The authors submit information on the prediction of the health risk assessment, they used for defining the air pollution by air particulates. Trace metal and toxic metal analysis is used in the cancer risk assessment. This approach gives a better view of adverse effects on health. The evaluation of air pollution, expressed only in nanograms of metals per cubic meter, says nothing about the health of the inhabitants.


Errors in the management of regular medications at the time of hospital admission are common. This randomised controlled three-arm parallel-group trial examined the impact of pharmacist medication history taking and pharmacist supplementary prescribing on unintentional omissions of postoperative medications in a large perioperative service. Participants included elective surgical patients taking regular medications with a postoperative hospital stay of one night or more. Patients were randomly assigned, on admission, to usual care (n=120), a pharmacist medication history only (n=120) or pharmacist medication history and supplementary prescribing (n=120). A medication history involved the pharmacist interviewing the patient preoperatively and documenting a medication history in the medical record. In the supplementary prescribing group the patients' regular medicines were also prescribed on the inpatient medication chart by the pharmacist, so that dosing could proceed as soon as possible after surgery without the need to wait for medical review. The estimate marginal mean number of missed doses during a patients hospital stay was 1.07 in the pharmacist supplementary prescribing group, which was significantly less than both the pharmacist history group (3.30) and the control group (3.21) (P <0.001). The number of medications charted at an incorrect dose or frequency was significantly reduced in the pharmacist history group and further reduced in the prescribing group (P <0.001). We conclude that many patients miss doses of regular medication during their hospital stay and preoperative medication history taking and supplementary prescribing by a pharmacist can reduce this.


There is limited research investigating objective practice monitoring in team sports. This observational study examined the practice activities used by eight professional coaches across 72 different practice sessions in one season within a professional Australian football team. This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which these practice types differed from those shown to facilitate skill acquisition in team sports. Across the whole season (pre-season and in-season), coaches implemented seven practice types which were categorised into training-form and playing-form. Practice type frequencies were different between pre- and in-season (χ2 = 109.6, p < 0.001). Significant differences were reported for practice type duration between pre-season and in-season (p = 0.023, d=–0.17), where in-season activities were longer. Coaches implemented a higher percentage of practice time to playing-form activities in-season (62.0 ± 25.4) compared to pre-season (52.4 ± 19.8) [95%CI: –2.35:21.4]. Coaches were more likely to alter the frequency of practice types, rather than the exposure time. Players performed more training-form activities during pre-season than in-season (χ2 = 30.8, p < 0.001). There were no differences in playing-form activities between pre- and in-season. This study provides insights into the practice activities implemented by professional Australian football coaches and discusses the extent to which they represent best practice in the context of skill acquisition.


Background: Cancer-screening rates are low among Old Order Anabaptists; the burden of cancer is unknown. Purpose: To investigate cancer and health in the Old Order Anabaptist context. Specifically, to describe health priorities and health-seeking behaviors, crudely estimate cancer burden, and identify predictors of cancer screening. Method: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to households around Perth County, Ontario, in January 2014. Results: Response rate was 45%. Cancer burden was low. Cancer was a lower priority than general and mental health. After adjustment, family/friends motivated cancer screening for regular screeners (OR: 6.38, 95% CI [1.93, 21.07]) and symptoms was reported to motivate those underscreened/never screened (OR: 0.48, 95% CI [0.24, 0.96]). Conclusion: Cancer-screening participation may be low because the burden of cancer is low and there are other high-priority health concerns. Implications: Integrated cancer screening and holistic care may improve participation.


ABSTRACT Two enantiomerically pure hydroxymethyl substituted cyclopentene nucleoside analogues (42 and 53) related to carbovir and neplanocin A, respectively, were prepared from the chiral pool of iridoid glucosides. In addition two saturated hydroxymethylated analogues (44 and 45) were obtained from a protected intermediate.


In osteoarthritis, the metabolic activity of the chondrocytes is shifted toward a state where new matrix synthesis is outweighed by breakdown of matrix constituents. The result is degeneration and gradual loss of articular cartilage. Although osteoarthritis is frequently regarded as a non-inflammatory form of arthritis, considerable data implicates a role for pro-inflammatory cytokines in the cartilage destruction associated with osteoarthritis. The best studied pro-inflammatory cytokines in osteoarthritis are interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Since articular cartilage is not vascularized, it must rely on diffusion from the articular surface for nutrient and metabolic exchange. Consequently, the entire metabolism of the cell is geared towards operating at a low oxygen tension. In this study, chondrocytes were challenged with pro-inflammatory cytokines at 21% O2 and 6% O2. Chondrocyte proliferation, membrane integrity, oxidative stress, matrix metalloproteinase – 9 (MMP-9) and hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) production were measured. Our results showed that there was less of a decrease in cell number at 6% O2 compared to 21% O2 after they were challenged with pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, there was less of an increase in oxidative stress, membrane damage and MMP-9 production at 6% O2 compared to21% O2. The significance of this study represents the first attempt to replicate a diseased inflammatory environment characterized by an osteoarthritic joint in vitro and to examine these effects on the growth and stability of chondrocytes.


Written in the vein in which Lederer maintains is the way to write if you want people to read and understand you, Spare-Time Article Writing for Money is the compleat angle(r) on how to make a few extra dollars at a typewriter when you aren't on the bridge of a destroyer or cleaning up after your children. He not only hits a salient and vital topic in "What to Write About," which could have as a subtitle, "How to Develop Imagination," but he goes on to layout writing programs for housewives, government employes, teachers and scholars, newspapermen, not forgetting for one minute that, unless you are a genius, or very young, you need income to support your writing. He not only describes the various types of magazines, how to approach them, value of agents, interviewing, case histories, leads, but also describes the type of environment you should create for yourself, the type of food you should eat and the system of exercise you should follow. Of all the subjects on which he touches, however, "What to Write About" is worth the price of the book. For some reason or other English instructors always avoid a subject like that, and out of sheer necessity journalism instructors have had to fill the gap. But Lederer does it exceptionally well. A Navy officer, Lederer apparently has a lot of fun pounding a typewriter and scooping magazine stories from under the noses of newspapermen who too often fail to see what they've got for the larger market. Even if you don't want to write in your spare time, or prefer the foot-note type of authorship, Spare-Time is good reading, and the pedant comes in for quite a bit of ribbing. JOHN H. GLEASON Boston University


Abstract. Santos JA, Mejia JA, Galarion MAJ, Vital P. 2023. Microalgal diversity assessment of Laguna Lake (Philippines) tributaries using Next-Generation Sequencing for water quality. Biodiversitas 24: 4636-4644. The species composition and density of microalgae have been successfully used as bioindicators of water quality as they respond quickly to any change in the water chemistry brought about by pollution. Laguna Lake in the Philippines, one of the country's most important hotspots for aquaculture, continues to be threatened by eutrophication, yet its microalgal profile has been understudied. The presence of microalgae, especially those identified to become causative agents of harmful algal blooms in lakes, can cause corresponding health effects in humans and the environment. This study determined microalgal diversity in samples from tributaries of Laguna Lake, Philippines, through 18S rRNA metagenomic sequencing or Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Out of the five sampling sites, only two sites passed the NGS quality control pipeline. Chlorella M.Beijerinck, dominated the eukaryotic microbial population in the Alabang-Cupang River sample, which is 95% of the total population. While in the Biñan River sample, relevant species found were Cyclotella scaldensis Muylaert & Sabbe, Teleaulax acuta (Butcher) Hill, Cryptomonas curvata Ehrenb., and Peridiniopsis penardii (Lemmerm.) Bourr. This is the first study to use NGS to detect microalgae in Laguna Lake and warrants further elucidation of the microalgal population through increased sampling efforts in other recreational and livelihood hotspots. Furthermore, the study results open the importance of implementing new schemes for water quality assessments focused on molecular-based approaches.


The increasing global nature of projects has highlighted the importance of multiculturalism and the new challenges it brings to project execution. The rationale of this study is to look at how culture affects on trust building process in international projects and its stakeholders. This research employs intensive literature review to develop a model of cultural similarities and dissimilarities for trust building in international projects stakeholders. Culture is a significant factor in building trust among global projects stakeholders for the reason that trust is vital for developing a well-functioning long term business relationship. The study highlighted that cultural differences among project teams can cause conflict, misunderstanding and poor project performance. However, this study is currently explanatory study because no empirical evidence is provided. Future empirical research should investigate various scenarios, types of projects, cultures and countries. Cultural issues are pretty sensitive that have immediate association with trust building process among international projects stakeholders. Petite methodical research has been done on the cultural effects for trust building in international project context. In meticulous, the query of how culture effects trust building efforts in project stakeholders remains unrequited. This study aims to generate interest in the research community for undertaking a detailed and comprehensive research on this topic. It also aims to serve as a foundation for future studies.


References 1. Halder S, Butcher M, Allam J, et al. Preservative-free bicarbonate for epidural top-up. Anaesthesia 2013; 68: 878–9. 2. Allam J, Malhotra S, Hemingway C, Yentis SM. Epidural lidocaine-bicarbonate-adrenaline vs levobupivacaine for emergency Caesarean section: a randomised controlled trial. Anaesthesia 2008; 63: 243–9. 3. Regan KJ, O'Sullivan G. The extension of epidural blockade for emergency Caesarean section: a survey of current UK practice. Anaesthesia 2008; 63: 136–142. 4. Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE). Saving Mothers' Lives: reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer: 2006–08. The Eighth Report on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2011; 118: 1–203.


