Liquid waste discharged from industrial outfalls is categorized into two major classes based on their density. One type is the effluent that has a higher density than that of the ambient water body. In this case, the discharged effluent has a tendency to sink as a negatively buoyant jet. The second type is the effluent that has a lower density than that of the ambient water body and is hence defined as a (positively) buoyant jet that causes the effluent to rise. Negatively/Positively buoyant jets are found in various civil and environmental engineering projects: discharges of desalination plants, discharges of cooling water from nuclear power plants turbines, mixing chambers, etc. This thesis investigated the mixing and dispersion characteristics of such jets numerically. In this thesis, mixing behavior of these jets is studied using a finite volume model (OpenFOAM). Various turbulence models have been applied in the numerical model to assess the accuracy of turbulence models in predicting the effluent discharges in submerged outfalls. Four Linear Eddy Viscosity Models (LEVMs) are used in the positively buoyant wall jet model for discharging of heated waste including: standard k-e, RNG k-e, realizable k-e and SST k-ω turbulence models. It was found that RNG k-e, and realizable k-e turbulence models performed better among the four models chosen. Then, in the next step, numerical simulations of 30˚ and 45˚ inclined dense turbulent jets in stationary ambient water have been conducted. These two angles are examined in this study due to lower terminal rise height for 30˚ and 45˚, which is very important for discharges of effluent in shallow waters compared to higher angles. Five Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models are applied to evaluate the accuracy of CFD predictions. These models include two LEVMs: RNG k-e, and realizable k-e; one Nonlinear Eddy Viscosity Model (NLEVM): Nonlinear k-e; and two Reynolds Stress Models (RSMs): LRR and Launder-Gibson. It has been observed that the LRR turbulence model as well as the realizable k-e model predict the flow more accurately among the various turbulence models studied herein.


This position statement follows to the thematic round table organized by S.I.E.M.eS. (Italian Society of
Movement and Sport Education) as final event of the international congress on "Outdoor movement education"
held in Bozen, Italy, december 3-5, 2020.Today's lifestyle with interesting electronic devices attracts young
children to spend time inside instead going out to play in a physically active manner. At the same time, recent
research evidencehasshownthat outdoor active play (outdoor play) offers multiple advantages to children's
development and health. In December 2020, the University of Bozen organized an international congress on the
relevance ofoutdoor movement education and outdoorplay. The Congress ended with a round table discussionof
the different approaches to outdoor movement education practiced in Europe, and theneed for a common
position statement was agreed on that would involve other scientists who participated in the Congress. The
position statement is based on comparison of the different practices in European countries and is aimed at
defining a consensus in terms of approaches and terminology for outdoor movement education that may be
shared between European educators. The comparative analysis was conducted between different regions of
Europe: south (Italy), middle (Wales and Belgium, Wallonia), and north (Finland, Iceland and Norway).
Comparisons of the different regions were based on official national documents,including laws, educational
curriculums, andresearch findings.Results revealed that some regions, mostly the Nordic Countries, have a
strong outdoor culture on which the official national documents are based. In these countries, the outdoor
environment is included in teacher education programmes and national curriculums for early education and
elementary school. This is not the case everywhere in Europe, where other countries are now starting to spread
the outdoor culture in the school environment. On the other hand, there is a need for more research-based
knowledge about the amount and types of children's outdoor movement in all regions, including the most
advanced ones.With this position statement, the Congress participants and organizers underscore the need to
increase the knowledge of the importance of outdoor play in supporting children's motor development and
holistic development. There is a compelling need to change official documents to guarantee adequate
possibilities for outdoor movement education and outdoor active play. The outdoor environment should become
part of the daily pedagogical routine of children, and special care should be given to active movement. The aim
of this position statement is to help to reach a consensus in the educational community that must act in
collaboration with multiple sociocultural players and stakeholders (at local, national and European levels) and be driven by scientific research.


Multiple cartographic providers propose services displaying points of interests (POI) on maps. However, the provided POIs are often incomplete and contradictory from one provider to another. Previous works proposed solutions for detecting correspondences between spatial entities that refer to the same geographic object. Although one can visualize the result of the integration of corresponding entities, users do not have any information about the quality of this integration. In this paper, we propose a solution to visualize the uncertainty inherent to a spatial integration algorithm. We present an integration process that identifies three degrees of confidence for spatial and terminological integration results. A prototype has been implemented to present the benefits of our proposal in an use-case scenario. This work has been realized within the framework of UNIMAP project.


Shale from basal Campanian strata of the Anambra Basin has been characterised by petrological and geochemical techniques. The aims of this study were to assess the quality of its organic matter, evaluate its thermal evolution and highlight its potential as a source rock. The total organic carbon (TOC) (2.55wt%) of the shale constitutes that of a good source rock with gas-prone kerogen indicated by Rock-Eval S2/S3 (2.19). The high oxygen index (OI) (19.09 mgCO2g-1TOC) and pr/ph (6.50) suggest deposition in a shallow marine environment. The n-alkane distribution dominated by n-C24 – n-C31 and infrared spectrum dominated by aliphatic and aromatic functional groups are considered to be indicators of Type III kerogen. The CPI (1.67), Tmax (430oC), C31(S/S+R) ratio (0.76) and Ro (0.56%) all indicate the onset maturity of this rock. This thermal evolution is thought to account for its current hydrogen index (41.20 mgHCg-1TOC). Generated petroleum may not have reached the threshold for hydrocarbon expulsion but a review of petroleum system elements in the basin will stimulate high prospects in the Anambra basin


The estimation of the residual background due to cosmic ray-induced air showers represents a key element of every analysis of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) data. In the past, most techniques have relied on a measurement of the background in supposedly source-free regions within the observed field of view. However, this approach is problematic in regions with many (potentially overlapping) $\gamma$-ray sources or large-scale diffuse $\gamma$-ray emission, like e.g. the Galactic Plane. For these cases, a template-based 3D likelihood analysis might be superior. In this approach, a spectro-morphological model template, consisting of one or multiple source components and a background component, is fit to the data, resulting in a complete spectral and spatial description of the field of view. In this contribution, we present our efforts to establish a 3D likelihood analysis for data taken with the H.E.S.S. system of IACTs, using the open-source analysis packages ctools and Gammapy. In particular, we focus on the development of a template model for the cosmic ray-induced background - a major challenge in such an approach - from archival H.E.S.S. data. We characterise the obtained model and demonstrate its application using publicly available H.E.S.S. data. The validation of this analysis approach on experimental data also constitutes an important step towards the analysis of data from the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA).


Part of designing the User Virtual Machine is designing the interaction between the user(s) and the system. There already exist several techniques for designing the interaction, but, once applied in practical situations, all have problems. The use of a formal comparison method combined with experience in interaction design shows that there exists a conceptual basis for interaction design. The method to find this basis is a structured approach which describes each technique objectively, compares the concepts, relations, purposes, and places in the design method. Based on this comparison the conceptual basis for interaction design can be created, which is adaptable to the design situation at hand.


Thyroid disorders affect renal function, which involves changes in local renin angiotensin system (RAS). Angiotensin peptide levels in the tissue are regulated by the activity of several aminopeptidases (AP) known as angiotensinases. The nature and consequences of the thyroid-induced RAS changes are not completely understood. We investigated the relationship between thyroid status (hyper- and hypothyroidism) and several kidney AP actions involved in RAS control. We have determined fluorometrically soluble (SOL) and membrane-bound (M-B) alanylaminopeptidase (AlaAP), glutamylaminopeptidase (GluAP) and aspartylaminopeptidase (AspAP) activity using naphthylamide derivatives as substrates. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups--control, hyperthyroid, and hypothyroid. Hyperthyroidism was induced by daily subcutaneous injection of L-thyroxin (300 microg/kg/day). Hypothyroidism was induced by continuous administration of methimazole (0.03%) in drinking water. Hypothyroid animals demonstrated a significant increase in SOL and M-B GluAP activity in renal cortex and a decrease in M-B AlaAP compared to euthyroid rats. This result may suggest higher Ang III availability. In hyperthyroid animals, M-B AlaAP and M-B AspAP activity increased significantly, which may suggest increased Ang III to Ang IV metabolism and greater formation of Ang 2-10, respectively. In contrast, no differences were observed between euthyroid and hypothyroid animals for SOL and M-B AP activity in renal medulla. However, hyperthyroid animals demonstrated a significant decrease in SOL and M-B GluAP activity compared to euthyroid rats, which may suggest a greater availability of Ang II in renal medulla. Alterations in angiotensin metabolism may, in part, account for some changes in renal function during thyroid disorders.


Patient satisfaction with hospital services is one of the most important indicators of effectiveness and quality of hospital services. Patient satisfaction surveys can provide valuable data for evaluating the current status, awareness of quality and quantity of process improvement programs and quality improvement to health managers and policy makers. The present study discusses previous studies conducted in this area, and presents recommendations to improve patient satisfaction. The method of this study is review. Selected papers were identified by searching keyword in Persian and English in different databases and after applying the inclusion criteria, 19 studies were extracted and analyzed. 23,793 patients in 12 studies entered into this research were investigated. Generally, satisfaction of the patients in this study was estimated at an average level. Continuous evaluation of patient satisfaction and identification of the factors affecting it requires establishment of comprehensive and accurate data system in this area; that by application of the results of previous studies steps can be taken to improve patient satisfaction. Patients' satisfaction in Iran, compared with other countries, is desirable. In addition, the overall satisfaction of patients in recent years has increased compared to previous years and the reason can be measures like different ways of improving the quality, customer orientation, and applying the results of research conducted in this area.


