Xkr8-Basigin is a phospholipid scramblase at plasma membranes that is activated by kinase or caspase. We investigated its structure at a resolution of 3.8Å. Its membrane-spanning region had a cuboid-like structure stabilized by salt bridges between hydrophilic residues in helices in the lipid layer. The molecule carried phosphatidylcholine in a cleft on the surface that may function as an entry site for phospholipids. Five charged residues placed from top to bottom inside the molecule were essential for providing a path for scrambling phospholipids. A tryptophan residue was present at the extracellular end of the pathway and its mutation made the Xkr8-Basigin complex constitutively active, indicating its function as a gatekeeper. The structure of Xkr8-Basigin provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying phospholipid scrambling.


A case of laryngeal histoplasmosis is reported. This laryngeal mycosis was diagnosed by histological identification of intracellular hyphae of Histoplasma capsulatum. Laryngoscopy revealed edema, erythema and leukoplakia of the righ vocal cord. Itrakonazole treatment was successful. The relevant literature is reviewed.


Purpose To report the clinicopathological findings of a Chinese patient with an unusual phenotype of gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy (GDLD) combined with spheroidal degeneration and to detect molecular defect in the tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (TACSTD2) gene. Methods Extensive physical and ophthalmologic examination of the patient was performed. Initially superficial keratectomy was performed for both eyes. Due to recurrence of the corneal opacity, penetrating keratoplasty for the right eye and deep lamellar keratoplasty for the left eye were performed. The obtained corneal tissues were examined by light microscopy. Molecular genetic analysis consisted of PCR amplification and direct automated sequencing of the complete coding region of TACSTD2. Results Slit-lamp biomicroscopy of the patient revealed bilateral band-like corneal opacities composed of brown-yellow, oily appearing droplets at the first visit. Two years after superficial keratectomy, elevated mulberry-like gelatinous lesions companied with brown-yellow droplets in the superficial cornea in both eyes were found. Histological analysis of corneal tissue revealed subepithelial amorphous deposits stained positively with Congo red, typical of GDLD. Meanwhile, eosinophilic globular deposits with irregular peripheral margins and various sizes, which were characteristics of spheroidal degeneration, were found. Sequencing of TACSTD2 from the patient revealed a novel homozygous missense mutation c.354G>C, leading to amino acid substitution Q118H in the patient. Conclusions This is the first report indicating a new type of gelatinous drop-like corneal dystrophy (GDLD) combined with spheroidal degeneration. Molecular analysis demonstrated a novel mutation in TACSTD2, which may expand the spectrum of mutations in TACSTD2.


The floating point unit in the synergistic processor element of a CELL processor is a fully-pipelined 4-way SIMD unit designed to accelerate media and data streaming. It supports 32-bit single-precision floating point and 16-bit integer operands with two different latencies, optimizing the performance of critical single-precision multiply-add operations. It employs fine-grained clock gating for power saving. Architecture, logic, circuits and integration are co-designed to meet the performance, power, and area goals.


Abstract Background Functional assessment of the future liver remnant (FLR) after major hepatectomy is essential but often difficult in patients with biliary malignancy, owing to obstructive jaundice and portal vein embolization. This study evaluated whether a novel index using gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI (EOB-MRI) could predict posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) after major hepatectomy for biliary malignancy. Methods The remnant hepatocellular uptake index (rHUI) was calculated in patients undergoing EOB-MRI before major hepatectomy for biliary malignancy. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to evaluate the accuracy of rHUI for predicting PHLF grade B or C, according to International Study Group of Liver Surgery criteria. Multivariable logistic regression analyses comprised stepwise selection of parameters, including rHUI and other conventional indices. Results This study included 67 patients. The rHUI accurately predicted PHLF (area under the curve (AUC) 0.896). A cut-off value for rHUI of less than 0.410 predicted all patients who developed grade B or C PHLF. In multivariable analysis, only rHUI was an independent risk factor for grade B or C PHLF (odds ratio 2.0 × 103, 95 per cent c.i. 19.6 to 3.8 × 107; P < 0.001). In patients who underwent preoperative portal vein embolization, rHUI accurately predicted PHLF (AUC 0.885), whereas other conventional indices, such as the plasma disappearance rate of indocyanine green of the FLR and FLR volume, did not. Conclusion The rHUI is potentially a useful predictor of PHLF after major hepatectomy for biliary malignancy.


Abstract Nanocrystalline PbTiO3 in tetragonal form has been successfully prepared via a newly developed environmentally friendly coprecipitation process. The formation process of lead titanate from the PbC2O4·TiO2 precursor was monitored using DTA-TG, XRD, FT-IR, and TEM techniques. XRD showed the phase transition of less stable tetragonal PbO decomposition intermediate to a more stable orthorhombic structure by raising the calcination temperature. For the precursor calcined at 600 °C, only XRD lines characteristic of nanocrystalline tetragonal PbTiO3 are detected. TEM of PbTiO3 nanocrystals showed agglomerates with diameters in the range 85-90 nm. Consistent with the TEM result, the grain size estimated using surface area measurements indicated a high degree of particle agglomeration. FT-IR measurements gave results which are in close agreement with those revealed by XRD technique. The ac conductivity of PbTiO3 depends on the dielectric property. The kinetics of the nonisothermal TG curves for the precursor decomposition was carried out assuming various solid-state-reaction models and applying three different computational methods. The data analysis showed that the presence of TiO2 during oxalate decomposition reaction does not alter the decomposition mechanism; it drastically affects the activation parameter values.


The Đetinja river basin, in Užice, western Serbia, is ungauged. Many torrential floods have occurred there over the past decades. In the city of Užice, there are no rainfall intensity gauges, and it is impossible to provide the data needed to monitor torrential floods or make a timely response, which is a precondition for successful defense from them. An early warning system for torrential floods was designed, with three key elements: measuring devices in the basin and river, a server application and a web-client application. A hydrologic study was made to assess multiple scenarios, focusing on the analysis of real data to determine alarm criteria for oncoming floods. Alarm criteria were proposed, based on analysis of previous floods and measurements. Using the direct relationship between runoff, rainfall depth and intensity, the alarm criteria are based on precipitation and river stage. There are three levels: the first level 'warning', the second 'regular flood defense', and the third 'emergency flood defense'. The earliest possible warning is of great importance, due to the nature and speed of onset of the process. The system plays a key role in active flood control and prevention, by providing the lead time to secure and strengthen the flood defense system, thereby minimizing the adverse impacts of torrential floods.


A case of benign, cystic intrapulmonary teratoma occurring in the right lobe of a 22-year old female is described with grossly and microscopically findings. The connection between the tumor and the segmental bronchus, together with the absence of germ cell neoplasms in other locations, clearly established the true intrapulmonary nature of the lesion. The unusual finding of thymic tissue within the wall supports the possible origin from the third pharyngeal pouch.


This study is based on my observation that high quality markets are indispensable for the healthy growth of a modern economy. Many problems surrounding markets are attributable to the lack of high quality markets. An industrial revolution creates extremely vibrant but unhealthy markets. This study introduces a concept of fairness in dealing and pricing (competitive fairness), which differs from efficiency, and define market quality as a measure for the efficiency of allocation and the fairness of dealing and pricing. This study shows that competitive fairness is achieved by several market mechanisms that I constructed in my previous work.


The classical descriptions of Kundrat (1) and Paltauf (2) differentiated lymphosarcoma from the group which in the older literature had all been called malignant lymphomas. The conception of Sternberg, who reviewed the subject in 1903 and added his own observations, is briefly as follows (3): Lymphosarcoma is a tumor formation starting in a group of lymph nodes and spreading thence to neighboring nodes or follicles. It spreads from region to region without ever exhibiting such general lymphoid involvement as leukemia or pseudoleukemia. Sooner or later it invades the capsule and extends into the surrounding tissue. Metastases differ from those of ordinary neoplasms in that the intervening lymphoid tissues are affected. True metastases, which can be explained only through transfer by way of the blood stream, are rare, and usually isolated. Bloodvessels are seldom invaded by lymphosarcoma, being usually only surrounded and narrowed. The commonest sites of origin are the lymph nodes of the neck, mediastinum, mesenteric and retroperitoneal regions; less frequently the inguinal and axillary nodes. The affected groups form nodular, uneven masses, well limited in the beginning, but later diffusely permeating the surroundings; they are mostly hard, grayish-white, and show a homogeneous cut surface. In general, when a hollow organ is invaded, the growth tends to form a sleeve-like mass about it, usually, however, causing no obstruction, but, on the contrary, tending to widen the lumen. The spleen is rarely attacked and the bone-marrow likewise. Histologically, the tumor is characterized by an irregular reticular framework with lymphoid cells in the meshes; the architecture of the node is lost; follicles and medulla are no longer differentiated, and the capsule and surrounding tissue are diffusely infiltrated with tumor cells so that the separate lymph nodes can neither be distinguished from one another nor from the surrounding tissue. Often the tumors show an alveolar structure. The cells resemble lymphocytes but are larger, have a more lightly staining nucleus, and a scanty, often almost invisible, non-granular cytoplasm. There is no definite alteration of the blood picture.

The eight cases described by Dr. MacCallum (4) fall quite clearly into this group. Of his cases, none of the three which belonged to the intrathoracic type showed metastases in distant organs. The dissemination of the tumor masses conformed strictly to Kundrat's idea of regional distribution. Indeed, in one of these cases, the tumor had penetrated the heart wall and hung in polypoid masses within the heart without metastasizing By the blood stream. Of the five cases in which the intestinal lesion forms the constant feature, two showed single metastatic nodules in the liver and another had metastases in the liver, thymus, bone-marrow, and kidneys; but these, from the description, seem to have been more like infiltrations, using the framework of the organ as their support, rather than metastatic nodules. The structure of the tumors and the characteristics of the cells, as well as the pathological anatomy in Dr. MacCallum's cases, agree quite closely with Sternberg's description of the Kundrat-Paltauf lymphosarcoma.


