenith Biotech, Guilford, CT, USA) supplemented with 4 mg mL–1 of Probumin BSA (EMD Millipore, Norcross, GA, USA), under oil (Irvine Scientific, Santa Ana, CA, USA) or ETB BO-IVC medium under BO-oil for 7 days (8 days post-IVF). All cultures were performed at 38.5°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2, 5% O2, and 90% N2 using BT37 incubators (Planer Plc, Sunbury, UK). For Exp. 2, all conditions were maintained except a modified ETB BO-IVCA medium was used. On Day 8 of IVC, grade 1 and 2 blastocysts (BL) through hatching blastocysts (HBL) were counted and used to calculate total viable rates. In Exp. 2, these embryos were fixed in cold methanol, washed in PBS/0.1% Tween 20, mounted in 10 μg mL–1 Hoechst 33342/glycerol, and viewed under UV light to count cells (n = 49 and 107 for control and ETB, respectively). Each experiment was replicated 3 times with a total of 425 oocytes in Exp. 1 and 430 in Exp. 2, divided equally between treatments. Percentage data were transformed using arcsine square root function before analysis and means compared using a paired Student's t-test. For Exp. 1, there were no differences in rates of cleavage or viable embryos between control and ETB systems (81.3% and 42.9% v. 80.5% and 48.4%, respectively). In Exp. 2, ETB was superior to control for percent viable, HBL, and combined HBL/expanded BL (51.9, 23.9, 45.8% v. 29.2, 5.8, 20.5, respectively; P < 0.05). Differences between mean cell counts for viable embryos were significant (control = 127.0 ± 6.7 s.e.m. and ETB = 162.7 ± 5.7; P < 0.0001). Embryo viability decreased in control media between Exp. 1 and 2 (42.9 v. 29.2%; P < 0.05). Seasonal differences may have contributed via heat stress with temperatures ranging from 23.8°C for Exp. 1 to 33.8°C for Exp. 2. Interestingly, embryo development in the ETB media did not decrease under the same conditions. In conclusion, ETB media produced more high-quality embryos than control under varying conditions experienced by commercial IVF companies.


Drugs known to affect the red blood cell membrane and used clinically in neonates were tested for their ability to cause increased 14C-bilirubin uptake by erythrocyte ghosts. The additional uptake of bilirubin by ghosts in the presence of penicillin G, phenobarbital, furosemide and theophylline may be explained by the effect of these drugs on free bilirubin levels as measured with a horseradish peroxidase assay. In contrast, the effect of chlorpromazine in causing increased bilirubin uptake by ghosts could not be totally explained by either ghost lysis or increased free bilirubin levels, as measured by light scattering, and was due to a direct effect of chlorpromazine on the ghost membrane. Our results demonstrate that drugs may act through different mechanisms in causing increased bilirubin uptake by erythrocytes.


Cloud computing applications are developed using Map Reduce programming. Cloud computing distributed file system  nodes perform functionality like   computing as well as storage in this   a file is partitioned into a number of chunks allocated in distinct nodes .based on that  Map Reduce tasks can be performed in parallel over the nodes. But in a cloud computing environment, failure is the common means nodes may be upgraded, replaced, and added in the system. Files can also be dynamically created, deleted, and appended. This results in load imbalance in a distributed file system; that is, the file chunks are not distributed as uniformly among the nodes. In this project, introducing distributed load rebalancing algorithm which eliminated load imbalance problem and proposing gossip protocol which maintains dynamic resource management for large scale cloud. It dynamically maximizing the cloud utility under CPU and memory constraints.


Idiopathic genu varum and genu valgum are common problems in pediatric orthopedic practice. Standardized evaluation is essential to compare the deformity with age specific normal ranges. Secondary deformities are infrequent, often unilateral, and progressive with growth. Epiphyseal stapling at adolescence is required only in severe deformities. Patient selection for this procedure is difficult because of uncertainties regarding accurate bone age determination and prediction of final poststapling outcome. Closely spaced evaluations between 10 and 13 years of age are helpful for determining the optimal time for stapling.


To investigate the effect of dietary fish oil on the lipid and glucose metabolism, Wistar rats were fed lard (10% fat by weight) or fish oil (5% lard + 5% fish oil) diet for 7 weeks. Significantly (p < 0.05) lower plasma total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) levels were observed in rats fed a diet containing fish oil when compared with rats fed lard diet. Fish oil supplementation decreased plasma lactic acid and free fatty acid levels. In addition, lower plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and an improved glucose tolerance ability were observed in rats fed fish oil diet. However, no significant change in plasma glucose level was found in rats between the two dietary groups. Although rats fed a diet containing fish oil had significantly (p < 0.05) decreased total cholesterol and phospholipid contents in the liver, there was no significant difference in liver triglyceride content between the two dietary groups. It is interesting to note that fish oil supplement significantly (p < 0.05) decreased liver glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) activities. Results from the present study suggest that dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids might play an important role in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in rats.


The great majority of children receiving intervention from child welfare and protection services (CWS) in Norway live at home. The purpose of this study was to assess mental health problems among these children. Data stem from a population-based study, the Bergen child study, conducted in 2006. Of a sample consisting of 4,162 children in the fifth to seventh grades, 82 children were CWS clients who lived at home. Compared with their peers, the CWS children had significantly higher scores on emotional problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems, peer problems, and total difficulties (child and parent reports on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). The relationship between being a CWS client and total difficulties remained significant when socio-demographic variables were controlled for. Even though the results indicate that child welfare clients have more contact with child and adolescent mental health service than earlier assumed, the results emphasise the need for strong collaboration between CWS and mental health services and the need for CWS to include other types of interventions in addition to financial support.