Human CD38 is a 45-kDa transmembrane protein that acts as a bifunctional ectoenzyme, catalyzing the synthesis of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) from NAD+ and the hydrolysis of cADPR to ADP-ribose. All-trans-retinoic acid (RA) is a potent and specific inducer of CD38 in myeloid cells. In this report, we demonstrate that RA-induced CD38 protein from human myeloid (HL-60) leukemia cells coimmunoprecipitates with another protein of molecular mass ≈190 kDa (p190). The p190 protein is localized exclusively in the membranes and is a consequence of post-translational cross-linking of CD38 protein. This conclusion was based on the observations that purified CD38 effectively competes with p190, its accumulation is preceded by the accumulation of CD38, it immunoreacted with three different monospecific anti-CD38 antibodies on immunoblots, and its peptide map revealed several peptides in common with CD38. Furthermore, CD38 could serve as a suitable substrate for transglutaminase (TGase)-catalyzed cross-linking reactions in vitro, and the accumulation of p190 in RA-treated HL-60 cells is effectively blocked by the presence of TGase-specific inhibitor. The purified p190 showed at least three times more cyclase activity than CD38. Conversely, p190 was at least 2.5-fold less active than CD38 in hydrolyzing cADPR to ADPR. These results suggest that post-translational modification of CD38 may represent an important mechanism for regulating the two catalytic activities of this bifunctional enzyme.


Background and Objectives: Nanoscience is one of the most important branches of modern science, which deals with the knowledge, structure, and properties of nanoparticles. This study aimed to investigate the ability of an airborne fungus (Aspergillus flavus) to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and to test the antibacterial activity of the synthesized AgNPs. Materials and Methods: The confirmation of AgNPs synthesis and the characterization of their properties were done using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, Zeta potential, Zeta sizer, FT-IR, and XRD analyses. The antibacterial activity was determined using broth microdilution method. Results: The findings showed that the average diameter of the resultant AgNPs was 474.2 nm with a PDI value of 0.27, and the zeta potential was −33.8 mV. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the AgNPs were regular and spherical in shape. TEM micrographs demonstrated that the AgNPs were smaller than those that were observed by DLS examination because the drying process resulted in particle shrinkage. The average size of AgNPs were less than 35 nm. The AgNPs exhibited a remarkable antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae, E. coli, E. cloacae, S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and Shigella sp., and the MIC values ranged from 25 to 100 μg/mL. However, an exception was P. aeruginosa in which its MIC was >125 μg/mL. Conclusion: The results suggest that, the biosynthesized AgNPs by A. flavus could be utilized as a source of potent antibacterial agents in medicine and biotechnological applications.


A number of recombinant fusion constructs and drug conjugates demonstrate excellent efficacy in preclinical studies but the long-term clinical applicability of these agents may be limited by tolerability issues and the emergence of multi-drug resistance. To address these issues, we employed the human serine protease granzyme B (GrB) as a cytotoxic effector and the humanized scFv designated 4D5 targeting the Her2/neu extracellular domain. A human fusion construct designated GrB/4D5/26 containing the fusogenic peptide 26 was constructed. The GrB/4D5/26 fusion construct showed specific and rapid cellular uptake into Her2/neu positive but not Her2/neu negative cells. We demonstrated efficient, specific delivery of GrB to the cytosol of Her2/neu positive cells. Against a panel of Her2/neu-positive tumor cells, IC 50 values of the fusion construct ranged from 10∼100 nM, compared to that of GrB which was in the μM range. Treatment with GrB/4D5/26 resulted in specific cell killing accompanied by activation of caspases, PARP cleavage and cytochrome C release from mitochondria. In contrast to studies from other groups, the cytotoxic effects of the GrB/4D5/26 fusion construct did not require the assistance of the endosomolytic reagent chloroquine. Treatment with GrB/4D5/26 also caused efficient downregulation of the PI3K/Akt and Ras/ERK signaling pathways. Tumor cell lines highly resistant to Lapatinib, Herceptin or chemotherapeutic agents were not cross-resistant to the GrB-based fusion protein. Consecutive intravenous injections of GrB/4D5/26 into nude mice bearing BT474 M1 tumors resulted in significant, long-term tumor growth suppression. Twenty-four hours after i.v. administration, excised tumors displayed an increase in GrB/4D5/26 concentration and apoptotic nuclei compared to saline controls. These studies demonstrate the impressive in vitro and in vivo activity of the the completely human Her2/neu targeted construct and suggest its further evaluation for clinical use. Research conducted, in part, by the Clayton Foundation for Research. Citation Format: Yu Cao, Khalid A. Mohamedali, John W. Marks, Lawrence H. Cheung, Walter N. Hittelman, Michael G. Rosenblum. In vitro and in vivo studies of a novel, functionalized, completely human serine protease targeting Her2/neu. Activity against Herceptin- and multi-drug resistant tumor cells . [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 860. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-860


All-ceramic dental restorations have great advantages, such as highly esthetical properties, a less complex fabrication, and a similar abrasion resistance to enamel. Despite these advantages, ceramic materials are more prone to fracture due to their brittle microstructure. The main aim of this in vitro study was to determine the difference in hot-pressed and milled glass-ceramic mechanical properties such as fracture resistance and microhardness (VHN). Four types of ceramics, two hot-pressed and two milled, feldspathic glass-ceramics and zirconia-reinforced glass-ceramics were selected in this study and tested using the static loading test and Vicker's testing. Hydrothermal aging, consisting of different baths with temperatures between 5 degrees Celsius and 55 degrees Celsius, was chosen as the in vitro aging method. Statistical analyses are performed using SPSS Statistics software at a significance level of p < 0.05. Micro-hardness values decrease after hydrothermal aging. The static loading test reveals a significant difference between the feldspathic hot-pressed glass-ceramic, which fractures at lower forces, and milled zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate glass-ceramic, which fractures at greater forces (N). Fractographic analysis of the fractured fragments resulted in the static loading test revealing different surface features about the crack origins and propagations under a stereomicroscope.


We have devised a novel type of hand unit that is able to vary its shape for a mobile robot with legs which can be used as manipulation arms to perform handling tasks in a tough field for human such as disaster area, construction site, and so on. Two joint motors are attached at the left and right side of the hand unit to open and close according to the shape of target object. The hand unit was designed and its prototypes were fabricated and attached to the front two legs of a quadruped tracked mobile robot. The experimental results by the robot have confirmed that the developed hand unit increases handling ability of the robot as well as keeping original quadruped walking motion. 


Summary form only given. We recently demonstrated the first persistent (non-destructive read-out) holographic recording in doubly-doped lithium niobate. In the presentation, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a recording schedule for multiplexing many persistent holograms in doubly-doped LiNbO/sub 3/ with equal diffraction efficiencies. We performed experiments with a congruently melting x-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ crystal doped with 0.075 wt. % Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and with 0.01 wt. % MnO.


This thesis explores the epistemic structures of late seventeenth- and eighteenth-century migrating image-makers with a particular regard for producers of sculpture. By means of an analysis of journals written by the sculptor Franz Ertinger (1669 – 1747) and the glazier Jacques-Louis Menetra (1738-c.1803) this thesis identifies an epistemic order which was contingent on the worlds of mobility of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century craftsmen. In order to advance the understanding of how artisan image-makers of this period acquired, organised and developed knowledge, the concept of a cognitive tool-box is introduced. Examining a number of cognitive tools, i. e. epistemic strategies, the thesis constructs an interpretative framework through which itinerant artisans were potentially able to derive meanings from situations, objects and communities which were unfamiliar or culturally different in some ways. Due to the emphasis on cognitive aspects, the thesis"s principal method can be described as an epistemological history of art, taking into consideration historically specific mechanisms of interpretation, exchange and knowledge organisation, such as the building of unwritten archives of artisan histories. The thesis also addresses questions surrounding the identities of migrating craftsmen and suggests the existence of a "Republic of Tools", tracing the career of one of its highly mobile citizens, the sculptor Johann Eckstein (1735-1817).


Purpose – The problem addressed is how policies to promote sustainable development may be implemented in market practice. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework on which further research on sustainable market practice can be based. Design/methodology/approach – Literature and conceptual analysis as regards sustainable development and policies to promote sustainable markets. Frameworks from theorizing about markets and about institutions. Findings – The context of policy initiatives aiming at sustainable development is characterized by substantial heterogeneity and is inherently conflictual and multidimensional. Stakeholders, NGOs, governments as well as market actors are involved in policy processes. A market practice perspective is suggested. Specific issues for research are how policy practice interacts with market practice and how sustainable markets actually perform sustainable development over time and space. Practical implications – Implications for how policy actors and mark...