The aim of this study was to develop primer pairs for Diplodia seriata identification, one of the most common fungal species associated with grapevine decline in Castilla y León (Spain). Genetic variability of selected isolates of D. seriata was estimated. A molecular marker was generated from a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragment. PCR products of around 1200 bp were obtained with OPE20 primer. The PCR products were cloned and sequenced. The sequences were compared and a fragment of 1207 bp was used to design primer pairs. Two primer pairs were selected (DS3.8 S3-DS3.8 R6 and DS3.8 S3-DS3.8 R4) that amplified a single DNA product of 634 bp and 233 bp, respectively, with D. seriata isolates. No amplification was obtained for any of the 57 isolates of other species. The designed SCAR primer pairs allowed a rapid detection of D. seriata, and were able to detect 0.1 pg of the target DNA. Detection was specific and sensitive for D. seriata. The established protocols detected these fungi in naturally infected grapevines after DNA purification. Diplodia seriata was detectable without DNA purification and isolation in 62.5% to 75% of reactions. The detection of this pathogen in wood samples has great potential for use in pathogen-free certification schemes.


Any reader of my first published research on the political participation of Lebanese women can easily detect my vehement opposition to the principle of gender quota and its implementation in Lebanon. As a newcomer to research on women's political empowerment, I lacked in-depth knowledge of the intricacies of the obstacles that faced, and continue to face, Lebanese women who have political aspirations.


Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a type of cells similar to embryonic stem cells but produced by reprogramed somatic cells. Through in vitro differentiation of iPSCs, we can interrogate the evolution history as well as the various characteristics of macrophages. iPSCs derived macrophages are not only a good model for drug screening, but also an important approach for immunotherapy. This review summarizes the advances, challenges, and future directions in the field of iPSCs-derived macrophages.


The current trend of increasing input of terrestrially derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to boreal freshwater systems is causing increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) supersaturation and degassing. Phosphorus (P) is often the most limiting nutrient for bacterial growth and would thus be expected to increase overall mineralization rates and CO2 production. However, high carbon (C) to P ratios of terrestrially derived DOC could also cause elevated cell-specific respiration of the excess C in heterotrophic bacteria. Using data from a survey of 75 Scandinavian lakes along an ecosystem gradient of DOC, we estimated in situ CO2 production rates. These rates showed a unimodal response with DOC-specific CO2 production negatively related to DOC:total phosphorus (TP) ratio, and a turning point at 5 mg C L−1, indicating higher DOC turnover rates in productive than in unproductive lakes. To further assess the dependency of bacterial respiration (BR) on DOC and P, we monitored CO2 production in incubations of water with a gradient of DOC crossed with two levels of inorganic P. Finally, we crossed DOC and P with a temperature gradient to test the temperature dependency of respiration rates [as oxygen (O2) consumption]. While total CO2 production seemed to be unaffected by P additions, respiration rates, and growth yields, as estimated by ribosomal gene copy numbers, suggest increased bacterial growth and decreased cell-specific respiration under non-limited P conditions. Respiration rates showed a sigmoid response to increasing DOC availability reaching a plateau at about 20 mg C L−1 of initial DOC concentrations. In addition to these P and DOC level effects, respiration rates responded in a non-monotonic fashion to temperature with an increase in respiration rates by a factor of 2.6 (±0.2) from 15 to 25°C and a decrease above 30°C. The combined results from the survey and experiments highlight DOC as the major determinant of CO2 production in boreal lakes, with P and temperature as significant modulators of respiration kinetics.


We revisit non-blocking simultaneous multithreading (NB-SMT) introduced previously by Shomron and Weiser (2020). NB-SMT trades accuracy for performance by occasionally"squeezing"more than one thread into a shared multiply-and-accumulate (MAC) unit. However, the method of accommodating more than one thread in a shared MAC unit may contribute noise to the computations, thereby changing the internal statistics of the model. We show that substantial model performance can be recouped by post-training recalibration of the batch normalization layers' running mean and running variance statistics, given the presence of NB-SMT.


In an attempt to improve the results of total removal of arteriovenous aneurysms from the brain the authors have been using an operation microscope and microsurgical technique for the recent 5 years. This permitted to leave the minimal number of clips on the main afferent arteries and large drainage veins of the aneurysm, thus decreasing the risk of the development of gross connective tissue capsules around the silver clips, and of the inherent disorders in the brain function. In 20 patients 2 to 8 clips were left in the brain after surgery. Nineteen patients were discharged from the clinic with improvement, or without any changes in their preoperative neurological symptoms. Two patients died. Rare epyleptic fits were observed only in one patient.


An average of 80 thousand occupational accidents occurs each year in Turkey and 1500 workers are lost their lives. In accordance to "policy of preventive approach", many legal arrangements have been made in Turkey. In this context, weight to issues such as risk assessment and preventive OHS services is given; however, employee training, employee participation, labour inspect, and periodic checks in working areas such as maintenance and audit have not been achieved. The level of implementation of legal arrangements was inadequate. Research was carried out to determine the significance rate of the factors that cause accidents in 5 sectors with the highest number of occupational accidents in Turkey. Questionnaires administered to experienced safety specialists were reviewed by analyzing with the fuzzy TOPSIS method. According to the results, especially in the construction and coal mining sectors and all sectors in general, employee training, employee participation and periodic maintenance in the workplace are more important accident prevention factors than risk assessment and preventive OH & S services. It is seen that for the prevention of accidents, all measures should be implemented by systematic and by a multidisciplinary approach.


W Ozone is becoming more important in the area of disinfection of water and food. In order to determine how much ozone is needed to inactivate microorganisms that contaminate water and food supplies, the mechanisms of ozone toxicity must be understood. In a project in which ozone was used to oxidize an enzyme model, which in some experiments was encapsulated in liposomes, the activity before and after ozonation of the enzyme was recorded to determine how the enzyme affected the enzyme's rate of reaction. The enzyme, D-glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (DG6P dehydrogenase), was studied to determine at what concentration it needed to be, as well as its substrates, NAD+ and D-glucose 6-phosphate. In addition to these parameters, any interfering substances needed to be discovered before any experiments with ozone commenced. One such substance, Triton xlOO, is a detergent that is used to break open the liposome membrane; the other, L-cysteine, is the amino acid that is most reactive with ozone, and thus it is used to terminate the ozone's oxidative attack on the enzyme. These experiments were accomplished with enzyme assays. The conclusions reached were that neither Triton xlOO nor L-cysteine were inhibitive toward DG6P dehydrogenase. Furthermore, the concentration of NAD+ could be as low as 4.5 mM and that of DG6P equalling 3.0 mM so that neither one of these reagents was the limiting factor in the reaction. The enzyme, DG6P dehydrogenase, had a sufficient concentration at 3.0 mM. The enzyme could now be used in experiments involving ozone.


ABSTRACT A simple, effective method of unlabeled, stable gene insertion into bacterial chromosomes has been developed. This utilizes an insertion cassette consisting of an antibiotic resistance gene flanked by dif sites and regions homologous to the chromosomal target locus. dif is the recognition sequence for the native Xer site-specific recombinases responsible for chromosome and plasmid dimer resolution: XerC/XerD in Escherichia coli and RipX/CodV in Bacillus subtilis. Following integration of the insertion cassette into the chromosomal target locus by homologous recombination, these recombinases act to resolve the two directly repeated dif sites to a single site, thus excising the antibiotic resistance gene. Previous approaches have required the inclusion of exogenous site-specific recombinases or transposases in trans; our strategy demonstrates that this is unnecessary, since an effective recombination system is already present in bacteria. The high recombination frequency makes the inclusion of a counter-selectable marker gene unnecessary.


To survive, organisms must respond appropriately to a variety of challenges posed by a dynamic and uncertain environment. The mechanisms underlying such responses can in general be framed as input-output devices which map environment states (inputs) to associated responses (output. In this light, it is appealing to attempt to model these systems using information theory, a well developed mathematical framework to describe input-output systems.
Under the information theoretical perspective, an organism's behavior is fully characterized by the repertoire of its outputs under different environmental conditions. Due to natural selection, it is reasonable to assume this input-output mapping has been fine tuned in such a way as to maximize the organism's fitness. If that is the case, it should be possible to abstract away the mechanistic implementation details and obtain the general principles that lead to fitness under a certain environment. These can then be used inferentially to both generate hypotheses about the underlying implementation as well as predict novel responses under external perturbations.
In this work I use information theory to address the question of how biological systems generate complex outputs using relatively simple mechanisms in a robust manner. In particular, I will examine how communication and distributed processing can lead to emergent phenomena which allow collective systems to respond in a much richer way than a single organism could.


The integrity of kernel code and data is fundamental to the integrity of the computer system. Tampering with the kernel data is an attractive venue for rootkit writers since malicious modifications in the kernel are harder to identify compared to their user-level counterparts. So far however, the pattern followed for tampering is limited to hiding malicious objects in user-space. This involves manipulating a subset of kernel data structures that are related to intercepting user requests or affecting the user's view of the system. Hence, defense techniques are built around detecting such hiding behavior. The contribution of this paper is to demonstrate a new class of stealthy attacks that only exist in kernel space and do not employ any hiding techniques traditionally used by rootkits. These attacks are stealthy because the damage done to the system is not apparent to the user or intrusion detection systems installed on the system and are symbolic of a more systemic problem present throughout the kernel. Our goal in building these attack prototypes was to show that such attacks are not only realistic, but worse; they cannot be detected by the current generation of kernel integrity monitors, without prior knowledge of the attack signature.