Here the complex relationships between culture, power and landscape are explored through the social history of blue camas (Camassia quamash). This bulb was once recognized as 'the number one vegetable' of the Coast Salish People of the Northwest Coast and a primary source of carbohydrates, but is now remember only by a few. The role of camas in Coast Salish society, however, extended well beyond simple nutrition; it was a cultural keystone species. Activities surrounding camas—harvest, preparation, and consumption—were vital sites for Coast Salish knowledge and cultural transmission between generations. After a discussion of the ecological knowledge, social practices, and technologies associated with camas, the paper moves to examine why, only a few generations following the arrival of Europeans, camas all but vanished from both the cultural and physical landscape. European attitudes of racial superiority, the introduction of new crops, land appropriation, the integration of First Peoples into the wage economy, and the imposition of colonial laws, that eroded Coast Salish self-determination, and with it food sovereignty and security, will be discussed. Recently, the right to harvest camas, from which the Coast Salish have long been alienated, has become focus of emancipation because of the important place of camas as a cultural keystone species and because of the growing awareness of the health impacts of introduced foods on First Nations communities. The paper concludes by highlighting the recent successes of indigenous food sovereignty advocates in reviving, at least symbolically, camas harvest on Southern Vancouver Island.


Most studies of ethnic residential segregation recognise that occupational class is an important influence on the intensity of segregation of members of different ethnic groups, but are unable to explore variations in that intensity because of the lack of relevant data. Australian census data allow the class structure of different ancestry groups to be identified in small areas within cities. Such data for 17 ancestry groups in Sydney are used here to explore variations in segregation levels between classes within ancestry groups at three separate scales. To do this, a major extension to a recently-developed methodology for exploring multi-scale segregation patterns is introduced. The results show that for some groups class is more important than ancestry as an influence on segregation levels, whereas for others there is relatively little class segregation.


Abstract Cockle, a defect of lamb's pelts, has recently been shown to be associated with infestation of lambs with the louse Bovicoh ovis. The mechanisms by which infestation with the louse leads to cockle are not known, but immunological hypersensitivity has been suggested. The objectives of our work are to determine if lambs respond immunologically to lice and, if so, whether hypersensitivity occurs. Preliminary results are presented here.


Deriving true clinical utility from models trained on multiple hospitals' data is a key challenge in the adoption of Federated Learning (FL) systems in support of clinical collaborations. When utility is equated to predictive power, population heterogeneity between centers becomes a key bottleneck in training performant models. Nevertheless, there are other aspects to clinical utility that have frequently been overlooked in this context. Among them, we argue for the importance of understanding how a collaboration may be affecting the quality of a center's predictions. Insights into how and when external knowledge is being useful can lead to strategic decisions by stakeholders, such as better allocation of local resources or even identifying best practices outside of the current organization. We take a step towards deriving such utility through FedeRated CLassifier Selection (FRCLS, pronounced "freckles"): an algorithm that reuses classifiers trained in outside institutions. It identifies regions of the feature space where the collaborators' models will outperform the local center's classifier, and can provide interpretable rules to describe these regions of beneficial expertise. We apply FRCLS to a sepsis prediction task in two different hospital systems, demonstrating its benefits in terms of understanding the types of patients for which the collaboration is useful and reasoning about the strategic decisions that may stem out of these analyses.


The purpose of this study is to determine the role of market retribution oro-oro dowo Malang to increase Local Revenue through local levies. This research uses quantitative descriptive method.Improved Local Revenue is one of the attempt to process the administration of government implementation. In order to improve the Local Revenue, retribution sector is a very large and potential sector to be explored and expanded by its management, because the local levies imposed on fringe benefits which provided by local government. Retribution market is one of the most important kinds of revenue source for Malang city. This is evident during the fiscal year 2015-2017 the realization of revenue retribution on the market Oro-oro Dowo District Klojen, Malang city before and after the implementation of Revitalization Improvement. Based on the results of research that has been processed by using the method of potential analysis, growth rate, contribution, effectiveness and efficiency of market levy. Can be known :  (1) The growth rate of retribution of Oro-oro Dowo Market, Klojen Sub-district, Malang City before and after revitalization was implemented during the last 3 years (2015-2017) has increased with an average rate of 18.8% per year. The highest growth rate occurred in 2017 after the revitalization of the market is implemented with a growth rate of 21.75%. (2) Contribution Acceptance of market retribution to increase of improved local government revenue  in Malang City during the last 3 years (2015-2017) on average equal to 0,0189% per year. Because the percentage of regional retribution contribution according to Dipdagri, Kepmendagri No.690.900.327, with an average market contribution of 3.43% indicates very little contribution in increasing local government revenue. (3) The effectiveness of retribution of Oro-oro dowo market klojen Sub-district Malang city 2017 (sample year) is 40,441%. This indicates that the collection of market levies is quite effective. (4) Efficiency of retribution of oro-oro dowo market klojen sub-district Malang city 2017 (sample year) is 59,28%. This shows that market levies can be said to be quite efficient.


Data from a nationally representative sample of 1,880 young men aged 15-19 reveal that neighborhood quality, parental education, race or ethnicity, and attitudes about male gender roles are related to young men's attitudes toward an unplanned pregnancy and to their contraceptive experiences. Young men who live in poor neighborhoods are more likely to be pleased about an unplanned pregnancy than those who have better living conditions (12% vs. 2%) and are also more likely to view impregnating a woman as enhancing their masculinity (8% vs. 3%). Among men with average living conditions, 12% of black adolescents view fathering a child as enhancing their masculinity, compared with 6% of white adolescents; among those with very good living conditions, these proportions were 10% and 2%, respectively. Young men whose parents had less education and those who held traditional male gender role attitudes were also more likely than their counterparts to view fathering a child as enhancing their masculinity. Regarding contraceptive behavior, sexually active black men and Hispanic men were more likely than white men to have discussed contraception with their last partner; black men were more likely to have used an effective contraceptive method the last time they had intercourse; and black men were more likely to have used a condom at last intercourse. However, young men who were aware that they had been responsible for a previous pregnancy were less likely than those who reported no pregnancies to have used an effective contraceptive the last time they had intercourse. These same young men were also more likely to report that fathering a child would please them and enhance their masculinity.


The bimodality of a population P can be measured by dividing its range into two intervals so as to maximize the Fisher distance between the resulting two subpopulations P1 and P2. If P is a mixture of two (approximately) Gaussian subpopulations, then P1 and P2 are good approximations to the original Gaussians, if their Fisher distance if great enough. For a histogram having n bins this method of bimodality analysis requires n-1 Fisher distance computations, since the range can be divided into two intervals in n-I ways. The method can also be applied to 'circular' histograms, e.g. of populations of slope or hue values; but for such histograms it is much more computationaly costly, since a circular histogram having n bins can be divided into two intervals (arcs) in n(n-1)/2 ways. The cost can be reduced by performing bimodality analysis on a 'reduced-resolution' histogram having n/k bins; finding the subdivision of this histogram that maximizes the Fisher distance; and then finding a maximum Fisher distance subdivision of the full-resolution histogram in the neighborhood of this subdivision. This reduces the required number of Fisher distance computations to n(n-1)/2k 2 + O(k). For histograms representing mixtures of two Gaussians, this method was found to work well for n/k as small as 8.


We incorporate radial electrical contacts penetrating a blended organic semiconductor active layer to shorten the electron collection pathway in poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester bulk heterojunction solar cells and simultaneously confine the blend material within nanometer-scale volumes. This architecture improves the active material performance by more than 50% compared to its performance in a bulk heterojunction with planar contacts, consistent with accelerated electron extraction. The radial contact solar cell achieves similar overall photovoltaic power conversion efficiency to control bulk heterojunction devices with planar contacts, despite containing less than half the volume of light-absorbing semiconductor material.


Background The professionalism of environmental health practitioners (EHPs) has been an emerging trend in Nigeria and is governed by the EHORECON, though the EHPs are aware of their professional responsibilities but are concerned about the lack of active engagement with their professional board. Whilst empirical research was undertaken to comprise a case study of a group of EHPs practising to assess the "reality", on the ground, in terms of the level of awareness and understanding among EHPs about their ethical and professional responsibilities and related challenges. Objective This study assesses the level of satisfaction with the implementation of the Environmental Health Ethics in institutions in Nigeria. Methods Online google form was used to access a large group of EHPs. One hundred and thirty-nine (139) questionnaires were settled for, as the sample size for the study through an adapted and validated questionnaire instrument. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software. Results Most of the practitioners, in general, were satisfied (85.6%) and the teaching method (54.0%) informed their decision. However, the ethical cases that were of the most concern to the majority of the practitioners (53.2%) were negligence. Conclusions This study contributes some ideological facts to the existing literature and practice in nature. Even though, to come to the generalization with the aid of the particular study findings is complex. The study found satisfactory perceptions that signal a need for increased communication between professional bodies, respective organization/institutions, and practitioners regarding applied ethics in environmental health practice so that curriculums could reflect both theory and application. Also, decision-making guides that are empirically informed and tailored for practitioners having some value should be emphasized upon.


This Perspective provides a brief history of intrahepatic alloislet and autoislet transplantation in humans and an update of the recent success rates. It also examines the important role that hypoglycemia plays in clinical outcomes. On the one hand, recurrent serious hypoglycemic episodes related to insulin therapy are a major criterion for alloislet transplantation. On the other hand, spontaneous clinical hypoglycemia, perhaps related to the accompanying Roux-en-Y procedure for total pancreatectomy, is a complication of autoislet transplantation. Complex alterations in glucagon secretion compromise counter-regulation of hypoglycemia in both situations. The glucagon response to hypoglycemia is intrinsically defective in type 1 diabetes before transplant because of the absence of physiological regulation of α-cell secretion by neighboring β-cells. Glucagon secretion from intrahepatic islets during systemic hypoglycemia is also defective, although β-cells in the graft are normally regulated by glucose and arginine. My personal perspective is that the latter is caused by intrahepatic glycogenolysis stimulated by systemic hypoglycemia with consequent increases in intrahepatic glucose flux, which incorrectly signals intrahepatic α-cells to be quiescent. This defect is liver-specific, which strongly suggests modifying the current approach to islet transplantation by placing a portion of allo- and autoislets in nonhepatic sites in addition to hepatic sites to ensure physiological glucagon secretion as a strategy to ameliorate post-transplant hypoglycemia.


