Acute lower respiratory infections are the leading cause of death outside the neonatal period for children less than 5 years of age. Widespread availability of invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation in resource-rich settings has reduced mortality rates; however, these technologies are not always available in many low- and middle-income countries due to the high cost and trained personnel required to implement and sustain their use. High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a form of non-invasive respiratory support with growing evidence for use in pediatric respiratory failure. Its simple interface makes utilization in resource-limited settings appealing, although widespread implementation in these settings lags behind resource-rich settings. Implementation science is an emerging field dedicated to closing the know-do gap by incorporating evidence-based interventions into routine care, and its principles have guided the scaling up of many global health interventions. In 2016, we introduced HFNC use for respiratory failure in a pediatric intensive care unit in Lima, Peru using implementation science methodology. Here, we review our experience in the context of the principles of implementation science to serve as a guide for others considering HFNC implementation in resource-limited settings.


Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is highly contagious and continues to spread rapidly. However, there are no simple and timely laboratory techniques to determine the severity of COVID-19. In this meta-analysis, we assessed the potential of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as an indicator of severe versus nonsevere COVID-19 cases. Methods A search for studies on the NLR in severe and nonsevere COVID-19 cases published from January 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021, was conducted on the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC) analyses were done on Stata 14.0 and Meta-disc 1.4 to assess the performance of the NLR. Results Thirty studies, including 5570 patients, were analyzed. Of these, 1603 and 3967 patients had severe and nonsevere COVID-19, respectively. The overall sensitivity and specificity were 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-0.87) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.70-0.83), respectively; positive and negative correlation ratios were 3.6 (95% CI, 2.7-4.7) and 0.23 (95% CI, 0.17-0.30), respectively; DOR was 16 (95% CI, 10-24), and the AUC was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.84-0.90). Conclusion The NLR could accurately determine the severity of COVID-19 and can be used to identify patients with severe disease to guide clinical decision-making.


This short review seeks to present the outcomes of a study that examined the potential effectiveness of guidebooks as a form of interpretation in reducing environmental impacts in a national park. In it, Wearing and Whenman provide a review based on information gained from interviews with 29 trekkers undertaking the Overland Track in Tasmania, Australia. Results from the interviews where correlated with the literature and indicate that trekkers are more likely to use guidebooks at the planning stage of a trek in order to make decisions about what area to visit, what equipment to take, transport, and accommodation. The guidebooks used by trekkers in this inquiry were found to have only a small amount of information on minimal impact messages and such messages were found to be poorly structured. As a result, guidebooks were found to have little influence in mediating responsible environmental behavior in protected areas. The study recommends that well-structured minimal impact messages be incorporated into guidebooks using the Elaboration Likelihood Model of attitude change and persuasion to direct the process. Readers of Tourism Analysis are encouraged to reflect upon how the guidebooks available in their own tourism/tourist arenas strongly influence or undersuspectingly mediate what is there.


The world is moving towards modernization with the help of smart devices used in smart cities to make the whole lot intelligent and smart. These smart devices are extensively used in smart city and are capable of doing everything which one can do with the normal desktop computer. These smart devices like Smartphone have computational limitations are not able to store a large data to be used and collected in a smart city. In this paper, we propose a novel security architecture which first uses the Elliptic Curve Diffie Helman Key Exchange Algorithms to exchange the keys between the two low power devices (Smartphone). The keys are used to encrypt the large data (images and videos etc). The data is encrypted using the private keys of a device and then send to the cloud for safe storage. The data can be only accessed by the communicating device with the same key. The proposed security architecture enables these smart devices to store the huge data collected from the smart city to store on the cloud. If another device requests the same set of data, the keys can be shared secretly and the communicating device can be allowed to download the data directly from the cloud. This architecture relieves the Smartphone from the storage limitation and also enables it to communicate with faster speed and securely.


The Competition Commission of India ("CCI"), on 6 August 2013 passed an order clarifying the scope of the applicability of the Competition Act, 2002 ("Act"), excluding enterprises engaged in "policy…


This study has the aim to identify the sectors that have the competitiveness and the base sector in the regional economy. This study uses secondary data in the form of time series of Gross Regional Domestic Product (PDRB) Tuban District East Java Province from 2010-2016. This research uses quantitative research method. Data collection method used is documentation method then analyzed using Location Quotient method, Shift Share, Typology Klassen. The result of analytical analysis with Location Quotient method shows that the sectors included in the basic sector in Tuban Regency are agriculture, forestry and fishery sector, mining and quarrying sector, processing industry sector, electricity and gas procurement sector, water supply sector, waste processing, and recycling and construction sectors. The result of analysis by using Shift Share and Typology Klassen method shows that the sectors included in fast growing, competitive, advanced and fast growing sector in Tuban Regency are mining and quarrying sector.


Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) is the highly demanded fruit for export commodity from Indonesia. The biggest mangosteen production center in Indonesia is West Java Province that includes Purwakarta, Subang, Bogor, and Tasikmalaya contributing 90% of mangosteen production in West Java Province and 29% of national mangosteen production. The activities of mangosteen production in West Java Province have not been efcient yet, so the potential source of the fruit in West Java Province is not efcient enough to compete internationally.  In order to have competitive advantages, supply chain management in mangosteen business was initiated in Bogor district in 2007 which integrated processes from receiving raw material to selling fnished products. Needs identifcation and institutional structure in emerging supply chain of mangosteen in Bogor District were necessary to be carried out to improve the efciency and efectiveness of the chain to achieve its objectives. In running its business processes, the member of thhain will be linked between each other. Supply chain needs will also be linked with each other. In this study, Intepretative Structural Modeling was used to describe the relationship between needs of the chain and relationships among the institutions in the chain.


Software testing is the most critical step of software development since it ensures that the system under developments free of errors and unprecedented faults and matches the expectation and requirements elicited from users and stakeholders. However, the process of testing is currently a manual process and is thus prone to mistakes by human testers and timeconsuming and arduous. This paper proposes the automation of the task of generating test cases from software requirements written in natural language. This solves the problems of human errors and requirement of manual effort in ensuring coverage of requirements specified during requirements elicitation. It also enables test cases to be generated early on in the software development lifecycle based on requirements documents. The method we propose involves taking software requirements expressed in natural language as input and processing them using natural language processing techniques such as POS tagging and parsing. These NLP constructs are used to represent the requirements in the form of tree structures, which are used to generate knowledge graphs that depict the essential flow of the system. These paths can be traversed using methods such as boundary value analysis, etc. to obtain a suite of test cases.


Sex is a normal biological drive, but has been controlled by social norms in almost all civilizations, albeit to differ–ent degrees along different dimensions of sexual life in different cultures. Today west is known as a champion of liberty and choice to ensure better quality of life and happiness to its citizens, and this includes the issue pertain–ing to sex as well. This study aims to assess the degree of deviance of sexual norms of westerners with respect to the traditional Indian sexual norms along four dimensions: It was found that the degree of deviation was high for the dimension of 'Freedom of Expression and Indulgence in Sex' (i.e. they experienced much more freedom of expression & indulgence in sex as compared to Indians). The degree of deviation was high for 'Virginity Attitude' (i.e. westerners didn't expect their spouse to be sexually-virgin before marriage). The degree of deviation was low for the dimension of 'Fidelity Expectation' (i.e. quite like Indians they still expected their partners to be faithful to them as long as they are in a relation). The degree of deviation was medium for the dimension of 'Double Sex-Standards for Males and Females' (i.e. to a certain extent they still have different sexual norms or expectations from males & females, e.g. females are not expected to initiate the romantic relationship by approaching the male; it is male who is expected to pay the bill not female if a couple goes together in a restaurant; boys are encouraged to make more & more girlfriends by the siblings but the same is not the case for the girls, etc.). It was informed by some female participants (all foreigners) in the interviews that they do haveliberty of roaming around late night in the city and across cities without much fear of goons or eve-teasers (with the exception of some notorious areas). The effect of this sexual liberalization seems to have positive effects on the sexual behaviour of their population with lesser sex-crimes and more freedom to the women.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship between normal personality traits and obsessive-compulsive (OC) phenomena in individuals with subclinical OC problems and patients whose problems met diagnostic criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

METHOD
In Study 1, 25 healthy volunteers with high scores on the Padua Inventory (PI) and 28 controls with low scores on the PI were compared on the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and measures of depression and state anxiety. In Study 2, 56 treatment-seeking participants meeting DSM-IV criteria for OCD and 40 healthy volunteers of similar sociodemographic characteristics were compared on the same measures.

RESULTS
Both individuals with subclinical OC problems and OCD patients scored significantly higher than their respective control groups on sensitivity to punishment, neuroticism and psychoticism. OCD patients, but not individuals with subclinical OC problems, scored lower in extraversion than their respective controls. Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of high scores on the PI in Study 1, while psychoticism was the strongest predictor of the presence of an OCD diagnosis in Study 2.

CONCLUSION
Healthy participants with high scores on OC measures and OCD patients share various personality traits but can also be distinguished according to the level of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism.