In this paper, the benefits of channel-output feedback in the Gaussian interference channel (G-IC) are studied under the effect of additive Gaussian noise. Using a linear deterministic (LD) model, the signal to noise ratios (SNRs) in the feedback links beyond which feedback plays a significant role in terms of increasing the individual rates or the sum-rate are approximated. The relevance of this work lies in the fact that it identifies the feedback SNRs for which in any G-IC, one of the following statements is true: (a) feedback does not enlarge the capacity region; (b) feedback enlarges the capacity region and the sum-rate is greater than the largest sum-rate without feedback; and (c) feedback enlarges the capacity region but no significant improvement is observed in the sum-rate.


Einaudi's contribution to an understanding of pre-1914 Italian economic development has so far been somewhat belittled. A close analysis of his works, together with the contributions of other scholars of the Turin School of economics, reveal a well-structured interpretation of the behavior of the Italian economy during the thirty-year period from the early 1880s up to the First World War. Einaudi examined the phenomenon by starting out from a theoretical apparatus built around a classical-Marshallian vision of economic development and a set of business cycle theories focusing on credit and money. Based on an extensive set of statistical indicators, Einaudi's interpretation is that of an economy which underwent a prolonged period of gradual strengthening, displaying a cyclical tendency defined by roughly twenty-year periods, with a particularly sharp growth spurt between 1898 and 1908 (the so-called «Giolittian growth»). This was made possible by the increase of gold, which had a twofold repercussion: on the one hand, it was among the elements that led to a greater availability of capital on the international level, and on the other, with the constant (but contained) increase in prices, it favoured the activities and expectations of industrialists and traders.


The Ras family GTPase Rheb, a GTP-binding protein, binds specifically to the mTOR catalytic domain and induces activation of the mTOR catalytic function. Furthermore, Rheb is related to a stable modification of the configuration of mTORC1 that increases access of substrates to their binding site on the raptor polypeptide. In the present research, a cDNA of 898 bp for the Litopenaeus vannamei Rheb was cloned via rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique. The complete cDNA sequence of Rheb contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 549 bp, which encoded a protein of 182 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of Rheb shared more than 60% similarity with other identified Rheb proteins. A Ras domain (from P3 to A169) was found in the amino acid sequence of Rheb that can react selectively and non-covalently with GTP. The mRNA transcripts of Rheb were consistently expressed in all the tested tissues, including muscle, gill, hepatopancreas, eyestalk, intestine and stomach. The mRNA expression profiles of Rheb in muscle after the stimulation with rapamycin were promoted, which further proved that Rheb protein could be a feedback regulator to mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, the results of the present study indicated that Rheb played an important role in the regulation of mTOR signaling pathway during the stimulation of dietary restriction, amino acid supplementation and rapamycin stimulation in shrimp.


This book examines four major areas of institutional reform: a) political institutions and the state organization; b) fiscal institutions, such as budget, tax and decentralization institutions; c) public institutions in charge of sectoral economic policies (financial, industrial, and infrastructure); and d) social sector institutions (pensions, social protection, and education). In each of these areas, the authors summarize the reform objectives, describe and measure their scope, assess the main outcomes, and identify the obstacles for implementation, especially those of an institutional nature.


We present the results of 16-s time-scale spectral fits for Cygnus X-1 in the soft state and in the transition state, using a Comptonized blackbody plus an iron line. On these time-scales, we find that that the continuum source flux can vary by factors 2–3 and that the iron-line intensity appears to track these changes well, i.e. the inferred equivalent width of the line remains constant to within the errors. We also find no significant changes in the seed (blackbody) photon temperature, while the properties of the Comptonizing corona clearly do vary, with the spectral hardness and flux generally being correlated. The corona therefore seems to be the overall driver for the rapid time-scale variability observed in the soft and transition states. These results are consistent with the Fourier resolved spectroscopy results of Gilfanov, Churazov & Revnivtsev that indicate the iron line shows rapid flux variations while the blackbody component does not, and suggest that the iron-line flux, in fact, tracks continuum changes down to very short time-scales. We extend this work by showing that not only the variability amplitudes, but also the phases of the iron line and continuum components are identical. We note that the short-time-scale variability properties of the soft and transition states are actually not very different from those of the hard state, suggesting that the corona is the main cause of rapid variability in that state too, and hence that the mechanism responsible for the corona is similar in all three states.


Missakaswal area is located ten kilometers from Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi district of Punjab. Geographically the study area lies between 33° 11' 06" and 33° 11' 18.24" North and from 73° 20' 42" to 73° 21' 00" East. Stratigraphically, it lies in the Upper Indus which is characterized by large numbers of thrust and normal faults producing asymmetrical structures (anticlines/synclines). The paper highlights the 2D structural interpretation and well log integration in order to delineate the subsurface structure and hydrocarbon potential. Two way time structure and depth contour maps have been prepared using surfer software. Time to depth conversion is done using the available stacking velocities. The depth structure map shows high relief anticlinal structure in the subsurface bounded to west and east by reverse faults. According to the petroleum geology, source rock in the study area is Patala Formation of Paleocene age; Chorgali Formation and Sakesar Limestone of Eocene age are acting as reservoir rocks while Murree Formation of Miocene age is acting as a seal. The petrophysical analysis is done to confirm the potential hydrocarbons bearing zone of the well Missakaswal-02. The total thickness of Chorgali Formation encountered in the well is 48 meters, but log data is only available of the starting 25 meters. The lower package of Chorgali Formation is still in production so well log data of this package is not available and as a result, log interpretation has not been carried out at complete package. Log analysis of 8 meters show average volume of shale 34%, average effective porosity 7% with average saturation of water 60%. This makes the Chorgali Formation a potential zone.


Glaucophane schists, hornblende rocks, and eclogites are intimately associated within the Franciscan formation of the Healdsburg quadrangle. Discontinuity of megascopic structures and rapid variation in rock type indicate that the schists have undergone considerable disturbance since formation. However, weak trends conforming to the regional structure of the Franciscan formation can still be discerned in the metamorphic rocks. Most of the metamorphic rocks are derived from basic igneous rocks. The parents of the pumpellyite-Iawsonite-glaucophane schists are dense aphanitic volcanic rocks termed greenstones. The quartz-rich rocks show close chemical affinities with Franciscan cherts and arkosic wackes. Eclogites bearing almandite garnet and acmitic diopside-jadeite are mineralogically atypical with reference to eclogites found elsewhere. It would seem that at one time they were more extensively developed in the area, for several existing rock types appear to have formed from them by retrograde processes. Retrograde products are members of the albite-epidote-amphibolite, greenschist, and glaucophane schist facies. Some members of the first two groups have been subsequently modified by the crystallization of glaucophane. Final products in such rocks are chlorite-glaucophane schists with remnant hornblende, and muscovite-chlorite-glaucophane schists with remnant pyroxene. Conditions accompanying the development of the eclogite are unknown. Although serpentinite is associated with the group, the genesis of the schists and eclogite appears to be unrelated to it. The similarity in chemical composition between the schists and unaltered basaltic rocks and sediments of the formation suggests that the metamorphism was not accompanied by metasomatism.


Purpose: To investigate the effect of curcumin on microcystin-LR (MC-LR)- induced renal oxidative damage in Balb/c mice. Methods: 40 male Balb/c mice were assigned randomly to 4 groups each having 10 mice. One group served as normal (saline treated) while another group was used as curcumin control. The third group was given MC-LR and used as toxin control. The fourth group was pre-treated with curcumin (300 mg/kg body wt) given orally once daily for 14 days before interperitoneal injection (i.p) of MC-LR (75 µg/kg body wt). Biochemical assays including serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urinary glucose, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and catalase (CAT) levels were measured. Renal biochemical tests such as protein carbonyl contents and DNA-protein cross-links, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, glutathione (GSH) and lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) were evaluated. Results: Serum creatinine, BUN, urinary glucose, GGT increased in mice treated with MC-LR, while creatinine clearance decreased compared to controls (p < 0.001), indicating occurrence of tubular damage. There was increased protein carbonyl content and DNA-protein cross-links in the kidney homogenates of these mice. Curcumin administration significantly reversed these effects and attenuated the MC-LR-induced reduction in the activities of CAT, GPH-Px, GSH as well as the MC-LR-induced increases in plasma and kidney lipid hydroperoxide. Conclusion: These results indicate that curcumin possesses natural antioxidant properties that renders it a potent protective agent against renal oxidative damage mediated by microcystin-LR.


Bronchial asthma is the most common chronic respiratory illness in childhood. It is characterized by paroxysmal bronchospastic periods. There are many studies giving reasons to explain the bronchospasm periods. One of the reasons, atmospheric conditions, is effective in creating a clinical picture of asthmatic patients. In the present study, the correlation between atmospheric conditions and asthmatic symptoms in children was investigated using peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) as the respiratory function test. Twenty‐one children with bronchial asthma were monitored in the study. They were followed as outpatients of the Ege University Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatric Allergy and Pneumotology, between November 1993 and June 1994. Atmospheric conditions were recorded from the local meteorology center. Complaints and the PEFR of children were compared with the meteorological data. Asthmatic symptoms were increased by low temperatures in all asthmatic children. An increase was detected in the extrinsic group by relative humidity and ratio of cloud, but in the intrinsic group only by relative humidity.


