Background:Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a syndrome consisting of headache, visual field defects and papilledema of uncertain etiology. The prospect was raised previously as to an association between aldosteronism and increased intracranial pressure in 2 middle-aged women with IIH and primary aldosteronism (PAL). Since then, 2 additional adults were identified and 2 other cases were reported from the United Kingdom, whereas 6 cases of IIH and secondary aldosteronism (SAL) in children have been reported in the English literature worldwide. Methods:A retrospective analysis of cases from author institutions and published literature comparing clinical features, laboratory findings and therapeutic interventions in these 12 cases. Results:The female-to-male ratio was 10:2. The mean age of the PAL patients was 49 ± 3 years—all hypertensive, with adrenal pathology in most. The mean age of the SAL patients was 11 ± 2 years—mostly normotensive, with 3 having Bartter's and 2 Gitelman syndromes, and 1 renal congenital hypoplasia. Plasma aldosterone levels were elevated (31 ± 5 ng/dL) in PAL and SAL, whereas plasma renin activity was suppressed in PAL. Hypokalemia (3.2 ± 0.2 mmol/L), hypomagnesemia (1.6 ± 0.3 mg/dL) and a putative metabolic alkalosis (serum HCO3 30 ± 1 mmol/L) were observed. IIH symptoms were controlled by spironolactone in 5, amiloride in 1, correction of hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia in 2, discontinuation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in 2, and reduction of body weight in 1. One patient required serial lumbar punctures, 2 a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, whereas all 3 patients with adrenal adenoma underwent surgical resection. Conclusions:An association between IIH and PAL occurs in hypertensive middle-aged women, whereas normotensive girls having an inherited renal tubular defect may have IIH with SAL. Patients with IIH should be evaluated for aldosteronism and considered for spironolactone therapy.


Mineral scale is a major flow assurance problem in industrial water systems. The antiscale properties of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seed extract for CaSO4 and BaSO4 scales were investigated using NACE and conductivity tests, respectively. Comparative studies between the extract and 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP), as commercial antiscalants, were done. The results revealed that the inhibition of CaSO4 scales using sunflower seed extract reached 100%, while HEDP achieved a maximum inhibition of 88%. Moreover, the maximum inhibition of BaSO4 scale in the presence of the extract was 84% compared with 86% in the presence of HEDP. Also microscopic examination showed that both inhibitors modified CaSO4 and BaSO4 crystals.


Robot-assisted rehabilitation is often found to help in recovery, but its use is often experimental or limited to clinical trials. This paradox is partly explained by the difficulty in bridging the gap between the score on a robot-assisted exercise and the control processes that mediate the measured performance. Building upon recent computational model of motor control, this paper highlights the potential benefits of a multitask approach for evaluating sensorimotor control processes. The approach is illustrated with the results from normal and pathological sensorimotor behavior in humans.


Information security control in software defined networks (SDN) is connected with execution of the security policy rules regulating information accesses and protection against distribution of the malicious code and harmful influences. The paper offers a representation of a security policy in the form of hierarchical structure which in case of distribution of resources for the solution of tasks defines graphs of admissible interactions in a networks. These graphs define commutation tables of switches via the SDN controller.


Chlorpyrifos microcapsules were prepared by interfacial polymerization, with toluene-2,4- diisocyanate and
hexamethylenetetramine as wall material, and poly(vinyl alcohol) as dispersant. Optimal emulsification shear rate,
shear time and interfacial polymerization stirring speed and interfacial polymerization time were determined by
pre-experiment. Optimal ratio of raw materials for preparation of chlorpyrifos microcapsules was obtained by
experiments. The chlorpyrifos microcapsules prepared were characterized by UV spectrophotometer and laser
particle size distribution analyzer. The optimum mount of raw materials are that chlorpyrifos is 1.0g,
toluene-2,4-diisocyanate is 0.3g, hexamethylenetetramine is 0.7g and poly(vinyl alcohol) is 1.0g. The optimal
operating conditions are that interfacial polymerization stirring speed is 500r/min and interfacial polymerization
time is 40 minutes. In above-mentioned conditions, mean particle size of chlorpyrifos microcapsules prepared is
0.89I¼m, and encapsulation efficiency can reach 92.98%.


Background About one fifth of SLE patients have onset before the age of 18 years. Long term outcome of these patients is difficult to assess as they are partly managed in pediatrics and then transition to adult services. Our clinic provides care to both pediatric and adult SLE patients. Further data from developing countries is scant Objectives Thus we decided to study the outcome of our cohort of juvenile onset SLE patients. Methods Medical records of patients attending the SLE clinic for the last 25 years were scanned and patients with onset of disease before age of 18 years (JSLE) were identified. In them demographic data, clinical and laboratory features, medications used, outcome and complications was retrieved. Overall outcome as well as actuarial survival was calculated Results There were 205 patients with JSLE among a total of 1015 SLE patients. Their median age at onset was 14 years (1-18 years) and mean duration of illness prior to presentation at this tertiary care hospital was 1 year (0.2-20 years). There were 292 girls and 13boys. Fever, alopecia, arthritis and renal involvement was present in more than two third of patients. One third had CNS disease with seizures being the commonest presentation. Among 130 patients with renal involvement kidney biopsy was done in Class I in 1, Class II in 13, class III in 24, class IV in 41 and class V in 12. Median follow up was 4 years (0-24 years). Flares were seen in nearly half the patients with 66 patients having 1 flare (41being major flares), 24 patients having 2 flares (28 being major flares), 9 patients having 3 flares (16 being major), 4 having 4 flares (9 being major) and 1 patient having 6 flares (all major). Acturial 5 year survival was 95% and 10 year survival was 89%. 55 patients had an infective episode during the follow up with almost half requiring hospitalization. Eleven patients died (5 during first admission due to uncontrolled disease activity, 2 with ESRD, 1 TB, 1 PAH with CAPS, 1 staph sepsis, 1 diabetic ketoacidosis). Conclusions JSLE in a developing country like India has good outcome but has significant morbidity due to disease flares and infections Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.5601


This study intends to explore the effects of two drying schedules with options of conditioning and post-drying storage on the drying speed and quality of western hemlock timbers. Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), the species of interest in this study, is one of British Columbia's most abundant tree species that accounts for 75 to 80% of British Columbia's exports to Japan. It is usually combined with amabilis fir (Abies amabilis) for processing and economical purposes. Hemlock is difficult to dry due to its compression wood, wetpockets and large spread of initial moisture content and basic density. Consequently, it seems practical to dry hemlock by itself. In this study, hemlock was dried using two different schedules with optional conditioning and optional seven day post-drying storage in a covered and climatized space. These eight experimental runs were compared to a control run, which utilized an established drying schedule. To assess the kiln dried timber quality, twist, diamonding, and checks were evaluated using pre-drying and post-drying and/or post-storage measurements. Drying times and casehardening were also considered. Data analysis and evaluation illustrated that conditioning and the harsher schedule reduced casehardening, while the milder schedule developed less twist and diamonding. Even though it appears that the control run developed less shape distortions than the treatment runs, the control run required longer drying times. When using the harsher schedule the kiln was immediately available for the next run, and the dried timber could be stored in a covered area in order to level out the moisture gradients and alleviate casehardening. As a subsequent step, the timber could be planed to reduce twist, diamonding and superficial checks.


Dentistry was marked with radical changes in clinical restorative procedures. If the inherent characteristic of the ionomer cement was examined, it becomes very clear to the researcher as well as the dentist, that no other material has had an impact as comparable to glass ionomer cements on restorative dentistry. This scientific paper highlights the clinical applications of the cement in restorative dentistry. Glass ionomer cements are bioactive, by forming permanent adhesive bonds to dentin and enamel which enables them to prevent the development of secondary caries by providing an impermeable seal against the intrusion of oral fluids and other caries producing agents. The hydrophilic nature of the cement also makes them susceptible to the action of aqueous fluids before they are fully set, requiring that the freshly placed restoration be protected by varish, petroleum jelly or a low viscosity photo polymerizing bonding agent.


This paper concerns potential impacts that characteristics of communication media in computer-mediated problem solving in groups have on group-members' innovative thinking. Different processes involved in effective idea generation and problem solving are presented, and we discuss how three characteristics of communication media relevant for group collaboration aiming at producing innovative ideas might influence the group process. A research model is presented, and hypotheses regarding the effects of affordances on innovative thinking are put forth. We finally describe a possible methodological approach that might be applied in order to test the proposed hypotheses.


Thatching (simple interrupted suture implant) can be corrected by removing the interrupted sutures. To date, no method has been devised to totally eradicate the problem of multiple suture implants; this is particularly true for knotted-fiber implants. Various corrective methods have been discussed. These techniques were performed to counteract the damage caused by implant procedures. The techniques and their ensuing complications are based on the author's experience with 127 patients. In selected cases, autograft punch and excision with rotation flaps appeared to be the most cosmetically acceptable surgical approach to the hair and fiber implant problem.


INTRODUCTION
52% of adults have uncontrolled hypertension in the Republic of Georgia. We incorporated a blood pressure control program into an existing primary healthcare system in an attempt to improve the rate of blood pressure control.

METHODS
We conducted standardized trainings of rural primary care providers--doctors and nurses--in accurate measurement of blood pressure according to the Shared Care Method of Training and Certification. Our attention was focused especially on patient management based on Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC) guidelines. Antihypertensive treatment was implemented by a stepped-care approach; hydrochlorothiazide and atenolol were given to patients at follow-up visits at no cost. The treatment goal was < 140/ 90 mm Hg based on the office blood pressure.