Hypoxia is known to reduce the expression of hepcidin, the master regulator of iron metabolism. However, it is not clear whether this response is primarily related to increased erythropoiesis driven by hypoxically stimulated erythropoietin or to a more direct effect of hypoxia on hepcidin expression. The germline loss-of-function VHL(R200W) mutation is common in Chuvashia, Russia, and also occurs elsewhere. VHL(R200W) homozygotes have elevated hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and HIF-2α levels, increased red cell mass, propensity to thrombosis, and early mortality. Ninety VHL(R200W) homozygotes and 52 controls with normal VHL alleles from Chuvashia, Russia, were studied under basal circumstances. In univariate analyses, serum hepcidin concentration was correlated positively with serum ferritin concentration and negatively with homozygosity for VHL(R200W). After adjustment for serum erythropoietin and ferritin concentrations by multiple linear regression, the geometric mean (95% confidence interval of mean) hepcidin concentration was 8.1 (6.3-10.5) ng/mL in VHL(R200W) homozygotes versus 26.9 (18.6-38.0) ng/mL in controls (P < .001). In contrast, a significant independent relationship of serum erythropoietin, hemoglobin, or RBC count with hepcidin was not observed. In conclusion, up-regulation of the hypoxic response leads to decreased expression of hepcidin that may be independent of increased erythropoietin levels and increased RBC counts.


The class of locally compact near abelian groups is introduced and investigated as a class of metabelian groups formalizing and applying the concept of scalar multiplication. The structure of locally compact near abelian groups and its close connections to prime number theory are discussed and elucidated by graph theoretical tools. These investigations require a thorough reviewing and extension to present circumstances of various aspects of the general theory of locally compact groups such as
-the Chabauty space of closed subgroups with its natural compact Hausdorff topology,
-a very general Sylow subgroup theory for periodic groups including their Hall systems,
-the scalar automorphisms of locally compact abelian groups, -the theory of products of closed subgroups and their relation to semidirect products, and
-inductively monothetic groups are introduced and classified.
As applications, firstly, a complete classification is given of locally compact topologically quasihamiltonian groups, which has been initiated by F. K\"ummich, and, secondly, Yu. Mukhin's classification of locally compact topologically modular groups is retrieved and further illuminated.


The identification of the base substitution responsible for Ag(x/y) completes the description of the antigen group polymorphisms associated with the apolipoprotein B polypeptide. Surprisingly, all five antigen group polymorphisms alter restriction endonuclease cleavage sites and have associated restriction fragment length polymorphisms, thereby providing a convenient alternative for antigen group phenotyping.


Anchor-based techniques reduce the computational complexity of spectral clustering algorithms. Although empirical tests have shown promising results, there is currently a lack of theoretical support for the anchoring approach. We define a specific anchor-based algorithm and show that it is amenable to rigorous analysis, as well as being effective in practice. We establish the theoretical consistency of the method in an asymptotic setting where data is sampled from an underlying continuous probability distribution. In particular, we provide sharp asymptotic conditions for the number of nearest neighbors in the algorithm, which ensure that the anchor-based method can recover with high probability disjoint clusters that are mutually separated by a positive distance. We illustrate the performance of the algorithm on synthetic data and explain how the theoretical convergence analysis can be used to inform the practical choice of parameter scalings. We also test the accuracy and efficiency of the algorithm on two large scale real data sets. We find that the algorithm offers clear advantages over standard spectral clustering. We also find that it is competitive with the state-of-the-art LSC method of Chen and Cai (Twenty-Fifth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2011), while having the added benefit of a consistency guarantee.


Repeated application of manures to agricultural soils could cause the accumulation of phosphorus (P) in soils. However, it is unclear if manure P can behave similar to P in soluble fertilizers in accumulation Olsen-P (0.5 mol L NaHCO3 at pH 8.5) in soils. A long-term wheat-maize rotation experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of repeated application of manures on P accumulation in soils. The results showed that excessive or residual P in soils led to increase of Olsen-P in soils, which could be predicted accurately by initial concentration of Olsen-P in soils, P fertilization rate, crop yield, soil pH and cultivation time. The effects of application of K fertilizers or maize straw to soils or replacement of maize with soybean in wheat cropping systems were not significant on soil Olsen-P accumulation. The accumulation rates of soil Olsen-P were governed by P application rates of soluble P fertilizers and/or manures. Similar trend of Olsen-P accumulation was found in soils with soluble P fertilizers only or plus manures P, which supplied evidence that behaviour of manure P in long-term field soils is similar to inorganic P fertilizers and are helpful for the best management of soil P in agricultural production and environment protection.


We compared immunogenotypic findings in 73 patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 30 patients with AML developed in myelodysplastic syndrome (AML post MDS) to determine the biological difference between these hematopoietic neoplasias. Lymphoid-associated antigens were detected in 13 patients with de novo AML, four of whom exhibited rearrangement of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) gene. T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements were detected in 10 patients with de novo AML who did not have lymphoid-associated antigens, none of whom carried rearranged IgH. This group included two AML patients with trilineage dysplasia. Neither lymphoid markers nor IgH rearrangement was detected in any of the 30 patients with AML post-MDS; TCR rearrangements were detected in eight out of 30 patients, TCR-beta rearrangements in six out of 30, and TCR-delta rearrangements in five out of 30. The TCR rearrangement without rearranged IgH in some AML post MDS patients might not be due to a common recombinase activity, and this alteration may link to genomic instability. Some patients with de novo AML also showed this pattern, suggesting a close biologic association between AML post MDS and some patients with de novo AML.


The mathematician John Pell is a significant figure in the intellectual history of 17th century England—significant, however, more because of his activities, contacts and correspondence than because of his published work. His few publications are, nevertheless, valuable sources of information about his intellectual biography. Previous listings of them have been both incomplete and subject to error. This article gives a complete listing of the items published during the 17th century. It identifies a hitherto unknown work by Pell, a book published in 1635; it attempts to correct a common misunderstanding about the dating of his best–known work, An Idea of Mathematics; and it presents evidence confirming Pell's responsibility for the introduction of the division sign. In addition, it discusses nine non-existent publications by Pell—items whose titles derive from materials among Pell's manuscripts, but which have been mistakenly listed as publications in modern reference works.


OBJECTIVES
An accurate diagnosis of occupational allergic respiratory diseases is crucial because they are related to disability, loss of work and worsening of psychosocial and economic status of workers. Early diagnosis is therefore essential to prevent the progression of allergic respiratory diseases and to implement preventive measures. The most frequent occupational allergic respiratory diseases are asthma (OA) and rhinitis (OR), less frequently hypersensitivity pneumonia (HP) and non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB).

METHODS
The diagnosis is based on the objective evidence of the disease, on a clear correlation with the work activity and the identification of a specific sensitizing agent in the workplace.

RESULTS
Reference standard methods are available, such as Specific Inhalation Challenge in the laboratory or in the workplace.

CONCLUSIONS
A multidisciplinary approach in highly-specialized centres is always recommended for diagnostic confirmation, as it is accompanied by greater diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.


Purpose – The purpose of this research is to elaborate on a model of entrepreneurship within the public sector. Design/methodology/approach – Case studies involving state-owned enterprises (SOEs) trace three examples of entrepreneurial ventures. Findings – A theme of strategic use of entrepreneurial action within these organisations emerges. It is argued that these examples are representative of both a field of enquiry and a specific concept which has been termed "strategic entrepreneurship". Research limitations/implications – On the strength of the findings from this study we are able to draw two important conclusions. First, empirical support is found for the notion of "strategic entrepreneurship", which is defined and explained in this paper. Second, incidences of strategic entrepreneurship are demonstrated in the SOEs, which extend the range of entrepreneurial types usually described in the public sector. Practical implications – A number of core and supporting elements of strategic entrepreneurship are identified, providing a clear framework for businesses. Originality/value – This paper progresses strategic entrepreneurship beyond the purely theoretical, by examining and analysing strategic entrepreneurship in an applied business setting, in this case public sector organisations.


The difference between measuring changes in gene expression levels in a toxicogenomics study and actually achieving reduced drug development costs is in the knowledge of which gene expression changes are predictive of toxicity. Whether the cost savings are in high-throughput screening, in discovery or in preclinical, testing, the application of genomics, proteomics or metabonomics will require a clear understanding of what these methods actually measure. Results of studies published over the past year have set valuable benchmarks for genomic studies, transforming this technology into a source of candidates for validation as predictive biomarkers of toxicity. This review will summarize some of the publications that have achieved this transformation, and the steps that are still needed for the implementation of predictive tests derived from these genomic biomarkers of toxicity.


Inter-vehicle communication can become an important building block for ITS telematics applications like safety and warning functions. Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) can serve as a local wireless network for exchanging information between cars for cooperative driver assistance applications. For the routing of data packets in such large-scale MANETs consisting of vehicles on the road, geographic multi-hop packet forwarding is a promising approach. However, a main drawback is that it performs poorly in networks with many topology holes. In this paper, we propose a spatially aware packet routing approach to predict permanent topology holes caused by spatial constraints and avoid them beforehand. This approach is generic and can be used in combination with any existing geographic forwarding protocol as an extension. Our simulations demonstrate that spatial awareness can significantly improve geographic forwarding performance in situations with many permanent topology holes, like in dynamic vehicle networks.