Introduction: Anxiety and Depression is a common comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Impaired lung function is a risk factor for depression In COPD patients, reduced recreational activities and social Isolation is a major risk factor resulting in anxiety and depression.
Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of Anxiety and Depression among the COPD patients at Pulmonology unit of Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital.
 Methodology: A hospital based cross- sectional research design was used for the study. A total of 185 patients with previously diagnosed COPD. Data were collected by using a face to face interview technique in patients to evaluate anxiety and depression using Nepali version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire at Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal from May to August 2020. Data analysis were done by descriptive and inferential statistics.
 Results: A total of 185 patients participated in the study, 157 patients (84.9%) had anxiety, 107 patients (57.8%) had depression and 102 patients (55.1%) had both anxiety and depression. There was statistically significant association of anxiety and depression in COPD patients with age, religion, occupation, smoking status, duration of illness, history of previous hospitalization, number of hospitalization in previous year, type of family, domiciliary oxygen therapy.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that anxiety and depression had been most prevalent in COPD patients. Therefore health personnel working in the Pulmonology unit should be aware the early assessment and treatment of anxiety and depression of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases patients.


In this paper the Authors describe a series of activities that has been planned and completed at Sapienza University of Rome. This contribution concerns the development of an original web-site that has been created for supporting the students enrolled at the course of Mechanical Engineering. The developed Site, called KinSynth, is a virtual space where the students have both download and upload privileges, which allows them to exchange a variety of information, mainly Codes written in Open Source Programming Languages. The system allows all the up-loaders to achieve Authoring credits and this feature trigs certain psychological dynamics among the learners that the Authors of the present investigation are willing to analyze. Hence, an online survey has been proposed to all the registered students-users with two objectives: a) understanding whether the Site is really useful to all the students, or only to a sub-group of them; b) achieving a better knowledge of the learners' typologies and attempting to correlate them with their attitude for these Web-based activities. The questionnaire has been developed on the basis of some indicators which could identify some student typologies, such as, for example, those making reference to the Gardner's multiple intelligence model, and some web-user styles. The results will be used next semester in order to build up new orientation activities.


Emergency contraceptive (EC) pills are used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse. Levonorgestrel is an EC pill, which has been only approved in Japan; it is more effective the sooner it is used after intercourse and safe without serious side effects. EC pills are already available at accessible community pharmacies in more than 90 countries around the world. In Japan, citizens have signed a petition calling for the sale of emergency contraceptives at community pharmacies. However, little is known about the thoughts of pharmacists who engage with patients and sell medicines at pharmacies. Therefore, we conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey to determine the level of preparation in community pharmacies and the awareness of pharmacists regarding the sale of EC pills. A total of 1338 pharmacists responded to the survey from November 7, 2020, to December 16, 2020. In terms of the level of preparation for selling EC pills at pharmacies, 1067 (83.9%) respondents cited "lack of preparation of medical questionnaires and explanatory materials", and 975 (76.7%) respondents cited "lack of knowledge of pharmacists" as the most common reasons that were "barriers to EC pill sales at pharmacies". In terms of confidence level, only 289 (22.7%) respondents were confident about conducting the necessary checks while administering medicine. On the other hand, 944 (74.3%) respondents agreed to be able to sell EC pills at their pharmacies. The survey revealed that most of the pharmacists who participated in the survey believe that it is possible to sell EC pills in pharmacies.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework of an automatic bidirectional matching system that measures the degree of semantic similarity of job-seeker qualifications and skills, against the vacancy provided by employers or job-agents.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a framework of bidirectional jobseeker-to-vacancy matching system. Using occupational data from various sources such as the WageIndicator web survey, International Standard Classification of Occupations, European Skills, Competences, Qualifications, and Occupations as well as vacancy data from various open access internet sources and job seekers information from social networking sites, the authors apply machine learning techniques for bidirectional matching of job vacancies and occupational standards to enhance the contents of job vacancies and job seekers profiles. The authors also apply bidirectional matching of job seeker profiles and vacancies, i.e., semantic matching vacancies to job seekers and vice versa in the individual level. Moreover, data from occupational standards and social networks were utilized to enhance the relevance (i.e. degree of similarity) of job vacancies and job seekers, respectively.

Findings
The paper provides empirical insights of increase in job vacancy advertisements on the selected jobs – Internet of Things – with respect to other job vacancies, and identifies the evolution of job profiles and its effect on job vacancies announcements in the era of Industry 4.0. In addition, the paper shows the gap between job seeker interests and available jobs in the selected job area.

Research limitations/implications
Due to limited data about jobseekers, the research results may not guarantee high quality of recommendation and maturity of matching results. Therefore, further research is required to test if the proposed system works for other domains as well as more diverse data sets.

Originality/value
The paper demonstrates how online jobseeker-to-vacancy matching can be improved by use of semantic technology and the integration of occupational standards, web survey data, and social networking data into user profile collection and matching.


The paper presents the prospective roles of SPS concepts for Europe, shows the outcome of the studies undertaken by ESA during the first phase of the European SPS Programme Plan and gives insight into the planned activities. These studies, performed by European industry and research centres in close cooperation with the ESA Advanced Concepts Team, were all directed towards the main goal of the first phase, the assessment of the principal validity and viability of solar power from space concepts in the light of advances in alternative sustainable, clean and potentially abundant solar based terrestrial concepts, taking into account expected changes in the European energy system (e.g. gradual introduction of hydrogen as energy vector). Special emphasis is given to the possibilities of integrating space and terrestrial solar plants. Depending on the timescale and geographic location considered, solar thermal options or solar photovoltaic options are more advantageous, the benefits of the later getting more attractive the further in the future the comparison and the greater the distance to the geographic equator. Laser and microwave power transmission is considered. While laser power transmission offer fundamental advantages for the integration into terrestrial solar power plants, the availability of existing ground receptions, power management and power distribution systems are also beneficial to the economics of the more efficient microwave systems. The relative proximity of good locations in the Sahara desert to the large European energy consumer market puts Europe in a special position regarding the integration of space and terrestrial solar power concepts. The papers presents a method to optimise such an integration, taking into account different possible orbital constellations, terrestrial locations, plant number and sizes as well as consumer profiles and extends the scope from the European-only to a multi continental approach including the fast growing Chinese electricity market. This work intends to contribute to the discussion on long-term options for the European commitment to durable CO2 emission reduction, which probably requires substantial changes in our energy system. Cleaner electricity generation and environmentally neutral transport fuels (e.g. solar generated hydrogen) are two major tools to reach this goal.