Localization refers to the process of estimating ones location (and often orientation) within an environment. Ground vehicle automation, which offers the potential for substantial safety and logistical benefits, requires accurate, robust localization. Current localization solutions, including GPS/INS, LIDAR, and image registration, are all inherently limited in adverse conditions. This paper presents a method of localization that is robust to most conditions that hinder existing techniques. MIT Lincoln Laboratory has developed a new class of ground penetrating radar (GPR) with a novel antenna array design that allows mapping of the subsurface domain for the purpose of localization. A vehicle driving through the mapped area uses a novel real-time correlation-based registration algorithm to estimate the location and orientation of the vehicle with respect to the subsurface map. A demonstration system has achieved localization accuracy of 2 cm. We also discuss tracking results for the first autonomous vehicle to use this technology and the potential for miniaturized general use systems.


Chemical derivatization is the only technique that directly affects the physicochemical property of an analyte in an LC-MS/MS assay platform. On the other side, current MS instruments are extremely sensitive, but still their absolute sensitivity is analyte-dependent. In this review, first, difficulty in analyzing neutral compounds and introducing acidity/basicity and/or proton affinity will be described. Second, the sweet spot of the conventional MS ion source across clogP values is presented. Third, optimization of hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity by derivatization is described. Lastly, development of a new derivatizing reagent specifically designed for LC-MS/MS is described and its significance in pharmacokinetic analysis is discussed.


Abstract Detailed study of arrivals from accurately fixed earthquakes has revealed additional complexity in the travel-time curve for PKP . A notation is introduced in which observations are denoted by P′ with a two-letter suffix indicating the branch to which they belong, namely P′ AB , P′ IJ , P′ GH and P′ DF . A new velocity solution for the Earth9s core has been derived from these observations. This velocity solution differs from those previously suggested in having three discontinuous increases in velocity between the outer and inner core, at levels corresponding to 0.570, 0.455 and 0.362 times the radius of the core. This implies two shells, each between 300 and 400 km thick, surrounding the inner core; in each shell there is a small negative velocity gradient. The outer discontinuity is sufficiently shallow to prevent rays in the outer core from forming a caustic.


Exploiting visual groundings for language understanding has recently been drawing much attention. In this work, we study visually grounded grammar induction and learn a constituency parser from both unlabeled text and its visual groundings. Existing work on this task (Shi et al., 2019) optimizes a parser via Reinforce and derives the learning signal only from the alignment of images and sentences. While their model is relatively accurate overall, its error distribution is very uneven, with low performance on certain constituents types (e.g., 26.2% recall on verb phrases, VPs) and high on others (e.g., 79.6% recall on noun phrases, NPs). This is not surprising as the learning signal is likely insufficient for deriving all aspects of phrase-structure syntax and gradient estimates are noisy. We show that using an extension of probabilistic context-free grammar model we can do fully-differentiable end-to-end visually grounded learning. Additionally, this enables us to complement the image-text alignment loss with a language modeling objective. On the MSCOCO test captions, our model establishes a new state of the art, outperforming its non-grounded version and, thus, confirming the effectiveness of visual groundings in constituency grammar induction. It also substantially outperforms the previous grounded model, with largest improvements on more `abstract' categories (e.g., +55.1% recall on VPs).


Purpose To examine the effect of online counseling abuse counseling on drug use among underserved patients. Methods Subjects were recruited from an Indian Reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota; a family court in Newark, New Jersey; a probation office in Alexandria, Virginia; and a co-occurring disorders treatment clinic in Washington, District of Columbia. Subjects were predominantly poor, undereducated, unemployed, court involved, or diagnosed with co-occurring psychiatric disorders. A total of 79 subjects volunteered to participate in the project. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. The control and experimental groups were both issued an Internet-ready computer and 1 year of Internet service. Only the experimental group had access to online counseling intervention. Drug use was measured using a combination of self-usage reporting and supervised urine tests. Results Urine tests were available for 37% of subjects. Exit surveys containing self-reported usage were obtained from 54% of the subjects. Self-usage reports or urine test results were available from 70% of subjects. The difference of the rates of drug use in the control and experimental groups (as calculated from urine tests or through self-report) was not significantly different from zero, suggesting that online counseling had not led to a reduction in substance use. It is possible that the study lacked sufficient power to detect small differences in the rate of drug use in the experimental and control groups. Conclusions Additional research is needed to establish the efficacy of online counseling in hard-to-reach populations.


National Society for Clean Air (NSCA), 2006, £53.00, ISBN 9780903474603

The NSCA Pollution handbook has long been regarded as the definitive reference source on environmental regulations and policies. This edition is set in A4 format and runs to 367 rather densely printed pages. It is clearly intended to be used as a reference source rather than to be read from …


Abstract: This essay reads Muriel Spark's The Girls of Slender Means as critiquing the mythology of Britain's Second World War, especially the romanticization of the postwar welfare state. Refusing to find meaning in the ruins of war, Girls repudiates the reparative logic of reconstruction, and its transformation of wartime injury into an occasion for redemption. The essay also situates Spark in a longer trajectory of wartime writing, revealing her innovative social form. Employing a comparative postwar approach, it uses the work of Virginia Woolf to expose Spark's destruction of modernist narrative architecture, showing its brand of individual sympathy to be inaccessible in the postwar period. The essay then turns to Hilary Mantel's An Experiment in Love, a direct rewriting of Girls, which re-enchants welfare's social potential in the face of its Thatcherite demolition.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the healing process following application of the plication technique at the postdiscal connective tissue of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Female monkeys (Macaca fuscata) approximately eight years old were subjected to bilateral TMJ operations. The plication technique was performed in the left joint of each animal. In the right TMJ, the only operation performed was the exposure of the upper joint cavity. Results. 1) No synovial cells occurred on any upper surfaces of postdiscal connective tissue in left, first-week, postsurgical specimens. No synovial cells were observed in the area from the lateral to the middle upper surface of postdiscal connective tissues in specimens taken from the control side. Synovial cells gradually regenerated from the outside and, by the fourth postsurgical week, all of them had recovered in specimens from both sides. 2) During the early period, fibrin precipitation, round cell infiltration, fibroblast proliferation, and vascularization occurred in the plicated region. But these symptoms gradually decreased; and, by the twenty-fourth postsurgical week, collagen fibers surrounded the sutures. In the upper cavity, sutures were covered by newly proliferated connective tissue four weeks after surgery. The giant cells that proliferated around sutures in the fourth week increased gradually. 3) From the first postsurgical week, connective tissue proliferated in the lateral and middle parts of the superior postdiscal connective tissue in the right joint. Similar proliferation occurred in the left joint in the inner side of plicated region. Round cell infiltration took place in these connective tissue in the early period but gradually decreased. As this occurred, numbers of fat cells increased. No significant difference was noticed between proliferation in the right and left joints. No adhesion to the synovium in the glenoid fossa was observed. 4) In the first postsurgical week, connective tissue proliferated bilaterally from the posterior edges of both the glenoid fossa and the postdiscal tissue. In the second and fourth postsurgical weeks, connective tissue proliferation formed a fold narrowing the upper joint cavity. 5) Synovial cells were absent from the lateral to the middle region of both glenoid fossa from the first postsurgical week. Regeneration took place from the outside, and all synovial cells had recovered by the fourth postsurgical week. Disappearance of synovial cells was more extensive in the left than in the right glenoid fossa. 6) Round cell infiltration, vascularization, collagen fiber hyalinization, and hyperplasia of the fibrous covering occurred in the lateral part of the fibrous covering of the glenoid fossa but gradually decreased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


The aftermath of the financial crisis of 2009 as well as the multiple Flash Crashes of the early 2010s resulted in social uproars in the general population and ethical malaises in the scientific community [15, 9, 11, 10] which triggered noticeable changes in Quantitative Finance (QF). More specifically, QF was instructed to change [16, 17, 18] and become more realistic as opposed to more convenient. The concurrent rise of Big Data (BD) [19] and Data Science (DS) [20] contributed to facilitating these changes. More specifically, in terms of defining new models, we saw a significant increase in the use of Machine Learning (ML) overtaking traditional Mathematical Finance (MF) models. In this thesis we consider the impact of such data-driven modelling transition in finance. In order to illustrate these changes the thesis is divided into two parts, each consisting of three and four chapters. The first part of the thesis consists of examples in which BD has been exposing the limitations of traditional Financial Mathematics assumptions. Specifically, we develop in that context the Cointelation [11, 10, 5], the IVP [12, 13, 6], the modified Heston [8] and the Responsible VaR [7] models, all data driven modifications of distinguished Financial Mathematics models. We also illustrate how the sum of tra- ditional Financial Mathematics and ML methods can be larger than their individual parts. For instance, we expose how Deep Learning by constraints and Stochastic Calculus can, with the help of feature engineering, allow us to formalize useful dynamical strategies [5]. In the second part, we take a bottom-up approach to algorithmic trading and introduce the High Frequency Financial Trading Ecosystem (HFTE) [4] and illustrate some intriguing connections to the world of evolutionary dynamics. We introduce the concept of path of interaction [4, 3] as a way to test concepts such as strategy invasion. We then explore the challenges associated with properly regulating the algorithmic trading markets, in the era of flash crashes, by formalizing a particle filter methodology [3].


The convergence of wireless systeins with Inultiinedia services is the challenge of future-generation wireless network. Quality of Service (QoS) provision to support distributed, real-time multin1edia applications for mobile users hasetnerged as an area of Jnajor te-chnological focus.In this work,. we propose new adaptation procedures to provide desired QoS in wireless networks which allow the system to recover automatically, if possible from 1 QoS violations by identifying a new configuration of system units that might support the initially agreed QoS and by performing a user transparent transition from the origina1 configuration to the new one. We also propose mixer algorithms that can be used in bad atmospheric conditions during heavydata loss due to data loss due to wireless problems.