Risk‐assessment models indicate that stream ecosystems receiving municipal wastewater effluent may have the greatest potential for exposure to manufactured nanoparticles. The authors determined the fate of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles in outdoor stream mesocosms using 1) 1‐time pulse addition of CeO2 nanoparticles, representative of accidental release, and 2) continuous, low‐level press addition of CeO2 nanoparticles, representative of exposure via wastewater effluent. The pulse addition led to rapid nanoparticle floc formation, which appeared to preferentially deposit on periphyton in low‐energy areas downstream from the location of the input, likely as a result of gravitational sedimentation. Floc formation limited the concentration of suspended nanoparticles in stream water to <5% of target and subsequent downstream movement. In contrast, press addition of nanoparticles led to higher suspended nanoparticle concentrations (77% of target) in stream water, possibly as a result of stabilization of suspended nanoparticles through interaction with dissolved organic carbon. Smaller nanoparticle aggregates appeared to preferentially adsorb to stream surfaces in turbulent sections, where Ce concentrations were highest in the press, likely a result of stochastic encounter with the surface. Streams receiving wastewater effluent containing nanoparticles may lead to exposure of aquatic organisms over a greater spatial extent than a similar amount of nanoparticles from an accidental release. Exposure models must take into account these mechanisms controlling transport and depositional processes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1213–1223. © 2015 SETAC


'Reintegration' has been used to describe the efforts to support pupils on their full-time return to mainstream or specialist provision, following exclusion from school. Statistics published by the Department for Education indicate an increase in exclusion rates across all state-funded primary, secondary and special schools from 2014/15 to 2015/16 (DfE, 2017). Consequently, the topic of positive reintegration experiences is a pertinent issue within education. Secondary school pupils, their parents/carers and educational practitioner views have been the main focus of existing literature concerning school exclusion and reintegration. A lack of research regarding reintegration into provision other than mainstream settings was also identified. This study aimed to address such gaps in the literature by using the 'Write, Draw, Show and Tell' (WDST) creative method (Noonan et al, 2016), to explore primary aged pupil's perceptions of reintegration into mainstream or specialist provision, including support they felt would be beneficial. Eight male pupils aged 7-11 from two separate Local Authority Pupil Referral Units took part in an ice-breaker and drawing activity, followed by a semi-structured interview. Data from these multiple sources was triangulated and analysed according to Braun and Clarke's (2006) stages of thematic analysis. This indicated five themes related to participant's anticipated and actual experience of reintegration, as well as what contributed to positive reintegration experiences from their perspectives. It was concluded that reintegration experiences were impacted on by participant's levels of self-awareness and perceptions of a new beginning. Specific concerns related to reintegration were dominated by thoughts concerning a sense of belonging and to feel fully included within their receiving settings. Factors perceived to support reintegration included; relationships and support provided through friendships, family members and teaching staff, the school environment and procedural factors as part of the reintegration process. Findings were discussed in relation to the existing literature and through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) eco-systemic perspective and social model of disability. Consideration was given to participant's level of involvement in decision-making and the extent to which their voice was present during their reintegration. Implications for school staff and Educational Psychologists as a means to further support reintegration processes were provided. This included a focus on the methods by which children and young people's views were elicited and through the development of a proposed checklist to support reintegration planning. Strengths and limitations of this study, alongside possible directions for future research were proposed.


Turbidity currents are major transport agents in reservoirs in which high concentrations of fine sediments flow in. Reservoir sedimentation due to turbidity currents is often severe in these cases. Turbidity currents are not well understood due to their complex turbulent flow structure, the interaction between the flow with the particles and the interaction between particles themselves. In this thesis the venting efficiency was determined for three reservoir implementations that might decrease sedimentation caused by turbidity currents. The three were: an additional sediment sluice, blocking a part of the reservoir and a deepened thalweg. Computations were done by means of a Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) model. The Shihmen Reservoir in Taiwan was taken as a case study. In this particular reservoir suspended sediment concentrations are measured during the event of a turbidity current. According to the model results the additional sediment sluicing tunnel was the most effective solution. Results indicated that the location of such a tunnel and the reservoir operation method applied are thereby important to increase the venting efficiency. It was shown that a RANS model such as presented, is able to capture the complex behaviour of turbidity currents in reservoirs and is therefore a valuable tool for reservoir managers.


Little attention has been paid to some aspects of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's intellectual activity compared with others. His affairs as a diplomat, his contribution to music, and his affection for botany are only three of them. This article shows their connections with forms of expression in which words are replaced by other kinds of graphic representation, such as ideographic signs for their evocation and numbers for their efficiency and simplicity. These contributions were collected in his first and last intellectual projects: Project for Musical Notation (1742), a young man's idealistic challenge presented before Paris Académie des Sciences– and rejected by them; and Characters of Botany (1776-1778), a private senescence enterprise.


DWI plays an important role in the diagnosis of prostate cancer by detecting water molecules diffusion noninvasively, which reflects the microstructure of tumor tissue. However, only DWI might be limited by low sensitivity and specificity. T2 mapping imaging is a quantitative imaging technology to map the transverse relaxation time of tissues with good repeatability and stability. T2 mapping is also sensitive to tissue components (such as edema, fibrosis) without a contrast agent. This study aims to differentiate prostate cancers from hyperplasia by combining DWI and T2 mapping.


Aim. The current article aims to gain insight into (a) what characterises organisational resilience during an unexpected crisis such as COVID-19 and (b) how organisations respond to developments in their environments. Background. In times of societal crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience of the healthcare organisation is tested. Method. This research is based on a case study in a university hospital and a county hospital in Sweden using surveys with both structured and open answers. Results. The result shows ambiguity and "polarised" experiences, emphasising flexibility vs. structure, clear hierarchical information vs. spaces for peer learning through dialogue, and focus on acute care vs. determination to continue with core operations. Conclusion. The article concludes that the pandemic resulted in paradoxes, tensions, and new experiences in organisational processes and interactions. These create opportunities for learning not only during crises but also for improving nursing management in both acute and planned care. Three relations are important in building organisational resilience in crises: resilience capability, resilience capacity, and sustainable resilience practices. Implications for Nursing Management. Organisational resilience under extraordinary circumstances, such as a pandemic, as well as enhancing the previous literature on nursing management that offer a more individually oriented perspective.


Background: The emergence of a new variant of Omicron in 132 countries at the beginning of 2022 leaves concerns for nurses. The experience of nurses handling the COVID-19 pandemic makes a question mark on how prepared the profession is to deal with the spreading of the virus. This article attempts to analyze the perceptions of nurses' readiness to use information technology (IT) when facing the new Omicron variant.
Methods: The study used a quantitative approach with a descriptive cross-sectional design supported by the Technology Acceptance Model. This study used a questionnaire to assess respondents' perceptions. A total of 180 eligible respondents were involved in the study. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to measure the respondents' perception, and SPSS version 26 was used for analytical data.
Results: The results showed that 96% of nurses were vaccinated, 45% never attended COVID-19 training (External Variables), 45.6% ready with information technology facilities (Perceived Ease to Use), 47.2% were mentally/psychologically prepared, 47.2% supported by family, and 37.8% they had public support (Perceived Usefulness). Those 3 components shaped different perceptions (Attitudes) towards using the IT in which 44.4% were ready, 27.2% were in the process, 25.3% were not prepared and 3.1% had no idea (3.1%). As a result (Behavior), out of 180 population, 63.6% of participants were categorized as not ready.
Conclusion: The findings recommend that nurses using IT in dealing with Omicron 100% must be vaccinated and participate in COVID-19 training.


Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections is necessary for the development of cervical cancers. Consequently, understanding the biologic mechanisms resulting in clearance is key in cancer prevention. Similar to other mucosal sites, it is expected that the local microbiome plays a significant role in shaping the immune response responsible for HPV clearance. Using cervical wash repository samples from a prospective study of HPV in women, this study investigates the microbiome and its associated inflammatory milieu during HPV 16 pre-acquisition, persistence and clearance states. For comparison, samples from women with no history of HPV ever during the study period were selected. We showed that 9 of 13 inflammatory cytokines were found to be significantly increased in the immediate post-clearance visit compared to the pre-acquisition or infection visits. Gardnerella vaginalis was associated with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines. Women with no history of HPV infection had similar cytokine profiles as those with HPV 16 post-clearance. This in vivo study documented an immune response shortly after HPV 16 clearance. G. vaginalis appeared to be involved in shaping this immune response. The appearance of G. vaginalis may have resulted from a shift from anti-microbial to anti-viral immune response with loss of bacterial control. The similar high levels of cytokines seen in women with no history of HPV suggest that a certain level of inflammatory surveillance is required to maintain an HPV negative state. This data may inform therapies such as probiotics or pro-inflammatory agents for treatment of persistent HPV.


Federal Supreme Court examines margin squeeze under Swiss competition law* Introduction On 9 December 2019 the Federal Supreme Court confirmed that Swisscom AG and Swisscom (Schweiz) AG…


Proliferation of microglial cells has been considered a sign of glial activation and a hallmark of ongoing neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia activation is analyzed in animal models of different eye diseases. Numerous retinal samples are required for each of these studies to obtain relevant data of statistical significance. Because manual quantification of microglial cells is time consuming, the aim of this study was develop an algorithm for automatic identification of retinal microglia. Two groups of adult male Swiss mice were used: age-matched controls (naïve, n = 6) and mice subjected to unilateral laser-induced ocular hypertension (lasered; n = 9). In the latter group, both hypertensive eyes and contralateral untreated retinas were analyzed. Retinal whole mounts were immunostained with anti Iba-1 for detecting microglial cell populations. A new algorithm was developed in MATLAB for microglial quantification; it enabled the quantification of microglial cells in the inner and outer plexiform layers and evaluates the area of the retina occupied by Iba-1+ microglia in the nerve fiber-ganglion cell layer. The automatic method was applied to a set of 6,000 images. To validate the algorithm, mouse retinas were evaluated both manually and computationally; the program correctly assessed the number of cells (Pearson correlation R = 0.94 and R = 0.98 for the inner and outer plexiform layers respectively). Statistically significant differences in glial cell number were found between naïve, lasered eyes and contralateral eyes (P<0.05, naïve versus contralateral eyes; P<0.001, naïve versus lasered eyes and contralateral versus lasered eyes). The algorithm developed is a reliable and fast tool that can evaluate the number of microglial cells in naïve mouse retinas and in retinas exhibiting proliferation. The implementation of this new automatic method can enable faster quantification of microglial cells in retinal pathologies.


