Objective: To study the association between the cortical cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc), MRI T2-weighted total lesion area (TLA), cognitive dysfunction, and neurologic disability in MS. Background: MRI lesion load is widely used in the clinical evaluation of the MS patient but little is known about the associated changes in cortical activation. Methods: Twenty-three patients with clinically definite MS underwent measurements of CMRglc, TLA, motor evoked potentials (MEPs), and cognitive and neurologic disability. CMRglc was calculated using PET and 18-F-deoxyglucose and compared with nine normal control subjects. Results: Reductions in CMRglc (p < 0.01) were found in the cortical global and regional lobar measurements. Furthermore, regional CMRglc (rCMRglc) was reduced in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, caudate, putamen, thalamus, and hippocampus. Global cortical CMRglc correlated with TLA (Spearman rank correlation coefficient [SRCC] = −0.66, p = 0.001), and rCMRglc correlated with regional lesion load in all cerebral lobes (p ≤ 0.05). Global cortical CMRglc and cognitive disability also correlated (SRCC = 0.58, p = 0.015), and stepwise regression analysis showed a significant association between rCMRglc of the right thalamus and cognitive performance as well as TLA. There was no correlation between CMRglc and neurologic disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale) or MEP. Conclusion: Global and regional cortical CMRglc is reduced significantly in MS patients compared with normal control subjects. Furthermore, the CMRglc reductions correlate with TLA as well as with cognitive dysfunction, which indicates that MRI white matter lesion burden has a deteriorating effect on cortical cerebral neural function.


While GRFs have been commonly assessed during running and some jumping activities little is known about these forces during the t r i p l e jump. The purpose of t h i s study was t o design, build, and t e s t a portable t r i p l e jump runway t h a t could be used t o collect ground reaction f o r c e d a t a for a l l three takeoffs in succession. Previous studies have used only one or two p l a t e s . The portable runway was designed t o house t h r e e Bertec force p l a t e s and w a s b u i l t out of compressed ply wood. The force plate housing holes were spaced 3 meters (10 f e e t ) apart which can accommodate a minimum hop-step ratio of 3m:3m (10ft:lOft) . The runway was also designed so t h a t the sections housing the force p l a t e s can be 'telescoped' out in 30.48 cm (1 foot) increments. Given these incremental increases, the maximum hop-step r a t i o s possible are 4.52m:4.52m (15ft : E f t ) . Because the force plates were not rigidly mounted t o the ground, a number of precautions were taken t o eliminate possible measurement errors . In order t o eliminate sliding, the runway s t r u c t u r e was precision made so t h a t when the force plates were set into their housing, the bottom of the plates fit snugly against the walls of t h e s t r u c t u r e while I allowing the top p l a t e t o f l o a t f r e e l y . I n o r d e r t o I eliminate the possibility of rocking, a f l a t formica surface was placed under t h e p l a t e s . Both the floor and the formica I surface were tested with a leveler and determined to be f l a t . Testing of the portable forceplate setup was done using three Bertec force p l a t e s (40cm x 60cm) spaced using the minimum hop-step r a t i o s , 3m:3m. One subject performed 15 t r i p l e jumps (using a s i x step approach), each jump 9 meters t o t a l distance (3m:3m:3m) . This procedure is appropriate because t h i s is a typical practice session f o r the collegian female jumpers coached by the researcher. The f i n a l landing was onto gymnastics mats (not t y p i c a l ) . The studv showed that accurate ground reaction force data can be collected for the t r i p l e jump for a l l three takeoffs in succession. This type of setup would be very useful t o s c i e n t i f i c a l l y oriented coaches f o r use during p r a c t i c e sessions. It would also be useful for researchers interested in modeling ground r e a c t i o n f o r c e s in the t r i p l e jump. However,! it probably would not be useful for collecting data for jumps using a f u l l approach. The most noticeable finding r e l a t e d t o the force-time curves was t h a t each takeoff phase has its own c h a r a c t e r i s t i c force-time curve. This has not been completely documented in previous studies that used only one or two force plates.


Abstract A novel pH-sensitive polymeric prodrug of camptothecin (CPT) by polymerizing γ-camptothecin-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (Glu (CPT)-NCA) on boronate ester-linked poly (ethyleneglycol) (PEG) directly via the amine-initiated ring open polymerization (ROP) has been developed. The resulting amphiphilic prodrug (mPEG-BC-PGluCPT) could self-assemble into nanoparticles and encapsulate doxorubicin (Dox) simultaneously in aqueous solution for dual-drug delivery. The formation of polymeric prodrug micelles (mPEG-BC@PGluCPT) was confirmed by the measurements of critical aggregation concentration (CAC), particle size, and morphology observations. The mPEG-BC@PGluCPT micelles were colloidally stable in solutions for two weeks. Polymeric prodrug micelles mPEG-BC@PGluCPT and Dox-loaded micelles mPEG-BC@PGluCPT⋅Dox showed sustained drug release profiles over 48 h. As expected, drug release was accelerated by the decreasement of pH value from 7.4 to 6.0, which demonstrated pH-dependent manner of drug release. Additionally, it was found that cellular uptake of mPEG-BC@PGluCPT⋅Dox micelles on HepG2 cells was higher than that on HL-7702 cells, especially in culture medium at pH 6.0. The enhanced cellular uptake of mPEG-BC@PGluCPT⋅Dox micelles under acidic condition on HepG2 cells resulted in the higher cytotoxicity of mPEG-BC@PGluCPT⋅Dox micelles at acidic pH than that at pH 7.4.


Ideology and identity are two inseparable phenomena that characterise the existence of mankind. As human beings, even when we share a common identity as a people of the same faith, members of the same family, and members of the same society, there are certain ways through which we either consciously or unconsciously create different identities for ourselves; a reflection of our cultural ideologies. This paper examines how Yoruba Christian songs are employed by Yoruba Christian faithful in Nigeria to identify with Yoruba belief system while mapping different individualistic identities among themselves. Employing Staszak's concept of Otherness, which is an ideological phenomenon inherent in the Yoruba cultural system, for data analysis, we discovered that although Yoruba Christiansin Nigeria identify with the generic reference term of 'brethren' in their gatherings, they still create different individualistic identities, Self and Other, for themselves through their songs. Similarly, they identify with some aspects of the Yoruba ideological belief system, as evidenced by the selected songs.


This paper aims to explore issues related to destruction of soil nutrients and structure in a rice-wheat double-cropping area caused by over-tillage prior to rice cultivation. A three-year cycle of rotation tillage pattern (RT), consisting of "no-tillage–no-tillage–plough", with a straw-returning and direct rice-seeding technology, was designed and tested, and was compared with continuous no-tillage pattern (CN) and conventional ploughing & rotary tillage (PR). The soil rotation experiment in the rice-wheat double-cropping region is located on the southeastern coast of Shandong Province, with a warm, temperate, humid monsoon climate and paddy soil type. Comparison experiments were conducted on the three farming patterns over a period of 3 years, continuously measuring soil physical and chemical properties and crop yields. The results showed that under the same straw-returning conditions, RT significantly increased soil macroaggregates content and enhanced their stability within 0~30 cm (p < 0.05). RT significantly reduced the bulk density of 0~30 cm soil to below 1.5 g/cm3, which was beneficial to crop root growth (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, RT significantly increased the contents of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus, and the nutrients are evenly distributed in 0~30 cm layer(p < 0.05). Another result was that the RT significantly increased the rice panicle length, grains number per panicle, and thousand-grain weigh. The crop yield was not significantly different from that of PR, but significantly higher than that of CN (p < 0.05). At the same time, cultivation measures prior to rice cultivation had some after-effects on wheat; the RT significantly increased the average tillers, effective panicle number, effective panicle grain number, and thousand-seed weight of wheat; and the wheat yields were 10.5% and 13.3% higher than that of CN and PR, respectively. This study provides a theoretical reference for improving tillage patterns in rice-wheat double-cropping areas.


A highly scalable simulation code for turbulent flows which solves the fully compressible Navier-Stokes equations is presented. The code, which supports one, two and three dimensional domain decompositions is shown to scale well on up to 262,144 cores. Introducing multiple levels of parallelism based on distributed message passing and shared-memory paradigms results in a reduction of up to 33% of communication time at large core counts. The code has been used to generate a large database of homogeneous isotropic turbulence in a stationary state created by forcing the largest scales in the flow. The scaling of spectra of velocity and density fluctuations are presented. While the former follow classical theories strictly valid for incompressible flows, the latter presents a more complicated behavior. Fluctuations in velocity gradients and derived quantities exhibit extreme though rare fluctuations, a phenomenon known as intermittency. The simulations presented provide data to disentangle Reynolds and Mach number effects.


Building an expert system involves eliciting, analyzing, and interpreting the knowledge that a human expert uses when solving problems. Expe rience has shown that this process of "knowledge acquisition" is both difficult and time consuming and is often a major bottleneck in the production of expert systems. Unfortunately, an adequate theoretical basis for knowledge acquisition has not yet been established. This re quires a classification of knowledge domains and problem-solving tasks and an improved understanding of the relationship between knowledge structures in human and machine. In the meantime, expert system builders need access to information about the techniques currently being employed and their effectiveness in different applications. The aim of this book, therefore, is to draw on the experience of AI scientists, cognitive psychologists, and knowledge engineers in discussing particular acquisition techniques and providing practical advice on their application. Each chapter provides a detailed description of a particular technique or methodology applied within a selected task domain. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the tech nique are summarized at the end of each chapter with some suggested guidelines for its use. We hope that this book will not only serve as a practical handbook for expert system builders, but also be of interest to AI and cognitive scientists who are seeking to develop a theory of knowledge acquisition for expert systems."


