This study was carried out with a view to showing the contribution of delay factors in the overall consideration of failed construction projects in south western Nigeria. This is considered necessary because the traditional view of construction project failure as consisting mainly of structural or functional failures tends to excuse delayed and abandoned projects so numerous in the country. The study was carried out in the six states comprising the south western zone of the country, namely; Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti. Data was collected by means of a comprehensive set of questionnaires and interviews and was analysed using Friedman's non-parametric (K-related sample) test. The result showed a rather large number of delayed and/or abandoned projects in the region. Only 24 projects were completed without delay out of 3407 projects handled in the preceding 10 years. Funding and payment factor, with a coefficient of 8.23 was the most ranked factor causing delay, followed by administration, design faults and equipment with 7.91, 6.21 and 5.36 coefficients respectively. It is concluded that project delay in south western states of Nigeria is generally caused by fund related factors IJONAS Vol. 3 (1) 2007: pp. 43-48


In the present study, an inulinase producing fungal isolate BGPUP-9 was isolated from inulin-rich root tubers of Asparagus racemosus. On the basis of morphological characterization and 18S rRNA gene sequencing, fungal isolate BGPUP-9 was identified as Mucor circinelloides. In shake-flask fermentations, agitation mode of cultivation showed a significant increase in inulinase production (7.10 IU/mL) from Mucor circinelloides BGPUP-9. Maximum inulinase production was observed after 4 days of cultivation at 30°C, under agitation (150 rpm). After medium optimization studies, medium containing: inulin, 2.5%, NH4H2PO4, 3.0%, KH2PO4, 0.2%, KCl, 0.1% and adjusted to pH 6.0, supported maximum (23.55 IU/mL) inulinase production. Thin layer chromatogram revealed exoinulolytic nature of the enzyme. This is the first report on inulinase production from Mucor circinelloides. The investigation depicts Mucor circinelloides BGPUP-9 as a potent candidate for inulinase production.


BACKGROUND
Several studies have shown a slight discrepancy between ionic dialysance (D) and dialyser urea clearance (UK), even in the absence of access recirculation. As it has been suggested that this discrepancy could be due to the cardiopulmonary recirculation, we studied the relationship between these two parameters in a particular dialysis setting without cardiopulmonary recirculation.

METHODS
Paired measurement of urea clearance and ionic dialysance were performed in five patients without arterio-venous access who were dialysed via an internal jugular vein twin catheter. Fifty paired measurements were used for statistical analysis. Vascular access recirculation was assessed by an ultrasound dilution technique. The measured value of ionic dialysance was corrected (D(0)) for the effect of vascular access recirculation and was compared with instant urea clearance calculated from the dialysate side.

RESULTS
The difference between the paired measurements of D(0) and UK (n=50) was equal to 0.6+/-16.9 ml/min (NS). With a statistical power of 90% and taking into account this standard deviation, this study might have shown a difference of at least 10.9 ml/min. The correlation was highly significant (P<0.0001). The discrepancy of the two parameters varied with dialysis efficiency, with a decreasing D(0):UK ratio for the higher dialysis efficiency.

CONCLUSIONS
Compared with our previous results obtained in patients dialysed on arterio-venous access and performed with similar methods, the relationship between D(0) and UK is modified. This difference between D(0) and UK gets lower in patients dialysed on central catheters and this variance is in accordance with that expected when the influence of the cardiopulmonary recirculation on the measurement of ionic dialysance is taken into account. The limits of agreement (+/-2 SD) between D(0) and UK (+/-34 ml/min, Bland-Altman analysis) were higher than expected and raised questions about the accuracy of the measurement of each parameter via a central venous catheter.


Summary We have measured the sebaceous gland suppression index of 103 compounds. Thirteen of these had an index of 1,000 or more, while 74 had no measurable activity. High levels of sebaceous gland-suppressor activity were clearly associated with the benz[a]anthracene structure. Within this class of compounds the suppression index was roughly parallel to mouse skin carcinogenic potency. Sebaceous gland suppression was neither necessary nor sufficient as a criterion of skin carcinogenic activity. Thus, the potent carcinogen 7,9-dimethylbenz[c]acridine had very weak suppressor activity, while colchicine was moderately active though not a skin carcinogen. Subject to these limitations, sebaceous gland tests can be of great value for the study of carcinogenesis. They can be employed to suggest the presence or absence of benz[a]anthracene-type carcinogens and to measure efficiency of their isolation. To a lesser extent, the tests are helpful in identification of partially purified hydrocarbons. Uses of the test to study the mechanism of skin carcinogenesis were also pointed out. 6-Methylbenzo[a]pyrene was demonstrated to be a very active skin carcinogen.


This document updates the 6LoWPAN Neighbor Discovery (ND) protocol
defined in RFC 6775 and RFC 8505. The new extension is called Address
Protected Neighbor Discovery (AP-ND) and it protects the owner of an
address against address theft and impersonation attacks in a low-power
and lossy network (LLN). Nodes supporting this extension compute a
cryptographic identifier (Crypto-ID) and use it with one or more of
their Registered Addresses. The Crypto-ID identifies the owner of the
Registered Address and can be used to provide proof of ownership of
the Registered Addresses. Once an address is registered with the
Crypto-ID and a proof-of-ownership is provided, only the owner of that
address can modify the registration information, thereby enforcing
Source Address Validation.


The coherent gradient sensor (CGS) is a shearing interferometer which has been proposed for the rapid, full-field measurement of deformation states (slopes and curvatures) in thin film-wafer substrate systems, and for the subsequent inference of stresses in the thin films. This approach needs to be verified using a more well-established but time-consuming grain orientation and stress measurement tool, X-ray microdiffraction (XRD). Both CGS and XRD are used to measure the deformation state of the same W film/Si wafer at room temperature. CGS provides a global, wafer-level measurement of slopes while XRD provides a local micromeasurement of lattice rotations. An extreme case of a circular Si wafer with a circular W film island in its center is used because of the presence of discontinuous system curvatures across the wafer. The results are also compared with a theoretical model based on elastic plate analysis of the axisymmetric biomaterial film-substrate system. Slope and curvature measurements by XRD and by CGS compare very well with each other and with theory. The favorable comparison demonstrates that wafer-level CGS metrology provides a quick and accurate alternative to other measurements. It also demonstrates the accuracy of plate theory in modeling thin film-substrate systems, even in the presence of curvature discontinuities.


The ability to control both the means and timing of sexual reproduction provides a powerful tool to understand not only fertilization but also life history trade-offs resulting from sexual reproduction. However, precisely controlling fertilization has proved a major challenge across model systems. An ideal sterility induction system should be external, non-toxic, and reversible. Using the auxin-inducible degradation system targeting the spe-44 gene within the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we designed a means of externally inducing spermatogenesis arrest. We show that exposure to auxin during larval development induces both hermaphrodite self-sterility and male sterility. Moreover, male sterility can be reversed upon cessation of auxin exposure. The sterility induction system developed here has multiple applications in the fields of spermatogenesis and mating systems evolution. Importantly, this system is also a highly applicable tool for aging studies. In particular, we show that auxin-induced self-sterility is comparable to the commonly used chemically-induced FUdR sterility, while offering multiple benefits, including being less labor intensive, being non-toxic, and avoiding compound interactions with other experimental treatments.


This paper examines the effectiveness of relationship marketing strategies used by department stores.  The primary objective of the study was to discover the extent to which customers use and are influenced by relationship marketing strategies.  In addition, the impact that these strategies have on customer loyalty and the development of customer-department store relationships was explored. The dominant conclusion arising from this study is that customers do perceive that relationships exist between the customer and the department store.  These relationships develop as a result of positive personal interactions between customers and department store staff and as a result of certain value driven relationship marketing strategies. Essentially it was determined that the development of these relationships is predicated upon customer satisfaction.  Once satisfied a customer is more likely to become loyal and develop a relationship with one store over another.  This research concludes that the challenge for department stores is to identify the drivers of satisfaction and in doing so build positive relationships with their customers.


This paper presents a novel control method for multimodule photovoltaic microinverter (MI). The proposed MI employs a two-stage topology with active-clamped current-fed push–pull converter cascaded with a full-bridge inverter. This system can operate in grid-connected mode to feed power to the grid with a programmable power factor. This system can also operate in line-interactive mode, i.e., share load power without feeding power to the grid. In the event of grid power failure, the MI can operate in a standalone mode to supply uninterruptible power to the load. This paper presents a multiloop control scheme with power programmable capability for achieving the above multiple functions. In addition, the proposed control scheme embedded a multimodule parallel capability that multiple MI modules can be paralleled to enlarge the capacity with autonomous control in all operation modes. Finally, three 250-W MI modules are adopted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method in simulations as well as experiments.


Uncertainty estimates are important when retrieving properties of clouds and aerosols from satellites measurements. These measurements must be interpreted using a form of inverse theory, such as optimal estimation. In atmospheric remote sensing these inverse methods often assume that the forward model is linear in the region of uncertainty. This assumption is not necessarily valid. This paper presents an exact confidence procedure in contrast to the linear approximation using a maximum likelihood estimator. Two simple examples of retrieving the effective radius and optical depth of a volcanic ash cloud and water cloud show a discrepancy between the linear approximation and the exact procedure. The exact procedure is especially useful for inference where the entire parameter space has been forward modelled prior to or during the retrieval, such as using look up tables. When the inference method calculates the likelihood over the whole parameter space, it is less computationally expensive than a linear approximation.


