In the present day scenario, the application software has turned out to be extremely complex because the developers try to accommodate to various changing needs of users.Hence they often intend to capture common aspects of previously developed similar software that are frequently reoccurred for other systems.Assigning a proper framework for the frequently reoccurring aspects or often called as "design patterns", is carried out during design phase of the proposed software. Design patterns support reuse of software architecture and standardize the way designs are developed. Software patterns often capture the static and dynamic aspects and collaborations of acceptable solutions to the problem that arise when building applications. It is observed that the representation of design patterns is
available in the form of informal or semi-formal language, which makes it difficult to apply design patterns directly. In this thesis, the concept of design patterns is analyzed by using both forward engineering and reverse engineering techniques.In the process of forward engineering, a lightweight formal notation has been used to formalize the concept of design patterns.In reverse engineering approach, detection of design patterns has been performed.In the process of formalization, security design patterns are considered to formalize a security aspect of a system. The detection process is carried out by applying software metrics, machine learning techniques, a feature selection technique and a graph-based technique.
 Formalization of security design patterns is an essential task because security issues in software industries are day-by-day becoming too much challenging due to malicious attacks, resulting in exploration of the security holes in a software system.To secure the information assets associated with any software system, organizations need to design the system based on security patterns, which are useful to build and test various security mechanisms. Considering patterns are nothing but certain design guidelines, but they have certain limitations in terms of consistency and usability. Hence, these security patterns may sometimes act as insecure. In this research work, an attempt has been made to compose security patterns for the web-based application. Subsequently, a formal modeling approach for the composition of security design patterns is presented in order to formalize the design.For maximizing comprehensibility, Unified Modeling Language(UML) notations are helpful to represent structural and behavioral aspects of a web-based system. A formal modeling language i.e., Alloy is considered for analyzing web-based security patterns.For the demonstration of this approach, a case study on banking system is considered.A qualitative evaluation is performed for the identified security patterns against the critical security properties. In this study, a model-driven framework is presented that helps to automate the process of analyzing web security patterns.
 In reverse engineering approach, software developer requires to understand the undocumented design of a system. Detecting design patterns of a system help reverse engineers with considerable insight on the system structure and its internal attributes.In this research work, an attempt has been made to detect software design patterns by using software metrics and classification based techniques. The proposed method is carried out in two phases, creation of metrics-oriented dataset and detection of software design patterns. The creation of datasets is performed by using software metrics for the learning of classifiers.Subsequently, pattern detection process has been performed by using classification-based techniques such as Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Machine and Random Forest. In order to evaluate the proposed method, the results of experiments are shown by considering four open source software such as JHotDraw,QuickUML,JUnit and Quaqua.
 It is observed that a large number of features occurred during the preparation of datasets,which need to be reduced. In order to reduce redundant features, an application of feature selection technique is presented. This study presents a semi-automated technique for the
formation of pattern-based dataset. Subsequently, feature selection technique is applied on the prepared dataset. Identification of design patterns is performed by using learning based methods such as Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Layered Recurrent Neural Network and Logistic Regression methods. In order to validate the proposed method, a set of case studies such as JHotDraw, JRefactory, CubeTwister, JUnit, QuickUML, Quaqua, MapperXML and PMD have been considered. After applying machine learning techniques, the same job of detection of patterns are further carried out by considering a graph-based approach. Graph isomorphism and
normalized cross correlation techniques have been applied for the mining of software patterns, where system as well as associated design patterns are presented in the form of graphs. The graph isomorphism technique finds the pattern subgraph in the system graph and normalized cross-correlation technique provides a way to formulate the percentage existence of the design pattern in the system. An algorithm is presented to identify relevant information from the XML files. Then graph isomorphism and normalized cross-correlation techniques are used to find the pattern subgraph and its percentage existence in the system.This approach has been tested on four open source software such as Jrat,JUnit, Lexi-Alpha and Informa for the identification of Composite, Facade, Flyweight, State, and Template Method design patterns.


This ESRC funded project explores how school counsellors navigate relationships and maintain trust in therapeutic alliances with young people when sharing information because of safeguarding concerns. It seeks to capture a holistic picture of information sharing through illuminating the different perspectives of young people (10), school-based counsellors (6) and designated safeguarding leads (2). This project's phronetic stance seeks to illuminate the deliberations and practical wisdom of its participants to develop practice (Flyvbjerg, 2001). It uncovers young peoples' and professionals' reflections on the humanness of information sharing processes through exploring contextual, relational and affective factors.
This case study was based at The Place28e which is the largest UK school-based counselling agency (Place2Be, 2016). The fieldwork took place in six secondary schools. In an iterative process, I used a combination of semi-structured and interactive group interviews that used a fictional vignette as stimulation for discussion and a film of professionals' views for the young people to critique.
Professional participants later met to co-reflect on the data. This created a 'polyphony of voices' that dialogued and responded to each other through the research process (Flybjerg,2001: 139). I used phronetic bricolage to apply a multilayered approach, analyzing data both thematically and narratively (Trnavcevic and Biloslavo, 2017).
The central finding concerns counsellor availability which is formulated both psychologically, by maintaining empathy and attending to the young person's concerns; and practically. A feature of an 'available' counsellor is their perceived trustworthiness as demonstrated by continued honest engagement and transparent communication. This is experienced as a participatory process by young people. All participants highlighted the anxiety that accompanies information sharing. Professional relationships with school safeguarding leads emerged as affecting counsellor containment and hence their availability. Trust in alliances with young people during information sharing is supported by participatory practices and sufficient containment experiences for school counsellors.


Properties were studied of neurotransmitter provision of mechanisms of voluntary food-procuring behavior in cats. It has been shown that functional significance of monoamino- and cholinergic brain structures in these mechanisms are greatly determined by their participation in the control of the alertness level, the raising of which is necessary for solving complicated tasks and mastering new motor habits by animals.


ABSTRACT. This paper examines the concept of "student engagement" as an inescapably ideological term. The paper begins by problematizing politically neutral iterations of student engagement in the literature on school improvement and school effectiveness. Then, drawing on data collected during a much larger national study of student engagement, it provides an analysis of differential meanings of student engagement across three ideological lenses: a techno-rational, an interpretive/student-centred, and a critical transformative lens. Examples of policy and practice in action in schools and classrooms are posited as illustrative of the various ideological lenses, and educational/political consequences of such stances are explored. Culminating in an argument for a critical/transformative pedagogy as providing possibilities for a just and humane education, the paper concludes that ideology does, indeed, matter.

 FACONS D'ABORDER L'ENGAGEMENT DES ELEVES : L'IDEOLOGIE COMPTE-T-ELLE ?

 RESUME. Cet article analyse la notion d'"engagement des eleves" comme terme ineluctablement ideologique. Les auteurs commencent par etablir la problematique des iterations politiquement neutres de l'engagement des eleves dans la documentation consacree a l'amelioration et a l'efficacite scolaire. S'inspirant ensuite des donnees recueillies dans le cadre d'une etude nationale de beaucoup plus grande envergure sur l'engagement des eleves, elles proposent une analyse des sens differentiels de l'engagement des eleves dans trois optiques ideologiques: techno-nationale, interpretative/axee sur les eleves et critique/transformationnelle. Des exemples des politiques et des pratiques a l'oeuvre dans les ecoles et les salles de cours illustrent les diverses optiques ideologiques et les auteurs etudient les consequences educatives et politiques de ces points de vue, Elles terminent leur article en affirmant que l'ideologie compte effectivement en arguant pour une pedagogique critique/transformationnelle qui offre des possibilites d'education juste et humaine.


STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim of the study was to examine the relation between place of birth within England and Wales and cause of death. DESIGN--The study was a population survey using data provided by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys which, for a trial period between 1969 and 1972, coded place of birth on death certificates. SETTING--The survey involved almost 2 million people who died in England and Wales between April 1969 and December 1972. MAIN RESULTS--Persons born in northern counties and industrial towns, and in Wales, had increased risk of ischaemic heart disease and stroke, which persisted whether or not they had moved to other parts of the country. A low risk of cardiovascular disease among people born in and around London went with them when they moved. People born in cities and large towns had an increased and persisting risk of chronic bronchitis. CONCLUSIONS--These findings are evidence that past geographical differences in fetal and infant growth, and in exposure to respiratory infection in early childhood, partly determine today's differences in adult death rates.


