Enter 3747 Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in your GPS systems next time you visit the Philadelphia area for you would be directed to a produce market of historic significance. The building that used to house Eckert & Mauchly Computer Company in the late 1940's has been revived as a produce market to help revitalize a blighted neighborhood on the banks of the Schyulkill River. But don't just poke your head out of your car window to take a picture of the historical marker and drive away. Pull inside, and take a look at the murals decorating the walls. Order a cheesesteak from one of the food counters and spend some time discussing the inner workings of the UNIVAC 1 and its role in the first ever computerized prediction of election result.


OBJECTIVES
Understanding family dyadic communication in dementia is essential to promote the well-being of family caregivers and persons living with dementia. The Dyadic Communication Observational coding scheme in DEmentia care (DCODE) was developed and tested to assess family dyadic communication in dementia.

METHODS
The DCODE was developed from a review of literature, expert review, and pretesting. A secondary analysis of the 75 in-home care video observations from 19 family caregiver-care recipient dyads was conducted to test psychometric properties.

RESULTS
The DCODE consists of 43 caregiver items and 41 care recipient items. We observed internal consistency, intra-rater reliability, and inter-rater reliability as adequate. Content validity and convergent validity were moderate. Predictive validity was moderate in predicting caregiver burden. The overall psychometric properties demonstrated a moderate quality of the DCODE.

CONCLUSIONS
Findings provided the preliminary psychometric evidence of the DCODE as a promising instrument to assess family dyadic communication in dementia. Future testing for concurrent, divergent, and structural validity of the DCODE is needed.


Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive intracellular bacterium that is acquired through tainted food and may lead to systemic infection and possible death. Despite the importance of the innate immune system in fighting L. monocytogenes infection, little is known about the role of complement and its activation products, including the potent C3a anaphylatoxin. In a model of systemic L. monocytogenes infection, we show that mice lacking the receptor for C3a (C3aR−/−) are significantly more sensitive to infection compared with wild-type mice, as demonstrated by decreased survival, increased bacterial burden, and increased damage to their livers and spleens. The inability of the C3aR−/− mice to clear the bacterial infection was not caused by defective macrophages or by a reduction in cytokines/chemokines known to be critical in the host response to L. monocytogenes, including IFN-γ and TNF-α. Instead, TUNEL staining, together with Fas, active caspase-3, and Bcl-2 expression data, indicates that the increased susceptibility of C3aR−/− mice to L. monocytogenes infection was largely caused by increased L. monocytogenes–induced apoptosis of myeloid and lymphoid cells in the spleen that are required for ultimate clearance of L. monocytogenes, including neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells. These findings reveal an unexpected function of C3a/C3aR signaling during the host immune response that suppresses Fas expression and caspase-3 activity while increasing Bcl-2 expression, thereby providing protection to both myeloid and lymphoid cells against L. monocytogenes–induced apoptosis.


Foreword

As I write this foreword, the news reaches us of the death of Heinz Klein, a founding father of the critical approach to information systems and contributor to this volume. The number of projects his death leaves us to complete is testimony not only to the generous way he worked with so many colleagues throughout the world, but also to his belief in extending and challenging the critical approach. This book is a further step in the process of extending, challenging and developing the critical approach to information systems. It takes seriously the need to acknowledge the historical roots of the subject in the socio-technical and critical management approaches and the contribution of work on Habermas and Foucault. However, it also takes seriously the call of Heinz Klein to diversify the approach, to bring in new voices and new ideas, and to revisit and extend older ideas.

This book addresses these points in a number of important ways. Stahl's attention to the ethical dimension of critical IS reminds us that ethics is at the heart of Habermas's work, yet it is often overlooked as a subject of enquiry, both in mainstream IS and in critical IS. Semiotics and ethnography are two areas hitherto minimally addressed in critical IS. They receive welcome attention in this book, adding to the push for the exploration of new approaches.

Critical IS research has, at times, been criticised for its lack of engagement with empirical issues. Thus, the chapters by Oliver and Romm on ERP systems and Doolin on healthcare systems are all the more welcome, especially as these are empirical areas subject to much discussion within mainstream IS. Two final chapters provide useful reflection. It is fitting that Heinz's chapter closes the book. However, this does not mean that he has the last word and that his work is over. Rather, it serves as a reminder that his legacy is to leave us with questions to answer and work to do in the critical tradition which he did so much to form and shape.

Professor Alison Adam
Director of the Information Systems, Organisations and Society Research Centre
University of Salford, U.K.


Temperature was monitored in three natural nests, and oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure monitored in one natural nest of the broad-shelled river turtle, Chelodina expansa, throughout incubation. Nest temperature decreased after nest construction in autumn, remained low during winter and gradually increased in spring to a maximum in summer. In a nest where temperature was recorded every hour, temperature typically fluctuated through a 2¡C cycle on a daily basis throughout the entire incubation period, and the nest always heated faster than it cooled. Oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressures in this nest were similar to soil oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressures for the first 5 months of incubation, but nest respiratory gas tensions deviated from the surrounding soil over the last three months of incubation. Nest respiratory gas tensions were not greatly different from those in the atmosphere above the ground except after periods of rain. After heavy rain during the last 3 months of incubation the nest became moderately hypoxic (PO2 ~ 100 Torr) and hypercapnic (PCO2 ~ 50 Torr) for several successive days. These short periods of hypoxia and hypercapnia were not lethal.


Although vascular hemichorea/hemiballism (HC/HB) has been reported to be self-limited, in some cases, it can be irreversible and severely disabling. The standard treatment includes typical and atypical neuroleptics and GABA-mimetic drugs. Topiramate is a new antiepileptic drug possessing a complex mechanism of action, including the enhancement of GABA-mediated inhibition. We describe a 71-year-old patient with HC/HB who markedly improved after topiramate treatment. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society


Abstract We present a continuous, nonlinear, stochastic, and dynamic model for capital investment in the exploitation of a renewable resource. Both the resource stock and capital are treated as state variables. The resource owner controls fishing effort and the investment rate in an optimal way. Biological stock growth and the capital depreciation rate are stochastic in the model. We find that the stochastic resource should be managed conservatively. The capital utilization rate is found to be a nonincreasing function of stochasticity. Investment could be either higher or lower depending on the interaction between capital and the resource stock. In general, a stochastic capital depreciation rate has no strong influence on optimal management. In the long run, the optimal harvest for a stochastic resource becomes lower than the deterministic level. JEL Classification Codes: C61, Q22, Q57


Eosinophil cationic protein(ECP)is a heterogeneous molecule originating from activated eosinophil granulocytes. Airway allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma are closely related eosinophils that Infiltrate local tissue. ECP can be actively used in the diagnosis of allergic disease, curative effect evaluations as a biomarker. The origin and the biology function of ECP as well as its relations with the infection are introduced, espcially, the relationship between ECP and ashma, allergic rhinitis are also addressed.


In this paper, my goal is to use an epistemic injustice framework to extend an existing normative analysis of over-medicalization to psychiatry and thus draw attention to overlooked injustices. Kaczmarek (2019) has developed a promising bioethical and pragmatic approach to over-medicalization, which consists of four guiding questions covering issues related to the harms and benefits of medicalization. In a nutshell, if we answer "yes" to all proposed questions, then it is a case of over-medicalization. Building on an epistemic injustice framework, I will argue that Kaczmarek's proposal lacks guidance concerning the procedures through which we are to answer the four questions, and I will import the conceptual resources of epistemic injustice to guide our thinking on these issues. This will lead me to defend more inclusive decision-making procedures regarding medicalization in the DSM. Kaczmarek's account complemented with an epistemic injustice framework can help us achieve better forms of medicalization. I will then use a contested case of medicalization, the creation of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) in the DSM-5 to illustrate how the epistemic injustice framework can help to shed light on these issues and to show its relevance to distinguish good and bad forms of medicalization.


Core findings of the ongoing National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study of early child care and youth development through the end of the primary-school years are summarized, highlighting the fact that both positive effects of good quality care on cognitive-linguistic-academic functioning and negative effects of extensive exposure to childcare on social development dissipate over time. Results showing that more time spent in any type of care or in center-based care in particular predict somewhat elevated levels of externalizing problems are given special attention and considered in light of new results from the early childhood longitudinal study showing that being in kindergarten classrooms comprised of many children with extensive childcare histories contributes to externalizing behavior over and above children's own personal childcare histories. Implications of these latter results for the study of childcare are considered, especially with respect to the meaning of evidence documenting apparently dissipating childcare effects.