− Information on the availability of parking spaces is needed for drivers. Drivers walking around looking for parking spaces have negative impacts, including traffic jams, waste of fuel, increasing pollution and even causing driver panic. Classification of parking spaces properly and quickly becomes a solution to present information on the availability of parking spaces. Based on the technology used, parking space classification usually uses sensors or computer vision. However, computer vision is lower in cost usage because a single camera can classify multiple parking spaces simultaneously. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is a popular method in dealing with vision problems. mAlexnet is one of the CNN architectures that has succeeded in classifying parking spaces well, but its accuracy still needs to be improved. A better architecture of mAlexnet needs to be made to improve classification accuracy and speed. In this study, we designed a CNN architecture named ParkingNet. Based on testing using sub-dataset camera B from the CNRPark dataset, ParkingNet is better than mAlexnet, both in terms of accuracy, the number of parameters, and FLOPs. ParkingNet managed to outperform mAlexnet's accuracy by 0.68%. Although not significant, ParkingNet is faster in classification due to the smaller number of parameters and FLOPs. The number of ParkingNet parameters is 4/5 mAlexnet parameters and the number of ParkingNet FLOPs is 2/5 mAlexnet. ParkingNet can be implemented in a smart parking system to classify parking spaces with lower computational costs.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of serotonin (5HT) in patients with analgesic-induced headache (AIH). We estimated platelet 5HT concentration in patients with AIH, migraine patients and non- headache controls, by using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Our results revealed a significant decrease (p < 0.00) in platelet 5HT content in patients with AIH as compared to migraine patients and non-headache controls (221.8 ± 30.7, 445.3 ± 37.4 and 467.2 ± 38.5 ng/109 platelets, respectively). In contrast, a difference of lesser statistical significance (p=0.022) was observed in platelet 5HT content after incubation with excess 5HT (1940.0 ± 195.1, 2610.0 ± 173.1 and 2560 + 165.2 ng/109 platelets for patients with AIH, migraine patients and non-headache controls, respectively). These data suggest that analgesic-induced suppression of 5HT uptake may interfere with the function of the pain modulatory system in the brainstem. Although the process by which analgesics interfere with this system is as vet unknown, it is possible that it may not be entirely due to defective 5HT uptake mechanisms.


Replication region of bacteriophage lambda DNA was cloned into pBR322 plasmid by the use of two restriction enzymes--PstI and HindIII. The restriction analysis of four obtained plasmids revealed that lambda DNA was cloned in both orientations. Recombinant plasmids were transferred to the minicell-producing strain of E. coli and synthesis of the plasmid-mediated proteins was analysed by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. All four recombinant plasmids produced lambda DNA replication proteins pO and pP as well as some proteins specific for pBR322. The orientation of cloned fragment did not affect the synthesis of lambda DNA replication proteins.


Zwitterionic sulfobetaine (SB) and carboxybetaine (CB) have been extensively investigated for their noticeable antifouling properties. Both SB and CB have cationic and anionic groups in the molecule, but they differ in negatively charged groups. Molecular simulations have been conducted to investigate the different properties induced by structure changes. However, few studies have focused on the differences between SB and CB materials, especially zwitterionic polysaccharides. Two zwitterionic sulfobetaine and carboxybetaine dextran hydrogels were designed and used as models to compare their properties. Results showed that the equilibrium swelling ratios of the SB-DEX hydrogels were much higher than CB-DEX ones, and larger interior pores were observed in the SB-DEX hydrogels due to their higher hydrophilicity. The rheological storage modulus of the SB-DEX hydrogels was lower than that of CB-DEX ones as a result of higher water content of SB-DEX. These results were consistent with molecular modeling. Additionally, both CB-DEX and SB-DEX had remarkable biocompatibilities, and the in vitro release studies showed that the SB-DEX and CB-DEX hydrogels released DOX in a sustained manner under acidic condition (pH 5.0), indicating their promise as an effective drug-delivery system.


A case of congenital anomaly simulating ainhum of the little finger is reported, because a search of the available literature failed to disclose any similar report. True ainhum is usually encountered as a tropical or semitropical disease of great chronicity. It usually occurs in the Negro and is confined, with rare exceptions, to the male. Ainhum is characterized by spontaneous amputation of the toe, usually the fifth toe and in some cases the fourth toe. The amputation is the result of a constricting band or line of demarcation which gradually forms at the proximal interphalangeal joint of the fifth toe and gradually deepens its furrows until there is spontaneous amputation. All cases of digital amputation are not true ainhum. Ainhum-like constrictions of the digits occasionally occur as symptoms of, or associated with, an underlying constitutional disease. The two types, true ainhum and ainhum-like syndrome, should be distinguished from one another.


Introduction: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the major cause of vision loss in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Apart from diabetes, a number of other systemic factors have an important role in occurrence and progression of DME. Control of these factors along with control of blood sugars can prevent or reverse the maculopathy, thereby restore the vision of diabetic patients. Methodology: Cross-sectional comparative study. Patients with Type 2 diabetes were screened for DR. After thorough examination including fundus examination, patients were divided into two groups (Group 1 - Retinopathy with clinically significant macular edema [CSME] and Group 2 - Retinopathy without CSME). A detailed history of the duration of diabetes, treatment history, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were taken. The mean values of three consecutive blood pressure (BP) readings were assessed. Following blood investigation, serum lipid profile, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), urine albumin, renal function test of the concerned patients were done. The significance of the above risk factors was compared in both the groups involved in the study. Results: In the present study of 170 patients with DR, there was no significant difference in the age and gender distribution among two groups. The mean value of fasting blood sugar, postprandial blood sugar, and HbA1c were higher in the study group than control group. In this study, the mean value of systolic BP and diastolic BP were significantly higher in the study group compared to control group. Serum lipids, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very LDL levels were significantly higher in patients with CSME. Microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria showed a correlation with CSME. Conclusion: Systemic risk factor shows a significant association with CSME in DR. Thus, early detection of these risk factors and their control has a significant role in preventing the development and progression of maculopathy in DR patients thereby preventing severe visual loss.


RATIONALE
Dysregulation of cellular metabolism has been shown to participate in several pathologic processes. However, the role of metabolic reprogramming is not well appreciated in the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES
To determine if glycolytic reprogramming participates in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis and assess the therapeutic potential of glycolytic inhibition in treating lung fibrosis.

METHODS
A cell metabolism assay was performed to determine glycolytic flux and mitochondrial respiration. Lactate levels were measured to assess glycolysis in fibroblasts and lungs. Glycolytic inhibition by genetic and pharmacologic approaches was used to demonstrate the critical role of glycolysis in lung fibrosis.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Augmentation of glycolysis is an early and sustained event during myofibroblast differentiation, which is dependent on the increased expression of critical glycolytic enzymes, in particular, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3). Augmented glycolysis contributes to the stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α, a master regulator of glycolytic enzymes implicated in organ fibrosis, by increasing cellular levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate succinate in lung myofibroblasts. Inhibition of glycolysis by the PFKFB3 inhibitor 3PO or genomic disruption of the PFKFB3 gene blunted the differentiation of lung fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, and attenuated profibrotic phenotypes in myofibroblasts isolated from the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Inhibition of glycolysis by 3PO demonstrates therapeutic benefit in bleomycin-induced and transforming growth factor-β1-induced lung fibrosis in mice.

CONCLUSIONS
Our data support the novel concept of glycolytic reprogramming in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis and provide proof-of-concept that targeting this pathway may be efficacious in treating fibrotic disorders, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.


All the results on semigroups obtained using only sets, can be written in an abstract form in a more general setting. Let us consider a recent paper to justify what we say. The bi-interior ideals of semigroups introduced and studied by M. Murali Krishna Rao in Discuss. Math. Gen. Algebra Appl. in 2018, follow for more general statements about ordered semigroups. The same holds for every result of this sort on semigroups based on right (left) ideals, bi-ideals, quasi-ideals, interior ideals etc. for which we use sets. As a result, we have an abstract formulation of the results on semigroups obtained by sets that is in the same spirit with the abstract formulation of general topology (the so-called topology without points) initiated by Koutsk y, Nobeling and, even earlier, by Chittenden, Terasaka, Nakamura, Monteiro and Ribeiro. As a consequence, results on ordered Γ-hypersemigroups and on similar simpler structures can be obtained.


The COVID-19 pandemic raised questions about reconciling health priorities with the exercise of certain liberties and rights. Public safety has come into conflict with matters of mobility, freedom of expression, and the right to protest. How can the threat of viral transmission be reconciled with the urgency of political protests, such as in the Black Lives Matter movement? This article discusses various approaches, referring to debates in the United States and Australia, where law enforcement authorities and politicians warned against protest marches, generally citing the protection of public health as a qualifying exception. Numerous epidemiologists, while acknowledging risks, argued that a calculus of risk be deployed, citing public health as a variegated, multilayered concept. A similar balancing act was deployed in Australian courts. Such reasoning led to accusations that public health science had been politicized. Striking the balance remains a pragmatic approach to holding such gatherings during times of pandemic.


The aim of this study is to present a new method for determining the root-derived extracellular acid phosphomonoesterase (EAPM) activity fraction within the total EAPM activity of soil. EAPM activity was determined for roots, organic and mineral soil. Samples were collected using paired PVC cylinders, inserted to a depth of 15 cm, within seven selected forest stands. Root-derived EAPM formed between 4 and18% of the total EAPM activity of soil from forests of differing maturity. A new approach, presented in this work, enables separation of root-derived EAPM activity from total soil EAPM. Separation of root-derived EAPM from soil provides a better understanding of its role in P-cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The method presented in this work is a first step towards the separation of root- and microbe-derived EAPM in soils, which are thought to possess different kinetic properties and different sensitivity to environmental change.