Dysregulation of ubiquitin signaling has been linked to many diseases, including cancer. Numerous DUBs are implicated in key pro-cancer pathways, including regulation of HIF1α, control of RAS signaling, signaling through both canonical and non-canonical NFκB pathways, and regulation of p53 activity. Overexpression of USP14, USP17 and USP28 is linked to promoting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). OTUB1 has shown to trigger lung cancer progress by inhibiting RAS monoubiquitination in KRAS mutant NSCLC. Notably, BAP1 (tumor suppressor) expression decreases in lung cancer tissues although its mRNA levels did not reflect it. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that profiling DUB proteins and their activity in lung cancer cells and tissues could uncover new therapeutic targets. Since proteogenomics studies have revealed that mRNA expression is not a reliable predictor of the protein expression, we have used ABPP assays to profile DUB. ABPP, which uses chemical probes directed against the active sites of enzymes to interrogate the functional state of enzymes in biological samples, can serve as an important tool to nominate DUB targets. HA-tagged active site-directed ubiquitin probe, HA-Ub-VME was used to evaluate the DUBs profile of KRAS and EGFR mutant cell lines. Cell lysate was labeled in presence or absence of DUB inhibitors (DUBi) and the modified enzymes were visualized by anti-HA immunoblotting. Labeled proteome was enriched and analyzed using mass spectrometry and data was analyzed using APOSTL. In addition to DUB profiling, we screened lung cancer cell lines to DUBi, including small cell lung cancer, KRAS mutant, EGFR mutant, and models of EGFR TKI resistance. Immunoblotting in various KRAS and EGFR mutant cell lines displayed diverse profiles of DUBs. Enrichment of DUBs in A549 cells showed 23 DUBs and competition with bAP15, a well-known DUBi for USP14 resulted in reduced probe binding to USP14. We optimized the approach to capture maximum DUBs by examining parameters such as protein/probe ratio, probe incubation time and probing different lung cancer cells that may harvest a larger or complementary repertoire of DUBs. A preliminary screen of DUBi across 20 SCLC and NSCLC cell lines lead to a panel of DUBi (IC50=100nM-5µM), with broad or selective activity in particular cell lines. These results are being used for competitive DUB profiling using ABPP to comprehend target engagement and resulting changes in cell viability induced by DUBi. These results enable future studies to profile the DUB landscape in lung cancer cell lines, PDX tumor cohorts, and tumor tissues from patients. DUB ABPP can identify important DUBs in lung cancer cells to both identify new drug targets, as well as discern mechanism of action of drugs identified from compound screening campaigns. Citation Format: Shikha Mahajan, Bin Fang, Fumi Kinose, Eric B. Haura. A landscape of deubiquinating enzymes (DUB) in lung cancer using activity based protein profiling (ABPP) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5222. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5222


I consider it a great privilege to have been chosen to give the first Rex Pierson Memorial Lecture, as not only is he an outstanding figure in British Aviation, but he was also one of my close friends. Reginald Kirshaw Pierson was born in February 1891 at Fransham, Norfolk, his father being the rector there. He was educated at Felsted School. On leaving he was destined to enter the Bank of England, but at the last moment, mainly due to the untiring efforts of his mother, he was allowed to follow his natural bent, and take up engineering instead. In 1908, therefore, at the age of 17 he entered the Erith Works of Vickers Ltd., as an engineering pupil-apprentice, passing through the various departments and, while there, taking his Bachelor of Science Engineering degree the hard way, from evening classes.


In response to a Senate Finance Committee Staff Discussion Draft of June 21, 2004, which made suggestions aimed that strengthening transparency and accountability of the charitable sector, the Center on Philanthropy submitted comments covering three major points: (1) Electronic filing of Forms 990 will improve the quality, access, and timeliness of data on charities, and will reduce costs for the IRS, the states, and charities. (2) Gaps and omissions in Forms 990 and Forms 990-PF must be eliminated and better reporting must be enforced. (3) An accurate list of tax-exempt organizations must also be a priority.


Nucleation theories typically neglect the influence of the ambient pressure on the condensation of droplets from a supersaturated vapor, despite increasing experimental evidence. We have applied a recently presented model that incorporates this effect to the homogeneous nucleation rates of water at tropospheric conditions. We measured experimental pressure dependent nucleation rates of water in helium at low to intermediate pressures (70–200 kPa) and at temperatures from 240–270 K with the laminar flow diffusion chamber. The observed pressure effect shows a clear positive effect (increasing nucleation rate with increasing pressure) at 270 K and a weaker effect with lower temperatures, consistent with the theory. The experimental pressure effect was more pronounced than predicted by theory. The same principle of the pressure effect should also hold for heterogeneous nucleation of water, which implies that water vapor removal by droplet nucleation of water may be suppressed at tropospheric conditions.


Thiolate-protected Ag nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit interesting physical and chemical properties which may lead to various sensing, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications. Further, understanding structure-property relationships of Ag NPs is of great interest in order to optimize their application. Herein, we used TEM, UV-vis, and a series of synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy techniques to probe the local structure and chemical bonding properties of thiolate-stabilized Ag NPs. Compared with other Ag nanostructures prepared under slightly modified conditions, the Ag NPs were found to have pronounced structural changes, which led to immensely different optical properties. Notably, the NPs were also found to have similar surface structure to recently elucidated Ag nanoclusters prepared with different thiolates. These findings suggest that the NP structure and optical properties can be sensitively tailored by controlling the synthetic conditions. The multi-element, multi-core excitation approach (i.e., Ag K-, Ag L3-, and S K-edges) employed in the X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements was also demonstrated as an effective tool to uncover the NP structure from both the metal core and ligand shell perspectives.


Children suffer more victimizations than do adults, including more conventional crimes, more family violence, and some forms virtually unique to children, such as family abduction. On the basis of national statistics, these victimizations can be grouped into three broad categories: the pandemic, such as sibling assault, affecting most children; the acute, such as physical abuse, affecting a fractional but significant percentage; and the extraordinary, such as homicide, affecting a very small group. They can also be differentiated by the degree to which they result from the unique dependency status of children. A field called the victimology of childhood should be defined that adopts a developmental approach to understanding children's vulnerability to different types of victimizations and their different effects.


Now on the market in the United States for almost 3 years and available in 48 countries worldwide, solifenacin 5 mg or 10 mg once daily continues to demonstrate a profile of safety and efficacy as a treatment for incontinence, urgency, and other symptoms of OAB. More than 2.2 million patients have been treated worldwide with solifenacin. Safety and efficacy data across numerous studies in several thousand patients, along with flexible dosing, support the use of this agent as a first-line antimuscarinic treatment for OAB. Data from large randomized controlled trials such as VENUS and STAR show statistically significant superiority compared with placebo and improved outcomes over those achieved with tolterodine ER 4 mg. Solifenacin is an agent of choice for OAB-related incontinence, with more than 50% of incontinent patients reporting no incontinence episodes after 12 weeks of solifenacin therapy. In addition to improved efficacy, solifenacin offers good tolerability with a low incidence of side effects. Once-daily, flexible dosing with this agent provides 24-hour control of OAB symptoms and significantly increases warning time (the period from onset of urgency to voiding), which may also increase a patient's chance of avoiding episodes of incontinence.


Limited research has utilized public abortion narratives to understand how individuals process through their abortion experiences. To address this gap in the literature, this study used thematic analysis to consider the public abortion stories of 39 participants from the Tennessee Stories Project, focusing on how individuals process through these experiences and the context of the abortion experience in a person's life course. Participants were primarily those who were abortion patients; however, abortion providers and supporters including partners or spouses, family members, and friends of those who received abortion care were also represented. Data analysis indicated that abortion seekers engage in introspection, involving political and religious/spiritual considerations; report specific feelings about their abortion experience, including having no regrets and feeling gratitude; process emotions related to the abortion experience by normalizing emotional responses and using mementos; and position their abortion in the context of their life, both in terms of their family and career opportunities and personal development. These findings provide valuable insight into how individuals process through the abortion experience, before, during, and after the abortion procedure, and suggest possible directions for service providers, advocates, and policy makers in order to better support abortion patients, providers, and family members.


The purpose of this project was to assess the concurrent and predictive validity of the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) for military service members undergoing substance abuse treatment. Concurrent validity was assessed by examining the correlation of SOCRATES subscales with subscales from the Addiction Treatment Attitude Questionnaire. Predictive validity was assessed by examining the ability of SOCRATES subscales to predict length of stay in treatment and successful completion of treatment. Scores on the SOCRATES were correlated in the expected direction with scores on the Addiction Treatment Attitude Questionnaire and predicted length of stay in treatment and successful completion of treatment. The findings provide support for the validity of the SOCRATES with substance abuse treatment-seeking military service members.


The reaction of [bis(3-formyl-5-methylsalicylidene)ethylenediaminato]iron(II) with diethylenetriamine (dien) in the presence of PbII followed by the addition of NaNCS formed a FeIIPbII complex, [FePb(L1)(NCS)(dmf)(ClO4)] 1, where (L1)2– is a dinucleating macrocyclic compartmental ligand derived from the [2∶1∶1] condensation of 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol, ethylenediamine and dien, having "salen"- and "saldien"-like metal-binding sites sharing the phenolic entities. The Fe resides in the "salen" site and the Pb in the "saldien" site: the Fe· · ·Pb intermetallic separation is 3.438(2) A. The Fe assumes a square-pyramidal geometry with an isothiocyanate nitrogen at the apex. The Pb has a seven-coordinate geometry with a dmf oxygen and a perchlorate oxygen at the axial sites. Complex 1 reacts with molecular dioxygen to give a µ-oxo complex [{FePb(L1)(NCS)(dmf)(ClO4)}2(O)]. A similar reaction of chloro[bis(3-formyl-5-methylsalicylidene)ethylenediaminato]iron(III) with dien in the presence of PbII formed a mononuclear FeIII complex [Fe(H2L2)(NCS)][ClO4]2·dmf 2, where H2L2 is a macrocycle derived from the [2∶2] condensation of 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol and dien. The Fe resides in one "saldien" site and assumes an octahedral geometry with an isothiocyanate nitrogen in one apical position. Another metal-binding site formed with dien shows unusual condensation; one primary amino group of the dien condenses with one formyl group to form an usual CN linkage and the remaining primary and secondary amino groups of the dien condense with another formyl group to form a five-membered imidazoline ring.