RESULTS
A total of 251 patients with uncontrolled hypertension were enrolled in the program; 32% had stage I hypertension, 41% had stage II hypertension, and 27% had stage III, as defined by JNC VI. During the first 30 months of followup, blood pressure decreased gradually from 170/95 to 140/ 82 mm Hg. The rate of high blood pressure control increased progressively up to 59%.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that hypertension control can be improved in all groups of patients, even in a healthcare system with limited resources. We emphasize that Georgia or any other healthcare system should not wait for universal health care to improve high blood pressure control. It can be incorporated into whatever system exists today.


Research into possible impacts of a climate change requires descriptions of local and regional climate. For instance, the local and regional aspect of a climate change is stressed in the U.S. Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) (http://www.climate-science.gov/Library/stratplan2003/default.htm). Global climate models (GCMs) are important tools for studying climate change and making projections for the future. Although GCMs provide realistic representations of large-scale aspects of climate, they generally do not give good descriptions of the local and regional scales. It is nevertheless possible to relate large-scale climatic features to smaller spatial scales.


Bacterioplankton community composition has become the center of research attention in recent years. Bacteria associated with toxic cyanobacteria blooms have attracted considerable interest. However, little is known about the environmental factors driving the bacteria community, including the impact of invasive cyanobacteria. Therefore, our aim has been to determine the relationships between heterotrophic bacteria and phytoplankton community composition across 24 Polish lakes with different contributions of cyanobacteria including the invasive species Raphidiopsis raciborskii. This analysis revealed that cyanobacteria were present in 16 lakes, while R. raciborskii occurred in 14 lakes. Our results show that bacteria communities differed between lakes dominated by cyanobacteria and lakes with minor contributions of cyanobacteria but did not differ between lakes with R. raciborskii and other lakes. Physical factors, including water and Secchi depth, were the major drivers of bacteria and phytoplankton community composition. However, in lakes dominated by cyanobacteria, bacterial community composition was also influenced by biotic factors such as the amount of R. raciborskii, chlorophyll-a and total phytoplankton biomass. Thus, our study provides novel evidence on the influence of environmental factors and R. raciborskii on lake bacteria communities.


Direct ink writing (DIW) is an extrusion-based 3D printing method which prints near ambient temperatures and has one of the broadest printable material selections among additive manufacturing techniques. However, DIW uses viscoelastic materials susceptible to collapse during printing. One promising route to improve the structural integrity of viscoelastic inks is using in situ curing methods to increase the yield strength of the printed structures after deposition. This review summarizes progress in three representative methods of in situ curing for DIW, including ultra-violet-induced crosslinking, rapid cure of reactive ingredients, and flash vaporization of a solution's solvent to coagulate dissolved polymers.


Abstract:  Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants, encompassing several times as many species as birds or mammals. Because of their diversity, charisma, and threats from overcollection and habitat loss, they are a key group in conservation. Nevertheless, preservation of this group is plagued by taxonomic problems, particularly in Europe, where new taxa are actively being described. We used a checklist of orchids to compare the taxonomic treatment of this family between Europe and neighboring areas to search for geographical patterns. Numbers of invalid, infraspecific, and hybrid names are significantly higher in Europe than in surrounding areas. Recognition of numerous and poorly circumscribed orchid taxa is a serious obstacle to their conservation because rare, poorly defined species may be prioritized for conservation over taxonomically "good" species. This phenomenon may be the result of the popularity of orchids in Europe. We believe that more taxonomic effort should be made in other areas of the world (e.g., the tropics) and on less charismatic groups.


Three-dimensional (3D) visualization of a material under pressure can provide a great deal of information about its physical and chemical properties. We developed a technique combining in-house x-ray computed tomography (XCT) and a diamond anvil cell to observe the 3D geometry of a sample in situ at high pressure with a spatial resolution of about 610 nm. We realized observations of the 3D morphology and its evolution in minerals up to a pressure of 55.6 GPa, which is comparable to the pressure conditions reported in a previous synchrotron XCT study. The new technique developed here can be applied to a variety of materials under high pressures and has the potential to provide new insights for high-pressure science and technology.


Precision measurement of silicon wafer resistivity has been using single-configuration Four-Point Probe(FPP) method. This FPP method have to applying sample size, shape and thickness correction factor for a probe pin spacing to precision measurement of silicon wafer. The deference for resistivity measurement values applied correction factor and not applied correction factor was about 1.0 % deviation. The sample size, shape and thickness correction factor for a probe pin spacing have an effects on precision measurement for resistivity of silicon wafer.


The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of oxidative stress in the damaged brain tissue, irradiated with two different dose levels, a single dose of 8 and 15 Gy. In addition, the histological findings caused by ionizing radiation in the early period was investigated. The levels of MDA, GSH, SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and selenium were estimated in brain tissue. For the histological examination, brain tissues were examined at photo light microscope. MDA contents of brain after 8 Gy and 15 Gy γ-irradiation were markedly elevated compared with group 1. Brain SOD activity decreased after exposure to 15 Gy γ-irradiation, there was a significant difference compared with group 1 and group 2. Brain GSH-Px activity in group 2 and group 3 was enhanced when compared with group 1. CAT activity of brain after 15 Gy γ-irradiation was markedly decreased compared with group 1 and group 2. GSH levels were significantly lower in group 2 and 3 when compared with group 1. In this study, brain selenium levels were not found to be markedly changed after irradiation. In group 3 basal membrane structure was found to be highly thicker when compared group 1 and group 2. As a result, in the early period, high doses of ionizing radiation (8 Gy and 15 Gy) influences the oxidantantioxidant system in guinea-pig brain, after the formation of LPO, antioxidant levels alter and this may play a role in reducing tissue damage caused by RT whereas the histologic changes occur when the dose is increased.


In the bi-directional pile load test (BD PLT) for pile load tests of Mega pile foundations, loading capacity standard is not specified exactly. Therefore there are so many confusions in performing the BD PLT and variations up to maximum 2 times in loading capacity are come out. In this study, standards of bi-directional pile load test (BD PLT) were considered. Based on cases of the bi-directional pile load test performed in domestic areas, maximum equivalent test load, test load increasing ratio, loading capacity increasing ratio and sufficiency ratio of design load were analyzed. It could be known that the loading capacity standard of bi-directional pile load test must be defined as 1-directional loading capacity and also must be established as more than 2 times of design load.


A technique for optimizing the efficiency of the sub-map method for large-scale simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is proposed. It optimizes the benefits of the sub-map technique to improve the accuracy and consistency of an extended Kalman filter (EKF)-based SLAM. Error models were developed and engaged to investigate some of the outstanding issues in employing the sub-map technique in SLAM. Such issues include the size (distance) of an optimal sub-map, the acceptable error effect caused by the process noise covariance on the predictions and estimations made within a sub-map, when to terminate an existing sub-map and start a new one and the magnitude of the process noise covariance that could produce such an effect. Numerical results obtained from the study and an error-correcting process were engaged to optimize the accuracy and convergence of the Invariant Information Local Sub-map Filter previously proposed. Applying this technique to the EKF-based SLAM algorithm (a) reduces the computational burden of maintaining the global map estimates and (b) simplifies transformation complexities and data association ambiguities usually experienced in fusing sub-maps together. A Monte Carlo analysis of the system is presented as a means of demonstrating the consistency and efficacy of the proposed technique.


Multiple lines of evidence now suggest that autoimmune disease may result from microbial-mucosal interactions. Microbial dysbiosis occurs in new onset seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA); and during the preclinical phase of RA, there is an expansion of mucosal autoantibodies and plasmablasts. These findings strongly suggest that a mucosal site may drive the initial break in tolerance that leads to RA. Using the murine collagen-induced arthritis model of RA, we find that microbiome diversity changes quickly after immunization with bovine type II collagen, at the time when disease-related autoantibodies develop, but before clinical CIA is evident. Significant alterations in taxa clustered in Clostridia families occur in CIA. Interestingly, using IgA-seq in human at-risk for RA study groups we find that those subjects with autoantibodies have similar alterations in Clostridia families. Furthermore, during the development of murine CIA, increased intestinal permeability and altered cytokine profiles paralleled disease development and microbiota alterations. Taken together, these data suggest a model in which early microbial alterations stimulate mucosal immune responses that drive the development of pathogenic autoantibodies. Future studies are aimed at identifying specific bacterial species and elucidating the pathway by which they stimulate autoantibody production.


Colorimetry techniques and automated data collection instrumentation were used to evaluate grade of black walnut veneer on the basis of sheet color and to identify and classify defects by size. Although color measurement readily quantifies veneer color, relatively large differences in color within sheets and between sheets within a veneer grade make the usefulness of overall color values in grading black walnut veneer doubtful under current grading practices. Differentiation between sapwood and heartwood is easily determined and may have commercial application in veneer clipping operations. Colorimetry techniques can detect defects with reasonable consistency, but accurate size classification


The purpose of this paper is to describe the clinical characteristics and significance of the coronary arterial calcification due to Kawasaki disease (KD), based on our five patients. The coronary arterial lesions (CAL) were in segments 1, 2, 5, 6 and 11 according to the classification of the American Heart Association. The interval from the onset to the first appearance of coronary calcification was 17 months to 61 months. Progression of CAL into coronary arterial stenosis or myocardial infarction occurred in all five patients. In the comparative study between the patients with calcified CAL and those with non‐calcified CAL, the maximal size of CAL of the former was 8 mm or larger in contrast with that of the latter (less than 8 mm). It is concluded that coronary arterial calcification is one of the important signs which suggest the presence of the advanced CAL in the follow‐up of children with a history of KD.