Zinc metal is widely used as an anode in various aqueous systems. However, zinc anode suffers from the dendrite formation on the surface upon cycling leading to a poor cyclability of a cell and its termination due to short circuit. In this work, the effect of tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAH) was studied as an electrolyte additive for aqueous Zn//ZnCl2 + LiCl//LiFePO4 battery. TPAH additive prolongs the battery cycle life depending on its concentration (0.01–0.1 M). The better capacity retention over 350 cycles was observed for a symmetrical Zn//ZnCl2 + LiCl//Zn cell with 0.05 M TPAH whereas without additives the cell worked for only 110 cycles. The mechanism of TPAH influence on capacity retention is proposed based on the results of SEM and XRD analysis of the Zn anode and FTIR and NMR studies of the electrolyte. The XRD patterns of the negative electrode of the cell with TPAH indicates that zinc was preferentially deposited in a highly oriented (002) direction, which is more resistant against dendrite formation. These differences in deposited structure of Zn dendrites were confirmed by SEM images as well. FTIR and NMR spectra showed that TPAH decomposes to propylamine (RnN+H) and propene during cycling. TPAH also has an effect on the size and uniform distribution of Zn growth sides.


The problem of digital preservation is not limited to special communities. It concerns all institutions that are involved in the preservation of our cultural heritage. The German network of expertise in long-term preservation of digital resources – nestor brings together different communities to work on solutions for digital preservation. Museums, archives, libraries and scientific institutions are collaborating to create a durable infrastructure which focuses on a wide variety of skills in the area of digital preservation. This presentation will give an overview of the benefits and the problems of cooperation among diverse communities. Which synergies can be leveraged and which differences have to be taken into account? The nestor lessons learned show structural differences between the communities as well as common approaches and strategies concerning digital preservation. Different cooperation models will be presented, as well as


Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most potent factors for stimulating angiogenesis, an essential process required for expansion of primary tumour and dissemination of malignant cells. To investigate the possible role of VEGF in facilitating metastasis of prostate cancer via stimulating angiogenesis, we have used Northern and slot blotting, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, nucleotide sequence analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to compare the VEGF expression in series of human and rat cell lines with either benign or malignant characteristics. We have also employed the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay to measure the angiogenic activity of the VEGF derived from both benign and malignant cells. The level of VEGF mRNA expressed in the seven malignant human and rat cell lines is 3.5- to 10-fold higher than that expressed in the benign cell lines. The three metastatic variants, generated by transfection of a benign cell line with DNA extracted from prostate carcinoma cells, expressed 2.5 to 5 times more VEGF mRNA than their parental benign cells. While VEGF 121 and 165 were predominantly expressed by both the benign and malignant cells, the transcript representing VEGF 189 isoform was only detected in the malignant cells. At protein level, three human malignant cell lines produced more VEGF (2.7–7.9 ng ml–1) than the benign cell line (1.3 ng ml–1). CAM assay detected a VEGF-dependent angiogenic activity in the medium from malignant cells, but only a relatively weak VEGF-independent activity in the medium from benign cells. These results demonstrated that malignant cells did over-express VEGF and only the VEGF derived from malignant cells was angiogenically active. Thus, we suggest that the VEGF produced by malignant cells might play an important role in facilitating metastasis of prostatic cancer. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign


The causative agent of thimerosal allergy (sodium ethylmercury thiosalicylate) has not previously been thoroughly investigated. To evaluate whether the organic mercury component or the thiosalicylic acid molecule induces thimerosal sensitization. 23 patients positive to thimerosal were patch tested with ethylmercuric chloride, thiosalicylic acid and 8 different derivatives of mercury. To date, ethylmercuric chloride has not been tested in thimerosal allergy. 19/23 patients (82%) showed positive patch test reactions to ethylmercuric chloride, 4/ 23 patients negative to ethylmercuric chloride reacted positively to thimerosal 0.1% but not to thimerosal 0.05% 8/ 23 patients (35%) also reacted to other mercurials. 20 controls negative to thimerosal showed negative patch test reactions to ethylmercuric chloride. Neither patients nor controls reacted lo thiosalicylic acid. These results indicate that testing with thimerosal 0.1% leads to false‐positive reactions and that the ethyl mercury component is the responsible agent in thimerosal allergy.


Discovering cancer at an early stage is an effective way to increase the chance of survival. However, since most screening processes are done manually it is time inefficient and thus a costly process. One way of automizing the screening process could be to classify cells using Convolutional Neural Networks. Convolutional Neural Networks have been proven to be accurate for image classification tasks. Two datasets containing oral cells and two datasets containing cervical cells were used. For the cervical cancer dataset the cells were classified by medical experts as normal or abnormal. For the oral cell dataset we only used the diagnosis of the patient. All cells obtained from a patient with malignancy were thus considered malignant even though most of them looked normal. The performance was evaluated for two different network architectures, ResNet and VGG. For the oral datasets the accuracy varied between 78-82% correctly classified cells depending on the dataset and network. For the cervical datasets the accuracy varied between 84-86% correctly classified cells depending on the dataset and network. The results indicate a high potential for detecting abnormalities in oral cavity and in uterine cervix. ResNet was shown to be the preferable network, with a higher accuracy and a smaller standard deviation.


Abadi and Cardelli have recently investigated a calculus of objects [2]. The calculus supports a key feature of object-oriented languages: an object can be emulated by another object that has more rened methods. Abadi and Cardelli presented four rst-order type systems for the calculus. The simplest one is based on nite types and no subtyping, and the most powerful one has both recursive types and subtyping. Open until now is the question of type inference, and in the presence of subtyping \the absence of minimum typings poses practical problems for type inference" [2]. In this paper we give an O(n 3 ) algorithm for each of the four type inference problems and we prove that all the problems are P-complete. We also indicate how to modify the algorithms to handle functions and records.


Electronic transport in liquid binary alloys Gold-Silver The electrical resistivity of the liquid alloy Gold-Silver was measured on the totality of the diagram of phase since the melting point until 1150°C. Our measurements, made in a quartz cell equipped with tungsten electrodes, were compared with those obtained by Roll and Motz using a technique without electrodes. The  technique that we used does not reproduce the anomalies observed by Roll and Motz in the curves of resistivity and its temperature coefficient as function of the concentration. The confrontation of our experimental results with the theory was made by using two types of  dephasing as well as the pseudopotential suggested by Idress et al. and used by Alam and Tomak.


In this paper we study a family of controllers that guarantees attitude synchronization for a network of agents in the unit sphere domain, i.e., S. We propose distributed continuous controllers for elements whose dynamics are controllable, i.e., control with torque as command, and which can be implemented by each individual agent without the need of a common global orientation frame among the network, i.e., it requires only local information that can be measured by each individual agent from its own orientation frame. The controllers are constructed as functions of distance functions in S, and we provide conditions on those distance functions that guarantee that i) a synchronized network of agents is locally asymptotically stable for an arbitrary connected network graph; ii) a synchronized network is asymptotically achieved for almost all initial conditions in a tree network graph. When performing synchronization along a principal axis, we propose controllers that do not require full torque, but rather torque orthogonal to that principal axis; while for synchronization along other axes, the proposed controllers require full torque. We also study the equilibria configurations that come with specific types of network graphs. The proposed strategies can be used in attitude synchronization of swarms of under actuated rigid bodies, such as satellites.


This work presents a new measure for radial symmetry and an algorithm for its computation. This measure identifies radially symmetric blobs as locations with contributions from all orientations at some scale. Hence, at a given scale, radial symmetry is computed as the product of the responses of a set of even symmetric feature detectors, with different orientations. This operator presents low sensitivity to shapes lacking radial symmetry, is robust to noise, contrast changes and strong perspective distor- tions, and shows a narrow point spread function. A multi- resolution measure is provided, computed as the maximum of the symmetry measure evaluated over a set of scales. We have applied this measure in the field of photogrammetry for the detection of circular coded fiducial targets. The detection of local maxima of multi-resolution radial sym- metry is combined with a step of false-positive rejection, based on elliptical model fitting. In our experiments, the efficiency of target detection with this method is improved regarding a well-known commercial system, which is expected to improve the performance of bundle adjustment techniques. In order to fulfill all steps previous to bundle adjustment, we have also developed our own method for recognition of coded targets. This is accomplished by a standard procedure of segmentation and decoding of the ring sequence. Nevertheless, we have included a step for the verification of false positives of decoding based on corre- lation with reference targets. As far as we know, this approach cannot be found in literature.


Differentiation of osteomyelitis from cellulitis or septic arthritis can be difficult. The radiological examination often does not have the characteristic features. Seventy of 71 children with osteomyelitis had focal areas of increased radioactivity at the site of the infection. The addition of "blood pool" images aids in the interpretation of the study as they permit evaluation of the effect of hyperemia. The 13 childrenwith cellulitis had diffuse increase in radioactivity involving both the bones and soft tissues. Bone imaging as the initial screening procedure for osteomyelitis is recommended.


This book describes in detail the normal angiographic anatomy of the internal carotid artery. The presentation is based on a normal material comprising 100 internal carotid angiographies, scrupulously selected, and on an exhaustive study of the actual literature. After an introduction dealing with different contrast media, methods ofpunction and injection, projections and exposure technique, the main vessels in the actual vascular area are discussed. The conventional roentgenographic anatomy is compared with angiographic findings, and the normal variations are often analysed in the light of statistical figures. Numerous reproductions of high quality, supplemented with instructive drawings, facilitate the reading. The legends are expressive and facilitates an isolated study of the illustrations. As the monograph gives actual information about the technique of carotid angiography, as well as about normal anatomical variations, it will first of all be recommended to those starting their neuroradiologic training. However, even for the radiologist experienced in the neuroradiological field the book should be useful as a textbook. Herman Lodin


Background: Meperidine and ketamine can be used after general anesthesia to prevent shivering. Meperidin and ketamin can also change hemodynamic, which can be seen at the change of blood pressure and heart rate. The objective of this study is to know the comparison between blood pressure and heart rate in patients who have Ketamine and Meperidine after General Anesthesia.