There are only four lidar stations in the world which have almost continuously performed observations of the stratospheric aerosol layer (SAL) state over the last 30 years. The longest time series of the SAL lidar measurements have been accumulated at the Mauna Loa Observatory (Hawaii) since 1973, the NASA Langley Research Center (Hampton, Virginia) since 1974, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) since 1976. The fourth lidar station we present started to perform routine observations of the SAL parameters in Tomsk (56.48° N, 85.05° E, Western Siberia, Russia) in 1986. In this paper, we mainly focus on and discuss the stratospheric background period from 2000 to 2005 and the causes of the SAL perturbations over Tomsk in the 2006–2015 period. During the last decade, volcanic aerosol plumes from tropical Mt. Manam, Soufriere Hills, Rabaul, Merapi, Nabro, and Kelut and extratropical (northern) Mt. Okmok, Kasatochi, Redoubt, Sarychev Peak, Eyjafjallajokull, and Grimsvotn were detected in the stratosphere over Tomsk. When it was possible, we used the NOAA HYSPLIT trajectory model to assign aerosol layers observed over Tomsk to the corresponding volcanic eruptions. The trajectory analysis highlighted some surprising results. For example, in the cases of the Okmok, Kasatochi, and Eyjafjallajokull eruptions, the HYSPLIT air mass backward trajectories, started from altitudes of aerosol layers detected over Tomsk with a lidar, passed over these volcanoes on their eruption days at altitudes higher than the maximum plume altitudes given by the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program. An explanation of these facts is suggested. The role of both tropical and northern volcanic eruptions in volcanogenic aerosol loading of the midlatitude stratosphere is also discussed. In addition to volcanoes, we considered other possible causes of the SAL perturbations over Tomsk, i.e., the polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) events and smoke plumes from strong forest fires. At least two PSC events were detected in 1995 and 2007. We also make an assumption that the Kelut volcanic eruption (Indonesia, February 2014) could be the cause of the SAL perturbations over Tomsk during the first quarter of 2015.


ABSTRACT This article aims to provide an overview of some of the more important developments in the bioarchaeology of childhood over the past decade. Analysis of publication trends in the major osteoarchaeology and physical anthropology journals demonstrated a rise in research papers dealing with skeletal remains of children, with dietary and palaeopathological studies especially predominant. Innovations in these areas are discussed in more detail, together with some important developments in theoretical frameworks for using skeletal evidence to situate children in past societies. Among these latter is the life course approach, in which childhood is considered within the context of the trajectory of the entire life course. The integration of studies of child skeletal remains with those of adults helps to provide a more complete picture of communities in the past.


The present investigation deals with the quantification of fluid oscillation frequencies in a metallic pulsating heat pipe tested at varying heat loads and orientations. The aim is to design a robust technique for the study of the inner fluid dynamics without adopting typical experimental solutions, such as direct fluid visualizations through transparent inserts. The studied device is made of copper, and it is partially filled with a water–ethanol mixture (20 wt.% of ethanol). Heat fluxes locally exchanged between the working fluid and the device walls are first assessed through the inverse heat conduction problem resolution approach by processing outer wall temperature distributions acquired by thermography. The estimated local heat transfer quantities are therefore processed to quantify the fluid oscillatory behavior in every device branch during the intermittent flow and full activation regimes, thus providing a deeper insight into the heat transfer modes. After dealing with a further validation of the inverse approach in terms of oscillation frequency restoration capability, the wall-to-fluid heat fluxes referred to each channel are processed by means of the wavelet method. Scalograms and power spectra of the considered signals are presented for a time-based analysis of the working fluid oscillations, as well as for the identification of dominant oscillation frequencies. Fluid motion is then quantified in terms of the continuity of fluid oscillations and activity of channels by applying a scalogram denoising technique named K-means clustering method. Moreover, a statistical reduction of the channel-wise dominant oscillation frequencies is performed to provide useful references for the interpretation of the overall oscillatory behavior. The link between oscillations and transverse interactions is finally investigated. The vertical bottom-heated mode exhibits stronger fluid oscillations with respect to the horizontal mode, with fluid oscillation frequencies ranging from 0.78 up to 1 Hz. Nonetheless, the fluid motion is more stable in terms of oscillation frequency between channels when the device operates in the horizontal orientation probably due to negligible buoyancy effects. Moreover, thermal interactions between adjacent channels are found to be stronger when the oscillatory behavior presents similar features from channel to channel in horizontal orientation. The proposed method for fluid oscillation analyses in fully metallic flat-plate pulsating heat pipes can be effectively adopted to other flat-plate layouts without any need for transparent windows, thus reducing the overall complexity of experimental set-ups and providing, at the same time, a good insight into the inner fluid dynamics.


This paper is a review of methods and techniques used for precise measurement of time intervals (TIs) or precise conversion of TIs to digital data. The following methods are described: the counter method and averaging, time stretching, time-to-amplitude conversion followed by analogue-to-digital conversion, the Vernier method, conversion utilizing tapped delay lines, and interpolation methods. Special attention has been paid to converters utilizing integrated delay lines for digital conversion of TIs, including designs with phase-locked loop and delay-locked loop circuits. This review is illustrated by design examples and contains a comprehensive list of references.


The year 2020 was plagued by a global health pandemic. COVID-19 and the coronavirus threatened individuals, industries, and institutions around the world. Millions of people around the world have been negatively impacted and affected in the wake of this health crisis. This crisis touched every aspect of human life and human interaction, creating a climate unlike any other experienced. One of the many institutions negatively impacted by COVID-19 were America's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). As a result of the pandemic, HBCU leaders have had to reimagine what the historically black college experience can and should be on their campus. Reimaging the HBCU experience is not an easy or enviable endeavor. HBCUs have long been a conduit, a driving force for socioeconomic and sociocultural advancement. However, reimagining is necessary if HBCUs are to remain true to this calling. As a collective group, to survive COVID-19's effects and thrive beyond 2020, HBCUs will have to reimagine themselves and their direction. The author provides a cursory view of how HBCU leadership can utilize this book as a tool for reimagining their campus, college, and community connection.


Natural compounds are known to possess protective effects against the genotoxicity of drugs and chemicals. Green tea is the most widely used beverage in the world, contains bioactive compounds. Hydrocortisone is a corticosteroid hormonal drug widely used for treatment of a variety of inflammatory, asthma, allergic and immune diseases. The widespread use of this drug is of great concern to human health problems. Therefore, the genotoxic potential of hydrocortisone was evaluated using different mutagenic endpoints including sister chromatid exchanges (SCE′s) in bone marrow cells and chromosomal aberrations in mouse spermatocytes. The modulatory effect of the methanol extract of green tea (MEGT) was also studied. Hydrocortisone was given intraperitoneally (i.p) at three doses 26, 39 and 52 mg/kg b.w. MEGT was given orally at dose 390 mg/kg. Mice were simultaneously treated with hydrocortisone and MEGT in single treatment and repeated treatment. The results showed that all doses of hydrocortisone induced significant increase in the frequency of SCE′s with a dose dependent manner. Both Single and repeated treatment of hydrocortisone induced a statistically significant in the incidence of chromosomal aberration in mouse spermatocytes excepting  the dose 26 mg∕ kg b.wt in single treatment regimen. These findings suggested that hydrocortisone has genotoxic activity in bone marrow and spermatocytes. On the other hand, MEGT suppressed the frequency of SCE′s and chromosomal aberrations induced by hydrocortisone however such suppression was not reached to the normal control values.


Noxious stimuli or injury can trigger long-lasting sensitization to non-nociceptive stimuli (referred to as allodynia in mammals). Long-term potentiation (LTP) of nociceptive synapses has been shown to contribute to nociceptive sensitization (hyperalgesia) and there is even evidence of heterosynaptic spread of LTP contributing to this type of sensitization. However, it is not clear whether activation of nociceptors elicits heterosynaptic LTP (hetLTP) in non-nociceptive synapses. Previous studies in the medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana) have demonstrated that high frequency stimulation (HFS) of nociceptors produce both homosynaptic LTP as well as hetLTP in non-nociceptive afferent synapses. This hetLTP involves endocannabinoid-mediated disinhibition of non-nociceptive synapses at the presynaptic level, but it is not clear if there are additional processes contributing to this synaptic potentiation. In this study, we found evidence for the involvement of postsynaptic level change and observed that postsynaptic NMDA receptors (NMDAR) were found to be required for this potentiation. Next Hirudo orthologues for known LTP signaling proteins, CamKII and PKCζ, were identified based on sequences from humans, mice, and the marine mollusk Aplysia. In electrophysiological experiments, inhibitors of CamKII (AIP) and PKCζ (ZIP) were found to interfere with hetLTP. Interestingly, CamKII was found to be necessary for both induction and maintenance of hetLTP, while PKCζ was only necessary for maintenance. These findings show activation of nociceptors can elicit a potentiation of non-nociceptive synapses through a process that involves both endocannabinoid-mediated disinhibition and NMDAR-initiated signaling pathways.


Background People with personality disorder experience long waiting times for access to psychological treatments, resulting from a limited availability of long-term psychotherapies and a paucity of evidence-based brief interventions. Mentalisation-based treatment (MBT) is an efficacious therapeutic modality for personality disorder, but little is known about its viability as a short-term treatment. Aims We aimed to evaluate mental health, client satisfaction and psychological functioning outcomes before and after a 10-week group MBT programme as part of a stepped-care out-patient personality disorder service. Method We examined routinely collected pre–post treatment outcomes from 176 individuals (73% female) aged 20–63 years, attending a dedicated out-patient personality disorder service, who completed MBT treatment. Participants completed assessments examining mentalising capacity, client satisfaction, emotional reactivity, psychiatric symptom distress and social functioning. Results Post-MBT outcomes suggested increased mentalising capacity (mean difference 5.1, 95% CI 3.4–6.8, P < 0.001) and increased client satisfaction with care (mean difference 4.3, 95% CI 3.3–5.2, P < 0.001). Post-MBT emotional reactivity (mean difference −6.3, 95% CI −8.4 to −4.3, P < 0.001), psychiatric symptom distress (mean difference −5.2, 95% CI −6.8 to −3.7, P < 0.001) and impaired social functioning (mean difference −0.7, 95% CI −1.2 to −0.3, P = 0.002) were significantly lower than pre-treatment. Improved mentalising capacity predicted improvements in emotional reactivity (β = −0.56, P < 0.001) and social functioning (β = −0.35, P < 0.001). Conclusions Short-term MBT as a low-intensity treatment for personality disorder was associated with positive pre–post treatment changes in social and psychological functioning. MBT as deployed in this out-patient service expands access to personality disorder treatment.