We propose a non-photorealistic rendering method for generating watercolor-like images from color photographs. The proposed method is performed in two steps. First, images with flow patterns created by tracing with a brush are generated with an anisotropic filter. Second, watercolor-like images are generated by coloring that corresponds to the absolute values of the color differences between the image processed by the bilateral filter and the original image. To evaluate performance of the proposed method for generating watercolor-like images, we conduct experiments using example images.


The most important natural resource on the planet earth is air because people, animals and plants (vegetation) need to breathe in clean air that is not polluted in order to be alive. Breathing is a vital natural process which is called respiration. In the process of respiration, also known as "cellular respiration", a living subject or thing takes in oxygen from the air and expels carbon dioxide (CO2) as a waste product. Therefore, if the respiration of ambient air is intoxicated by the gaseous or chemical substances produced by air pollution (PM 10, 2.5, or 0.5), the lives of people, animals and plants, will be in serious danger. The environment, structures and the ecosystem will also suffer destruction and depletion of the ozone layer (effects of the ozone hole). This Article strives to scientifically investigate, analyse and demonstrate that the actual public international law rules put in place have not substantively provisioned the remedies and constitutional or treaty mechanisms which should tackle air pollution effectively. Legal Scholar will draw on the public international law instruments of this research question in order to make a preliminary proposed reform that should remedy the devastating effects of air pollution in the World. The Article envisages to substantiate on how air pollution has contributed in increasing the number of deaths on the coronavirus-19 patients around the globe. The study moves on to advice COVID-19 victims on the tortious liability actions they could engage against their national Governments, if they can substantiate that, air pollution aggravated their COVID-19 situations, which injuriously caused them any substantiated loss or harm. Researcher will move on with his conclusion by inciting Nation-States and the United Nations Organizations, to study the reform he has proposed in this introductory Article and make use of such. The continuation of the greater part of the project will comparatively analyse and investigate on how the national and public international law rules of air pollution countries like France, Britain, the USA, China and India regulate air pollution? The complete project of which this Article is the first part, will be concluded through the presentation of a proposed public international law instrument that should effectively regulate air pollution. Such an instrument will be in the form of a model drafted international treaty of a jus cogens character. It will aim at drastically curbing air pollution and imposing compliance on all Members and non-Members of the United Nations Organization (UNO), who have ratified or not the proposed reform, if adopted by the United Nation Organization (UNO).


The cystourethroscopic examination with cold light cystoscopes forms an essential part of a complete urological examination and is useful for diagnostic as well as surgical procedures. The fast and non-invasive character of the procedure limits the inconvenience to the patient. With the rigid non-flexible scope its use is, however, limited to female dogs, unless in the male dog a urethro(s)tomy is performed.


The growing penetration of online social networks (OSNs) has emerged as a strong operational tool for spreading online radicalization by adding intensity and acceleration to the operations of radical groups. The efficiency of ways and methods proposed to measure the dynamics of radicalization are limited by the availability of models for modeling the intricacies of human dynamics and heterogeneous time varying interactions. Most of the developed algorithms and tools mainly focus on the static network structures and tend to ignore the "origin" of a new radical idea or propagation of a "weak" topic which might find its relevance in the security domain later on with the passage of time. In this article we propose a mathematical model for measuring dynamic propagation of radicalization in OSNs using Discrete Time Markov Chains by discretizing the continuous time domain. We also discuss our experimental results obtained through the information network of Twitter. The approach presented here is scalable and can easily be extended for modeling diffusion of general topics in OSNs.


Honey, royal jelly, propolis, and bee pollen are potentially beneficial to humans due to their bioactive
agents. Different molecules of these honeybee products have been extracted and pharmacologically
characterized. Phenolic acid, Major Royal Jelly Proteins (MRJPs), and oligosaccharides are major bioactive
substances of these products. Propolis, especially Brazilian type, contains caffeic acid phenethyl
ester and artepillin C, with immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic effects. Bee
pollen has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties due to vitamins and plant phenols. Additionally,
flavonoids, unsaturated fatty acids, and sterols contribute in antiatherosclerotic, antidiabetic, and hypoglycemic
properties of bee pollen. In the royal jelly, there are MRJPs and hydroxy-decenoic acid derivatives,
especially 10-Hydroxy-2-Decanoic Acid (10-HDA). This review study was conducted in 2016-2017
with the aim of investigating the therapeutic effects of honeybee products by searching the databases
of PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, IranMedex and Google Scholar using the keywords "honey, propolis,
royal jelly, bee pollen, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant". In this study, we observed that the anti-inflammatory
activity, immunomodulation, nerve regulation, and the prevention of metabolic syndrome
are attributed to these factors. Given the importance of discovering and access to herbal medicines,
this review provided a comprehensive overview of the bioactive compounds detected in the honeybee
products as well as the therapeutic effects and biological side effects of them.


We investigated teacher ratings of the impact of parental divorce on academic achievement of children between 6 and 12 years old up to 12 months after their parents divorced. A purposive sample of 120 children attending four different primary schools in a small South African town took part in the study. One third (n = 40) of the children had experienced parental divorce (male = 14, female = 26) while two-thirds had not. Teachers rated participating children in their class on academic performance on the Conners rating scale ranging from 0 to 3. In addition, teachers obtained the average term score of each of the participating children in key academic areas, which were converted to the Conners scale for classification. Chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. Results showed that the academic performance of children from non-intact families within the age range of 6 – 9 was inferior to that of their counterparts from intact families suggesting that the experience of parental divorcee had a negative impact on children's academic achievement. It is recommended that future research compare teacher ratings with children's ratings on standardised tests.


The stratigraphy and morphology of alluvial terraces in the lower Porcupine Valley permit the definition of twelve river stages, each marked by distinctive surface characteristics, sediment composition, and regional gradient. Terraces that exhibit characteristics suggestive of extremely high discharge, such as coarse, bouldery, braided gravel surfaces and intense scouring, formed-at times when the Porcupine River at the Ramparts acted as an overflow outlet for glacial lakes in northern Yukon Territory which had been impounded by the Lauren-tide ice sheet. Terraces capped by sediment suggestive of relatively low discharge meandering streams, and which were strongly affected by Coleen River drainage, probably formed when glacial-lake overflow did not occur. Ten radiocarbon dates on alluvial sediments from the lower Porcupine River range from greater than 35,000 to 2,350 ± 55 yr B.P. When combined with geomorphologic interpretations on terraces in Alaska and with radiocarbon dates from northern Yukon Territory, these dates suggest repeated glaciolacustrine innundations of the Old Crow and Bluefish Basins during Wisconsinan time.


Food is a social and cultural aspect of every individual. Food products, processing, and traditions have been identified as cultural objects carrying history and identity of social groups. Traditional recipes are passed down from one generation to the other, often to strengthen the link with the territory. The paper presents CookIT, a web portal developed to collect Italian traditional recipes related to regional cuisine, with the purpose to disseminate the knowledge of typical Italian recipes and the Mediterranean diet which is a significant part of Italian cuisine. The system designed is completed with multimodal means of browsing and data retrieval. Stored recipes can be retrieved integrating and combining a number of different methods and keys, while the results are displayed using classical styles, such as list and mosaic, and also using maps and graphs, with which users can play using available keys for interaction. Keywords—Collaborative portal, Italian cuisine, intangible cultural heritage, traditional recipes, searching and browsing.


We reconstitute a phosphotyrosine-mediated protein condensation phase transition of the ∼200 residue cytoplasmic tail of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the adaptor protein, Grb2, on a membrane surface. The phase transition depends on phosphorylation of the EGFR tail, which recruits Grb2, and the dimerization of Grb2, which provides the crosslinking element for condensation with EGFR. The Grb2 Y160 residue plays a structurally critical role in dimer formation, and phosphorylation or mutation of Y160 prevents EGFR:Grb2 condensation. By extending the reconstitution experiment to include the guanine nucleotide exchange factor, SOS, and its substrate Ras, we further find that EGFR condensation controls the ability of SOS to activate Ras. These results identify an EGFR:Grb2 protein condensation phase transition as a regulator of signal propagation from EGFR to the MAPK pathway.


Interaction with volume data has often been difficult due to the large memory and processing power required. By taking advantage of current high-end graphics hardware, a volumetric virtual environment has been developed, which allows a user to interact with a volumetric visible human data set. The application enables the user to explore the interior of a virtual human body in a natural and intuitive way.


The Scope of C6.19 Working Group (WG) is specifically focused on ?Planning and optimization methods for active distribution systems?. This report assessed the various requirements to facilitate the transition towards active distribution systems (ADSs). Specifically, the report started from a survey of requirements of planning methodologies and identified a new framework and methodologies for short, medium and long term models for active distribution planning. Distribution operation and planning stages can no longer be considered as separate tasks in the distribution business since the exploitation of existing assets with Advanced Automation and Control may be a valuable alternative to network expansion or reinforcement.