Methods: This study is an experimental, uses secondary data from dr. Budi Yulianto Sarim's experiment. The data is taken from 72 patients who have operation with general anesthesia in Kariadi Hospital and fulfilling the following criterions: physical status of ASA I-II, age 16-60 years old, normal weight (Broca 90%-110%), operate duration 2 – 3 hours, not have epylepsi, hypertension, cerebri blood disorder, high cerebri blood pressure and psychiatri disorder. Exclusion is for patient who have vasoconstrictor drug during operation, spontaneous breath and laryngeal reflex not come after 3 hours. From the 72s patient's data, the blood pressure and heart rate after ketamin, meperidin, and saline induction are being compared. The data is processed with the facility of SPSS release 15.0 for Windows. Normality test uses Shapiro-Wilk test, continued by hypothesis test using Anova and Kruskal Wallis. Degree of significance is p<0.05.

Result: There is no significance difference between meperidin and ketamin on hemodynamic changes.

Conclusion: Giving ketamine and meperidine after general anesthesia can causes hemodynamic changes which statistically have no significant.

Keywords: ketamine, meperidine, blood pressure, heart rate.


This thesis illustrates statistical methodology for identifying the effects of explanatory variables, for the response variables with an ordinal nature. The dataset applied to this methodology is a Listening Strategy dataset collected by The Language Learner Strategy Team at the National Institute of Education from Singapore. In this dataset, eight strategies were formed from 38 questions based on Linguistic theory. The core objective of this thesis is to validate whether 38 questions were aggregated appropriately. We use the proportional odds model, which is the most popular for ordinal responses, and the generalised estimating equations (GEE) method to analyse repeated measurements. Although there are several ways to analyse repeated categorical responses, this thesis only demonstrates the marginal approach using the GEE method. By fitting proportional odds models, we evaluate whether student's English Language test result associated with the questions are at the same level within each strategy. Results show that the English Language test result effects for the questions associated with Self-initiation, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating, Prediction and Utilisation strategies are similar. On the other hand, the effects for the questions associated with Perceptual processing, Inferencing and Socio-affective strategies are significantly different. We also use a simulation study to show that when the ordinal response is treated as continuous, ordinary least square regression might have misleading results.


Testing of the Fission Power System (FPS) Technology Demonstration Unit (TDU) is being conducted at NASA GRC. The TDU consists of three subsystems: the Reactor Simulator (RxSim), the Stirling Power Conversion Unit (PCU), and the Heat Exchanger Manifold (HXM). An Annular Linear Induction Pump (ALIP) is used to drive the working fluid. A preliminary version of the TDU system (which excludes the PCU for now), is referred to as the RxSim subsystem and was used to conduct flow tests in Vacuum Facility 6 (VF 6). In parallel, a computational model of the RxSim subsystem was created based on the CAD model and was used to predict loop pressure losses over a range of mass flows. This was done to assess the ability of the pump to meet the design intent mass flow demand. Measured data indicates that the pump can produce 2.333 kg/sec of flow, which is enough to supply the RxSim subsystem with a nominal flow of 1.75 kg/sec. Computational predictions indicated that the pump could provide 2.157 kg/sec (using the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model), and 2.223 kg/sec (using the k- turbulence model). The computational error of the predictions for the available mass flow is -0.176 kg/sec (with the S-A turbulence model) and -0.110 kg/sec (with the k-epsilon turbulence model) when compared to measured data.


What was considered an unnatural and deviant phenomenon before 1945 has now become widespread: the active and increasing role of the army in politics. A government dominated by an army was considered "unnatural" not because it was a new phenomenon-it had been recognized by political philosophers from Machiavelli to Mosca-but because some social scientists refused to accept military rule as being as natural as civilian rule. This hesitation of social scientists to study the military has had a variety of causes, ranging from ignorance of historical and political facts to antagonism toward war and the military profession. As recently as the 1930's, military government was identified as the ultimate type of totalitarianism.l


This study examines factors related to within-occupation wage inequality among service and sales workers in the telecommunications industry. The author draws on a 1998 survey of a nationally representative sample of 354 service and sales centers in the industry to examine the importance of management practices and union institutions in shaping wage variation. The results strongly indicate that business strategies of customer segmentation and human resource practices explain variation in wages over and above that explained by the human capital of the work force. In addition, despite extensive deregulation and de-unionization of the industry, the union wage premium is 22%.


This article examines the relationships between disaster type and firms' disaster responses. We draw on a unique dataset of 2,164 press releases related to the occurrence of 206 natural disasters (hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, and wildfires) over a 10-year period (2005-2014) to analyze how firm responses are shaped by the type of disaster it faces. Firms play an increasingly important role in disaster response. We find that firms engage in more anticipatory responses when the type of disaster a firm faces exhibits even impact dispersion and high expected recurrence, and provides substantial warning. Our study draws a relationship between physical geography, disaster type, and more anticipatory firm responses which can improve how firms and communities respond to the risks posed by different types of natural disasters. The article concludes by outlining an agenda for future research on firm responses to natural disasters.


Performance of wastewater treatment processes depends on many factors including wastewater characteristics, environmental conditions and operating parameters. Several treatment processes have their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of treatment performance. Performances of anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O), fivestage Bardenpho (fsB), University of Cape Town (UCT), and modified UCT processes for biological nutrient removal from municipal wastewaters were evaluated at various C:N:P ratios in primary effluent by keeping all other parameters identical to each other in each process. The comparison was based on steady-state removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD), total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorous (TP). Simulations were performed using an MS Excel Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) tool based on Activated Sludge Model No.3 extended with biological phosphorous removal processes. Simulation results indicated that, for low-to-mid influent TKN/COD ratios, fsB process shows the best performance in terms of TN and TP removal. On the other hand, modified UCT process can be the best selection at high influent TKN/COD ratios if only phosphorous removal is of concern. Five-stage Bardenpho process must be selected for both nitrogen and phosphorous removal no matter the influent C:N:P ratio is.


We present a calculation of the neutrino-nucleon scattering cross section which takes into account the nuclear correlations in the relativistic random phase approximation. Our approach is based on a quantum hadrodynamics model with exchange of σ, ω, π, ρ and δ mesons. In view of applications to neutrino transport in the final stages of supernova explosion and protoneutron star cooling, we study the evolution of the neutrino mean free path as a function of density, proton-neutron asymmetry and temperature. Special attention was paid to the issues of renormalization of the Dirac sea, residual interactions in the tensor channel and meson mixing. It is found that RPA corrections, with respect to the mean field approximation, amount to only 10% to 15% at high density.


In this paper, we design sampling inspections and service capacities simultaneously for multi-products. Particularly, we extend Kim(2003) by introducing the fixed cost of providing services. We show that, due to the fixed cost considered, the cost function of a product is no longer linear or convex in terms of the level of service provision, and the total inspection is prefered to the small level of service capacity which results in high burden of the fixed cost. And we develop a simple framework to deal with this joint design problem for a product. Also we consider the problem of allocating the given number of the total service capacities among products. A dynamic programming algorithm is developed to determine the optimal allocation which minimizes the overall total cost of the system and the optimal allocation can be obtained with the considerably smaller computations than the total number of possible allocations. The results can be used to support planning decisions and to aid the joint design of inspections and service capacities for products.