The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a cryptoprocessor designed to protect integrity and security of modern computers. Communications with the TPM go through the TPM Software Stack (TSS), a popular implementation of which is the open-source library tpm2-tss. Vulnerabilities in its code could allow attackers to recover sensitive information and take control of the system. This paper describes a case study on formal verification of tpm2-tss using the Frama-C verification platform. Heavily based on linked lists and complex data structures, the library code appears to be highly challenging for the verification tool. We present several issues and limitations we faced, illustrate them with examples and present solutions that allowed us to verify functional properties and the absence of runtime errors for a representative subset of functions. We describe verification results and desired tool improvements necessary to achieve a full formal verification of the target code.


Indoor air pollution (IAP) is a key contributor to the global burden of disease mainly in developing countries. The use of solid fuel for cooking and heating is the main source of IAP in developing countries, accounting for an estimated 3.5 million deaths and 4.5% of Disability-Adjusted Life Years in 2010. Other sources of IAP include indoor smoking, infiltration of pollutants from outdoor sources and substances emitted from an array of human utilities and biological materials. Children are among the most vulnerable groups for adverse effects of IAP. The respiratory system is a primary target of air pollutants resulting in a wide range of acute and chronic effects. The spectrum of respiratory adverse effects ranges from mild subclinical changes and mild symptoms to life threatening conditions and even death. However, IAP is a modifiable risk factor having potential mitigating interventions. Possible interventions range from simple behavior change to structural changes and from shifting of unclean cooking fuel to clean cooking fuel. Shifting from use of solid fuel to clean fuel invariably reduces household air pollution in developing countries, but such a change is challenging. This review aims to summarize the available information on IAP exposure during childhood and its effects on respiratory health in developing countries. It specifically discusses the common sources of IAP, susceptibility of children to air pollution, mechanisms of action, common respiratory conditions, preventive and mitigating strategies.


Given a knot in 3-space, one can associate a sequence of Laurrent polynomials, whose $n$th term is the $n$th colored Jones polynomial. The Generalized Volume Conjecture states that the value of the $n$-th colored Jones polynomial at $\exp(2 \pi i \a/n)$ is a sequence of complex numbers that grows exponentially, for a fixed real angle $\a$. Moreover the exponential growth rate of this sequence is proportional to the volume of the 3-manifold obtained by $(1/\a,0)$ Dehn filling. In this paper we will prove that (a) for every knot, the limsup in the hyperbolic volume conjecture is finite and bounded above by an exponential function that depends on the number of crossings. (b) Moreover, for every knot $K$ there exists a positive real number $\a(K)$ (which depends on the number of crossings of the knot) such that the Generalized Volume Conjecture holds for $\a \in [0, \a(K))$. Finally, we point out that a theorem of Agol-Storm-W.Thurston proves that the bounds in (a) are optimal, given by knots obtained by closing large chunks of the weave.


Silent cerebrovascular disease can be frequently revealed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in asymptomatic elderly subjects. These incidental lesions include lacunae and periventricular hyperintensity (PVH), and are associated with several vascular risk factors including age and blood pressure. The relationship between diurnal blood pressure variations and hypertensive cerebrovascular disease, however, has not been fully understood. We found that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is superior to casual pressure measurements in predicting these lesions. Furthermore, the absence of a nocturnal blood pressure reduction is associated with greater abnormalities of these MRI lesions. Other factors such as high predicted blood viscosity and low HDL-cholesterol levels were associated with advanced multiple (defined as more than four) lacunar lesions. In particular, left ventricular hypertrophy on ECG had high positive and negative predictive values for the advanced multi-lacunar lesions in the asymptomatic elderly patients with hypertension. The most important questions which remain to be answered, however, is the prognosis of the subjects with these silent cerebrovascular disease. (Hypertens Res 1994; 17 Suppl. I: S55-S58)


This research to  test influence of motivation on the relationship with managerial performance budget participation (Case Study at  PT. lndonesia Power).  Research with the method survey by questionary  to 38  manager. Intake sample by saturated sampling. While technique analysis the, data with regression Analysis of Moderating. Result of research about the impact of motivation on the relationship with the budget participation  on managerial performance PT Indonesia Power is as follows: participation budget significant efect on managerial performance, can be defined with greater participation in the preparation of the budget will improve the  managerial  performance of PT. Indonesia Power. The existence of  budgetary participation and motivation interaction significant effect on managerial performance, This could be interpreted by the high motivation in the work will be able to streng then the influence of budgetary participation on managerial performance PT. Indonesia Power. Keyword : managerial, performance, budget, participation, motivation


A major driver of tropical deforestation is rural frontier migration. In this paper an attempt is made to formally describe the human-environment interactions that are manifested in a forested system experiencing a large influx of rural migrants. The Guraferda district in South-West Ethiopia was selected as an exemplary case-study. On the basis of an extensive field surveys in several villages, the relation different social groups in the area were identified: the native population, recent immigrants and investors. For each of these groups their livelihood and their relation with the forest resources was analyzed on the basis of interviews and mapped via remote sensing. To formalize the identified human-environment interactions, an agent-based model was developed. The model simulates the decision-making process concerning deforestation of the identified agent types. The native population consists of shifting cultivators, while the new immigrants are technologically more advanced and are sedentary farmers. For each grid cell of the landscape, utilities for the agent types are calculated. High potential yields increase utility, while proneness to diseases, high population density and the presence of forest decrease utility. Learning behavior is implemented, allowing native agents to learn from migrants and vice versa, thus increasing productivity. Agricultural investors are added to the model as a passive agent type that can grab land from the previous two groups. Results show that inmigration started with the forced resettlements in 1985, after which voluntary migrants followed in great number thereby pushing the native population to new frontiers. Ongoing land grabbing by external investors is accelerating this process. A comparison with observations shows that the model is able to reproduce spatial patterns of deforestation in land systems under pressure of different groups of land users at is therefore a valuable tool for exploratory research in land change science.