Based on a high fill subgrade in Indonesia, in order to make reasonable arrangements for the safety of the construction period and the reserved earth and stone work, this paper simulated and analyzed the high fill subgrade at different heights and predicted the settlement of the subgrade after construction. The calculation results show that most of the settlement of high fill subgrade with different heights has been completed during the construction period, and the settlement after construction meets the requirements, but it is suggested to increase the load during the construction period for some sections with large settlement after construction.


MOST MANAGERS recognize that good service is a direct result of having effective, productive people in customer contact positions. You need winners at the front lines, not just warm bodies. But most service companies perpetuate a cycle of failure by tolerating high turnover and expecting employee dissatisfaction. Schlesinger and Heskett explore the reasons that so many managers have trouble breaking this cycle. They spotlight a number of companies that are developing winning customer service teams, including one that pays twice the industry average to its frontline employees while its sales and profits have soared. Instead of submitting to the cycle of failure, they argue, managers should take advantage of ways to break it, and get their organizations onto the cycle of success.


This paper describes an institutional strategy (Ecoversity) to embed sustainable development across the full range of university activities and services and reflects on two different phases of Ecoversity providing illustrations and case examples of specific actions and changes that have occurred. The programme has begun to deliver tangible benefits to the institution and has begun to act as a catalyst for, and link up with other, internal initiatives that are seeking to reshape the university culture and core activities around sustainable development. The paper reflects on the process of change and describes a process model that captures many of the key elements that needed to be addressed to initiate change and scale up activities. The process model is helpful in analysing barriers to change and how change can be achieved. The project illustrates a conscious and deliberate process for embedding SD within a university culture and offers a coherent conceptual framework for describing change processes.


Will a large complex system be stable? This question, first posed by May in 1972, captures a long standing challenge, fueled by a seeming contradiction between theory and practice. While empirical reality answers with an astounding yes, the mathematical analysis, based on linear stability theory, seems to suggest the contrary - hence, the diversity-stability paradox. Here we settle this dichotomy, by considering the interplay between topology and dynamics. We show that this interplay leads to the emergence of non-random patterns in the system's stability matrix, leading us to relinquish the prevailing random matrix-based paradigm. Instead, we offer a new matrix ensemble, which captures the dynamic stability of real-world systems. This ensemble helps us analytically identify the relevant control parameters that predict a system's stability, exposing three broad dynamic classes: In the asymptotically unstable class, diversity, indeed, leads to instability a la May's paradox. However, we also expose an asymptotically stable class, the class in which most real systems reside, in which diversity not only does not prohibit, but, in fact, enhances dynamic stability. Finally, in the sensitively stable class diversity plays no role, and hence stability is driven by the system's microscopic parameters. Together, our theory uncovers the naturally emerging rules of complex system stability, helping us reconcile the paradox that has eluded us for decades.


Aims Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is currently considered an important breakthrough in the treatment of selected patients with refractory heart failure. However, long-term predictors of mortality, morbidity and time to recovery of ventricular function for those patients who respond positively to CRT remain poorly investigated. Methods This is a retrospective follow-up study involving one hospital. Between August 2004 and October 2008, 211 consecutive patients with refractory heart failure received a CRT device in the Cardiology Division of Ospedale Civile Maggiore in Verona. The clinical characteristics studied were age, sex, heart rhythm, left ventricular end-systolic volume/body surface area (LVESV/BSA), left ventricular ejection fraction, QRS duration, type of bundle-branch block, cause, New York Heart Association functional class, pharmacological therapy and lead position. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of several baseline characteristics on long-term prognosis in heart failure patients treated with CRT. Results Non ischemic cause, left bundle-branch block and a basal LVESV/BSA ⩽106 ml/m2 or less were the only independent predictors of a positive response to CRT (P < 0.005). Additionally, a reduction in LVESV/BSA after CRT was associated both with increased survival and reduced rehospitalization for heart failure (P < 0.005). Conclusion A better selection of patients on the basis of cause, type of bundle-branch block and basal LVESV/BSA can increase the number of patients that would benefit from CRT.


The clinical presentation of patients with slow‐flow vascular malformations is very heterogeneous. High clinical burden and subsequent reduced health‐related quality of life is something they have in common. There is an unmet medical need for these patients for whom regular treatments like surgery and embolization are either insufficient or technically impossible. Sirolimus has been reported to be effective and overall well‐tolerated in most patients. However, the main limitation of sirolimus is the reported high toxicity, especially when target levels of 10–15 ng/mL are being used. We report the results of a phase IIB single‐arm open‐label clinical trial consisting of 68 (67 in the challenge phase and 68 in the rechallenge phase) evaluable patients (children n = 33 and adults n = 35) demonstrating that treatment with low sirolimus target levels (4–10 ng/mL) is effective in 79.1% of the patients. When sirolimus treatment was stopped, the majority of patients experienced a recurrence of symptoms, supporting prolonged or even lifelong treatment requirement. Adults experienced a higher baseline pain score compared with children, having an estimated marginal mean of 6.2 versus 4.1, p < 0.05; however, they showed a similar decrease to children. Furthermore, the pediatric population experienced less often a sirolimus‐related grade I–IV adverse event (35.9% vs. 64.1%, p > 0.05) compared with adults. Additionally, response rates were higher in children compared with adults (93.8% vs. 65.7%, p < 0.05), and children responded faster (28 vs. 91 days, p < 0.05). These results suggest benefits of sirolimus in patients with slow‐flow vascular malformations and support its initiation as young as possible.


The crystalline sizes and loading efficiencies of metallic nanoparticles for fuel cell catalysts have been measured by changing solvent species containing precursors. By changing the solvent species containing carbon particles and metal salt, the microstructure and the according electrochemical property of catalysts could be controlled. Four kinds of solvent were investigated in this study. Pt catalysts that were deposited on carbon blacks supports by using an ethylene glycol solution showed the highest deposition efficiency, 85% and smallest crystalline size, 2.85 nm of particles. From the experimental result, it was concluded that the electrochemical performance of catalysts was dependent on the crystalline size and deposition efficiency of metal particles, by changing solvent species.


Merits of a micro concentric nebuliser and a cyclonic spray chamber for sample introduction to simultaneous multielement inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) were evaluated. Sample delivery was both continuous and by flow injection (FI). All signal profiles were acquired and processed in the time-resolved mode. At solvent flow rates of 0.1 and 1.0 ml min–1, solvent transport efficiency to the ICP is about 90 and 50%, respectively. As a consequence, improvements in detection limits were observed compared with those using a conventional concentric nebuliser. Application of Sc as an internal standard to improve precision with FI sample delivery was also studied.


Tis work is devoted to the problem of emotional burnout in the context of parent-child relationship. Te possibility of applying the concept of burnout is being considered in order to describe the processes that occur in parents whose children suffer from a chronic psychiatric disorder, the author's point of view on the matter is being presented. Te necessity of creating a questionnaire to measure emotional burnout among mothers of children with schizophrenia is being justifed, the procedure of creation of the new questionnaire is described, and the results of its approbation are performed.


Long-term feedlot studies have shown positive effects (i.e., improved ADG and reduced morbidity and mortality) of dietary supplementation with ethoxyquin (AGRADO). This may be due to improving the antioxidant capacity at the ruminal, postruminal, or postabsorption levels. This study was designed to investigate the role of ethoxyquin at the rumen level. A finishing diet (12.5% CP; DM basis) was formulated to contain (on a DM basis) 77.5% flaked corn, 10% corn cobs, 10% protein/vitamin/mineral supplement, and 2.5% tallow. In a randomized complete block design experiment, the treatments were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial. The main factors were two ethoxyquin treatments (without or with 150 ppm) and two monensin/tylosin treatments (without or with monensin and tylosin at 0.0028 and 0.0014% of dietary DM, respectively). Eight dual-flow, continuous culture fermenters were used in two experimental periods (blocks; 8 d each with 5 d for adjustment and 3 d for sample collection) to allow for four replications for each treatment. No interactions (P > 0.05) were detected for any of the measurements evaluated. Therefore, results of the main factors were summarized. Ethoxyquin supplementation improved (P < 0.05) true digestibility of OM (from 38.8 to 45.0%) but it did not alter (P > 0.05) concentrations of total VFA (averaging 131 mM) or acetate (averaging 58.8 mM). Ethoxyquin decreased (P < 0.05) propionate concentration from 51.1 to 42.4 mM and increased (P < 0.05) butyrate concentration from 18.4 to 22.9 mM. Digestion of total nonstructural carbohydrates was not altered (P > 0.05) by the treatments and averaged 86%. With the exception of increased (P < 0.05) concentration of propionate (from 42.0 to 51.5 mM) and decreased (P < 0.05) concentration of butyrate (from 25.9 to 16.3 mM), no effects (P > 0.05) were detected for monensin/tylosin. Ruminal N metabolism, including efficiency of bacterial protein synthesis (averaging 21.2 g N/kg OM truly digested), was not affected (P > 0.05) by the treatments. Results suggest positive effects of ethoxyquin on ruminal digestion of OM and unique changes in VFA production.


The theory of support vector regression (SVR) is introduced in this paper. And genetic algorithms (GAs) are adopted to optimize free parameters of support vector regression. Then we develop an optimal meteorological prediction model based on support vector Regression with genetic algorithms (SVRG). In this study, SVRG is applied to predict meteorology. The experimental results indicate that SVRG model proposed in this paper overcomes some shortcomings of the traditional SVR, and can achieve better forecasting accuracy and performance than traditional SVR and BP neural network (BPNN) prediction models. Consequently, the meteorological prediction model based on SVRG is an effective method.