Volume 1: Foundations Editorial Board About the Editors-in-Chief Contributors Series Preface Handbook Introduction I. Past and Prologue Career Intervention: From the Industrial to the Digital Age, Mark Pope Contemporary Conceptualizations of Career, Kerr Inkson Career Counseling Process and Outcome, Susan C. Whiston and Ciemone S. Rose Career Intervention Efficacy: Making a Difference in People's Lives, Steven D. Brown II. Theoretical Perspectives Person-Environment Fit, Rong Su, Chris D. Murdock, and James Rounds Lifespan Career Development, Susan D. Phillips A Social Cognitive Perspective on Career Intervention, Hung-Bin Sheu and Robert W. Lent Career Counseling Paradigms: Guiding, Developing, and Designing, Mark L. Savickas Relationships and Career Development: An Integrative Approach, Hanoch Flum Environments: Diversity in Theoretical Foundations of Career Intervention, ZiYoung Kang and Gary D. Gottfredson III. Demographic Considerations Children and Adolescents, Justin C. Perry and Eric W. Wallace Women, Men, and Change: The Role of Career Interventions, Mary J. Heppner and Ae-Kyung Jung Career Interventions With Racial and Ethnic Minority Clients, Frederick T. L. Leong and Lisa Y. Flores Social Class and Career Intervention, David L. Blustein, Saliha Kozan, Alice Connors-Kellgren, and Bailey Rand Immigrant Workers: Career Concerns and Barriers, Donna E. Schultheiss and Brittan L. Davis IV. Assessment Meaning, Measurement, and Assessment of Vocational Interests for Career Intervention, Sandro M. Sodano Intellectual Abilities for Counseling Interventions, Practice, and Theory: Dismissing Their Significance for Learning and Work Constitutes Malpractice, Harrison J. Kell and David Lubinski Personality Assessment and Career Interventions , Jerome Rossier Process Variables: Maturity, Identity, Decision-Making, and Adjustment, Peter A. Creed and Michelle Hood V. Professional Context Training and Supervision in Career Counseling, Nicholas Ladany and Tiffany O'Shaughnessy Standards, Competencies, and Guidelines in Career Interventions, Cindy L. Juntunen and Erin L. Martin Psychotherapy, Counseling, and Career Counseling, Peter McIlveen Professional Development: Who We Are and What We Do, Jane Goodman and Mary L. Anderson Index Volume 2: Applications Editorial Board I. Guiding Test Interpretation: Talking With People About Their Test Results, Donald G. Zytowski Person Matching for Career Exploration and Choice, Stephanie T. Burns Integrative Approaches to Career Intervention, Patrick J. Rottinghaus and Alec J. Eshelman Using Holland's Theory to Assess Environments, ZiYoung Kang and Gary D. Gottfredson Using Information and Communication Technology in Delivering Career Interventions, James P. Sampson, Jr. and Debra S. Osborn Card Sorts, Sentence Completions, and Other Qualitative Assessments, Robert C. Chope Academic Advising, Leigh S. Shaffer II. Developing Enhancing Future Time Perspective and Exploring Occupational Possible Selves, Brian J. Taber Assessing Children: Interests and Personality, Terence J. G. Tracey and Sandro M. Sodano Promoting Interest and Entry Into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Careers, Marie F. Shoffner and Donna J. Dockery Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, Phillip D. Rumrill, Jr. and Lynn C. Koch Fostering Career Exploration, Raysen Cheung Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Mindi N. Thompson and Stephanie R. Graham Measuring and Assessing Career Maturity and Adaptability, Kevin Glavin Making Better Career Decisions, Itamar Gati and Nimrod Levin Leisure, Howard E. A. Tinsley and Diane J. Tinsley III. Designing Life Themes and Narratives, J. G. Maree Identity Development, Alan Brown and Jenny Bimrose Using Audience to Foster Self-Narrative Construction and Career Adaptability, Jennifer J. Del Corso and Hande Sensoy Briddick Thinking About Vocational Choice, Emily Bullock-Yowell, Denise E. Saunders, and Gary W. Peterson Practical Career Counseling Applications of the Happenstance Learning Theory, John D. Krumboltz Using Metaphor in Career Intervention, Norman E. Amundson Strategies for Discerning and Living a Calling, Bryan J. Dik and Ryan D. Duffy IV. Placing Evidence Based Job Search Interventions for Unemployed Workers and Youth, Jukka Vuori and Richard H. Price Employability, Andrew T. Rothwell Networking, Susan Shortland Understanding Postsecondary Options: Guiding the Decision-Making Process, Mark A. Kretovics and Tracy M. Lara V. Coaching Mentoring in Postsecondary Education and Organizational Settings, Lillian T. Eby and Erin Dolan Coaching, Jesse Segers, Nicky Dries, and Dirk Versees ""The Synergy Project"": A Group Career Counseling Intervention to Enhance Work-Family Management, Rachel Gali Cinamon Top-Down and Bottom-Up Interventions to Increase Work Engagement, Arnold B. Bakker Promoting the Work Adjustment of Late Career Employees, Barbara Griffin Job Satisfaction, Job Performance, and Success, Donald E. Eggerth VI. Transitioning Individualized Career Plans: Helping Youth Create Successful School-to-Work Transitions, Chris Wood and Heather Dahl Emerging Adult Career Transitions, Jose F. Domene, Jeffrey Landine, and John Stewart Facilitating Mid-Career Transitions, Michael E. Hall and Barbara H. Suddarth Fostering Career Management Using Career Anchor Theory, Jared R. Chapman Consultation in Litigation, Michael Shahnasarian Career Interventions: Retirement, Joanne K. Earl, Alexa Muratore, Cindy Leung, and Tin Wei Yu Index


Significance As a critical component of a healthy memory management system, forgetting has received increasing attention. Studies across multiple species support important roles of actin remodeling in forgetting. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In Drosophila, Rac1 and Cdc42, 2 Rho GTPases that act as signaling hubs to coordinate actin remodeling, were reported to mediate the forgetting of labile and consolidated memories, respectively. Here, we showed that Rac1 and Cdc42 exert their effects on forgetting by acting through 2 different actin polymerization pathways, Rac1/SCAR/Dia and Cdc42/WASp/Arp2/3 complexes. These findings fill in the molecular landscape that link forgetting to actin remodeling at the cellular level and shed light on drug development that aims to tune forgetting to treat memory-related diseases. Different memory components are forgotten through distinct molecular mechanisms. In Drosophila, the activation of 2 Rho GTPases (Rac1 and Cdc42), respectively, underlies the forgetting of an early labile memory (anesthesia-sensitive memory, ASM) and a form of consolidated memory (anesthesia-resistant memory, ARM). Here, we dissected the molecular mechanisms that tie Rac1 and Cdc42 to the different types of memory forgetting. We found that 2 WASP family proteins, SCAR/WAVE and WASp, act downstream of Rac1 and Cdc42 separately to regulate ASM and ARM forgetting in mushroom body neurons. Arp2/3 complex, which organizes branched actin polymerization, is a canonical downstream effector of WASP family proteins. However, we found that Arp2/3 complex is required in Cdc42/WASp-mediated ARM forgetting but not in Rac1/SCAR-mediated ASM forgetting. Instead, we identified that Rac1/SCAR may function with formin Diaphanous (Dia), a nucleator that facilitates linear actin polymerization, in ASM forgetting. The present study, complementing the previously identified Rac1/cofilin pathway that regulates actin depolymerization, suggests that Rho GTPases regulate forgetting by recruiting both actin polymerization and depolymerization pathways. Moreover, Rac1 and Cdc42 may regulate different types of memory forgetting by tapping into different actin polymerization mechanisms.


To reduce human annotations for relation extraction (RE) tasks, distantly supervised approaches have been proposed, while struggling with low performance. In this work, we propose a novel DSRE-NLI framework, which considers both distant supervision from existing knowledge bases and indirect supervision from pretrained language models for other tasks. DSRE-NLI energizes an off-the-shelf natural language inference (NLI) engine with a semi-automatic relation verbalization (SARV) mechanism to provide indirect supervision and further consolidates the distant annotations to benefit multi-classification RE models. The NLI-based indirect supervision acquires only one relation verbalization template from humans as a semantically general template for each relationship, and then the template set is enriched by high-quality textual patterns automatically mined from the distantly annotated corpus. With two simple and effective data consolidation strategies, the quality of training data is substantially improved. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly improves the SOTA performance (up to 7.73% of F1) on distantly supervised RE benchmark datasets. Our code is available at https://github.com/kangISU/DSRE-NLI.


Subduction zones host some of Earth's most damaging natural hazards, including megathrust earthquakes and earthquake‐induced tsunamis. A major control on the initiation and rupture characteristics of subduction megathrust earthquakes is how the coupled zone along the subduction interface accumulates elastic strain between events. We present results from observations of slow slip events (SSEs) in Cascadia occurring during the interseismic period downdip of the fully coupled zone, which imply that the orientation of strain accumulation within the coupled zone can vary with depth. Interseismic GPS motions suggest that forces derived from relative plate motions across a shallow, offshore locked plate interface dominate over decadal timescales. Deeper on the plate interface, below the locked (seismogenic) patch, slip during SSEs dominantly occurs in the updip direction, reflecting a dip‐parallel force acting on the slab, such as slab pull. This implies that in subduction zones with obliquely convergent plate motions, the seismogenic zone of the megathrust is loaded by forces acting in two discrete directions, leading to a depth‐varying orientation of strain accumulation on the plate interface.


Abstract This critical essay is an attempt to understand populist discourse of the Tea Party movement and the lurking reactionary-nationalism in the background. Taking a discourse theoretic approach proposed by Laclau (2005), the essay attempts to show how the differential issues/discontents in the populist discourse of the Tea Party came to share equivalence through the articulation of equivalential social logic and the shared universal negative feature in the key signifiers and the antagonism to the government and the incumbents. The essay problematises the conceptualisation of populism as a form of political practice that speaks for the people and against the established power structures, and argues that populism must be critically analysed as a discursive political practice independent of ideology or content.


The prevalence of diabetes in South Africa is increasing rapidly, and diabetes is a significant cause of blindness. Diabetic complications can induce a cycle of poverty for affected families. Early detection of retinopathy and appropriate management can prevent blindness. Screening for retinopathy using a mobile retinal camera is highly cost-effective, with costs of screening and follow-up treatment being less than the expense of one year of a disability grant. Such a programme is a prime example of a 'best buy' that should be part of the national diabetes care package.


The size, scope and significance of Internet Social Media (ISM) services have grown exponentially in recent years. This paper discusses the context, methodology, findings, and conclusions from an exploratory study that assessed users' preferences of ISM services. The study uses a mixed methods approach to explain why ISM services are liked or disliked by users. This is an important area for research since users are the most important stakeholders of any ISM service. The outcomes of this exploratory study were sets of rankings of ISM services that were based entirely on users' preferences. This has not been studied in prior research up to this point. As Internet social networks continue to grow in their popularity and usefulness, this study provides a better understanding of the preferences of ISM users that is valuable to both academia and practitioners. The ISM services that are compared in this study include Facebook, MySpace, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Groupon, Digg, Yelp, and Loopt.


Thermography is widely used for inspecting electrical systems where costly problems are often preceded by telltale thermal signatures. Many thermographers, or their customers, however, mistakenly rely on radiometric temperature data to prioritize these findings. Due to the inherent limitations of radiometry and the complexities of heat transfer in the components being inspected, the data is all too often either inaccurate or misunderstood. Routinely, however, thermographers proceed as if nothing is amiss. This is due to an understandable, but misguided, attempt to simplify the decision-making process regarding repair priorities. The result is that predictions of repair priorities are not as accurate as they could be. On the one hand failures still occur while on the other repairs are often made inappropriately. In this paper we discuss the problems encountered when collecting and interpreting radiometric data. We will also outline a simple, effective system that thermographers are using to dramatically improve the predictive value of the technology. Improved results are achieved first separating the often intertwined questions of 'when will the component fail?' and 'what will be the consequences of failure?' The second improvement comes from incorporating all relevant data in the decision making process and weighing the impact each has. The system described, which can easily be adapted to diverse needs, is being used successfully and with repeatable results that have been shown to improve with usage.