Network simulators serve a variety of purposes. Compared to the cost, time, and effort involved in setting up an entire test bed containing different ty pes of network devices, network simulators are relatively fast and inexpensive. Computer intrusions are occurring almost routinely and have become a major issue in our networked society. Every organization is faced by the big challenge of selecting an intrusi on detection sy stem and testing its abilities. Therefore, it is worthwh ile to investigate the possibility of implementing and thoroughly testing intrusion detection systems using network simulators. In this paper, we report our experience with implementing and testing intrusion detection systems using OMNeT++ simulator. We highlight how OMNeT++ is harnessed to test and evaluate the intrusion detection s ystem in terms of detection accuracy and performance.


Recently, piezoelectric materials have received remarkable attention in marine applications for energy harvesting from the ocean, which is a harsh environment with powerful and impactful waves and currents. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, although there are various designs of piezoelectric energy harvesters for marine applications, piezoelectric materials have not been employed for sensory and measurement applications in marine environment. In the present research, a drifter-based piezoelectric sensor is proposed to measure ocean waves' height and period. To analyze the motion principle and the working performance of the proposed drifter-based piezoelectric sensor, a dynamic model was developed. The developed dynamic model investigated the system's response to an input of ocean waves and provides design insights into the geometrical and material parameters. Next, finite element analysis (FEA) simulations using the commercial software COMSOL-Multiphysics were carried out with the help of a coupled physics analysis of Solid Mechanics and Electrostatics Modules to achieve the output voltages. An experimental prototype was fabricated and tested to validate the results of the dynamic model and the FEA simulation. A slider-crank mechanism was used to mimic ocean waves throughout the experiment, and the results showed a close match between the proposed dynamic modeling, FEA simulations, and experimental testing. In the end, a short discussion is devoted to interpreting the output results, comparing the results of the simulations with those of the experimental testing, sensor's resolution, and the self-powering functionality of the proposed drifter-based piezoelectric sensor.


The European economy is slowly and painfully striving to reemerge from the last six years of crisis. It was a crisis of enormous intensity and contagiousness, given the unprecedented depth of global financial integration combined with the systemic flaws in the EMU architecture. And it is not over, as the high levels of unemployment and the growing divergence between Member States testify. The threat of fragmentation is imminent as ever: fragmentation between euro-ins and euro-outs; fragmentation between North and South; fragmentation within societies, with increasing income inequality and a growing number of, what used to be, the middle class population slipping through the social safety net and below poverty lines.

Policies of front-loaded fiscal consolidation have left welfare states in economically weaker countries severely underfunded. According to OECD data, the number of people living in households without any income from work has doubled in Greece, Ireland and Spain, and has risen by 20% or more in Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, and Slovenia. Fertility rates have dropped further since the crisis, deepening the demographic and fiscal challenges of ageing. There are long-term implications from these deteriorating trends, regarding people's long-term health, education and upward mobility from low-income families. It is also highly likely that many of the people unemployed for a long period of time will never again be able to gain proper access to the job market and build a normal career track. The enduring effects
of the crisis risk creating vicious cycles of low growth, high debt levels, austerity, declining productivity, and stagnation.

These developments carry heavy implications for the future growth prospects of the European economies, for future prosperity, and for the sustainability of pension systems and welfare states. They must be urgently reversed.


Recent developments in the area of Mobile Technology and Information Technology have led to rehabilitated interest in Electronic Commerce in organizations and societies. Electronic Commerce is supporting of customers, supplying of services, managing business information and business transactions and maintaining of relationship between suppliers, customers and vendors by the use of telecommunication networks. The purpose of this paper is to focus the factors and recent technological developments in the emerging world using electronic commerce applications. Also main focus will be on the growth of mobile services and the latest applications for online services.


Big data is the new gold, especially in health care. Advances in collecting and processing Electronic Medical Records (EMR), coupled with increasing computer capabilities have resulted in an increased interest in the use of big data in health care. Big data promises more personalized and precision medicine for patients with improved accuracy and earlier diagnosis, and therapy geared to an individual's unique combination of genes, environmental risk, and precise disease phenotype. Ophthalmology has been an area of focus where results have shown to be promising. The objective of this study was to determine whether the EMR record in LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in India can contribute to the management of patient care, through studying how climatic and socio-demographic factors relate to eye disorders and visual impairment in the State of Telangana. The study was designed by merging a dataset obtained from the Telangana State Development Society to an existing EMR of approximately 1 million patients, who presented themselves with different eye symptoms and were diagnosed with several diseases from the years (2011-2019). The dataset obtained included weather and climatic variables to be tested alongside eye disorders. Microsoft Power BI was used to analyze the data through prescriptive and descriptive data analysis techniques to read patterns that can dig deeper into highrisk climatic and socio-demographic factors that correlate to eye diseases. Our findings revealed that there is a high presence of Cataract in the state of Telangana, mostly in rural areas and throughout the different weather seasons in India. Men tend to be the most affected as per the number of visits to the clinic, while home makers make the most visit to the hospital, in addition to employees, students, and laborers. While cataract is most dominant in the older age population, diseases such as astigmatism and conjunctivitis are more present in the younger age population. The study appeared useful for taking preventive measures in the future to manage the treatment of patients who present themselves with eye disorders in Telangana. In addition, this research created a pathway for new methods in the study of how EMRs contribute to new knowledge in ophthalmology.


The northern end of the Kenya Rift is today occupied by Lake Turkana, the largest lake of the Eastern Branch of the East African Rift System. This lake basin is inherited from an upper Miocene rift basin known as the Turkana Basin, that began to develop as a result of a migration of rift extensive tectonics from Eocene-Oligocene times along East-West and South-North axes. At the northwest end of the Turkana Basin, the 750-m thick Hominid-bearing Nachukui Formation represents 4 Ma of the limnogeological history of the Turkana Basin, in an area where open water and littoral lacustrine deposits interfinger with alluvial fans or delta systems. These detrital bodies develop along the uplifted margin of the basin that reaches elevations of more than 1,000 m above the present-day lake level and is deeply dissected by lateral streams bringing wide quantities of coarse clastic sediments toward the lake. The lateral extension of this fringe of fan/deltaic bodies is directly controlled by climatic/tectonic induced lake-level fluctuations. Archeological investigations conducted in this region by the Mission Prehistorique au Kenya/West Turkana Archaeological Project have produced large number of artefacts and faunal assemblages, as well as Hominid remains, spanning the 2.5-0.7 Ma time period. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on limnogeological and paleontological data for these sites demonstrated that Hominids occupation areas were preferentially associated to places connected to stream shorelines (floodplain environment) generally close to a main lacustrine environment. Detailed sedimentological investigations conducted along the Nachukui Formation have revealed series of short-term positive or negative fluctuations in lake level. Transgressive sequences: bioclast-rich beach deposits overlapping deltaic or alluvial fan bodies, then followed by platform margin environments characterized by wide stromatolite bioherms that are in turn overlapped by green massive or laminated shales indicating open deep water conditions. Regressive sequences: stromatolite bioherms overlapped by coarse deposits from bioclast-rich sandstones to conglomerates demonstrating a downward migration of the lake shoreline or a rapid progradation of deltaic environment in response of lake level drop. Such-short terms lake-level fluctuations are linked to rapid changes in water input to the lake from the upper part of the lake watershed, mainly the Omo River to the north. Climatic changes at a regional scale may have directly influenced the localization of Hominids settlements, by restricting the surfaces of potential living areas between the basin margin and the shoreline, thus forcing the populations to migrate in less hospitable areas.


Purpose:The purpose of investigations was to evaluate the effect of site conditions on the variability of traits of Valeriana officinalis L. var. officinalis. Materials and methods:The studies were carried out in the years 2014-2016 in two study areas consisting of patches of Filipendulion ulmariae with a substantial share of low- and medium-growing perennials (Patch I), tall-growing perennials (Patch II), as well as tall-growing perennials and shrubs (Patch III).  Results:Similar tendencies were observed in both study areas. The plant and cryptogam cover showed neither spatial nor temporal variability, while the height of neighbouring plants, as well as the pH and moisture of soil, augmented in subsequent patches. The lowest abundance of subpopulation Valeriana officinalis was noted in Patch III. During the study period seedlings and juveniles were not found in any of the patches, whilst the share of vegetative genets diminished gradually at the cost of generative individuals and ramet clusters. The majority of individual traits (e.g. number of ramets, radical leaves and flowers, number and height of flowering stems) augmented in successive patches, while the number of radical leaves in generative individuals and ramet clusters, as well as the height of flowering stems and number of flowers, additionally augmented in consecutive years. Conclusions: The considerable share of vegetative individuals in sites dominated by low-statured plants  contributes to rejuvenation of subpopulations. The clonal growth might protect all subpopulations from regression. The substantial production and dimensions of flowering stems in vicinity of  tall-growing perennials enlarges the chances for successful pollination and seed dispersal.


The Sources Reconstruction Method (SRM) is an integral-equation based technique for antenna diagnostics and Near Field-to-Far Field transformation. SRM characteristics make possible the application of acceleration schemes in order to speed-up the calculation of the equivalent currents given the radiated fields. This work introduces the Adaptive Cross Approximation algorithm (ACA) combined with an iterative solver (Conjugate Gradient method, CG), with the aim of reducing the computational cost of the SRM. An application example in which the proposed CG-ACA is compared with conventional CG solution is included in the paper.


