Background: Many breast cancer survivors diagnosed during their reproductive years desire to have children after treatment and are distressed about the possibility of treatment-induced infertility. Informing patients about fertility preservation options before therapy may optimize quality of life after treatment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the information patients received about effects of therapy on fertility, early menopause, and fertility preservation options. Methods: An IRB approved cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate patient perceptions of the impact of treatment on fertility and early menopause. The survey was developed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for patients ages 18-45, with items derived from existing surveys in the literature and input from a multidisciplinary committee. We evaluated two groups of patients, one who had completed treatment and the other who was currently undergoing therapy. Surveys were mailed to 395 women who began treatment (all modalities) for breast cancer at MSKCC between 7/1/07 and 6/30/08. A second cohort of patients (n=35) completed surveys during patient visits to breast cancer medicine ambulatory clinics between 3/22/2010 and 4/8/2010. Results: The survey was completed by 159 pts. (129/395 and 30/35). At the time of diagnosis, 69% (110/159) had children and 45% (70/156) were interested in having children. 79% (123/155) reported that the impact of treatment on fertility was discussed with them before initiating therapy. A healthcare provider initiated the discussion 54% (83/155) of the time. However, only 35% (54/152) and 47% (71/150) of women felt they received an adequate amount of information about the effect of cancer treatment on fertility and menopause, respectively. Based on their ranking, patients preferred to receive fertility information in person either from their physician or a fertility specialist, or through written material. After treatment, 5 patients attempted pregnancy (7 naturally, 1 with assisted technology), yielding 8 live births. Conclusions: Many breast cancer survivors wish to have children after treatment. To optimize success, patients should be adequately informed about the effects of therapy on fertility, early menopause, and options for fertility preservation. These findings are informing an institution-wide fertility program. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-14-08.


ABSTRACT Paralytic strabismus in children is rare, occurring in about 0.1% of children. This rate is far less common than the 3% rate usually noted for comitant strabismus. The relative rates of ocular motor pareses were fourth nerve palsies in 36%, sixth in 33%, third in 22%, with multiple ocular motor nerve palsies in 9%. In a single population series from Minnesota, few cases were associated with neoplasm. However, institutional case series reports a high rate of neoplasm for acquired third nerve and sixth nerve palsies after excluding trauma and congenital causes. Tumor is rare in children with fourth cranial nerve palsies, usually associated with other neurologic disease. Rare causes of external ophthalmoplegia, to be considered when the motility pattern is variable or not fitting an ocular motor nerve pattern, include myasthenia gravis and congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles. Myasthenia most often presents as ptosis with exotropia. Rarer still is involvement of the extraocular muscles in childhood thyroid disease.


The year 2000 marked the 300th anniversary of the birth of Gerard Van Swieten (1700-1772). He reformed medicine in Vienna, putting new emphasis on diagnosis based on clinical observation in combination with anatomical-pathological findings. This led to the introduction by Leopold Auenbrugger (1722-1809) of percussion in the examination of thoracic organs. However, further work by Joseph Skoda (1805-1881) was required to finally establish this method as a diagnostic tool for pathologies in the thorax. The surgeon Franz Schuh (1804-1865) carried out further basic research in respiratory physiology that cleared the way for the use of percussion and auscultation in thoracic surgery. He is also remembered for introducing experimental surgery in Austria, thus making surgery a science. This article aims to recall these men and their fundamental work behind early paracentesis of the thorax, and especially the first successful pericardiotomy by Schuh 160 years ago, which is also considered a milestone in cardiac surgery.


This research was conducted to determine what factors may affect the firm value in the mining companies, because the company has a main objective to increase the firm value. Factors examined are internal factor. This research uses Profitability, Solvability, Asset Growth, and Sales Growth as independent variable and firm value as dependent variable. The results show that: Profitability, Solvability, Asset Growth, and Sales Growth simultaneously effect the firm value. Individually, Profitability and Sales Growth have no significant effect to Firm Value with regression coefficient (B) for Profitability is 0.19 and Sales Growth is 0.003, while Solvability and Asset Growth have significant effect to the Firm Value with B of Solvability is 0.463 and Asset Growth is -0.022.