Introduction Successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) had proven benefit for long-term survival. However, its impact on heart function of patients with heart dysfunction is uncertain. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the impacts on heart function of patients with heart dysfunction who underwent successful PCI for CTOs. Methods Between June 1993 and December 2007, the clinical data of 472 consecutive patients with heart dysfunction in our center underwent PCI for CTOs were analysed. The mean age was 59.4±11.5 years. These patients were divided into two groups according to the procedural success (n=421) or failure (n=51), in order to compare the heart function between groups. A follow-up echocardiogram examination was performed 6 months after PCI. Results 391 (92.9%) patients in CTO success group and 46 (90.2%) patients in CTO failure group accepted the examination of echocardiogram at mean time of 6.2±1.7 months. For patients underwent success CTO revascularisation, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was increased from 44.5±3.2% to 50.2±5.7% (p<0.05), and left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI) was declined from 84.7±14.3 ml/m2 to 78.4±13.7 ml/m2 (p<0.05). But the LVEF and LVEDVI had no significant changes in the CTO failure group (42.5±4.0% vs 43.6±4.1% and 86.8±14.4 ml/m2 vs 85.9±14.7 ml/m2, both p>0.05), respectively. In addition, stage of NYHA classification was improved in most people in CTO success group (p<0.05). Conclusions Successful procedures of CTO leads to the improvement of left ventricular function of patient with heart dysfunction.


Despite widespread use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), their cost and the fact that only a certain group of patients fully benefits from the devices require appropriate risk stratification of patients. This study investigated whether altered cardiac autonomic function is associated with the occurrence of ICD discharge or lethal cardiac events. Methods: Fifty-four ICD-treated patients were prospectively followed after assessment of cardiac metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) activity, quantified as the heart-to-mediastinum ratio (HMR), plasma concentration of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the presence (group A, n = 21) or absence (group B, n = 33) of appropriate ICD discharge during a 15-mo period. Results: Group A had a significantly lower level of MIBG activity and a higher plasma BNP level than did group B. Univariate analysis revealed BNP level, any medication, and late HMR to be significant predictors, and multivariate analysis showed late HMR to be an independent predictor. An HMR of less than 1.95 with a plasma BNP level of more than 187 pg/mL or an LVEF of less than 50% had significantly increased power to predict ICD shock: positive predictive values, 82% (HMR + BNP) and 58% (HMR + LVEF); negative predictive values, 73% (HMR + BNP) and 77% (HMR + LVEF); sensitivities, 45% (HMR + BNP) and 67% (HMR + LVEF); and specificities, 94% (HMR + BNP) and 70% (HMR + LVEF). Conclusion: When combined with plasma BNP concentration or cardiac function, cardiac MIBG activity is closely related to lethal cardiac events and can be used to identify patients who would benefit most from an ICD.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

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The human genome contains ∼3x103 of hypervariable minisatellites that consist of up to >3 kbp of 85-100% A/T-rich repeats. These unique domains, termed AT islands, tend to overlap with various sites of genomic instability, including cancer relevant fragile sites FRA16B and FRA16D. AT islands are preferentially targeted by an extremely potent DNA-alkylating antitumor drug bizelesin. Computational analysis suggested that DNA duplexes within AT islands are exceptionally destabilized. This property might underlie the unique potential of AT islands to serve as matrix attachment regions (MARs), the vital elements of nuclear organization. Here we use biochemical approaches and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize the duplexes of cloned model AT islands, including a 1076 bp segment of FRA16B AT island. Partially single-stranded nature of AT-island containing plasmids was demonstrated using the single-strand specific P1 nuclease. P1-induced cleavage (resulting in disappearance of superhelical Form I) was profoundly facilitated in AT-island plasmids relative to control plasmids. For example, P1 at 0.2 Units /reaction converted 48% FRA16B AT island plasmid versus only 6% conversion of the vector plasmid. AFM experiments (conducted in dry mode at pH 7.0) revealed presumably single stranded sections in AT island-containing plasmids that were absent from control non-AT island plasmids. In addition, unusual structural features suggestive of hairpin loops (consistent with palindromic sequences present in the FRA16B domain) were observed in FRA16B plasmids. AFM determinations at elevated pH (to facilitate unwinding) further underscored the profound structural differences between AT island and non-AT island plasmids. Single-strand specific replication protein A (RPA) was used as an alternative way to identify DNA unwinding. AFM demonstrated that RPA formed large aggregates with the FRA16B plasmids but not with non-AT island plasmid. Also, RPA binding to AT island sequences was confirmed using electrophoretic mobility shift assay with linear FRA16B DNA and FRA16B supercoiled plasmid. AFM features indicative of single-stranded sections were markedly reduced in bizelesin-treated AT island plasmids. Likewise, pretreatment with bizelesin abrogated the plasmid's ability to bind RPA. These observations demonstrate that bizelesin distorts the unusual structures of AT islands. While drug binding is expected to stabilize DNA duplex structure, bizelesin effects on AT island plasmids are probably more complex, as bizelesin-treated plasmids retain enhanced sensitivity to P1 nuclease. Demonstration that AT islands are indeed unwound under physiological conditions corroborates the in silico predictions and warrants further investigations on the role of these domains and their variability in chromatin organization in cancer versus normal cells. (Supported by CA80936)


The in vitro killing of Onchocerca volvulus infective third stage larvae (L3) by components of their human hosts' defence mechanisms is not well documented, as no suitable assay exists. Motility is inappropriate as a criterion of larval viability because of the unsteady winding movements of L3. In the present study, a metabolic parameter for larval viability, the uptake of [3H]2-deoxy-D-glucose, was evaluated. To demonstrate the reproducibility and validity of this test, the oxygen radical hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was applied to viable L3 and the death of L3 demonstrated by a 90% reduction in glucose uptake. The incorporation of glucose by the filarial larvae was also determined after in vitro exposure to lysates of the putative effector cells, i.e. eosinophilic and neutrophilic granulocytes and monocytes. Effector-cell-derived components led to a 30-80% dose-dependent decrease in deoxy-glucose uptake, with a half-maximal effect at about 500 micrograms ml-1. These experiments demonstrate, for the first time, the deleterious impact of effector cell constituents on the metabolic activity of O. volvulus L3. The assay could be used to evaluate the effect of distinct natural or recombinant effector molecules on the viability of O. volvulus infective larvae and to investigate the effect of parasite molecules which interfere with effector mechanisms.


The thyroid gland is an interesting endocrine organ where a spectrum of tumors with different behavior arise. At one end of spectrum there is differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) with excellent prognosis, whereas at the other end of the spectrum is anaplastic thyroid cancer which has universally poor outcome. Radioiodine (I-131) therapy has been in use for the treatment of thyroid diseases since 1946. It was introduced by Seidlin et al. 1) Although the use of I-131 has been vouge for a long time, its use in therapy for well differentiated thyroid cancer is still controversial 2). This is because, thyroid cancers (TC) are generally slow growing tumors, with low mortality and normal spans of survival. To record recurrence and mortality, long term follow up studies over a period of two to three decades are needed to establish definite conclusions on the acceptable mode of treatment The incidence of the disease being very low a large number of cases needed to establish a meaningful statistical data is lacking as most published reports feat with small series. Here again in the problem encountered are the differing protocols for treatment with I-131, the indications for treatment which may include or exclude ablation of residual thyroid tissue, cervical nodal and distal metastases. The dosage of I-131 used for ablation of residual thyroid tissue and metastatic disease also vary. The most reliable conclusion regarding I-131 treatment are obtained from studies reported on a large series of patients followed over a period of 2 decades or more from a single institute with a more or less unchanged protocol of management.


The account of the evolution of a classroom teacher (me) that follows is suggestive of a degree of agency and creativity that is rarely acknowledged. Teachers are currently positioned in ways that underline their instrumental role – their duty to students, parents, school and government to ensure that students achieve. A lack of faith in teachers' capacity to innovate on their own terms means that creative practice in schools is routinely overlooked or mistrusted. My own history serves to illustrate the complex ways in which teachers develop their practice, and the cultural and political influences that play their part in the process. This article ends with some comparison between my own experience and that of my student teachers as they embark on their teaching careers nearly 30 years later.


Congenital sialidosis is a rare disease resulting from the absence of neurominidase and presenting with hydrops fetalis, hepatosplenomegaly, dysmorphic features, vacuolated lymphocytes and extensive vacuolation of the connective tissue. Elevated levels of sialooligosaccharides in the urine is characteristic. We describe a newborn baby with congenital sialidosis and discuss the difficulties in reaching the diagnosis.


In this paper we propose an automatic bandwidth control method for the performance improvement of Binary Amplitude Shift Keying (BASK) system for Giga-bit Modem in millimeter band. To improve the performance of the BASK system with a fixed bandwidth, the proposed method is to adjust a bandwidth of low pass filter in receiver using the fuzzy system. The BASK system consists of a high speed shutter of the transmitter and a counter and a repeater of receiver. The repeater consists of four stage converters, and a converter is constructed with a low pass filter and a limiter. The inputs to the fuzzy system are the reminder and integral of remainder of counter, and output is a bandwidth. We used a Viterbi algorithm to find the optimum detection from output of the counter. Simulation results show that the proposed system improves the performance compared to the fixed bandwidth.


To study the elastic properties of rodlike DNA nanostructures, we perform long simulations of these structures using the oxDNA coarse-grained model. By analyzing the fluctuations in these trajectories, we obtain estimates of the bend and twist persistence lengths and the underlying bend and twist elastic moduli and couplings between them. Only on length scales beyond those associated with the spacings between the interhelix crossovers do the bending fluctuations behave like those of a wormlike chain. The obtained bending persistence lengths are much larger than that for double-stranded DNA and increase nonlinearly with the number of helices, whereas the twist moduli increase approximately linearly. To within the numerical error in our data, the twist-bend coupling constants are of order zero. That the bending persistence lengths that we obtain are generally somewhat higher than in experiment probably reflects both that the simulated origamis have no assembly defects and that the oxDNA extensional modulus for double-stranded DNA is too large.