The study was carried out to assess the effect of investing strategies on wealth creation in Uganda. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the study adopted correlational and cross-sectional designs on a sample of 96 respondents. Data analysis was carried out at univariate, bivariate and multivariate. Univariate analysis involved use of percentages and descriptive statistics in particular the mean, bivariate was carried out using correlation and multivariate analysis was carried out using regression. The study found out that investment strategies had a significant positive effect on wealth creation. The investment strategies included investment in estates, company shares, income generating businesses, higher qualifications, business partnerships who provide profitable services. It was therefore concluded that Investment strategies which were made matched with the low wealth creation. The study recommended that employers both in private sector and public civil services should enhance the remuneration of employees such that they have some money to spare for investment in order to generate wealth, the government of Uganda should help to train the people in investment, and policy makers in Uganda should design policies that encourage investment to help people create wealth.


Biomass and biomass-derived carbohydrates have a high extent of functionality, unlike petroleum, which has limited functionality. In biorefinery applications, the development of methods to control the extent of functionality in final products intended for use as fuels and chemicals is a challenge. In the chemical industry, heterogeneous catalysis is an important tool for the defunctionalization of functionalized feedstocks and biomass-derived platform chemicals to produce value-added chemicals. Herein, we review the recent progress in this field, mainly of vapor phase chemical conversion of biomass-derived C4 -C6 carboxylic acids and esters using copper-silica nanocomposite catalysts. We also demonstrate that these nanocomposite catalysts very efficiently convert biomass-derived platform chemicals into cyclic compounds, such as lactones and hydrofurans, with high selectivities and yields.


A study was performed to analyse the morphometry and morphological variants of adult scaphoid bone in Sikkimese population of North Eastern India. The study included 100 dry human scaphoid bones. The bones which had previous signs of fracture were excluded. The morphometric parameters were measured with vernier caliper of 0.02 mm accuracy; the circumferences were measured by placing a thread around them and measuring its length. A magnifying lens was used to observe the number of foramina. From our observations, 22 (44%) of the left scaphoid were having conical shape and 28 (56%) were pyramidal in shape. On the right side, 36 (72%) had conical shape and 14 (28%) were pyramidal. All the bones had waist, except one right sided scaphoid (2%) in which the waist was absent. The scaphoid had main dorsal sulcus in 63% of cases, 29% had two dorsal sulci and 6% had Y shaped sulci. The dorsal sulcus was absent in 3 cases (1 on left side and 2 on the right side). All the scaphoids had a minimum of one foramen in the main dorsal sulcus and 92% had more than one foramen. The present study has provided the additional information on morphology and morphometry of adult human scaphoid bones in north eastern population, India. We believe that the data obtained from the present study are important for the hand surgeons and radiologists. The details obtained will also be helpful for the morphologists and clinical anatomists.


Current implementations of Internet systems are very hard to be upgraded. The ossification of existing standards restricts the development of more advanced communication systems. New research initiatives, such as virtualization, software-defined radios, and software-defined networks, allow more flexibility for networks. However, until now, those initiatives have been developed individually. We advocate that the convergence of these overlying and complementary technologies can expand the amount of programmability on the network and support different innovative applications. Hence, this paper surveys the most recent research initiatives on programmable networks. We characterize programmable networks, where programmable devices execute specific code, and the network is separated into three planes: data, control, and management planes. We discuss the modern programmable network architectures, emphasizing their research issues, and, when possible, highlight their practical implementations. We survey the wireless and wired elements on the programmable data plane. Next, on the programmable control plane, we survey the divisor and controller elements. We conclude with final considerations, open issues and future challenges.


Natural disturbances are essential for dynamics of tropical rainforests, contributing to their tremendous biodiversity. In the Afrotropical rainforests, megaherbivores have played a key role before their recent decline. Although the influence of savanna elephants on ecosystems has been documented, their close relatives, forest elephants, remain poorly studied. Few decades ago, in the unique 'natural enclosure experiment' on Mount Cameroon, West/Central Africa, the rainforests were divided by lava flows which are not crossed by the local population of forest elephants. We assessed communities of trees, butterflies and two ecological guilds of moths in disturbed and undisturbed forests split by the longest lava flow at upland and montane elevations. Altogether, we surveyed 32 forest plots resulting in records of 2,025 trees of 97 species, and 7,853 butterflies and moths of 437 species. The disturbed forests differed in reduced tree density, height, and high canopy cover, and in increased DBH. Forest elephants also decreased tree species richness and altered their composition, probably by selective browsing and foraging. The elephant disturbance also increased species richness of butterflies and had various effects on species richness and composition of all studied insect groups. These changes were most probably caused by disturbance-driven alterations of (micro)habitats and species composition of trees. Moreover, the abandonment of forests by elephants led to local declines of range-restricted butterflies. Therefore, the current appalling decline of forest elephant populations across the Afrotropics most probably causes important changes in rainforest biodiversity and should be reflected by regional conservation authorities.


This study uses a sample of 34 disinflations undertaken by thirteen Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) nations to test if political institutions impact the cost of policy induced disinflations. We find, after controlling for several of the most important covariates in the literature, that disinflations are less costly for right vs left governments and that sacrifice ratios are lower for more democratic vs authoritarian governmental regimes. This is robust to different measures of government ideology as well as to alternative ways of computing the sacrifice ratio and lends support for political economy literature which argues that political institutions have significant macroeconomic effects.


Supercritical CO2 has the characteristics of low viscosity, high diffusion and zero surface tension, and it is considered as a new fluid for non-polluting and non-aqueous fracturing which can be used for shale gas development. Fracturing refers to a method of utilizing the high-pressure fluid to generate fractures in the rock formation so as to improve the oil and gas flow conditions and increase the oil and gas production. In this article, a new type of experimental system for supercritical CO2 fracturing under confining pressure conditions is designed, which is based on characteristics of supercritical CO2, shale reservoir and down-hole environment. The experimental system consists of three sub-systems, including supercritical CO2 generation system, supercritical CO2 fracturing system and data analysis system. It can be used to simulate supercritical CO2 fracturing under geo-stress conditions, thus to study the rock initiation pressure, the formation of the rock fractures, fractured surface morphology and so on. The experimental system has successfully carried out a series of supercritical CO2 fracturing experiments. The experimental results confirm the feasibility of the experimental system and the high efficiency of supercritical CO2 in fracturing tight rocks.


The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of monensin in the apparent digestibility of nutrients in diets with different levels of CP. Twenty-five castrated rams were housed in metabolism cages for 20 days and fed diets with 11.4 or 16.5% of CP (% DM) supplemented or not with 28 mg of monensin/kg of DM. Diets contained 65% of signalgrass hay (Brachiaria decumbens) and 35% of concentrate; a diet containing only signal grass hay was also fed. The concentrate of diets with 11.4% CP was composed by corn and urea while that of diets with 16.5% CP was based on corn and soybean meal. A completely randomized block design was used and treatment differences were separated by complete orthogonal contrasts. Although monensin significantly reduced the intakes of DM, OM, CP, EE, TC, NDF and TDN, no differences were observed for apparent digestibility of nutrients. Monensin also reduced fecal excretion of N but the greatest N retention was observed in animals fed diets with no supplementation. Diets with the highest CP levels also had the highest CP intake while those with the lowest CP levels showed greatest intakes of EE and TC. Dietary CP level had no significant effect on nutrient digestibility with the exception of CP and EE, which were higher on animals fed diets with high and low CP contents, respectively. The diet containing only signalgrass hay resulted in the lowest intake and digestibility of nutrients and also led to a negative N balance.


We consider the problem of recognizing ordered labeled trees by processing their noisy subsequence-trees which are "patched-up" noisy portions of their fragments. We assume that H, a finite dictionary of ordered labeled trees, is given. X* is an unknown element of H, and U is any arbitrary subsequence-tree of X*. We consider the problem of estimating X* by processing Y, which is a noisy version of U. The solution which we present is, to our knowledge, the first reported solution to the problem. We solve the problem by sequentially comparing Y with every element X of H, the basis of comparison being a new dissimilarity measure between two trees, which implicitly captures the properties of the corrupting mechanism that noisily garbles U into Y. The algorithm which incorporates this constraint has been used to test our pattern recognition system, and the experimental results obtained demonstrate good accuracy.


The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of scionsstored under various time periods on side-cleft grafting results at cacao plant.  The research used a Randomized Block design in which five storage period treatments were applied including no period of storage (control), 3 d, 6 d, 9 d, and 12 d storage periodsafter scion cutting time.  Each treatment was replicated five times resulting in 25 experimental units.  Variables observed were the percentage of living graftings, number of buds, length of buds and total leaf number of scions.  The research results showed that under 9 d and 12 d storage periods after scion cutting time, the percentage of living graftings was 53.59% and 36.41%, respectively, while much higher percentage were found in the control, 3 d, and 6 d treatments which were 79.38%, 79.38% and 70.78%, respectively.  The control, 3 d and 6 d storage period treatments were significantly affected the percentage of living scion and bud length at 30 d and 45 d after grafting.  Scions can be stored up to 6 d after cutting which support a well growth of side-cleft grafting cacao.