Metastatic prostatic carcinoma to the scalp, simulating a large sebaceous cyst, occurred in a 60-year-old man. Review of the literature reveals only two previous reports. Although cutaneous metastases of carcinoma of the prostate are of relatively infrequent occurrence, it is well to emphasize that such metastases may be limited to the scalp, and a diagnosis established by its recognition and a cutaneous biopsy.


At the start of the 1993/4 season the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and the Professional Footballers' Association launched the 'Let's Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign which subsequently gained the support of the Football Association, the FA Premier, the Endsleigh League and the Football Trust (CRE/PFA, 1994). That campaign led to discussions between the Rugby Football League (RFL), Leeds City Council and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) with a view to taking action to address racism in rugby league. Some sports though have become renowned as being sites for racialist confrontations, most notably football, as recorded in Hill's (1989) account of John Barnes' experiences and Holland's (1994) work on the terraces at Newcastle, Leeds and Bolton. General impressions suggested that the position in rugby league was not as bad as in football, but racist abuse and occasional incidents of banana throwing and monkey chants have all been recorded at rugby league matches. Concern about racism at matches has also been expressed recently in the letters pages of the rugby league press and players have talked about their own experiences on television. Since we live in a racist society it would be remarkable if there was no evidence of racism in sport. Nonetheless, as the National Governing Body of the sport, the RFL recognised that this was not a reason for taking no action if it were demonstrated that there are cases of racism in rugby league. However, before embarking on direct action it was decided that information was needed on the nature and extent of racism within the game. To that end Leeds Metropolitan University was asked to survey attitudes and it was agreed that this investigation should have three main components: a) the attitudes of the clubs b) the attitudes of (black and white) players c) the attitudes of spectators At this stage we have been concerned only with the professional game, thoug


PURPOSE
Clinical workflow and machine down time occasionally require patients to be temporarily treated on a system other than the initial treatment machine. A new commercial dose mimicking application provides automated cross-platform treatment planning to expedite this clinical flexibility. The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of automatic plan creation and establish a robust clinical workflow for prostate and pelvis patients.

METHODS
Five prostate and five pelvis patients treated with helical plans were selected for re-planning with the dose mimicking application, covering both simple and complex scenarios. Two-arc VMAT and 7- and 9-field IMRT plans were generated for each case, with the objective function of achieving similar dose volume histogram from the initial helical plans. Dosimetric comparisons include target volumes and organs at risk (OARs) (rectum, bladder, small bowel, femoral heads, etc.). Dose mimicked plans were evaluated by a radiation oncologist, and patient-specific QAs were performed to validate delivery.

RESULTS
Overall plan generation and transfer required around 30 minutes of dosimetrist's time once the dose-mimicking protocol is setup for each site. The resulting VMAT and 7- and 9-field IMRT plans achieved equivalent PTV coverage and homogeneity (D99/DRx = 97.3%, 97.2%, 97.2% and HI = 6.0, 5.8, and 5.9, respectively), compared to helical plans (97.6% and 4.6). The OAR dose discrepancies were up to 6% in rectum Dmean, but generally lower in bladder, femoral heads, bowel and penile bulb. In the context of 1-5 fractions, the radiation oncologist evaluated the dosimetric changes as not clinically significant. All delivery QAs achieved >90% pass with a 3%/3mm gamma criteria.

CONCLUSION
The automated dose-mimicking workflow offers a strategy to avoid missing treatment fractions due to machine down time with non-clinically significant changes in dosimetry. Future work will further optimize dose mimicking plans and investigate other cross-platform treatment delivery options.


Abstract Assessment tools are needed to evaluate agronomic management effects on critical soil functions such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and water partitioning. These tools need to be flexible in terms of selection of soil functions to be assessed and indicators to be measured to ensure that assessments are appropriate for the management goals. The soil management assessment framework (SMAF) is being developed to meet this need. The SMAF uses soil physical, chemical and biological indicator data to assess management effects on soil function using a three-step process for (1) indicator selection, (2) indicator interpretation and (3) integration into an index. While SMAF is functional in its present format, it is intended to be malleable so that user needs can be met. Development of additional indicator interpretation scoring curves is one way that this framework can be expanded. Scoring curve development is a multi-step process of identifying an indicator, determining the nature of the relationship of the indicator to a soil function, programming an algorithm and/or logic statements describing that relationship and validating the resulting scoring curve. This paper describes the steps involved in developing an SMAF scoring curve. Scoring curves for interpreting water-filled pore space (WFPS) and Mehlich extractable potassium (K) were developed using the described protocol. This protocol will assist users of the SMAF in understanding how the existing scoring curves were developed and others interested in developing scoring curves for indicators that are not in the current version.


Buikema proposes new coalitions between
various traditions of textual analysis in order
to delve deeper into the connections between
art, culture and diversity. In this context, diversity
not so much refers to a politically correct
concept that pays lip service to the experiences
of women, migrants, blacks and other
politically, socially and culturally marginalised
people, but rather to the consequence of
the fundamental singularity of visual and
discursive works of art. Buikema underlines
the political and aesthetic merits of in-depth
intertextual analysis by way of a thorough discussion
of two great literary works, published
in a period of political transition in South
Africa: Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee and Agaat by
Marlene Van Niekerk.


With the help of the methods developed in our previous article [Schmitz, to appear in Annales de l'I.H.P., in press], we highlight condition $(T)$ as a source of new examples of 'ballistic' diffusions in a random environment when $d>1$ ('ballistic' means that a strong law of large numbers with non-vanishing limiting velocity holds). In particular we are able to treat the case of non-constant diffusion coefficients, a feature that causes problems. Further we recover the ballistic character of two important classes of diffusions in a random environment by simply checking condition $(T)$. This not only points out to the broad range of examples where condition $(T)$ can be checked, but also fortifies our belief that condition $(T)$ is a natural contender for the characterisation of ballistic diffusions in a random environment when $d>1$.


How can one talk responsibly and theologically about the biblical canon's unity in a pluralist age? In this article I explore a number of ways in which theological practice both appeals to and constructs the canon's unity. The argument of section one addresses biblical, not canonical, unity. I distinguish between the Bible as a given text composed of multivalent layers, individual texts, genres, and a plurality of content; and the canon as a theological concept, which is analytic with unity. The theological arguments of sections two and three situate the theological construction of the canon's unity in view of biblical multivalence. Some theological issues are at stake in this relation. Biblical multivalence opens up theological, philosophical, and ethical questions concerning how different proposals of the canon's unity can coexist, while each making claims to truth. Truth criteria—for example, coherence and comprehensiveness—can be worked out in order to determine the validity and viability of different theological proposals. A proposal must also be evaluated on the basis of its adequacy to contemporary concerns. The complex process of forming theological judgments about the canon's unity contextualizes the selection of one proposal of unity, among others, in a particular matrix of contemporary concerns. Hence, the unity of the canon is anticipatory in view of the process of articulating theological judgments in various contexts. I conclude by proposing that unity and multivalence can be grasped together in the intersubjective orientation to truth that takes place in trust, established by the Holy Spirit.


The concept of reflection is central to theories of experiential learning common in the field of adult education. In this article, we expand upon the work of Michelson on the dualistic split between experience and knowing inherent in the field's most common conceptualizations of reflection. We develop alternative approaches to reflection drawing from feminist standpoint theory and theories of embodied knowing. We identify and discuss how each alternative approach points to different positioning of the concept of reflection in experiential learning. We highlight how the alternative positioning of reflection in experiential learning relates to adult education practice through narrative building and the recognition of prior learning. We also identify what we believe are implications of our reconceptualization of reflection for theories of adult learning.


Systematic back analyses of cross sections through landslipped slopes in Barton Clay have been carried out, based on the both published (cross sections) and unpublished (piezometer) data. The results of these support earlier (Barton, 1973) rather than later (Barton and Garvey, 2011) interpretations. Ring shear tests on clay samples from these landslides show braod agreement with the back analyses.

Further back analyses on landslide elements at Herne Bay in the London Clay throw additional light on the behaviour of landslides there. The remaining coastal landslide case histories in London Clay are reviewed.

The body of case records compiled by James (1970) for infrastructure (railway) cutting failures in London Clay is reviewed, with new back analyses. These show clearly the deficiencies in that set of analyses on which several important papers were based. Further reinterpretation and analysis goes some way to resolving questions arising from the review.

It is concluded that the back analysis technique is a useful one, and when applied correctly provides excellent general agreement with equally careful laboratory testing for extracting the shear strength parameters for a week bed forming the bedding-controlled basal shear of a compound landslide is presented and used.

The analyses and tests are supported by a review of publoshed residual strength properties for British clays.


Purpose: This study was done to identify effects of lumbar curve support on back pain and comfort during bed rest after transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). Method: A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group was used. All patients were diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia and underwent TURP. Twenty participants were assigned to the experimental group and twenty to the control group. After TURP, the lumbar curve of patients in the experimental group was supported using gel pads for 6 hours while the control group received the usual care with the both leg straight. The intensity of back pain and comfort levels were assessed on immediate return to the unit and for six hours following TURP. Bleeding complications were detected from hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. Results: Support of lumbar curve was found to be significantly effective in reducing back pain. the need for analgesics was significantly less in the experimental group. Comfort levels were not significantly different between the two groups. There were no bleeding complications in either group. Conclusion: These results suggest that supporting of lumbar curve ameliorates back pain without causing an increased incidence of bleeding complications after TURP and this nursing intervention should help TURP patients to be more comfortable.