In this paper we present two design methodologies ideally suited for the implementation of discrete Hartley and fast Hadamard transforms which are useful in many types of applications including image and signal processing. The proposed architectures are based on conventional arithmetic and distributed arithmetic principles respectively. In order to efficiently implement the two architectures, Handel-C - a recently developed C-like programming language for compilation of high-level programs directly into FPGA hardware - has been used to interface the VHDL cores developed for the two transforms. The algorithms have been implemented and verified on the Celocixa RC1000 PCI based FPGA board with Xilinx Virtex-2000E FPGA. An evaluation has also been reported based on maximum system frequency and chip area


Working from the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, we have been developing the following various safe technologies for boiling water reactors (BWRs), a passive water-cooling system, an infinite-time air-cooling system, a hydrogen explosion prevention system, and an operation support system for reactor accidents. The objective of the study reported here was development of the passive water-cooling system. The above technologies are referred to as 'Inherently Safe Technology'.The passive water-cooling system works without electricity for the first 10 days after an event to remove a relatively large mount of decay heat from the core. The system consists of a condenser and a steam turbine-driven pump for transferring water from a suppression pool to the reactor. Steam from the reactor pressure vessel is condensed in the condensation tubes of the condenser, and the condensate flows out into the suppression pool in the primary containment vessel (PCV). The water temperature at the condensation tube outlet is lowered to less than the saturated temperature at the partial steam pressure of the maximum PCV design pressure to prevent the PCV failure. The condenser is located at a lower level, e.g., underground, for easier access and for supplying cooling water to a condenser pool without electricity during an event. The lower level condenser pool has an advantage that it can be seismically designed.To evaluate our concept of the water-cooling system, heat transfer tests were conducted using full-scale U-shaped single tubes with three diameter sizes under a wide range of pressure and inlet steam velocity conditions. The heat transfer data were obtained at system pressures of 0.2 to 3.0 MPa (absolute) and inlet steam velocities of 5 to 56 m/s. The heat transfer data with this wide range of pressure and inlet velocity conditions include thermal hydraulics conditions for a passive containment cooling system (PCCS) and some of the data can be extrapolated to isolation condenser (IC) conditions. We also confirmed thermal hydraulics conditions to determine the practicality of our new concept.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Dear Editor,
It is indeed an honour for us to contribute towards the ongoing research regarding the latest contagion, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) leading to global pandemic with variable clinical outcomes. COVID-19 positive individuals present with a variety of signs and symptoms as sore throat, cough, fever, dyspnoea, headache, myalgia, nausea, and vomiting whereas, some develop severe acute respiratory distress syndrome with a fatality rate of about 10%.1 Possible oral findings include xerostomia, hypogeusia, and chemosensory alterations. Common routes of transmission being person-to-person via direct sneeze, cough, and droplet inhalation or by contact through mucosa of eyes, nose and saliva.


Rice bodies caused by T.B. and R.A. in joints are relatively common and reported, but in bursa are rare. We experienced two cases of Subacromial bursitis with many rice bodies :one is a 53-year-old female and the other is a 62-year-old male. They were suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for years, and complained of swelling of the shoulder joint, but had no pain and no remarkable limitation of range of motion of the shoulder joint. We resected the bursa containing a lot of rice bodies operatively. Pathologically the rice bodies seemed to grow out of the inner wall of the bursa.


The solid state `amorphization' reaction produced by the mechanical alloying (MA) of samples of the eutectic alloy has been studied using x-ray and neutron diffraction and Mössbauer spectrometry. The consumption of the parent elements as a function of time of MA treatment has been derived from the reduction in intensity of their Bragg peaks in the diffraction patterns. The change of volume fraction of the parent -iron phase with increasing time of MA treatment has been determined from the reduction in intensity of the sextet in the Mössbauer spectra. The diffraction data and spectrometry data are in good overall agreement and both show that the reaction is very rapid in this eutectic alloy and that the parent iron and tantalum powders are transformed into an amorphous phase after only 6 h MA treatment in a conventional Spex 8000 high-energy ball mill. In detail, the consumptions of the parent elements derived from the two kinds of measurement are slightly different. This is possibly because the diffraction data represent an average over the whole sample while the Mössbauer spectrometry data are site specific.


Cassandra is a distributed storage system for managing very large amounts of structured data spread out across many commodity servers, while providing highly available service with no single point of failure. Cassandra aims to run on top of an infrastructure of hundreds of nodes (possibly spread across different data centers). At this scale, small and large components fail continuously. The way Cassandra manages the persistent state in the face of these failures drives the reliability and scalability of the software systems relying on this service. While in many ways Cassandra resembles a database and shares many design and implementation strategies therewith, Cassandra does not support a full relational data model; instead, it provides clients with a simple data model that supports dynamic control over data layout and format. Cassandra system was designed to run on cheap commodity hardware and handle high write throughput while not sacrificing read efficiency.


A consortium of Syracuse City and Onondaga County governments along with a number of local area non-profit organizations have recently organized a commission on Local Government Modernization for the Syracuse area. The Report makes three major recommendation to strengthen the local public sector in the Syracuse region: seek opportunities to share public services across local jurisdictions to reduce costs, adopt the Minneapolis region model for sharing revenues from new commercial and industrial development across localities, and work toward merging Syracuse City government with Onondaga County government. At the same time, current non-city residents would not have responsibility for the city or school district's legacy debts or post-employment benefit obligations. The working paper reviews the urban economics and local public finance literature in the context of fiscal viability of central cities. Central cities form the heart of knowledge-based economies and those benefits redound to the entire region in the form of higher property values and incomes. In addition, suburban enclaves have developed in part through discriminatory policies and practices at the federal and local levels and they have weakened the fiscal viabilities of central cities. It also reviews the relevant local public finance literature on city annexation and government mergers, optimally sized jurisdictions, non-profit entities' payments in lieu of taxes in cities, efficient local government taxes, and related topics. Based on the review, the economic development of a region depends on the economic and fiscal sustainability of its central city. Suburban resident benefit in tangible ways from the economic activities in their respective cities and suburban areas could reasonably devote a portion of their tax base to enhance the resources available to the city to service the city's legacy debts and other obligations. The working paper concludes with fiscal implications for Syracuse City and its metropolitan area.


. A coronary arteriographic investigation has been made of 492 patients, most of whom had different cardiac diseases. Eighty patients died during an observation period from 1 1/2 up to about 7 years. In 45 patients a postmortem investigation was made. Comparison between arteriographic and post mortem findings in the arteries and the myocardium, as well as the study of other clinical facts at or before the time of investigation, led to the following conclusions.

1
A coronary arteriogram of good quality gives a reliable picture of the intraluminal condition in the big predominantly epicardial coronary arteries.

2
An occlusion or critical obstruction of the coronary arterial stems are in the majority of hearts combined with myocardial disease in the form of old infarction scar or local, patchy fibrosis.

3
Coronary arteriography is of good help to demarcate a group of patients with diffuse non-atherosclerotic, myocardial disease.

4
Early changes of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease seem to be rather evenly distributed among the big coronary arteries. In the living patients the majority of severe obstructions are present in the right and the left descending artery. This distribution is probably due at least partly to the selection of patients in the study.

5
Roughly half of all myocardial infarctions can be clinically traced.

6
The results emphasize that angina pectoris, clinical picture of myocardial infarction and abnormal Q waves in the ECG are not synonymous with coronary heart disease. This may be particularly true in hospitalized patients, who may overrepresent non-atherosclerotic heart diseases, leading to symptoms and signs shared by the atherosclerotic, coronary heart disease.


It has been shown that the antitumor antibiotics daunomycin (1) and adriamycin (4) are metabolized by microorganisms in a fashion similar to their metabolism by mammalian cells. Both the fungus Mucor spinosus and its cell-free extracts reduce the 13-keto group of daunomycin to give daunomycinol (2) by a TPNH-dependent process. Cell-free extracts of Streptomyces steffisburgensis convert adriamycin and daunomycinol to their 7-deoxyaglycones (5) and (3) by DPNH-linked reductive glycosidic cleavage. Cell-free extracts of the latter organism convert 7-deoxyadriamycinone (5) to 7-deoxyadriamycinol aglycone (6) by TPNH-linked 13-keto reduction.


Modern networks provide QoS model to go beyond best-effort services, but current QoS models are oriented towards low level network parameters (e.g. bandwidth, latency, jitter) application developers on the other hand are interested in quality models that are meaningful to the end-user and therefore struggle to bridge the gap between networks and application QoS models. Network-aware applications are promising new concepts in which applications are aware of network conditions and thus can adapt to the varying environment to achieve acceptable and predictable performance. In this paper we have proposed a QoS based middleware assisted protocol framework/architecture which implements adaptive resource management through control algorithms. In this architecture the apportioned system resources are optimized when quality of service requirements are met such that the service layer requirements for a particular application is satisfied and the net utility accrues to the user. The framework facilitates multi-dimensional complex QoS provisioning through a semantically rich interface that enables the end users to give the application service layer requirements and the tradeoffs they are willing to make under potential resource shortages. Simulation experiment shows that resources to most of the request are allocated with in short span with negotiation or with out negotiation and minimize rejection of request.


INTRODUCTION
The aim of this study was to explore the association between thyroid hormones and abdominal fat quantities in euthyroid post-menopausal women.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and free thyroxine (fT4) as well as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were collected from 540 euthyroid post menopausal women aged 45-65 years. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to measure visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) area. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to determine whether abdominal fat was associated with thyroid hormones.

RESULTS
Weight, BMI, WC, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (Fins), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), TSH, and fT4 were higher in the obese group than in the nonobese group (p < 0.05). The study participants were divided into four groups according to quartiles in the light of TSH reference range (0.1-4.2 mU/L). Subcutaneous adipose tissue and VAT increased with the TSH levels. Adjusted for age, years since menopause (YSM), BMI, and HOMA-IR, VAT was negatively correlated with fT4 and positively correlated with fT3 and fT3-to-fT4 ratio (fT3/fT4) (p < 0.05), while no association was found between SAT and thyroid hormones. Similarly, we found no relation between body fat distribution and TSH. Furthermore, the association of common indicators of obesity and thyroid hormones showed no significance.

CONCLUSIONS
In euthyroid post-menopausal women, VAT rather than SAT was negatively correlated with fT4, and positively correlated with fT3 and fT3/fT4.