Health care professionals are in the front line to identify signals of life issues. In Finnish school healthcare 25% of the children are raising concern from the professional's perspective. In oral health care, ill oral health may be an indicator of issues and vice versa. However, the early inter-professional cross-talk is minimal. The aim of this project was to recognize the patients that would raise concern among oral health care professionals. Holistic interventions of these patients would secondarily improve oral health. Targeting the group with heaviest disease and social burden, the morbidity would cease in the total population.
The staff of Kuopio public oral health care was trained for early patient recognition and referral to an oral health intervention clinic. The clinic focused on speaking out the patient's life situation and individual oral health education. If needed, a multi-professional primary healthcare support team was gathered. With the most complex problems, the family services and child protection services were consulted.
In 2017 and 2018 there were 264 and 344 recognized concerning individuals. Through tailored intervention strategies, the target group was able to increase brushing, lower the plague index and improve self-reported oral health (SOH). Total population indicators (decayed-missing-filled index, DMFT and invasive treatment) showed decreasing trends but have too many background variables for reliable effect assessment.
Oral health can play an integral role in recognizing compromised individuals. The operational changes created during the project will act as platform for future digital tools.


Microglia are the main immunocompetent and phagocytic cells in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Bone marrow-derived microglia have been demonstrated to be more effective in antigen presentation and phagocytosis than inherent microglia in AD. Thus, microglia have received much attention in the pathogenesis of AD. The herbal medicine Juzen-taiho-to (JTT) has been reported to reduce β-amyloid (Aβ) burden in the mouse brain of an AD model. In this study, we explored the effects of JTT on the migration and differentiation of bone marrow-derived cells in the mouse brain of acutely induced AD. To chase bone marrow-derived cells, we made a chimeric mouse line in C57BL/6 by transplanting fresh bone marrow cells, isolated from the transgenic mice expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein gene. The chimeric mice were orally administrated with JTT or distilled water, and were left untreated or given intrahippocampal injection of fibrillar Aβ 1-42 (fAβ42) or vehicle. In the hippocampus of the vehicle-injected mouse, JTT treatment for 37 days caused a significant increase in the number of microglial cells. In the fAβ42-injected mouse hippocampus, a larger number of bone marrow-derived cells were detected in JTT-treated mice than control mice in the non-neighboring regions of the fAβ42-injected site but not around the injected site. These results suggest that JTT might contribute to the reduction of Aβ burden and the immune surveillance in non-pathological as well as pathological brain regions. The results also implicate the therapeutic potential of JTT in AD.


Using infrared to (sub)millimeter data from Spitzer, Herschel, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, and the IRAM 30-m telescope, we conducted an unbiased survey of the massive dense cores (MDCs) in the Cygnus X molecular cloud complex, aimed at characterizing the physical conditions of high-mass star formation (HMSF) at ∼0.1 pc scales. We created 5◦×6◦ images of the 70–1200 μm dust continuum, gas column density, and dust temperature of Cygnus X. A spatial relation between the dense regions (Av ≥ 15) and the developed H II regions was found, indicating the impact of the latter on the global structures of Cygnus X. With a 35-M mass threshold implied by HMSF signposts, we identified 151 MDCs with sizes of∼0.1 pc, masses of 35–1762 M , and temperatures of 8–35 K. Our MDC sample is statistically complete in Cygnus X and is three times larger than that in Motte et al. (2007). The MDCs were classified into IR-bright/IR-quiet ones based on their mid-infrared fluxes and a large "IR-quiet" proportion (90%) was found in our sample. Two possible scenarios were proposed to interpret this: accelerated HMSF and the incapability of HMSF of the IR-quiet MDCs. We also found 26 starless MDCs by their lack of compact emissions at 21–70 μm wavelengths, of which the most massive ones are probably the best candidates of initial HMSF sites in Cygnus X.


In this paper, we propose to rely on a recent image representation model, namely the alpha-tree, to achieve efficient segmentation of images and videos. The alpha-tree is a multiscale representation of an image, based on its quasi-flat zones. An in-depth study of this tree reveals some interesting features of image pixels and regions. These features are then used in the design of both automatic and interactive segmentation algorithms. Interactivity is achieved thanks to a new and efficient implementation scheme. Experiments on the Berkeley Segmentation Dataset lead to very promising results.


Abstract The degree to which interferon (IFN) alpha-2b offers real clinical benefits in the adjuvant therapy of melanoma at high risk of recurrence is a subject of debate. This, together with questions over optimal treatment scheme and concerns over toxicity, has limited its clinical use. On the basis of a review of the literature, an Italian Expert Panel has made practical recommendations for a consistent approach in the use of IFN. Although it is clear that more research into predictive factors to identify patients most likely to benefit from adjuvant IFN therapy is required, IFN remains the only currently available adjuvant option for melanoma. Based on meta-analyses of clinical trials, there is clear evidence that treatment with IFN is beneficial with regard to overall and recurrence-free survival (RFS). As such, IFN should be offered to patients who are at high risk of recurrence. Specific recommendations with regard to disease stage are provided.


Background: Congenital Pulmonary Malformations (CPMs) are rare benign lesions potentially causing infective complications and/or malignant transformation, requiring surgery even when asymptomatic. CPMs are rare in adulthood but potentially detected at any age. There is not a consensus on the correct extent of resection in both adults and paediatrics. This retrospective multicentric study aims to identify the appropriate surgical resection to prevent the recurrence of the related respiratory symptoms. Methods: Between 2010 and 2020, a total of 96 patients (adults and pediatrics) underwent surgery for CPMs in 4 centers. A 2:1 propensity score matching (considering sex and lesion side) was performed, identifying 2 groups: 50 patients underwent lobectomy (group A) and 25 sub-lobar resections (group B). Clinical and histopathological characteristics, early and late complications, and symptom recurrence were retrospectively analyzed and compared between the two groups by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Patients who underwent lobectomy had a statistically significant lower rate of recurrence (4% vs. 24% of group B, p = 0.014) and a lower rate of intraoperative complications (p = 0.014). Logistic regression identified sub-lobar resection (p = 0.040), intra- and post-operative complications (p = 0.105 and 0.022),and associated developed neoplasm (p = 0.062) as possible risk factors for symptom recurrence after surgery. Conclusions: Pulmonary lobectomy seems to be the most effective surgical treatment for CPMs, guaranteeing the stable remission of symptoms and a lower rate of intra- and postoperative complications. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest studies comparing lobectomy and sub-lobar resections in patients affected by CPMs, considering the low incidence worldwide.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use statistical techniques to mine and analyze suspicious transactions. With the increase in money laundering activities across various sectors in some of the world's leading democracies, the ability to detect such transactions is gaining grounds with more urgency. Regulators and practitioners have been calling for an approach that can mine the large volume of unstructured data form suspicious money laundering transactions to inform public policies.

Design/methodology/approach
By deducing from the results of empirical studies in the field of money laundering detection, this paper presented an overview of data mining technology for detecting suspicious transactions.

Findings
After chronicling the data mining process, the paper delves into an analysis of the statistical approaches that can be used to differentiate between legitimate and suspicious money laundering transactions. The different stages of the data mining process are carefully explained in relation to their application to anti-money laundering compliance. The results indicate that statistical data mining methodology is a very efficient and useful technique to detect suspicious transactions.

Practical implications
The paper is of relevance to regulators and the financial service sector. A discussion of how data can be mined to facilitate statistical analysis can be used to inform regulatory policies on the detection and prevention of money laundering activities in the financial service sector.

Originality/value
The paper discuss approaches that illustrate how analysts can use statistical techniques to analyze data for suspicious money laundering transactions


Rainfall is one of the vital climatic factors that can indicate climate change. Spatial and temporal changes of rainfall would influence runoff, soil moisture and groundwater reserves. Analysis of precipitation trends is important in studying the impacts of climate change for water resources planning and management. The present study was conducted to determine changes in the annual and seasonal total rainfall over Erbil Area region in Iraqi Kurdistan Region using 23 years (1992-2014) monthly rainfall data at three rain-gauge stations, the widely used WMO 1961 – 1990 (61 – 90) standard normal period is compared to other consecutive 30-year normal periods in detail. The results indicated that a decreasing trend varied between 11.6 mm/year at Pirmam station and 10.8 mm/year at Erbil station, and 28.0 mm/year at Makhmur station. The presence of trend in annual and seasonal rainfall series determined by the widely used WMO 1961 – 1990 (61 – 90) standard normal period which is compared to other consecutive 23-year normal periods in detail and the analysis is being made of the seasonal and annual average of rainfall in the period (1992-2014) by analyzing their deviation from the average of the SNP (1961-1990) .


Background The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the cause of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, infecting millions of people and causing more than a million deaths. The SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoproteins mediate viral entry and represent the main target for antibody responses. Humoral responses were shown to be important for preventing and controlling infection by coronaviruses. A promising approach to reduce the severity of COVID-19 is the transfusion of convalescent plasma. However, longitudinal studies revealed that the level of antibodies targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike declines rapidly after the resolution of the infection. Study Design and Methods To extend this observation beyond the RBD domain, we performed a longitudinal analysis of the persistence of antibodies targeting the full-length SARS-CoV-2 Spike in the plasma from 15 convalescent donors. We generated a 293T cell line constitutively expressing the SARS-CoV-2 Spike and used it to develop a high-throughput flow cytometry-based assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 Spike specific antibodies in the plasma of convalescent donors. Results and Conclusion We found that the level of antibodies targeting the full-length SARS-CoV-2 Spike declines gradually after the resolution of the infection. This decline was not related to the number of donations, but strongly correlated with the decline of RBD-specific antibodies and the number of days post-symptom onset. These findings help to better understand the decline of humoral responses against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike and provide important information on when to collect plasma after recovery from active infection for convalescent plasma transfusion.


A comprehensive questionnaire inquiring about difficulties with care of the skin in the area immediately surrounding the artificial anus was sent to ileostomy patients in the United States. Eighty per cent of 327 replying to the questionnaire had such difficulties. The problem of irritation is essentially that of intimate contact of fecal material with the circumileostomy skin, and associated factors are the potentially irritating materials used in the manufacture of ileostomy appliances, as well as the adhesives used to affix the appliance to the skin. Mechanical trauma incident to removal and reapplication of the appliance, as well as loosening of the disc and exposure of unprotected skin, accelerates the corrosive action of the material discharged. Changing the appliance before leakage or irritation occurs is helpful in preventing skin difficulties.In cases of long standing or repeated irritation, care must be taken to check the suitability of the appliance or the possibility of a complication in the stoma that could be corrected surgically.