Purchasable chemical space has grown rapidly into the tens of billions of molecules, providing unprecedented opportunities for ligand discovery but straining the tools that might exploit these molecules at scale. We have therefore developed ZINC-22, a database of commercially accessible small molecules derived from multi-billion-scale make-on-demand libraries. The new database and tools enable analog searching in this vast new space via a facile GUI, CartBlanche, drawing on similarity methods that scale sublinearly in the number of molecules. The new library also uses data organization methods, enabling rapid lookup of molecules and their physical properties, including conformations, partial atomic charges, c Log P values, and solvation energies, all crucial for molecule docking, which had become slow with older database organizations in previous versions of ZINC. As the libraries have continued to grow, we have been interested in finding whether molecular diversity has suffered, for instance, because certain scaffolds have come to dominate via easy analoging. This has not occurred thus far, and chemical diversity continues to grow with database size, with a log increase in Bemis–Murcko scaffolds for every two-log unit increase in database size. Most new scaffolds come from compounds with the highest heavy atom count. Finally, we consider the implications for databases like ZINC as the libraries grow toward and beyond the trillion-molecule range. ZINC is freely available to everyone and may be accessed at cartblanche22.docking.org, via Globus, and in the Amazon AWS and Oracle OCI clouds.


The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are located on an isolated atoll in the Indian Ocean and have a strong Malay culture owing to the translocation of a substantial plantation workforce in the early 19th century. The atoll became one of Australia's External Territories in 1955. Meeting the marine resource needs of the atoll residents within an Australian legislative system by formulating an integrated marine management plan presented several challenges. Key factors in drafting a culturally meaningful plan were a commitment to understanding and accommodating the cultural and subsistence needs of the community, innovative communication strategies, and a simple approach to management. Development of the plan highlighted the limitations of current Australian marine planning legislation in cross-cultural settings and for sustainable development.


This work aims at two major goals: i) to estimate the position of a mobile robot under sensor and control errors; and ii) to provide a motion strategy that outputs a path so that the strategy diminishes the uncertainty about the robot's position both while the robot is moving along the output path and when the robot reaches a goal location. To diminish uncertainty, the path planning strategy switches between reference frames whenever required. We have found out that, for our sensor models, determining the robot position using a set of local reference frames generally yields a smaller position uncertainty than that associated with a global reference frame. To efficiently compute the robot path we use a greedy algorithm in a reduced search space that is able to explore several steps ahead without incurring in too high a computational cost.


The connections between the pedagogical approaches based in the use of video and the didactical models to teach the rational number are a source of great concern to the teachers of our Mathematics Education Department. The TPACK framework provides the appropriate domains and tools needed for the study of this topic. We present activities based in the use of the flipped classroom pedagogical model where the videos are well adjusted to the didactical models based in measure or in quotient. Our prospective primary school teachers were asked to design videos to present different contents to their future pupils or to watch some videos before taking the corresponding lessons. The main findings are related to the difficulties, pedagogical-technical and mathematical, showed by the students on their videos. On the one hand, they used to move from one type of activity to another with not enough explanation or presented too long videos. On the other hand, they presented activities different from the ones they were told. We have found that this video-based activities are related to problem solving strategies and bring out conceptual misunderstandings.


Growth of GaN quantum dots on AlGaN layer using [(C2H5)4]Si [TESi] by plasma assisted metal organic chemical vapor deposition (PA-MOCVD) is reported. The surface profile of the grown GaN quantum dot was determined by atomic force microscope (AFM). The typical average density of the dots is around 4 109 cm-2, while the diameter and the height of the dots are approximately 100 and 50 nm, respectively. The density and the size of the dots significantly depend on the dose of TESi. It is found that the growth mode was changed from the two-dimensional step-flow to the three-dimensional island formation by modifying the AlGaN surface energy induced by the deposited Si.


This book focuses on the influences of culture and society on human movement, such as sport, physical activity, and fitness. The text introduces and analyses current issues of importance for those concerned with human movement and culture, whether it is in the context of teaching physical education, coordinating / marketing sport and recreational programs, coaching or servicing the general population - young and old - with any form of physical activity. Incorporating interdisciplinary, cutting edge work reflecting various research paradigms including the following theoretical perspectives: sociology, psychology, history, philosophy, anthropology, women's studies as well as cultural studies. This book will deal with different aspects of movement, sports, physical activity (including physical education) and their relationship to culture. More and more people of all ages are participating in sport and physical activity, as well as the increased awareness of the positive as well as the negative effects of such involvement need serious attention. This book will educate students at institutions of higher learning about the importance of socio-cultural as well as psychological factors inf


A school liaison program that familiarized teachers with the implications of each child's brain tumor treatment with respect to learning, behavior, and socialization was implemented. The study explored the experiences of nine families and their teachers and health staff who participated in the program. The successes and challenges of the program were captured through interviews that were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim for data analysis. Individualized programs were negotiated between families and education staff to address behavioral, academic, and social needs of each child. Children were able to learn to their ability rather than be judged on the achievements of their respective grade levels. Parents reported that the program strengthened their advocacy skills and improved the children's social and learning achievements. Teachers reported an improved ability to provide more comprehensive educational programming suited to the child's needs. Overall, most children in the program achieved or exceeded their initial academic, social, and behavioral expectations. The school liaison program demonstrated significant potential to enhance the learning experience for children with brain tumors.


Current studies have demonstrated a sharp increase in human losses due to earthquakes. These alarming levels of casualties suggest the need for large-scale investment in seismic risk mitigation, which, in turn, requires an adequate understanding of the extent of the losses, and location of the most affected regions. Recent developments in global and uniform datasets such as instrumental and historical earthquake catalogues, population spatial distribution and country-based vulnerability functions, have opened an unprecedented possibility for a reliable assessment of earthquake consequences at a global scale. In this study, a uniform probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) model was employed to derive a set of global seismic hazard curves, using the open-source software OpenQuake for seismic hazard and risk analysis. These results were combined with a collection of empirical fatality vulnerability functions and a population dataset to calculate average annual human losses at the country level. The results from this study highlight the regions/countries in the world with a higher seismic risk, and thus where risk reduction measures should be prioritized.


Whole genome sequencing of several metazoan model organisms provides a platform for studying genome evolution. How representative are the genomes of these model organisms for their respective phyla? Within nematodes, for example, the free-living soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a highly derived species with unusual genomic characters, such as a reduced Hox cluster (Curr. Biol., 13, 37-40) and the absence of a Hedgehog signaling system. Here, we describe the recent loss of a DNA methyltransferase-2 gene (dnmt-2) in C.elegans. A dnmt-2-like gene is present in the satellite model organism Pristionchus pacificus, another free-living nematode that diverged from C.elegans 200-300 million years ago. In contrast, C.elegans, Caenorhabditis briggsae and P.pacificus all contain an mbd-2-like gene, which encodes another essential component of the methylation system of higher animals and fungi. Cel-mbd-2 is expressed throughout development and RNA interference (RNAi) experiments result in variable phenotypes. In contrast, Cbr-mbd-2 RNAi results in paralyzed larval or adult worms suggesting recent changes of gene function within the genus Caenorhabditis. We speculate that both genes were part of an ancestral DNA methylation system in nematodes and that gene loss and sequence divergence have abolished DNA methylation in C.elegans.


Abstract Objective: To examine the persistence with rapid-acting insulin (RAI) and its association with clinical outcomes among elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: This observational, retrospective cohort study analyzed RAI persistence and its association with change in glycated hemoglobin A1c and risk of severe hypoglycemia among elderly (≥65 years) Medicare beneficiaries with T2D who added RAI to their basal insulin regimen. Results: Among T2D patients with >1 RAI prescriptions (n = 3927), only 21% were persistent. Baseline factors positively associated with RAI persistence (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]) were: age ≥75 vs. 65–74 years: 1.20 (1.01–1.43); use of ≥3 oral antidiabetes drugs: 1.63 (1.16–2.28); cognitive impairment: 1.34 (1.03–1.73); and A1C >9.0%: 1.58 (1.15–2.17). Elderly T2D patients having emergency department visits (0.73 [0.59–0.91]) and higher RAI out-of-pocket costs (≥$75 vs. $0 – <$6.40: 0.56 [0.44–0.70]) were less likely to be persistent. Persistent RAI users had a significantly higher reduction in A1C (beta coefficient [standard error]): −0.24 (0.10) and lower odds of severe hypoglycemia (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]): 0.73 (0.53–0.99). Conclusion: Among elderly T2D patients, persistence with RAI added to basal insulin was associated with improved glycemic control and lower risk of severe hypoglycemia. Despite treatment effectiveness, RAI persistence was poor and might be improved by reducing RAI out-of-pocket costs.


Tuberculosis remains as one of the main cause of mortality worldwide due to a single infectious agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The aroK-encoded M. tuberculosis Shikimate Kinase (MtSK), shown to be essential for survival of bacilli, catalyzes the phosphoryl transfer from ATP to the carbon-3 hydroxyl group of shikimate (SKH), yielding shikimate-3-phosphate and ADP. Here we present purification to homogeneity, and oligomeric state determination of recombinant MtSK. Biochemical and biophysical data suggest that the chemical reaction catalyzed by monomeric MtSK follows a rapid-equilibrium random order of substrate binding, and ordered product release. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) for binding of ligands to MtSK provided thermodynamic signatures of non-covalent interactions to each process. A comparison of steady-state kinetics parameters and equilibrium dissociation constant value determined by ITC showed that ATP binding does not increase the affinity of MtSK for SKH. We suggest that MtSK would more appropriately be described as an aroL-encoded type II shikimate kinase. Our manuscript also gives thermodynamic description of SKH binding to MtSK and data for the number of protons exchanged during this bimolecular interaction. The negative value for the change in constant pressure heat capacity (ΔCp) and molecular homology model building suggest a pronounced contribution of desolvation of non-polar groups upon binary complex formation. Thermodynamic parameters were deconvoluted into hydrophobic and vibrational contributions upon MtSK:SKH binary complex formation. Data for the number of protons exchanged during this bimolecular interaction are interpreted in light of a structural model to try to propose the likely amino acid side chains that are the proton donors to bulk solvent following MtSK:SKH complex formation.