Background: This study assessed the effect of Biodentine coated with Emdogain (Biodentine/Emdogain) on proliferation and differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAP). Methods and Results: In this in vitro, experimental study, SCAP were isolated from two immature impacted third molars and cultured. After ensuring the stemness of the cells by assessing their cell surface markers, they were exposed to Biodentine, Emdogain, and Biodentine/Emdogain for 24 and 72 hours. The control cells did not receive any intervention. Cell viability was evaluated by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Expression of odontogenic differentiation genes was analyzed by the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was quantified by the respective kit. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, t-test, and Mann-Whitney test (α=0.05). Cell viability did not change after 24 hours of exposure to biomaterials. At 72 hours, the viability of the cells exposed to Biodentine and Biodentine/Emdogain decreased compared with the control group. The expression of dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), and bone sialoprotein (BSP) genes, and ALP activity significantly increased in all three experimental groups, compared with the control group at both 24 and 72 hours; this increase was significantly greater in Biodentine/Emdogain group. The number of mineralized nodules significantly increased in all groups after 72 hours with a greater rate in Biodentine/Emdogain group.Conclusions: All biomaterials increased the differentiation of SCAP, expression of odontogenic genes, and ALP activity, but Biodentine/Emdogain was significantly more effective for this purpose.


Learning using privileged information (LUPI) is a powerful heterogenous feature space machine learning framework that allows a machine learning model to learn from highly informative or privileged features which are available during training only to generate test predictions using input space features which are available both during training and testing. LUPI can significantly improve prediction performance in a variety of machine learning problems. However, existing large margin and neural network implementations of learning using privileged information are mostly designed for classification tasks. In this work, we have proposed a simple yet effective formulation that allows us to perform regression using privileged information through a custom loss function. Apart from regression, our formulation allows general application of LUPI to classification and other related problems as well. We have verified the correctness, applicability and effectiveness of our method on regression and classification problems over different synthetic and real-world problems. To test the usefulness of the proposed model in real-world problems, we have evaluated our method on the problem of protein binding affinity prediction. The proposed LUPI regression-based model has shown to outperform the current state-of-the-art predictor.


Berberis diaphana Maxim (B. diaphana), an important medicinal deciduous shrub, is narrowly endemic to China. In the present study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of B. diaphana was sequenced and analyzed. The complete cp genome of B. diaphana is 166, 225 bp in length, presenting a quadripartite structure comprising a large single copy region (LSC 73, 596 bp), a small single copy region (SSC 18, 656 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats regions (IRa/ IRb: 36, 954 bp each). The genomewide GC content was 38.07%, LSC made up 32.59%, SSC made up 32.59%, and IR made up 41.02%. The genome encodes 144 genes, including 99 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. A total of 98 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) was identified. Codon usage analysis showed that the genome tended to use codon ending in A/U. Phylogenetic relationships of 20 species inferred that B. diaphana is sister to Berberis weiningensis. The genome comparison revealed that there is a wide variability of the junction sites, and there is higher divergence in the SSC and IRa/ IRb regions than in LSC regions. This study identified the unique characteristics of the B. diaphana cp genome, which will provide valuable information for further studies as well as molecular identification approaches for this important medicinal plant.


The legacy of the genocide of 1994 has spread from Rwanda to the wider Great Lakes region, and its most damaging effects have been felt in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), former Zaire. Here an economy based on pillage and force of arms has been organized by local elites, and the Rwandan state, ensuring also on behalf of the West that it is not excluded from the scramble to extract rare mineral deposits, obtain forest products and otherwise exploit the resources of the DRC. The most noticeable after‐effect of the genocide has been mass refugee movements and internal displacement. The damage to environments throughout the region has been dramatic, and has been exacerbated by patterns of growing social inequality. In addition, social institutions that might be able to both manage resource use and resolve conflicts, have all but collapsed under the weight of a violent form of ethnic politics. The main hope for the future lies in reviving some of these community‐level institutions in ways that can overcome some of the more poisonous effects of racial identity politics throughout the Great Lakes region. The necessity for political solutions to environmental and resource problems is very clear; what is less clear is how such solutions can be formulated and implemented.


In this paper we present a parallel prover for the propositional satisfiability problem called PICHAFF. The algorithm is an adaption of the state-of-the-art solver CHAFF optimised for our scalable, dynamically reconfigurable multiprocessor system based on Microchip PIC microcontroller. Like usually in modern SAT solvers it includes lazy clause evaluation, conflict-driven learning, non-chronological backtracking, and clause deletion. A simple but efficient technique called Dynamic Search Space Partitioning is used for dividing the search space into disjoint portions to be treated in parallel by up to 9 processors. Besides explaining of how such a complex algorithm could be implemented on simple microcontroller we also give experimental results demonstrating the potential of the implemented methods.


Background The pathogenesis of HD is not entirely understood, but it is clear that the expression of the disease-causing mutant huntingtin protein leads to the disruption of a variety of cellular functions, which ultimately results in cell death. A hallmark of HD is the accumulation of intracellular inclusions of mHTT, the mHTT aggregates. Although the toxicity of mHTT aggregates is still debated, various studies have demonstrated that induction of autophagy, the major pathway for the degradation of mHTT aggregates, leads to increased cell viability. ATP- competitive mTOR inhibitors have been shown to be more efficient in induction of autophagy and reduction of protein aggregates than allosteric mTOR inhibitors, like Rapamycin. Aim The ability of catalytic mTOR inhibitors to cross the blood-brain barrier, however, is limited and mTOR inhibition in brain is insufficient. Therefore two novel mTOR inhibitors were evaluated for their efficacy in mTOR inhibition in an HD context, by assessing their potential for inducing autophagy and reducing HTT levels. Methods Expression levels of autophagic markers and well-studied mTOR targets were analysed by western blot analysis in STHdhQ7/Q7 and STHdhQ111/Q111 cells and brain samples from mice treated with both compounds. Cytotoxic effects were monitored in STHdh cells. For studying HTT levels HEK293T cells were transiently transfected with HTT- Exon 1- eGFP constructs with either 19 or 51 Q and analysed by fluorescent imaging and filter trap assay. Results Treatment with both compounds led to decreased cytotoxicity in STHdh cells. The phosphorylation level of mTOR targets 4EBP1 and ribosomal protein S6 were found to be reduced, while LC3B – II levels increased in vitro and in vivo, indicating inhibition of mTOR activity and induction of autophagy. Furthermore reduction of aggregates was demonstrated upon treatment with both substances. Conclusion Originally derived from cancer treatment, these second generation mTOR inhibitors show brain penetrance and effectiveness in cell models of HD, which suggests them as potentially relevant in treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.


Following completion of the elongation phase of protein synthesis (Chapters 2 and 3), the ribosome is brought into its pretermination complex when a stop (nonsense) codon is translocated into its A site (Fig. 1A). Stop codons are normally not read by tRNAs, but by class 1 release factor (RF) proteins (Scolnick et al. 1968; Caskey et al. 1970; Capecchi and Klein 1970). There are two RFs (RF1 and RF2) in eubacteria, one (eRF1) in eukaryotes and one (aRF1) in archaea. RF1 recognizes the stop codons UAG and UAA, RF2 recognizes UAA and UGA (Scolnick et al. 1968), and eRF1 and aRF1 recognize all three stop codons (Konecki et al. 1977). Although there are sequence homologies between RF1 and RF2, as well as between eRF1 and aRF1, there is only a single universal homology among all class 1 RFs: the GGQ (Gly Gly Gln) motif (Frolova et al. 1999). Binding of a class 1 RF to a ribosome programmed with its cognate stop codon (Fig. 1B) induces hydrolysis of the ester bond that links the completed protein with the tRNA bound to the P site (Fig. 1C), leading to rapid dissociation of the protein from the ribosome. This general scheme for the first phase of termination of protein synthesis (Caskey et al. 1977) is still valid, but the molecular details of stop codon recognition and induction of ester bond hydrolysis remain to be clarified. In eubacteria and eukaryotes, but not in archaea, there exists a class 2 RF: the GTPases RF3...


The photochemistry of the cis and trans isomers of a series of dimethylbicyclo(n.2.O)alk-(n+2)-enes (n = 2-5) (bicyclic cyclobutene derivatives in which the C=C bond is shared by the two rings) in pentane solution is described. Irradiation of these compounds using monochromatic 193- or 214-nm light sources results in ring opening to yield the corresponding 1,2-bis(l-ethylidene)cycloalkanes (C,-C,) in high chemical and quantum yields. In all cases, the reaction proceeds with a high (70-90%) degree of disrotatory stereoselectivity. Quantum yields for direct cis,trans photoisomerization of the isomeric E,E- and E,Z- 1,2-bis(l-ethylidene)cycloalkanes have also been determined. The product distributions from irradiation of the cyclobutenes are wavelength dependent, but for 214-nm excitation the isomeric diene distributions obtained from cyclobutene ring opening agree fairly closely with those calculated from the quantum yields for cis,trans photoisomerization of the isomeric dienes on the assumption that the process involves purely disrotatory ring opening to yield a single diene isomer in the lowest excited singlet state. The results are consistent with an orbital-symmetry-controlled, adiabatic mechanism for ring opening.


The discovery of neuroplasticity means the brain can change, functionally, in response to the environment and to learning. While individuals can develop harmful patterns of brain activity in response to stressors, they can also learn to modify or control neurological conditions associated with specific behaviors. Neurotherapy is one way of changing brain functioning to modify troubling conditions which can impair leadership performance, through responding to feedback on their own brain activity, and enhancing optimal leadership functioning through learning to maximize such cognitive strengths as mental efficiency, focus, creativity, perseverance, and executive functioning. The present article outlines the application of the concept of optimal performance training to organizational leadership in a healthcare context, by describing approaches to neurotherapy and illustrating their application through a case study of a health leader learning to overcome the neurological and emotional sequelae of workplace stress and trauma.