Fuel cell electrodes demand specifically designed electrode structures and electrocatalyst morphologies. Low-temperature cell electrodes are composed of highly dispersed carbon, on the inner surface of which the catalyst, i.e. platinum or platinum alloys, is distributed as nanocrystals. Pt catalyst particles are most effectively stabilized by using Pt alloys. These catalysts together with dispersed PTFE are worked in electrodes into submicron scale agglomerates establishing micron pores between the agglomerates, kept open for fast diffusive gas transport. Agglomerates and the hydrophilic part of the pores are flooded by the electrolyte. In high-temperature cells typical structural features are established on a micron scale. Nickel sinter anodes in MCFCs and SOFCs are most effectively stabilized by dispersion hardening. Modelling of the different electrode structures allows us to understand mass transfer and conductivity limitations of fuel cells and helps to improve catalyst utilization and cell performance.


This paper is an analysis of narratives in British English conversation. It shows that prosody and gestures made by the speaker align to the pragmatic structure of narratives and are especially used to distinguish the climax, e.g. the point of the narrative. Indeed I will show that the climax is most of the time uttered with a slower speech rate and higher voice intensity than the rest of the narrative. It is also accompanied by more gestures than the other parts of the narrative, and for the narrative to be successful these gestures must show speaker concern for the partner in the interaction.


Introduction: The swine (H1N1) virus responsible for worldwide pandemics since 2009 is now causing seasonal epidemics. Since then alarming spikes of swine flu cases have been reported from Uttarakhand every year. There are limited studies conducted in this Himalayan belt to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of the patients admitted in tertiary care hospitals. Aims & Objectives: This study aims to summarize the clinical and epidemiological attributes of swine flu and to approximate the burden of Influenza A H1N1 (Swine Flu) cases in this Himalayan belt. Material and Methods: Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of influenza A H1N1 cases from October 2018 to April 2019 were retrospectively and descriptively analyzed using data from the Medical Records Section and the isolation ward at Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences; Shri Mahant Indiresh hospital. Results: A total of 1126 (51.6%) patients were tested of which 30% (338) patients were found to be H1N1 positive. Maximum cases and positivity were detected in the months of January (26.4%), February (50.3%), and March (14.8%), and the patients in the age groups of 41–50 (21.9%) and 51–60 years (19.3%) accounted for majority of the cases. The most common symptoms were fever (85.8%), cough (82.2%), sore throat (82%), and breathlessness (71.3%). A case fatality ratio of 10.9% was observed. A significant statistical association (p value < 0.00001) was reported between co-morbid conditions and death. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, close caution should be exercised in case of patients infected with H1N1 particularly those with co-morbidities.


While clusters of galaxies are regarded as one of the most important cosmological probes, the conventional spherical modelling of the intracluster medium and the dark matter (DM), and the assumption of strict hydrostatic equilibrium (i.e. the equilibrium gas pressure is provided entirely by thermal pressure) are very approximate at best. Extending our previous works, we developed further a method to reconstruct for the first time the full 3D structure (triaxial shape and principal-axis orientation) of both DM and intracluster (IC) gas, and the level of non-thermal pressure of the IC gas. We outline an application of our method to the galaxy cluster Abell 383, taken as part of the Cluster Lensing and Supernova Survey with Hubble (CLASH) multicycle treasury programme, presenting results of a joint analysis of X-ray and strong lensing measurements. We find that the intermediate–major and minor–major axis ratios of the DM are 0.71 ± 0.10 and 0.55 ± 0.06, respectively, and the major axis of the DM halo is inclined with respect to the line of sight of 211 ± 101. The level of non-thermal pressure has been evaluated to be about 10 per cent of the total energy budget. We discuss the implications of our method for the viability of the cold dark matter (CDM) scenario, focusing on the concentration parameter C and the inner slope of the DM, γ, since the cuspiness of DM density profiles in the central regions is one of the critical tests of the CDM paradigm for structure formation: we measure γ= 1.02 ± 0.06 on scales down to 25 Kpc, and C= 4.76 ± 0.51, values which are close to the predictions of the standard model, and providing further evidences that support the CDM scenario. Our method allows us to recover the 3D physical properties of clusters in a bias-free way, overcoming the limitations of the standard spherical modelling and enhancing the use of clusters as more precise cosmological probes.


Background Otitis externa and otitis media are two types of ear infections that affect people of all ages, although they are more common in newborns and young children. Antibiotic usage, healthcare, and advanced age all play a role in the development of this illness. Methods Fifty-eight patients with various kinds of infections of the ears were voluntary patients attending the outpatient clinics of the Prince Mutaib Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Sakaka, Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia, examined to evaluate the role of bacteria and the likely significance of plasmids in their antibiotic resistance as ear infectious agents. Results Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the most prevalent bacteria found in ear infections. The greatest number of major bacterial isolates were S. aureus (54%), followed by P. aeruginosa (13%), whereas a smaller number of isolates (3%) were from Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, and Proteus vulgaris, respectively. Mixed growth was noted in 3.4% of instances. The isolation rate for Gram-positive organisms was 72%, while the rate for Gram-negative species was 28%. All the isolates had DNA greater than 14 kilobases. Hind III analysis of the plasmid DNA extracted from the resistant strains of ear infection demonstrated that antibiotic-resistance plasmids were extensively dispersed. Exotoxin A PCR amplification indicated 396 pb PCR-positive DNA for all identified samples, with the exception of three strains for which no band was observed. Patients in the epidemiological study ranged in number, but all were linked together for the purposes of the study because of their shared epidemiological characteristics. Conclusion Vancomycin, linezolid, tigecycline, rifampin, and daptomycin are all antibiotics that have been shown to be effective against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Microbiological pattern evaluation and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of the microorganisms providing empirical antibiotics are becoming increasingly crucial to minimize issues and the development of antibiotic-resistant strains.