A lamb ligated intestinal segment (LIS) test was adapted to determine the enterotoxigenicity of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from fecal and blood specimens from neonatal lambs with overt diarrheal disease. The lamb LIS was distended by 28 of 80 (37%) isolates from fecal specimens from 23 affected lambs. Enterotoxigenic E coli isolations were made from 10 of the 23 lambs examined. Isolates of E coli were made from the blood of 17 of 76 (22%) animals with severe diarrheal disease. Distention of the lamb LIS was caused by 3 of 39 (7.7%) isolates from 2 of 17 lambs with E coli septicemia. All lambs (n = 266) that were born during a 4-day period in an intensified shed lambing operation and that were not given prophylactic antibiotic therapy developed diarrheal disease within 28 hours of birth. Signs of enteric disease appeared in lambs born during inclement weather in a significantly (P less than 0.001) shorter period than in those born during mild weather conditions.


Mannose and mannooligosaccharide acted as prebiotic that consumed by probiotic bacteria. Mannanase were the second most important enzymes for the hydrolysis of hemicelluloses, beside xylanase. The objective research was to obtain eminent strains of Bacillus sp. in mannan degradation which can potentially be a probiotic candidate. The study employed a completely randomized design using four concentration levels repeated six times. Halotolerant Bacteria were isolated from mangrove ecosystem at Hanura beach, Teluk Pandan, Pesawaran District in Lampung Province. They are grown on the sea water complete agar media. Mannan degradation isolates were then characterized to determine their character with a variety of tests, including resistance to pH, salt, and metal ions, pathogenicity, and determination of mannanase production duration. Thirty strains are found to grow at 3-6% salt content, and 9 of them have mannanolytic activity. They grow optimally at pH 7-10. Seven isolates were proven to be positively hydrolyzed blood agar in the pathogenicity test. The addition of Iron (III) Chloride increased the enzyme activity by 11.12% in IBK3 isolates at 96 hours of cultivation period which was 0.05 UmL-1. It acted as cofactors of enzymatic reactions. Strains Bacillus sp., were able to degrade mannan substrate. It quantified using Index of mannanolytic. Strain IBK3 has the highest index of mannanolytic activity as much as 10.74. Their ability to grow in salt media indicated that they were halotolerant. They were more likely to live at base rather than acid habitat. Only IBK3 and ID2K1 showed non-pathogenic isolates. Only FeCl3 addition has proven to rise up enzymatic activity.


Objective: To evaluate the utility of a Transcutaneous Bilirubin nomogram in high risk neonates and to evaluate the validity of Transcutaneous Bilirubin and Total serum bilirubin in both low and high-risk neonates.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Postnatal Ward, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from May to Oct 2019.
Methodology: The participants will include all neonates born and admitted in the well baby nursery withjaundice. All neonates with gestational age of <35 weeks, requiring admission in Neonatal intensive care unit, and neonates with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia will be excluded. We will stratify our neonates into high and low risk population based on predefined criteria. Eighty five neonates in low risk group and 122 neonates in high risk group will be included.
Results: We aim to assess the effectiveness of Transcutaneous Bilirubin nomogram in high risk neonates asan effective and non-invasive tool in the management of neonatal jaundice in high risk neonates. We will alsoassess the sensitivity and specificity of Transcutaneous Bilirubin and Total serum bilirubin measurementsand the analysis would be performed separately for high risk and low risk neonates to evaluate the validity ofTranscutaneous Bilirubin independently in both groups.
Conclusion: We hope to establish a validated phototherapy guideline based on the Transcutaneous Bilirubinnomogram, as a cost effective and noninvasive tool in the management of neonatal jaundice in both high and low risk groups in Pakistan.


Experiments on teratogenic effects of stable isotopes from our own and other laboratories are evaluated. In the first series of investigations, the enrichment of the stable isotope 13C derived from U‐13C‐glucose was studied in mouse embryos at various stages of development, including limb buds in organ culture. Preimplantation mouse embryos incubated in vitro in 13C‐enriched medium for 48 hours showed normal development during subsequent differentiation in vitro and also in vivo after embryo transfer to foster mothers. These embryos were 15% to 20% enriched in 13C. Administration of U‐13C‐glucose to pregnant mice during organogenesis led to an increase of the absolute 13C content of the embryo for several days after the end of isotope administration, whereas the enrichment in maternal tissue decreased. No alterations of embryonic development were detected due to stable isotope enrichment Development of cultured mouse limb buds was unaffected by incubation with 82 mol% U‐13C‐glucose as judged from morphologic and biochemical criteria. The second part of the article describes the value of deuterium‐labeled drugs as probes into the mechanism of activation of teratogenic metabolites. A comparison of the pharmacokinetics as well as the teratogenicity between cyclophosphamide and some specific deuterium‐labeled analogues showed that the isotope effect observed can be related to a particular metabolic pathway crucial for teratogenic activation by this drug.


[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of task-oriented approach on motor function of the affected arm in children with spastic hemiplegia due to cerebral palsy. [Subjects] Twelve children were recruited by convenience sampling from 2 local rehabilitation centers. The present study utilized a one-group pretest-posttest design. All of children received task-oriented training for 6 weeks (40 min/day, 5 days/week) and also underwent regular occupational therapy. Three clinical tests, Box and Block Test (BBT), Manual Ability Measure (MAM-16), and Wee Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM) were performed 1 day before and after training to evaluate the effects of the training. [Results] Compared with the pretest scores, there was a significant increase in the BBT, MAM-16, and WeeFIM scores of the children after the 6-week practice period. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest that a task-oriented approach to treatment of the affected arm improves functional activities, such as manual dexterity and fine motor performance, as well as basic daily activities of patients with spastic hemiplegia due to cerebral palsy.


The role of transporters in shaping the glutamate concentration in the extracellular space after synaptic release is controversial because of their slow cycling and because diffusion alone gives a rapid removal. The transporter densities have been measured electrophysiologically, but these data are from immature brains and do not give precise information on the concentrations of the individual transporter subtypes. Here we show by quantitative immunoblotting that the numbers of the astroglial glutamate transporters GLAST (EAAT1) and GLT (EAAT2) are 3200 and 12,000 per μm3 tissue in the stratum radiatum of adult rat hippocampus (CA1) and 18,000 and 2800 in the cerebellar molecular layer, respectively. The total astroglial cell surface is 1.4 and 3.8 m2/cm3 in the two regions, respectively, implying average densities of GLAST and GLT molecules in the membranes around 2300 and 8500 μm−2 in the former and 4700 and 740 μm−2 in the latter region. The total concentration of glial glutamate transporters in both regions corresponds to three to five times the estimated number of glutamate molecules in one synaptic vesicle from each of all glutamatergic synapses. However, the role of glial glutamate transporters in limiting synaptic spillover is likely to vary between the two regions because of differences in the distribution of astroglia. Synapses are completely ensheathed and separated from each other by astroglia in the cerebellar molecular layer. In contrast, synapses in hippocampus (stratum radiatum) are only contacted by astroglia and are often found side by side without intervening glial processes.


The amount of iododeoxyuridine (IdUrd) incorporated into DNA determines the degree of radiosensitization. Fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd) has been shown to biochemically modulate IdUrd incorporation into DNA in vitro and in vivo. In this Phase I study, these drugs were coadministered to patients during 14-day continuous i.v. infusion periods in order to investigate whether the incorporation of IdUrd into DNA in vivo could be increased without increasing the dose of IdUrd. IdUrd plasma concentrations and incorporation of IdUrd into DNA of granulocytes were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Up to 8.8% substitution of thymidine by IdUrd was observed. Even at 3.5 mg/m2/day FdUrd for 14 days (78% of the maximum-tolerated dose as a single agent), no clinically relevant enhancement of incorporation of IdUrd into DNA of granulocytes was observed. Also, no changes in plasma levels of IdUrd were observed with escalating doses of FdUrd. Toxicity patterns (stomatitis, diarrhea, and bone marrow depression) and isobologram analysis suggested that IdUrd and FdUrd had additive, rather than synergistic, effects.