Wear of the Zircaloy cladding of LWBR irradiation test fuel rods, resulting from relative motion between rod and rod support contacts, is reported. Measured wear depths were small, 0.0 to 2.7 mils, but are important in fuel element behavior assessment because of the local loss of cladding thickness, as well as the effect on grid spring forces that laterally restrain the rods. An empirical wear analysis model, based on out-of-pile tests, is presented. The model was used to calculate the wear on the irradiation test fuel rods attributed to a combination of up-and-down motions resulting from power and pressure/temperature cycling of the test reactor, flow-induced vibrations, and assembly handling scratches. The calculated depths are generally deeper than the measured depths.


In a case of emergency, we need to grasp the situation and make correct assessment quickly. The picture taken from monitoring camera is important information in the emergent situation. In our research, we attempt to build a support system for identifying the picture of the monitoring camera by dealing with the pictures as spatio-temporal data. We proposed a method, which displays those pictures on one virtual large wall. For this presentation, the search key in our system is the location and the size of this large screen and from which direction to look. First we developed a general algorithm to index spatio-temporal data to get an idea for developing the algorithm for this search key.


Purpose of review This article discusses recent developments towards less radical surgical treatment for early-stage cervical cancer. Recent findings Surgery is the standard treatment for early-stage cervical cancer. In the last decades, new treatment strategies have been developed aiming to reduce morbidity, without hampering oncological safety. We provide an update of the latest knowledge on safety and morbidity following less radical surgical procedures in early-stage cervical cancer. In cervical cancer with a tumour size of 2 cm or less, radical surgery (simple hysterectomy or fertility-sparing conisation) may be a well tolerated option. For patients with larger lesions (>2 cm) and wishing to preserve fertility, administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by less extensive surgery appears to be a feasible and well tolerated alternative to abdominal trachelectomy. With regard to lymph node assessment, increasing evidence shows the feasibility of the sentinel lymph node procedure instead of full pelvic lymphadenectomy. Prospective trials reporting on oncological safety are awaited. It is important to exercise caution when new surgical strategies are introduced. Despite promising retrospective data, prospective randomized studies may present unexpected results, for instance, minimally invasive radical hysterectomy showed inferior results compared to laparotomy. Summary There is a shift towards less radical treatment for early-stage cervical cancer. This review explores whether and when less is really more.


Tsutsugamushi disease is a zoonotic disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi in which humans are accidental hosts. Infective endocarditis associated with Tsutsugamushi disease has not been previously reported. We are describing a case of Tsutsugamushi disease presenting with aortic valve endocarditis. The clinical data of a 67-year-old female with O. tsutsugamushi-induced aortic valve endocarditis was summarized retrospectively and analyzed with a literature review. Treatment of O. tsutsugamushi-induced aortic valve endocarditis with chloramphenicol is recommended.


Word based models are widely used in speech recognition since they typically perform well. However, the question of whether it is better to use a word-based or a character-based model warrants being for the Mandarin Chinese language. Since Chinese is written without any spaces or word delimiters, a word segmentation algorithm is applied in a pre-processing step prior to training a word-based language model. Chinese characters carry meaning and speakers are free to combine characters to construct new words. This suggests that character information can also be useful in communication. This paper explores both word-based and character-based models, and their complementarity. Although word-based modeling is found to outperform character-based modeling, increasing the vocabulary size from 56k to 160k words did not lead to a gain in performance. Results are reported for the Gale Mandarin speech-to-text task.


For any nanomechanical device intended for sensing applications, actuation is an important consideration. Many different actuation mechanisms have been used, including self-oscillation, piezoelectric shakers, capacitive excitation, and optically pumping via the optical gradient force. Despite the relatively frequent use of optical pumping, the limits of optical actuation with a pump laser have not been fully explored. We provide a practical framework for designing optical cavities and optomechanical systems to maximize the efficiency of the optical pumping technique. The effects of coherent backscattering on detection and actuation are included. We verify our results experimentally and show good agreement between the model and experiment. Our model for efficient actuation will be a useful resource for the future design of optomechanical cavities for sensor and other high-amplitude applications.


The mixed logit choice model (MMNL) has acquired a prominent place in the toolbox of most researchers interested in studying choice data. The MMNL extends the Multinomial Logit model (MNL) in the sense that it allows for heterogeneity in individual preference parameters. Along with this additional flexibility, the data collected in order to estimate such a model must also be of greater quality. Given the limited amount of choice sets one can present to a participant, it is thus of great importance to include those choice sets that maximize the information gained from a stated preference survey. Besides orthogonal designs, a substantial amount of work focused on the generation of efficient designs. The latter are designed in such a way that they aim to reduce the standard error associated with the estimated parameters. For the panel mixed logit model few methods exist to generate efficient designs. Most of the attempts aimed at optimizing the discrete choice design for the average respondent (aggregate customization). In the presence of consumer heterogeneity however such a method has the disadvantage that it is inefficient for respondents with part-worths located far from the population mean. The generation of these aggregate customization designs is very complicated for local optimal designs and almost infeasible from a computational point of view when taking the uncertainty about the priors into account (Bliemer & Rose, 2010). A way to overcome these problems is to generate individually optimized designs. In this approach each respondent is presented with a different design. Sandor & Wedel (2005) demonstrated the advantage of presenting different designs to different respondents by randomly assigning optimal designs to them (for the cross-sectional mixed logit model). Yu, Goos, & Vandebroek (2011) used a Bayesian approach in which a prior distribution, representing the parameter uncertainty, is updated for each participant individually as soon as a choice from that participant was observed. Using the updated prior, the next efficient choice set was generated while minimizing the DB-error. The latter method is referred to as individually adapted sequential Bayesian designs (IASB). Afterwards Crabbe, Akinc, & Vandebroek (2014) extended the IASB method by introducing the Kullback-Leibler criterion, a modification which increased computation speed substantially. Both papers showed with simulation studies that there was a significant reduction in the standard errors of the population and individual estimated parameters using the IASB method in comparison to aggregate customization designs. Because the advantage of the IASB approach can only be fully explored by making the method useful in practice, an R package along with a web application to generate and present the IASB surveys was developed. The R package incorporates the methods described in Yu et al. (2011) and Crabbe et al. (2014). To evaluate the efficiency of a proposed choice set the DB-error or Kullback-Leibler criterion is computed by averaging over a large number of draws from the posterior distribution. The samples are drawn using an importance sampling algorithm with extensible shifted lattice points. The package also includes all necessary functions to interact with the web application (e.g. transformation of the coded design matrix to meaningful attribute levels). Furthermore the modified Federov algorithm is also incorporated to generate (initial) aggregate designs if desired. R shiny is a free web application framework for R. An R shiny script is provided which works hand in hand with the R package. The web application enables the researcher to present the generated choice sets to respondents in a web environment. The advantage is that the web application continuously interacts with R and thus makes it possible to gather data using the IASB approach. Software packages for conducting online discrete choice experiments exist, and some of them are able to adapt the survey to individual characteristics that are queried in advance. However, none of them enables the researcher to use the choices in a fully interactive way in order to generate and present choice sets that are completely tailor made for each participant. In our opinion the application can be especially useful for academic researchers. With a minimum knowledge of R one can easily adjust the specifications to one's needs. Of course each attribute as well as its levels can be modified, as well as the type of coding used for the design matrix. The default assumed decision model for each respondent is the Multinomial logit model which can be easily changed to for instance a random regret model by changing the likelihood function. The tool provides a way to easily access possible respondents (by sending a weblink) and to store the collected empirical data locally or remotely (e.g. Dropbox). Afterwards, popular R packages such as bayesm or mlogit can be used to estimate the panel mixed logit model based on the data. To summarize, the package and accompanying R shiny script makes it possible to create and conduct IASB choice surveys (or aggregated customized ones), and to analyze the data in the same free R environment. References: Bliemer, M. C. J., & Rose, J. M. (2010). Construction of experimental designs for mixed logit models allowing for correlation across choice observations. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological , 44 (6), 720–734. Crabbe, M., Akinc, D., & Vandebroek, M. (2014). Fast algorithms to generate individualized designs for the mixed logit choice model. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological , 60 , 1–15. Sandor, Z., & Wedel, M. (2005). Heterogeneous Conjoint Choice Designs. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR) , 42 (2), 210–218. Yu, J., Goos, P., & Vandebroek, M. (2011). Individually adapted sequential Bayesian conjoint-choice designs in the presence of consumer heterogeneity. International Journal of Research in Marketing , 28 (4), 378–388.


Connecting patients to appropriate information—and to each other for social support—can help them self‐manage chronic kidney disease (CKD) more effectively. For CKD patients, the Internet offers a wealth of resources to meet many educational needs. Understanding the types of Internet sources CKD patients use today can help renal professionals point patients in the right direction. This article will briefly review the state of CKD patient education and social support in the United States, then outline types of Internet‐based patient education, and review the value of each type for both education and social support.


Importance
The cerebral serotonin 4 (5-HT4) receptor is a promising novel target for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), and pharmacological stimulation of the 5-HT4 receptor has been associated with improved learning and memory in healthy individuals.

Objective
To map the neurobiological signatures of patients with untreated MDD compared with healthy controls and to examine the association between cerebral 5-HT4 receptor binding and cognitive functions in the depressed state.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This case-control study used baseline data from the NeuroPharm clinical depression trial in Denmark. Adult participants included antidepressant-free outpatients with a current moderate to severe depressive episode and healthy controls. All participants completed positron emission tomography (PET) scanning with [11C]SB207145 for quantification of brain 5-HT4 receptor binding, but only the patients underwent cognitive testing. Data analyses were performed from January 21, 2020, to April 22, 2022.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The main study outcome was the group difference in cerebral 5-HT4 receptor binding between patients with MDD and healthy controls. In addition, the association between 5-HT4 receptor binding and verbal memory performance in the patient group was tested. Other cognitive domains (working memory, reaction time, emotion recognition bias, and negative social emotions) were assessed as secondary outcomes.