Purpose: To analyze the research development process and research hotspots of DDH in order to guide the future research direction.Methods: Using the Web of Science database to search the relevant English literatures of DDH from 1994 to May 31,2020 and analyze them with Bibliometric analysis methods. The statistics and the analysis of the collected publications are for the sake of hierarchical refinement and quality assessment of the publications of different countries, authors, institutions, funding agencies, and journals. Using the VOS viewer software for visual conversion and researching direction and important fields of DDH simultaneously.Results: With a total of 2156 articles, the numbers of DDH published articles is increasing steadily. In funding agencies, the National Natural Science Foundation of China has funded most of the researches. In journals, the published articles of JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY AMERICAN VOLUME are of the highest quality. For authors, KIM YJ is the author who not only published most of the articles, but also published the ones of the highest quality. In countries, the USA is ahead in the quantity and quality of published articles. In institutions, the published articles of UNIV BERN are of the highest quality. Through co-occurrence analysis, it can be seen that the research direction in the DDH field consists of four categories: Diagnosis, Complications, Hip replacement, and Staging treatment before hip replacement. Current research hotspots are mainly focused on treatment.Conclusions: At present, arthroplasty and osteotomy are research hotspots in recent years. It is recommended that researchers start the study of DDH from osteotomy, trying to optimize the adaptation age of various osteotomy to DDH and reduce its complications.


The application of a broadly tuneable asymmetric multiple-quantum-well (AMQW) laser is demonstrated in an external cavity for both time-domain and Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). The AMQW laser was custom designed and fabricated to have a large tuning range when operated with no facet coatings in a diffractive optical element (DOE) short external cavity (SXC). The depth resolution of Fourier domain OCT was found to be as short as 13 μm in air with the 117 nm tuning range (full-width-half-maximum of 80 nm) of the AMQW DOE SXC source. For time domain OCT, synthesised OCT with the AMQW sources was investigated. It was found that the depth resolution is set by the tuning range of the AMQW DOE SXC laser. The depth resolution can be improved as 117 nm is not the limit to the tuning range of AMQW lasers.


There is confusion in the literature concerning the relative agonist efficacy of methadone at μ-opioid receptors (MOPrs). Here, we confirm that methadone is a full agonist in guanosine 5′-O-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP&ggr;S) binding studies. Methadone, however, seems to have low efficacy in studies of MOPr activation of G-protein-gated potassium (GIRK) channels, but this is because it directly inhibits the GIRK channels. Methadone also inhibits &agr;2-adrenoceptor-activated GIRK channels. Methadone is not a specific GIRK channel blocker. It also inhibits small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK2) channels. We conclude that methadone is a full agonist at MOPrs that, as we and others have shown, induces MOPr desensitization and internalization.


Recently we demonstrated a biosensor based on a two-dimensional photonic crystal microcavity for detection of proteins. We present a theoretical and experimental study of a modified structure for single particle detection. With an active sensing volume of approximately 0.15 microm(3), the device is capable of detecting approximately 1 fg of matter. Its performance is tested with latex spheres with sizes that fall in the size range of a variety of viruses.


Generally, an iterative learning controller is added on the existing feedback control system to improve the tracking performance. However, the iterative learning controller has been designed without utilizing effective information used in the design of the feedback controller. This paper proposes a robust convergence condition in the L2-norm sense for an iterative learning control (ILC) system including a feedback controller and an uncertain linear time-invariant plant. We present a method to design an iterative learning controller using the information on the performance of the existing feedback control system. From the obtained results, several design criteria for the ILC system are provided.


The amount of water and major nutrients lost through drainage from a nursery container substrate treated with different amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and potassium (K), and potted with butterfly bush plants were investigated. The substrate was mainly composed of aged pine bark and steamed composted nursery trimmings as well as leftover potting mix from a commercial nursery. Plastic containers with nominal capacity of 3.8 L were equally divided into 10 groups containing the substrate with or without plants, and treated with different amounts of N, P, and K applied to the surface of the substrate. A total of 4.8 L of water was applied to the substrate in each container during a 28-day period of the test. There was 48.4% of NO3-N and 6.3% of P leached away when 0.8 g of NO3-N and 0.4 g of P were applied to the substrate in the container with plants during the test. The amount of nutrients in the substrate with the greatest plant growth and the lowest nutrient loss through drainage was 0.44 g for N and 0.18 g for P. Substrate with plants had less water drainage and nutrient loss than the substrate with no plants. When the substrate moisture content was below 25%, the maximum amount of water that could be added into the substrate with plants before drainage was 257 mL of water/L of the substrate. Excess fertilizers applied to the container plants resulted in high nutrient loss and low plant growth rate. Current fertilizer use rates should be reduced to improve nursery production efficiency.


The master equation is used extensively to model chemical reaction systems with stochastic dynamics. However, and despite its phenomenological simplicity, it is not in general possible to compute the solution of this equation. Drawing exact samples from the master equation is possible, but can be computationally demanding, especially when estimating high-order statistical summaries or joint probability distributions. As a consequence, one often relies on analytical approximations to the solution of the master equation or on computational techniques that draw approximative samples from this equation. Unfortunately, it is not in general possible to check whether a particular approximation scheme is valid. The main objective of this paper is to develop an effective methodology to address this problem based on statistical hypothesis testing. By drawing a moderate number of samples from the master equation, the proposed techniques use the well-known Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic to reject the validity of a given approximation method or accept it with a certain level of confidence. Our approach is general enough to deal with any master equation and can be used to test the validity of any analytical approximation method or any approximative sampling technique of interest. A number of examples, based on the Schlögl model of chemistry and the SIR model of epidemiology, clearly illustrate the effectiveness and potential of the proposed statistical framework.


Heat transfer from 25 μm thick, 6.36 mm wide Nb tape into boiling helium in vertical channels of 1.7 × 21 mm cross section was studied. Normal zones were initiated by heaters attached to the tape surface not in contact with the liquid. Two heat transfer effects of possible importance for superconductor stability were observed: 1. Steady normal zones enabling the measurement of localized heat transfer, and 2. Heat transport to neighboring tapes by means of the coolant. 1. Steady normal zones are those that neither grow nor decay; they occur at current densities of 13 to 17 kA/cm2, corresponding to heat transfers of 0.45 to 0.8 W/cm2for the normal portion of the tape. Fluctuations of the length of the normal zone are < 0.4 mm. Comparison of measured temperature profiles with calculations yields localized heat transfer values. A heat transfer ∼3 times higher than the peak nucleate boiling value of 0.42 W/cm2(measured for brass tapes) exists in a 2 mm wide region near the normal to superconducting boundary. It is inferred that this is the region where the gaseous film covering the normal zone terminates and wetting by the boiling liquid begins. 2. In a current range where the normal zones decay again, it is observed that heater pulses (square,1 s long) larger than a critical level (0.7 W) cause normal zones to appear in tapes directly above the heater-induced normal zone, with a delay of the order of 0.1 s. Suggested explanation: The heat from pulse and induced resistive zone vaporizes the limited amount of liquid helium in contact with the zone and, before convection has time to develop, the helium becomes superheated above the critical 6 - 8 K. As it then rises normal zones are created.


A simple, clean, and efficient synthesis method has been developed for deposition of ∼3 nm monodisperse "naked" gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) onto cellulose nanocrystal–graphene (CNC–G) hybrid sheets without the use of additional reducing and capping agents. The as-prepared catalysts (Au@CNC–G) were examined using FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). After some optimization, the Au@CNC–G catalyst exhibited robust catalytic activity, impressive stability, and good flexibility for the "one-pot" reaction of an alkyne, an amine, and an aldehyde (A3-coupling) in water. The catalytic activity of the Au@CNC–G catalyst could be attributed to the synergistic effect derived from the coexistence of CNC and graphene. The Au3+ ions could be in situ reduced to create fine Au NPs and simultaneously anchored on the surface of CNC–G hybrid sheets through coordination, leading to the uniform dispersion of the Au NPs. Moreover, the Au@CNC–G catalyst could be conveniently recycled and reused many times, thus lowering the cost and minimizing the environmental pollution caused by organic solvents and heavy metal ions.


Many plant species from all over the world have become naturalized in the Cape flora. Several of them, especially the more conspicuous woody species, are aggressive invaders that frequently cover extensive areas. But far more annual and perennial invasive herbs have become naturalized than woody species, and since they generally tend to be less aggressive, the adverse impact they have on a flora tends to attract less attention. Most of these weeds are angiosperms or flowering plants, but a small number of fern species have also become naturalized in South Africa.


This study evaluates the assumption that deprivation among African Americans and racial inequality lead to black interracial homicide due to racial conflict and antagonism. Using refined race-adjusted Supplemental Homicide Report data, Uniform Crime Report data, and Census data, we test an alternative hypothesis that draws on the macrostructural opportunity theory and the routine activities perspective to assess, and more accurately specify, the relationship between structural characteristics and black interracial homicide. The study finds that first, the relationship between economic factors and black interracial homicide can be explained, in large part, by high rates of financially-motivated crime such as robbery, and second, that economic factors are associated with financially-motivated but not expressive black interracial killings. Analyses of black intraracial killings are also performed for comparison purposes. Collectively, the findings suggest that conflict-based explanations that are rooted in racial antagonism and frustration aggression may be premature.