In this paper, the concept of hypergraph is extended to the fuzzy hypergraph. In the fuzzy hypergraph, the concepts of /spl alpha/-cut hypergraph, strength of edge and dual fuzzy hypergraph are developed. It is shown that the fuzzy hypergraph and /spl alpha/-cut hypergraph are useful to represent a fuzzy partition. An application example also shows that the strength of edge can be used to decompose the data set in a clustering problem. >


Abstract Objective: This study assessed a national healthcare intervention launched in Sweden in 2015 to reduce the time between macroscopic haematuria, diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract cancer. Methods: The outcome of the first 11 months was evaluated in 1697 individuals referred to a standardized care pathway for urinary tract cancer compared with 174 patients with conventionally diagnosed urothelial carcinoma. Results: Among the referred individuals, 317 (19%) were diagnosed with cancer, 1034 (61%) had a benign diagnosis and 345 (20%) had a negative evaluation. Bladder cancer was the most common malignant diagnosis [262/317 (83%)]. Cancers were diagnosed in 23% of males and 13% of females, and showed a strong correlation with age: cancer diagnosis in 2% aged <50 years and in 44% aged ≥90 years. Results were affected by bacteriuria but not by anticoagulant medication, with 12%/22% and 19%/19% cancer detection, respectively. The standardized care pathway shortened the diagnostic delay to a median of 25 days compared to 35 days for regular referral (p = .01). However, median time to treatment was unchanged: 39 days from referral to transurethral resection, 42 days from primary resection to re-resection for stage TaG3/T1 disease and 100 days from referral to curative treatment for muscle-invasive disease. Conclusions: Macroscopic haematuria had a cancer capture rate of 19%, with higher predictive values in men and at older age, whereas anticoagulant therapy did not influence the diagnostic yield. The demonstrated lack of effect on time to treatment underscores the need to consider the entire patient process when initiating healthcare reforms to improve outcome.


Whole-body vibration exercise (WBVe) can provide proper somatosensory stimulation and improve muscle strength in stroke patients. This study investigated the effects of WBVe on gait function and cortical activity in patients with chronic stroke. Thirty stroke patients were randomly assigned to either the WBVe or the control group. The WBVe group received the vibration in a half-squat position for 5 minutes at an intensity of 20 Hz. The control group kept the same posture but did not receive the vibration. Cortical activity was investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Gait function was assessed by a 10-m walk test (10MWT), a timed up and go (TUG) test, a Fugl-Meyer Assessment, and a Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (TPOMA). In group analysis of the fNIRS data, oxygenated hemoglobin concentration was significantly increased in the ipsilesional supplementary motor area, bilateral sensorimotor cortex, and contralesional prefrontal cortex in the WBVe group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Functional assessment demonstrated a significant interaction between time and group for the 10MWT and TUG test, suggesting that the WBVe group demonstrated meaningful improvement after intervention (p < 0.05). These results suggested that WBVe modulated the cerebral cortical activities and resulted in improvement of gait function in chronic stroke patients. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03375346


We investigate the effects of an electric current on the domain wall formed inside a cylindrical ferromagnetic nanopillar as a consequence of the pinning of the magnetization at its ends. We first present the results of three-dimensional and one-dimensional micromagnetic simulations and show that the system approaches a stationary equilibrium, where the domain wall is compressed in the direction of the electron flow and rotates around the nanopillar axis with constant frequency in the microwave frequency range. We obtain the dependence of the rotation frequency on the length of the nanopillar and on the magnitude of the applied current density. We then introduce a one-dimensional analytical model and find a formula for the rotation frequency in two current regimes: a low current regime, where the frequency is linearly proportional to the current density and a high current regime, where the frequency is quadratically proportional to the current density. Good agreement is found with the results of the simulations. The system may have possible applications as a nanosized microwave generator, which could operate without external magnetic fields and whose emission frequency could be controlled by a dc current.


Solutions of the problems of a viscoelastic dynamic contact between smooth curvilinear surfaces of two solid bodies by the application of the "Method of the specific forces" have been given in the article, and the new conception for the definition of the elastic and the viscous forces in the common case of dynamics of a viscoelastic contact is proposed here by the further development of this method. Essence of this method is that, the forces of viscosity and the forces of elasticity can be found by integration of the specific forces acting inside an elementary volume of the contact zone. It is shown here, that this method allows finding the viscoelastic forces for any theoretical or experimental dependencies between the distance of mutual approach of two solid bodies and the diameter of the contact area. Also, the derivation of the integral equations of the viscoelastic forces, the equations for pressure in the contact is presented. Viscoelastic dynamic contacts between two spherical bodies, and between a spherical solid body and a semi-space at impact have been examined. Work and Energy in the phases of compression and restitution, and at the rolling shear have been derived. Approximate solutions for the differential equations of movement (displacement) by using the method of equivalent work have been derived. Equations for the normal contact stresses have been obtained. Also, equations for kinematic and dynamic parameters of the viscoelastic collision have been derived in this article. Examples of the comparison of theoretical results and conclusions have been given in the paper.


The present research aims to examine the mental welfare of parents to autistic children, the degree of social support they receive and their perceived satisfaction with it, and how these variables affect their couplehood. The research population included parents of children between the ages of 4 and 17 diagnosed within the autistic spectrum. Each parent (within 33 couples) received a personal questionnaire, which was completed by 32 women and 23 men. The research questionnaire was composed of four measures: demographics; degree of child's autism; social support; and mental wellbeing and closeness/distance in the marital relationship. We found that social and familial support is statistically related to positive marital relationships and that the older the child, the less emotional wellbeing is felt by the parents and the more distant their relationship.