The Social Interest Scale (SIS) and measures of religiosity, Word-Spirit orientation and ethical style were administered to 127 Christian college students to ascertain differences between those who were more conservative in their doctrinal beliefs and behavioral attitudes and those who were less conservative, between those who had a Word-oriented, Christian style and those who were Spirit-oriented, and among those whose ethical style was either Situational, Absolutistic, Subjectivistic or Exceptionistic, Results indicate that those students with more conservative doctrinal and behavioral beliefs tend to have higher SIS scores than these who are less conservative. Spirit-oriented Christians have higher SIS scores than Word-oriented Christians. Subjectivistic students tend to have the lowest SIS scores among the four ethical style positions. No sex difference is found. Implications for studying social interest among religious subjects are discussed along with ideas for further research.


This paper draws upon insights from rhetorical and discursive psychology in order to attend to a particular dimension of the public debate in Britain surrounding the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. It is concerned with discourse regarding the relevance of 'anti-Americanism', and the difficulty that circulation of such an accusation fostered for critics of the war. It uses examples drawn from British national press coverage, and the content of parliamentary debates, to describe some of the main responses made by critics of the war to the possibility that their arguments could be undermined if described as anti-American. The three techniques identified are the display of 'pro-American credentials', the discursive separation of the American government and its people, and the differentiation of the self from more extreme elements who are nevertheless on the same side. By focusing upon such responses, the paper attends to a gap in existing literature concerned with the alleged inhibiting effect that accusations of 'anti-Americanism' can have upon dissent, and argues that things are more complex than is often understood by accounts which stress how dissent is decided or regulated.


In May 2003 differences in milk fat composition in two main dairy breeds in the Czech Republic, Czech Pied cattle and Holstein cattle, were studied in two uniform groups, each containing eight cows. The groups were housed together and received the same daily diet. Fatty acids were determined in mean milk samples from the individual cows as their methyl esters using a gas chromatography procedure. The groups of the fatty acids, namely saturated (SAFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) ones, were examined together with the individual acids. The milk fat of Czech Pied cattle was found to contain significantly less SAFAs than the fat of Holstein cows (60.78 and 63.62% of total acids; P < 0.05). Determined mean MUFA contents (27.64 and 25.76%) and total levels (34.31 and 32.11%) of all the unsaturated acids (MUFAs and PUFAs) were insignificantly elevated in the milk fat of Czech Pied cattle. The contents of the most of the individual fatty acids did not differ considerably between the breeds. In Holstein cows, significantly higher contents (P < 0.05) of capric acid (C 10:0 ) and stearic acid (C 18:0 ) 3.30 and 4.45%, respectively, as compared with 2.69 and 2.61% for Czech Pied cows, were observed. The milk fat of Czech Pied cows had significantly higher contents of oleic acid (C 18:1 ) 23.60% (P < 0.05) and of an isomer of octadecatrienic acid (C 18:3n4 ) 0.16% (P < 0.001) as compared with 21.68 and 0.10%, respectively, in the fat of Holstein cows.


The boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary epochs has now been firmly linked to a large impact structure centered on Chicxulub in Yucatan. This crater has an age of 65.0 ± 0.1 million years. Macro-fossils such as ammonites, and footprints of dinosaurs, are found up to centimeters_ below (but not above!) the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary. It is not yet certain whether the Chicxulub crater was produced by a comet or by an asteroid. However, data on the crater diamter and K/T iridium abundance slightly favor a cometary origin. The causes of the other major extinctions in the geological record, such as those between the Permian and Triassic (P/TR) and between the Triassic and Jurassic (TR/J) remain in doubt. Explosions of nearby supernovae occur too rarely to account for the frequency of major extinctions in the ~600 million year geological record of the Phanerzoic.


Two in vitro transcripts, one corresponding to the 5' and central domains (residues 1-920) of 16S rRNA and the other corresponding to its 3' domain (residues 922-1542), assemble efficiently in trans with 30S ribosomal proteins to form a compact ribonucleoprotein particle that cosediments with natural 30S subunits. Isolated particles are similar in appearance to natural 30S subunits with electron microscopy and contain a full complement of the small subunit ribosomal proteins. The particles have a reduced ability to bind tRNA (attributable to the location of the discontinuity in a conserved region of the rRNA) near features that have been implicated in tRNA binding. Association of these two halves of 16S rRNA in trans must be stabilized by either previously unidentified RNA-RNA contacts or interactions mediated by ribosomal proteins because there are no known direct interactions between them. The trans construct was used to probe the three-dimensional RNA neighborhood around position 922 of 16S rRNA by generating hydroxyl radicals from Fe(II) tethered to the 5' end of the 3' transcript. Hydroxyl radical-induced cuts in the 16S rRNA chain were localized by primer extension to nucleotides 923-929 and 1192-1198, providing evidence for the mutual proximity of the 920 and 1192 regions.


The paper refers to EFMI's initiatives to develop an international cooperation with different regional groups of IMIA. More details are presented about the successful project "TrEHRT - Traveler's Electronic Health Record Template". Its potential applicability, compact structure and functional simplicity turned this product into a template capable to become an international standard, using mobile phones.


The transparent quartz glass window of a high temperature solar receiver (1000°C air outlet temperature, 15bars) has to be protected from overheating. The window is an axially symmetric part that can be approximated by a hemisphere with a cylindrical extension (diameter 0.31m height 0.42m
0.42m). The cooling is accomplished by impinging several air jets onto the concave window surface. Due to concentrated solar radiation, the air supply nozzles can only be installed at the circumference of the cylindrical extension. Symmetric configurations with six or nine nozzles, equally distributed around the window circumference, are examined. A second configuration generates a swirl in the window cavity by inclining the nozzles. In a third, asymmetric configuration, only nozzles on one side are simultaneously charged with mass flow, while a spatial homogenization of heat transfer is reached by periodically modulating the air flows with time. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations and laboratory measurements of the heat transfer have been carried out. In the performed 3-D simulations, the realizable k-e model, the k-ω model, and the SST-k-ω model are compared. For measuring the heat transfer coefficient, a periodic-transient measurement technique with high spatial resolution is used. For the application of cooling of the solar receiver window, the jet cooling system with periodically modulated air flows is identified as the best solution.


In many circumstances, it may be of interest to discover whether two or more regression lines are the same. Regression lines may differ in three properties, viz., in residual variance, in slope, and in elevation; all of which can be tested using analysis of covariance. If there are no significant differences between regression lines, an investigator may which to combine the data from different studies and fit a single regression line to the whole of the data.


We discovered that an Au(III)-DNA coordinate complex, Au(III)(DNA-base)2(amine)l, are formed by laser ablation of Au nanoparticles in an aqueous solution containing DNA molecules in the presence of amines and multi-valent cations, where l represents an unknown ligand (either amine or water). Optical absorption spectrum of the solution after laser ablation exhibited a 360 nm absorption peak assigned to ligand→Au(III) charge transfer (LMCT) band of the coordinate complex. The complex is considered to be formed as follows: 1) the DNA molecules are neutralized by binding the multi-valent cations to their negatively charged phosphate groups, and adsorbed on the surface of the Au nanoparticles by a hydrophobic interaction, 2) Au(III) ions are liberated from the Au nanoparticles by laser ablation, and 3) an Au(III) ion reacts with amine and two DNA bases of a DNA molecule into an Au(III)(DNA-base)2(amine)l.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the frequency and severity of prescriptions errors with potentially dangerous drugs (heparin and potassium chloride for injection concentrate) before and after the introduction of a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system.

METHODS
This is a retrospective study that compared errors in manual/pre-typed prescriptions in 2007 (Stage 1) with CPOE prescriptions in 2014 (Stage 2) (Total = 1,028 prescriptions), in two high-complexity hospitals of Belo Horizonte, Brasil.

RESULTS
An increase of 25% in the frequency of errors in Hospital 1 was observed after the intervention (p<0.001). In contrast, a decreased error frequency of 85% was observed in Hospital 2 (p<0.001). Regarding potassium chloride, the error rate remained unchanged in Hospital 1 (p>0.05). In Hospital 2, a significant decrease was recorded in Stage 2 (p<0.001). A reduced error severity with heparin (p<0.001) was noted, while potassium chloride-related prescription severity remain unchanged (p> 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The frequency and severity of medication errors after the introduction of CPOE was affected differently in the two hospitals, which shows a need for thorough observation when the prescription system is modified. Control of new potential errors introduced and their causes for the adoption of measures to prevent these events must be in place during and after the implementation of this technology.


The problem of influence of redox potential of water on human blood is considered and some of research results in this area are given. Results of clinical experiments indicate a positive therapeutic effect of water consumption with the negative value of the redox potential. However, the influence of salt content of such water on the human body isn't analyzed. Distilled, tap and natural mineral medical-table water «Polyana Kvasova» (Ukraine) are analyzed. Distilled water doesn't have drinking water properties. The value of the total salt content of «Polyana Kvasova» mineral water far exceeds the standard value of allowable salt content in the water. Tap water (Lviv, Ukraine) is characterized by physiological full value of mineral composition. All water samples in accordance with pH value, except distilled water, meet drinking water quality indicators. The value of the redox potential is most favorable to the human body for «Polyana Kvasova» mineral water. The source water saturation with molecular hydrogen and activation in electric activator can reduce its redox potential for negative values. Change of the quality parameters for activated water (catholyte) indicates their non-compliance with drinking water indicators. Quality of hydrogen-saturated water hasn't changed. Water consumption with negative redox potential improves blood condition of the experimenter compared to the reference Consumption of activated water (catholyte) has immunomodulatory effect rather than an antioxidant effect. The powerful antioxidant effect of hydrogen-saturated water is indicated. Blood state close to ideal is observed after consumption of natural mineral medical-table hydrogen-saturated water «Polyana Kvasova». Saturation of water with hydrogen can be considered as a method of improving drinking water quality and, thus, human health.