Registration of multivariate functional data involves handling of both cross-component and cross-observation phase variations. Allowing for the two phase variations to be modelled as general diffeomorphic time warpings, in this work we focus on the hitherto unconsidered setting where phase variation of the component functions are spatially correlated. We propose an algorithm to optimize a metric-based objective function for registration with a novel penalty term that incorporates the spatial correlation between the component phase variations through a kriging estimate of an appropriate phase random field. The penalty term encourages the overall phase at a particular location to be similar to the spatially weighted average phase in its neighbourhood, and thus engenders a regularization that prevents over-alignment. Utility of the registration method, and its superior performance compared to methods that fail to account for the spatial correlation, is demonstrated through performance on simulated examples and two multivariate functional datasets pertaining to EEG signals and ozone concentrations. The generality of the framework opens up the possibility for extension to settings involving different forms of correlation between the component functions and their phases.


Foreword. Acknowledgments. PART 1: INTRODUCTION. Chapter 1: Corporate governance - beyond the scandals and buzzwords. 1.1. Every company has a corporate governance. 1.2. The history of corporate governance - a tale of crime and crises. 1.4. Basic corporate governance institutions. 1.5. The shaping factors of corporate governance. 1.8. Typical dilemmas for the board. 1.9. Corporate Governance and financial performance. 1.10 Where does Corporate Governance add specifically value?. 1.11. The contingent role of boards. 1.12. Case study: Developing Corporate Governance at Highfly Logistics Software - but how?. 1.13. Case study: Did Corporate Governance fail at Swissair?. 1.14. Case study: ABB - Corporate Governance during a turnaround. Chapter 2: International Corporate Governance - similarities across systems. 2.1. Do international differences matter?. 2.2. Case study: DaimlerChrysler - Corporate Governance dynamics in a global company. PART 2: BOARDS' INTERNAL DYNAMICS. Chapter 3: Information demand and supply for changing Board roles. 3.1. Do new board roles require different information. 3.2. Case study: Conflicts of interests at the Board of Khan AG. 3.3. Case study: ICM: When hidden agendas enter the Board room (A). 3.4. Case study: ICM: Hidden agendas in the board room (B). Chapter 4: Navigating through typical conflict patterns. 4.1. Are tensions and clashes normal. 4.2. Case study: War at the helm of Elicor. 4.3. Case study: Cobra vs. Commerzbank: Can investors raid their own company. Chapter 5: Codes of conduct - the value added beyond compliance. 5.1. Codes of conduct as a panacea. 5.2. Case study: Boeing hits turbulence: is it worth losing a successful CEO for a Code of Conduct. 5.3. Case study: Codes of conduct at ConnectU2: Adding value, cost or nothing at all. Chapter 6: Board evaluation. PART 3: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN SPECIFIC CONTEXTS. Chapter 7: Corporate Governance dynamics in M&A. 7.1. Why governance as usual is not an option in M&A. 7.2. Case study: The DaimerChrysler merger: The involvement of the boards. 7.3. Case study: DaimlerChrysler Board: after the deal is done. Chapter 8: Corporate Governance in and with subsidiaries. 8.1. Tension fields and central issues. 8.2. Case study: Pharmagroup Int. and fluvera: when subsidiary governance means losing competitive ground. Chapter 9: Corporate Governance in developed versus emerging markets. 9.1. The wild, wild East? The wild, wild South. 9.2. Case study: China Prime - Corporate Governance with Chinese traits. 9.3. Case study: Compania Unidas de Argentina: fight for your right or vote with your teeth. 9.4. Case study: Starting from scratch: Corporate Governance at South East bank Europe. Chapter 10: Responsibilities in alternative forms of governance. 10.1. Differences in non-profit organizations. 10.2. Case study: WWF International - A truly world wide organization. PART 4: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN SPECIAL OWNERSHIP SITUATIONS. Chapter 11: Corporate Governance in family businesses. 11.1. Good news for family firms. 11.2. Case study: Bata shoes organization. Chapter 12: Corporate Governance dilemmas in private equity companies. 12.1. Corporate Governance in private equity firms: can it add value. 12.2. Case study: Automotive Machine Tool GmbH&CoKG: From ailing Family Business to accelerating Private Equity. 12.3. Case study: Biocast - Welcome to the board. I knew your three predecessors well. 12.4. Case study: Asian Car Part holding: sold without the knowledge of the board. Part 5: Conclusion. About the authors.


Grey literature has historically played a key role for researchers in the field of HighEnergy Physics (HEP). Consequently CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) as the world's largest particle physics laboratory has always been facing the challenge of distributing and archiving grey material. Invenio, an open-source repository software, has been developed as part of CERN's institutional repository strategy to answer these needs. In this document we describe how the particular context of grey literature within the HEP community shaped the development of Invenio. We focus on the strategies that have been established in order to process grey material within the software and we analyse how it is used in a real production environment, the CERN Document Server (CDS).


A new class of potentially biological active novel bezimidazole derivatives containing Benzimidazole moiety has been synthesized and evaluation of novel Benzimidazole derivatives for Anthelmintic activity. The title compounds were synthesized in a good yield. The synthesized Compounds 3a-3h was characterized by FT-IR, Mass and 1H NMR data and evaluated for their anthelmintic activities by standard protocol available in literature. All the compounds were subjected for Anthelmintic screening, among this series of compounds 3d and 3e showed high activity against.


This easy-to-read, practical guide distils and compiles all the disparate literature on cancer into one succinct volume. It includes the essential, evidence-based clinical guidelines needed for the safe and effective management of patients with cancer, and has a clear layout to allow for quick reference whilst on the ward.
All aspects of cancer and its management are covered, including prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. The text begins by outlining the clinical approach to suspected cancer and the principles of multidisciplinary prevention and management. It then progresses through site-specific cancer management, including head and neck, CNS, thoracic, breast, gastrointestinal system, genitourinary system, female genital system, skin, musculoskeletal system, haemopoietic system, and endocrine. Later chapters cover oncological emergencies and acute oncology, and special situations such as cancer in younger and older people, and pregnancy and fertility.
The guide also offers information about coping with the lifestyle and social issues that may arise with a diagnosis of cancer, such as insurance, travel and support, and includes a chapter dedicated to palliative care for the cancer patient. A unique appendix of clinical management flowcharts assists fast, appropriate decision-making.


To improve the brittleness of high ortho novolac resins, at first, high ortho novolac resins (N) were synthesized and condensation reactions between N and flexible diacids such as adipic acid (DA4) and azelaic acid (DA7) were carried out with different amounts of diacids, in the presence of zinc acetate as catalyst, in toluene as solvent. To characterize the diacid-modified resins (MN), FT-IR analysis, TGA and DSC techniques were used. The morphologies of MN were also investigated. Moldings were prepared from the mixture of MN, fillers, and curing agent hexamethylenetetramine. Mechanical properties of these moldings were also determined. The results showed that high ortho novolac resin was toughened by the incorporation of flexible diacids in the polymer backbone and these modified resins can be used as a matrix resin of composite materials. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007


Due to the virtual nature of Virtual Environments (VE), there is an affordance to change game and avatar features asymmetrically, where the features that are rendered for one participant can be different from those rendered for other participants while still sharing the same virtual world. We are calling these kinds of VEs Asymmetric Virtual Environments (AVE). In this paper we present work on a platform for studying online interactions using an AVE. We do so through a preliminary study that explores the effects of avatar colors on individual and group performance when solving a scavenger hunt in a 3D virtual environment followed by a location identification task in a 2D virtual environment. While the results of this preliminary study are not conclusive, our data seem to indicate that players' avatar colors can indeed influence online performance.


Treatment of 5-sulfosalicylic acid (H(3)Ssal) with BiPh(3) results in the formation of the first dianionic carboxylate-sulfonate bismuth complex, [PhBi(HSsal)H(2)O](infinity) 1a, and its ethanol analogue [PhBi(HSsal)EtOH](infinity) 1b (space group P2(1)/c), while Bi(OAc)(3) gives the mixed monoanionic and dianionic complex, {[Bi(HSsal)(H(2)Ssal)(H(2)O)(3)](2) x 2 H(2)O}(infinity) 2 (space group P1). The three complexes are all polymeric in the solid state as determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, with extended frameworks constructed from dimeric [Bi(HSsal)](2), 1a and 1b, or from [Bi(HSsal)(H(2)Ssal)](2) units, 2. The heteroleptic bismuth complexes 1a and 2 display remarkable aqueous solubility, 10 and 2.5 mg ml(-1) respectively, resulting in a clear solution of pH 1.5. In contrast, 1b is essentially insoluble in aqueous environments. All three complexes show significant activity against the bacterium Helicobacter pylori of <6.25 microg ml(-1).


My dear Sir, The researches in which I am at present engaged, having induced me to make some inquiries connected with the geological structure of the great mountain chains of our Asiatic empire, I was naturally led to examine the numerous and interesting series of Indian rocks in the Museum of the Geological Society. My attention was particularly arrested by a collection of specimens from Caribari in the small state of Cooch-behar, on the banks of the Brahm-putra river, presented by Mr. Colebrooke; and described in his very interesting paper on the Geology of the N.E. border of Bengal,—since they afford the first example of the discovery of an extinct race of Mammalia in the great extent of. Southern Asia; and at the same time furnish decisive proofs of the existence of tertiary marine deposits, perfectly identical in geological and zoological characters with those which cover so great a proportion of continental Europe and of our own island. Among the mutilated fragments of bones referable to the order of Mammalia from the tertiary deposits of the Brahm-putra, I have succeeded in discovering the remains of four distinct species: viz. 1. One species of the genus Anthracotherium of Cuvier; 2. A small species of Ruminant allied to the genus Moschus*; 3. A small species of herbivorous animal referable to the order Pachydermata, but more diminutive than any of the fossil or living species; and 4. A carnivorous animal of the genus Viverra†. 1. The Anthracotherium of Caribari, in the form


In the absence of predators, habitat fragmentation favors large body sizes in primary consumers with informed movement due to their high gap-crossing ability. However, the body size of primary consumers is not only shaped by such bottom-up effects, but also by top-down effects as predators prefer prey of a certain size. Therefore, higher trophic levels should be taken into consideration when studying the effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on size distributions of herbivores. We built a model to study the effect of habitat loss and fragmentation within a simple food web consisting of (i) a basal resource that is consumed by (ii) a herbivore that in turn is consumed by (iii) a predator. Our results highlight that predation may result in local accumulation of the resource via top-down control of the herbivore. As such, the temporal and spatial variation of the resource distribution is increased, selecting for increased herbivore movement. This results in selection of larger herbivores than in the scenario without predator. As predators cause herbivores to be intrinsically much larger than the optimal sizes selected by habitat fragmentation in the absence of predators, habitat fragmentation is no longer a driver of herbivore size. However, there is selection for increased predator size with habitat fragmentation as herbivores become less abundant, favoring gap-crossing ability of the predator. Since herbivore and predator body size respond differently to habitat loss and fragmentation, realized predator-herbivore body size ratios increase along this fragmentation gradient. Our model predicts the dominance of top-down forces in regulating body size selection in food webs and helps to understand how habitat destruction and fragmentation affect overall food web structure.