The haptic interaction with machines occupies orders of magnitude in size and power. Some of the most powerful machines are hydraulic and can benefit from the natural communication channel of haptics. Hydraulics can also provide interactions on a human scale with fine spatial resolution. In this talk, these extremes are addressed and the challenges and solutions provided by hydraulics and haptics are explored.


In May 2013, Wired celebrated the magazine's 20th anniversary by restating Louis Rossetto's claim from the first issue that '"[t]here are a lot of magazines about technology". Wired is not one of them' (from http://www.wired.com/magazine/wired-20th-anniversary/; accessed on 3 July 2013). This article agrees by arguing that Wired in its formative years also should be seen as a men's lifestyle magazine, which—in contrast to the category's usual focus on fashion, sex and leisure—was characterised by a specific type of anticipatory and utopian engagement with innovation and technology that sought to carve out a better life by breaching the boundaries between work/leisure and writer/reader. By focusing more broadly on technology as 'culture' Wired thus allowed for a negotiation of masculinity premised on both work and production and leisure and consumption and thus a new way of weaving the 'authentic' into the contemporary and digital landscape of consumption.


Recently, the government has implemented a new public management policy to improve the performance of the public sector, and the government intends to strengthen the public organization, such as the private sector, by strengthening the competition and focusing on performance. As a result of adopting and applying the personnel management system of the private enterprise to the public institution, the workers of the public institution became more immersed in the labor union to cope with the job insecurity and change. At this time, the employee is simultaneously given the role of the organization member and the role of the union member. It is called dual commitment in which workers are immersed simultaneously in the two organizations, the company and the union, without a conflict of roles.
In order to confirm the dual commitment, this study identify the relationships among union instrumentality, organizational commitment, union commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior of public employees which have relatively higher union participation rates than private companies. To test the hypothesis, the questionnaires were distributed to 815 employees of 10 public institution under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and analyzed 429 participants excluding the unsatisfactory response. The hierarchical regression method was used for this analysis.
The results of this study, it was found that organizational commitment has found the mediating effect between union instrumentality and organizational citizenship behavior. And it was found that union commitment is a mediator between union instrumentality and organizational citizenship behavior. Workers have identified dual commitment that both their roles as organizational members and their role as trade union members are at the same time immersed without conflict.
This study has empirically tested the effect of union instrumentality on the public institution employees in confirming dual commitment, and provides practical implications. And it is found that organizational commitment and union commitment have an effect on organizational citizenship behaviors.
In addition, it discussed limitations and further research directions. As a result of limited research conducted by agencies under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, whole public institution can not be generalized. In the future research, it is necessary to collect data by type of public institution, and comparative analysis with private institutions is also needed.


Abstract The debt owed to Homer's Iliad by the Meghanādbadha Kābya (1861), Michael Madhusūdan Datta's Bengali epic and masterpiece, has long been recognized but has never been examined with any close or academically sensitive reference to the Greek poem. This study sets out to examine the use of the Homeric epic as a model for the Bengali poem, with particular regard to character correspondences, the figure of the simile and narrative structure. In addition to this close analysis, Datta's response to the Iliad will be set in the context of contemporary (and earlier) British receptions of the Homeric poem: the Bengali poet's reading of the Greek epic, far from being idiosyncratic ("colonial"), in fact bears the marks of a close engagement with contemporary British appreciation of the poem.


AIMS
This systematic review focuses on research about macro-level gender equality and violence against women (VAW) and identifies conceptually and theoretically driven hypotheses as well as lessons relevant for alcohol research. Hypotheses include: amelioration--increased equality decreases VAW; backlash--increased equality increases VAW; and convergence--increased equality reduces the gender gap; and hypotheses that distinguish between relative and absolute status, with relative status comparing men's and women's status and absolute status measuring women's status without regard to men.

METHODS
Systematic review of studies published through June 2009 identified through PubMed and Web of Science, as well as citing and cited articles.

RESULTS
A total of 30 studies are included. Of 85 findings examining amelioration/backlash, 25% support amelioration, 22% backlash; and 53% are null. Of 13 findings examining convergence, 31% support and 23% are inconsistent with convergence; 46% are null.

CONCLUSION
Neither the existence nor the direction of the equality and VAW relationship can be assumed. This suggests that the relationship between macro-level gender equality and alcohol should also not be assumed, but rather investigated through research.


Abstract Background The concept of drug delivery system is to deliver drug directly to certain organ without distributing to other tissues causing adverse effect. Based on this system, we developed a novel osteotropic prodrug of estradiol (E2) conjugated with gamma-caboxyglutamic acid (Gla), the main specific amino acid in osteocalcin for using as drug delivery system. Objectives To determine whether Gla-estradiol conjugation can serve as target-specific drug carrier. Study design Experimental study Setting Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan Results Hydroxyapatite binding assay showed this molecule could bind to hydroxyapatite. After being conjugated with dansyl chloride, fluorescent for labeling amino acid, this molecule specifically distributed to bone. In vivo study, ovariectomized mice injected subcutaneously with Gla3-estradiol revealed that this compound could prevent bone loss without estrogen-like adverse effect. According to estrogen receptor a binding assay, this molecule itself could not bind to estrogen receptor, resulting from changing its hydrophobicity but it could release and permit estradiol to enter the cell. Conclusion These findings indicate that Gla3-estradiol can be used as an osteotropic drug delivery agent. Its metabolism, however, is still to be thoroughly investigated. Thus, after optimal modification, we may use this molecule for efficient and effective treatment of bone disease in clinical situation in the near future. Key words : 17a-estradiol, gamma-carboxyglutamic acid, MCF-7 cell, Osteotropic drug delivery system, ovariectomized mice


Gallium-nitride (GaN) nanorods (NRs) were selectively grown on patterned Ti/Si(111) substrates by using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of the growth temperature and the Ga flux on the optical properties of the GaN NRs were investigated. Both the length and the diameter of the GaN NRs decreased with increasing growth temperature whereas the diameter of the GaN NRs remained constant and the length increased with increasing Ga flux. The photoluminescence spectra of GaN NRs grown under different experimental conditions exhibited emission peaks corresponding to neutral-donor-bound excitons (DOX), donor-acceptor pair (DAP), and yellow luminescence (YL) bands at 3.477, 3.26, and 2.25 eV, respectively. Results demonstrate that the variation in the diameters of the GaN NRs has a greater influence on the defect concentration than the lengths of the NRs.