INTRODUCTION After the conquest of Egypt, the Arab Muslims located their graveyards in the area beneath the Muqat ̧t ̧am Mountain, stretching outward from the southeast side of their new capital, al-Fust ̧a≠t ̧. This older and larger cemetery area became known as al-Qara≠fah al-Kubrá (the Greater Qara≠fah). Subsequently, the cemetery area developed around several famous mausolea, including the mausoleum of Ima≠m al-Sha≠fi'|, extended to the Muqat ̧t ̧am as well, and came to be called al-Qara≠fah al-S̨ughrá (the Lesser Qara≠ fah). Also, outside the Nas̋r Gate, there stretched another cemetery area, eventually swallowed by the so-called al-S ̨ah ̋ra≠' that prospered most during the Mamluk period, and had stronger ties with the Mamluk ruling elites. There were several other smaller graveyards, and in this article, I include all cemetery areas in the region surrounding Cairo/Fust ̧a≠t ̧ in the term "Cairene cemeteries," although al-Qara≠fah al-Kubrá preceded the construction of Cairo. These cemetery areas were primarily sanctuaries where people came to console the souls of the dead, or to seek help for worldly difficulties and pray for entrance into heaven through the fulfillment (ija≠bah) of the du'a≠' (supplicatory prayer). Likewise, crowds including women and children went there on excursions, leading to the depiction of these areas by the historian al-Maqr|z| (d. 845/1442) as "the greatest meeting place of the Egyptian people, and their most popular pleasure resort." 1 Literature detailing these cemetery areas and the practice of visitation (ziya≠rah/ziya≠ra≠t) among Egyptian Muslim society were prominent in the Mamluk era and continued even through the nineteenth century. Yet, in vicissitude of time, these works tended to focus on the ahl al-bayt (the Prophet Muh ̋ammad's holy family), arranging information about them into chapters. Al-Qal'a≠w| (d. 1815), al-Shablanj| (d. 1883), and al-Mushk| (published in 1919), for instance, composed treatises of this sort, and al-Nabha≠ n|'s (d. 1931–32) compilation of kara≠ma≠t (miracles


In West Africa, weeds are the major constraint to rice production. Native African rice Oryza glaberrima, however, is very competitive against weeds and research is ongoing to introgress competitive traits of O. glaberrima into high-yielding O. sativa types (Jones et al 1997). To support this work, the crop-weed competition model INTERCOM (Kropff and van Laar 1993) is being adapted and parameterized to evaluate weed-competitive rice plant types in a prebreeding support project. The accurate prediction of phenology is the first step in applying process-based mechanistic models as tools for rice research and decision support at the site or regional level. Phenology is important in situations in which weeds compete with rice because competitiveness is affected by the partitioning of dry matter to organs and partitioning is driven by phenology. Phenology in INTERCOM is calculated from a thermal time (°C day) approach that assumes a linear developmental rate from plant emergence to flowering and another from flowering to physiological maturity. Rice development to flowering, however, has been shown to respond to both temperature and photoperiod at specific stages. Thus, subphases-a basic vegetative phase (BVP), a photoperiod sensitive phase (PSP), and a panicle formation phase (PFP)- have been identified (Vergara and Chang 1985). Varietal sensitivity to photoperiod modulates the duration of PSP, depending on the positive deviation of daylength from a critical daylength value. These were used to modify the phenology routine in INTERCOM in a way similar to that in ORYZA_1 but allowing for multispecies structure, which is characteristic of INTERCOM.


Background Exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) are associated with high health care costs owing to increased emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) interventions aim to improve the monitoring of symptoms to detect early deterioration and provide self-management strategies. As a result, RPM aims to reduce health resource utilization. To date, studies have inconsistently reported the benefits of RPM in chronic illnesses. The Smart Program is an RPM intervention that aims to provide clinical benefit to patients and economic benefit to health care payers. Objective This study aims to economically evaluate the potential benefits of the Smart Program in terms of hospitalizations and ER visits and, thus, associated health care costs from the perspective of the public health care system. Methods Seventy-four patients diagnosed with COPD or CHF from one hospital site were included in this one-group, pre-post study. The study involved a secondary data analysis of deidentified data collected during the study period – from 3 months before program initiation (baseline), during the program, to 3 months after program completion (follow-up). Descriptive analysis was conducted for the study population characteristics at baseline, the clinical frailty score at baseline and 3-month follow-up, client satisfaction at 3-month follow-up, and number and costs of ER visits and hospitalizations throughout the study period. Furthermore, the cost of the Smart Program over a 3-month period was calculated from the perspective of the potential implementer. Results The baseline characteristics of the study population (N=74) showed that the majority of patients had COPD (50/74, 68%), were female (42/74, 57%), and had an average age of 72 (SD 12) years. Using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the number of ER visits and hospitalizations, including their associated costs, were significantly reduced between baseline and 3-month follow-up (P<.001). The intervention showed a potential 68% and 35% reduction in ER visits and hospitalizations, respectively, between the 3-month pre- and 3-month postintervention period. The average cost of ER visits reduced from Can $243 at baseline to Can $67 during the 3-month follow-up, and reduced from Can $3842 to Can $1399 for hospitalizations. Conclusions In this study, the number and cost of ER visits and hospitalizations appeared to be markedly reduced for patients with COPD or CHF when comparing data before and after the Smart Program implementation. Recognizing the limitations of the one-group, pre-post study design, RPM requires an upfront investment, but it has the potential to reduce health care costs to the system over time. This study represents another piece of evidence to support the potential value of RPM among patients with COPD or CHF.


We investigated the fabrication of integrated diffractive micro-optical features on MEMS structures for the purpose of motion detection. The process of producing the diffractive features and the MEMS structures by focused ion beam milling is described in detail, as is the ion beam sputtering process used to produce coatings on these structures. The diffractive features of the circular Fresnel zone plate (FZP) and spiral FZP were fabricated on MEMS structures and the relevant diffraction theory is discussed. The spiral FZP diffractive features produced well defined foci whose intensity varies with distance from the FZP. Observation of these intensity variations enabled us to detect the motion of the MEMS structure, and the resulting device was used to scan an IR image of a hot object.


Electrochemical oxidation of alkene difunctionalization with simultaneous construction of C-Se and C-S bonds is reported. The products of β-selenylethyl dithiocarbamates are obtained with CS2, amines, alkenes, and diphenyl diselenides in the absence of any oxidant or metal. Furthermore, the transformation is compatible with various groups. In the preliminary mechanism studies, we propose three possible pathways.


Antipsychotics are a first-line treatment for psychotic disorders. The cytochrome P450 isoenzymes CYP3A4/5 and CYP2D6 metabolize most antipsychotics. The activity of these isoenzymes in children changes with maturation, so it is different from that in adults. Objective: to study the associations of CYP3A and CYP2D6 isoenzyme activity parameters with the efficacy and safety of antipsychotics in adolescents with an acute psychotic episode. Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 53 adolescents with an acute psychotic episode who took antipsychotics. The observation period lasted 14 days. The CGAS, PANSS, UKU SERS, SAS, and BARS scales were used to evaluate the efficiency and safety of the therapy on day 14. The activity of CYP3A and CYP2D6 isoenzymes was measured by determining the metabolic ratios of the concentrations of endogenous substrates of the isoenzymes and their metabolites in a morning urine sample on days 1 and 14 of the study. The activity of CYP3A was assessed by the 6-beta hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio; that of CYP2D6 was measured by the 6-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline/pinoline ratio. The influence of carriage of polymorphic variants CYP2D6*4,*9,*10, CYP3A4*22, CYP3A5*3 on the activity of isoenzymes was excluded by removing their carriers from the analysis. Results and discussion. The investigators revealed an association of certain antipsychotic-induced undesirable symptoms with CYP3A and CYP2D6 activity parameters. On day 1, a lower CYP2D6 activity was initially observed in patients with tremor (0.54 [0.34; 1.34] vs 1.25 [0.91; 1.75]; p=0.023). Also, patients with any documented adverse reaction (ARs) to therapy had initially a decreased CYP3A activity (1.2 [0.85; 2.29] vs 2.55 [1.44; 4.83]; p=0.047) and an enhanced CYP3A activity during therapy (the activity difference between day 14 and day 1 was 0.28 [-0.28; 2.32] vs -1.3 [-3.47; 0.66]; p=0.042). Conclusion. The initially reduced activity of CYP2D6 and CYP3A isoenzymes is a significant predictor of antipsychotic-induced ARs in adolescents with an acute psychotic episode. The predictive role of CYP2D6 and CYP3A activity levels in the efficacy of antipsychotics has not been confirmed.


2H-1,2,3-Diazaphospholes 3a-3h were prepared from various ketone acylhydrazones and phosphorus trichloride in the presence of triethylamine. Compounds 3 underwent feasible hetero-Diels-Alder reactions with cyclopentadiene to afford the respective anellated [1,2,3]diazaphospholes 4a--4d as well as 4a'--4d' in moderate yields. The endo rule in the reaction was observed under kinetic control conditions.


This article tries to reconstruct the composition of the Board of Royal Physicians during the reign of Charles II (1665-1799) and the first part of the reign of Philip V (1700-1724), a crucial period in the introduction of modern science and medicine in the Spanish Kingdoms. Their personal records, to be found in the Archivo General de Palacio in Madrid, have been exhaustively consulted. Some of these royal physicians formed part of the Castilian Tribunal del Protomedicato, by means of which the Board of Royal Physicians was selected, promoted and controlled. The Protomedicato was an important battlefield in the conflict between traditional and modern medicine, in which Italian physicians played a decisive role.


With the advent of an aging society all over the world, there has been a growing policy interest in the pension system that can guarantee old-age income at some level. Many countries also encourage people to join public pensions as well as private pensions. As a result, there has been a phenomenon of substituting private pensions. This study investigates the effects of various socio-economic factors on tax benefits for private pensions at the country level. The results of this study show that lower total income replacement rate of public pension and private pension assets leads to increasing tax expenditures on private pensions. And also, higher individual tax burden and governmental social welfare expenditure causes to increase tax expenditures on private pensions. Despite differences in the type of old-age income security systems by country, it is recognized that attempts to resolve the public pensions crisis caused by socio-economic changes take the form of expanding the roles of private pensions. So, this study provides politic implications that lower benefits from public pensions lead to expanded roles of private pensions supported by the government.