The association of Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) with Turner syndrome is very rare and only a single case has been reported so far. Both manifest with short stature and lack of secondary sexual characteristics along with other stigmata similar to each other, creating a diagnostic dilemma. We describe a case of a 15-year-old Asian Indian female who presented with short stature and delayed puberty with overlapping phenotype of PHP and Turner syndrome. The diagnosis of Turner syndrome was made easily on the basis of typical history, clinical features and karyotype but the diagnosis of PHP was suspected only after radiological and biochemical investigations. The association of Turner syndrome with PHP can be easily missed due to similar phenotypes and subtle manifestations.


To help the users and the product owners it is quite necessary to extract aspects from the online reviews, their sentiment polarities, and associations between them. There is a great deal of work done in the field of sentiment analysis. Lexical and learning-based systems can be combined to separate the assessments from online opinions and reviews. In learning-based techniques, the Gaussian mixture model can be used for getting probabilistic results for polarities against aspects and naïve baize classifiers for the problem of spam comments which produced better and competitive results against previous techniques.


Our NMR, IR/Raman, CD spectroscopic, and X-ray crystallographic studies, as well as accelerated molecular dynamics simulations, showed that alternating hybrid α/β-peptides containing a bicyclic β-proline surrogate form unique extended curved folds, regardless of the peptide length and solvent environment. It is suggested that extended β/PPII structures are preferred in the insulating α-alanine moieties between the rigid bicyclic β-proline structures. These hybrid peptides inhibit p53-MDM2 and p53-MDMX protein-protein interactions.


The precise concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) in Japanese Ashibetsu and Taiheiyo coals, in Indonesian Ambalut coal, and in Australian boghead coal have been determined, in order to compare the REE contents of the coals with those of plants and also to obtain further knowledge of the original plants from which these coals were formed. By leaching the coals after ashing using a 10% acetic acid solution, each coal sample was separated into two fractions: an acetic acid soluble fraction, and an acetic acid insoluble fraction. Our results show that three different types of chondrite-normalized REE patterns are observed in the acetic acid soluble fraction of these coals. The acetic acid soluble fractions of the Ashibetsu, the Taiheiyo, and some of the Ambalut coals showed REE patterns identical to those of peat vegetation. Those of other Ambalut coals showed an REE pattern that was similar to that of tree trunks. The boghead coal showed a different REE pattern that was similar to algae, an origin that is also suggested from a maceral study. The REE patterns of the acetic acid soluble fraction can therefore be a useful proxy for determining the original plants that formed the coals.


Background and Objectives: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is commonly used to examine pancreaticobiliary disorders. We hypothesize that the introduction of EUS service may change the pattern and the complexity of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies (ERCPs) performed. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of introducing EUS on the volume, success, and complexity of ERCP. Materials and Methods: This is a single-center retrospective data review of ERCP procedures done "before" and "after" the introduction of EUS (before EUS and after EUS). Patients' demographics, ERCP indications, types of sedation, therapeutic interventions, outcomes, complications, and complexity of ERCP were collected. The categorical and continuous variables were compared using Fisher's exact test and the unpaired t-test, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to compare ERCP outcomes. Results: A total of 945 ERCPs performed over a 3-year period between January 2010 and January 2013 (411 and 534 in the "before EUS" and "after EUS" time periods, respectively) were included in this study. There was a 30% relative increase in the volume of ERCPs after the introduction of EUS. ERCP success rate was higher after the introduction of EUS, even after adjusting the complexity grade [odds ratio (OR) = 4.54, P = 0.001]. Significant increase in the complexity of ERCP was observed after the introduction of EUS service. The OR of performing grade 4 ERCP was 4.44 (P = 0.0005) after the introduction of EUS. Conclusions: The introduction of a new EUS service in our tertiary referral university medical center is associated with an increase in the volume, success, and complexity of ERCP procedures. EUS expertise may be valuable for better ERCP outcomes.


OF' PUBLLO INTEREST. such 1Ua.t.ters lire fully' underatood, and our knO'\VIedge ill translated into action, we ahaJl1l.nd the e.ituation eDitirely changed. The law w,Mehregulates the teacher's financial returns is to a considerable ex,tent that which regulates all his returns; it is pedagogic quite 1I8 much as ~t is economic. Under these conditions, then, the tqac!wr's finanoial compensation will be IIIJlIIterially increased. But oven when all .tho laws operating in the case ala recognized and are given grewtor '3OOpe for action, it is not certain that tlrie oompensation will be large, BIl some people measure largeness. 'TIh.e deep-rooted tradition that teaching is a more or less gratuitoull service duo humllJlity ill given. 1I8 one I'C8S9n. for the condition of teachers'.WB.gJ&'i. :u may have some influence at the present time, and may continue to influence in some degree. Another influence o~me3 from the culture opporbunieies of the professtoo which divide the field with financial opPortunilii08. '/'0 somo both inside and outside the profession, great financial returns may not seem desirable -because of a feeling that ideals will be likely to suffer, Such a fooling, however, should have no place. 'Ilhe profession of teaching lIllust not be supposed to inelude antagonistic ideals; in reality, it binds 'into a uuity financial prospects and professional aims and purposes, Let salaries increase to their just Iimit. ~nch increase is perfectly consistent with 'high ideas flf service and broad interpretation of the teacher's rewards. It should enlarge and strengthen all the lear-her's ideals.


The objective of the present study was to investigate the optimal nutritional requirements for mycelial growth and sporulation of entomopathogenic fungus Aschersonia aleyrodis Webber by orthogonal layout methods. Herein the order of effects of nutrient components on mycelial growth was tryptone > Ca2+ > soluble starch > folacin, corresponding to the following optimal concentrations: 1.58% Soluble Starch, 3.16% Tryptone, 0.2 mmol l-1 Ca2+ and 0.005% Folacin. The optimal concentration of each factors for sporulation was 1.16% lactose, 0.394% tryptone, 0.4 mmol l-1 Fe2+ and 0.00125% VB1, and the effects of medium components on sporulation were found to be in the order lactose > VB1 > Fe2+ > tryptone. Under the optimal culture conditions, the maximum production of mycelial growth achieved 20.05 g l-1 after 7 days of fermentation, while the maximum spore yield reached 5.23 ×1010 spores l-1 after 22 days of cultivation. This is the first report on optimization of nutritional requirements and design of simplified semi-synthetic media for mycelial growth and sporulation of A. aleyrodis.


An 11-year-old girl presented with a behavioural problem of 2 years' duration, which developed following an attack of viral encephalitis. Her behavioural changes had manifested as conduct disorder and were treated with pharmacotherapy as well as behavioural therapy.


Through the application research of expert system shell ESTA, We have established a transformer condition evaluation expert system(ES) based on ESTA and corporate standards of State Grid (Q/GDW 169-2008) «Guide forCondition Evaluation of Oil-immersed Power Transformers (Reactors) ». Knowledge Base consists of several sections, parameters, rules in the evaluation of state variables, components and transformers. The value of the transformer condition evaluation expert system is that it supports and enhances the operation and maintenance personnel work, guidance (less experienced) the operation and maintenance personnel to understand the basic process of transformer condition evaluation. The application show that the system is effective and practical.


The modern model of education and the present conditions demand of the teacher to choose the latest teaching methods. The teacher is no longer the main source of information, he should manage education, implementing competence-based study methods. In order to achieve this, the latest teaching methods are introduced in Bogomolets National Medical University with the new lecture frameworks. Changing the lecture style at a medical universities and, in particular, using the modern lecture educational technologies provide important conditions for improving training future doctors. As Bogomolets National Medical University experience shows, this provides opportunity for turning traditional lectures into interactive lessons to increase students' interest, to provide improved material perception through the dialogue between the lecturer and students. The article presents the results of surveys of 387 students conducted at the Department of Internal Medicine №3, as well as generalized information regarding students' evaluation of changes in the lecture framework and the implementation of new training methods in Bogomolets National Medical University. According to the survey results, most students are satisfied with the quality of the updated lecture frameworks at the therapeutic departments. The main characteristics of the lectures that teachers need to pay attention to in order to improve the lecture quality have been analyzed separately. In the view of the students, the best features of the lectures are: actuality, availability of material, structure and laconicism, informativeness, interactivity, video footage using, practical orientation of the presentation, illustration and sufficient number of visuals, an opportunity to be engaged in dialogue with lecturer. Students find traditional attendance control useless, the majority of respondents supported free lecture attendance.