The crisis of the 1930s led to the establishment of public interventionist policies, in the United States and Great Britain in particular. These measures significantly changed the economic environment of the companies: thus, in 1931 the American president Hoover pleaded, among other measures, for a more vigorous enforcement of antitrust laws to end destructive industrial competition, as well as for work-sharing programs that would supposedly reduce unemployment. With the New Deal, Roosevelt's administration made significant investments and allowed access to financial resources through various government agencies. What were the effects of these policies on businesses? What were the economic analyzes of this public intervention in the sphere of the private economy? During the interwar period, international relations were marked by debates on interallied debts and German reparations. Keynes' thought was deeply nourished by his participation in international negotiations, in particular as adviser at the British Treasury. If he could perceive war as a laboratory of experimentation to test the validity of his theory of the effect of public stimulus spending, he can in no way be considered as a supporter of "military Keynesianism", i.e. the use of military spending as a privileged instrument of economic policy (justified notably by the expected technological spin-offs from military investments). Keynes was openly hostile to militarism and war, convinced that they were contrary to human nature. After the Second World War, Keynes wrote an open letter to President Roosevelt, but despite the seemingly Keynesian character of New Deal economic measures, there was deep dissension between the two men. If Roosevelt favoured social measures, he remained hostile to the organization of a state interventionism financed by borrowing, a solution nevertheless advocated by Keynes, to revive purchasing power. Our article aims to understand the birth of policies to support business investment


Tidal characteristics, land altitude, level of groundwater, and rainfall patterns are among the main factors determining seawater intrusions in coastal areas. As Jozani Groundwater Forest (JGWF) is a coastal forest of low altitude found between Chwaka and Uzi bays, it was assumed the forest is increasingly being intruded by seawater. This study was therefore intended to discern conditions of tidal trends and magnitude in relation to seawater intrusion into JGWF. Tidal data and rainfall patterns were collected from Tanzania Meteorological Agency, Kisauni Zanzibar. Two sets of three observation wells (OWs) were opened at two forest ends towards Chwaka and Uzi bays. The OWs were used as data collection points while Height of Instrument method with the help of SOKKIA C.3.2 level and benchmarks number 205 and 210 were used to determine elevation of ground surfaces of the OWs. GPS receiver model GARMIN etrex 10 was used for geo-referencing the OWs. Water level recorders were installed above the wells to record changes in water level (WL) around the wells. Total dissolved solids (TDS) in water samples from the OWs were measured in situ using Hanna Combo tester HI 98129. Results showed that WL in South-end OWs rises during rains and falls during dry seasons, and occasionally also rises during high water of spring tide (HWST) associated with South Easterly monsoon winds. Similar results were obtained at North-end OWs, but more frequently even during HWST that were not associated with Monsoon winds. Values of water TDS fell to a minimum of 0.7 x 103 and 4.9 x 103 ppm during rainfall and rose to a maximum of 25.5 x 103 and 34.1 x 103 ppm during dry season at South-end and North-end, respectively. It was concluded that intrusion takes place during dry seasons when seawater of HWST from Chwaka and Uzi bays through creeks reached the soil surfaces at North-end and South-end of JGWF. The water accumulated salts which were then diluted and drained off the areas by rain water.


with initial condition u(x, t = 0) ≡ u0(x). This form can be readily generalized to higher dimensions. Note that u(x, t) is a function of two independent variables x and t. The solution u(x, t) defines a surface above the x− t plane. In the Method of Characteristics, one tries to find a relationship between x and t such that along the curve x(t), the equation for u simplifies and can be solved. Often, u(x, t) is a constant along x(t). However, x(t) is only one trajectory that winds through x−t space. However, if we can find u(x, t) for each of the infinite number of non-crossing trajectories x(t), then we have reconstructed u(x, t) on the x− t plane. To go about this, we try to find general trajectories of both x(s) and t(s) as functions of a new coordinate s. Along the coordinate s,


Solid state metathesis reactions can be used in the syntheses of inorganic solids and for strategic design of novel, eventually thermally labile materials. An explorative study of solid state metathesis reactions is presented for a number of examples, including syntheses of nitridoborates, carbodiimides, tetracyanoborates, tetracyanamidosilicates, carbon-nitride materials, and a number of other exciting compounds. This unique type of reaction is very efficient because it uses the intrinsic energy of reaction partners being involved. Desired compositions are achieved by appropriate starting materials and their relative amounts being combined into a solid state metathesis reaction. Reactions can be controlled through the heating-up procedure and by using a reactive flux, which may lower the ignition temperature of a reaction mixture and promote crystal growth of products.


Today, population is moving with modernization in the 21th centaury a lot of new diseases emerge out; many are life style disorders out of them Asthma is the most common chronic lower respiratory disease in adults and childhood throughout the world and Ayurved addresses it as Tamakshwasa . Respiration is the evident feature of life which is carried out by Prana vayu. This sole sign of life is affected in the disease Tamakshwasa, causing in the impediment to the respiratory function. Tamakashwasa is correlated with Bronchial Ashtama on the basis of its feature and etiopathogenesis. As Prevalence of Asthma is increasing steadily over the lateral part of the last century, first in the developed and developing world. This Article Represent the review study on the emergency management of Tamakshawasa (Bronchial Asthma ) through ayurved with supporting evidences from studies conducted which includes combination of shaman chikitsa and life style management.


The main problem investigated in this paper is the following. Assume that we are given a convergent projective system of topological measure spaces ordered by ordinals. When does there exist a consistent system of liftings (densities, linear liftings) on the projective system converging to a lifting (density, linear lifting) on the limit space. We look mainly for strong or strong completion Baire liftings. We reduce the problem to the question about the existence of strong liftings being inverse images of other strong liftings under measure preserving mappings (Proposition 2.4) and then we adapt a condition applied earlier by A. and C. Ionescu Tulcea [14] to get a strong lifting for an arbitrary measure on a product space (Theorem 2.7). In this way we get some results (see Theorems 2.7, 5.3, 5.7, 6.4 and 6.5) extending the well known achievements of A. and C. Ionescu Tulcea [14] and Fremlin [9]. The application of projective limits allows us to carry over results obtained earlier only for product spaces (see e.g. [23], [18], [19], [20], [21]) to more general classes of topological probability spaces. In particular, we can extend the class of spaces for which there is a positive answer to a problem of J. Kupka [17] concerning the permanence of the strong lifting property under the formation of products (see Theorem 6.5).


This review concentrates on factors causing permanent hearing impairment in childhood, described in some European studies. The emphasis is on comparative studies, based on strict criteria and terminology upon which longitudinal changes in the pattern of factors causing hearing impairment can be demonstrated in well-defined cohorts of children. The high proportion of 20-39 percent of unknown causes of permanent hearing impairment in childhood reflects a general lack of knowledge about causative factors and systematic etiologic evaluation within pediatric audiology. Future surveillance programs, including examination procedures directed towards causative factors, may see a reduction of the "unknown" category and ultimately may result in prevention of permanent hearing impairment in childhood. Some factors causing hearing impairment in adults are mentioned, including recent studies that show organic toxic solvents as a factor. As well, some controversial findings concerning the relationship between hearing impairment and endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus are briefly reported. It is concluded that future developments and research in the etiologic field within pediatric and adult audiology may contribute to the delineation of yet unknown damaging factors or reduction of the effect of factors causing hearing impairment--a disorder that ultimately results in adverse effects on the quality of life in all age groups.


The shift of birth and death rates from high to low level in any population is referred as demographic transition. Mechanically, the transition of a society creates more working member of its own population commonly called demographic bonus. This article empirically explores the realistic soundness of demographic bonus in reducing the poverty level of the society. Three contrasting regions namely Eastern Asia, Central America and Oceania were selected for analytical purposes. The findings indicate that Eastern Asia and Oceania are currently facing the end of their transition whereas the Central America is lagged behind in transition. Central America due to last runner in transition race is the sustained recipient of its own demographic bonus by the year 2030. On the basis of three mechanisms namely: labour supply, savings and human capital, the Eastern Asian region is found to be successful beneficiary of its own demographic gift which concludes that many million people have escaped from poverty. Under the right policy environment on the above three mechanisms, Eastern Asia experience indicates the realistic contribution of demographic bonus to reduce poverty.


ABSTRACT This paper explores the question of whether and in what ways the law and legal processes work to stabilise addiction as a health problem or 'disease'. In undertaking this analysis, we also explore the associated gender implications of these practices and the means through which legal processes that stabilise addiction simultaneously stabilise gender. Using the work of science and technologies scholar Bruno Latour, in particular his anthropological analysis of scientific and legal 'modes of existence', we explore legal processes of what he calls 'veridiction' – or the specific processes by which law distinguishes truth from falsity – associated with addiction. We focus on processes that are largely hidden from public view and as such receive little scrutiny, but through which the meaning of addiction as a disease is secured. Our aim is to consider the role of legal negotiations in establishing agreed facts, and to explore lawyers' understanding of these processes. We argue that although in public discourse judges are ascribed the status of the law's key decision-making figures, lawyers' accounts do not necessarily support this view. Instead, their accounts of the judicial process foreground their own and other lawyers' role in decisions about addiction, despite an absence of training or education in the area. We also note that lawyers' accounts suggest little independent oversight – even from judges – of the work lawyers do in stabilising addiction 'facts'. Based on these observations, we consider the ways such processes of stabilisation impact on women in the legal system whose lives are in some way affected by discourses of addiction as a disease. We argue that legal practices of veridiction are centrally implicated in the making of both gender and health and that elements of these processes, which are not often publicly visible or subjected to scrutiny, require more analysis.


In the course of 248-nm laser flash photolysis, solutions of 9-phenylxanthen-9-ol (1) undergo homolytic and heterolytic photodehydroxylation, the relative efficiency of which depends strongly on the solvent nature. Polar/hydroxylic solvents, particularly aqueous mixtures, cause copious formation of 9-phenylxanthenium cation (2), the ground, and excited-state properties of which are conveniently studied by single- and double-laser flash photolysis. In 1:1 H{sub 2}O/MeCN, the quantum yield of carbenium ion generation is 0.4 {plus minus} 0.1; only 1 % of photoheterolysis occurs through an adiabatic route. Surprisingly, in polar but nonhydroxylic solvents (e.g., acetonitrile and 1,2-dichloroethane) also, the cation is photogenerated in small but sufficient yields to allow time-resolved spectroscopic detection and study in these relatively neutral and inert media. In relatively nonpolar solvents, e.g., n-heptane and benzene, the photolysis of 1 is dominated by homolytic cleavage to 9-phenxylxanthenyl radical (3). The short-lived triplets of 1 ({tau}{sub T} {<=} 0.3 {mu}s) are also observed in nonaqueous solvents ({phi}{sub T} = 0.05 in acetontrile). In comparison to the weak, fast-decaying, doublet-doublet fluorescence of 3 ({lambda}{sub max}{sup F} = 590 nm, {tau}{sub F} {<=} 5 ns), the singlet-singlet fluorescence from 2 is intense and long-lived ({lambda}{sub max}{sup F} = 550 nm, {tau}{sub F} = 25 nsmore » in acetonitrile in the absence of nucleophilic quenchers) and is almost nonquenchable by oxygen (k{sub q} {<=} 5 {times} 10{sup 8} M{sup {minus}1} s{sup {minus}1}). The electrophilicity of the lowest excited singlet state of 2, measured in terms of rate constants (k{sub q}) of bimolecular quenching by anions and lone-pair containing molecules, is considerably more pronounced than that of the ground state (that is, k{sub q} are higher for the excited state by several orders of magnitude).« less


The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 granted railroads freedom to establish rates and enter into confidential contracts with grain shippers. Recent legislation (1986) required that certain contract terms be disclosed. This study shows rail rates in the Plains region commenced an upward trend after implementation of the disclosure policy. Results suggest contract disclosure and increased reliance on posted tariffs facilitated rate coordination within the oligopolistic railroad industry.