The growing need for communication in the world has increased the use of telephony and has therefore led to several technical innovations and improvements in the field of telecommunications. As countries develop their infrastructure new ways of communicating arise. But the technical innovations do not completely guide the evolution of the infrastructure. Many times, the way people act, i.e., their mentality and traditions, decides how to invest in the infrastructure. As basic infrastructure is being built in some developing countries, others come up with new revolutionary solutions to replace old infrastructure and, for some developing countries the question arises whether to continue to invest several hundreds of millions of dollars in traditional telephony wiring. The cellular technique is revolutionary enough to be applied in countries that haven't yet built a telephony network covering an adequate area of the country. In these countries, investments might therefore be focused on the cellular technique, rather than continuing to invest in cable networking. Thus adapting cellular technology to a worldwide distribution is necessary when it comes to administration and subscriber payment. The communication providers meet administrative obstacles when it comes to telephony services for a large-scale distribution. Will the subscribers pay for the services we offer them? Using Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) one way to solve this problem is to define a prepaid scheme. It is based on the fact that the subscriber uses a unique identifier to make a connection and is billed using this identifier. The service provider is free to choose if the subscriber is thrustworthy or not and thus must pay in advance for the services or billed retroactively. This general way of solving administration problems does not apply only to developing countries where retroactive billing isn't a common tradition. It is equally applicable to industrial countries where some people are banned from credibility for a couple of years because they haven't paid their bills in time, or just because they don't have employment at the time of their subscription application. To be in possession of a telephone is everyone's right in most of the industrialized countries.


Chicken meat consumption and demand have significantly increased in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) after 2003, which has led to the growth of poultry production and risen import from abroad. Consumer preferences study can be a determinant factor for poultry production development strategies to fill local demand gaps and global market competition. This study aimed to identify the consumer preference of chicken meat regarding the type, size, parts, marketplace, and other vital aspects considered by consumers when buying chicken meat, and the internal and external factors that affect consumer preference in the chicken meat purchasing choice. A descriptive study was conducted in Sulaymaniyah city, and the data were collected through a structured questionnaire form. This study indicated that 47.7% of the respondents prefer local Kurdish chicken (Mrishki Kurdi). 50% of the consumers in the Sulaymaniyah city prefer to buy whole chicken weighed between (2-3 Kg), 35.4% at the nearest or trusted meat shop, 38.5% at the wet markets, and 69.3% alive chicken slaughtered at the wet market at the time of purchase. Additionally, the internal factors (sensory features and perceptual features) were more dominant (sum total=4.084) than External factors (information, social environment, and physical environment) (sum total=3.599). Conclusions derived from the results suggest that the current study can contribute to a better understanding of consumers and improve the agribusiness value chain in KRI. The results from this study are recommended to examine consumer behavior and preference for agri-foods to build an integrated sustainable food production system based on consumers' needs and demands in the KRI and compete with the imported products.


Many claim that Chinese people born after the one-child policy of 1979 are very individualistic or even selfish. This research tested the hypothesis that Chinese workers of the one-child-policy generation have difficulty working in a team, addressing the absence of nation-wide evidence. Using workers' surveys, for the first time, across six major Chinese cities, the results denied the hypothesis, at least in the workplace. JEL classification: J8, M20, R1


Abstract. Recent years have seen the increasing inclusion of per-retrieval prognostic (predictive) uncertainty estimates within satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) data sets, providing users with quantitative tools to assist in the optimal use of these data. Prognostic estimates contrast with diagnostic (i.e. relative to some external truth) ones, which are typically obtained using sensitivity and/or validation analyses. Up to now, however, the quality of these uncertainty estimates has not been routinely assessed. This study presents a review of existing prognostic and diagnostic approaches for quantifying uncertainty in satellite AOD retrievals, and it presents a general framework to evaluate them based on the expected statistical properties of ensembles of estimated uncertainties and actual retrieval errors. It is hoped that this framework will be adopted as a complement to existing AOD validation exercises; it is not restricted to AOD and can in principle be applied to other quantities for which a reference validation data set is available. This framework is then applied to assess the uncertainties provided by several satellite data sets (seven over land, five over water), which draw on methods from the empirical to sensitivity analyses to formal error propagation, at 12 Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites. The AERONET sites are divided into those for which it is expected that the techniques will perform well and those for which some complexity about the site may provide a more severe test. Overall, all techniques show some skill in that larger estimated uncertainties are generally associated with larger observed errors, although they are sometimes poorly calibrated (i.e. too small or too large in magnitude). No technique uniformly performs best. For powerful formal uncertainty propagation approaches such as optimal estimation, the results illustrate some of the difficulties in appropriate population of the covariance matrices required by the technique. When the data sets are confronted by a situation strongly counter to the retrieval forward model (e.g. potentially mixed land–water surfaces or aerosol optical properties outside the family of assumptions), some algorithms fail to provide a retrieval, while others do but with a quantitatively unreliable uncertainty estimate. The discussion suggests paths forward for the refinement of these techniques.


As a research object competitiveness is characterized by some specific features which cause a variety of research results and impede the assessment of competitiveness. For example, the assessment according to the reached results shows how competitive the enterprise was in the past and why it had taken such competitive position in the market. Assessment according to the available resources and capabilities indicates whether the firm is competitive at the moment. Such a view expresses only the potential of competitiveness and does not show the enterprise's possibilities to compete in the future. The mentioned problem is revealed and the need as well as the structure of subsidiary in its purpose element of the used model of competitiveness (proposed by M. J. Stankiewicz 2005) – competitive ability as the assessment instrument of the enterprise's competitiveness – is substantiated in this article. The performed analysis allows us to maintain that the enterprise's ability to compete can be assessed by evaluating the adequacy level of the enterprise's activity parameters forming this ability into the ideal case, unlike the competitive advantage that can be determined only by comparing all enterprises in the market or knowing their average competitiveness.


By 1993, over 70% of all Americans with health insurance were enrolled in some form of managed care plan. The term managed care encompasses a diverse array of institutional arrangements, which combine various sets of mechanisms, that, in turn, have changed over time. The chapter reviews these mechanims, which, in addition to the methods employed by traditional insurance plans, include the selection and organization of providers, the choice of payment methods (including capitation and salary payment), and the monitoring of service utilization. Managed care has a long history. For an extended period, this form of organization was discouraged by a hostile regulatory environment. Since the early 1980s, however, managed care has grown dramatically. Neither theoretical nor empirical research have yet provided an explanation for this pattern of growth. The growth of managed care may be due to this organizational form's relative success in responding to underlying market failures in the health care system asymmetric information about health risks, moral hazard, limited information on quality, and limited industry competitiveness. The chapter next explores managed care's response to each of these problems. The chapter then turns to empirical research on managed care. Managed care plans appear to attract a population that is somewhat lower cost than that enrolled in conventional insurance. This complicates analysis of the effect of managed care on utilization. Nonetheless, many studies suggest that managed care plans reduce the rate of health care utilization somewhat. Less evidence exists on their effect on overall health care costs and cost growth. Sherry Glied Columbia School of Public Health Division of Health Policy and Management 600 West 168th St., 6th Floor New York, NY 10032 and NBER email@example.com


Cytologic examination of synovial fluid has been shown to be useful in the diagnosis of various joint diseases. Few pathologists are proficient in the interpretation of the occasional synovial fluids that most cytology laboratories receive. The majority of the aspirated synovial fluids are sent only for bacterial culture and valuable information from the cytologic examination is missed. We describe how pathologists should perform analysis of these fluids and what kind of information they can provide to the physician.


Background: Management of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) with a Pavlik harness is a well-known treatment. Follow-up until skeletal maturity is recommended as long-term studies mention late sequelae.The purpose of this study was to determine whether such a follow-up is necessary in patients treated successfully under a strict protocol. Methods: A retrospective review of a consecutive series of normal infants treated for DDH between January 1995 and July 2004 was undertaken. Only normal infants with frankly pathologic hips treated successfully with a Pavlik harness were included, and with a normal anteroposterior (AP) pelvis x-ray at the age of 2 years. All infants with any type of neurological disease, syndrome, other form of treatment for DDH, and failure of the Pavlik harness were excluded. At the last follow-up, a clinical examination and a standing AP pelvis x-ray were performed. Results: A total of 109 hips in 83 children were available for review. The mean follow-up was of 10 years and 2 months. All 109 hips had a normal clinical examination and a normal AP pelvis x-ray: a mean center-edge angle (CEA) of 29.5 degrees, SD±4.1 degrees, a mean acetabular index (AI) of 1457±3.74 degrees, a mean Sharp's angle of 41.92±3.42 degrees, a Seringe-Severin score of IA, a normal teardrop figure, no signs of avascular necrosis, and Moses circles <2. Conclusion: This study strongly suggests that in a selected group of patients treated for DDH with a Pavlik harness, under a strict protocol, and a normal x-ray at 2 years of age, a long-term follow-up is not necessary. Level of Evidence: Level III—therapeutic.


The demand for computational resources in vehicular environments has increased due to the deployment of numerous intelligent transportation systems in the last decade. The federated vehicular cloud, a variant of vehicular cloud computing where resources embedded in individual vehicles are organized as a single unit to provide cloud services, is considered as an emerging alternative to the conventional cloud platforms for the execution of computationally intensive and delay-sensitive applications. However, the federated vehicular cloud is beset with a capacity-constrained communication channel and limited resource capacity in individual vehicles, leading to challenges in data and resource management. To address these challenges, we propose UniDRM, a unified data and resource management framework for the federated vehicular cloud. The UniDRM organizes vehicles on the road into clusters based on their mobility and resource characteristics, such as resource cost, resource credibility level, resource type, and available resource capacity. The data of computationally intensive tasks are then partitioned using our proposed analytical model and assigned to individual vehicles in the cluster for parallel execution. Three data partitioning and scheduling schemes: time-aware, cost-aware, and reliability-aware, are proposed in this study to execute time-critical tasks, low-cost tasks, and high-security tasks, respectively. Through realistic simulations, a comparative analysis of the proposed partitioning and scheduling schemes is presented.


Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is a versatile FACTS device which can provide full dynamic control of a transmission line parameters, bus voltage, line impedance and phase angle for improved system security. However, the extent that performance of UPFC can be brought out, it greatly dependent upon the location and size of this device in the system. This paper present Differential Evolution (DE) Technique for optimal placement of UPFC device under steady state (i.e normal, moderate and critical) conditions and is aimed at real power loss minimization and voltage profile enhancement of an interconnected power system. The proposed method is applied on the IEEE 14 bus power system which is demonstrated through MATPOWER simulation package. The results obtained indicate that DE is robust and can significantly enhance the security of power system by reducing line losses and improved bus voltage profile within the acceptable limit.


Objective: To describe the use and feasibility of therapeutic hypothermia after pediatric cardiac arrest. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Pediatric tertiary care university hospital. Patients: Infants and children (age 1 wk to 21 yrs) without complex congenital heart disease with return of spontaneous circulation after in-hospital or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from 2000 to 2006. Intervention: None. Measurements and Main Results: We studied 181 patients after cardiac arrest, of which 91% were asphyxial in etiology (vs. cardiac) and 52% occurred in-hospital. Overall survival to hospital discharge was 45%. Forty patients received therapeutic hypothermia; all were admitted during or after 2002. Sixty percent of patients in the therapeutic hypothermia group had an initial temperature <35°C. The median therapeutic hypothermia target temperature was 34.0°C (33.5–34.8°C), was reached by 7 hrs (5–8 hrs) after admission in patients who were not hypothermic on admission, and was maintained for 24 hrs (16–48 hrs). Re-warming lasted 6 hrs (5–8 hrs). In the therapeutic hypothermia group, temperature <32°C occurred in 15% of patients and was associated with higher hospital mortality (29% vs. 11%; p = .02). Patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia differed from those treated with standard therapy, with more un-witnessed cardiac arrest (p = .04), more doses of epinephrine to achieve return of spontaneous circulation (p = .03), and a trend toward more out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (p = .11). After arrest, therapeutic hypothermia patients received more frequent electrolyte supplementation (p < .05). Standard therapy patients were twice as likely as therapeutic hypothermia patients to have a fever (>38°C) after arrest (37% vs. 18%; p = .02) and trended toward a higher rate of re-arrest (26% vs. 13%; p = .09). Rates of red blood cell transfusions, infection, and arrhythmias were similar between groups. There was no difference in hospital mortality (55.0% therapeutic hypothermia vs. 55.3% standard therapy; p = 1.0), and 78% of the therapeutic hypothermia survivors were discharged home (vs. 68% of the standard therapy survivors; p = .46). In multivariate analysis, mortality was independently associated with initial hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, number of doses of epinephrine during resuscitation, asphyxial etiology, and longer duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but not treatment group (odds ratio for mortality in the therapeutic hypothermia group, 0.47; p = .2). Conclusions: This is the largest study reported on the use of therapeutic mild hypothermia in pediatric cardiac arrest to date. We found that therapeutic hypothermia was feasible, with target temperature achieved in <3 hrs overall. Temperature below target range was associated with increased mortality. Prospective study is urgently needed to determine the efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia in pediatric patients after cardiac arrest.


Abstract. The Antarctic grounding zone, which is the transition between the fully grounded ice sheet to freely floating ice shelf, plays a critical role in ice sheet instability, mass budget calculations and ice sheet model projections. It is therefore important to continuously monitor its location and migration over time. Here we present the first ICESat-2-derived high-resolution grounding zone product of the Antarctica Ice Sheet, including three important boundaries: the inland limit of tidal flexure (Point F), inshore limit of hydrostatic equilibrium (Point H) and the break-in-slope (Point Ib). This dataset was derived from automated techniques developed in this study, using ICESat-2 laser altimetry repeat tracks between 30 March 2019 and 30 September 2020. The new grounding zone product has a near complete coverage of the Antarctica Ice Sheet with a total of 21346 Point F, 18149 Point H and 36765 Point Ib identified, including the difficult to survey grounding zones, such as the fast-flowing glaciers draining into the Amundsen Sea Embayment. The locations of newly derived ICESat-2 landward limit of tidal flexure agree well with the most recent differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry (DInSAR) observations in 2018, with the mean absolute separation and standard deviation of 0.02 and 0.02 km, respectively. By comparing the ICESat-2-derived grounding zone with the previous grounding zone products, we find up-to 15 km grounding line retreat on the Crary Ice Rise of Ross Ice Shelf and the pervasive landward grounding line migration along the Amundsen Sea Embayment during the past two decades. We also identify the presence of ice plain on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf and the influence of oscillating ocean tides on the grounding zone migration. The product derived from this study is available at https://doi.org/10.5523/bris.bnqqyngt89eo26qk8keckglww (Li et al., 2021) and is archived and maintained at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.


The active site iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase has sulfide-bridged pairs of redox-active, trigonal pyramidal iron atoms that are postulated to be the site of N2 transformation. A synthetic compound is described in which two three-coordinate iron(II) ions are bridged similarly by sulfide. The compound binds nitrogen donors to become trigonal pyramidal and cleaves the N-N bond of phenylhydrazine with oxidation of iron(II) to iron(III).


Among existing and anticipated changes in global urbanisation and population growth, the challenge of retrofitting suburbia within sustainable cities needs to be considered.  However, given the opposing nature of sustainability and suburbia, this task is not easy.  Different approaches have tried to define the theory for achieving sustainable cities, but the nature of suburbia presents issues in densification, as density is perceived to limit the liveability and importantly the private sphere that makes suburbia desirable.  To begin addressing sustainability in suburbia, the question of how to densify suburbs while maintaining their liveable quality, needs to be addressed. Focusing on the case of Canberra the paper builds a framework for discussing these questions within analysis of suburb density, behavioural studies and the public private interface.  In doing so, it is evident that sustaining suburbia through densification, within the context of sustainable cities, cannot be considered without recognising morphology and the need for, and integration of, the public private interface.


This article examines some of the arguments proffered in objection to the introduction of compulsory voting. In particular, it addresses the notion that abstention from voting is tied to political affect, and that inequality in votes is justified. Rather than presenting the debate on the enforcement of voting as a matter of pro or contra, however, it argues that insights from both sides of the discussion can be adopted to allow for an approach that manages to integrate politically alienated citizens, taking Iris Marion Young's model of inclusive democracy as a guide.


A model to predict crack initiation life of an additive manufactured nickel-based superalloy similar to Hastelloy X subjected to low-cycle fatigue loading at room temperature has been developed, taking material anisotropy into account. An anisotropic constitutive model based on the Hill yield criterion was developed, with linear kinematic hardening up to a saturation value of the back stress, above which the material behaves perfectly plastic. Low-cycle fatigue experiments has been performed on additive manufactured smooth bars with two different build orientations, with an angle of 0⁰ and 90⁰ relative to the building platform. A total of 20 experiments at room temperature were conducted with different strain ranges and R-values. To predict the crack initiation life of the specimens, a model based on the Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT) parameter has been established, where ten of the specimens were used to calibrate the initiation model, and the remaining specimens were used for validation. Using this model, the obtained crack initiation life agrees well with the experiments.


Our present knowledge of the relation of the thyroid gland to metabolism is based almost entirely on observations of the disturbances of metabolism produced by the diseases of the thyroid gland. By the application of physiological methods to patients suffering from graves' disease or from myxœdema an increase in the total metabolism and in the nitrogen metabolism in Graves' disease on the one hand, a decrease in the total metabolism in myxœdema on the other, have been definitely established. From these facts the conclusion has been drawn that the secretion of the thyroid gland increases the oxidative processes, so that an inadequate functioning of the gland brings about the condition of obesity and depressed nitrogen metabolism, characteristic of myxœdema. As regards the carbohydrate metabolism it has been observed clinically that in Graves' disease there is sometimes a tendency to alimentary glycosuria; the opposite condition—an increased tolerance for carbohydrates—has sometimes been found to occur in myxœdema. It is remarkable, however, that the attempts to verify these conclusions in the normal organism by producing experimentally a condition of excessive secretion of the gland—by means of feeding with thyroid gland,—or a condition of insufficient secretion of the gland—by extirpation of the thyroid gland—have on the whole not been successful. It is as yet not clear how the internal secretion of the thyroid gland produces its action on the metabolism. Nor do we know, at present, how the actions of this hormone on the different aspects of metabolism are related to one another.