Compounds leaching from container closure systems can cause contamination to drug substances or products. As part of a risk evaluation, it is necessary to identify these compounds and ensure that the drugs are suitable for their intended use. Typically, such compounds are present at low concentrations and are masked by the drug matrix. Therefore, highly sensitive and selective methods are required to detect and identify these compounds. Quadrupole time-of-fl ight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometers are suitable for this purpose due to their high resolution and accurate mass measurement capabilities. An Agilent 1290 Infi nity LC System and an Agilent 6540 Q-TOF system combined with statistical analysis software were used to detect and identify extractable and leachable (E&L) impurities from ophthalmic drug products. Statistical data analysis was performed using Agilent Mass Profi ler Software (MP) to determine the compounds present in the samples compared to controls. The database search tool within MP software helped to identify E&Ls using a customized accurate mass database. For the identifi cation of unknown E&Ls, MS/MS data together with the structure prediction software, Molecular Structural Correlator, was used. In this study, 50 compounds were detected in each of the E&L samples.


A device is repaired after failure. The Brown–Proschan (BP) model assumes that the repair is perfect with probability p and minimal with probability (1−p). Theoretical results usually suppose that each repair effect (perfect or minimal repair) is known. However, this is not generally the case in practice. In this paper, we study the behavior of the BP model when repair effects are unknown. In this context, the main features of the failure process are derived: distribution functions of times between failures, failure intensity, likelihood function, etc. We propose to estimate the repair efficiency parameter p and the parameters of the first time to failure distribution with the likelihood function or equivalently the EM algorithm. We also propose to combine a moment estimation of the scale parameter and a maximum likelihood estimation of other parameters. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


ABSTRACT Culture is often promoted as crucial in efforts to achieve economic growth and social cohesion. In recent debates, greater attention has been directed at the importance of culture in creating democratic and just cities. Drawing on theories concerning participation, we study the processes of citizen participation in the creation of culture in relation to the European Capital of Culture in Umeå in Northern Sweden. The city has been praised for its focus on participation and the 'co-creation' of culture. We scrutinize the idea of co-creation, how it is filled with meaning by different actors, the way it is operationalized by city officials and cultural actors/practitioners and the possibilities for public participation and the power relationships at play in the city. We conclude that culture tends to be depoliticized and turned into an arena available for all on supposedly equal terms and ignores the very unequal terms on which different actors participate. It ignores how power relations affect and construct who gets to speak and be heard; that there are conflicting meanings of culture and co-creation and how power influences whose definition of culture is accepted.


This study investigates the relationship between internalized stigmatization brought on by epicenter travel experiences and mental health problems (including anxiety, depression, and shame) during the period of the novel coronavirus disease emergency in China. The cross-sectional data were collected using the time-lag design to avoid the common method bias as much as possible. Regression results using structural equation modeling show that the internalized stigmatization of epicenter travel experiences may have positive relationships with mental health problems (i.e., anxiety, depression, and shame), and such relationships can be moderated by social support. Specifically, the positive relationships between internalized stigmatization and mental health problems are buffered/strengthened when social support is at a high/low level. The findings of this study suggest that, in this epidemic, people who have epicenter travel experience could be affected by internalized stigmatization, no matter whether they have ever got infected.


In simulations of developing fires in enclosures, a correct prediction of flame spread is crucial in the prediction of the fire growth rate. The simulation of this phenomenon requires two different kinds of solvers: one that deals with the solid phase, to determine the thermal degradation and volatile release (pyrolysis); a second one that calculates the combustion process in the flame formed by mixing of the volatiles with the ambient air. The processes in the solid and the gas phase require proper modeling. Moreover, an adequate coupling strategy at the interface between the solid and the gas phase is an important point of interest. The paper focuses on a method to successfully combine these two types of calculations. Two types of flame spread (upward and downward) demonstrate the possibilities of this approach. We conclude that the coupling between the two phases works fine, providing a mechanism of simulating flame spread with two different codes. It is found, however, that the prediction of the gas phase requires an appropriate choice of the CFD sub-models, particularly in case of upward flame spread. The impact of different turbulence models illustrates that totally different flame dynamics can be predicted.


The recent explosion of interest in the topic of flavour pairing has been driven, at least in part, by the now-discredited food-pairing hypothesis, along with the emergence of the new field of computational gastronomy. Many chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, and drinks brands, not to mention a few food brands, have become increasingly interested in moving the discussions that they have with their consumers beyond the traditional focus solely on food and wine pairings. Here, two key approaches to pairing that might help to explain/justify those food and beverage combinations that the consumer is likely to appreciate are outlined. Historically-speaking, many conventional pairings emerged naturally from cultural/geographical matches, presumably internalized as semantic knowledge amongst consumers. In this review, such conventional pairings are framed as but one example of a cognitive/intellectual food-beverage strategy. The alternative approach to pairing that has become increasingly popular in recent years involves experts/commentators making recommendations based on the perceptual relationship, or interaction, between the component stimuli, be it one of perceived similarity, contrast, harmony, emergence, or modulation (either suppression or enhancement). Physicochemical accounts of pairing, based on the presence of shared flavour molecules (e.g., aromatic volatiles) in the to-be-combined flavours or ingredients, have also gained in popularity. Here, though, the latter approach is framed as an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to predict matches based on perceived similarity. This review summarizes the available evidence concerning food-beverage pairing and proposes a new dichotomy between intellectual/cognitive and perceptual pairing principles in the case of food-beverage matching.


The serialization of memory accesses is a major limiting factor in high performance SIMD computers. The data patterns or templates that are accessed by a program can be perceived by the compiler, and, therefore, the design of dynamic storage schemes that minimize conflicts may dramatically improve performance. The problem of finding storage schemes that minimize the access time of arbitrary sets of power-of-two data patterns is proved to be NP-complete. We propose linear address transformations that can be dynamically applied by each processing element for mapping array references onto memories. An efficient approach for combining the constraints of different access patterns into one single linear address transformation is presented. We prove that finding the transformation that minimizes the access time is reducible to N-coloring, where N is the number of parallel memories. Using coloring heuristics, storage schemes are investigated with respect to minimizing the implementation cost (perfect storage) and overall access conflicts (semiperfect storage). Results show that the perfect-storage may deviate on the average by 20% from the optimum access time in the case of 10 arbitrary data patterns and 16 memories. However, semiperfect schemes lead to dramatic reduction of the degree of conflict compared to perfect-schemes. The proposed heuristic storage largely outperforms interleaving and row-column-diagonals storages. The method can be implemented as compiler procedure for synthesizing storage schemes that promote parallel access to arbitrary sets of data patterns.


The researches of non-oriented silicon steel are mainly focused on the effect of main processing parameters on the microstructure and magnetic properties, but there have been few studied about its flow stress until now. In this paper, the non-oriented silicon steel 50A1300 of hot forming is studied by thermal-mechanical simulation method. The hot deformation behavior of the steel is explored and the flow stress model of the steel is established based on the creep mechanism. The model has good accuracy and is feasible.


Rectilinear forms of snake-like robotic locomotion are anticipated to be an advantage in obstacle-strewn scenarios characterizing urban disaster zones, subterranean collapses, and other natural environments. The elongated, laterally-narrow footprint associated with these motion strategies is well-suited to traversal of confined spaces and narrow pathways. Navigation and path planning in the absence of global sensing, however, remains a pivotal challenge to be addressed prior to practical deployment of these robotic mechanisms. Several challenges related to visual processing and localization need to be resolved to to enable navigation. As a first pass in this direction, we equip a wireless, monocular color camera to the head of a robotic snake. Visiual odometry and mapping from ORB-SLAM permits self-localization in planar, obstacle-strewn environments. Ground plane traversability segmentation in conjunction with perception-space collision detection permits path planning for navigation. A previously presented dynamical reduction of rectilinear snake locomotion to a non-holonomic kinematic vehicle informs both SLAM and planning. The simplified motion model is then applied to track planned trajectories through an obstacle configuration. This navigational framework enables a snake-like robotic platform to autonomously navigate and traverse unknown scenarios with only monocular vision.


Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) are methods that extract information about a sample from the influence of thermodynamic equilibrium fluctuations on the fluorescence intensity. This method allows dynamic information to be obtained from steady state equilibrium measurements and its popularity has dramatically increased in the last 10 years due to the development of high sensitivity detectors and its combination with confocal microscopy. Using time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) detection and pulsed excitation, information over the duration of the excited state can be extracted and incorporated in the analysis. In this short review, we discuss new methodologies that have recently emerged which incorporated fluorescence lifetime information or TCSPC data in the FCS and FCCS analysis. Time-gated FCS discriminates between which photons are to be incorporated in the analysis dependent upon their arrival time after excitation. This allows for accurate FCS measurements in the presence of fluorescent background, determination of sample homogeneity, and the ability to distinguish between static and dynamic heterogeneities. A similar method, time-resolved FCS can be used to resolve the individual correlation functions from multiple fluorophores through the different fluorescence lifetimes. Pulsed interleaved excitation (PIE) encodes the excitation source into the TCSPC data. PIE can be used to perform dual-channel FCCS with a single detector and allows elimination of spectral cross-talk with dual-channel detection. For samples that undergo fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), quantitative FCCS measurements can be performed in spite of the FRET and the static FRET efficiency can be determined.


In the last decades, the growth of the internet and the accessibility of powerful computing systems has driven dramatic change in how we perform scientific research, and how we communicate about science with collaborators, students, and the public. Since 2008, the .Astronomy (pronounced "dot-astronomy") conference has sought to create a community of professionals working in astronomy-related fields who are keen to exploit the enormous potential of computing and the web in all its facets: for research, public engagement, scientific communication and publishing. From the outset the conference has used a unique programme structure, and hosted the first astronomy-themed hack events. In 2017, following the 9th edition of .Astronomy, we set out to gather feedback from our past participants on their experience of attending the conference: have we succeeded in building a community; has the conference influenced our participants' career or study choices, or impacted their research in a meaningful way; is the conference contributing positively to the overall advancement of the field? The survey shows that a high fraction of participants report that their participation in .Astronomy has resulted in new ideas and inspiration (90%), and has impacted their day-to-day work (67%). We provide concrete examples of outcomes from the conference, and discuss the role of conferences like .Astronomy in advancing the field.