It has been widely accepted that mammalian females are born with a non-renewing, finite pool of oocytes that will be continuously cleared by atresia, with only a small proportion of them reaching ovulation. Apoptosis regulates this mass germ cell death, especially through the balance between pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins encoded by the BCL-2 gene family. The caviomorph rodent Lagostomus maximus, the South American plains viscacha, displays the highest ovulation rate known for a mammal releasing 400-800 eggs per cycle. We tested the hypothesis that in L. maximus massive polyovulation is a consequence of reduced apoptosis resulting in suppressed follicular atresia. We found that anti-apoptotic BCL-2 gene is markedly expressed in all kind of follicles from primordial to fully mature antral stages in the adult ovary of L. maximus. On the other hand, pro-apoptotic BAX gene showed weak signals or was undetectable by immunohistochemical examination. Western blot against both proteins confirmed immunohistochemical results. Screening for DNA fragmentation by TUNEL assay was conspicuously negative in ovaries from both pregnant and non-pregnant females. In addition, alpha-oestrogen receptor also showed an enhanced expression from primordial stage to fully mature antral follicles. Our results show that natural preferential expression of BCL-2 and restricted BAX expression greatly suppresses apoptosis in the ovary of L. maximus. This prevents the decline of the oocyte reserve by abolishing follicular atresia and enables the highest ovulation rate known for a mammal, 400-800 or more eggs per cycle.


BACKGROUND The use of mastoid pressure dressings following otologic surgery is a common practice. Many styles of commercially available or improvised pressure dressings are available. The primary purpose of all such dressings is to prevent postoperative wound hematomas or seromas. Either complication may cause the patient pain, necessitate drainage, or increase the risk of postoperative wound infection. Does the routine use of mastoid pressure dressings, however, decrease the risk of postoperative complications? Although placing a mastoid pressure dressing is a relatively simple endeavor, one must balance potential efficacy with considerations of cost, both in time and monetary expense, and potential risk of pressureinduced complications such as headache and focal skin necrosis (Fig. 1).


Background: Turnaround time (TAT) analysis is finding increasing relevance in clinical laboratories due to its relevance in the quality of care of patients. TAT involves all the various processes that occur within the laboratory. Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the histopathology TAT of surgical biopsies at the Department of Pathology, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 1085 samples received at the Department of Pathology, UCH, Ibadan, from January to April 2020. Samples were categorized into small, intermediate, and large sizes. Average duration spent in the grossing room, processing, reporting, and result verification was calculated, and the total TAT was determined from the summation of the duration of these processes. Results: The mean TAT for all samples was 22 days (±10 days). Reception-grossing, histological processing, reporting, and transcription accounted for an average of 1.5 (7%), 5.9 (27%), 9.1 (41%), and 5.6 (25%) days and percentage of TAT, respectively. There was no significant difference in the mean TATs for small-, intermediate-, and large-sized samples. Conclusion: We identified reporting time as the largest contributor to TAT. Other areas of delay were noted at tissue processing and result verification. Adoption of new technology and staff orientation may help to reduce the observed TAT.


Normally, in 99mTc-diphosphonate-skeletal scintigrams the kidneys are delineated with the same intensity as the lumbar spine; This is not the case in patients with reduced renal function. In a series of 20 patients with varying degrees of renal insufficiency, a continuous decrease in the renal intensity with increasing serum creatinine was seen: clearly recognizable decreased renal intensity in patients with serum creatinine over 2 mg%, and no visualization of the kidneys in patients with serum creatinine over 8 mg%. This effect is intensified through a simultaneously existing hypercalcemia has the opposite effect, i.e., the intensity decrease is partially prevented. In patients with normal renal function a hypercalcemia even leads to an increased renal intensity. As a further cause for excessive renal intensity, an increased parenchymal transit time was found in the radionephrography in 5 out of 11 patients with normal serum creatinine in whom the increased renal intensity in the skeletal scintigram was a chance finding.


This paper describes a process for assessing multi-loop wearable devices that use a common slider to passively drive the exo-fingers for the physical training of people with limited hand mobility. Each finger design, except for the thumb, is based on an RRR serial chain, termed backbone, constrained into a multi-loop eight-bar slider mechanism using two RR constraints. The thumb utilizes a planar RR backbone chain constrained into a parallel four bar slider. During the physical task acquisition experiments, the subject's tip finger trajectories are captured using an optical motion capture and its dimensions are set such that they match each of the fingers kinematics as closely as possible. The dimensional synthesis procedure can yield a variety of design candidates that fulfill the desired fingertip precision grasping trajectory. Once it is ensured that the synthesized fingertip motion is close to the physiological fingertip grasping trajectories, performance assessment criteria related to user-device interference and natural joint angle movement are taken into account. After the most preferred design for each finger is chosen, minor modifications related to substituting the backbone chain with the wearer's limb to provide the skeletal structure of the customized passive device are made. To illustrate the proposed technique, the development of a 3D prototype model of a passively actuated Closed Loop Articulated Wearable (CLAW) hand is presented. The CLAW hand performance with respect to wear-ability and robustness was assessed. Preliminary test results with healthy subjects show that the CLAW hand is easy to operate and able to guide the user's fingers without causing any discomfort, ensuring both, precision and power grasping in a natural manner. The lack of electrical actuators and sensors simplifies the control, resulting in a lightweight and cost-effective solution for grasping of a variety of objects with different sizes. This work establishes the importance of incorporating novel design candidate assessment techniques, based on human finger kinematic models, within the conceptual design level that can assist in finding robust design candidates with naturalistic joint motion.