Results
A total of 90 patients with untreated MDD (mean [SD] age, 27.1 [8.2] years; 64 women [71.1%]) and 91 healthy controls (mean [SD] age, 27.1 [8.0] years; 55 women [60.4%]) were included in the analysis. Patients with current MDD had significantly lower cerebral 5-HT4 receptor binding than healthy controls (-7.0%; 95% CI, -11.2 to -2.7; P = .002). In patients with MDD, there was a correlation between cerebral 5-HT4 receptor binding and verbal memory (r = 0.29; P = .02).

Conclusions and Relevance
Results of this study show that cerebral 5-HT4 receptor binding was lower in patients with MDD than in healthy controls and that the memory dysfunction in patients with MDD was associated with lower cerebral 5-HT4 receptor binding. The cerebral 5-HT4 receptor is a promising treatment target for memory dysfunction in patients with MDD.


This paper shows for the first time integrated thin film ferroelectric metal-insulator-metal capacitors on silicon with a record high capacitance density above 100 nF/mm2 combined with a breakdown voltage of 90 V and a lifetime exceeding 10 years at 85degC and 5 V. The high capacitance density was obtained by a combination of material optimizations resulting in a dielectric constant of 1600, and stacking of capacitors. The reliability of these ferroelectric capacitors was studied in detail with accelerated lifetime testing. The high performance of the integrated capacitors in this paper shows great potential for applications demanding high capacitance densities combined with electrostatic discharge protection.


The strength of spring steels has been increasing in order to cope with the demands of lightweightness in automobile applications. However, high strength steels, typically consisting of tempered martensite structures, accompanied by large reduction of toughness are susceptible to failure of spring properties such as fatigue resistance in corrosive conditions, because of increase in notch sensitivity. Since bainite often exhibits high strength and toughness in comparison with tempered martensite, we have studied microstructures and mechanical properties of an austempered spring steel (JIS-SUP12) by means of scanning electron microscopy and tensile tests in order to examine the potential application of bainitic spring steels. The result shows that carbide-free and lath-like bainitic ferrite was formed at austempering temperatures higher than 400°C, while plate-like bainitic ferrite with fine carbide precipitations was formed at temperatures lower than 300°C. The fraction of the bainitic ferrite increased whereas that of the martensite decreased with increased holding time in austempering. The amount of the retained austenite increased during the early stage of transformation and then decreased with further holding. At optimum austempering condition, the bainite with high strength, high elongation and reduction of area superior to tempered martensite was obtained.


This paper deals with the study of the geomorphologic evolution in the Albalate de Cinca-Candasnos region. This area is characterized by several plio-cuaternary levels, taking their origin both in the Sierras Exteriores of Huesca and in the central carbonated platforms of the Depresion Ebro. The quaternary modelling consist mainly on several levels of glacis which form the Sierra Ontinena piedmont, and by a group of terraces which are included in the fluvial system "A lcanadre-Cinca". This accumulative morphogenetic levels are topped by calcareus crusts, which can reach a great development and whose textural and facies features (Chalky crust, brecciated, nodular and laminated) lead us to consider them as a result of accumulative (chemical and/or biochemical and mechanic) and postaccumulative (edaphic and diagenetic) proccesses. Several accumulatil'e and erosive episodes take place during the Holocene, which are revealed in two slope regularization stages (post/berian and postMedieval) and two "vales" generation stages, separated respectively by erosion and incision periods.


Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the need for the formation and development of listening and speaking skills, which are crucial for guides-translators who use English in work with foreign tourists and require constant improvement. It is the distance learning format that allows you to improve your professional language level. The purpose of the study is to develop a model for on-line teaching guides the English language employing Skype technologies. Methodology. The key research methods were the method of a needs analysis (questionnaires and interviews) and a pedagogical experiment. Questionnaires, interviews and testing allowed selecting the participants of the experiment who demonstrated high motivation to study online and confirmed their B1-B2 level of English. The experiment, which took place on the basis of the Moscow School of Tourism and Hospitality "Tour Center", involved two groups of 14 people each. Using a learner-centered approach we created a twelve-week Skype-based English course, which correlated with the professional training syllabus of the participants of the experiment. Results. The results of the final testing and interview showed that this technique with the use of Skype technologies is effective and contributes to the further formation and development of speaking and listening skills. The number of students experiencing difficulty demonstrating these skills decreased from 55% to 22% and 60% to 30%, respectively. In addition, the approbation of the developed model revealed the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning in general and Skype technologies in particular. Conclusion. The study showed the high efficiency of Skype-technologies in teaching English for special purposes as part of an additional educational course. The developed methodology can be used in the process of practice-oriented training aimed at forming the professional competencies of future specialists.


Retinoic acid (RA) is an important regulator of embryogenesis and tissue homoeostasis. Perturbation of RA signalling causes developmental disorders, osteoarthritis, schizophrenia and several types of tumours. RA is produced by oxidation of retinaldehyde from vitamin A. The main enzyme producing RA in the early embryo is retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (RALDH2, ALDH1A2). In the present study we describe in depth the kinetic properties and regulation of the human RALDH2 (hRALDH2) enzyme. We show that this enzyme produces RA using in vivo and in vitro assays. We studied the naturally occurring all-trans-, 9-cis- and 13-cis-retinaldehyde isomers as substrates of hRALDH2. Based on the values measured for the Michaelis-Menten constant Km and the maximal rate Vmax, in vitro hRALDH2 displays the same catalytic efficiency for their oxidation. We characterized two known inhibitors of the vertebrate RALDH2 and determined their kinetic parameters on hRALDH2. In addition, RA was studied as a possible inhibitor of hRALDH2 and a regulator of its activity. We show that hRALDH2 is not inhibited by its oxidation product, all-trans-RA, suggesting the absence of a negative feedback regulatory loop. Expression of the Raldh2 gene is known to be regulated by RA itself, suggesting that the main regulation of the hRALDH2 activity level is transcriptional.


It is rarely possible to precisely characterise the system underlying a series of observations. Hypothesis testing, which involves assessing simple assumptions about driving mechanisms, provides hope that we can at least rule out certain possibilities regarding the nature of the system. Unfortunately, the brevity, nonstationarity, and symbolic nature of certain time series of interest undermines traditional hypothesis tests. Fortunately, recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) has an established record of success in understanding short and nonstationary time series. We evaluate the suitability of measures of RQA as test statistics in surrogate data tests of the hypothesis that ten compositions by the Baroque composer J. S. Bach (1685-1750) arose from a Markov chain. More specifically, we estimate the size (the rate at which true hypotheses are incorrectly rejected) and power (the rate at which false hypotheses are correctly rejected) from empirical rejection rates across 1000 realisations, for each of the ten compositions, of the surrogate algorithm. We compare hypothesis tests based on RQA measures to tests based on the conditional entropy, an established test statistic for surrogate data tests of Markov order, and find that the RQA measure Lmax provides more consistent rejection of the fairly implausible hypothesis that Bach's brain was a Markov chain.


Multispectral remote sensing applications that detect changes in vegetative reflectance in the near infrared are used to identify forest cover change in forests across the globe. Remote sensing platforms are used to identify changes in vegetative density often using the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetative Index) or other similar methods based a change of vegetative reflectance over time. Changes in forest cover may represent any number of disturbance events, fire, hurricane damage, human harvest behavior, and land use change. This paper aims to develop an accuracy assessment of using remote sensing products that identify indiscriminate changes in vegetative density to identify human harvest activity across multiple geophysical regions and forest cover types in the Southeastern United States.


The Book of Medicine Edition Royal King Rama V : The use of language and writing style. The research's purposes to study strategies to use language and writing style in the book by using descriptive analysis methodology. The population of the study are The Book of Medicine Edition Royal King Rama V in the 1st and 2nd editions includes Book Pharmacopoeia 27 editions and 3 editions of the drug formula. The research found that the firstly, there are four types of strategies used include with the compound wording, nested wording repetition wording and comparative images in color, size, disease characteristics and symptoms of the disease. The secondly, there are two types of writing style used. The prefix of drug formula include with drug name, drug produce, symptoms of the disease, drug formula, and Khmer characters. The postfix of drug formula include with valuable thing comparison, quality of result, drug name, Khmer characters and indications or drug produce.


The authors delayed-decision-feedback sequence estimation (DDFSE) for uncoded PAM signals is considered. Estimates on the performance of the algorithm are given, and simulation results are provided for several examples. A more general form of DDFSE applicable to coded modulation systems is also presented. As an example, detection of trellis-coded QPSK (quadrature phase-shift keyed) signals over intersymbol interference channels is discussed. >


The case of quinine amblyopia to be reported is considered of interest for several reasons. First, since the amblyopia occurred during a period of hospitalization for another condition, the opportunity arose for immediate, as well as continued, close ocular observation. Second, corticotropin (adrenocorticotropic hormone) was employed in the treatment of the quinine amblyopia. REPORT OF CASE A 48-year-old white man was admitted to the surgical service of the Veterans Administration Hospital, Jefferson Barracks, Mo., on Oct. 5, 1953, for treatment of a peripheral vascular disorder of the lower extremities, manifested by intermittent claudication and deficient pedal pulses. The patient was first seen by members of the ophthalmology department four days later, within 45 minutes after he developed sudden complete bilateral blindness, associated with dizziness, flushing, vomiting, tinnitus, and partial bilateral deafness. Review of the medication revealed that the patient had received a total of 0.8 gm. of oral quinine sulfate


Abstract Minor planet 1993SC, with a semi-major axis of 39.67 AU, is one of the brightest of numerous recently discovered objects with orbits close to or beyond Neptune. It is a member of the Kuiper Belt, a planetesimal population remaining from the formation of the Solar System. We present optical photometry which indicates a lightcurve amplitude of less than 0.2 magnitude for 1993SC and which does not support the 0.5 magnitude lightcurve of I. P. Williams et al. ( Icarus 116, 180–185, 1995). We derive (Kron-Cousins photometric system) V − R = 0.54 ± 0.14, V − I = 0.97 ± 0.14, and V − J = 2.08 ± 0.15, which confirm that 1993SC has optical/infrared colors closer to Centaur 1993HA 2 than to the extremely red 5145 Pholus. We also find that VRI colors published by J. X. Luu and D. C. Jewitt ( Astron. J. 111, 499–503, 1996) are inconsistent with their reflectance spectrum of 1993SC and we derive new values from their reflectance spectrum of V − R = 0.56 ± 0.08 and V − I = 1.19 ± 0.18, which give reasonable agreement with our results.