Objectives

To compare the efficacy of astigmatic correction between simultaneous femtosecond laser-assisted intrastromal arcuate keratotomy (AK) combined with femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation during cataract surgery in moderate astigmatism.
Design:

Retrospective observational study, tertiary care medical center
Methods

We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who underwent astigmatic correction via femtosecond laser-assisted intrastromal AK (AK group; 27 eyes of 27 patients) with FLACS or toric IOL implantation (toric IOL group; 21 eyes of 21 patients). All patients had senile cataracts with corneal astigmatism ranging from + 1.00 to + 2.00 diopters (D) before cataract surgery. We measured visual acuity, intraocular pressure, automated keratometry, manifest refraction and topography preoperatively and at 1-day, 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month postoperatively.
Results

Refractive astigmatism was significantly decreased in both groups. The mean preoperative and 6-month postoperative refractive astigmatism were 1.85 ± 1.07 and 0.99 ± 0.51 D, respectively, in the AK group (P = 0.028), and 1.84 ± 0.81 and 0.68 ± 0.21 D, respectively, in the toric IOL group (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in refractive astigmatism between the two groups at 6-month postoperatively (0.99 ± 0.51 vs 0.68 ± 0.21 D, P = 0.057). At 6-month postoperatively, parameters for vector analysis of refractive astigmatism showed no statistical difference between the two groups. Corneal astigmatism was significantly decreased in the AK group. There was significant difference in corneal astigmatism from topography and automated keratometer between the two groups at 6-month postoperatively (0.94 ± 0.40 vs 1.53 ± 0.46 D, P = 0.018 for topography and 0.98 ± 0.69 vs 1.37 ± 0.41 D, P = 0.032 for automated keratometer).
Conclusions

Femtosecond laser-assisted intrastromal AK in FLACS could be an effective procedure for reducing astigmatism as well as toric IOL implantation in cataract surgery.


The species of the genus Rhodesiella Adams, 1905 from Xizang of China are reviewed with the descriptions of the following four new species: R. arcuata sp. n., R. longiseta sp. n., R. perpendicularis sp. n. and R. uncata sp. n. A key to the species of Rhodesiella from Xizang is given. Comments and feature figures of new species are provided for identification. Neorhodesiella Cherian, 2002 is synonymized with Rhodesiella Adams, 1905.


In this paper, we propose a high capacity, self-synchronized, lossless audio watermarking algorithm based on the alpha (' �') statistic modulation. Here ' �' is related to the correlation among any given sequence i.e audio samples and it is modulated according to the watermark bit stream. The embedding scheme is tested in both the time domain and DWT domain. Though the time domain embedding reduces the computational time in searching the synchronization codes, the time-frequency localization capability of DWT provides good trade off between the computational complexity and robustness of synchronization codes. In case of DWT, '�' related to the 2 nd level DWT coarse wavelet components is used for embedding the watermark. The offset value used for embedding is made adaptive to the required SNR for the final watermarked audio signal. After extraction of the embedded watermark using a watermark key, original audio can be recovered with minimal distortion. The watermarking method presented here does not require the use of the original signal for watermark detection. Also high embedding capacity is achieved by using small sized audio frames. Experimental results reveal that the proposed watermarking scheme maintains high audio quality and is simultaneously highly robust to pirate attacks, including MP3 compression, cropping, filtering, re-sampling, and re-quantization.


Voice quality conveys both linguistic and paralinguistic information, and can be distinguished by acoustic source characteristics. We label objective voice quality categories based on the spectral and temporal structure of speech sounds, specifically the harmonic structure (H1-H2) and the mean autocorrelation ratio of each phone. Results from a classification experiment using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier show that allophones that differ from each other regarding voice quality can be classified as distinct using input features in speech recognition. Among different possible ways to incorporate voice quality information in speech recognition, we demonstrate that by explicitly modeling voice quality variance in the acoustic phone models using hidden Markov modeling, we can improve word recognition accuracy.


JOHN Z. BOWERS, When the twain meet. The rise of western medicine in Japan, (Henry E. Sigerist Supplements to the Bulletin ofthe History ofMedicine, No. 8), Baltimore, Md., and London, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981, 8vo, pp. xi, 173, £8.50. This book shares the same characteristics as its predecessor, Western medical pioneers in feudal Japan (Johns Hopkins, 1970), in that it is encylopaedic rather than analytic, heavy on detail but correspondingly light on illumination of the whys and wherefores. The earlier book covered the careers of Kaempfer, Thunberg, Siebold, and Pompe van Meerdervoort; here the story is continued with Otto Mohnike, who arrived in 1848, Van den Broek, Willis, Mueller, Baelz, and Hepburn. There is much of interest, not only in the personal lives of these unusual men but also in their writings on Japan: Mohnike's shock at the high incidence of blindness and leprosy, Willis's work with military casualities in such out of the way places as Aizu, and his intriguing friendship with Saigo Takamori, and Mueller's work in the first medical school, Igakko, which was to prove its excellence in so short a time. Valuable as all this is, however, I have one caveat. The account is presented almost entirely through the eyes of these Europeans, whose diaries and books are extensively paraphrased. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, but the cumulative effect is to place the Japanese in the role of passive receivers of superior wisdom, and, of course, the matter is much more complicated than this. To tackle such a subject as this with no real control of the Japanese sources, despite the occasional use of highly qualified Japanese informants, is a dangerous busines and shows us that the spirit of Orientalism is still alive and, unfortunately, well. I mention this not to lambast the distinguished author for his lack of Japanese, but rather to warn the unwitting reader that the title is in the ultimate analysis ironic. The overall assumption seems to be that this set of brilliant Europeans sacrificed the best years of their lives banging their heads against a door that was only opened with painful reluctance. The silly people just could not grasp what it was they were rejecting. There is, in fact, no meeting of minds in this book at all, because one of the two parties involved is not really allowed to speak. Let us hope that the inside picture will be drawn for us in due course. Meanwhile, use this work with this caveat in mind and it should prove to be of considerable value. R. Bowring Department of Asian Studies Princeton University


End to End Quality of Service is a way to provide data package service in a telecommunication network that based on Right Price, Right Service Level, and Right Quality. The goal of this research is to analyze the impact of End to End QoS use on 3G telecommunication network for voice service and data. This research uses an analysis method by doing the application on the lab. The result that is achieved in this research shows that End to End QoS is very influental to the Service Level Agreement to the users of the telecommunication service. Keywords: End to End Qos, SLA, Diffserv


Background and Objectives During storage, functional activity of platelets is affected by platelet storage lesion (PSL). The over-expression of P-Selectin is one of the most important evidence of platelet activation, thereby monitoring P-Sel expression and shedding can be considered as an index for performance in platelet concentrates. Materials and Methods Ten PRP-platelet concentrates obtained from Tehran Regional Educational Blood Transfusion Center were subdivided into two groups of usual platelets and leuko-reduced platelets following pre-storage filtration. Flow-cytometery and ELISA were used to evaluate P-Sel expression and shedding, respectively. Data were analyzed by one way-Anova and MannWhitney U tests using Graphpad software. Results In filtered products, P-Sel expression on days 1, 3 and 5 after storage were 13.5 ± 1.8%, 15.2 ± 1.2% and 27.4 ± 2.5% , respectively. The results showed a sinificant increase of expression in day 5, compared to that in day 1 and 3. In non-filtered products, P-Sel expression on days 1, 3 and 5 were 7.4 ± 1.7%, 21 ± 2%, and 10 ± 2.2%, respectively. Increased expression in day 3 was followed by a significant decrease in day 5, that might be due to the loss of receptors via shedding and/or microparticulation during platelet post-activation. The levels of soluble P-Sel in filtered products were significantly less than unfiltered products in day 3. Conclusions Considering the expression and shedding of P-Sel, this study proposes that the leuko-reduction process favor less PSL effect during the storage of platelet products.


Increasing existing relation between aging and sanitary costs, as well as the importance of the hospitable costs inside the total costs that support the sanitary systems, especially in the 65- year-old major patients. The aims of the present study are: a). To know the distribution in 2013 of the demand of hospitalization for range of age, type of episode, welfare unit and Group Related to the Diagnosis (GRD).b.) To know the cost of the welfare production for welfare unit and range of age.c). To analyze the impact of the evolution of the pyramid of population of the province of Seville in the hospitalization of the Hospitable Virgin Area Macarena (AHVR) and Hospitable Virgin Area Rocio (AHVR) with projection to 2018 and 2023, both of activity


The enzyme activity and the messenger RNA level of pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase were more than 20- and 50-fold higher, respectively, in the dark period than in the light period in normal rats. In hereditary microphthalmic rats, however, the serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity and its mRNA level did not undergo a great diurnal change through the light and dark periods. These results indicate that the diurnal rhythms of the activity and the mRNA level of serotonin N-acetyltransferase are not detected in the pineal gland of hereditary blind rats, suggesting free-running rhythms in individual animals due to desynchronization of their circadian rhythms by a lack of their optic nerve.


: This study examined the validity of the Figure-of-8 Walk Test at maximum velocities (F8Wmax). The following items were measured, involving 25 inpatients who were able to walk: F8Wmax (the time and number of steps), the Timed Up & Go Test (TUG), Functional Reach Test (FRT), and Frail Chair Stand-10 (FCS-10) results, and the knee ex-tensor strength, duration of standing on one leg with the eyes open, walking velocity, Life-Space Assessment (LSA) score, hand grip strength, Fall Risk Index (FRI), and FIM-m score. The validity of the F8Wmax was examined. Both the time and number of steps in the F8Wmax were significantly correlated with the TUG, FRT, and FCS-10 results, and the duration of standing on one leg with the eyes open, walking velocity, LSA score, and FRI, confirming the sufficient validity of the test to assess inpatients' walking abilities.