One of the key challenges facing the professional services delivery business is the issue of optimally balancing competing demands from multiple, concurrent engagements on a limited supply of skill resources. In this paper, we present a framework for combining causal Bayesian analysis and optimization to address this challenge. Our framework integrates the identification and modeling of the impact of various staffing factors on the delivery quality of individual engagements, and the optimization of the collective adjustments of these staffing factors, to maximize overall delivery quality for a pool of engagements. We describe a prototype system built using this framework and actual services delivery data from IBM's IT consulting business. System evaluation under realistic scenarios constructed using historical delivery records provides encouraging evidence that this framework can lead to significant delivery quality improvements. These initial results further open up exciting opportunities of additional future work in this area, including the integration of temporal relationships for causal learning and multi-period optimization to address more complex business scenarios.


ratio FEV1 as % of predicted normal The to--was PEFR as % of predicted normal calculated and found to be approximately 1O10 without added resistance. The addition of increasing resistances led to a rise in this ratio, e.g., 160 with an orifice 8 mm in diameter and 3l10 with an orifice 4 mm in diameter. Groups of patients were then studied. These included 24 patients with obstruction of the upper airways (tracheal stenosis, bilateral vocal cord paresis, etc.); 42 patients with lower airways obstruction (asthma and bronchitis); and 19 with fibrosing alveolitis.


This article reviews the correct methodology of MRI in patients with rectal cancer (RC). The technical aspects of scanning, the advantages and disadvantages of the various sequences and methods used, the particularities of preparation and positioning, and their rationale are considered. Compliance with the correct methodology allows to obtain high-quality and high-informative images, thereby allowing to assess the extent of the process, the invasion of adjacent organs and structures with high accuracy.


This article explores dynamics of pain communication in the social media platform Tumblr. As a device of health communication, the Tumblr platform brings together a network of behaviors, technologies, and media forms through which pain experience is reimaged through and against mainstream biomedical frameworks. The article develops an interpretative approach to analyze how, as social media platforms reorganize affective, emotional, physical, and temporal frames of experience, communication about chronic pain and illness is reimagined in its capacity to create social worlds. Drawing on ethnographic theory to reimagine the relation between politics and poetics in pain communication, the article explores the issue- and world-making capacities of social media.


PID controllers are one of the most popular types of controllers found in the industry; they require determining three real values to minimize the error over time and to deal with specific process requirements. Finding such values has been subjected to extensive research, and many popular algorithms and methods exist to accomplish this. One of these methods is Simulated Annealing. In this paper, we study the use of the re-annealing characteristic of Adaptive Simulated Annealing (ASA) for PID tuning in 20 benchmark systems. This adaptive version gives special treatment to each parameter of the search space. We compare the results of ASA with a simple SA algorithm. An extra comparison, with a Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm, was made to provide some information on how ASA behaves compared against another optimization based method. The results show that using an adaptive algorithm effectively improves the performance of the tested systems.


Climate change-induced precipitation variability is the leading cause of rainfall erosivity that leads to excessive soil losses in most countries of the world. In this paper, four global climate models (GCMs) were used to characterize the spatiotemporal prediction of rainfall erosivity and assess the effect of variations of rainfall erosivity in Central Asia. The GCMs (BCCCSM1-1, IPSLCM5BLR, MIROC5, and MPIESMLR) were statistically downscaled using the delta method under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5 for two time periods: "Near" and "Far" future (2030s and 2070s). These GCMs data were used to estimate rainfall erosivity and its projected changes over Central Asia. WorldClim data was used as the present baseline precipitation scenario for the study area. The rainfall erosivity (R) factor of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to determine rainfall erosivity. The results show an increase in the future periods of the annual rainfall erosivity compared to the baseline. For all GCMs, with an average change in rainfall erosivity of about 5.6% (424.49 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 year−1) in 2030s and 9.6% (440.57 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 year−1) in 2070s as compared to the baseline of 402 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 year−1. The magnitude of the change varies with the GCMs, with the largest change being 26.6% (508.85 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 year−1), occurring in the MIROC-5 RCP8.5 scenario in the 2070s. Although annual rainfall erosivity shows a steady increase, IPSLCM5ALR (both RCPs and periods) shows a decrease in the average erosivity. Higher rainfall amounts were the prime causes of increasing spatial-temporal rainfall erosivity.


A new blind channel estimation technique is presented for non-linear/linear equalisation in a frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channel. At each symbol interval, a decision algorithm first makes a primary data estimate based on constrained linear minimum mean square error criterion, and then this is applied to subsequent channel estimation. Channel estimates are obtained in the form of two alternative, related methods: directly from the Wiener solution or Kalman-based recursion. The former performs better but requires more values from the normalised time-correlation function. The performance is evaluated by simulation, allowing fair comparison with the benchmark of equalised coherent detection; optimal uncoded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with perfect channel state information at the receiver; the conventional decision-directed Kalman filtering which employs channel tracking with delay; and for the special case of flat fading, an optimised, pilot symbol-assisted modulation system.


The complex concepts and procedures of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are unfamiliar to many dentists. Similarly, many radiologists lack understanding of the clinical requirements of the dentist for accurate assessment of TMJ abnormalities. Thus, TMJ imaging procedures may be inadequate or incomplete, may vary from facility to facility, and sometimes from patient to patient in a given facility. A protocol for TMJ imaging is presented which meets dental requirements and is rapidly performed in the MRI facility. The protocol may be copied and attached to the prescription to the imaging center. It may be modified or expanded to accommodate specific patient requirements or equipment performance.


Stay-at-home orders issued to combat the growing number of infections during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 had many psychological consequences for people including elevated stress, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining meaning in their lives. The present studies utilized cross-sectional designs and were conducted to better understand how social media usage related to people's subjective isolation (i.e., social loneliness, emotional loneliness, and existential isolation) and meaning in life (MIL) during the early months of the pandemic within the United States. Study 1 found that general social media use indirectly predicted higher MIL via lower existential isolation and social isolation. Study 2 replicated these patterns and found that social media use also predicted lower MIL via higher emotional loneliness, and that the aforementioned effects occurred with active, but not passive, social media use. Findings suggest social media use may be a viable means to validate one's experiences (i.e., reduce existential isolation) during the pandemic but may also lead to intensified feelings concerning missing others (i.e., increased emotional loneliness). This research also helps to identify potential divergent effects of social media on MIL and helps to clarify the relationships among varying types of subjective isolation.


The Shors are one of the minor indigenous Turkic peoples of Siberia the majority of whom are living in the Kemerovo Oblast'. The Shor language is a conglomeration of two basically very different northern Turkic dialects, identified by river names as Kondoma Shor (the southern dialect) and Mrass Shor (the northern dialect). The Mrass dialect belongs to the azaq[/taγlγ]-group, whereas the Kondoma dialect belongs to the [ayaq/]taγlγ-group. The Shor literary language was formed on the basis of the Mrass dialect in the 1920s but soon after its formation it suffered a decline from the late 1930s to the early 1990s due to the Soviet policy of assimilation of minorities. It is now a severely endangered language. In the present paper the month names in Shor (Mrass dialect) are treated. The material is based on the fieldwork study of the Altaic Society of Korea and the testimony of month names in the Shor dictionaries. Wherever necessary, these month names were also compared with those to be found in other Turkic l...


The 2013 Bundestag elections took place at a time when public opinion was strongly focused on a wide range of economic issues. But, given the coalition government and the complex array of policymakers whose hands were on the wheels of the German economy, some economic voting models would predict that the economy would play little role in deciding these elections. In this article, we use a mixture of aggregate and survey data to test what a range of different economic voting models predicted about the 2013 Bundestag elections and the extent to which these predictions were supported. The results from this exercise provide insights not only about the nature of the 2013 elections, but also about the applicability and adaptability of economic voting models to different political and economic circumstances.


Wet underwater arc welding process is investigated by using experimentally developed flux coated underwater arc welding electrode and SS400 steel plate of 12mm thickness as base metal. Three kinds of different flux covered wet arc welding electrode of 4mm diameter(BK-01, BK-02, BK-03) are individually developed, and one of the improved underwater welding electrode (BK-03) may be put to practical use for underwater wet arc welding process. The results obtained from this experimental study are as follows : 1. Arc stability of developed underwater wet welding electrode is better than that of the domestic covered arc welding electrode. 2. Workability of welding electrode, remove ability of slag and bead appearances using improved underwater wet welding electrode are remarkably better than that of others. 3. Heat affected zone of test specimen welded in the underwater gets to become a lot smaller than that of test specimen welded in the air, and the maximum hardness of heat affect zone of developed underwater wet welding electrode is lower to that of domestic arc welding electrode.


A mechanical study in the laboratory of 10 types of cement has shown that the characteristics of low viscosity antibiotic-loaded cements are comparable with those of standard cement without antibiotic and of standard viscosity. A study of the release of Gentamycin in 26 patients treated by total hip replacement showed that the concentration of antibiotic in the drainage fluid was much greater than the minimum inhibitory concentration whereas the low blood concentration gave no risk of ototoxicity or nephrotoxicity. This method of administration achieved antibiotic concentrations in the tissues in contact with the prosthesis 10 times greater than those obtained by injection. In sheep, the intra-osseous concentration was studied in 32 femora after insertion of low viscosity Gentamycin-loaded cement. The levels remained raised to 4 times the minimum inhibitory concentration for up to one year after operation, even with cements with a low concentration of antibiotic of 0.6 g/dose. The concentrations obtained in the drainage fluid, in the peri-prosthetic tissues and especially in bone, confirm the effectiveness and the prolonged action of antibiotic therapy by cement and its value in the revision of infected prostheses and in prophylaxis in primary surgery. This justifies the further study of combinations of cement with new antibiotics with a broader spectrum than Gentamycin since there is no concern with the cements currently in use that the mechanical quality is less than that of standard cement.


The paper examines the proposed Economic and Monetary Union for ECOWAS sub-region and provide a comprehensive evidence based on European Union experience of what ECOWAS common currency stand to gain in terms of both Intra and Inter flow of FDI. Evidence from the reviewed literature revealed that; single currency, research and development, trades and consequent exchange rate stability are the main factors that have been aiding FDI flows within the euro-zone.