The reported success of the Thai 100% Condom Programme prompted interest in adapting such an approach to HIV prevention in the Dominican Republic. Qualitative research methods were utilized to examine the acceptability and feasibility of doing so, as well as to investigate socio-cultural and political issues affecting condom use in the Dominican female sex industry. Study participants included female sex workers, male paying clients and non-paying steady partners of sex workers, sex establishment owners/administrators and governmental and nongovernmental public health workers and officials. Study results revealed support on the part of participants for policies and rules to promote and monitor the use of condoms within sex establishments. Owners/administrators reported that having a '100% condom use' establishment could increase business by making clients feel safer and thus more likely to visit an 'STD free' environment. One of the most important barriers to condom use was the development of trust and intimacy between sex workers and their regular paying and non-paying partners. A modified version of the Thai 100% condom programme was developed specifically for the Dominican context and is currently being implemented and evaluated.


In recent years, Evolutionary Strategies were actively explored in robotic tasks for policy search as they provide a simpler alternative to reinforcement learning algorithms. However, this class of algorithms is often claimed to be extremely sample-inefficient. On the other hand, there is a growing interest in Differentiable Robot Simulators (DRS) as they potentially can find successful policies with only a handful of trajectories. But the resulting gradient is not always useful for the first-order optimization. In this work, we demonstrate how DRS gradient can be used in conjunction with Evolutionary Strategies. Preliminary results suggest that this combination can reduce sample complexity of Evolutionary Strategies by 3x-5x times in both simulation and the real world.


The purpose of this paper is to discuss empirical risk minimization when the losses are not necessarily bounded and may have a distribution with heavy tails. In such situations, usual empirical averages may fail to provide reliable estimates and empirical risk minimization may provide large excess risk. However, some robust mean estimators proposed in the literature may be used to replace empirical means. In this paper, we investigate empirical risk minimization based on a robust estimate proposed by Catoni. We develop performance bounds based on chaining arguments tailored to Catoni's mean estimator.


Though the kitchens of traditional residence architecture are recognized as having significant importance to houses themselves, to women who are supposed to do most of the housekeeping work, they are generally thought to be irrational space. This study tries to show through a demonstrative way that the kitchen space of traditional houses is the sensible and rational living space for the health's sake of all family members in the relations among humans, space and environment. Through this study, we were able to see that the architectural work of our ancestors in designing space had different views from those of the West in that our ancestors had sought the outcome taking the interrelations among environment-humans-space seriously in order to shape the physical organization for human beings.


Fluctuation theorems are cornerstones of modern statistical mechanics and their standard derivations routinely rely on the crucial assumption of a canonical equilibrium state. Yet rigorous derivations of certain fluctuation theorems for microcanonical states and pure energy eigenstates in isolated quantum systems are still lacking and constitute a major challenge to theory. In this work we tackle this challenge and present such a derivation of an integral fluctuation theorem (IFT) by invoking two central and physically natural conditions, i.e., the so-called "stiffness" and "smoothness" of transition probabilities. Our analytical arguments are additionally substantiated by numerical simulations for archetypal many-body quantum systems, including integrable as well as nonintegrable models of interacting spins and hard-core bosons on a lattice. These simulations strongly suggest that "stiffness" and "smoothness" are indeed of vital importance for the validity of the IFT for microcanonical and pure states. Our work contrasts with recent approaches to the IFT based on Lieb-Robinson speeds and the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis.


Stobadin, (-)-cis-2,8-dimethyl-2,3,4,4a,5,9b-hexahydro-1H-pyridol[4,3b]- indol is a compound with a potential antiarrhythmic, antihistamine, anaesthetic, antiulcerous, and marked antioxidative effect. N5-acylsubstitution of stobadin yielded derivatives, which represent prodrug forms of the active principle--stobadin, and it is assumed that they will be hydrolysed in the organism and the active principle will be released in higher concentrations in various biological tissues. The present paper deals with the investigation of the kinetics of hydrolysis of 13 stobadin acylderivatives in a medium of 0.1 mol/l of sodium hydroxide at 70 degrees C, employing spectrophotometry in the UV region of the spectrum. The determined rate constants were correlated with the length of the side acyl chain and the pKa values of the compounds under study.


The concept of sustainable housing has considered the urgency to support the sustainable environment in an integrative way. This concept is related to several main principles include environmental, social, and economic sustainability. In practice, these principles translated into the fundamental of housing choice, both process and product choices. In many peri-urban areas, current house construction tends to imitate city houses with massive concrete structures equipped with air conditioning that caused high energy consumption. The Center for Rural Empowerment team of ITB built a prototype of an eco-friendly house in Haurgombong village, Sumedang, West Java. The house has two floors building on a 7x5 m2 land site. The first floor was renovated from the existing toilet rooms and develop into a two-floor house. The second floor was built using the local wood material. The wood material has been obtaining from the trees of seven years old beechwood (Gmelina Arborea) planted in the garden. The envelope material for this house was constructed from local and common material in rural or peri-urban context, the lightweight fiberglass for the roof of common room, and the transparent fiber materials for the roof of secondfloor terrace to make the plantation at this area can easily receive the sunlight. This house is also can be regarded as a prototype of an earthquake-resistant house. The lighting factor, temperature, and airflow settings are made naturally. Besides, this house has also equipped with a rainwater storage system and greywater treatment using a small, constructed wetland that allows the treated water used for watering gardens and fishponds. The budget spent to build this house was as low as possible so that the surrounding community can imitate the building for their house and disseminate eco-friendly housing. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license


Background Over the last decade, expanding use of molecular diagnostics in heart transplantation has allowed implementation of non-invasive surveillance strategies for monitoring allograft health. The commercially available HeartCare platform combines the AlloMap gene expression profiling assay and the AlloSure donor-derived cell-free DNA test (dd-cfDNA). Beyond their established use for assessment of rejection, evidence is building for predictive utility, with the longitudinal AlloMap Variability score previously shown to correlate with the risk of future rejection, graft dysfunction, re-transplantation, or death. In this single-center, retrospective pilot study, we evaluated the performance of a novel AlloSure Variability metric in predicting mortality in a cohort of heart transplant recipients. Methods Seventy-two adult heart transplant recipients with at least 3 concurrent AlloMap/AlloSure results were included. Demographic, clinical, imaging, and laboratory parameters were captured. Variability was defined as the standard deviation of longitudinal AlloMap/AlloSure results. A Cox multivariable adjusted proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the variability metrics as predictors of mortality. Associations between AlloMap/AlloSure variability and donor specific antibody (DSA) status were also assessed. Results A total of 5 patients (6.9%) died during a median follow-up of 480 days. In a univariate Cox proportional hazards model, higher AlloSure variability (HR 1.66, 95%CI 1.14 – 2.41), but not AlloMap variability or the cross-sectional AlloSure/AlloMap results was associated with increased mortality risk. Longitudinal AlloSure variability was also higher among patients with both preformed DSA and those developing de novo DSA. Conclusion Our results suggest that increased variability of dd-cfDNA in heart transplant patients is associated with both mortality risk and the presence of donor specific antibodies. These findings highlight the added value of longitudinal data in the interpretation of AlloMap/AlloSure scores in this population and open the door to larger studies investigating the utility of these metrics in shaping post-transplant clinical care paradigms.


We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with ∼16 million genotyped/imputed genetic variants in 62,892 type 2 diabetes (T2D) cases and 596,424 controls of European ancestry. We identified 139 common and 4 rare (minor allele frequency < 0.01) variants associated with T2D, 42 of which (39 common and 3 rare variants) were independent of the known variants. Integration of the gene expression data from blood (n = 14,115 and 2,765) and other T2D-relevant tissues (n = up to 385) with the GWAS results identified 33 putative functional genes for T2D, three of which were targeted by approved drugs. A further integration of DNA methylation (n = 1,980) and epigenomic annotations data highlighted three putative T2D genes (CAMK1D, TP53INP1 and ATP5G1) with plausible regulatory mechanisms whereby a genetic variant exerts an effect on T2D through epigenetic regulation of gene expression. We further found evidence that the T2D-associated loci have been under purifying selection.