Research reveals that the land sector is a major emitter of greenhouse gases. But the land sector has also potential to reduce emissions. Different from other emission sectors like energy and transport, the land sector (in particular the rural area including forests) has the potential to also remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through sequestration and storage. This requires land use, land use change and forestry to be managed with respect to climate change goals. Carbon storage has the potential to generate carbon credits, which according to the Kyoto Protocol are exchangeable in a market environment. But is the market secure enough? This paper aims primary at presenting the subject matter as a synthesis of extant literature. Secondary, the paper shows interfaces with the land surveyor's profession namely land management and land administration.


To clarify the pathologic value of endogenous biotin in the salivary gland, we examined in a series of neoplasms of the salivary gland by immunohistochemical staining the distribution of endogenous biotin and of biotin-binding enzymes, namely, acetyl CoA carboxylase (AC), which is a cytosolic enzyme, and pyruvate carboxylase (PC), which is a mitochondrial enzyme. In pleomorphic adenoma, we found biotin and PC in ductal epithelial elements, while AC was found mainly in myoepithelial elements. Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma, adenocarcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma were frequently immunopositive for biotin, PC and AC, while adenoid cystic carcinoma was rarely immunopositive for biotin, PC or AC. These results indicate that endogenous biotin might be associated with the mitochondrial enzyme, which is present at high levels in ductal cells of the salivary gland. However, the neoplastic cells in adenoid cystic carcinoma seemed to have an unusual expression of biotin and related enzymes.


The business community has frequently complained about the poor quality of college graduates' communication skills, with information systems and computer science graduates often criticized most severely. The purpose of this research was to investigate and analyze the communication skills of information systems (IS) personnel in terms of current and desired skill levels as perceived by their managers. This paper presents a survey of IS managers which revealed findings concerning: (1) the perceived importance of communication skills to technical professionals, (2) the perceived communication skills levels of these employees as compared to those of employees in nontechnical fields, and (3) the expected levels of communication skills of college graduates in technical fields. For example, the findings reconfirm the need for more communication skills education and training for IS students. The findings and their implications for graduates and professionals in technical fields are discussed.


This volume concludes the publication of the Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics in print. It represents a unique collaboration of over hundreds of scholars from around the world, covering all relevant aspects of the study of Arabic and dealing with all levels of the language (pre-Classical Arabic, Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic vernaculars, mixed varieties of Arabic). No other reference work offers this scale of contributions or depth and breadth of coverage. The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics is, therefore, a standard reference work for students and researchers in the field of linguistics, Islamic studies, Arabic literature and other related fields.


This is a book critique of Lauren Berlant's 2011 book Cruel Optimism (Duke University Press). In this book, Berlant explores how people in Europe and the United States survive neoliberal postwar restructuring. This review defines the term cruel optimism which Berlant has created to describe the process of survival individuals undertake. Next, this review critiques the shortcomings of Berlant's discussion as well as highlights the important contributions that cruel optimism presents in political and performative literature. Through a detailed discussion of the good life, Berlant introduces a compelling examination of social thought on topics related to sovereignty, slow death, capitalism, and queer theory. Berlant delineates the good life as relating to four areas: promises of upward mobility, job security, political and social equality, and durable intimacy. Berlant draws from examples across disciplines and within numerous genres to make a strong societal critique of why and how people cling to false promise. This review also briefly pinpoints a few drawbacks or challenges to Berlant's book. Ultimately, this review concludes that Berlant's book is valuable call to action in the humanities and social sciences which utilizes numerous historical and cultural sources to paint a troubling critique of individual lives in post-war societies.


For easy analysis, most vehicle lateral stability control methods are usually based on a linear 2 degree‐of‐freedom (DOF) dynamic model in the published literature. Generally speaking, the linear 2DOF model cannot fully reflect the physical nonlinearity of the tire characteristics. The intelligent electric vehicle driven by four in‐wheel motors (IEV‐DFIM) requires a more accurate nonlinear tire model. Therefore, this paper presents a nonlinear 2DOF dynamic model for the IEV‐DFIM based on the well‐known magic formula. But the nonlinear model might cause the system to be uncontrollable around the origin. To address this issue, a novel homogeneous domination control method based on sampled‐data output feedback is proposed, which is capable of guaranteeing the lateral stability of the IEV‐DFIM under different operation conditions. A Lyapunov‐based analysis is performed to ensure the validity of the proposed method in theory. The simulation and test are also carried out to verify the effectiveness of the designed controller.


Recursive Bayesian estimation methods are applied to several angle-only applications. Air-to-air passive ranging, in addition to an air-to-sea application with terrain induced constraints, is discussed. The incorporation of terrain information improves estimation performance. The bearings-only problem is also discussed using experimental data from a torpedo, i.e. sea-to-sea with a passive sonar sensor. The Bayesian estimation problem is solved using the particle filter and the marginalised particle filter. For comparison, a filter bank method using range parameterised extended Kalman filters is used.


Numerical simulations of Mach shock reflections have shown that the Mach stem can bifurcate as a result of the slip line jetting forward. Numerical simulations were conducted in this study which determined that these bifurcations occur when the Mach number is high, the ramp angle is high, and specific heat ratio is low. It was clarified that the bifurcation is a result of a sufficiently large velocity difference across the slip line which drives the jet. This bifurcation phenomenon has also been observed after triple point collisions in detonation simulations. A triple point reflection was modelled as an inert shock reflecting off a wedge, and the accuracy of the model at early times after reflection indicates that bifurcations in detonations are a result of the shock reflection process. Further investigations revealed that bifurcations likely contribute to the irregular structure observed in certain detonations.


In this studymicrobiological status of chanachur, a ready-to-eat traditional snack was determined and its quality was improved by applying gamma radiation. To assess the microbial load in chanachur samples four types (non-branded coded as S1 and branded coded as S2, S3 and S4) were collected and TotalViable Bacterial Count (TVBC), Total ColiformCount (TCC), Total Fungal Count (TFC) were determined by spread plate method using Nutrient Agar (NA), MacConkey Agar and Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), respectively. TVBC, TCC and TFC values for four types of chanachur samples were ranged from1.18×105 to 2.1×104 CFU/g, 1.2×104 to 3.0×103 CFU/g and 1.5×104 to 2.0×103 CFU/g respectively which were beyond the satisfactory or acceptable level. To improve the quality of chanachur samples, a series of doses of gamma radiation viz. 2.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 kGywere applied. Irradiationwith 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 kGy,microbial load was decreased by 1 to 3 log but not completely eliminated. After applying the radiation dose of 15.0 kGy, all kinds of viablemicroorganisms including spores were eliminated rendering the chanachur samples sterile and safe for consumption. Bacteria associated with the chanachur samples were also identified based on cultural, morphological and different biochemical characteristics.


A novel reusable, plastic-free, and stable cooling medium, Jelly Ice Cubes (JIC), is developed based on crosslinked gelatin hydrogels for sustainable temperature control. A novel process involving a rapid-freezing-slow-thawing treatment and a subsequent photo-crosslinking reaction induced by menadione sodium bisulfite, a newly discovered photosensitizer, is able to effectively consolidate a three-dimensional (3-D) hydrogel network to survive repeated application freeze-thaw cycles (AFTCs). This study reveals the mechanisms and evidence of the synergistic effects of the physical and chemical crosslinking reactions. The results experimentally prove that the rapid-freezing-slow-thawing treatment induces the generation of gelatin microcrystalline domains, refines the protein polymeric network, and reduces the intervening distance for subsequent photo-crosslinking sites. The refined hydrogel 3-D network is consolidated by the photo-crosslinking reaction occurring at the intersectional areas of the gelatin microcrystalline domains. The proposed crosslinking approach yields JICs with superior mechanical properties, robustness, and consistent water content, even after repeated AFTCs, all the while retaining cooling efficiency and biodegradability. The proposed crosslinked hydrogel structure is potentially applicable to engineering other hydrogel materials, offering sustainble and biodegradable solutions with enhanced resilience against phase changes.


This paper presents the efficiency study of a 6-pole and 2-pole induction motor (IM), converted into a 6-pole and 2-pole permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). Firstly, the stator of the IM was kept unchanged and the rotor was converted into a permanent magnet (NdFeB magnets) rotor, resulting in higher average efficiency. Secondly, we investigated how much the efficiency can be increased by replacing the electrical steel in the stator by another material grade. The numerical approach is based on the finite element method (FEM), taking into account the rotor movement. Iron losses are computed according to the loss separation theory. From measurements and simulations, it is observed that the efficiency increases significantly compared to the original IM. The average efficiency of the orig inal 1.5 kW IM converted into the 1.5 kW PMSM led to a 14% higher efficiency in a speed range 0.5Ωnom - Ωnom and torque range 0.5Tnom - Tnom. When the stator iron is replaced by M235-35A laminations with the same geometry, the average efficiency increases by an additional 2% for the 1.5 kW PMSM with modified stator.


In recent years, a number of states have sought to close the retirement savings funding gap by enacting legislation mandating that employers that do not sponsor a voluntary pension plan for their employees automatically enroll their employees in a state-administered IRA program. This article focuses on the most serious legal challenge these programs face: ERISA preemption.

The article begins by providing an overview of the state automatic enrollment IRA programs. It then discusses a regulatory safe harbor that was created for these programs in 2016 and disapproved under the Congressional Review Act in 2018. It then turns to the question whether, in the absence of the safe harbor, state automatic enrollment IRAs are preempted by ERISA. In addressing this question, it considers two subsidiary issues: (1) whether state automatic enrollment IRA programs are employee benefit plans for purposes of ERISA and thus preempted by ERISA, and (2) even if state automatic enrollment IRA programs are not employee benefit plans for purposes of ERISA, whether the state laws creating these programs nevertheless relate to other employee benefit plans so as to be preempted by ERISA. Finally, the article briefly considers the merits of two complaints that have been filed challenging sate automatic enrollment IRA programs.