Bunium persicum is one of the most medically and economically important species of Apiaceae family. Despite variety of phytochemical and experimental research on this species, there is no considerable update on all related outcomes. Accordingly, current work compiles an overview on Cumin's phytochemical and pharmacological activities. Papers related to phytochemistry, pharmacology and clinical properties of B. persicum were filtered from databases as PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus with the term "Bunium persicum" till 15th May 2020. Genetic, pure pharmaceutical and agriculture papers were excluded. Moreover, traditional applications of this herb in Persian medicine were studied and included. In all, 54 papers reporting the compositions, Anticonvulsant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-glycation, antidiarrhea, anti-hematotoxic, anti-toxoplasmosis, hypoglycemic, larvicidal, scolicidal, anticholinergic and antihistaminic activities of B. persicum as well as reducing and stabilizing effects in nanoparticles. Three clinical trials have also been conducted on B. persicum. There are also numerous effects, cited in traditional manuscripts such as gastroprotective, kidney tonic, slimming activity and antidote for poisons. Most dominant chemical composition of Cumin is the essential oil, responsible for various potent antimicrobial and antifungal activities. The herb also contain phenolic and flavonoid compounds which reflect the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Many of the experimental and pharmacological studies on B. persicum have traces in traditional manuscripts. There are also medical aspects which have not yet been evaluated. Despite various experimental investigations, lack of extensive clinical studies which is currently limited to few trials on remarked activities of B. persicum is still remained to be covered.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two unsaturated flow models in arid regions. The area selected for the study was the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) at the Nevada Test Site in Nye County, Nevada. The two models selected for this evaluation were HYDRUS-1D [Simunek et al., 1998] and the SHAW model [Flerchinger and Saxton, 1989]. Approximately 5 years of soil-water and atmospheric data collected from an instrumented weighing lysimeter site near the RWMS were used for building the models with actual initial and boundary conditions representative of the site. Physical processes affecting the site and model performance were explored. Model performance was based on a detailed sensitivity analysis and ultimately on storage comparisons. During the process of developing descriptive model input, procedures for converting hydraulic parameters for each model were explored. In addition, the compilation of atmospheric data collected at the site became a useful tool for developing predictive functions for future studies. The final model results were used to evaluate the capacities of the HYDRUS and SHAW models for predicting soil-moisture movement and variable surface phenomena for bare soil conditions in the arid vadose zone. The development of calibrated models along with the atmospheric and soil data collected at the site provide useful information for predicting future site performance at the RWMS.


Southwestern (SW) Mau is experiencing anthropogenic and natural disturbances; creating canopy gaps influencing microclimate in the forest. This study determined the influence of canopy gap size on three microsite conditions (soil temperature, soil moisture and light intensity) in SW. The study utilized Ecological Survey Research Design; plots of 500 m by 500 m were laid in disturbed and undisturbed sites of Itare, Maramara and Ndoinet blocks. In the sampled gaps within the plots in disturbed sites; soil moisture and temperature were measured using Kensizer soil tester (3-in-1 moisture/light/pH). Light intensity was measured using the Luxmeter (model HTC LX-104). In undisturbed sites, 500 m by 500 m plots were laid and 30 m by 20 m quadrats randomly nested 19 times within. Four measurements were taken for every Microsite condition per sub-plot. Data was analysed using R and Microsoft excel. Descriptive statistics were given and Kruskal-Wallis test employed to determine differences in microsite conditions among the gap sizes. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare microsite conditions between disturbed and undisturbed sites. The study revealed that there was significant difference in soil temperature (Kruskal-Wallis chi-squared=19.00, df=3, p-value=0.0002732) in the gaps. Additionally, there was significant difference in light intensity between disturbed and undisturbed sites (W=555, p-value=0.01). Non-significant results of some microsite conditions were attributed to Piper capensis and Ribes spp. which invaded medium and large canopy openings. It was concluded that canopy cover influences microsite conditions in forests. Gaps should be allowed to occur naturally for biodiversity conservation.


This review analyzes and assesses the existing methods and approaches to prediction and control of the course of distraction osteogenesis (DO). The analysis of the literature revealed few works that recommended specific predictors or methods for prognosis of the course of distraction osteogenesis at the stages of limb lengthening. The authors identified some diagnostic criteria for assessing the distraction regenerate as potential criteria for predicting its development and maturation. It was found that all available predictors and potential diagnostic criteria for assessing the state of the distraction regenerate in clinical practice are used to further correct the distraction regime (respectively, at the stage of distraction) and to determine the timing of the removal of the apparatus, as well as prognosis of recurrence, fracture, and deformity of the regenerate in the non-apparatus period. It was shown that all known diagnostic methods can be applied for the assessment and prediction of the DO course: radiological, physiological, ultrasound diagnostics, laboratory tests. It is stated that a quantitative assessment of the informative value of most of the known predictors of DO disorders is necessary from the point of view of the evidence-based medicine. Difficulties and problems of the development and application of prognostic tests for assessing DO are described. The directions to the development of this topic are proposed. Predicting the DO course is an essential element for monitoring the tissue repair of the segment under lengthening. Prediction and subsequent prophylaxis of DO disorders is a promising solution for optimizing and improving the quality of treatment of patients with orthopedic diseases by using the Ilizarov method of transosseous distraction osteosynthesis.


Summary Lupus anticoagulants belong to the family of antiphospholipid antibodies. They include two phospholipid-dependent inhibitors of coagulation that may be distinguished on the basis of specific coagulation profiles generated from the comparison of the ratios of the Kaolin Clotting Time (KCT) and the dilute Russell's Viper Venom Time (dRVVT): when the ratio of the KCT exceeds that of the dRVVT, the plasma is allocated to the "KCT" coagulation profile, when the opposite occurs, the plasma is defined to belong to the "dRVVT" coagulation profile group. We prospectively followed-up a historical cohort of 100 consecutive patients with lupus anticoagulants referred to our Institution between January 1988 and October 1997 to investigate the relationship between their coagulation profile at diagnosis and the development of thrombosis during a median follow-up time of 37.5 months (range 1-115 months). Fifty-six patients were allocated to the "dRVVT" coagulation profile, whereas the other 44 displayed the "KCT" profile. Lupus anticoagulants were transient in 17 patients, without differences between the two groups. None of these patients developed clinical events before disappearance of the phospholipid-dependent inhibitors of coagulation. The 83 cases with persistent lupus anticoagulants consistently displayed the same coagulation profile they had been allocated to at entry. Fourteen patients developed 18 thromboembolic events during the follow-up, with an overall rate of thrombosis of 4.2% patients-year. Twelve of them belonged to the "dRVVT" coagulation profile, whereas the other 2 to the "KCT" profile (p = 0.03). The "dRVVT" coagulation profile gave an odds ratio of thrombosis of 5.25 (95% confidence interval [C.I.]: 1.17-23.50). Ten of the 14 patients who developed thrombosis during follow-up had already experienced thrombosis: a previous thrombotic event caused an odds ratio of recurrency of 2.72 (95% C.I.: 0.85-8.73) (p = 0.09). By multivariate analysis, the "dRVVT" coagulation profile was still associated with a trend to a higher risk of thrombosis, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Increased levels of anticardiolipin antibodies (> 40 GPL and/or MPL units) were found in all the 14 patients (p = 0.0064). The "KCT" coagulation profile was significantly associated (p = 0.005) with moderate thrombocytopenia (platelets 50-150 × 109/l). Neither profile was found to represent a risk factor for the development of recurrent miscarriages, neoplastic diseases and death. In conclusion, the "dRVVT" profile appears to have predictive value with respect to the thrombotic complications suffered by patients with antiphospholipid antibodies.


Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is associated with a significant deterioration in the quality of life. The emetogenicity of the chemotherapeutic agents, repeated chemotherapy cycles, and patient characteristics (female gender, younger age, low alcohol consumption, history of motion sickness) are the major risk factors for CINV. Palonosetron, a second-generation 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist, has antiemetic activity at both central and gastrointestinal sites. In comparison to the first-generation 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, it has a higher potency, a significantly longer half-life, and a different molecular interaction with 5-HT3 receptors. Palonosetron has been approved for the prevention of acute CINV in patients receiving either moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy and for the prevention of delayed CINV in patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. Compared to the first-generation 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, palonosetron in combination with dexamethasone has demonstrated better control of delayed CINV in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy and had a similar safety profile. Due to its efficacy in controlling both acute and delayed CINV, palonosetron may be very effective in the clinical settings of multiple-day chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation.


The low-energy structures of the quantum ferrimagnetic Heisenberg chain consisting of (5/2, 1/2, 1/2) trimers are investigated theoretically. The results of the linear spin-wave theory are compared with those from the numerical exact diagonalization calculation and the matrix product method for the lowest optical mode. The temperature behaviour of thermodynamical properties such as magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and entropy are analysed in the framework of the modified spin-wave theory. The results of the calculations are used to explain the experimental data obtained for the molecule-based heterospin magnets [Mn(hfac)2BNOR ] (R = H, F, Cl, Br) with one-dimensional chain structure.


The aim of this study was to find a material suited for the prevention of evaporative water loss and salt accumulation in coastal saline soils. One-dimensional vertical water infiltration and phreatic evaporation experiments were conducted using a silty loam saline soil. A 3-cm-thick layer of corn straw, biochar, and peat was buried at the soil depth of 20 cm, and a 6-cm-thick layer of peat was also buried at the same soil depth for comparison. The presence of the biochar layer increased the upper soil water content, but its ability to inhibit salt accumulation was poor, leading to a high salt concentration in the surface soil. The 3-cm-thick straw and 6-cm-thick peat layers were most effective to inhibit salt accumulation, which reduced the upper soil salt concentration by 96% and 93%, respectively. However, the straw layer strongly inhibited phreatic evaporation and resulted in low water content in the upper soil layer. Compared with the straw layer, the peat layer increased the upper soil water content. Thus, burying a 6-cm-thick peat layer in the coastal saline soil is the optimal strategy to retain water in the upper soil layer and intercept salt in the deeper soil layer.