Publish/subscribe pattern is a reliable way of message service. Compared with Store-and-forward mode and Web Service request/response mode, the way of asynchronous message delivery is better in flexibility and scalability. The message is pushed by message server to the subscriber so that the message consumer can get message without request. Access control is managed by the message server in the traditional message service model, but it is not suitable in complex SWIM (System Wide Information Management). SWIM is a very complex and huge system, the message sender and the message server are probably not controlled by a same department, so it is difficult to guarantee the fairness and security of the access control in the message service. In order to improve the credibility of information security transmission between different departments, the message service security model based on the sender control is proposed in this paper according to taking JMS publish/subscribe model as an example. Keywords-message service; publish/subscribe; message sender access control; SWIM


We propose a method for automatically guiding patch-based image completion using mid-level structural cues. Our method first estimates planar projection parameters, softly segments the known region into planes, and discovers translational regularity within these planes. This information is then converted into soft constraints for the low-level completion algorithm by defining prior probabilities for patch offsets and transformations. Our method handles multiple planes, and in the absence of any detected planes falls back to a baseline fronto-parallel image completion algorithm. We validate our technique through extensive comparisons with state-of-the-art algorithms on a variety of scenes.


J/{psi} production has been measured in Au+Au and Cu+Cu at {radical}(s{sub NN})=200 GeV by the PHENIX experiment at the relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) during 2004 and 2005, respectively, at mid-rapidity (|{eta}|{le} 0.35) via J/{psi} {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -} decay and at forward rapidity (1.2 {le}|{eta}|{le} 2.2) via J/{psi} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} decay. The nuclear modification factor (RAA) of J/{psi} is presented as a function of the collision centrality for Au+Au collisions (final results) and Cu+Cu collisions (preliminary results) in both rapidity windows. These results are compared to SPS results at lower energy and to various theoretical calculations.


Examination of various research efforts has revealed that optical techniques best satisfy the requirements of on-line, non-contact inspection; other methods are usually deficient with regard to speed, flexibility and ability to perform non-contact measurement. Of the optical methods considered, techniques based on statistical analysis of scattered light from the sample are best suited for the purpose of surface inspection. A general scheme for an on-line, non-contact, optically based inspection machine has been developed. The system has the important attributes of fast measurement, simplicity and flexibility. The system's roughness measurement capability was successfully tested on ceramic components of varying surface finish.


We demonstrate the control and rotation of an optically trapped object, an optical paddle-wheel, with the rotation direction normal to the beam axis. This is in contrast to the usual situation where the rotation is about the beam axis. The paddle-wheel can be optically driven and moved to any position in the field of view of the microscope, which can be of interest for various biological applications where controlled application of a fluid flow is needed in a particular location and in a specific direction. This is of particular interest in signal transduction studies in cells, especially when a cell is flat and spread out on a surface.


Background: Nonadherence to oral hormonal therapy is problematic for women with breast cancer. Patient-, illness-, and treatment-related factors have been associated with nonadherence, but with inconsistent findings. Therefore, our aim was to explore predictors of nonadherence to hormonal therapy for women with early stage breast cancer from the baseline assessment (pre-hormonal therapy) to 6 months post-treatment. Methods: A secondary analysis was performed to explore potential patient-, illness-, and treatment-related predictors of nonadherence for 198 women enrolled in either: 1) The Anastrozole Use in Menopausal Women Study (AIM Study, n=162), or, 2) Predictors of Adherence to Hormonal Therapy in Breast Cancer (ONS Study, n=36). Nonadherence was defined as the percentage of prescribed administrations of hormonal therapy that were not taken during the first 6 months of therapy as measured using an electronic Drug Exposure Monitor (eDEM) (AARDEX, Ltd.). Chi-square tests of independence and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to determine whether data from the two studies could be pooled. Descriptive statistics were performed to characterize the sample. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify the best model in two stages: 1) univariate relationships between each candidate predictor variable and the outcome variable (6-month nonadherence) were assessed using a cut-off of p=.20; and, 2) candidate predictors meeting the criteria were retained for further exploration in model-building multiple linear regression analyses (stepwise and backward) to determine the predictors of 6-month nonadherence summary scores. Candidate predictors were retained in the model if they remained associated at p Results: Women were 98.3% Caucasian with a mean age 59.1 years (SD 7.5) and mean number of years of education of 15.0 (SD 2.9). Overall mean nonadherence was 11.6% (13.2% AIM Study, 4.6% ONS Study). Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests demonstrated that the two samples could be pooled, given the data were similar on key variables (number of years of education, depression, anxiety, fatigue, symptoms, and nonadherence). Both stepwise and backward elimination modeling algorithms demonstrated evidence of 3 significantly significant variables associated with nonadherence; however, the backward elimination model best represented the sample (R 2 =.106, adjusted R 2 =.086, s=0.28490). Women who worked (p=.082), whose primary occupation was clerical or administrative (p=.029), had DCIS tumor type (p=.017), or who had higher gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms scores (p=.013) were associated with nonadherence. The potential for interactions between primary occupation, DCIS tumor type, and higher GI symptoms was explored and was not significant. In addition, while all tumor types were examined as candidate predictors, participants with DCIS also had another tumor to be eligible for the parent studies. Conclusions: Our study offers insight into potential predictors of nonadherence for women participating in one of two cohort studies. The findings suggest additional examinations of nonadherence concerning work and symptom burden and their relationship to nonadherence are indicated. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-12-12.


The article considers the design of a stand for automated study of automobile and bus generator sets. The main types of drives and control systems for the stand are considered. The optimal type and capacity of asynchronous motor drive and control unit are chosen. Automated software-based measurement system for studying energy and thermal processes is developed. A diagram for the study of transient processes in the electrical system in real operation is presented in the paper. An automated control algorithm for asynchronous drive of the stand is shown.


A power-scalable reconfigurable filter with in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) imbalance calibration for a multimode Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver is presented. The filter is reconfigurable as either a fifth-order complex bandpass filter exhibiting a tunable intermediate frequency (4.092, 6.138, 10.23, 12.296, 13.29, 18.4, and 20.442 MHz) and bandwidth (2.2, 4.2, 8, 10, and 18 MHz) or a third-order low-pass filter with tunable bandwidth (5 and 9 MHz). A flexible current-reuse operational amplifier with a power-scaling technique is proposed to lower the power consumption, and the image-rejection ratio is improved by almost 20 dB by introducing an I/Q imbalance calibration circuit before the filter. The filter, which was implemented in 65-nm CMOS, consumes 2.9-19.5 mW in different modes, with the I/Q calibration circuit consuming 0.9 mW.


Use of tube thoracostomy in intensive care units for evacuation of air or fluid from the pleural space has become commonplace. In addition to recognition of pathological states necessitating chest tube insertion, intensivists are frequently involved in placement, maintenance, troubleshooting, and discontinuation of chest tubes. Numerous advances have permitted safe use of tube thoracostomy for treatment of spontaneous or iatrogenic pneumothoracies and hydrothoracies following cardiothoracic surgery or trauma, or for drainage of pus, bile, or chylous effusions. We review current indications for chest tube placement, insertion techniques, and available equipment, including drainage systems. Guidelines for maintenance and discontinuation are also discussed. As with any surgical procedure, complications may arise. Appropriate training and competence in usage may reduce the incidence of complications.


5-Hydroxytryptamine2A (5-HT2A) receptors are enriched in layers I and Va of the rat prefrontal cortex and neocortex and their activation increases the frequency of glutamatergic excitatory post-synaptic potentials/currents (EPSP/Cs) onto layer V pyramidal cells. A number of other G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are also enriched in cortical layers I and Va and either induce (α1-adrenergic and orexin2) or suppress (metabotropic glutamate2 [mGlu2], adenosine A1, μ-opioid) both 5-HT-induced EPSCs and head twitches or head shakes induced by the phenethylamine hallucinogen 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI). Another neurotransmitter receptor also localized to apparent thalamocortical afferents to layers I and Va of the rat prefrontal cortex and neocortex is the β2-adrenergic receptor. Therefore, we conducted preliminary electrophysiological experiments with rat brain slices examining the effects of epinephrine on electrically-evoked EPSPs following bath application of DOI (3 μM). Epinephrine (0.3–10 μM) suppressed the late EPSPs produced by electrical stimulation and DOI. The selective β2-adrenergic receptor antagonist ICI-118,551 (300 nM) resulted in a rightward shift of the epinephrine concentration-response relationship. We also tested the selective β2-adrenergic receptor agonist clenbuterol and the antagonist ICI-118,551 on DOI-induced head twitches. Clenbuterol (0.3–3 mg/kg, i.p.) suppressed DOI (1.25 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced head twitches. This clenbuterol effect appeared to be at least partially reversed by the selective β2-adrenergic receptor antagonist ICI-118,553 (0.01–1 mg/kg, i.p.), with significant reversal at doses of 0.1 and 1 mg/kg. Thus, β2-adrenergic receptor activation reverses the effects of phenethylamine hallucinogens in the rat prefrontal cortex. While Gi/Go-coupled GPCRs have previously been shown to suppress both the electrophysiological and behavioral effects of 5-HT2A receptor activation in the mPFC, the present work appears to extend this suppressant action to a Gs-coupled GPCR. Furthermore, the modulation of 5-HT2A receptor activation-induced glutamate release onto mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons apical dendrites by a range GPCRs in rat brain slices appears to results in behaviorally salient effects of relevance when screening for novel CNS therapeutic drugs.