Tolerance to levarterenol was developed in 18 dogs. It was observed that at the end of 3 hr the mean dose received by these animals was 13.3 µ/kg/min; initially, only a dose of 1–2 µ/kg/min was necessary to maintain an induced arterial pressure of 30–40 mm Hg above the normal. Using the fluorometric assay devised by Shore, the blood level of histamine was found to increase from an initial level of 47.8 ± 5.9 (se) µ/liter to a concentration of 89.6 ± 7.5 (se) µ/liter at the end of the 3-hr infusion of levarterenol. Levarterenol tolerance was also developed in animals whose histamine content had been previously depleted by 48/80. These dogs required an initial average dose of 3.97 µ/kg/min and a final average dose of 6.26 µ/kg/min. In another series of investigations, levarterenol was administered simultaneously with 48/80, and it was found that the dose of levarterenol was directly related to the blood level of histamine. The evidence indicates that levarterenol release histamine and that this release histamine exerts an influence on tolerance development to this pressor amine.


Large, carnivorous mammals often break their teeth, probably as a result of tooth to bone contact that occurs when carcasses are consumed more fully, a behaviour likely to occur under conditions of food stress. Recent studies of Pleistocene predators revealed high numbers of teeth broken in life, suggesting that carcass utilization and, consequently, food competition was more intense in the past than at present. However, the putative association between diet and tooth fracture frequency was based on a small sample of large, highly carnivorous species. In the present study, a greater diversity of extant carnivorans is sampled, including insectivorous, omnivorous, and carnivorous forms, ranging in size from weasels to tigers. Species that habitually consume hard foods (bones, shells) had the highest fracture frequencies, followed by carnivores, and then insectivorous and/or omnivorous species. Predator and prey sizes were not associated with tooth fracture frequency, but more aggressive species did break their teeth more often. Comparison of the modern sample with five Pleistocene species confirms the previous finding of higher tooth breakage in the past, although some extant species have fracture frequencies that approach those of extinct species. Thus, the Pleistocene predator guild appears to have been characterized by relatively high levels of competition that are rarely observed today. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 96, 68‐81.


Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe complication of sepsis; however, no effective drugs have been found. Activation of the nucleotide-binding domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a major pathogenic mechanism of AKI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Autophagy, a process of intracellular degradation related to renal homeostasis, effectively restricts inflammatory responses. Herein, we explored the potential protective mechanisms of dexmedetomidine (DEX), which has confirmed anti-inflammatory effects, on LPS-induced AKI. Methods AKI was induced in rats by injecting 10 mg/kg of LPS intraperitoneally (i.p.). Wistar rats received intraperitoneal injections of DEX (30 µg/kg) 30 min before an intraperitoneal injection of LPS. Atipamezole (ATI) (250 µg/kg) and 3-methyladenine (3-MA) (15 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally injected 30 min before the DEX injection. Results DEX significantly attenuated renal injury. Furthermore, DEX decreased activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and expression of interleukins 1β and 18. In addition, autophagy-related protein and gene analysis indicated that DEX could significantly enhance autophagy. Finally, we verified the pharmacological effects of DEX on the 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Atip and 3-MA significantly reversed the protective effects of DEX. Conclusions Our results suggest that the protective effects of DEX were mediated by enhanced autophagy via the α2-adrenoreceptor/AMPK/mTOR pathway, which decreased activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Above all, we verified the renal protective effects of DEX and offer a new treatment strategy for AKI.


Background: There is good evidence that cancer-specific patient outreach improves rates of cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screening. However, it is unclear how primary care practices should implement integrated outreach for all 3 types of cancer screening. We aimed to understand whether integrated outreach using mailed letters or phone calls were more effective at increasing screening uptake in a primary care organization. Method: We conducted a pragmatic randomized trial comparing outreach by mailed letter or personalized phone call for patients overdue for cervical, breast, or colorectal cancer screening. The study was conducted at 6 clinics within an academic primary care organization in Toronto, Canada. Our primary outcome was an uptake of at least 1 screening test for which the patient was overdue. Our primary analysis was an intention-to-treat, unadjusted comparison of proportions, using a χ2 test. We also compared costs per additional patient screened. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results: A total of 3733 females and 1537 males were randomized to receive 1 of the interventions. Among women, 33.0% allocated to receive a reminder letter and 41.2% allocated to receive a reminder phone call received at least 1 screening test for which they were due (absolute difference, 8.1%; 95% CI, 5.1%–11.2%, P < .001). Among men, 24.8% allocated to receive a reminder letter and 28.8% allocated to a reminder phone call received screening for colorectal cancer (absolute difference, 4.1%; 95% CI, −0.4% to 8.5%, P = .073). For women and men, the letters cost approximately CaD $5.07 and CaD $7.16, respectively, for each completed screening test compared with CaD $8.71 and CaD $12.00 for the phone calls. Conclusions: Phone calls were more effective than mailed letters at increasing uptake for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screening among women. However, phone calls were more expensive than letters. Primary care practices should consider integrating phone call reminders into their practice, possibly as part of a targeted or staged approach to outreach for cancer screening.