Turbomachines are used in a wide range of applications. Increasing the efficiency and operating range of turbomachines reduces fuel consumption of gas turbine power plants and other applications. Over the years, many attempts have been made to achieve these objectives. e present special issue addresses these goals with special emphasis on active and passive �ow control techniques. is special issue compiles 7 original research articles that describe active and passive �ow control techniques applied to different types of turbomachines. e theme for this special issue is set by J. P. Gostelow et al. ey describe various types of vortices encountered in a transonic turbine nozzle blade passage. Active and passive control of these vortices is essential to improve the performance of turbines. ere are two more papers on control of turbine �ows. e paper by R. Da Soghe et al. describes aerothermal analysis of a turbine casing impingement cooling system. T. Matsunuma and T. Segawa systematically varied the input voltage of plasma actuators to reattach the simulated boundary layer on the suction surface of a turbine at a low Reynolds number. e low-pressure turbine of aircra gas turbine power plants operating at high altitudes operates at low Reynolds numbers. Losses in turbines operating at low Reynolds numbers increase rapidly due to large separation occurring on the suction surfaces of the turbine blades. Many researchers used dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators to actively control �ow separation, tip clearance �ows, and so forth in turbines and other turbomachinery components. e present paper by T. Matsunuma and T. Segawa is a great addition to the available data that addresses the effects of input voltage to plasma actuators on �ow control effectiveness. Two papers describe active and passive �ow control techniques applied to centrifugal compressors. A. Marsan et al. numerically investigated boundary layer suction technique applied to the radial diffuser of a transonic centrifugal compressor. ey had presented an efficient control technique, which used a suction mass �ow rate of 0.1% of global mass �ow to increase the compressor operating range by 40%. T. Hirano et al. experimentally investigated a passive nozzle injection system to control surge and rotating stall in high speed centrifugal compressors. ey demonstrated optimum circumferential position of the injection nozzle. S. Kyparissis and D. Margaris tested impellers with three different leading edge angles to optimize the leading edge angle to reduce cavitation development and enhance the performance of a centrifugal pump. Active and passive �ow control techniques are being extensively investigated in the primary components of turbomachinery. However to further improve the performance of turbomachinery, active and passive �ow control techniques need to be applied to secondary components of turbomachines, such as seals. e last paper of the special issue by M. �hang et al. addresses leakage �ow characteristics of seals used in reactor coolant pumps. ey had numerically shown that helical groove seal controls the leakage along the front surface of the impeller face due to its higher resistance than the circumferential grooved seal. It is hoped that this special issue will provide useful information to wide readership from academia, industry and research establishments and inspire new and more efficient control techniques.


The connection between collaborative learning and the new mobile technology has become tighter. Mobile learning enhances collaborative learning as learners can access information and learning materials from anywhere and at any time. However, supporting efficient mobile learning in education is a critical challenge. In addition, incorporating technological and educational components becomes a new, complex dimension. In this paper, an efficient collaborative mobile-learning architecture based on mobile agents is proposed to enhance learning activity and to allow teachers and students to collaborate in knowledge and information transfer. A mobile agent can control its own actions, is able to communicate with other agents, and adapts in accordance with previous experience. The proposed model consists of four components: the learner agent, the teacher agent, the device agent and the social agent. The social agent plays the main role in the collaborative tasks since it is responsible for evaluating the collaborative interactions among different learners. Additionally, it offers an evaluation indicator for the learners' collaboration and supplies the teacher with learner's collaboration reports. The proposed model is evaluated by introducing a collaborative mobile-learning case study applied to two full classes of undergraduate students. To conduct the model experiments, students were asked to complete a questionnaire after they used the proposed model. The questionnaire results statistically revealed that the proposed architecture is easy to use and access, well-organized, convenient, and facilitates the learning process. The students thought the proposed m-learning application should complement rather than replace the traditional lectures. Moreover, the experimental results show that the proposed collaborative mobile learning model enhances the learner's skills in problem solving, increases the learner's knowledge in comparison with individual learning, and social agent encourages learners for more participation in the learning tasks. Based on the experiments conducted, the authors found that the proposed model can improve the quality of the learning process by assessing learners' and groups' collaboration, and it can help teachers make learners improve how they work in groups. This also provides various ways of assessing learners abilities and skills in groups. It is also possible to integrate the collaborative e-learning with the proposed collaborative m-learning.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the persistence of outcomes for up to 5 years following the initiation of community-based pharmaceutical care services (PCS) for patients with diabetes.

DESIGN
Quasi-experimental, longitudinal pre-post cohort study.

SETTING
Twelve community pharmacies in Asheville, N.C.

PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS
Patients with diabetes covered by self-insured employers' health plans. Community pharmacists trained in a diabetes certificate program and reimbursed for PCS.

INTERVENTIONS
Education by certified diabetes educators, long-term community pharmacist follow-up using scheduled consultations, clinical assessment, goal setting, monitoring, and collaborative drug therapy management with physicians.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) and serum lipid concentrations and changes in diabetes-related and total medical utilization and costs over time.

RESULTS
Mean A1c decreased at all follow-ups, with more than 50% of patients demonstrating improvements at each time. The number of patients with optimal A1c values (< 7%) also increased at each follow-up. More than 50% showed improvements in lipid levels at every measurement. Multivariate logistic regressions suggested that patients with higher baseline A1c values or higher baseline costs were most likely to improve or have lower costs, respectively. Costs shifted from inpatient and outpatient physician services to prescriptions, which increased significantly at every follow-up. Total mean direct medical costs decreased by $1,200 to $1,872 per patient per year compared with baseline. Days of sick time decreased every year (1997-2001) for one employer group, with estimated increases in productivity estimated at $18,000 annually.

CONCLUSION
Patients with diabetes who received ongoing PCS maintained improvement in A1c over time, and employers experienced a decline in mean total direct medical costs.


Late and early leaf spot are caused by Nothopassalora personata and Passalora arachidicola, respectively, and are damaging diseases of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) capable of defoliation and yield loss. Management of these diseases is most effective through the integration of tactics that reduce starting inoculum and prevent infection. The insecticide phorate was first registered in 1959 and has been used in peanut production for decades in-furrow at planting to suppress thrips. Phorate further provides significant suppression of Tomato spotted wilt virus infection beyond suppression of its thrips vector alone by activating defense-related responses in the peanut plant. From six experiments conducted from 2017 to 2019 in Blackville, SC, Reddick, FL, and Quincy, FL, significantly less leaf spot defoliation was exhibited on peanuts treated with phorate in-furrow at planting (26%) compared with nontreated checks (48%). In-season fungicides were excluded from five of the experiments, whereas the 2018 Quincy, FL, experiment included eight applications on a 15-day interval. Across individual experiments, significant suppression of defoliation caused by late leaf spot was observed from 64 to 147 days after planting. Although more variable within location-years, pod yield following phorate treatment was overall significantly greater than for nontreated peanut (2,330 compared with 2,030 kg/ha; P = 0.0794). The consistent defoliation suppression potential was estimated to confer an average potential net economic yield savings of $90 to $120 per hectare under analogous leaf spot defoliation. To our knowledge, these are the first data in the 61 years since its registration demonstrating significant suppression of leaf spot on peanut following application of phorate in-furrow at planting. Results support phorate use in peanut as an effective and economical tactic to incorporate to manage late and early leaf spot infections and development of fungicide resistance.


This paper examines the use of touchscreen smartphones, focusing on physical access. Using interviews and observations, we found that participants with dexterity impairment considered a smartphone both useful and usable, but tablet devices offer several important advantages. Cost is a major barrier to adoption. We describe usability problems that are not addressed by existing accessibility options, and observe that the dexterity demands of important accessibility features made them unusable for many participants. Despite participants' enthusiasm for both smartphones and tablet devices, their potential is not yet fully realized for this population.


Agar (Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk, Family- Thymeleaceae) has drawn unique position due to the production of world's most expensive essential oil used in fragrances and as medicine. It is one of the most valuable and economically important commercial tree species planted in some potential forest areas of Bangladesh. The growth rate and yield of the species in Bangladesh are not known. Therefore, for scientific management of the forest necessity of the growth and yield models for the species were felt. The present study was made to derive mathematical models for growth and yield of this species in Bangladesh based on site indices. The models were developed through establishment of permanent sample plots (PSPs) and temporary sample plots (TSPs) with area 0.02 ha and shape is circular and rectangular. Diameter at breast height and total height of all trees in the plots were measured for four successive years from PSPs. Step-wise method and all probable combinations of the independent variables method were used to select the best suited models subject to the satisfaction of the statistical and biological requirements. Models were selected to estimate the stand stocking, stand height, stand diameter, stand basal area and stand volume yield per hectare. The yield prediction models derived in the study could satisfactorily be used for Agar tree plantations within stand age of 3.5 to 17.5 years and site indices of 8. To 20.0 meters based on a base age of 12 years.


One of the persistent problems with numerical solutions to the elastic wave equation is the finite size of the numerical grid. As with a physical body, the grid boundaries will reflect incident energy. If not eliminated or reduced substantially, these reflections will invade the grid interior and interfere with the desired solution. One method for eliminating reflections is creating a large and/or expanding grid. This method may be impractical since it can be quite costly in both computer time and memory. Another method is making the grid boundary "transparent" to outgoing energy. This method is ideally done by designing absorbing or nonreflecting boundaries which are mathematically equivalent to a one‐way, or outgoing, elastic wave equation only. In practice, an outgoing elastic wave equation is an approximation since the wave equation is not generally separable into outgoing and incoming parts. Two absorbing boundary condition approximations commonly used are those from Reynolds (Reynolds, 1978) and Cla...