Avian leukosis virus (ALV) is one of causing agents for neoplastic syndrome in commercial chicken farms. There are six sub groups of ALV in chicken including A, B, C, D and E. However, the sub group J (ALV-J) is the most alarmed and anticipated because of its severe economic repercussion. The objective of this study was to identify the presence of ALV-J in the commercial chicken farms in Tangerang District. Two identification methods were utilized including antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ac-ELISA) technique and nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) test. As results, the ac-ELISA test detected that most of 150 serum samples from 5 commercial layer farms were positive for ALV in about 86,67%. On the other hand, none of the 60 cloacal swab and 60 albumen samples was positive for presence ALV. Subsequently, testing of 45 serum samples from 5 farms using nRT-PCR showed that in about 20% of these samples were positive of ALV-J. These evidences indicated the circulation of ALV-J with other sub groups in thecommercial layer farms in Tangerang District.


Serious games are intended to provide an engaging, self reinforcing context to motivate and educate the players. One of the challenges in serious gaming is to provide intuitive interaction techniques. Serious games are meant to facilitate creative and educational processes and so they should optimally exploit the cognitive resources of the participants. Current control interfaces for moving around and manipulating objects do not resemble the way we complete these tasks in the real world and force users to spend a substantial part of their cognitive resources on tasks that require almost no cognitive resources in the real world. A Brain Machine Interface (BMI) allows communication between a user and a machine without the use of the user's sensory-motor systems. For instance, a BMI that is able to distil movement commands from brain activity may enable a user to move around and manipulate objects hands-free and mindfree. At present, the vast majority of BMI research is focused on medical applications, but a spin-off to applications for healthy users is expected. This paper presents recent developments in serious gaming and BMI research.


The objective of this study was to describe the perspectives of the graduating students of Dentistry in relation to the labor market and to compare their expectations according to the researched institutions. This is a cross-sectional study in which 184 university students from three private institutions of Belo Horizonte participated in the year 2013. A structured and self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. A descriptive and comparative statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test at a significance level of 5%. It was observed that most of the students felt prepared to practice (83.2%), but considered that the lack of experience (66.8%) and insecurity (66.8%) were difficulties to be faced in the early career. The market was considered unfavorable by 46.7%, but did not influence satisfaction with the chosen profession, since 54.9% were very satisfied and would choose the Dentistry course again (84.8%). Most of them want to work in a private practice (60.9%), in the capital city (57.6%) and with a salary claim of 2 to 6 minimum salaries (36.4%). Regarding the desire to work in the Family Health Team, there was a statistically significant difference between the institutions (p <0.05). Students from college A presented greater interest in working in the North or Northeast region when compared to students in colleges B and C (p <0.05). It was concluded that despite the perception of a saturated labor market, most of the participants were satisfied with the chosen profession. Most of the students wanted to be autonomous, in private practice, located in large urban centers, receiving salaries within the standards of reality


The geometry of the diffraction pattern from twins and allotwins of the four basic mica polytypes (1M, 2M1, 3T, 2M2) is analysed in terms of the 'minimal rhombus', a geometrical asymmetric unit in reciprocal space defined by nine translationally independent reciprocal-lattice rows. The minimal rhombus contains the necessary information to decompose the reciprocal lattice of twins or allotwins into the reciprocal lattices of the individuals. The nine translationally independent reciprocal-lattice rows are divided into three types (S, D and X): rows of different type are not overlapped by the n x 60 degrees rotations about c*, which correspond to the relative rotations between pairs of twinned or allotwinned individuals. A symbolic representation of the absolute orientation of the individuals, similar to that used for layers in polytypes, is introduced. The polytypes 1M and 2M1 undergo twinning by reticular pseudo-merohedry with five pairs of twin laws: they produce twelve independent twins, of which nine can be distinguished by the minimal rhombus analysis. The 2M2 polytype has two pairs of twin laws by pseudo-merohedry, which give a single diffraction pattern geometrically indistinguishable from that of the single crystal, and three pairs of twin laws by reticular pseudo-merohedry, which give a single diffraction pattern different from that of the single crystal. The 3T polytype has three twin laws: one corresponds to complete merohedry and the other two to selective merohedry. Selective merohedry produces only partial restoration of the weighted reciprocal lattice built on the family rows and the presence of twinning can be recognized from the geometry of the diffraction pattern.


Background: Multiple sclerosis (M.S) is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults but its etiology is still unknown. It occurs due to a combination of both genetic and environmental factors. The objective was to determine the prevalence of M.S in the northern cities of Khuzestan (Iran) and its relation to familial history, smoking, the month of onset, stress, and immigration. Patient and methods: This study is a one-step descriptive correlation analysis. Data were collected through a questionnaire completed in a face to face conversation setting and further analyzed using SPSS 17 software package. Statistical significance was determined by chi-square test (p<0.05). Results: The sample size in this study was 142. Prevalence of M.S in the north of Khuzestan in Iran were 15 per 100,000 people. 11% of patients had a positive familial history of M.S. There was a statistically significant correlation between sex and positive family history (p=0/03) and it was higher in men. Familial MS was higher in siblings than parents or children. 93% of patients were non-smoker, beginning of disease in 37.2% of cases was in summer and 70% of patients had no history of immigration. In 68% of patients, the onset of M.S. co-occurs with stress and there was a statistically significant relationship between stress and symptoms at onset. Conclusion: In recent years, increasing rate of M.S. was observed. The incidence of M.S in men with positive familial history was higher than in women; paternal positive history was four times higher than maternal ones. Further studies are needed to clarify the underlying genetic or environmental factors that explain this association. Extensive research is also required to investigate the possibility of a relationship between stress and disease