The Schisandraceae family is reported to have a range of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory effects. As with all herbal preparations, extracts of Schisandra species are mixtures composed of >50 lignans, especially schizandrins, deoxyschizandrins, and gomisins. In China, Schisandra sphenanthera extract (SSE) is often coadministered with immunosuppressant treatment of transplant recipients. In cases of coadministration, the potential for herb-drug interactions (HDIs) increases. Clinical studies have been used to assess HDI potential of SSE. Results demonstrated that chronic SSE administration reduced midazolam (MDZ) clearance by 52% in healthy volunteers. Although clinical studies are definitive and considered the "gold standard," these studies are impractical for routine HDI assessments. Alternatively, in vitro strategies can be used to reduce the need for clinical studies. Transporter-certified sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes (SCHHs) provide a fully integrated hepatic cell system that maintains drug clearance pathways (metabolism and transport) and key regulatory pathways constitutive active/androstane receptor and pregnane X receptor (CAR/PXR) necessary for quantitative assessment of HDI potential. Mechanistic studies conducted in SCHHs demonstrated that SSE and the more commonly used dietary supplement Schisandra chinensis extract (SCE) inhibited CYP3A4/5-mediated metabolism and induced CYP3A4 mRNA in a dose-dependent manner. SSE and SCE reduced MDZ clearance to 0.577- and 0.599-fold of solvent control, respectively, in chronically exposed SCHHs. These in vitro results agreed with SSE clinical findings and predicted a similar in vivo HDI effect with SCE exposure. These findings support the use of an SCHH system that maintains transport, metabolic, and regulatory functionality for routine HDI assessments to predict clinically relevant clearance interactions.


Under certain circumstances, speakers are subject to so-called spurious NPI licensing effects, whereby they perceive that NPIs without a c–commanding licensor are in fact licensed and grammatical. Previous studies have all involved the presence of a licensor in a position that linearly precedes, but does not c–command the NPI. In this paper, we show that spurious NPI licensing can occur in the outright absence of a licensor, in contexts that force an exhaustive parse. We reason that at least these instances of spurious NPI licensing might be reduced to the E XH operator pragmatically "rescuing" the NPI, in the sense of Giannakidou (1998, 2006).


Objectives: This study is performed to evaluate the immune-expression of human papillomavirus (HPV) in a series of 100 samples of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from different sites of the body and to correlate it with anatomical site and grade of the tumor, age and sex of the patients, grade of tumor and to compare our results with those of other studies. Patients and methods: There were 100 patients with primary SCC from larynx, cervix, oral cavity and skin. Samples were obtained in a pro and retrospective fashion from teaching hospitals and private laboratories in Mosul. During a period of seven months from July 2009 through January 2010. Immunoexpression assay was performed using immunohistochemically (IHC). Results: The patients' age ranged between 15 and 90 years, with a mean of 51.28 year. There were 62 males and 38 females. Only nine of the hundred cases were positive for HPV, 3 out of 45 cases of laryngeal SCC were positive (6.67%) and 22 of oral cavity SCC cases were positive (27.27%). All of the 23 cervical and the 10 skin cases were negative for HPV. HPV expression was significantly correlated with the primary anatomical site but not with the age and sex of the patients in laryngeal and oral cavity SCC. Conclusions: 1.) HPV was expressed in nine out of 100 cases of SCC, adopting immunohistochemistry (IHC) for its detection, six of the cases were in the oral cavity and three were in the larynx with none from cervix or skin. 2.) In the positive cases the only significant correlations were with the anatomical site and in relation to grade in the larynx. 3.) Our results are low when compared to more sensitive methods for HPV detection like Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Southern Blot Hybridization (SBH) and In Situ Hybridization (ISH); however this may also be attributed to the relatively small number of cases and to the possibility that our cases of SCC are not HPV related. ةيفشرحلا ايلاخلا تاناطرس يف يرشبلا تاميلحلا مرو سوريف نع يرحتلل ةيئاميك ةيجيسن ةيعانم ةسارد


Work is always in progress, somewhere, in some form. In a historical perspective the view of work has changed, as have the contexts where work takes place. Still there are strongly rooted images of what work is – in the patterns of thought and material conditions. This book embarks from the idea that work is something both immaterial and material. It discusses work as a conception and cultural norm, but also as something very tangible and concrete. Researchers from an array of scientific fields have gathered together around these questions. The idea has been to twist and turn the conceptions of what work is and – embarking from one's own discipline – to contribute new perspectives to this topic.


Foliar diseases, such as soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) can cause severe defoliation and yield loss in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and can be managed with an effective fungicide applied during the reproductive growth stages. The impact of soybean row spacing and fungicide application timing on canopy penetration and grain yield are unknown. The objectives of this experiment were (i) to quantify the impact of crop row spacing and spray application timing on penetration and coverage with a fungicide and (ii) to quantify the impact of sprayer wheel traffic during fungicide application on crop yield. The experiment was a split plot design with three replications conducted at the Northeast, Southeast, and Davis–Purdue Agricultural Centers (NEPAC, SEPAC, DPAC) in 2005 and 2006. The whole-plot treatments were crop row spacing (19, 38, and 76 cm) and fungicide (azoxystrobin + propiconazole) [(methyl (E)-2-[2-[6-(2-cyanophenoxy)pyrimidin-4-yl]oxyphenyl]-3-methoxy-prop-2-enoate) + (1-[[2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-propyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl]methyl]-1,2,4-triazole)] application timing (unsprayed or applications at growth stages R1, R3, R5, R3 + R5, or R1 + R3 + R5). Spray canopy coverage was quantified at 30-cm increments within the soybean canopy. Crop row spacing affected spray canopy coverage at the R3 growth stage at the NEPAC location only. Application timing did not affect canopy coverage or spray penetration. Coverage decreased with depth in the canopy. Grain yield averaged 9% greater in the 19- and 38-cm row spacing than in the 76-cm row spacing. Fungicide application timing did not influence yield. Our research shows that fungicide application timing should not influence row spacing decisions. Growers should consider the effects of wheel-track damage when planning spray applications during the reproductive growth stages of soybean.


Aims Aim of the study was to test, in a cooperative and prospective trial, the effectiveness and feasibility of a chemo-radio-therapy program in stage III non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The schedule consisted in carboplatin (CBDCA) 150 mg/m2/iv on days 1, 3, 5 and vindesine VDS 2.5 mg/m2/iv on days 1, 8, 15, 22 every 4 weeks for 2 cycles followed by radiotherapy 60 Gy with CBDCA 50 mg/m2 weekly as radioenhancer. The same schedule was proposed as neoadjuvant treatment in 10/47 patients (stage III A) and as exclusive treatment in 37/47 (stage III B) admitted patients. Results In the neoadjuvant subgroup partial remission was obtained in 5/10 patients, and 3 of them underwent surgery with consequent CR. In the stage III B subgroup, 2 complete remissions were obtained (survival 14 and 9+ months). Toxicity was mild. Conclusions Our results confirm the feasibility of the schedule in stage III NSCLC.


Treponema pallidum (Nichols strain), extracted in medium containing Eagle minimal essential medium 50% fresh, heat-inactivated normal rabbit serum, and 1.0 mM dithiothreitol, was incubated under 3% oxygen in the presence of tritiated nucleic acid precursors. [8-3H]adenine was incorporated with high efficiency into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material; 2'-deoxyadenosine and uridine were incorporated in lower quantities, and thymine and thymidine were not incorporated. Incorporation of [3H]adenine was inhibited by penicillin G, mitomycin C, actinomycin D, and erythromycin, but was not affected by cycloheximide. Partial purification of nucleic acids from T. pallidum incubated with [8-3H]adenine for 36 to 72 h and subsequent treatment with ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease revealed that 15 to 20% of the trichloroacetic acid-precipitable counts were resistant to ribonuclease but susceptible to deoxyribonuclease. A simple assay was developed in which NaOH treatment was used to distinguish incorporation into ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid. Both ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis continued for 6 days of incubation under 3% O2, whereas incorporation was limited to the first day of incubation in samples incubated under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. T. pallidum thus appears to be capable of significant de novo deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid synthesis under microaerobic conditions.


A dual-band microstrip patch dipole-loop antenna with the reflector element is presented in this paper. The study focuses on the gain enhancement for a dual-band quasi-Yagi antenna by using a copper plate as a reflector. The antenna is simulated and realized on FR4-epoxy substrate and contains two different radiating elements and two different bands; a loop and a dipole geometry, operate 2.4 GHz and 3.5 GHz, respectively. The gain of the antenna is increased from 1.3 dB to 6.5 dB for 2.4 GHz and 5.2 dB to 8.3 dB for 3.5 GHz with required radiation characteristics. The antenna has a dual-band characteristic that may have a usage in the 5G mobile communication and Wi-Fi applications. The purpose is to minimize the reflector dimensions to have a compact and cheap antenna structure. This antenna is designed for the system bridging remote control of indoor or outdoor application via operators using 5G technology. By using the proposed antenna devices can connect to a 5G network and be controlled from outside automatically. By increasing the directivity, the power consumption is reduced and the service quality is increased.


BACKGROUND
Cyclosporine, a potent immunosuppressant agent, has significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality rates associated with solid-organ transplantations. The major side effect of this drug in the oral cavity is gingival enlargement. Cyclosporine-induced gingival enlargement was reported by different transplant centers as varying from 7% to 80%. Many factors related to cyclosporine-induced gingival overgrowth have been investigated. However, controversies still exist. This study investigates the effects of cyclosporine on the gingival tissues of liver-transplant pediatric patients, determines the prevalence and severity of gingival overgrowth, and analyzes the relationship between gingival enlargement and possible risk factors.

METHODS
Twenty-five children aged <4 years old (15 males and 10 females) with end-stage liver disease, and awaiting liver transplantation were selected for this study. During the pretransplant period, baseline data were collected including serum level of cyclosporine and gingival enlargement, plaque, and gingival bleeding indices. After liver transplantation, all subjects received <5 mg/kg cyclosporine as an immunosuppressant agent. The children had the same data collected immediately and 3, 6, and 12 months after liver transplantation.