Polycrystal ZnO thin films have been deposited on ITO coated glass substrate in two different potential of -0.85 V and -0.95 V by electrochemical deposition technique using 0.005 M ZnCl2 or 0.01 M (Zn(NO3)2·6H2O) at 72 ± 2 C and with supporting electrolyte 0.1 M KCl aqueous solutions. Before the depositions, the solutions were saturated with oxygen by passing oxygen through the growth cell. The energy band gaps of the obtained films were estimated from the absorbance measurements. The energy band gaps of the films obtained using Zn(NO3)2 were between 3.49 and 3.57 eV while that of obtained using ZnCl2 were between 3.60 and 3.63 eV. XRD (X-ray diffraction) results showed that all the films have a hexagonal structure. It was obtained by XRD that the crystallite sizes of the films are between 46 and 54 nm. Morphological characterization of the ZnO thin films was characterized from the SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) images. It is seen from the SEM images that the surface of the films are leafy and flaky form.


We report the first case of extensive cellulitis and staphylococcal bacteremia with the subsequent development of a remote mycotic pseudoaneurysm in the ipsilateral brachial artery following right transradial coronary angiography in a diabetic patient with previous right axillary node clearance. The potential for serious complication should be borne in mind when deciding on the site of vascular access in such patients.


In order to provide food for a growing population in Tanzania, there is pressure to increase its agricultural production. In the light of climate change, small-scale farmers have started to adopt strategies to sustain their food production. The objective of this paper is to explore which strategies small-scale farmers adopt and which factors determine the adoption decision. Furthermore, it aims to analyse the implications of adopting climatesmart strategies for food security. The analyses are based on a household survey conducted in 2014 with 900 small-scale farmers in rural Tanzania. The randomly selected households were either located in a semi-arid or in a semi-humid regional setting. The results indicate that the main climate-smart strategies adopted by farmers, include fertiliser use, tree planting and adjusting the crop portfolio, i.e. increasing or decreasing the variety of planted crops. According to the farm households, these activities are considered as longterm adjustments to climate change. The adoption decisions have been found to depend on the number of income sources of the farm households. Thus, a household with more diverse income sources is less likely to adopt a climate-smart strategy. Further, an increasing distance to village centre has a negative influence on the adoption of the more capital intensive adjustments such as tree planting. Farmers with higher risk-taking attitudes are more likely to adjust their crop portfolio or increase their fertiliser use. Very important is also that farmers more easily adopt all these climate-smart strategies (except for decreasing the variety) if they have seen these from others. This finding suggests that on-farm trials with farmers' participation can be effective in promoting climate-smart strategies. The implications for the food security of the farm households have been proxied by the Food Consumption Score (FCS). The t-tests suggest that adopters of crop diversification have on average a higher FCS than non-adopters. Fertiliser users are on average less food secure with a lower average FCS but they also have on average a lower net income than nonadopters. This supports the assumption that the adoption strategy of fertiliser, including manure, is the first strategy chosen by relatively poorer farmers.


We want this. The end to sleeping, the bittersweet arousal, the peeling back, the soft bath in resin, the release. It can't come quick enough, the hot touch that breaks the crust and lets us go. Hear it now: a crackling, as the woods begin to sing alongside the birds. To cry out! To be transformed, like Daphne back into a girl. Pine—as if our very nature demanded that we long without relief. But the cone is like a shotgun on the wall; it must erupt. All it takes is one dumb fuck, trigger-happy, with a six-pack and bad aim, to generate the spark that turns the world to flames.


Contracting a licence is buying or selling contract of technology, design and marketing experience relating to a product or process, and involves the contracting of knowledge and know-how. The granting of an international licence takes place when a company provides, in return for a fee or royalties, technology needed by another firm to run business operations on a foreign market. When in this form, the granting of the licence requires at least one of the following items: a brand name; operating experience; manufacturing technology; access to patents and trade secrets/industrial. Company that grants the licence get access on a foreign market with very low investment and, in many cases, the benefits of investment and market knowledge of a competent local firms. The company that received the licence get access to foreign technology, with a very small investment. There are several very obvious advantages of activity under the license on international markets. The granting of a licence can improve cash flow situation for the company that attaches. Because the license on technology allows companies to bring products to market faster, the company enjoys early advantage of a positive balance of cash flow. In addition, obtaining a license means lower development costs. The licensed activity may mean fewer profits in the long run. Immediate benefits of easy access to new technology, lower costs and the development of an early cash flow are attractive advantages of contracting a licence.


Millions of individuals in the United States and around the world are overweight or obese. Bariatric surgery is now considered an evidenced-based choice for sustainable long-term weight loss and may reduce obesity-related comorbidities such as diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea. As bariatric surgical procedures increase, it can be expected that intensive care unit (ICU) admissions will increase as well. An emerging ICU population includes postbariatric patients either immediately after undergoing bariatric surgery or returning for subsequent surgical procedures. Massive weight loss following surgery leads to an excess of lax, overstretched skin, causing physical discomfort and psychosocial problems. It is important to understand the complex pathophysiological changes that occur in order to care for this growing population of patients. This review addresses the growing and evolving issues related to the complex nature of the postbariatric ICU patients.


This work presents the tectonic and seismic conditions of water level changes in a confined aquifer, in Armenia. The deviatoritic stress induces an extensive tectonic regime characterized by a E-W horizontal extension. The strain release at the time of a local earthquakes induces permeability and/or porosity changes, and so anomalies on the piezometry records.


The influence of mothers on the health behaviors of their adolescent daughters has been well established; however, little work has focused on the potential of daughters to influence the health behaviors of their mothers. To assess the feasibility of mothers accepting cancer advice from their daughters, 12 focus groups were conducted with 75 African American and Hispanic mothers from inner-city neighborhoods in a Midwestern city in the United States. By means of the focus groups, researchers investigated whether mothers would allow their adolescent daughters to give them health advice and the extent to which cultural norms would affect if, and how, mothers listen to such advice. This study illustrates the potential of daughter-initiated health advice and identifies the cultural challenges associated with it. The results suggest that health promotion programs aimed at the mother might involve adolescent daughters as influential opinion leaders within the family.


Background: Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction is not uncommon in children and adolescents. Condition presents with distressing symptoms and is many times misdiagnosed as asthma. Our aim was to directly visualize the larynx during exercise in patients with the history of dyspnea and inspiratory stridor on exertion. Methods: We combined continuous flexible transnasal laryngoscopy with bicycle ergometry. Data from 37 consecutive patients were analysed; prior medical history and functional tests, larygeal endoscopic findings and ergometry results were assessed. Selected patients were further referred for laryngeal sensory testing. Results: All 37 subjects (22 female) completed the test. Their median age was 13.3 years (range 9-21 years). Seventeen were atopic, 18 were active athletes (mostly cyclists and swimmers with 6 and 3 subjects respectively). Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction was diagnosed in 25 (60% female). Ten among them were atopics and the same number (40%) was treated for presumed asthma. Only one had moderate to severe bronchial hyperresposivness (p = 0.05), none had elevated exhaled nitric oxide (p = 0.03). No adverse reactions were recorded. Laryngeal sensory testing was performed in 22 subjects. Hypersensitivity was detected in 15, hyposensitivity in 1, 4 had normal results, 2 couldn9t tolerate the test. Conclusions: Flexible videolaryngoscopy during bicycle ergometry can be performed safely in children and adolescents. It is a valuable diagnostic tool for assessment of possible exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction. Altered laryngeal sensitivity for mechanical stimuli might explain exercise-induced dynamic upper airway obstruction.


This study examines gender roles in Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) utilization by adjoining communities to Cross River National Park (CRNP), Oban Division. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire administered on 110 respondents randomly selected from these communities. These were augmented by information from in-depth interviews, personal observations and market surveys. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics. The gender composition of respondents was male dominated (62.73%). Most respondents (56.36%) were within the productive age range of 20-40 years with majority of the households (80.00%) being large; comprising at least six dependants upwards. Respondents' main occupations were farming (45.50%), NTFPs collection (21.82%), hunting (14.55%), and fishing (9.09%). In these occupations, males (49.28%) dominated females (39.02%) in farming, while females (39.02%) dominated males (11.59%) in NTFPs collection. Hunting was 100% a male vocation, and women only assisted in processing. Sixteen different NTFPs were being collected from the forests in the area, and these were variously utilized as sources of employment, income, and consumption. For the continuous sustenance of people in the area on NTFPs, the domestication of the NTFPs and extensive education of the people on best management and utilization practices were recommended. Keywords : Gender roles, NTFPs utilization, Cross River National Park, livelihoods.


This study investigated smartphone preference among undergraduate and postgraduate students in Nigerian universities. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which students' demographic attributes such as gender, age, usage experience and educational level influence their preference for smartphones. The study also identified and ranked smartphone brands based on selected factors like brand name, brand attachment, perceived usefulness, social influence, price, aesthetic value and product design and features. A cross-sectional survey research design was used for the study. The study population comprised all full-time university students in Nigeria both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Questionnaire was designed and electronically administered using Google Form to the target respondents. After three weeks (10th June to 1st July 2020), five hundred and forty-three (543) responses were collated. However, seventy-eight (78) were found to be invalid. As a result, four hundred and sixty-five (465) responses that formed the sample size were used for the study. The data collected were statistically analyzed using frequency table, percentages, mean, standard deviation and t-test with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study found that Samsung is the most preferred smartphone among students. It was also revealed that the first three most important factors that influence students' preference for smartphones are brand name, perceived usefulness, and design/features. The study revealed that demographic attributes do not significantly influence smartphone preference among university students. The study, therefore, recommends that demographic attributes such as gender, age, usage experience and programme should not be significantly considered by manufacturers and marketers of smartphones in product differentiation.