"DIVINE COMEDY." Robert W. Smith. Senior high school. BelwinlWarner Bros., 1999. $65. T heAscension is the third movement of a fourmovement work based on Dante Alighieri's literary classic of the same name. This movement is in the wind-band style of writing and paints a vivid picture preparing Dante for his journey to Purgatory. Numerous twentiethcentury compositional techniques are present. The piano is a prominent voice, as is the orchestra singing in the middle of the piece. The percussion section is full, including water-filled crystal and bowed vibes. A large percussion section is required, and the brass section must be excellent, with a mature sound. The string parts are in unison or doubling a wind instrument in many places, making them easy to execute. Scale passages through eighth position reveal a very challenging first violin part; however, these passages are also written an octave lower. The second violin and viola part are very rhythmical but technically easier to play. One problem to deal with is the low F,which is not on the instrument, but is written in both string parts. The cello part is to second position and the bass to fourth. This is a brilliant and stirring composition by a composer of this century. It is very charismatic and bold for the right orchestra. (!D


Utopia in classic literature is a place in which community is a value in itself. The individual is tied to a collective that gives him a meaning for his own life and his moral value is based on his participation to the utopian collective. Imaging a utopia in this perspective is a form of moral rebellion, which is possible only foreseeing a better future in a progressive historical timeline. Contemporary societies put in question such assumptions, starting from breaking the social and collective prerequisite. Postmodernity contradicts its salient characteristics: there is no more a space for an absolute common good when society is liquid and focalised on present, every individual is in search of a its own happiness instead of creating a community, short-time has become the timeline of contemporary culture. This paper will describe the utopian dimension of contemporary societies by showing its contradictory feature compared to the classic model, referring to the theories of pragmatic sociology and the rise of project as ontological dimension of contemporary life.


The year was 1945. Hundreds of thousands of Allied troops poured into war-torn Japan and spread throughout the country. The effect of this influx on the local population did not lessen in the years following the war's end. In fact, the presence of foreign servicemen also heightened the visibility of certain others, particularly panpan-streetwalkers-who were objects of their desire. Occupying Power shows how intimate histories and international relations are interconnected in ways scholars have only begun to explore. Sex workers who catered to servicemen were integral to the postwar economic recovery, yet they were nonetheless blamed for increases in venereal disease and charged with diluting the Japanese race by producing mixed-race offspring. In 1956, Japan passed its first national law against prostitution, which produced an unanticipated effect. By ending a centuries-old tradition of sex work regulation, it made sex workers less visible and more vulnerable. This probing history reveals an important but underexplored aspect of the Japanese occupation and its effect on gender and society. It shifts the terms of debate on a number of controversies, including Japan's history of forced sexual slavery, rape accusations against U.S. servicemen, opposition to U.S. overseas bases, and sexual trafficking.


tatus Epilepticus is an additional and life-threatening burden for patients living with epilepsy and their families. Extra precautionary measures attend the use of present medications available to treat the disorder. In this report, a 55-year old woman who presented with recurrent generalised tonic-clonic seizures and loss of consciousness between seizures had her attacks abated with 40mg of intravenously-administered furosemide. Her vital signs remained unperturbed and she regained consciousness in less than 30 minutes of the furosemide administration indicating that there was no evolution to subtle status epilepticus; after which there was post-ictal sleep which lasted about two hours. Also in this report, the mechanism of action of furosemide responsible for its seizure-terminating effects is discussed. The use of furosemide with its therapeutic efficacy, low cost and safety profile may stand to be a welcome addition to the armamentarium available to deal with status epilepticus.


Introduction: Influenza virus has several conserved peptides which have the capacity to be used as suitable candidates for appropriate and stable vaccine production against different types of influenza viruses. One of these peptides is HA2, the hemagglutinin stalk domain which mediates the membrane fusion and is conserved amongst different sub-types of influenza virus. This peptide is a good candidate for participation in vaccine structure to induce immunity and antibody production. The ensued antibody may hamper the membrane fusion and subsequently the virus propagation. Methods: The peptide sequence of HA2 from influenza virus A/Tehran/18/2010 (H1N1) was analyzed using in silico tools in order to evaluate its physicochemical properties and identification of its best immunogenic sites. The confirmed sequence was amplified and cloned into a pET28a vector and the recombinant protein was over-expressed prokaryotically and confirmed by Western blotting. Results: The bioinformatics data showed that HA2 peptide stability and immunogenicity. The generated HA2 construct was confirmed by PCR, endonuclease restriction enzyme analysis and sequencing. The expression of HA2 was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. The results on the cell lysate demonstrated the high expression of HA2 subunit of the influenza virus hemagglutinin. Conclusion: One of the disadvantages of the current flu vaccines is that they cannot produce efficient broad-spectrum cellular and humoral immune responses against all subtypes of the virus due to the genetic variation of the virus. Therefore, such a conserved protein is potentially a good candidate for production of a broad-spectrum vaccine to prevent influenza epidemics and pandemics.


This article presents Polish experience with the design and construction of net‐arch bridges using cold‐bent HD sections in the arch. So far, four road bridges have been built, and they are currently in service. The experience gained and the positive economical footprint is leading to a growth in the popularity of this solution, together with much better recognition of the technology on the market. One of the first net‐arch bridges using cold‐bent HD beams was built in Poland in 2011. The arch has a span of 75 m. The composite deck is constructed from HE sections, which are suspended from the arches. One bridge built recently has a span of 120 m. Several other bridges are at the design or erection phase, in particular, the first railway net‐arch bridge with nine independent decks and a maximum span of 116 m. The aim of this paper is to familiarize the reader with the technical solution developed and present the economic background and, specifically, to focus on the fabrication of cold‐bent HD‐section steel arch structures as a new task in engineering.


Serosurveillance and seroprevalence studies are an essential tool to monitor vaccine-preventable diseases. We have developed a magnetic bead-based pentaplex immunoassay (MIA) for the simultaneous detection of IgG antibodies against diphtheria toxin (DT), tetanus toxin (TT), pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and pertactin (Prn). The in-house pentaplex MIA showed a good correlation with commercial ELISAs with correlation coefficients between 0.89 for PT and 0.98 for TT. Intra- and inter-assay variability was <10%. A total of 670 anonymized serum samples collected in 2012 in Belgian adults (ages 20–29.9 years) were analyzed. Geometric mean concentrations (GMC) were 0.2 (0.13–0.29) IU/mL for DT, 0.63 (0.45–0.82) IU/mL for TT, 3.9 (2.6–5.8) IU/mL for PT, 16.3 (11.7–22.7) IU/mL for FHA and 15.4 (10.1–23.6) IU/mL for Prn. Antibody concentrations were below the protective level of 0.1 IU/mL in 26.4% of the sera for DT and in 8.6% of the sera for TT. Anti-PT IgG concentrations indicative of recent pertussis infection (>125 IU/mL) were detected in 1.2% of the subjects. High anti-PT antibodies were not correlated with high antibodies against any of the four other vaccine antigens. This pentaplex MIA will be used for a new large-scale Belgian serosurveillance/seroprevalence study of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.


This paper reports the toxic properties of nano-TiO2 on 2 different early life stages of Xenopus laevis. Synthesis of nano-TiO2 particles was carried out by the hydrothermal method. Characterization of nanoparticles was performed using spectral techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and a particle-size analyzer. Embryos at the 8th stage and tadpoles at the 46th stage were exposed to 7 concentrations of nano-TiO2 in the range of 5 to 320 ppm. After 96 h of exposure, the mortality percentage of each exposure concentration was calculated and the activity of enzyme biomarkers acetylcholinesterase, carboxylesterase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase were determined in living embryos and tadpoles. None of the tested concentrations of TiO2 caused statistically significant mortality or malformation (only for the embryo test) as compared to the control groups. Furthermore, we did not observe any significant changes in enzyme activities in tadpole samples from the 46th stage, although some minor changes not related to the concentrations were observed in embryos.


Much has been done to give blind people access to text-based information through computers. Unfortunately, the recent development of Windows operating systems and GUIs jeopardize these gains. Spatial information which is becoming more important to the sighted has never been widely available to blind people. Through a combination of gesture input with audio output, the KnowWare system offers blind users a new way to access spatial information. An invisible virtual map is defined on the desktop. When the user touches a feature on the map with the tip of his index finger, the computer tells him what he has touched by means of computer-generated speech or synthesized sound codes. Touching is detected by means of an overhead video camera that looks down at the user's hands as they rest upon the desktop. Specialized processors analyze the image of the user's hands and locate the fingertips. Because KnowWare is an electronic medium, it is possible to instantly zoom in on a particular state or country to examine it in more detail. Similarly, panning and overlays are possible. Twenty blind subjects have tested KnowWare and have been able to use it as well as they do traditional raised-line maps.


The problem which confronted The Philadelphia Electric Company of providing for the control of voltage and power factor of the two 66,000-volt transmission lines connecting its Schuylkill and Chester generating stations is presented in this paper. It is required that the control of voltage and power factor of the transmission lines referred to permit of the transfer of energy in either direction, at suitable power factor, up to the rated kv-a. capacity of the lines, with the generating stations operating at approximately equal bus voltages. The situation is considerably complicated by the necessity for supplying energy to several industrial substations, connected to these lines near the midpoint, which under certain operating conditions are supplied from one of the two lines. Another important factor in the selection of regulating equipment is the severe short-circuit effects possible in a system of which the ultimate capacity of the present three generating stations will be approximately 500,000 kv-a. The comparison made to determine upon the most satisfactory type of regulating equipment and the reasons for the selection of three-phase induction regulators are given. Data on the performance characteristics of the lines, with the induction regulators are included. In the discussion of this problem of voltage and power factor control, certain conclusions of a more or less fundamental character are brought out.