ABSTRACT A total of 119 Bacillus thuringiensis strains (83 type strains and 26 native isolates), as well as five B. cereus group species, were analyzed by repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR analysis (Rep-PCR) fingerprinting. Primers Bc-REP-1 and Bc-REP-2 were specifically designed according to an extragenic 26-bp repeated sequence found in the six B. cereus group genomes reported. A total of 47 polymorphic bands were detected, and the patterns varied from 5 to 13 bands in number and from 0.2 to 3.8 kb in size. Virtually each type strain showed a distinctive B. cereus (Bc)-Rep-PCR pattern, except for B. thuringiensis serovars dakota (H serotype 15 [H15]) and sotto (H4a,4b), as well as serovars amagiensis (H29) and seoulensis (H35), which shared the same patterns. As expected, serovar entomocidus (H6) and its biovar subtoxicus showed an identical pattern; similarly, serovars sumiyoshiensis (H3a,3d) and fukuokaensis (H3a,3d,3e), which share two antigenic determinants, also showed identical Bc-Rep-PCR patterns. Interestingly, serovars israelensis (H14) and malaysiensis (H36), which share several phenotypic attributes, also showed identical Bc-Rep-PCR patterns. Native, coleopteran-active strains, including the self-agglutinated LBIT-74 strain, showed Bc-Rep-PCR patterns identical or very similar to that of the tenebrionis strain. Likewise, native mosquitocidal strains (including some self-agglutinated strains) also showed patterns identical or very similar to that of the serovar israelensis IPS-82 strain. Additionally, native β-exotoxin-producing strains from serovar thuringiensis showed patterns identical to that of the B. thuringiensis type strain. The B. cereus group-specific Bc-Rep-PCR fingerprinting technique was shown to be highly discriminative, fast, easy, and able to identify B. thuringiensis serotypes, including nonflagellar and self-agglutinated strains.


In isolated nonworking hearts perfused with substrate-free medium for 90 min, 2000 microU insulin.mL-1 reduced the rates of glycogenolysis and lipolysis, whereas 50 microU insulin.mL-1 reduced the rate of lipolysis with no significant effect on glycogenolysis. Glycogen and triglycerides were the chief energy sources during the course of depletion in the presence and absence of insulin. In hearts perfused with medium containing 5 mM glucose for 3 h, glycogen and triglycerides contributed to the heart energy requirement, but in the presence of insulin (50 or 2000 microU.mL-1) endogenous triglycerides contributed to the heart energy requirement with net glycogen synthesis. In hearts preperfused with substrate-free medium for 90 min and perfused for another 90 min with medium containing 5 mM glucose, the depletion of endogenous glycogen and triglycerides stimulated the utilization of glucose and the synthesis of glycogen and triglycerides. In hearts preperfused with substrate-free medium for 90 min and perfused for another 90 min with medium containing glucose (5 mM) and insulin (50 or 2000 microU.mL-1), insulin enhanced the utilization of glucose and the synthesis of glycogen and triglycerides. Glucose utilization, glycogenolysis, lipolysis, and synthesis of glycogen and triglycerides were sensitive to the physiological insulin concentration and were also affected by the heart content of glycogen and triglycerides, in the isolated nonworking perfused rat heart.


A fundamental problem that arises frequently in quantitative program analysis (e.g., resource usage analysis) is that of computing an upper bound for a given arithmetic expression at a given program location in terms of the procedure inputs. We refer to this problem as bound analysis. The problem is theoretically as well as practically challenging because of variable updates inside loops and presence of virtual methods. Our solution to the bound analysis problem involves an inter-procedural (goal-directed) backward analysis built on top of an SMT solver. The analysis has the advantage of dealing with arbitrary operators that are understood by the underlying SMT solver. The analysis uses novel proof-rule based non-iterative technique to reason about updates inside loops, which makes it quite scalable. It uses user-defined abstract implementations to trace back across virtual methods arising from use of interfaces or extensible types. We have implemented the analysis inside the SPEED tool, which computes symbolic computational complexity bounds for procedures. Our analysis is used to translate bounds on number of loop iterations and cost of method calls to respective bounds in terms of procedure inputs. We have evaluated the precision and scalability of the analysis over 4 .NET assemblies that together contained thousands of methods and resulted in 9152 queries to the analysis. The analysis was able to answer 90% of the queries on an average of 0.23 seconds per query.


Among all the techniques for achieving pulsed emission in rare-earth-doped fiber lasers, gain switching is particularly simple. It consists in modulating the optical gain of the active medium by employing a pulsed input pump with proper amplitude, repetition rate and duty cycle. In this work, a dysprosium-doped ZBLAN fiber is considered in order to investigate the generation of optical pulses at λs = 3.0 μm by employing in-band optical pumping at λp = 2.8 μm (6H15/2 → 6H13/2 energy transition) [1]. The choice of this pumping configuration is due to its excellent performance in continuous-wave (CW) regime, as demonstrated in [2–5]. A home-made computer code exploiting a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm is developed and several simulations are performed by varying the pulsed input pump characteristics to study the behavior of the device. The geometrical and spectroscopic parameters used in the simulation are realistic and are taken from [2]. In particular, the core and cladding radii are rco = 6.25 μm and rcl = 62.5 μm, respectively. The refractive index of ZBLAN glass is n = 1.48, measured at λ = 2.88 μm. Overall cavity losses are equal to about 0.9 dB/m. The dysprosium concentration is NDy = 2000 ppm.


Legal challenges relating to assessment results are increasing around the world. Until recently such challenges were not possible in the UK. With changes to the law, including the Human Rights Act, it is now possible for an Examining Body to have its assessment process challenged. Defending an assessment tool is potentially easy but not being prepared could lead to embarrassing defeat, with significant costs and damages to pay. Judgement may be made as to what constitutes appropriate methods of evaluating and the levels that assessments must attain. There are more questions than answers as to what will happen and who will be the true beneficiaries of potential and real challenges.


In order to overcome the disadvantage that there are hardly any analysis functions on alarm messages in current EMS, an Intelligent Expert System which processes all alarm messages from the regional Grid Dispatching Center is designed and developed in this paper. When there is only one SCADA data source, the system receives and identifies real-time alarm messages from dispatching center, finds out and deletes the false alarm messages and then estimates the current state of power grid. If there is no fault but some abnormal warning information is generated by electrical equipments, the system analyses the abnormal warning information and suggests corresponding measures that dispatcher should take. If some fault has occurred, the system classifies the alarm messages and provides the necessary information for fault diagnosis after further processing. After the system is completed, it will improve the quality of surveillance and provide richer and more intelligent auxiliary decision support.


Silver nanoparticles were precipitated inside an Ag2O-doped glass by femtosecond laser irradiation and successive heat treatment. The influence of heat treatment temperature on the precipitation of silver nanoparticles was investigated. Absorption spectra show that the femtosecond laser irradiation results in an apparent decrease of the treatment temperature for the precipitation of Ag nanoparticles. We demonstrate the control of precipitation, dissolution and growth of silver nanoparticles inside glass by changing the heat treatment temperature or using further femtosecond laser irradiation.


The purposes of the study are : (1) to tind out general description of cinnamon farming Jambi,(2) to find out the comvetitiveness of cinnamon farming Jambi,(3) to find out impact the government policy toward output, input, input-output of cinnamon farming Jambi. Desaign of research is cross sectional. This research held in Gunung Raya District Kerinci, with total sample as much 82 farmers. Analysis method used approach Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM). The result of research indicate in the cinnamon farming is already in accordance with predetermined standards and intensification is needed on cinnamon farming.The cinnamon farming in the research area has competitive our the value Domestic Resource Cost Ratio (DRCR), and  value of Private Cost Ratio (PCR) are less than one, 0,6735 and 0,6845 consequently. Throught PAM result, the impact of government policy in the output, input, input-output that the producer receives a price less than the price that should be received, subsidy and government protection against foreign input used, where as policy government toward input-output not effectively where is the profits obtained by farmers are smaller social benefits, so that farmers spent production costs greater than social costs used.
Keywords: Impact of government policy, The competitiveness of cinnamon,  Policy Analysis Matrix(PAM), Cinnanmon Farming.


Abstract : Navigation improvements are planned at J. T. Myers Locks and Dam on the Ohio River main stem. The project consists of a navigation dam, a 1,200-ft-long by 110-ft-wide main lock chamber adjacent to a 600-ft-long by 110-ft-wide auxiliary lock chamber. The improvements include developing a 1,200-ft-long lock chamber from the existing 600-ft-long lock chamber. The existing filling and emptying system for the 600-ft-long chamber is a bottom lateral system with the culvert located within the lock wall. This report provides the results of model investigations to determine a cost-effective and efficient lock filling and emptying system for the extended lock chamber. An innovative design for the additional filling and emptying system was evaluated. This design consisted of adding a lateral system in the extended lock chamber. The water for the additional lateral system was supplied from a through the sill intake feeding two culverts that ran inside the chamber along the existing lock walls and over the top of the existing laterals. These culverts turned outside of the lock after passing over the existing empty culvert and then transitioned into a single culvert that fed the additional laterals in the extended chamber. The additional laterals emptied through a landside diffuser located in the lower lock approach. The initial design was considered acceptable since it filled the extended lock chamber in a reasonable time. Minor modifications were made to the design that significantly improved the chamber performance. The recommended design, type 2 design, filled the 1,381-ft-long chamber in 11.3 min and emptied the chamber in 9.6 min with the design lift of 18 ft. In addition to the development of the filling and emptying system, the effect of locking operations on tows in the approaches and the effect of the new culverts on tow entry and exit times were investigated.


In the Norwegian health care system equal distribution and access to care regardless of social status, gender, ethnicity and area of living has been raised as an important issue. This paper studies the extent to which the principle of "equal access" to specialized health care is maintained in the specialist health care delivery system of Norway. Access to specialized health care in this study is measured as a distance weighted form of the ratio "per head specialized health care" for each municipality and includes rich information on the capacity of specialist health care and the distance from residence to the hospital and private specialist care. We find inequality of access to specialist health care revealing that the capital Oslo has the best access to specialist health care and the residents of the northern- and easternmost county of Norway (Finnmark county) has the worst access. We consider this study to be helpful in identifying how equitable specialized health care are distributed and in developing future health policies.