RESULTS
The results show that the cyclosporine-induced gingival enlargement of these children is not statistically associated with their age, gender, gingival inflammation, or serum level of cyclosporine (P >0.05). The gingival enlargement was found to be significantly related to the plaque index at each time period until 12 months after liver transplantation (P <0.05). An increased tendency of gingival enlargement was found in the immediate post-transplant examination and at 3 months after liver transplantation.

CONCLUSIONS
Children administered cyclosporine after liver transplantation show that gingival enlargement is statistically more related to the plaque index than other factors such as age, gender, gingival inflammation, or the serum level of cyclosporine, which suggests that plaque control plays an important role in eliminating gingival enlargement in children who have undergone liver transplantation.


How bulk cytoplasm generates forces to separate post-anaphase microtubule (MT) asters in Xenopus laevis and other large eggs remains unclear. Previous models proposed dynein-based organelle transport generates length-dependent forces on astral MTs that pull centrosomes through the cytoplasm, away from the midplane. In Xenopus egg extracts, we co-imaged MTs, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, acidic organelles, F-actin, keratin, and fluorescein in moving and stationary asters. In asters that were moving in response to dynein and actomyosin forces, we observed that all cytoplasmic components moved together, i.e., as a continuum. Dynein-mediated organelle transport was restricted by interior MTs and F-actin. Organelles exhibited a burst of dynein-dependent inward movement at the growing aster surface, then mostly halted inside the aster. Dynein-coated beads were slowed by F-actin, but in contrast to organelles, beads did not halt inside asters. These observations call for new models of aster positioning based on surface forces and internal stresses.


Vitamin A status was determined in infants born at term or prematurely to assess if vitamin A levels at birth were related to gestational age. Vitamin A levels were measured in cord blood samples from 13 infants born at term and in blood samples obtained within two hours of birth in 26 preterm infants (median gestational age 31 weeks, range 27-35). None of the preterm infants developed chronic lung disease. The vitamin A levels of the term infants (median 0.71 mumol/l, range 0.34 to 1.27) were significantly higher than those of infants born preterm (median 0.35 mumol/l, range 0.12 to 1.22), p < 0.01. Vitamin A levels correlated significantly with gestational age (vitamin A level = 0.024 gestational age (weeks) -0.23, r = 0.39, p < 0.02. We thus conclude that gestational age must be taken into account when interpreting vitamin A levels.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the urodynamic variables of the patients with renal, upper and lower ureteric stones and compare the results according to the location of the stone.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Pre-operatively, 49 patients with kidney, upper and lower ureteric stones were evaluated to determine bladder capacity, compliance and urine volume at first sensation. Patients with urinary tract infection, neurogenic pathology and bladder outlet obstruction were excluded. The patients were divided into two groups; 20 patients with kidney and upper ureteric stones and 29 patients with lower ureteric stones.

RESULTS
The mean bladder compliance, bladder capacity and volume at first sensation were all significantly lower in patients with lower ureteric stones (P = 0.026, P = 0.005 and P = 0.042, respectively). These patients also had more prominent irritative symptoms, urgency and frequency. However, the mean values of bladder capacity, compliance and volume at first sensation were within normal limits in both groups.

CONCLUSION
Lower ureteric stones cause more irritative bladder symptoms than do renal and upper ureteric stones and lower ureteric stones should be considered as a possible cause of sensory urgency.


Coal-series kaolin is an associated mineral resource in coal mining process, often contains organic components and other discoloring impurities, which may lower the quality and limit the industrial application. However, the occurrence, stability of organic component and how they affect the surface physical and chemical properties of coal-series kaolin is known little. In this article, several representative organic components have been enrolled for analyzing the interactions with different minerals of the coal-series kaolin. Results shows that the unsaturated double bonds may be easier to adsorb with kaolinite, and the energy on C20H40 is the least among all the compositions. Among the different crystal planes of kaolinite, the (001) surface may possess higher adsorption characteristic on the organic molecules, which may be consistent with the crystal face index of the kaolinite. While the adsorption energy between the organic molecules and the impurities in coal-series kaolin was positive all the time, suggesting that the organic matter could only adsorb with kaolinite compared with the impurities such as pyrite, quartz and anatase. Calculations of state density also showed that the displacement of the energy band for kaolinite may shift to the lower state after adsorbed with different organic matter, also a rearrangement and significant increase of peak values for the state density may occur after adsorption. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for the occurrence state and stability differences of different organic matters on the coal-series kaolin, also further solve the long-term problems of restricting the whiteness and comprehensive utilization of coal-series kaolin resources.


Identifying and measuring the"localization length'' in many-body systems in the vicinity of a many-body localization transition is difficult. Following Hatano and Nelson, a recent work (Heuben, White, Refael, PRB 103, 064201 (2021)) introduced an"imaginary vector potential'' to a disordered ring of interacting fermions, in order to define a many-body localization length (corresponding, in the non-interacting case, to the end-to-end Green's function of the hermitian system). We extend these results, by connecting this localization length to the length scale appearing in the avalanche model of delocalization. We use this connection to derive the distribution of the localization length at the MBL transition, finding good agreement with our numerical observations. Our results demonstrate how a localization length defined as such probes the localization of the underlying ring, without the need to explicitly construct the l-bits.


BACKGROUND
The Haswell collection contains thousands of significant teaching-focused specimens amassed more than a hundred years ago by William Aitcheson Haswell, the first Professor of Zoology at the University of Sydney. The collection is unique for the quality of specimen preservation, its emphasis on Australian fauna, and the number of prominent Australian biologists who have contributed. The value of collections like Haswell's are being reassessed by educators and scientists seeking to offer unique, authentic learning experiences for our Australian students. Offering the collection as an online searchable database, with key objects offered digitally, will allow the enormous value of this collection to teaching, research and scientific heritage to be realised.

APPROACHES
Over the past three years we have been conducting the first digital audit of Haswell's historical collection, noting that our team includes undergraduates across biology and museum studies. The online catalogue we envisage will be based on the work undertaken for this audit and also offer photographs and interactive digital content e.g. 3D scans and gifs.

FINDINGS
Digitally repackaging Haswell collection offers contemporary reimagining of Haswell's work and will not only support the learning of our local students, but allow Haswell's legacy to be shared globally. Students have documented their respective learning journeys on social media (Haswell Project Team, 2016) and in this way our project adds to a discourse on students-as-partners via new media (Healy, Flint & Harrington, 2014; Rifkin, Longnecker, Leach & Davis, 2011), whereby students are major protagonists in digital repackagings of traditional teaching resources.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The final hurdle is to place the collection online, and here we are in negotiations with our University Library.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the University of Sydney's Chancellor's Committee for funding. This paper is dedicated to A/Professor Roz Hinde.


The COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly raised the need for technological solutions able to trace contacts of people and provide location-based analytics. Several countries have adopted proximity-based (short-range) technologies, such as Bluetooth, which, however, appear to be hindered by deployment issues, security leakage, lack of reliability, and data governance concerns. This article posits that 5G and beyond can play a primary role in contact tracing and group movement monitoring. Contact tracing based on 5G location-based analytics benefits from the pervasive deployment of cellular networks, the several years of effort to design cellular standards for localization and analytics, and the best practices of cellular operators to handle location data.


The success of shale development has inspired new technologies to economize the extensive fracturing treatments necessary to complete extremely low permeability commercial wells. While bi-wing fractures are typically achieved during conventional fracture stimulation applications, it is often necessary to generate a complex fracturing network for most formation types encountered in very low permeability unconventional wells. Therefore, for source shale formations, the emphasis is on connectivity to natural fractures to establish an adequate stimulated reservoir volume (SRV).
 This paper discusses a new approach where improved initial wellbore-to-formation connections can be achieved by creating extended large diameter vertical cavities from the lateral as an effective fracture initiation point. This provides improved connectivity to the stimulated reservoir network both during stimulation and production. Additionally, this paper discusses the unique mechanics of the new procedure to generate a large connected SRV (CSRV) in unconventional formations, the technique, and the resulting benefits in fracture stimulation of resource shales or in ultra low permeability sandstones or carbonates as well as coal reservoirs. This new approach is fairly easy to implement, can be applied with limited hydraulic horsepower availability, and the impact could be substantial.