From the strategic point of view, not all Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) are always positively benefiting the host economy, i.e. not all Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are promoting local/host economies. FDI could have different impact on different sectors of the economy, based not only on annual investment amount, but MNE motivations and peculiarities of the host economy in particular. FDI analysis based only on its amount can lead to incorrect decisions, it is much more important to understand the essence of investment. Consequently, our research is oriented on MNE's motivations, answering which sectors are most popular among international investors and why, what motivated them to invest into one or another business. Georgian economy for the last period of time is attracting more and more efficiency seeking investments, which could be translated as concentrating production in a limited number of locations to supply various markets, while benefiting local economy with: new technologies, employment, exports diversification, increased income for the local economy and so on. Foreign investors and MNEs in particular are no longer and not so much interested in the resource seeking investments, which was the case for Georgia in the last decade of XX century. Despite the fact of huge progress for the Georgian economy, still there is a room for foreign investors to make a local market oriented investments. The local market is still rich in imported products, which should be replaced by local ones. And the last but not the least important issue is that approximately 30% of all FDIs in Georgia according to this research are "efficiency seeking" investments, which is an enormous progress and a hope for future Georgian success. Keywords—Investments, MNE, FDI motivations, Georgian economy.


The Earth sciences have a relevant role in building both scientific competences and citizenship skills; nevertheless, in Italian middle and high schools these are prevalently taught with a poorly effective transmissive approach. This work presents the results of a research carried out choosing the soil as a topic and a class of 11-12 years old pupils as target, aimed at exploring the effectiveness of laboratory-based teaching on the acquisition of permanent scientific competences and on the birth of an autonomous way of learning to learn. The teaching approach used well assessed didactic instruments such as the work group, the exercise book and the sharing of observations. The results show that most pupils were able to use the acquired scientific knowledges and skills in different situations and became more aware of their own learning.


Carotid stenting has emerged as an alternative revascularization modality to endarterectomy for the treatment of carotid artery disease. Restenosis of a carotid stent may be occasionally seen. Our experience in intravascular radiation therapy for coronary restenosis has provided us the opportunity to explore this treatment strategy for carotid restenosis. We report our initial experience with brachytherapy for the treatment of restenosis after carotid stenting. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2003;58:86–92. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


ABSTRACT The lung is sensitive to radiation and exhibits several phases of injury, with an initial phase of radiation-induced pneumonitis followed by delayed and irreversible fibrosis. The angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril has been demonstrated to mitigate radiation lung injury and to improve survival in animal models of thoracic irradiation, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we investigated the effect of captopril on early inflammatory events in the lung in female CBA/J mice exposed to thoracic X-ray irradiation of 17–17.9 Gy (0.5–0.745 Gy min–1). For whole-body + thoracic irradiation, mice were exposed to 7.5 Gy (0.6 Gy min–1) total-body 60Co irradiation and 9.5 Gy thoracic irradiation. Captopril was administered orally (110 mg kg–1 day–1) in the drinking water, initiated 4 h through to150 days post-irradiation. Captopril treatment increased survival from thoracic irradiation to 75% at 150 days compared with 0% survival in vehicle-treated animals. Survival was characterized by a significant decrease in radiation-induced pneumonitis and fibrosis. Investigation of early inflammatory events showed that captopril significantly attenuated macrophage accumulation and decreased the synthesis of radiation-induced interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) pro-inflammatory cytokines in the lungs of irradiated mice. Suppression of IL-1β and TNF-α correlated with an increase of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the spleen with captopril treatment. We also found that captopril decreased markers for radiation-induced accelerated senescence in the lung tissue. Our data suggest that suppression of inflammation and senescence markers, combined with an increase of anti-inflammatory factors, are a part of the mechanism for captopril-induced survival in thoracic irradiated mice.


The effects of withholding mixing water at initial batching followed by retempering of the mix at the job-site on the properties of the concrete produced for highway applications was examined in an experimental program. Additionally, the effects of redosage with water above and beyond that called for in the specified mix design was examined. Tests were performed to determine the effects on slump, air content, unit weight, compressive strength, flexural strength, abrasion resistance, and freeze-thaw resistance. The effects of varying the withholding amount, withholding time, and cement content on the fresh and hardened concrete properties mentioned above were examined. The concrete examined was produced at a ready-mixed concrete facility in order to duplicate as closely as possible job-site conditions arising in typical concrete construction. The results of the study show that significant detrimental effects occur when mixing water is withheld and concrete is retempered at a later time. Slump, air content, abrasion resistance, and freeze-thaw resistance are all adversely affected. The effects were found to vary with variations in both withholding time and cement content. The strength was not affected when water was withheld and concrete was retempered, but a reduction in strength accompanied an increase in water-cement ratio above design values at redosage. The properties changed lead to concrete of reduced quality and questionable performance.


Aquaculture, an important source for animal protein utilizes a lot of fishmeal regarded as the best protein source in fish feeds. For making feeds, aquaculture sector alone consumed the equivalent of about 23.8 million metric tons (mmt) of fish or 87% of nonfood fish by 2006. By 2011, the non-food uses of world fisheries were 23.2 mmt out of a total fish production of 154 mmt. The use of fishmeal is therefore substantial; 15.0 mmt being used in 2010. In Nigeria for example, small forage pelagic fish used in fishmeal production contributes 51% of total fish supply. Because most of the conventional plant/animal feed sources are equally in great demand for human consumption, there is an urgent need to examine other products from little researched plants such as moringa ( Moringa oleifera Lam) as alternative source of protein in aquaculture feeds. There is a dearth of information on the use of moringa leaf or seed meals as fish feed ingredients. An extensive search and analyses of published data on moringa and any of its use in aquaculture were therefore carried out. It was reported to be hardy, high yielding and thrive in diverse ecological zones. Its leaves, the kernel and the fat-free kernel meals contain 26.4 %, 36.7 % and 61.4 % of crude protein, respectively. The kernel contains over 40 % of good quality oil comparable to olive oil. The leaves and pods are rich in vitamins and minerals. Moringa leaves are free from anti-nutritional factors except for saponins and phenols. Studies on the use of moringa in fish feed production are few and far between as is discovered in this review. Combination of seed and leaf meals in desired proportion might result in obtaining a plant-based protein source that could favourably replace fishmeal in fish feeds. Hence, this review on available information on M. oleifera used in fish feeds exposes the need for further research. Keywords: Fish feed ingredients, Fishmeal, Alternative protein sources, Moringa oleifera, Antinutritional factors


In wideband cognitive radio (CR) networks, spectrum sensing is one of the key issues that enable the whole network functionality. Collaborative spectrum sensing among the cognitive radio nodes can greatly improve the sensing performance, and is also able to obtain the location information of primary radios (PRs). Most existing work merely studies the cognitive radio networks with static PRs, yet how to deal with the situations for mobile PRs remains less addressed. In this paper, we propose a collaborative compressive sensing based approach to estimate both the power spectrum and locations of the PRs by exploiting the sparsity facts: the relative narrow band nature of the transmitted signals compared with the broad bandwidth of available spectrum and the mobile PRs located sparsely in the operational space. To effectively track mobile PRs, we implement a Kalman filter using the current estimations to update the location information. To handle dynamics in spectrum usage, a dynamic compressive spectrum sensing algorithm is proposed. Joint consideration of the above two techniques is also investigated. Simulation results validate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach.


Background In patients with heart failure, inflammation has been associated with worse functional capacity, but it is uncertain whether it could affect their response to exercise training. We evaluated whether inflammatory biomarkers are related to differential effect of exercise on the peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2) among patients with heart failure. Design Open, parallel group, randomized controlled trial. Methods Patients with heart failure and ejection fraction ≤0.4 were randomized into exercise training or control for 12 weeks. Patients were classified according to: 1) inflammatory biomarkers blood levels, defined as 'low' if both interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha blood levels were below median, and 'high' otherwise; and 2) galectin-3 blood levels, which also reflect pro-fibrotic processes. Results Forty-four participants (50 ± 7 years old, 55% men, 25% ischemic) were allocated to exercise training (n = 28) or control (n = 16). Exercise significantly improved peak V˙O2 among participants with 'low' inflammatory biomarkers (3.5 ± 0.9 vs. −0.7 ± 1.1 ml/kg per min, p = 0.006), as compared with control, but not among those with 'high' inflammatory biomarkers (0.4 ± 0.6 vs. −0.2 ± 0.7 ml/kg per min, p = 0.54, p for interaction = 0.009). Similarly, exercise improved peak V˙O2 among participants with below median (2.4 ± 0.8 vs. −0.3 ± 0.9 ml/kg per min, p = 0.032), but not among those with above median galectin-3 blood levels (0.3 ± 0.7 vs. −0.7 ± 1.0 ml/kg per min, p = 0.41, p for interaction = 0.053). Conclusion In patients with heart failure, levels of biomarkers that reflect pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic processes were associated with differential effect of exercise on functional capacity. Further studies should evaluate whether exercise training can improve clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure and low levels of these biomarkers.