The reported study was carried out in 25 patients aged 21 to 58 years with essential hypertension in second stage of WHO classification. During three months in 10-day courses they were given alternately 1 placebo tablet or 160 mg propranolol retard in one dose daily. The values of the heart rate and blood pressure were compared before and after the treatment. A significant decrease of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate was noted. The comparison of blood pressure and heart rate values after 10 days on propranolol with those before the treatment showed a statistically significant reduction of these parameters. This is an evidence that the hypotensive action of propranolol retard develops already during 10 days of treatment.


This article's aim is to present the principal quantitative Studies on the impact of the Structural Funds on Galician economic basic indicators. It begins with a presentation of the vo- lume and assignment of community funds between the different Spanish regions from 1986 until 2006. The most important conclusion that can be reached is that though in relative terms, it is not possible to speak in Galicia of an approximation or active convergence, that is to say, in terms of production, to the Spanish average or to the most developed regions, in absolute terms, the different analyzed studies present an improvement of the macroeconomic variables: produc- tion, GVA, employment or capital stock.


The aqueous-phase reforming (APR) of a crude glycerol that originates from an industrial process and the effect of the individual components of crude glycerol on APR activity have been studied over 1 wt% Pt/Mg(Al)O, 1 wt% Pt/Al2O3, 5 wt% Pt/Al2O3 and 5 wt% Pt/C catalysts at 29 bar and 225 °C. The use of a 10 wt% alkaline crude glycerol solution in water, containing 6.85 wt% glycerol, 1.62 wt% soaps, 1.55 wt% methanol, and 0.07 wt% ester, resulted in a dramatic drop in APR activity compared to the corresponding 6.85 wt% solution of pure glycerol in water. Catalytic performance in crude glycerol APR increased in the order: 1 wt% Pt/Al2O3 < 5 wt% Pt/Al2O3 < 1 wt% Pt/Mg(Al)O < 5 wt% Pt/C. A H2 selectivity of only 1% was obtained with crude glycerol over a 1 wt% Pt/Al2O3 catalyst, while the same catalyst material under identical reaction conditions gave 64% H2 with pure glycerol. The cause of deactivation was investigated with synthetic mixtures that mimicked the composition of the crude glycerol and contained glycerol, methanol and varying amounts of NaCl and sodium oleate. The results showed that Na salts of fatty acids have a much more pronounced negative influence on APR activity than NaCl does and greatly inhibit H2 formation. Stearic acid and long chain aliphatics and olefins were shown to be formed and to be involved in the deactivation of the catalyst. The relatively high activity/selectivity of the 1 wt% Pt/Mg(Al)O could be attributed to intercalation of oleate/stearate in the sheets of the layered double hydroxide that is formed under reaction conditions.


INTRODUCTION
The study explored and described the professional identity of diagnostic radiographers in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

METHODS
The methodology employed for the study was qualitative, exploratory and descriptive design. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with thirteen diagnostic radiographers from private, public practices and individually owned practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the responses underwent thematic analysis and used Braun and Clarke's six steps for analysing qualitative data.

RESULTS
The thematic analysis revealed three themes and six categories. The three themes identified were: perceptions of identity, environment influences and organisational institutions.

CONCLUSION
This study provided an insight into the current perspectives of the professional identity of diagnostic radiographers in Johannesburg, South Africa, which reflected a positive professional identity. The three themes identified could inform guidelines for education in diagnostic radiographers' professional identity in the future.


This study demonstrates cross-linguistic parallels in the grammaticalization of 'do'-auxiliaries in ,periphrastic, verb constructions. Such constructions are exemplified by the phenomenon of 'do'-support in English, where they areobligatory in interrogative and negative clauses. Similar phenomena can be attested across a wide range of genetically and typologically diverse languages. The auxiliary in ,periphrastic, 'do'-constructions is derived from a 'schematic action' verb that can either be directly associated with a specific function, or it appears in the clause as a consequence of other grammaticalfactors. Based on a sample of 200 languages I will argue that ,periphrastic, 'do'-constructions become grammaticalized in a limited range of grammatical context after going through a stage of optional usage, and also that direct expression of a verbal category by a 'do'-auxiliary represents a possible final stage of grammaticalization of the 'schematic action'-verb. The verbalcategories expressed by such an element are restricted to a subsection of tense, aspect and mood. If in a given language the use of a 'do'-auxiliary has become obligatory in association with other functions, the auxiliary will not grammaticalize further and continues as a semantically bleached dummy element. Tense, aspect and mood are therefore the only functional domains in which 'do'-auxiliaries can become grammaticalized as meaningful elements.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

RX-3117 (fluorocyclopentenylcytosine) is a novel small-molecule chemotherapeutic agent that belongs to the class of cytotoxic antimetabolite cytidine analogs. Cytidine analogs, including gemcitabine, have been widely used for the treatment of various types of cancer, both hematologic as well as solid. However, despite the success of gemcitabine, there is no oral formulation of gemcitabine and drug resistance is common. Thus, RX-3117 was synthesized as a oral formulation to overcome gemcitabine resistance with a better pharmacologic profile. In this study, the efficacy of RX-3117 was examined in 12 different human tumor (colon, non-small cell lung, small cell lung, pancreatic, renal, ovarian and cervical) xenograft models, grown subcutaneously in athymic nude mice. Not only has RX-3117 demonstrated potent efficacy in several cancer xenograft models but also oral treatment with RX-3117 results in dose-dependent tumor growth inhibition (TGI), even in tumors that are only moderately sensitive or resistant to gemcitabine. In the Colo-205, H460, H69 and CaSki models, gemcitabine treatment resulted in 28%, 14%, 25%, and 0% TGI, respectively, whereas oral treatment with RX-3117 induced 93%, 91%, 62%, and 66% TGI, respectively. This indicates that RX-3117 may have the potential to be used for the treatment of tumors that do not respond to gemcitabine. In order to extend the results established in cell line xenograft models, and to test efficacy in a potentially more clinically relevant system, RX-3117 was evaluated in a single primary low passage human pancreatic Tumorgraft™CTG-0298, which is resistant to gemcitabine and has a favorable RX-3117 activating enzyme profile. Treatment with RX-3117 resulted in dose dependent TGI and was superior to the standard of care agent gemcitabine. This study successfully demonstrated preliminary efficacy and therapeutic potential of RX-3117.

Citation Format: Mi Young Yang, Young Bok Lee, Deog Joong Kim, Chang-Ho Ahn, Joel Kaye, Tania Fine, Rina Kashi, Osnat Ohne. A novel small molecule cytidine analog, RX-3117, shows potent efficacy in xenograft models, even in tumors that are resistant to treatment with gemcitabine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 819. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-819


The use of griseofulvin, orally administered, in patients with onychomycosis, has been the subject of many reports. It is well known that, clinically, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish onychomycosis from psoriasis of the nails, for which reason we have attempted a clinical trial of griseofulvin in some special cases of both diseases, and compared their course. Methods The drug was given in the usual doses described in other reports. The usual toxicity studies, including sperm counts, were also done. From 262 patients treated with griseofulvin, three different types were selected: (1) sixty-seven patients with mycotic nail involvement; (2) eleven patients with cutaneous and scalp psoriasis, as well as nail involvement; (3) two patients with simultaneous involvement of nails with psoriasis and fungus infection. Observations In order to compare the course of psoriasis unguium with that of trichophytosis of the nails, 11 patients with fungus disease were selected at random.


BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
A history of motion sickness is one of the patient-related factors associated with postoperative vomiting (POV). This study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of granisetron, droperidol, and metoclopramide for the prevention of POV after tonsillectomy in children with a history of motion sickness.

METHODS
In a prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial, 90 pediatric patients, aged 4 to 10 years, received granisetron, 40 microg/kg; droperidol, 50 microg/kg; or metoclopramide, 0.25 mg/kg (n = 30 of each) intravenously after an inhalation induction of anesthesia. Emetic episodes and safety assessments were performed during the first 24 hours after anesthesia.

RESULTS
Twenty-two of 30 patients (73%) who had received granisetron were emesis free during the first 24 hours after surgery as compared with 7 of 30 (23%) who had received droperidol (P <.05) or 6 of 30 (20%) who had received metoclopramide (P <.05). No clinically serious adverse events were observed in any of the groups.

CONCLUSION
Prophylactic therapy with granisetron is superior to droperidol or metoclopramide for the prevention of POV after tonsillectomy in children with a history of motion sickness.