The most common causes of hematomyelia are vascular anomalies, arteriovenous malformations, vasculitis, traumas, and conditions leading to hypocoagulation. In the presented clinical observations, hematomyelia developed against the background of anticoagulant administration and disruption of arteriovenous malformation. The disease manifests itself acutely, and the clinical picture depends on the level of spinal cord injury. Diagnosis of hematomyelia is straightforward and is based on neuroimaging by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There is no eff ective pathogenetic pharmacological therapy for hematomyelia; treatment is aimed at complications prevention. Taking in consideration the presence of a disabling neurologic impairment, this category of patients experiences an increased risk of venous thromboembolic disorders development, including fatal pulmonary embolism. In this regard, early measures are needed to prevent the development of venous thrombosis. The straightforward procedure of treatment is neurosurgical intervention in order to eliminate the source of bleeding and prevent repeated intramedullary hemorrhages. Timely diagnosis of hematomyelia followed by neurosurgical intervention leads to a favorable outcome of the disease, a decrease in mortality and disability.


9 adult subjects with severe periodontitis were monitored following oral hygiene instruction and a single episode of crown and root debridement. Baseline recordings for probing attachment level were obtained both immediately pre-instrumentation and immediately post-instrumentation. Sites with gain, no change or loss of probing attachment level at 3 and 12 months compared to both pre- and post-instrumentation were identified. The classification was based upon the use of triplicate recordings at each time point, a site-specific standard deviation for measurement variability, and the requirement of a minimum of 1.0 mm change. The relative frequencies of gain, no change, and loss of probing attachment were then calculated for sites of various residual probing depths at 3 and 12 months. This was performed to evaluate if a given probing depth at re-evaluation, e.g., 7.0-7.5 mm, could be used as an indicator of the need for supplementary treatment following the initial therapy, based upon the observed probing attachment changes compared to baseline. As an example of the results of the present study, 60% of sites with residual probing depths of 7.0-7.5 mm showed probing attachment gain greater than or equal to 1.0 mm compared to the post-instrumentation baseline, and only 2% had undergone probing attachment loss greater than or equal to 1.0 mm. The overall results suggest that a relatively deep residual probing depth at re-evaluation following initial therapy, by itself, provides little evidence of lack of improvement compared to baseline. On this basis, the use of a specific probing depth at 3 or 12 months following treatment as a yardstick for the provision of supplementary treatment may not be justified.


Multichannel quantum-defect theory is combined with the R-matrix calculations to study the resonance lineshape of autoionizing 3pns state of atomic magnesium. The R-matrices calculated with different reaction volumes hardly affect the total cross section of photoionization of the Mg 3sns Rydberg state. The comparison between theoretical and experimental results is furnished.


The arl2 mutants of Arabidopsis display altered root and hypocotyl gravitropism, whereas their inflorescence stems are fully gravitropic. Interestingly, mutant roots respond like the wild type to phytohormones and an inhibitor of polar auxin transport. Also, their cap columella cells accumulate starch similarly to wild-type cells, and mutant hypocotyls display strong phototropic responses to lateral light stimulation. The ARL2 gene encodes a DnaJ-like protein similar to ARG1, another protein previously implicated in gravity signal transduction in Arabidopsis seedlings. ARL2 is expressed at low levels in all organs of seedlings and plants. arl2-1 arg1-2 double mutant roots display kinetics of gravitropism similar to those of single mutants. However, double mutants carrying both arl2-1 and pgm-1 (a mutation in the starch-biosynthetic gene PHOSPHOGLUCOMUTASE) at the homozygous state display a more pronounced root gravitropic defect than the single mutants. On the other hand, seedlings with a null mutation in ARL1, a paralog of ARG1 and ARL2, behave similarly to the wild type in gravitropism and other related assays. Taken together, the results suggest that ARG1 and ARL2 function in the same gravity signal transduction pathway in the hypocotyl and root of Arabidopsis seedlings, distinct from the pathway involving PGM.


Debate over consumer trust in traditional media has intensified due to theappearance of networked social movements, particularly considering media coverage ofthe protests, the emergence of alternative media and social media as informationsources. A survey was created for this study to provide insight into the associationbetween media exposure, trust and political participation in networked socialmovements, specifically among 15M Movement activists. Data is presented to show towhat extent do 15M activists view traditional and alternative media as trustworthy. Thearticle also looks at the causes of trust and mistrust in those media.Results indicate that politically-interested online users placed more trust in informationdisseminated by alternative media than by conventional media. Furthermore, exposure tosocial media is associated with trust in media, while age and gender are not. This meansthat the increased use of alternative and social media involves a decreased trust ininformation provided by traditional media. Instead, those who do not use social mediaand those who use traditional media are those who most trusted mass media the most.


Detecting associations between microbial compositions and sample characteristics is one of the most important tasks in microbiome studies. Most of the existing methods apply univariate models to single microbial species separately, with adjustments for multiple hypothesis testing. We propose a Bayesian analysis for a generalized mixed effects linear model tailored to this application. The marginal prior on each microbial composition is a Dirichlet Process, and dependence across compositions is induced through a linear combination of individual covariates, such as disease biomarkers or the subject's age, and latent factors. The latent factors capture residual variability and their dimensionality is learned from the data in a fully Bayesian procedure. The proposed model is tested in data analyses and simulation studies with zero-inflated compositions. In these settings, within each sample, a large proportion of counts per microbial species are equal to zero. In our Bayesian model a priori the probability of compositions with absent microbial species is strictly positive. We propose an efficient algorithm to sample from the posterior and visualizations of model parameters which reveal associations between covariates and microbial compositions. We evaluate the proposed method in simulation studies, and then analyze a microbiome dataset for infants with type 1 diabetes which contains a large proportion of zeros in the sample-specific microbial compositions.


In the process of implementing sustainable management in the eastern Canadian boreal forest, we tested two selection cutting methods and compared them with two widely used practices in the boreal forest: clearcutting with protection of the advanced growth and soils and irregular shelterwood cutting leaving small merchantable stems. We used old-growth irregular stands as references in comparing the impact of these silvicultural treatments on the diversity and abundance of beetles. Three groups were targeted: saproxylic flying beetles, epigaeic saproxylic beetles and epigaeic non-saproxylic beetles. A sampling design including 320 pitfall traps and 80 multidirectional flight-interception traps was deployed in 2007. A total of 26 906 beetles was captured including 407 taxa distributed among 52 families. We found that clearcutting with protection of the advanced growth and soils and irregular shelterwood cutting leaving small merchantable stems had a greater impact on beetle communities than both selection cuttings. Canopy opening as well as the presence of snags and downed woody debris appear as important attributes for several saproxylic and non-saproxylic species. Beetle communities in selection cuttings remained more similar to those found in controls; these silvicultural treatments are new tools to implement ecosystemic and sustainable management in irregular boreal forests.


Supercritical fluid extraction was employed to remove lipids from sardine (Sardina pilchardus) muscle. Extraction experiments using carbon dioxide under pressures of 12.6 and 18.0 MPa and temperatures of 313 and 321 K were conducted. Loading of sardine oil in CO 2 was found to increase with increasing pressure, to diminish with increasing temperature and was independent of residence time. A slight increase in polyunsaturated fatty acid content in the oil extracted by supercritical CO 2 was observed throughout the extraction. Supercritically-extracted sardine oil was found to be unstable. Results were compared with those obtained using the Bligh and Dyer method.


Walnuts (Juglans regia L.) are rich source of a number of important nutrients that have a very positive effect on the human health. In this study nuts of six different walnut cultivars grown in Pakistan namely Chitral-1, SW-1, Chitral-3, Chitral-2, SW-3 and Dir-2 were selected and evaluated for their physical properties, proximate and mineral composition. The nut length was found in the range of 35.17-41.37 mm, nut diameter (31.72 mm-34.32 mm), Nut thickness (32.21-35.10 mm), nut weight (10.30 g-19.22 g), Kernel weight (5.81 g-9.24 g), Kernel ratio (43.19-65.14%), shell thickness (0.81-1.35 mm), moisture content (2.764.20%), ash content (1.27-1.95%), fats (63.54-69.92%), protein (15.96-19.15%) and total carbohydrates (8.04-12.14%). Kernels of Dir-2 and Chitral-2 cultivars were determined to contain high protein content (>18% protein) while Chitral-1 and SW-1 contain high carbohydrates content of >10%. The energy value of the kernels of these cultivars was determined in the range of 698.10-732.44 Kcal/100 g, which shows that the fruits of these varieties are rich source of energy. In minerals the level of sodium is 40.9-64.5 ppm, K (35514827ppm), Ca (925-1250 ppm), Fe (30.08-41.20 ppm), Zn (11.75-25.5 ppm), Mg (1059-1765 ppm), Cu (1.962.75 ppm) and Pb (0.69-1.06 ppm). The fruit properties indicates that Chitral-3, Chitral-2 and SW-3 are superior walnut cultivars in terms of their physical properties than the rest of the cultivars and they could be cultivated and developed as standard varieties in Pakistan. Moreover, kernels of all the cultivars studied are rich in K, Ca, Mg, Na and Fe.