Disasters result in devastating human, economic, and environmental effects. The paper highlights women's active participation in community-based disaster recovery efforts drawing from the results of the 'Rebuilding Lives Post-disaster: Innovative Community Practices for Sustainable Development' by an international research partnership. Two case studies are presented from Pakistan and the USA to demonstrate how women contribute to building resilience and promoting sustainable development in diverse post-disaster contexts. The policy and practice implications are relevant for discussions regarding the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals and framework.


Use of partially purified Polyoxin B for forming protoplasts This technical note is available in Fungal Genetics Reports: https://newprairiepress.org/fgr/vol31/iss1/18 Selitrennikoff, C. P. The formation of stable protoplasts from os-1 (NM233t) (FGSC #4493 or 4494) mycelial cultures involves the germinaUse of partially purified Polyoxin B tion of macroconidia in Vogel's medium N containing 10% sorbose and 200-400 μg/ml purified Polyoxin B at 37° C (Selitrenfor forming protoplasts. nikoff et al., 1981 Exper. Mycol. 5: 155-161). Polyoxin B is purified from Polyoxin AL Wettable Powder (Kaken Chemical Co.) by Norite and Dowex chromatography. Although not overly difficult, complete purification is time consuming. As an alternative, partially purified (40%) polyoxin was used and found to be as effective in promoting protoplasts as was purified (b 70%) polyoxin. Simply, AL Wettable Powder is made to 10% in water (100 mls), the insoluble material filtered using Whatman #l paper and the dark brown filtrate adsorbed to a granular Norite column, washed with H20, and eluted with 60% acetone. The acetone was removed and the brown powder dissolved in H20, filtered, sterilized, and stored frozen at -20° C until used (up to six months without detectable loss of activity). A granular Norite column is extremely fast flowing so that the entire partial purification procedure requires less than a day. If the Norite column step is omitted, i.e., if crude polyoxin is used, then protoplast formation is inhibited. (Supported by National Science Foundation award PCM 8112212.) Department of Anatomy, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262. Selitrennikoff, C. P1 and R. E. Nelson2 Transformation of filamentous fungi (including Neurospora) using a number of Putative transformation of Neurospora os-1 protoplasts plasmids has been reported (Stohl and Lambowitz, 1983 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA by a plasmid containing a G-481 phosphotransferase gene. 80: 1058-1062; Case et al., 1979 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76: 5259-5263). This includes the use of plasmids carrying an appropriate gene into an auxotrophic host, as well as a variety of other selectable markers. Hosts typically are cells whose cell walls have been removed by treatment with wall-degrading enzymes and, after treatment, are allowed to regenerate cell-walls (e.g. Case et al., ibid). In this communication we report the apparent transformation of a temperature-sensitive protoplastforming os-1 strain of Neurospora crassa by plasmid pSV-3 neo. This plasmid contains a gene that codes for a phosphotransferase (Southern and Berg, 1982 J. Molec. Applied Genetics 1: 327-341) thus conferring resistance to Kanamycin or Antibiotic G-418. os-1 cells are sensitive to G-418 (see below), yet after treatment with purified pSV-3 neo plasmid DNA, G-418-resistant clones are recovered. The precise fate of the pSV-3 neo DNA is not known with certainty, yet available data are consistent with the idea that the plasmid (or at least the gene coding for the phosphotransferase) remains autonomous. Protoplasts of os-1,nic-1 were formed and grown as described (Seltirennikoff et al., 1981 Exper. Mycol. 5 : 155-161). Cells (protoplasts) were harvested from log phase cultures by centrifugation (500 x g; 5 min) and washed twice with 50 mls ice-cold medium (SS: 7.5% (w/v) sorbitol, 1.5% (w/v) sucrose, IX Vogel's Salts, 10 μg/ml nicotinamide). Plasmid DNA was purified from an E. coli strain containing pSV3 neo by ethidium bromide CsCl density centrifugation. Purified supercoiled DNA (~ 4 μg) was mixed with ~ 15 μg high molecular weight salmon sperm DNA (carrier) in 250 μl buffer containing 145 mM NaCl, 21 mM HEPES, 0.7 mM NaH2PO4, pH 7.1. To this mixture 12.5 μl 2.5 M CaCl2 was added and a precipitate allowed to form for 30 min at ambient temperature. This mixture was added to an os-1 cell-pellet containing ~ 5 x 107 cells, and incubated for 15 min at ambient temperature. Fresh medium (10 ml) was added and the culture shaken for 2 h at 25° C. Cells were shocked with glycerol (3 ml for 60 sec), 20 mls fresh medium added and cells harvested by centrifugation. Cell pellets were resuspended in warm (45° C) SS medium containing 1.0% agar and poured into petri dishes (final cell concentration 1 x 105 cells/ml). After 24 h incubation at 25° C, cells were overlayed with SS + 1.0% agar containing antibiotic G-418 (final concentration, 400 μg/ml). After seven days of incubation at 25° C, colonies were transferred to individual plates containing 200 μg/ml antibiotic G-418. No G-418 resistant colonies were recovered in control experiments (< 1 per 106 cells). About 40 colonies were recovered using 4 μg plasmid DNA. In each case resulting cultures had formed hyphae and macroconidia. To convert resultant conidia to protoplasts, conidia were harvested and germinated in Nelson's liquid medium A (10% (w/v) sorbose, 2% (w/v) sucrose) containing 200 μg/ml Polyoxin B and 200 μg/ml G-418 at 37° C. After 2 days of incubation with shaking, resulting protoplasts were transferred and maintained in SS + 200 μg/ml G-418 at 37° C.


Occupational Stress is a mind-body stimulation that can, on the other tiredness body systems to the point of malfunction and syndrome of the employees. Occupational Stress is both physical response that protects us and a natural defense mechanism that has allowed our species to endure. Strains generally classified as psychological, physical, or behavioral examples of commonly studied psychological strains include such things as job dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depressed mood. Finally, behavioral strains include such things as absenteeism, poor performance, and turnover of the employees. That means occupational stress can be motivating, energizing, and exciting us to greater endeavor of the employees. Descriptive research design and simple random sampling technique lottery method was adopted for the study. A sample size of 354 employees was collected using Questionnaire. Occupational Stress Scale developed by A. K. Srivastava and A.P. Singh (1984). Department of Psychology, Banaras Hindu University Varanasi, This schedule has 46 statements and 5 point scale. This study concludes that 76 percent of the respondents have moderate level of occupational stress, 13.8 percent of the respondents have low level of occupational stress, and 10.2 percent of the respondents have high level of occupational stress.


In a far-side crash configuration, the occupant can experience severe excursion from the seat space. Given this challenge, there are research efforts focused on alternate restraints, such as four-point belts. A potential implication of this geometry would be interaction of the belt with the occupant's neck. This study examines the response of the carotid arteries using a Finite Element Model (FEM) in a far-side crash configuration with a reversed three-point restraint. A FEM of the carotid artery and neck fascia was developed and integrated with the Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) version 1.44. This model was subjected to four test conditions simulating far-side crashes. Load conditions included a low velocity impact of approximately 4 m/s and a higher velocity impact of approximately 10 m/s. For each velocity, the model was restrained with a belt placed low on the neck and a belt placed higher on the neck. Strain data in each element of the carotid arteries was analyzed. The overall response of the vessel was examined to determine locations of high strain values. Low belt placement resulted in more head excursion, stretching the carotid on the non-struck side. High belt placement resulted in compression of the artery on the struck side due to direct loading of the vessel from the belt. Strain values in the carotid artery elements increased with increasing speed of impact. The lower and higher speed tests with a low belt configuration resulted in a maximum principal strains, at maximal belt engagement, of 0.223 and 0.459, respectively. Corresponding values for the high belt configuration were 0.222 and 0.563. In both belt configurations, the non-struck side vessel stretched more than the struck side vessel; however, the non-struck side vessel experienced higher compressive forces. Strain values measured during the simulations can be compared to a value of 0.31 to intimal failure in previous experimental tests. These results quantitatively illustrate the two primary mechanisms of injury to the carotid artery: tension and intima-to-intima contact of the vessel. Based on the study, low belt placement and limiting head excursion is recommended to reduce both stretching and compression of the carotids in side impact.


Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), specific KIT- or PDFGRA-signaling driven mesenchymal tumors, are rare in children and young adults, and their clinicopathologic and molecular genetic profile is incompletely understood. In this study, we analyzed 44 gastric GISTs occurring by the age of 21 years. There were 32 females and 12 males, youngest of whom were a 5-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl. All but 1 of 25 patients under the age of 16 were girls. The patients most commonly received medical attention because of chronic, insidious gastrointestinal bleeding with anemia, less commonly with acute GI bleeding. Only 1 patient had Carney triad with pulmonary chondroma. None of the patients had family members with GIST. The tumors measured from 1.5 to 24 cm (median, 5.6 cm). A total of 21 tumors with specified location were in the antrum and 8 were in the gastric body. Histologically, 26 tumors were composed of epithelioid cells, 12 of spindle cells, and 6 of combination thereof. Mitotic activity varied form 0 to 65/50 HPF (median, 5/50). All but one of the 24 tumors tested were KIT-positive, and 20 were CD34-positive. Eleven patients developed liver or abdominal metastases, and 6 of them died of tumor surviving 5.5 to 35.5 years (median, 16 years) after the first surgery; three of these tumors had a low mitotic activity and size <10 cm. Twenty-one patients were alive with no evidence for disease 7 to 41 years (median, 17 years) after the first surgery. None of the 13 tumors examined (7 of them 8- to 16-year-old females) had KIT exon 9, 11, 13, or 17 or PDGFRA exon 12 or 18 mutation as typically seen in adult GISTs. Gastric GISTs in children have mainly epithelioid morphology, often occur in antrum, and have a somewhat unpredictable but slow course of disease. Their pathogenesis may differ from that of adult GISTs because no KIT or PDGFRA mutations were found; connection with Carney triad seems infrequent despite demographic and histologic similarities.