Human-dominated landscapes often have habitat loss and fragmentation. These characteristics described at the landscape scale, called landscape elements, influence species diversity and distribution. These landscape elements include such descriptions as the amount of habitat in the landscape and the degree of fragmentation of the habitat. "Optimization of landscape pattern" studies which landscape elements will maximize species diversity and/or distribution. Some general conclusions have emerged from this research. For example, for some bird species the size of the habitat patch in which a species nests has been found to be more important than landscape variables. However, preliminary research suggested that landscape elements such as the matrix are important urban areas. My study addressed this problem by asking: which elements of the landscape are most important for predicting avian species richness and abundance in the Greater Toronto Area? A literature review revealed a number of variables that have been found to influence bird species diversity within a landscape: area of habitat in which the species nests, amount of habitat within the landscape, degree of fragmentation, vegetation characteristics of the habitat patch, and area within the landscape deemed urban in municipal landuse designations (amount of urbanization). From this literature, I formulated four hypotheses describing the most important variables for avian diversity: (1) the area of the habitat patch is most important, (2) only variables describing the habitat patch itself are important, (3) the area of the habitat patch is important, but landscape variables should also be considered and (4) urbanization is most important. These hypotheses were considered competing explanations of bird species diversity at the landscape scale. A database of breeding bird data and landscape information, in a geographic information system platform, was used to investigate the comparative strength of the competing hypotheses for the Greater Toronto Area. A mathematical expression with a Poisson model format was created to represent each hypothesis. The model selection technique based on Kullback-Leibler information using the Akaike Information Criterion was deemed most appropriate for the comparison of the models. Four separate Poisson model competitions were completed using two habitat types and two response variables: species richness and total abundance. In three of the four competitions, the best model included the habitat area and the amount of urbanization in the landscape. In the forth competition, this model was considered as strong as another model which included habitat area, amount of habitat in the landscape and degree of fragmentation. The results from the model competition support the hypothesis that habitat area is important, but landscape variables must also be considered to explain avian richness and total abundance. It appears that maintaining native bird biodiversity in the Greater Toronto Area should focus on preserving and possibly increasing habitat area and decreasing adjacent urbanization. Exploration of the best model in the forest analysis with the richness response variable found that a 10% increase in habitat area cause approximately a 10% increase in species richness, and a 10% increase in urban


To determine differences in seasonal flowering between evergreen and deciduous woody perennials, endogenous expression of flowering-related genes was investigated in Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) and its close relative, trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.), which are evergreen and deciduous, respectively, and show different seasonal flowering characteristics. In Satsuma mandarin, in which floral induction is triggered by low temperatures during fall and winter, mRNA levels of the citrus FLOWERING LOCUS T homologue CiFT increased during fall and winter, corresponding to the floral induction period, and mRNA levels of citrus LEAFY and SEPALLATA homologues (CsLFY and CuSEP) increased during early spring just before blooming. Citrus APETALA1 and FRUITFULL homologues (CsAP1 and CuFUL) did not show a significant association with seasonal flowering. In trifoliate orange, in which floral induction and flower bud development occur during early summer as in many deciduous trees, expression of CiFT, CsLFY, CsAP1, CuSEPs and CuFUL increased during early summer, corresponding to the period of floral induction and flower bud development. The CuSEPs expression peaked again during early spring just before blooming. In both species, the citrus TERMINAL FLOWER1 homologue (CsTFL), which acts as a floral repressor, showed low transcript levels during the period of floral induction and flower bud development. Thus, despite the difference in flowering season, in both species transcriptional changes in CiFT, CsLFY, CsTFL and CuSEPs were correlated with seasonal flowering. In contrast, the correspondence between CsAP1 and CuFUL expression and seasonal flowering differed between the species.


We estimate the effective Navier-slip length for flow over a spray-fabricated liquid-repellent surface which supports a composite solid–air–liquid interface or 'Cassie–Baxter' state. The morphology of the coated substrate consists of randomly distributed corpuscular microstructures which encapsulate a film of trapped air (or 'plastron') upon contact with liquid. The reduction in viscous skin friction due to the plastron is evaluated using torque measurements in a parallel plate rheometer resulting in a measured slip length of bslip ≈ 39 μm, comparable to the mean periodicity of the microstructure evaluated from confocal fluorescence microscopy. The introduction of a large primary length-scale using dual-textured spray-coated meshes increases the magnitude of the effective slip length to values in the range 94 μm ≤ bslip ≤ 213 μm depending on the geometric features of the mesh. The wetted solid fractions on each mesh are calculated from free surface simulations on model sinusoidal mesh geometries. The trend in measured values of bslip with the mesh periodicity L and the computed wetted solid-fraction rϕs are found to be consistent with existing analytic predictions.


In this commentary on Zeldow's (2009) "In Defense of Clinical Judgment, Credentialed Clinicians, and Reflective Practice," the dialectical method is presented as a conceptual model and strategy for reconciling the division between clinical practitioners and clinical scientists in their acceptance of the need for empirically based psychological treatments and practices. Recommendations are made for (a) better integrating practitioners in the conduct of science, (b) confronting unhelpful attitudes of scientific chauvinism and imperialism, and (c) recognizing the contributions of both microlevel (process) and macrolevel (outcome) phenomena in psychotherapeutic practice and its scientific investigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).


Ulinastatin, is a broad-spectrum protease inhibitor purified from human urine, inhibits endogenous proteases such as trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, hyaluronidase, and plasmin. It is widely being used at increasingly higher doses for the treatment of acute or chronic pancreatitis, severe infection, and acute organ failure. We aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of high-dose ulinastatin in healthy volunteers in our single center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose escalation study. Fifty-one healthy Chinese subjects were enrolled in 9 dose cohorts (3×105 U, 6×105 U, 12×105 U, 20×105 U, 30×105 U, 45×105 U, 60×105 U, 70×105 U, or 80×105 U of ulinastatin) and randomized to UTI or matching placebo (n = 1). Each dose cohort was composed of 3–7 subjects. All subjects were required to have 2 h of intravenous infusion. Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout the study via monitoring of vital signs, physical examinations, clinical laboratory tests, 12-lead electrocardiograms, and interviews with the subjects about adverse events. Fifty-one subjects (35 men and 16 women) completed the study. A total of 13 AEs were reported by 10 subjects: 11 adverse events in the ulinastatin groups and 2 adverse events in the placebo group. Twelve of the adverse events were possibly related to the study drug. The most common drug-related adverse events included dizziness, pain at injection site, and a decrease in white blood cell count. All adverse events were of mild severity; none were serious. In conclusion, 2 hours of intravenous infusion of ulinastatin (3×105 to 80×105 U) was well tolerated by healthy Chinese subjects.


This letter is concerned with the parameter estimation of linear and nonlinear subsystems of parallel-cascade Wiener systems (PCWS). We first present the relationship between a PCWS and its associated Volterra model. We show that the coefficients of the linear subsystems can be obtained using a joint diagonalization of the third-order Volterra kernel slices. Then, the coefficients of the nonlinear subsystems are estimated using the least square algorithm. The proposed parameter estimation method is illustrated by means of simulation results.


Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an essential mediator in the pathogenesis of Gram-negative septic shock. Injection of TNF into normal mice leads to systemic, lethal inflammation, which is indistinguishable from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lethal inflammation. alpha(2)-macroglobulin (A2M) is a major positive acute phase protein with broad-spectrum protease-inhibitory activity. Mouse A2M-deficient (MAM-/-) mice were significantly protected against lethal systemic inflammation induced by TNF. The protection is not due to faster clearance of the injected TNF. The induction of tolerance to TNF-induced lethality by repetitive administration of small doses of human TNF for five consecutive days was equally efficient in both mutant mice compared to wild-type mice. In D-(+)-galactosamine (GalN)-sensitized mice, TNF induces lethal inflammatory hepatitis. MAM(-/-) mice are equally sensitive to the lethal combination of TNF/GalN. Furthermore, interleukin-1-induced desensitization to TNF/GalN was not impaired in MAM(-/-) mice. We conclude that MAM plays a mediating role in TNF-induced lethal shock and that MAM deficiency does not reduce changes in efficiency of tolerance and desensitization to TNF and TNF/GalN-induced lethality, respectively.


His live and work have been reviewed elegantly by Mascarenhas and Sessler [1,2]. Sessler's tribute also contains many references. The books edited by Sessler and Gerhard [3] give many sources to his work as well. Gross has reviewed a lot of his vast research on electrets himself in [4], which is based on a talk at ISE5 organized in honor of his 80th birthday. In 1987 he contributed a major chapter to [3.1].


Sh.Marjani Institute of History, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, 5 entrance Kremlin, Kazan 420014, Russian Federation E-mail: email@example.com The author of this article points out that although the Golden Horde was cre-ated as the result of conquests that terminated the existence of such Muslim states as the Khwarazmian Empire and Volga Bulgaria, nevertheless Muslims perceived the territory of the Golden Horde as "Dar al-Islam", that is the "territory of Mus-lims". In the author's view, the reasons for this lie in the fact that Jochi himself and Batu were in close contact with the Baghdad Caliphate, whence the first Sufi missionaries came, who together with the Central Asian missionaries engaged in spreading Islam among the population of the Golden Horde, and especially among the Tatar elite. Particularly successful in this were Qalandars, Sufis from Anatolia. Islamization took place not only among the sedentary and, first of all, urban population, but the similar transformations happened also among nomadic population of the Golden Horde. Even during the reign of non-Muslim rulers in the Golden Horde, who came to power after khan Berke, the process of Islamization was not interrupted. The author believes that Sufis had been active from the first days of the Golden Horde, and they documented their vision of the Golden Horde history. In the author's opinion, the history outlined in original Turkic-Tatar sources, for example written by Otemish Hajji and Abdulgaffar Kyrymi, transmit exactly this "Islamized" history of the Jochids. When the story concerns Muslim khans, such as Berke and Uzbek, it accentuates the role of sheikhs. Data from the theological work the "Qalandar-name", created in the Golden Horde, provides much new factual material on the issue of spread of Islam. The Qalandars were very knowledgeable about Islam and they were prac-ticing Sufis who devoted themselves to proselytizing Islam. They distinguished themselves from other missionaries through their appeal, first of all, to the rulers. Therefore, their activities were clandestine and secret. The author connects their appearance in the Golden Horde with khan Berke's activities, because he married to a Seljuk princess and rescued the last Seljuk princes from Byzantine captivity. According to the "Islamized" history of the Golden Horde, khans Berke and Uz-bek as well as Janibek were pious Muslim rulers, who possessed all the best Mus-lim qualities, and absolutely the most important, they also participated in spread-ing of Islam as disciples of one or another sheikh. It is known that, for example, khans Janibek and Berdibek were raised by atalyks, that is by Sufi mentors. The