Structural adhesives are employed as bonding agents in the construction industry, to externally bond fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials onto existing structures for strengthening and repair purposes. The strength development of such structural adhesives throughout the curing process is critical to the success of the system. Monitoring such strength development is thus important, to ensure that the adhesive has been suitably installed. This paper reports a proof-of-concept experimental study that assesses the feasibility of adopting lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-based monitoring techniques for real-time monitoring of the curing process of structural adhesives. More specifically, the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique is used. As verification of the EMI technique, the well-established wave propagation (WP) technique is employed. Tensile tests, which are conducted in conjunction with the PZT-based monitoring tests, serve as control specimens. For the EMI technique, both the structural and PZT resonance peaks increased rapidly in the first 24 h of curing. The rate of movement of the resonance peaks, however, decreased for curing durations ranging from 24 h to seven days. The peaks then showed negligible movement for curing durations of seven to 21 days. A similar observation is found in the velocity of the elastic wave obtained from the WP technique. Overall, both monitoring techniques correlate well with the physical changes of the structural adhesive throughout the curing process and the tensile tests. The piezoelectric-based technique is therefore confirmed as a viable technique for monitoring the curing process of structural adhesives.


There are a number of techniques and pieces of hardware and software aimed at promoting information security. In the present paper it is presented a security system dynamically reconfigurable in FPGAs. SSDR presents a robust architecture, which enables the implementation of specific and general security policies in order to guarantee services such as confidentiality, authenticity, integrity, availability, access control, and information audit. The main purposes of SSDR include guaranteeing a great security level by reaching time performance acceptable to a conventional computer network, besides a greater flexibility in relation to a configuration of functionalities and to the security policies. In this paper it presented the reconfigurable firewall module, highlighting its architecture, functionalities and performance, as well as focusing on the impact on the reconfigurable time according the model of project adopted.


Anxiety disorders are common amongst elderly housebound clients and are undertreated with detrimental effects to this population. Effective treatment for anxiety includes access to a talking therapy. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety is proven to be successful and has a low r elapse rate. Elderly housebound clients have poor access to talking therapies which compounds existing health inequalities. District and community nurses could be instrumental in enabling elderly housebound clients to have access to CBT approaches for the treatment of anxiety at an early stage, which could gr eatly improve outcomes.


The present paper will demonstrate the usefulness of conjoint analysis in the area of medicine, a method that is well-known in consumer research. The aim was to investigate the preference structure of network-oriented physicians regarding competitive consulting and information offerings in the context of a hypothetical network between a hospital and office-based physicians. A combination of qualitative ("grounded theory") and quantitative ("conjoint analysis") methods was used. Combined items from the field of information, consultation, advanced training and financing were available. The following combination was preferred: attendance of a medical specialist in the outpatient department (factor "consultation"), the receipt of brief physician info letters (factor "information"), the possibility of discussing one's own patients with other physicians (factor "advanced training") and self-financing such an offer (factor "financing").


Fast pyrolysis is one of the most promising conversion processes for producing advanced biofuels, which can be used as substitute for fuel oils or chemicals. This article investigates the fast pyrolysis of two common types of biomass: a mixture of wheat/barley straw as typical agriculture residue and miscanthus as fast‐growing energy plant. All experiments were performed using an ablative hot surface reactor. It was observed that the product yields using wheat/barley straw and miscanthus are almost similar on mass basis. Noteworthy were the higher share on reaction water and a lower content of organics in the wheat/barley straw based pyrolysis bio‐oil. As a result of the high total water content (about 48 wt%), the bio‐oil separated into two phases: an upper aqueous phase and a bottom tarry phase. The amount of water‐soluble organic compounds contained in the aqueous phase of bio‐oil derived from miscanthus pyrolysis can be attributed to the higher amount of hemicellulose present in miscanthus compared to straw. The phase separation by decantation is not an efficient method to reduce the water content and total acid number because a part of valuable components will be lost to the aqueous phase.


Clean water is daily needs for society, especially for drinking and cooking. Existing water sources often already contaminated with dirt, salt (sea water), heavy metals, bacteria or other harmful materials. The water in this condition can be detrimental to health if used for drinking or cooking, hence the water has to be rarefied first. There are many ways to purify contaminated water, one way is by distillation. Distillation process requires heat to evaporate the contaminated water before condensed and produce clean water. Thermal energy for distillation process can come from many sources, one of which is solar energy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance difference between solar powered water distillation that uses parabolic collector and reflector with solar powered water distillation without the use of parabolic collector and reflector (basic form). Distillated water will be tested in the laboratory to determine whether the water quality qualifies as drinking water or not after distillation process. Equipment which used in this study consisted of contaminated water tanks, distillation apparatus and distillated water storage. Distillation apparatus has a length of 1 meter and 0.5 meters wide. There are three variations on the distillation apparatus used i.e. distillation with reflector, distillation with parabolic collector and distillation without reflector and collector (basic form). Distillation appliance is equipped with water depth indicator. Water depth inside the distillation varied i.e. 5 mm, 7.5 mm, and 10 mm. The results showed a maximum of distilled water produced is 0.850 liter in 2 hours with an average efficiency of 49.2% produced by the distillation using reflector with 5 mm water depth. Maximum of distilled water yield with 10 mm water depth is 0.20 liter in 2 hours produced by distillation using parabolic collectors. Laboratory test stated that quality of distilled water can be accepted as drinking water.


Presence of Vibrio spp., one of the deadliest fish and shrimp pathogens in aquaculture facilities worldwide for which hatchery owners often suffer hectic economic losses, were identified in shrimp and tilapia hatcheries of Cox's Bazar and Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Thirty seven Vibrio isolates, selected on the basis of their morphological dissimilarities in thiosulphate citrate bile salt sucrose agar (TCBS) plate, were subjected to amplified 16S ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) by using AluI restriction enzyme following their DNA extraction and amplification of 16S rRNA (1450 bp). From this analysis, representative isolates of 8 ARDRA groups, named as ARH 1 to ARH 8, of different band patterns were sequenced and identified as Vibrio alginolyticus, Aeromonas veronii, A. hydrophila, Vibrio vulnificus, V. cholerae, Edwardsiella hoshinae, Bacillus methylotrophicus and Aeromonas veronii, respectively. Vibrio species identified in this study are pathogenic for human and aquatic organisms, and were found only in shrimp hatchery with the dominance of V. alginolyticus. Findings of this study indicate the poor quality of water treatment and management of the hatchery. It was also observed that all the three Vibrio species were present in the Artemia rearing tank which indicates the possible source of pathogens.


A dose-response trial was conducted with dairy cows on six farms in the Ixopo district of the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. Up to 30 cows per farm received a single subcutaneous injection of 5 mL of a long-acting/slow-releasing selenium (Se) supplement containing 50 g Se as barium selenate/mL (Deposel). The same number of matching cows per farm was used as controls. The cows grazed cultivated pastures and received concentrates containing no added Se. Whole blood Se concentrations were determined on day 1 and at ca. three month intervals thereafter. The investigation was conducted for periods ranging from between 300 and 400 days on the different farms. Incidences of retained placenta, metritis, cystic ovaries, mastitis and calf mortality were recorded. Whole blood Se concentrations of the unsupplemented cows ranged from 17 to 90 ng/mL. Accepting that a concentration of >200 ng/mL blood indicates an adequate Se intake, the recorded concentrations suggest that the cows were deficient to marginally deficient in Se. The parenteral Se supplementation at the prescribed dose increased blood Se concentrations by an average of 32.8 ng/mL, but this was insufficient to raise blood Se concentrations to adequate or recommended levels for dairy cows. No significant differences were recorded on the incidence of retained placenta, metritis, cystic ovaries, mastitis and calf mortality. It was concluded that, if not supplemented, dairy cows grazing cultivated pastures in the Ixopo district of KwaZulu-Natal are likely to be deficient to marginally deficient in Se. However, the prescribed dose of 5 mL of the slow-releasing Se supplement was too low to overcome the deficiency.


A new area estimation model with transition information entropy has been proposed by considering the behavioral relationship and similarity between input and output signals of logic circuits. The probability methods are used to evaluate the similarity and relationship degree between inputs and outputs of circuits. The area estimation algorithm with transition entropy was implemented on a lot of random circuits and BENCHMARK circuits, and the experimental results show 3% better estimation precision at least for logic circuits with m-input and one-output.


This paper presents the study of ambiguity function (AF) when processing complex radar signals. In this work, the AF synthesis was performed considering non-determined components and the presence of phase-frequency instability. The received result enhances the potentials for distinguishing an incoherent radar signal. The numerical simulation results of received AF are presented. Considering fluctuation components in the complex AF, depending on the laws of the distribution of amplitude and frequency fluctuations and their parameters, allowed to get the gain in the width of the main lobe from the units to tens of times. Paper represents original analytical expressions for AF of radio-signals modulated by narrow band random processes with various distribution laws.


A scheme is presented for realizing an N-qubit quantum phase gate with trapped ions. Taking advantage of the virtual excitation of the vibrational mode, the qubit system undergoes a full-cycle of Rabi oscillation in the selective symmetric Dicke subspace. The scheme only involves a single step and the operation is insensitive to thermal motion. Moreover, the scheme does not require individual addressing of the ions.


Naturally occurring somatostatin and, even more so, its analogue, octreotide, by virtue of its greater manageability, are used extensively today in various pancreatic and gastrointestinal disorders, where their potent secretion-inhibiting capacity is exploited. In a number of conditions such as pancreatic fistulas the beneficial efficacy of the hormone is now definitely established both for therapeutic and for prophylactic purposes, whereas, in the other disease areas analyzed here, its use appears to be as an adjuvant to more specific and more radical procedures. Future clarification as to indications, dosage regimens and treatment times may reveal more strictly curative uses of octreotide in its own right, though, even as things stand at present, its efficacy as a complementary measure is so self-evident as to prompt its inclusion in treatment schedules both for enterocutaneous fistulas and for ascites and pancreatic pseudocysts.