The main purpose of this paper is to explore seasonal variability of the local hydrography and investigate the water masses, their seasonal and regional variations in the vicinity of Izmir Bay based on data sets collected between 1994 and 2003. The general water movement characteristics in the bay are provided by CTD data analysis together with Killworth's general circulation model. In the bay, three distinct water masses exist: ASW (Aegean Sea water), IBW (Izmir Bay water) and IBIW (Izmir Bay inner water). Generally, vertically homogenous ASW enters the bay from the north, near Karaburun in winter, and horizontally homogeneous ASW inflow occurs above a pcynocline through the Foca-Karaburun vertical section in summer. The outflow occurs in the sub-surface and bottom layer near the coast of Foca in winter while it flows out under the pycnocline in summer as a result of thermohaline behavior of stratified water. Wind-driven circulation causes cyclonic or anti-cyclonic movements in the middle section of Izmir Bay. Cyclonic movement takes place under the influence of southerly and westerly winds. On the other hand, northerly and easterly winds cause an anti-cyclonic movement.


Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is endemic in many parts of the world, especially in countries poor in resources. Molecular subtyping of V. cholerae is useful to trace the regional spread of a clone or multidrug-resistant strains during outbreaks of cholera. Current available PCR-based fingerprinting methods such as Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR, Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Sequence (ERIC)-PCR, and Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic (REP)-PCR were used to subtype V. cholerae. However, there are problems for inter-laboratory comparison as these PCR methods have their own limitations especially when different PCR methods have been used for molecular typing. In this study, a Vibrio cholerae Repeats-PCR (VCR-PCR) approach which targets the genetic polymorphism of the integron island of Vibrios was used and compared with other PCR-based fingerprinting methods in subtyping. Forty-three V. cholerae of different serogroups from various sources were tested. The PCR-fingerprinting approaches were evaluated on typeability, reproducibility, stability and discriminatory power. Overall, Malaysian non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae were more diverse than O1 strains. Four non-O1/non-O139 strains were closely related with O1 strains. The O139 strain in this study shared similarity with strains of both O1 and non-O1/non-O139 serogroups. ERIC-PCR was the most discriminative approach (D value = 0.996). VCR-PCR was useful in discriminating non-O1/non-O139 strains. RAPD-PCR and REP-PCR were less suitable for efficient subtyping purposes as they were not reproducible and lacked stability. The combination of the ERIC-PCR and VCR-PCR may overcome the inadequacy of any one approach and hence provide more informative data.


SUMMARY: Indole synthesis from glucose, ammonium chloride and serine by washed suspensions of Escherichia coli 7-4 was inhibited by bacteriostatic concentrations of chloramphenicol and the tetracyclines (Aureomycin, Terramycin, and Achromycin). Indole synthesis was also inhibited by streptomycin but only by concentrations higher than those necessary for bacteriostasis. The inhibition by chloramphenicol and the tetracyclines does not appear to be due to inhibition of adaptive enzyme formation because these antibiotics still inhibited indole synthesis when added to suspensions which were forming indole at maximum rate. Streptomycin, in the same type of test, seemed to inhibit some adaptive process.
Indole synthesis by suspensions of antibiotic-resistant variants of Escherichia coli 7-4 was not inhibited by concentrations of antibiotics which inhibited synthesis by the parent strain. Suspensions of organisms resistant to high concentrations of streptomycin formed at least the same amount of indole in the presence of any concentration of streptomycin tested, as they did in its absence. Streptomycin often stimulated indole synthesis by such organisms. Suspensions of organisms which required streptomycin for growth, after growth in suboptimal concentrations of streptomycin, did not produce appreciable amounts of indole. The addition of streptomycin restored the activity in organisms grown in a liquid defined medium but did not do so with organisms grown on heart infusion agar. Streptomycin-resistant and streptomycin-dependent strains resembled the parent strain in that they utilized malate + pyruvate, or oxalacetate, for indole formation in place of glucose. Strains resistant to various concentrations of chloramphenicol, Aureomycin and Terramycin showed a correlation between the amounts of antibiotic required to inhibit indole synthesis and to inhibit growth in a glucose + tryptophan + inorganic salts medium. The results indicate that some of the antibiotics interfere, either directly or indirectly, with indole synthesis.


Sympathetic Ophthalma: Iris and eyeball inflammatory condition affecting both eyes that occurs after a penetrating injury as a delayed autoimmune reaction to eye injury. Patients present with pain, photophobia, paresis of accommodation, metamorphopsia and mild to significant visual loss. The granulomatous anterior uveitis is accompanied by posterior segment findings including moderate to severe vitritis, choroiditis, papillitis, perivasculitis, and yellow-white lesions of the retinal pigment epithelium (Dalen-Fuchs nodules). The inflammation can lead to serious retinal detachment and macular edema. Extraocular symptoms include headache, meningitis or cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, hearing loss, poliosis and vitiligo. The inflammation is caused by a cell-mediated immune mechanism and autoimmune inflammatory response directed against ocular self-antigens released after the initial injury. SO may occur after ocular trauma (47 to 65 % of patients) or contusions. Wounds involving the ciliary body are associated with the highest risk. Surgical interventions may also trigger SO, with posterior segment surgery carrying a higher risk than anterior segment surgery. Diagnosis of SO is mainly based on patient history and clinical presentation. Imaging studies (fluorescein or indocyanine green angiography, B-scan ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography) may be useful to confirm the diagnosis.


This paper provides a review of the past, present, and future of public health surveillance—the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of health data for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health action. Public health surveillance dates back to the first recorded epidemic in 3180 B.C. in Egypt. Hippocrates (460 B.C.–370 B.C.) coined the terms endemic and epidemic, John Graunt (1620–1674) introduced systematic data analysis, Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) started epidemic field investigation, William Farr (1807–1883) founded the modern concept of surveillance, John Snow (1813–1858) linked data to intervention, and Alexander Langmuir (1910–1993) gave the first comprehensive definition of surveillance. Current theories, principles, and practice of public health surveillance are summarized. A number of surveillance dichotomies, such as epidemiologic surveillance versus public health surveillance, are described. Some future scenarios are presented, while current activities that can affect the future are summarized: exploring new frontiers; enhancing computer technology; improving epidemic investigations; improving data collection, analysis, dissemination, and use; building on lessons from the past; building capacity; enhancing global surveillance. It is concluded that learning from the past, reflecting on the present, and planning for the future can further enhance public health surveillance.


The king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus, breeds without a nest in colonies of several thousands of birds. To be fed, the chick must recognize the parents in a particularly noisy environment using only vocal cues. The call an adult makes when seeking the chick is emitted at a high amplitude level. Nevertheless, it is transmitted in a colonial context involving the noise generated by the colony and the screening effect of the bodies, both factors reducing the signal–to–noise ratio. In addition, the adult call is masked by a background noise with similar amplitude and spectral and temporal characteristics, enhancing the difficulty for the chick in finding its parents. We calculate that the maximum distance from the caller at which its signal can be differentiated from the background noise (signal–to–noise ratio equal to 1) should not exceed 8–9 m in a feeding area. But our tests show that, in fact, chicks can discriminate between the parental call and calls from other adults at a greater distance, even when call intensity is well below that of the noise of simultaneous calls produced by other adults. This capacity to perceive and extract the call of the parent from the ambient noise and particularly from the calls of other adults, termed the 'cocktail–party effect' in speech intelligibility tests, enhances the chick's ability to find its parents.


Computing and intelligence are substantial requirements for the accurate performance of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs). In this context, the use of cloud services in addition to onboard computers enhances computing and intelligence capabilities of AGVs. In addition, the vast amount of data processed in a cloud system contributes to overall performance and capabilities of the onboard system. This research study entails a qualitative analysis to gather insights on the applicability of the leading cloud service providers in AGV operations. These services include Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, and IBM Cloud. The study begins with a brief review of AGV technical requirements that are necessary to determine the rationale for identifying the most suitable cloud service. The qualitative analysis studies and addresses the applicability of the cloud service over the proposed generalized AGV's architecture integration, performance, and manageability. Our findings conclude that a generalized AGV architecture can be supported by state-of-the-art cloud service, but there should be a clear line of separation between the primary and secondary computing needs. Moreover, our results show significant lags while using cloud services and preventing their use in real-time AGV operation.


Consider a channel where authorized transmitter Jack sends packets to authorized receiver Steve according to a Poisson process with rate λ packets per second for a time period T. Suppose that covert transmitter Alice wishes to communicate information to covert receiver Bob on the same channel without being detected by a watchful adversary Willie. We consider two scenarios. In the first scenario, we assume that warden Willie cannot look at packet contents but rather can only observe packet timings, and Alice must send information by inserting her own packets into the channel. We show that the number of packets that Alice can covertly transmit to Bob is on the order of the square root of the number of packets that Jack transmits to Steve; conversely, if Alice transmits more than that, she will be detected by Willie with high probability. In the second scenario, we assume that Willie can look at packet contents but that Alice can communicate across an M/M/1 queue to Bob by altering the timings of the packets going from Jack to Steve. First, Alice builds a codebook, with each codeword consisting of a sequence of packet timings to be employed for conveying the information associated with that codeword. However, to successfully employ this codebook, Alice must always have a packet to send at the appropriate time. Hence, leveraging our result from the first scenario, we propose a construction where Alice covertly slows down the packet stream so as to buffer packets to use during a succeeding codeword transmission phase. Using this approach, Alice can covertly and reliably transmit O(λT) covert bits to Bob in time period T over an M/M/1 queue with service rate μ > e · λ.