In the literature we find unanimous consensus on the analysis of bilateral accident models. In bilateral accident models, indeed, it is usually held that both with the negligence rule and with strict liability with contributory negligence, the residual bearer adopts an efficient level of precaution and efficient activity levels; the party that is not the residual bearer, on the other hand, chooses an excessive activity level since once the due precautions have been taken, they do not answer for the damage, regardless of the activity level adopted. One of the possible solutions put forward in the doctrine to achieve a first-best situation in the bilateral accident model is that of decoupling liability, in which both the parties are residual bearers: therefore, this is the idea of a Pigovian tax, under which the injurer pays the State a tax equal to the expected damage and the victim is not compensated for the damage suffered. In this way both the parties have an interest in acting diligently in order to reduce the costs which they incur and in choosing an efficient activity level. In our view, the common doctrinal assumptions are based on an erroneous belief. By building on an idea of Coase's that is not held in sufficient regard by the doctrine, we intend to show that the residual bearer also maintains an excessive activity level in bilateral accidents, since he does not consider the precaution costs of the counterparty. He therefore tends to act even when his benefits are greater than the total expected damage and the cost of his precautions, but lower than the total social costs, in the sense of the sum of the expected damage, the cost of his precautions and the cost of the counterparty's precautions


The authors present two problems in mapping highly maintainable expressive parallel code manipulating multidimensional arrays in massively parallel computers: bottlenecks due to simultaneous accesses in the EREW model, and interprocessor communication. They present a source code transformation approach to solve the expressibility-high-performance problem for the multidimensional arrays designed with a four-level hierarchical design of the data types (aggregate, abstract, logical, and physical levels). A systematic method is developed to transform parallel high-level low-performance code into parallel low-level efficient ones. The method is illustrated with matrix multiplication. The method is also used to generate high-performance logical-level code for the backpropagation algorithm of neural networks that makes extensive use of matrices. The transformed code has a much higher performance than the code with a naive mapping.<<ETX>>


This paper addresses the issue of the importance and necessity of introducing constant organizational changes and their impact on employee stress as one of the primary pull factors of the employee turnover intention. In this regard, human resource managers in organizations are becoming increasingly aware that hiring and retaining talents are the most important determinants of success in the complex global world and that they must work more intensively on modernizing the process of change management to help employees, not only for acceptance, but also for their involvement in the change implementation process. The number of respondents from the processed data so far is 439 employees (differing according to their demographic characteristics). The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference between the four different types of organizational change according to the Cummings and Worley (2014) organizational change classification (Human process changes; Techno-structural changes; Human resource management changes and Strategic changes), regarding their impact on the employee emotional state, as well as which type of organizational change has the most significant impact on employee stress in the Republic of North Macedonia. The survey findings contributed to the conclusion that Macedonian employees in terms of their feelings of fear, anxiety, nervousness, etc., equally perceive the impact of the different types of organizational change. More specifically, there are no statistically significant differences between the impacts of the different types of organizational change over the stress they face because of these changes.


In transgenic murine models, the study of certain organs or tissues can be performed after euthanasia of some specimens. However, this practice may not be economically feasible when applied to livestock such as transgenic goats. It is necessary to use minimally invasive methods to perform in vivo studies of organs that may be affected by disorders related to the activity of the transgene, particularly during milk production, when the recombinant protein is secreted. The aim of this study was to describe ultrasonographic findings of the liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, and mammary glands in transgenic goats for evaluating the effect of human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (hG-CSF) expression in milk during induced lactation. Six female Caninde goats-three transgenic (T) and three non-transgenic (NT)-were subjected to hormone therapy to induce lactation; ultrasonographic examinations of the liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, and mammary gland were performed during both the hormonal therapy and the lactation period at different intervals depending on the organ being examined. On Day 16 (Day 1 = hormonal therapy initiation), all goats were lactating and presented healthy mammary glands, characterized by echogenic parenchyma showing a granular echotexture. Transgenic and non-transgenic goats were compared on the basis of measurements and ultrasound images obtained from each organ. No differences between T and NT animals were observed in the examined area for the liver, gallbladder, spleen, and kidneys. Liver and renal echogenicity and appearance of gallbladder and portal and hepatic veins were similar in all females. Ultrasonographic findings of the mammary gland, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and kidneys in transgenic goats did not show any difference from those in non-transgenic goats.Thus, these results suggest that the presence and expression of the transgene had no effect on the ultrasonographic findings of mammary gland and abdominal organs in the transgenic goats. Moreover, the findings shows that ultrasonography is a useful screening tool for clinical examination of transgenic goats; this allows the investigation of possible disorders and avoids the unnecessary use of invasive techniques.


A general probabilistic model is presented of an electrical system node capable of unifying supply reliability (SR) and voltage quality (VQ) from the point of view of a sensitive user. It is a discrete state model based on the classification characteristics of measurement results, as recommended by the SR/VQ standards. It makes it possible to take into account: 1) the user's sensitivity, simply by drawing border lines between the states whose effects cause malfunctions and the other states, and 2) the uncertainty related to the random nature of the phenomena involved and of the equipment sensitivities. The authors use the Markov process theory to develop and solve the model, taking advantage of the so-called device of stages extension to represent the nonexponential nature of voltage dip durations and the recovery times consequent to long and short interruptions. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed model and the importance of the recovery time probability distribution, a representative case study is also discussed.


Abstract Two series of ferroelectric liquid crystalline organo-siloxanes containing a laterally attached halogen on the phenyl ring have been synthesised and characterised to determine the impact of the siloxane group and the halogen on the mesomorphism and electro-optic switching properties. Both monomesogenic and bimesogenic compounds have been studied. The monomesogenic derivatives were found to be ferroelectric with high tilt and Ps. The tilt angle of 45° and the Ps of 95nC/cm2 are almost temperature independent. The bimesogenic bromo substituted derivatives showed mainly ferroelectric phases about 60°C wide. Maximum values for the spontaneous polarisation and the tilt angle were only slightly influenced by the length of the siloxane spacer. Altering the halogen to a fluorine shifted the liquid cystalline phase slightly to higher temperatures whilst maintaining the mesophase range of 60°C.


The purpose of this study is to explore the expansion of merger and acquisition (M&A) literature in the context of Indian studies and examine the impact of mergers and acquisitions on various financial performance parameters of India's Agri-Food companies. The period of study is from 2011 to 2019, and Wilcoxon Sign Rank methodology has been used. The study hypothesized that there is significant growth in Indian literature of M&A and there is a significant difference in the operating performance, financial performance and shareholders' return of acquiring firms during the period of pre-M&A and post-M&A. The study findings state that the literature of M&A in India increases significantly, and the operating ratio, financial ratio, and shareholder return also exhibit a significant improvement whereas the expense ratio related to the operating ratio shows no improvement in performance. The study concludes that the India Agri-Food company's financial performance has improved overall for the acquiring firms during the post-M&A period.


In situ cosmic dust analyzers, like those aboard Cassini, Galileo, and Stardust, provide important data about cosmic dust, including the chemical composition of dust particles. Correctly interpreting the data from these cosmic dust analyzers requires laboratory calibration experiments. By studying the impact mass spectrum from a particle of known composition, an unknown particle's composition can be inferred from its impact mass spectrum measured in situ. This work expands a recently presented method, electrospray charging, introduced as a means of charging minerals, astrophysical ices, and mineral-ice mixtures that are not electrically conductive. This overcomes a limitation of current dust accelerators: they can only charge, and therefore accelerate, electrically conductive particles. This paper presents experiments demonstrating that microparticles (typically 2 micrometers) of olivine, a common mineral in meteorites, and of an ordinary chondrite (Allan Hills A 79045) can be electrically charged even though neither is electrically conductive. This article discusses the acceleration potential of electrospray-charged projectiles, and explores ways to overcome the challenges implicit in coupling an electrospray source to a dust accelerator. Electrospray charging may enable experiments with novel projectiles that are better analogues for cosmic dust than the conductive projectiles currently in use. Theoretical charging limits using this technique would allow micron-sized particles to be accelerated to several km/s using 3 MV potential, with higher velocities for smaller particles.


Most tuberculosis (TB) surveillance systems of the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) Member States (MS) do not provide information on whether TB cases are identified during outbreak investigations. Therefore there is a lack of information on the impact of outbreaks on the national burden of TB disease and latent TB infection (LTBI) among children. The aim of the study was to estimate the impact of TB outbreaks affecting children on the overall epidemiology in the EU/EEA and to assess public health policies and practices for outbreak management. A questionnaire was administered by ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) to 30 EU/EEA MS. Information was collected on the characteristics of childhood TB outbreaks (2004-2011), criteria and triggers for initiation of outbreak investigations, and policy documents on outbreak management. The questionnaire was complemented by interviews to identify best practices for management of childhood TB outbreaks. Of the 25 responders, 11 had decentralised outbreak management, while 9 had the Ministry of Health involved, particularly on communication issues. Information on outbreaks was available in 15 MS, 5 MS had no outbreaks; only 3 MS had reporting systems for LTBI. In the 11 MS with information, 580 paediatric outbreaks contributed 334 (6%) TB cases to the total of 5578 TB cases and 200 (29.3%) LTBI cases to the total of 683 LTBI cases. Although most MS had guidelines on outbreak management, specific recommendations for outbreaks affecting children were not always available. Practises for outbreak management varied between MS and most MS did not systematically collect information on outbreaks which hampers evaluating existing practises for outbreak management.