This paper examines the tourism imaginaries constructed from the host perspective. While there are many kinds of research look at the tourism issue from the interaction between the host and guest, in this paper, we would like to propose an examination of the response between the hosts themselves in terms of constructing tourism imaginaries for their areas. There are two field sites in Indonesia that we will elaborate in this paper. First is Siak, a district famous for their Malay culture, as previously it was a Sultanate. However, there are many other ethnicities lives in the district, like Javanese. The second site is Singkawang, an acclaimed diversely harmonious district who also have many ethnicities. Moreover, Singkawang is more known for their Chinese culture. From those situations, the two field sites have commonality in terms of ethnically diverse area with only one cultural entity is being prominent. Our research shows that tourism imaginaries constructed by prominent communities are responded differently by certain communities in the host themselves. Being unfit with prominent tourism imaginaries, a certain community in Siak is making a self-commodification in terms of constructing their own imaginary, while another community in Singkawang is responding to the situation by doing negotiation. For this paper, we will elaborate more on the interaction in-between hosts regarding tourism imaginaries for their area. Furthermore, we would like to give more consideration on the study of interaction in tourism between the host itself, as the anthropology of tourism should already move from the study of global tourism imaginaries made by the west to the non-west to the situation happened between host itself. Keywords: Host, Negotiation, Self-Commodification, Tourism Imaginaries


for the first time; and from the medical profession, to which much is given in this scheme, much will be required. I am informed that in the city of Manchester the inspection work is under the Education Committee, and apart from the sanitary work of the city, and yet-though there must be contact-there seems not to be rivalry or clashing between the separate authorities. In this instance at least, then, Dr. Munro's prophecy seems not to have been fulfilled. My excuse for writing on the subject is that there seems a danger of the medical inspection of school children being treated with less seriousness than its vast and far-reaching importance demands.-I am, etc,


We present a knowledge-based distribution concept for sesxch problems that ot~ex no natural way to determine several agents to cooperate in finding a solution. Systems based on our teamwork method use four types of agents: Experts and specialists use heuristics to generate results that are possible parts of solutions, referees judge the experts and their results determining the most promising ones and a supervisor collects these promising results to generate new problem descriptions that converge to a solution of the initial problem. The main difficulty of distributed systems, the communication overhead, is dealt with by restricting the work of referees and the supervisor to short so-called team meetings that interrupt the work of experts and specialists. The competition and cooperation of experts sad specialists in this framework allow for synergetic effects that generate better and faster solutions to the search problems. We demonstrate these effects for instantiations of two very different kinds of search problems, automated theorem proving and optimization problems.


Background Communication between the gut microbiota and the brain is primarily mediated via soluble microbe-derived metabolites, but the details of this pathway remain poorly defined. Methylamines produced by microbial metabolism of dietary choline and l -carnitine have received attention due to their proposed association with vascular disease, but their effects upon the cerebrovascular circulation have hitherto not been studied. Results Here, we use an integrated in vitro/in vivo approach to show that physiologically relevant concentrations of the dietary methylamine trimethylamine N -oxide (TMAO) enhanced blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and protected it from inflammatory insult, acting through the tight junction regulator annexin A1. In contrast, the TMAO precursor trimethylamine (TMA) impaired BBB function and disrupted tight junction integrity. Moreover, we show that long-term exposure to TMAO protects murine cognitive function from inflammatory challenge, acting to limit astrocyte and microglial reactivity in a brain region-specific manner. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate the mechanisms through which microbiome-associated methylamines directly interact with the mammalian BBB, with consequences for cerebrovascular and cognitive function. Video abstract


A technical evaluation of CO2 capture technologies when retrofitted to a cement plant is performed. The investigated technologies are the oxyfuel process, the chilled ammonia process, membrane-assisted CO2 liquefaction, and the calcium looping process with tail-end and integrated configurations. For comparison, absorption with monoethanolamine (MEA) is used as reference technology. The focus of the evaluation is on emission abatement, energy performance, and retrofitability. All the investigated technologies perform better than the reference both in terms of emission abatement and energy consumption. The equivalent CO2 avoided are 73–90%, while it is 64% for MEA, considering the average EU-28 electricity mix. The specific primary energy consumption for CO2 avoided is 1.63–4.07 MJ/kg CO2, compared to 7.08 MJ/kg CO2 for MEA. The calcium looping technologies have the highest emission abatement potential, while the oxyfuel process has the best energy performance. When it comes to retrofitability, the post-combustion technologies show significant advantages compared to the oxyfuel and to the integrated calcium looping technologies. Furthermore, the performance of the individual technologies shows strong dependencies on site-specific and plant-specific factors. Therefore, rather than identifying one single best technology, it is emphasized that CO2 capture in the cement industry should be performed with a portfolio of capture technologies, where the preferred choice for each specific plant depends on local factors.


The present study sought to investigate the effect of ripening on the antioxidant properties and phytochemical constituents of plantain, a major staple food of global consumption. This was done by measuring the total phenolics and flavonoid content of both ripe and unripe form of plantain. Moreover, the free radical scavenging, ferric reducing and iron chelating properties of both forms of plantain were also investigated. Finally, the ability of both extracts to prevent pro-oxidant induced deoxyribose degradation and lipid peroxidation in both cerebral and hepatic tissues of rat was also assessed. Results revealed that ripening depleted the total phenolics [(unripe, 16.2 ± 0.75 mg/g (GAE); ripe, 8.3 ± 0.55 mg/g (GAE)] and flavonoid [(unripe, 15.2 ± 0.45 mg/g (QE); ripe, 9.5 ± 0.21 mg/g (QE) content of plantain. Moreover, the unripe plantain extract exhibited a significantly higher free radical scavenging, iron (II) chelating and ferric reducing effect than the ripe extract. Finally, the unripe plantain extract offered a marked inhibitory effect against pro-oxidant induced deoxyribose degradation and lipid peroxidation than the ripe extract. Put together, we could suggest that the observed depletion in antioxidant properties of ripe plantain may be due to an irreversible degradation in the phytochemical constituents of the fruit as ripening progresses. This study would create a public awareness on the effect of ripening on the therapeutic potentials of plantain and serve as useful information in the global fight against degenerative diseases whose etiology has been linked to oxidative stress.

 Key words: Musa paradisiaca, free radical, oxidative stress, phytochemical, ripening.


Sharing common goals and acting cooperatively are critical issues in multiagent teamwork. Traditionally, agents cooperate with each other by inferring others' actions implicitly or explicitly, based on established norms for behavior or on knowledge about the preferences or interests of others. This kind of cooperation either requires that agents share a large amount of knowledge about the teamwork, which is unrealistic in a distributed team, or requires high-frequency message exchange, which weakens teamwork efficiency, especially for a team that may involve human members.
In this research, we designed and developed a new approach called Proactive Communication, which helps to produce realistic behavior and interactions for multi-agent teamwork. We emphasize that multi-agent teamwork is governed by the same principles that underlie human cooperation. Psychological studies of human teamwork have shown that members of an effective team often anticipate the needs of other members and choose to assist them proactively. Human team members are also naturally capable of observing the environment and others so they can establish certain parameters for performing actions without communicating with others. Proactive Communication endows agents with observabilities and enables agents use them to track others' mental states. Additionally, Proactive Communication uses statistical analysis of the information production and need of team members and uses these data to capture the complex, interdependent decision processes between information needer and provider. Since not all these data are known, we use their expected values with respect to a dynamic estimation of distributions.
The approach was evaluated by running several sets of experiments on a Multi-Agent Wumpus World application. The results showed that endowing agents with observability decreased communication load as well as enhanced team performance. The results also showed that with the support of dynamic distributions, estimation, and decision-theoretic modeling, teamwork efficiency were improved.


Simian/Human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of SIV Gag, HIVsf162 gp120/ gp41 envelope, and human CD40L are whole pseudovirion vaccines capable of eliciting both humoral and cellular immunity. We immunized four rhesus macaques by intranasal prime and four sub-cheek boosts with VLPs adjuvanted with conjugatable adjuvant lipid vesicles containing monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA), and compared their immune parameters to those in five unimmunized control macaques. Increased plasma antibody titers to SIV Gag were observed in all four immunized macaques and increased sf162 gp140 titers were observed in three of the four with one macaque (10-195) maintaining sustained anti-Env antibody levels. Compared to controls, a significant increase in memory B cells and CD4+ central memory T cells was detected in the immunized group. Among these, elevated Gag-specific CD107a membrane localization in the CD8+ central memory T cells was detected in one macaque (10-195). All nine macaques were subsequently challenged intrarectally with SHIVsf162.P3. After challenge, eight of the nine macaques became infected with SHIV, while the macaque 10-195 was protected. Another immunized macaque (10-189) that got infected but consequently generated high Gag-specific IFN- γ and CD107a CD8+ T cells; and Env-specific IL-2 and CD107a CD8+ T cells controlled virus and had undetectable levels of plasma SIV copy number by the termination of the study. Our VLPs vaccine strategy represents a promising immunogenic conformationally intact HIV vaccine that may lead to possible prevention and control of HIV infection.