We provide an account of the non profit enterprise based on the motivations of the agents involved. Our main idea is that these are ex -post motivated by both self-interest and a conditional willingness to conform to their ex ante accepted constitutional ideology, which are weighed up in a comprehensive utility function. Ideology is shaped as the result of a hypothetical 'social' contract between the relevant figures participating in the venture, in particular an entrepreneur, a worker, and a consumer who acts as a dummy beneficiary in the ex-post stage. It can thus be defined as a normative principle of fairness that boils down to a distributive social welfare function defined over the outcomes of a game, which permits to order them according to their conformity to the constitutional ideology. For conformist preferences depend upon expectations of reciprocal conformity to a normative principle, defined on social states described in as much they conform to an ideal, then the agents' model of choice asks for the adoption of the psychological games approach, where payoff functions range over not only the players' strategies but also their beliefs. If the conformist prompt to action is sufficiently strong then the outcome in which both the active agents perform an action improving the quality of the good with respect to the free market standard, thus maximising the surplus of the consumers, results in a psychological Nash equilibrium of the game. We associate this outcome, and the corresponding norm of behaviour, with the constitution of the non profit enterprise. We also show that the structure of the interaction is a coordination game, thus calling for the necessity of devices such as codes of ethics to solve the coordination problem. Keywords: Nonprofit, non-self-interested motivations, conformism, reciprocity, ideology.


An autonomic reflex linking exercising skeletal muscle metabolism to central ventilatory control is thought to be mediated by neural afferents having free endings that terminate in the interstitial fluid of muscle. To determine whether changes in muscle extracellular fluid pH (pHe) can provide an error signal for exercise ventilatory control, pHe was measured during electrically induced contraction by 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the chemical shift of a phosphorylated, pH-sensitive marker that distributes to the extracellular fluid (phenylphosphonic acid). Seven lightly anesthetized rats underwent unilateral continuous 5-Hz sciatic nerve stimulation in an 8.45-T nuclear magnetic resonance magnet, which resulted in a mixed lactic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis, with no net change in arterial pH. Skeletal muscle intracellular pH fell from 7.30 +/- 0.03 units at rest to 6.72 +/- 0.05 units at 2.4 min of stimulation and then rose to 7.05 +/- 0.01 units (P < 0.05), despite ongoing stimulation and muscle contraction. Despite arterial hypocapnia, pHe showed an immediate drop from its resting baseline of 7.40 +/- 0.01 to 7.16 +/- 0.04 units (P < 0.05) and remained acidic throughout the stimulation protocol. During the on- and off-transients for 5-Hz stimulation, changes in the pH gradient between intracellular and extracellular compartments suggested time-dependent recruitment of sarcolemmal ion-transport mechanisms. pHe of exercising skeletal muscle meets temporal and qualitative criteria necessary for a ventilatory metaboreflex mediator in a setting where arterial pH does not.


RECENTLY I had under observation 2 patients with bilateral conical cornea associated with mongolism, a man aged 22 and a woman aged 29; in the latter the conical cornea was complicated with cataract, commonly noted in older persons with mongolism. A perusal of the literature revealed as ocular symptoms of mongolism only nystagmus, convergent strabismus and blepharitis in some cases, in addition to the almost constant presence of the oblique palpebral fissure, with slanting of the lids up and temporalward and the epicanthus. A search of textbooks for mention of conical cornea associated with mongolism was futile; even such books as Tassman's, 1 when discussing ocular disturbances in conjunction with general systemic disease, failed to mention the occurrence of keratoconus. Conical cornea and mongolism are both anomalies, the nature of which is still a moot question. Recognition of conical cornea is usually attributed to the observation of Taylor (1766); but


Computer-coded verbal autopsy (CCVA) algorithms predict cause of death from high-dimensional family questionnaire data (verbal autopsies) of a deceased individual. CCVA algorithms are typically trained on non-local data, then used to generate national and regional estimates of cause-specific mortality fractions. These estimates may be inaccurate if the non-local training data is different from the local population of interest. This problem is a special case of transfer learning. However, most transfer learning classification approaches are concerned with individual (e.g. a person's) classification within a target domain (e.g. a particular population) with training performed in data from a source domain. Epidemiologists are often more interested in estimating population-level etiological distributions, using datasets much smaller than those used in common transfer learning applications. We present a parsimonious hierarchical Bayesian transfer learning framework to directly estimate population-level class probabilities in a target domain. To address small sample sizes, we introduce a novel shrinkage prior for the transfer error rates guaranteeing that, in absence of any labeled target domain data or when the baseline classifier has zero transfer error, the calibrated estimate of class probabilities coincides with the naive estimates from the baseline classifier, thereby subsuming the default practice as a special case. A novel Gibbs sampler using data-augmentation enables fast implementation. We extend our approach to use not one, but an ensemble of baseline classifiers. Theoretical and empirical results demonstrate how the ensemble model favors the most accurate baseline classifier. We present extensions allowing class probabilities to vary with covariates, and an EM-algorithm-based MAP estimation. An R-package implementing this method is developed.


The distribution of synaptic terminals was quantified in the superior colliculus (SC) following injections of Phaseolus vulgaris-Leucoagglutinin in the ventral prepositus hypoglossi nucleus (PH) and adjacent reticular formation. Labelled axons distribute terminals within the intermediate and the deep layers on both sides. Within the former, their distribution reproduces the representation of the visual hemifield on the same side as the injected PH. Additionally the density of boutons gradually increases in the contralateral SC, from the projection of the area centralis towards the periphery, i.e. towards regions coding for larger saccades. Such a differential synaptic input may provide the neuronal basis for a temporal to spatial transformation of the feedback signal controlling gaze shifts. A theoretical model is proposed.


Introduction Methotrexate (MTX) is used as an immunosuppressive treatment in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term tolerability of MTX in adults with IBD from a large, single, tertiary referral centre. Methods IBD patients who had received MTX at a single centre between 2000 – 2011 were identified from the IBD service database and clinical records reviewed. Results 137 patients received MTX (Crohn's Disease 105 (77%); ulcerative colitis (UC) 32 (23%)); mean age 44 (range 18–77). The median duration of MTX treatment was 13 months (range 1–127) with an initial dose of 25mg/week (range 10–25 mg) in 127/137 (93%) with 94% commencing MTX intramuscularly. The proportion who continued MTX for ≥ 3, 5, 10 years were 24% (33/137), 10% (14/137) and 1.5% (2/137) respectively. 89/137 (65%) discontinued MTX during the 11 year follow-up. The cessation rate due to lack of effectiveness was 17/137 (12%) by the end of the 2nd year of MTX, after which there were no further discontinuations for this reason. 77/137 (57%) reported ≥ 1 side-effect (SE) attributed to MTX, which was the commonest reason for discontinuing MTX (61/89; 69%). SEs leading to MTX cessation were most frequent during induction (defined as 0–3months): 22/61 (36%); followed by 3–12 months following initiation of MTX: 16/61 (26%). Specific SEs resulting in cessation during the 1st year of MTX were due to ≥ 1 of the following; 15 (40%) gastrointestinal (GI), 12 (32%) neurological (NS), 5 (13%) nonspecific malaise, 5 (13%) abnormal hepatic aminotransferase levels (2-fold increase up to or over the upper limit of normal), 2 (5%) hair loss, 5 other (1 each of sore throat, rash, infection, low platelets, injection site reaction). The incidence of discontinuation due to SEs in successive MTX years fell from commencement of MTX: 10/61 (16%) in the 2nd year, 5/61 (8%) in the 3rd year, 3/61 (5%) in the 4th year and 5 (8%) in total between the 5th-10th years. The most frequent SEs attributed to late discontinuation ( > 1year) were GI and NS. Over 11 years there were 12/137 (9%) reported cases of presumed MTX induced abnormal hepatic aminotransferase levels, of which 8 (67%) resulted in MTX cessation with biochemical resolution. Hepatotoxicity occurred during induction in 7/12 cases (58%) and was stopped in 5 of these (71%). In 5 patients with late abnormal hepatic aminotransferase levels, the median time to detection was 36 months (range 10–100months). MTX was discontinued in 3 of these. Conclusion In the largest single-centre experience to date, MTX in IBD is limited by high withdrawal rates with a 28% discontinuation rate due to SEs within the 1st year. Late hepatoxicity highlights the need for long term monitoring in maintenance therapy. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


For a highly subjective task such as recognising speaker intention and argumentation, the traditional way of generating gold standards is to aggregate a number of labels into a single one. However, this seriously neglects the underlying richness that characterises discourse and argumentation and is also, in some cases, straightforwardly impossible. In this paper, we present QT30nonaggr, the first corpus of non-aggregated argument annotation, which will be openly available upon publication. QT30nonaggr encompasses 10% of QT30, the largest corpus of dialogical argumentation and analysed broadcast political debate currently available with 30 episodes of BBC's 'Question Time' from 2020 and 2021. Based on a systematic and detailed investigation of annotation judgements across all steps of the annotation process, we structure the disagreement space with a taxonomy of the types of label disagreements in argument annotation, identifying the categories of annotation errors, fuzziness and ambiguity.


This paper deals with (Eltifaat aladad) used in the Qoran, atype of (eltifaat) tending to receive little attention among scholars. As a starting point, the paper examines a number of views that made this type of (eltifaat) belong to the process of (eltifaat) as well as the reasons behind considering it as (eltifaat) of number in the Qoran. The paper finds that, First, a lot of the examples do not belong to the Qoranic (eltifaat) of number and that second, they are mostly used in contexts that describe (Allah) and in two ways: (1) From singular to plural, which tends to glorify (Allah), and (2) from plural to singular, which stresses that he is the one and only. In addition, in other contexts this type of (eltifaat) tends to convey other meanings, such as generalization, specification and unification in one single entity .