[1] Exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the atmosphere and the oceans play an important role in the global carbon cycle and in determining how much CO2 is stored in the atmosphere and how much is stored in the ocean. A new study shows that rain can be an important, though often overlooked, factor in this exchange. Rain can contribute to the air-sea carbon exchange in several ways. Rain dilutes the CO2 in the surface layer of the ocean, increases the speed at which gas is transferred between the atmosphere and ocean, and deposits carbon from the atmosphere into the ocean. To determine the effects of rain on the air-sea carbon flux in the western equatorial Pacific, Turk et al. analyzed rain measurements from a buoy at 0°, 156°E during 2002 as well as a dilution model based on observational ocean studies and output from an ocean carbon cycle model. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2010GL045520, 2010)


This paper examines the importance of workers' outside options in the wage determination. In a model of search and bargaining, holding the marginal product constant, a worker's wage is determined by a weighted average of the wages in alternate jobs, turning the wage formation into a social interaction problem. I develop a search and bargaining model with heterogeneous workers and propose novel strategies to identify the importance of this network structure in the formation of wages. Specifically, I explore di↵erences in the mobility costs of workers as an additional source of variation for identification. Using a unique administrative panel database for Germany, I find that a 1% increase in the outside options of a worker generates a 0.7% wage increase. In addition, my results suggest that di↵erences in workers' mobility generate asymmetric wage externalities across occupations and industries and play an important role in the transmission of a labor demand shock on a worker's wage. JEL classification numbers: J30, J31, J60, J62


Background Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular childhood tumour. Although mortality is low in Western countries, long-term sequelae, including secondary tumours, compromised vision or loss of one or both eyes are common. Chemoreduction combined with focal treatment is currently the leading conservative treatment for retinoblastoma, with success rates of 50–75% reported. We assessed a new chemoreduction protocol using intravenous cyclophosphamide with reduced dose of carboplatin on eye retention in patients with retinoblastoma. Procedure The 40 patients with retinoblastomas in 56 eyes were treated between 1995 and 2004 at the German Retinoblastoma Reference Centre Essen. The 6-cycle chemotherapy used vincristine (days 1, 22, 43, 64, 85, 106), etoposide (days 22, 43, 85, 106), carboplatin (days 1, 43, 64, 106), and cyclophosphamide (days 1, 22, 64, 85). Mean follow-up was 101 months. Most patients received additional hyperthermia, some received local treatment with laser coagulation, cryotherapy and/or β-ray brachytherapy. Therapy failure was defined as progression requiring enucleation or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). Results Primary chemotherapy was successful in 42 of 56 eyes (75%). Therapy success and visual acuity at age 6 years correlated with the International Classification of Retinoblastoma (ICRB) group. Age at diagnosis (> or <6 months) correlated with relapse, but not with therapy failure or visual acuity at 6 years of age. ICRB group did not correlate with occurrence of relapse. Conclusions In this retrospective single-centre study, chemoreduction, including cyclophosphamide, with or without focal treatment, effectively controlled retinoblastoma progression without requiring enucleation or EBRT. Addition of cyclophosphamide is safe, and allows reduction of carboplatin.


Objective: Extrachromosomal circular DNA elements (eccDNAs) are known for their broad existence in cells and plasma, which may potentially play important roles in many biological processes. Our aim was to identify potentially functional or marked eccDNAs in gout patients. Methods: The Circle-Seq approach was applied for eccDNA detection from plasma in acute gout patients and healthy controls. Further analysis was performed on the distribution of genomic elements and eccDNA gene annotations in two groups. Results: We detected 57,216 and 109,683 eccDNAs from the acute gout and healthy control plasma, respectively. EccDNAs were mapped to the reference genome to identify diverse classes of genomic elements and there was no significant difference of eccDNAs on genomic element annotation between gout and control group. A total of 256 eccDNA-associated genes were detected as gout unique eccDNA genes, including COL1A1 and EPB42, which potentially contribute to hyperuricemia and gout, and a couple of genes involved in inflammation or immune response. Enrichment analysis showed that these eccDNA genes were highly correlated with defense response, stress response, and immune and inflammatory responses, including T cell receptor signaling pathway, Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway, and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our discovery reveals the novel potential biological roles of plasma eccDNAs in gouty arthritis.


Dog kidneys were preserved for 48 hours by hypothermic perfusion with either a glucose-rich or a glucose-free albumin perfusate. After reimplantation and contralateral nephrectomy renal function was assessed by serum creatinine determinations. The kidneys showed normal function and no difference between the two groups was found. The results suggest that glucose is of minor importance as a metabolic substrate for dog kidney preservation.


This study presents the story of experience of EFL teacher in teaching and learning process during pandemic by implementing blended learning. The research design was qualitatively through narrative inquiry. Meanwhile, the reach instrument used by the teacher was narrative box and interview guide. Next, the researcher analyzed the story by re-telling narratively, the researcher then segmented the narrative data into themes. The finding of this study reveals that the teacher tried to apply suitable online platform to teach in blended learning, then it was decided that the teacher used Google classroom and WhatsApp. This application was chosen because of the school policy and it was easier for the students to be implemented. Moreover, there were some problems in its implementation; those were internet connection, and students' awareness.


The complex measurement system for the full-scale VVER models (mock-ups), created in the research reactor LR-0, is discussed. Fast neutron (energy from 0.5 to 10 MeV) and gamma spectra are measured in several representative points of the mock-ups by the two-parameter spectrometer with the cylindrical stilbene scintillation detectors. Measurements in the thermal and epithermal neutron region are carried out with the activation method using a broad set of activation monitors and with the 3He(n,p) counter. Activation measurements with threshold fast neutron detectors enlarge also the proton-recoil spectra measurements, such activation measurements are carried out especially in cases, when a spectrometer cannot be put in the necessary position. The core fission rate distribution is obtained by means of gamma-scanning of the fuel pins. The low noise precise power (flux density) monitoring system, independent of the operation control system, was developed in the LR-0 reactor for mock-up experiments.


Incomplete regression of a lymphomatous mass after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy constitutes a major problem in the treatment of lymphoma. In patients with persisting tumor, it could be reasonable to use salvage therapy and possibly hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the time of minimal disease rather than at the time of clinically overt relapse. The authors reviewed the most appropriate imaging techniques for the assessment of response to treatment. The limitations of CT and MRI for predicting the nature of residual masses are well known. 67Ga scintigraphy has become a standard procedure for the posttreatment evaluation of patients with lymphoma, but it appears that 18F-FDG PET may be a more effective method. Personal experience in the field of PET scan is reported. Although PET should be considered the noninvasive imaging modality of choice, a histological confirmation of residual disease is always necessary before starting salvage therapy. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose is not a tumor specific radiotracer.


We study estimation of the tail-decay parameter of the marginal distribution corresponding to a discrete-time, real-valued stationary stochastic process. Assuming that the underlying process is short-range dependent, we investigate properties of estimators of the tail-decay parameter which are based on the maximal extreme value of the process observed over a sampled time interval. These estimators only assume that the tail of the marginal distribution is roughly exponential, plus some modest 'mixing' conditions. Consistency properties of these estimators are established, as well as minimax convergence rates. We also provide some discussion on estimating the pre-exponent, when a more refined tail asymptotic is assumed. Properties of a certain moving-average variant of the extremal-based estimator are investigated as well. In passing, we also characterize the precise dependence (mixing) assumptions that support almost-sure limit theory for normalized extreme values and related first-passage times in stationary sequences.


The interpretive-sensory access (ISA) theory of self-knowledge claims that one knows one's own mind by turning one's capacity to know other minds onto oneself. Previously, researchers mostly debated whether the theory receives the most support from the results of empirical research. They have given much less attention to the question whether the theory is the simplest of the available alternatives. I argue that the question of simplicity should be considered in light of the well-established theories surrounding the ISA theory. I claim that the ISA theory then proves to be the simplest. I reply to objections to this claim related to recent developments in this area of research: the emergence of a unified transparency theory of self-knowledge and the relative establishment of the predictive processing theory.


Whole-body vibrations in trains are known to affect the performance of sedentary activities such as reading, writing, sketching, working on a computer, etc. The objective of the study was to investigate the extent of disturbance perceived in sketching task by seated subjects in two postures under mono- and multi-axis Gaussian random vibration environment. The study involved 21 healthy male subjects in the age group of 23—32 years. Random vibrations were generated both in mono- and multi-axial directions in the frequency range of 1—10 Hz at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m/s2 rms (root mean square) amplitude. The subjects were required to sketch given geometric figures such as a circle, triangle, rectangle, and square with the help of ball-point pen under given vibration stimuli in two postures (sketch pad on lap and sketch pad on table). The deviation in distortion with respect to the given figure is represented in terms of percentage distortion. The influence of vibrations on the sketching activity was investigated both subjectively and by two specifically designed objective methods, namely, RMS (root mean square methodology) and area methods. The judgements of perceived difficulty to sketch were rated using seven-point semantic judgement scale. The percentage distortion and difficulty in sketching activity increased with an increase in vibration magnitude. Both subjective evaluation and the RMS method revealed that the task was affected more while sketching on the table. The percentage distortion was affected similarly and maximum in all the vibration directions except for the vertical, while sketching difficulty was found to be higher only with longitudinal and multi-axis vibration direction. The subjective evaluation also revealed that there was no effect of the type of entity chosen on the sketching difficulty.


Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is a by-product waste material from palm oil with many economic and environmental benefits. A lack of enough information on the advantages of POFA in the concrete production in various proportions was the main cause to carry out this work. This paper shows advantages of POFA as a partial replacement of cement in concrete production, especially cement mortar. The data collection has been done from the literature review related to the use of POFA as partial cement replacement in the production of cement concrete and mortar. Therefore, this paper can potentially become a guide for researchers and manufacturers to use POFA in various proportions to replace the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in cement concrete and mortar. The positive and negative impact resulting from this material has been discussed carefully. This study recommends that researchers and academics should perform more experimental works in order to illustrate the desired benefits from POFA as cement replacement, thus mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of cement.


Introduction: Intrathoracic kidneys are the most uncommon type of renal ectopia, accounting for less than 5% of all cases of renal ectopia, with a reported incidence of less than 5 per 1 million. We describe a case of an incidental left intrathoracic kidney and a literature review on the cases reported thus far. Results: A left infra-diaphragmatic intrathoracic kidney was incidentally detected in a 65-year old male on imaging. It has the characteristic features of a high origin for its renal vessels, malrotation of the kidney, and a long ureter. Discussion: Unlike some of the cases in published literature, it was not associated with a congenital diaphragmatic defect (Bochdalek hernia). Most patients with asymptomatic intrathoracic kidneys do not require intervention. However, some of the cases in published literature have been associated with pelviureterojunction obstruction ( PUJO), renal pelvis stone formation, as well as malignancy.