There is an urgent need for the development of novel therapies to treat pancreatic cancer, which is among the most lethal of all cancers. KRAS activating mutations, which are found in >90% of pancreatic adenocarcinomas, drive tumor dependency on the Ras/MAPK and Akt signaling pathways. Radiation is currently being explored as a component of the standard treatment regimen for pancreatic cancer. This study9s purpose was to test the hypothesis that MEK inhibitors will offer clear therapeutic benefit when integrated into radiotherapy treatment regimens for treatment of this disease. We explored the activation of the MAPK and Akt pathways in response to radiation in multiple pancreatic tumor cell lines. Small molecule inhibitors of MEK (PD0325901) and Akt (API-2) were subsequently evaluated for their radiosensitizing potential alone and in combination. In vivo efficacy was tested in subcutaneous MIA-PaCa2 xenografts. Phosphorylated levels of ERK-1/2 and Akt were found to increase in response to radiation treatment in our pancreatic tumor cell line panel. MEK inhibitor-induced radiosensitization was observed in vitro and in vivo. The further addition of an Akt inhibitor to the MEK inhibitor/radiation regimen resulted in enhanced therapeutic gain as determined by increased radiosensitization and tumor cell death. In conclusion, MEK inhibition results in growth arrest, apoptosis, and radiosensitization of multiple preclinical pancreatic tumor models, and the effects can be enhanced by combination with an Akt inhibitor. These results provide rationale for further testing of a treatment regimen in pancreatic cancer that combines MEK inhibition with radiation, optimally in conjunction with Akt inhibition. Citation Format: Terence M. Williams, Athena Flecha, Paul Keller, Ashwin Ram, David Karnak, Brian Ross, Theodore Lawrence, Alnawaz Rehemtulla, Judith Sebolt-Leopold. Co-targeting MAPK and PI3K signaling with concurrent radiotherapy as a strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges; Jun 18-21, 2012; Lake Tahoe, NV. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B43.


The integration of family planning with maternal and child health is found to strengthen the health infrastructure without sacrificing the intended health and family planning output. Some of the arguments in favor of integrating family planning and maternal and child health are greater cost-effectiveness, greater achievement, and making family planning less obtrusive and more socially acceptable. A number of experimental projects have been carried out, but replication has been difficult due to weak health and maternal and child health infrastructures, low morale in personnel, special incentives for unipurpose family planning workers, and family planning worker's unwillingness to undertake other activities. Crucial management issues include 1) the development of a solid information base for decision making, 2) the need to create greater awareness of the staff responsible for success or failure, 3) management training for medical officers and staff, 4) operations research on delivery systems, 5) improved construction management, 6) community involvement and participation, and 7) improved evaluation and monitoring.


The first direct spectroscopic determination of the frequency of the ν1 vibration of H3+ is reported: ω1 = (3178.29 ± 0.1) cm−1. This value was derived from the limits of Rydberg series of H3. Rydberg states of H3 were prepared by using laser excitation of a fast molecular beam and detected by means of H3+ ions formed by autoionization. Vibrational frequencies of H3 were accurately determined for the first time. Perturbations in the Rydberg series and Fano profiles were observed.


A B ST R A C T In this paper, numerical performance analysis of jet compressor's has been carried out using irreversibility characteristics. The various losses that occur in different regions of jet compressor have been quantified and an attempt has been made to increase the efficiency of jet compressor by reducing the losses based on minimization of entropy method. In the present work, new technique has been identified to minimise the momentum difference between the motive and the propelled fluid. This was carried out by forcing the propelled stream using a blower. The geometrical design parameters were obtained by solving the set of governing equations, a CFD package; FLUENT and it has been effectively used to evaluate the optimum entrainment ratio for a given set of operating conditions.


The literature on Mozart's Idomeneo contains many references to short motives, initially presented in the overture and recurring at critical points during the opera itself. While this practice has not been shown to be widespread in eigh-teenth-century opera seria, earlier instances may be found in operas known to Mozart and from whose example he clearly profited, notably Gluck's Alceste and Iphigenie en Aulide. The tendency to orchestrate most or all of the recitative and to elide aria cadences contributes to increasing continuity of musical thought in all these works; the denouements of both Gluck's Iphigenie operas become nearly symphonic.


The metabolism of the repository drug acedapsone (DADDS,4,4'-diacetyldiaminodiphenyl sulfone) was studied in 15 individuals receiving 225 mg of DADDS, intramuscularly for a period of 75 days. Plasma levels of DDS were determined on the 2nd, 7th, 15th, 30th, 60th and 75th day after administration of the drug by spectrophoto-fluorometric technique. The mean peak levels of DDS (85.36 ng/ml) were noticed on 7th day followed by a gradual decrease in DDS concentration. The mean half-life level (44.53 ng/ml) of DDS were observed around the 15th day. The mean DDS level for the entire period of observation after one dose was 41.95 ng/ml. On the 75th day, the DDS level reached the minimum value of 14.76 ng/ml which was still about 5 times more than the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) level of DDS against M. leprae (3 ng/ml). The results are discussed.


n engl j med 373;14 nejm.org october 1, 2015 1375 significance of results, but that would represent a high proportion of patients (almost 40% of the 13 deaths at 90 days in the high-flow–oxygen group). Our results are in keeping with those of recent studies showing benefits of high-flow oxygen.2,3 Another large trial is probably needed to confirm these results, but we believe that they raise questions about the use of noninvasive ventilation. The study by Stéphan et al. mentioned by Shein and Remy is definitely not comparable with ours, given that noninvasive ventilation or high-flow oxygen was applied to resolve or prevent acute respiratory failure in postoperative patients with markedly lower intubation rates and lower mortality than critically ill patients.3 With regard to blood pressure, heart rate, and pH after initiation of noninvasive ventilation or high-flow oxygen, no significant difference was found within the first 12 hours. Sehgal et al. question the duration of invasive ventilation of 8 hours; this does not seem suboptimal according to the literature. Moreover, because half the patients required intubation, the duration of noninvasive ventilation on the day of intubation is probably underestimated. Patients in the noninvasive-ventilation group received high-flow oxygen between sessions of noninvasive ventilation, highlighting the deleterious effects of noninvasive ventilation as compared with the use of high-flow oxygen alone. Thus, it seems unlikely that a longer duration of noninvasive ventilation would improve outcomes. We agree that positive end-expiratory pressure maintained by high-flow oxygen is relatively low.4 However, other potential beneficial effects related to heated humidification and a high flow of fresh gas lead to reductions in respiratory discomfort, dyspnea, and the respiratory rate. Jean-Pierre Frat, M.D.


Glasses with base composition (in mol%) 70TeO2–15GeO2–5K2O–10Bi2O3 were prepared by the melt-quenching method. Er3+/Yb3+-doped and non-doped glass compositions were used as core and cladding, respectively, in the preparation of optical fibers through the sucking method. Infrared emission at 1550 nm and up-conversion emission in the visible range under 980 nm pumping are reported for glasses and optical fibers. A relatively large (Δλ = 91 nm) bandwidth was observed for the Er3+ 1550 nm emission. Up-conversion luminescence was observed and evaluated as a function of pump power at 980 nm. The efficient emission in the visible and infrared ranges makes this optical fiber potentially useful for amplifier and laser applications in photonics.


People of northern Pakistan face health hazards because of poor sanitation practices. Bacterial gastrointestinal infections are very common and sometime outbreaks occur. The present study was aimed at evaluating and analyzing infestation of Salmonella typhi in stools of patients with suspected gastroenteritis and to ascertain the status of antibiotic therapy. Five hundred and eighty five fecal specimens of suspected gastroenteritis, referred by physicians of District Headquarter Hospital Gilgit, were investigated for common enteropathogenic bacteria from July 1997 to September 1999. Twenty one fecal specimens (3.6%) were found to be infected with S. typhi. All the S. typhi strains were sensitive to cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and enoxacin. Thirty eight per cent strains were resistant to two antibiotics (ampicillin and chloramphenicol), 24% strains were resistant to ampicillin only and 38% were sensitive to all used antibiotics. A single 23 Kb plasmid was observed in all the ampicillin and chloramphenicol resistant strains. Escherichia coli C600 were transformed with the isolated plasmids. All the transformants resisted growth in media containing 10 µg /ml ampicillin and 30 µg /ml chloramphenicol, showing that the antibiotic resistance is mediated on plasmid. It is concluded that in northern Pakistan, the S. typhi have developed resistance to ampicillin and chloramphenicol and that the antibiotic resistance is plasmid mediated.


Management of public sector organization (especially government organization) still has many problems in the administration of public service field. It is caused by a good governance which has not been applied yet. In the effort to realize the good governance, the implementation of the principles such as the principle of accountability and transparency is very important. The purpose of this research is to investigate the implementation of the principles contained in the good governance, especially the principles of accountability and transparency in public Health service at IRD RSUD Dr. Saiful Anwar Malang. The method used is a descriptive method with qualitative approach. Techniques for collecting data are by using questionnaires, interviews, observation and study of literature. Through the research which was conducted at IRD RSUD Dr. Saiful Anwar, it is found that some indicators contained in the principles of accountability and transparency have already been well implemented there. Key Words: Public Service, Accountability, Transparency


Multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL), known as Madelung's disease, is characterized by the growth of uncapsulated masses of adipose tissue.1 These abnormal diffuse lipomas grow in different areas of the body, generally in the neck, shoulder, and inguinal areas.2 MSL typically occurs around the neck (buffalo humps), parotid region (hamster cheeks), and cervical region (horse collar).3 The problem is almost entirely cosmetic, but functional problems have been occasionally reported, such as tracheal compression4, difficulty in obtaining clothes that fit, and inability to turn the head from side to side.5


Anthelminthic properties of new series of haloid-containing benzamides have been studied. The anthelminthic activity-structure relationships of the compounds under study has been examined. A number of highly active compounds promising for further investigations have been identified.