John Gray attempted to reveal how men and women differ in all areas of their lives when he published his bestseller
book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" in 1992. In this book he states: "not only do men and women
communicate differently but they think, feel, perceive, react, respond, love, need, and appreciate differently. They
almost seem to be from different planets, speaking different languages and needing different nourishment." Seen from a biopsychosocial perspective on sexuality, it is true that there are many differences between males
and females; but there are also quite a number of similarities.


This study aims to motivate and improve student achievement in grade VI SD Negeri Malahayu 03 in learning science about simple electrical circuits. The low evaluation results are usually related to student behavior during learning. For example, students often go in and out of class alternately, talk to themselves, and do not dare to ask questions to the teacher when they have difficulties. To achieve success in learning in a class, it is necessary to use appropriate learning methods and use of teaching aids. Teaching aids that encourage students to be active in the learning process of Natural Sciences are concrete teaching aids. Based on the data of grade VI students of SD Negeri  Malahayu 03 who achieved the Minimum Completeness Criteria, from 44 students there were 19 students (43%) in the pre-cycle to 31 students (71%) in the first cycle and 40 students (100%) in the second cycle. The conclusion of this study shows that learning with concrete media can improve science learning outcomes for grade VI students of SD Negeri Malahayu 03, Banjarharjo District, Brebes Regency in the first semester of the 2019/2020 school year.


Abstract Genetic classification of glacial deposits still proves to be highly controversial. In many cases, it remains unclear whether a particular sediment has been sub-glacially deformed. In the present paper it is suggested that micromorphological research is helpful where current techniques fail to lead to unambiguous interpretations. It is argued that the occurrence of fractured grains in glacial sediments is indicative of subglacial shearing and that such grains may be used as diagnostic evidence of glaciotectonism. Deformational mechanisms associated with the fracturing process are outlined and explained, using a series of thin sections from Wijnjewoude, The Netherlands.


The terms nature and natural each have several different meanings, which can lead to confusion in communications about environmental issues. One approach to clarifying discussion, frequently used in the sciences, is to develop precise, operational definitions of terminology. We argue that this approach can be ineffective when applied to multifaceted conceptual terms such as nature, natural, and culture. We think the range of legitimate meanings for these terms may be better communicated by historical accounts of use that describe the assumptions, contexts, and worldviews associated with different interpretations. These accounts do not resolve disagreement but can help clarify the basis for it, and open up new avenues of inquiry. In this paper, we examine the terms nature, natural environment, environmental change, and environmental degradation. A recent article in this journal offered precise definitions of the last three of these terms that were based on the idea that natural is that which is relatively uninfluenced by human culture. Although this is a commonly accepted meaning of natural, we contend that this meaning needs to be carefully scrutinized. We identify specific problems with this usage and offer an account of use of the term nature, which we think provides a more thorough understanding of how nature and natural have been used and understood in different contexts. Since the term natural can be understood several different ways, communication of any particular meaning requires careful articulation of the intended meaning in light of several alternative interpretations.


In this paper we apply neural networks with local converging inputs (NNLCI), originally introduced in [arXiv:2109.09316], to solve the two dimensional Maxwell's equation around perfect electric conductors (PECs). The input to the networks consist of local patches of low cost numerical solutions to the equation computed on two coarse grids, and the output is a more accurate solution at the center of the local patch. We apply the recently developed second order finite difference method [arXiv:2209.00740] to generate the input and training data which captures the scattering of electromagnetic waves off of a PEC at a given terminal time. The advantage of NNLCI is that once trained it offers an efficient alternative to costly high-resolution conventional numerical methods; our numerical experiments indicate the computational complexity saving by a factor of $8^3$ in terms of the number of spatial-temporal grid points. In contrast with existing research work on applying neural networks to directly solve PDEs, our method takes advantage of the local domain of dependence of the Maxwell's equation in the input solution patches, and is therefore simpler, yet still robust. We demonstrate that we can train our neural network on some PECs to predict accurate solutions to different PECs with quite different geometries from any of the training examples.


Background : Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease and a growing public health problem  worldwide. Its management emphasizes patient education and participation. Self-monitoring of blood  glucose (SMBG) has been shown to be beneficial in glycaemic controls and to reduce complications of DM. Aim : To critically appraise the knowledge and use of SMBG by our diabetic patients. Methods : One hundred and eighteen patients attending the diabetic clinic of the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa state were recruited consecutively over a one month period  (May-June 2013). Patients were assessed with self-administered questionnaires to obtain their knowledge of SMBG. Information obtained included their biodata, the duration, type and method of treatment of DM and knowledge of methods of SMBG. The data obtained were analyzed using simple statistical methods. Results : Out of the 118 patients, 53 (44.9%) were males and 65 (55.1%) were females. Most of the patients were type 2 diabetics (type 1: 4.2%, type2: 95.8%). Of the 118 patients, 111 (94.1%) were aware of SMBG. Among the 111 patients who had knowledge of SMBG, 107(96.4%) learnt about it from a health care provider, while the others were from relatives or friends. Only 39 (33.1%) patients had glucometers. Twenty nine of the patients with personal glucometers checked their blood sugar at least once daily, 2 patients never used their glucometers, 7 patients checked their blood glucose using their personal glucometer only once a week while one patient admitted to using his glucometer to check his blood sugar level only once a month. Conclusion : Although majority of the patients knew about self monitoring of their blood glucose, the practice of it was quite poor. SMBG especially using glucometers still needs to be emphasized and compliance advised.  Keywords : Self monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), Diabetes mellitus, Glucometer


The breaker depth index, γb, is commonly used to determine the wave height to water depth ratio where the wave will break (Horikawa, 1988). In the present study, γb has been calculated using a fully nonlinear Boussinesq Type Equations (BTE) wave model with implemented BCI (Breaking Celerity Index). The BCI is a phase-resolving type breaking criterion for calculating the incipient wave breaking conditions (D'Alessandro and Tomasicchio, 2008). The model suitability in predicting γb has been verified against physical data from an experimental investigation conducted with incident regular waves propagating along uniform 1:20 and 1:50 slope beaches (G.V. dos Reis, 1992), and estimates of γb from five existing empirical formulae (Battjes, 1974; Ostendorf and Madsen, 1979; Singamsetti and Wind, 1980; Smith and Kraus, 1990; Goda, 2010). The comparisons showed that BCI presents a better agreement with the physical data with respect to the other investigated formulae in determining the value of γb, independently from the breaker type. In addition, the verification of the BCI in determining γb has been extended to the observed data from a large-scale laboratory experiment on wave hydrodynamics performed over a fixed-bed barred beach (Tomasicchio and Sancho, 2002).


In recent years, mobile devices have become very popular within young people. Thanks to developments in mobile technologies, these devices can now do much more than just voice calls and texts. We envision mobile devices as tools for improving the young users' lifestyle, especially for learning. In this work we present a web authoring system that makes it possible to create a mobile application that supports children in learning a new language in a more pleasant and entertaining way by using Augmented Reality. This application allows pupils to improve their speaking skills turning the language acquisition into a game under the supervision of both teachers and parents. Our contribution is focused on understanding how digital technology can facilitate learning while keeping in mind that it is a wide and interdisciplinary issue.


A new reconstruction method called Generalized Vector Sampled Pattern Matching (GVSPM) was applied to the image reconstruction of an electrical capacitance computed tomography (ECT) in freely falling particles in a vertical pipe. This new method is able to achieve stable convergence without the use of an empirical value. Experiments were carried out using three particle types with various electric charges and four particle flow rates to measure the capacitance of a pipe cross section. The three particle types were polyethylene pellets (PP) , silica sand (SS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) . Four flow rate settings were used resulting in a volume flow rate ranging from 3.08×10-5 to 1.04×10-3 [m3/s]. The GVSPM method is compared with conventional methods in terms of volume fraction, residual capacitance, and capacitance correlation. Overall, the GVSPM method proved superior to conventional methods in the case of polyethylene pellets with high electric charge. GVSPM achieves accurate reconstruction by using an objective function that is calculated as the inner product calculation between the experimental capacitance and the reconstructed image capacitance.


Toxoplasma gondii infection has become a major public health concern in recent times due to the ravaging HIV/AIDS pandemic. The seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was determined in Kwal, a rural district of Plateau-Nigeria using IgG-ELISA. Epidemiological assessment was also conducted for the purpose of establishing the infection dynamics. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 30 (20.8%) of the 144 individuals studied. The prevalence of infection was slightly higher amongst the males (22.0%) than the females (20.0%), individuals of age group 21-30 years had the highest prevalence of 33.3% while the least (7.4%) occurred amongst the 41-50 years age group. No significant difference was noted (p < 0.05). The seroprevalence of Toxoplasma antibodies was significantly higher amongst individuals who handle/eat rodents (29.6%) and those who constantly had contact with soil (21.2%). These were the predominant risk factors of T. gondii infection in the area. Consequently, the infection occurred most amongst farmers (25.0%). This study contributes to the development of guidelines for the prevention and management of toxoplasmosis. Results were discussed in relation to the T. gondii epidemiological factors inherent within the population studied.