Background and aims Studies have shown that very preterm infants (VPTI) have higher survival when they are born in a maternity unit associated with a high volume neonatal unit. We sought to analyse the impact of nursery volume on in-hospital mortality in Europe. Methods Data come from the EPICE (Effective Perinatal Intensive Care in Europe) project, a population-based study of VPTI born in 19 European regions over 12 months in 2012–2013. We included all live births between 24 and 31 weeks of gestation without severe congenital anomalies (n = 7383) born in 350 maternity units. Volume was defined as the number of observed admissions to the neonatal unit associated with the delivery hospital. Our outcome was death before discharge home. We assessed the impact of volume, analysed as a continuous variable, using multi-level logistic regression and considering case-mix (gestational age, sex, small for gestational age, multiple pregnancy, maternal age and parity). Results 8% of VPTI were born in maternity units with less than 10 neonatal admissions, 8% in units with 10 to 29 admissions, 11% in units with 30 to 49 admissions, 42% in units with 50 to 99 admissions and 31% in units with ≥100 admissions. After adjustment, we found a significant linear association between volume and in-hospital mortality, with an odds ratio of 0.95 (0.91–0.98) for 20 additional admissions. Conclusions VPTI born in maternity units associated with high volume neonatal units had better survival. Delivery in matenity units with larger neonatal units may contribute to improved outcomes in this population.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the toxicokinetics of N-(methylsuccinimido)anthranoyllycoctonine-type low larkspur alkaloids in beef cattle.

ANIMALS
5 Black Angus steers and 35 Swiss Webster mice.

PROCEDURES
-Low larkspur (Delphinium andersonii) was collected, dried, ground, and administered to 5 steers via oral gavage to provide a dose of 12 mg of N-(methylsuccinimido)-anthranoyllycoctonine alkaloids/kg. Steers were housed in metabolism crates for 96 hours following larkspur administration; heart rate was monitored continuously, and blood samples were collected periodically for analysis of serum concentrations of 16-deacetylgeyerline, methyllycaconitine, geyerline, and nudicauline and assessment of kinetic parameters. The LD(50) of a total alkaloid extract from D andersonii was determined in Swiss Webster mice.

RESULTS
-The alkaloids were quickly absorbed, with a maximum serum concentration achieved within 18 hours after administration. Geyerline and nudicauline coeluted as 1 peak and were considered together for toxicokinetic analysis. Mean ± SD elimination half-life was 18.4 ± 4.4 hours, 15.6 ± 1.5 hours, and 16.5 ± 5.1 hours for 16-deacetylgeyerline, methyllycaconitine, and geyerline and nudicauline, respectively. There were significant differences in maximum serum concentration, amount absorbed, and distribution half-life among the 4 alkaloids. The mouse LD(50) was 9.8 mg/kg.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
-Results suggested that clinical poisoning was likely to be most severe approximately 18 hours after exposure. Cattle should be closely monitored for at least 36 hours after initial exposure. Additionally, a withdrawal time of approximately 7 days would be required to clear > 99% of the toxic alkaloids from the serum of cattle that have ingested low larkspur.


The top quark, discovered in 1995 by the CDF and D0 collaborations at the Tevatron collider at Fermilab, is the heaviest known elementary particle today. Due to its high mass and short lifetime, the top quark plays a special role in searching for physics beyond the Standard Model. In this article, recent results of searches for new physics in the top sector, performed by CDF and D0, are presented. In particular, we discuss the search for ttbar resonances, for tj resonances, the search for heavy fourth generation quarks, for dark matter produced in association with single tops, the study of anomalous couplings, the search for boosted top quarks as well as the analysis of Lorentz Invariance violation in the top quark sector.


This paper describes an efficient and effective analytical scheme to first screen for 300 pesticides in fruit and vegetables samples using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with a commercially enhanced product ion method. Then presumed positive extracts are analysed using a quantitative and confirmatory LC-MS/MS method optimized for 55 pesticides. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method with acetate buffering (AOAC Official Method 2007.01) was used for sample preparation, which has been previously shown to yield high-quality results for hundreds of pesticide residues in foods. The advantages and disadvantages of both the qualitative screening and quantitative/confirmatory methods and their combination are critically discussed. No false-negatives for the 55 pesticides occurred above 10 ng g−1 for extracts analysed by both LC-MS/MS methods, and the no false-positives were encountered from the screening analysis (after analyst review) because all presumptive identifications were confirmed in the second analysis. The monitoring scheme was applied during a one-year period on 200 fruit and vegetable samples from Hungarian markets. No pesticide residues were found in half the samples, and twelve violations of European maximum residue limits were detected.


It is shown that, in spite of continuous pumping, chaotic lasing is suppressed in a laser with a saturable absorber operating under hard excitation conditions.


Bosnia-Herzegovina has recovered slowly from the war of 1992–1995 partly due to the fact that the Dayton Accord that ended the war created a consociational state segmented by the three majority ethnic and religious groups, the Bosniaks, the Serbs, and the Croats. These "constituent peoples" live in divided spaces, rule the country separately, and have not yet reconciled their differences, impeding the creation of national identity. Women's nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and women peacemakers are working toward reconciliation and peace through the construction of an alternative narrative to that of the government's and creating an increasingly influential civil society. These NGOs, comprised of women "victims" who became "empowered leaders," are fostering reconciliation and peace through the promotion of the human rights of five groups: (1) deceased victims of the war; (2) surviving victims of the war; (3) minority groups; (4) marginalized groups; and (5) women. By the construction of liminal space through civic art, psychosocial healing, and political action, these groups are creating a new future and building the momentum to push the country forward to a reintegrated society. Leadership of the groups is dispersed throughout the country and comprised of many ethnic groups who collaborate to meet the needs and demands of their followers, who, in effect, have created the leaders and lead inclusively with them. The chapter provides an interesting study of the power of women, who turned victimhood into social action, to build a grassroots civil society that is fostering reconciliation and peace.


Introduction: Physiotherapy is a branch of health care professionals who mainly focuses on science of movement as a treatment method. It helps patients to restore, maintain and increase their physical strength, function, motion and degree of wellbeing by focusing individual's physical issues. Physiotherapists have to be very much active about patient to achieve their expected level of recovery. Satisfaction level of patient with physiotherapy plays very important role recovery of patients disease and injury. Patient Satisfaction is considered as a complex and important component in the assessment of care quality. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted with outpatient physiotherapy departments of Ahmadabad.. Patient's satisfaction was measured with the multimodal questionnaire "Physical Therapy OutPatient Satisfaction Questionnaire". One hundred fifty nine patients screened among them ninety seven patients enrolled in the study. Questionnaire was filled and retuned by study participants. Data was analyzed using SPSS software for further results. Results: Total 23 physiotherapy clinics, centers were analyzed for the study. The mean age for available data was 39.57 and standard deviation was 12.48. For analysis of statistical calculation 95% confidence interval taken as a reference. Physio Therapy Out Patient Satisfaction Survey (PTOPS) questionnaire focuses on the domain of Enhancers, Detractors, Location, Cost. Among them 63% centers found good, patients were satisfied and 37% centers were not good and patients were not properly satisfied. Conclusion: Level of satisfaction of patient plays important role in management and speedy recovery of patient. To establish ownself as a good physiotherapist a out patient clinical department have to be fulfilled criteria's such as Enhancers, Detractors, Location, Cost.


Abnormalities in G protein-mediated signal transduction could be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). Here we test whether the GNB3 C825T variant confers susceptibility to DPN in type 1 diabetes (T1D) mellitus. The C825T marker of GNB3 was genotyped in genomic DNA from blood isolated from a total of 213 Russian T1D patients 100 of whom had DPN. Compared to carriers of the wild-type genotype C/C, diabetic subjects with genotypes T/T had significantly increased risk to develop DPN (Odds Ratio (OR) of 4.4 (p = 0.001). The adjustment for confounders (age, sex, body mass index, cigarette smoking, and level of reduced glutathione) resulted in increase of the OR value up to 4.72 (p = 8.9 × 10−3). The further adjustment for hypertension abolished the association between the GNB3 C825T variant and DPN (OR = 1.95, p = 0.18). Non-complicated subjects homozygous for T/T showed decreased levels of reduced glutathione (T/T : 69 ± 19 vs. C/T : 74±19 vs. C/C: 77 ± 17 μmol/l, p = 0.009). Compared to other GNB3 variants, carriers of the T/T genotype had elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) in complicated (T/T : 115.8 ± 9.1 vs. C/T : 113.3 ± 8.2 vs. C/C: 109.5 ± 8.7 mm/Hg, p = 0.036) and non-complicated T1D patients (T/T : 118.1 ± 8.4 vs. C/T : 116.9 ± 7.9 vs. C/C: 112.1 ± 7.2 mm/Hg, p = 0.02). However, the significance of association between the C825T polymorphism was lost after adjustment for confounding risk factors. In conclusion, the 825T allele of GNB3 is likely to accelerate the development of DPN through primary effects to SBP and hypertension in subgroups of diabetic patients with impaired neurovascular function and advanced oxidative stress.


This paper presents our latest effort on improving Code-switching language models that suffer from data scarcity. We investigate methods to augment Code-switching training text data by artificially generating them. Concretely, we propose a cycle-consistent adversarial networks based framework to transfer monolingual text into Code-switching text, considering Code-switching as a speaking style. Our experimental results on the SEAME corpus show that utilising artificially generated Code-switching text data improves consistently the language model as well as the automatic speech recognition performance.