A seismic reflection common-depth-point technique was designed specifically for the Palo Duro basin. The goal was to locate hydrocarbon traps in the Pennsylvanian granite wash. Success ratios using the designed techniques were approximately as follows: (1) to locate hydrocarbon-bearing features, approximately 25%; (2) to locate structures, approximately 50%; (3) to pinpoint development locations, approximately 75%. The specific technique design is presented as it relates to: (a) density and layout of seismic lines; (b) spread lengths and configuration; (c) field parameters, e.g., geophone array and shot-hole depths; (d) data correction techniques, including weathering correction, choice of datum plane, and choice of datum velocity; (e) data processing requirements and quality control; and (f) interpretation of data, including depth conversion and well ties. This paper covers the aforementioned topics with a minimum of advanced mathematics, and it poses questions for the advanced mathematician. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1318------------


Abstract The article analyses the interaction between the COVID-19 pandemic and social inequality in the United States, taking the state of Maine as a case study. The pandemic has revealed the effects of high economic inequality on public health in the United States, where in comparison to most developed capitalist democracies, the health care system is expensive, inefficient, and highly skewed in quality and accessibility. Likewise, for industries that were already losing jobs, the pandemic has accelerated a painful transition and intensified the harsh social and economic consequences of high and rising inequality, especially for low-wage workers. The case of Maine underscores the point that policies aimed at reducing the disparities in the distribution of income, health care, education, and opportunity will reduce inequality, protect public health, and stimulate economic growth.


Limited empirical work has been done to the diverging current account balances of the individual emerging Asian economies. Based on the intertemporal approach to current account, this paper empirically examines both the long-run and short-run impacts of initial stock of net foreign assets, degree of openness to international trade, real exchange rate and relative income on current account balances for eight selected emerging Asian economies over the period 1980-2009, making use of the cointegrated VAR (Vector Autoregression) methodology. This paper finds that current account behaviours in emerging Asian economies are heterogeneous. Initial stock of net foreign assets and degree of openness to international trade are important factors in explaining the long-run behaviour of current accounts. Moreover, the current accounts of all sample economies have a self-adjusting mechanism except China. Short-run current account adjustment towards long-run equilibrium path is gradual, with the disequilibrium term being the main determinant of the short-run current account variations.


A highly complex set of interactions are responsible for the perception and transduction of signals in living cells. It is likely that a number of fundamental principles of signalling mechanisms are of early evolutionary origin, have been highly conserved and are shared by apparently disparate organisms. Possible clues to the biochemical and molecular basis of plant signalling might thus be obtained from research carried out on other eukaryotes. Like mammalian cells, plant cells have been found to possess a phosphoinositide system and also make extensive use of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation cascades. The potential role of these mechanisms in plant cell signalling is reviewed.


Background: Obese pediatric patients often require dose reductions when initiating gentamicin therapy. An appropriate method for calculating ideal body weight for dosing gentamicin in pediatric patients has not been validated. Methods: A retrospective population pharmacokinetic study was designed and included non-intensive care pediatric patients who received gentamicin and had serum gentamicin concentrations sampled. Actual body weight (ABW), adjusted body weight, and fat-free mass (FFM) were used to describe the pharmacokinetic variables. Descriptive statistical methods were used for the population, and pharmacokinetic analysis occurred with NONMEM (ICON Plc, Dublin, Ireland). Simulation was performed to estimate dosing based on adjustments in body weight. Results: A total of 520 patients met inclusion criteria (male 57.3%, mean age 9.6 ± 4.9 years, ABW 38.0 ± 24.3 kg). Obesity was present in 21.3% of the patients and overweight in 15.8%. Gentamicin was administered at 2.17 ± 0.86 mg/kg per dose. A median of 2 (interquartile range, 1–3) gentamicin serum concentrations were sampled at a median 1.8 (interquartile range, 1.1–7.8) hours after a dose. Population pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated a 2-compartment model with allometrically scaled FFM providing the best fit. Other significant covariates included serum creatinine and age. Simulation demonstrated increased doses per body weight for traditional and once-daily dosing when using FFM for gentamicin dosing. Conclusions: FFM should be used to adjust ABW for empirically dosing gentamicin in pediatric patients aged 2–18 years.


BP Amoco, plc, recently donated several large fossil collections to a number of North American universities. The donated fossils come from the collections of the former Amoco Production Company, having been assembled and curated by Amoco personnel prior to the December, 1998 merger of British Petroleum with Amoco. The purpose of this announcement is to briefly describe the various collections and identify their recipients. Insofar as the donated fossils now are housed in public institutions, they and associated records are accessible to the greater scientific community. We encourage the use of these fossils in scholarly research.

The donated fossils include sizable collections of conodonts, Paleozoic foraminifera (thin sections), palynomorphs, calcareous nannoplankton, Mesozoic-Cenozoic foraminifera (picked slides), and megafossils, with subordinate numbers of diatoms, radiolaria, and ostracods. The bulk of the donated material is from surface locations and research boreholes (e.g., JOIDES, DSDP, ODP, state and federal survey cores), whereas most specimens from oil and gas wells have been retained to protect confidentiality and competitive advantage.

The donated fossil collections are accompanied by two types of paper records, as follows:

#### Taxon folders

Within the former Amoco nomenclatural system, each taxon was assigned a unique number to facilitate record keeping and the digital manipulation of biostratigraphic data. The morphologic concept behind each unique taxon, whether an informal Amoco entity or a validly published name, is anchored by taxonomic information contained within a taxon folder. Such information typically includes a taxonomic description, illustrations, and reference to an Amoco …


The rapid progress of science and technology, including genetic research and technology has been led to new hopes in the treatment of some genetic conditions and diseases. But these developments have also raised ethical and societal concerns in different communities. Certainly, medical genetics knowledge should be applied so, we have to maximize its benefits and minimize any harm. In recent decades, many attempts have been performed by scientists, ethicists, jurisprudents and lawyers for compiling international and national guidelines for regulation and legislation in this field. For compilation of this article, we searched some comprehensive electronic databases and some valid English and Farsi books and journals. In this intensive review, we intend to provide a basic knowledge about genetic ethics for health care professionals in order to facilitate their decision-making in clinical practice. There are various ethical issues related to medical genetics that we reviewed in this paper in brief. These key issues do need attention and urgent resolution universally. We also reviewed Islamic view of points in this regards and finally we addressed the status of genetic ethics in our country, containing new national guidelines in this field.


Segmentation or change point detection is a very common topic in time series analysis, anomaly detection and pattern recognition. In our previous paper the time series generated by sensors with 3D accelerometers were analysed. It was noticed that such series consist of segments of independent and correlated observations. Hence the appropriate methods for change point detection for both data types must be implemented simultaneously.This paper provides an auxiliary comparison analysis which we intend to implement later for the above mentioned acceleration data.The available methods require usually a long execution time, so that it is time-consuming if several methods should be compared. In the framework of the present publication we want to give additional help for detecting a suitable change point detection method and for finding a good parameter setting. Our analysis is performed on simulated time series, that are normally distributed with constant but unknown mean and changes in variance.


The initiation of a Quality Assurance (QA) Programme for general practitioners in Australia was initiated in 1987. It has had to meet the challenges of a diverse and independent group, but participation has been good after the first three years. The theoretical basis for the types of QA activity undertaken is discussed, as well as the political climate under which general practice QA is being established in Australia and abroad.


The aim of this article is to analyze how and why the norms of the Inter-American Human Rights System on transitional justice convened under the Rosendo Radilla ruling against the Mexican state exerted an impact on the human rights issues In: Mexico, especially on the topics of military jurisdiction and conventionality control. Based on the emerging theoretical approach according to which the effects of international human rights regimes are conditioned by domestic factors of the target-countries, our research seeks to unravel how domestic politics influences the potential impact of these international norms that comprise the justice cascade, highlighting the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the local higher court.


Objectives: The aim of our study was to highlight the advantages of using Cone Beam Computed Tomography in the study of the extent of the alveolar bone loss, compared to the conventional intraoral radiography and to prove the boon of the CBCT scans for establishing the correct periodontal diagnosis. Material and methods: A total of 16 patients with age between 35-55 years old, and a minimum of 8 teeth per dental arcade, presenting peridontal clinical symptomatology were selected. We used a custom periodontal chart that included the measuring of the gingival recession and the pocket depth in 6 points for 16 teeth, 8 maxillary teeth and 8 mandibulary teeth in all cases. For the radiographic evaluation we used CBCT imaging and intraoral radiography. Results: CBCT scans offers the possibilities of measuring with accuracy the alveolar bone loss on mesial, distal vestibular and oral sides. It provides images with the exact position of the bone and also the expediency to assess the correct diagnosis. Retroalveolar radiography offers just a hint of the possible position of the alveaolar bone in all cases the anatomical details were offered by CBCT. Conclusions: A correct periodontal diagnosis using conventional radiography is not possible because of the superimposition of the anatomical structures. The importance of CBCT imaging is no longer disputed, at the present time it is the best radiographic investigation available.