We present an analytical approach to random lasing in a one-dimensional medium, consistent with transfer matrix numerical simulations. It is demonstrated that the lasing threshold is defined by transmission through the passive medium and thus depends exponentially on the size of the system. Lasing in the most efficient regime of strong three-dimensional localization of light is discussed. We argue that the lasing threshold should have anomalously strong fluctuations from probe to probe, in agreement with recent measurements.


Crystallite-bearing glass spherules (<200 µm diam) are associated with North American microtektites in a Caribbean deep-sea core (RC9–58). X-ray and chemical data indicate that the crystalline phase is clinopyroxene (probably augite). The clinopyroxene-bearing spherules are similar in composition to bottle-green, high-magnesium microtektites. It appears that the clinopyroxene-bearing spherules were formed by the same event that produced the North American tektite strewnfield ∼35 m.y. ago.


Magnetic field fluctuations in Extrap T1 plasma discharges are studied with internal and external arrays of pick-up coils. Statistical methods are employed to determine the spatial structure of the fluctuating modes. The discharge evolution is divided into two phases with different fluctuation characteristics. During start-up, dominatly m=0,1, low-n modes are seen. The poloidal harmonics are well correlated and correspond to horizontally-polarized perturbations. These fluctuations modes are attributed to variations of the toroidal equilibrium position. In the subsequent quasi-stationary stage mainly turbulent activity is observed. The experimental mode spectra are compared with a circular cylinder geometry, ideal MHD model. The stability calculation for the quasi-stationary phase gives comparable growth rates for many m-modes, which is qualitatively consistent with the measurements.


Maritime safety and security require a constant surveillance of the traffic at sea, and several human actors are in charge of this control. Potential risks alerts, suspicious vessels and description of the situation are managed by visual surveillance systems. But these systems do not provide real analysis tools for maritime traffic data. Geovisualization and visual analytics have shown to be very efficient to handle big sets of heterogeneous data, and to make knowledge discovery easier to users. But advanced visual analytics environment can appear to be too complex to be used, according to user's skills. Surveillance tasks need to be formalized for having proper analysis tools. In our research toward user's skill adapted geovisualization, we propose here a study of visual surveillance tasks in maritime surveil-lance in a high-level taxonomy. Spatialization of the data will be processed according to these tasks, for proposing adequate visualization methods.


A capacitor-loaded coupled loop structure is investigated for wireless power transfer at 6.78 MHz for a target transmission distance of 1 m. It is shown that the optimal configuration for this structure occurs when the coupled loops are coplanar. Therefore, by converting thick wires into wide strips, a planarized configuration can be achieved. Simulation results are verified in measurement, which shows a 60% overall power transfer efficiency at 1 m. The contribution of different loss mechanisms is examined. Next, power transfer efficiency in the presence of dielectric materials is investigated in simulation and measurement. Additionally, tuning capabilities that arise from the implementation of variable capacitors are shown. Finally, design space exploration is performed to examine design tradeoffs.


A new all-digital background calibration method, using a piecewise linear model to estimate the stage error pattern, is presented. The method corrects both linear and nonlinear errors. The proposed procedure converges in a few milliseconds and requires low hardware overhead, without the need of a high-capacity ROM or RAM. The calibration procedure is tested on a 0.6-mum CMOS pipeline analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which suffers from a high degree of nonlinear errors. The calibration gives improvements of 17 and 26 dB for signal-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) and spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR), respectively, for the Nyquist input signal at the sampling rate of 33 MSample/s. The calibrated ADC achieves SNDR of 70.3 dB and SFDR of 81.3 dB at 33 MSample/s, which results in a resolution of about 12 b.


This qualitative study of six Indigenous youth HIV prevention peer educators is presented to help understand how Indigenous youth perceive HIV/AIDS education. The research used a semi-structured questionnaire as a guide to conducting in depth individual interviews. The research followed decolonizing methodologies to explore the views of peer educators about the HIV/AIDS education they delivered, and the issues around perceptions of infection and risk. It examines the youth's views on peer education, the importance of cultural revitalization in relation to health education and how peer education can be most effective. This study has included examples of programs with marginalized communities in several parts of the world and compared them with Indigenous experiences in Canada, in order to develop an understanding and recommendations of the most effective approaches in Indigenous youth health interventions. There have been very few research studies on Indigenous youth involvement in STD interventions. Indigenous youth have only been marginally included in the design of most of the social programming they receive, even though they have the unique knowledge, skills, language and cultural perspective necessary to reach their peers. HIV infection is on the rise with Indigenous youth because of historical and ongoing socio-economic and political inequities. Therefore, it is crucial that young Indigenous people be welcomed as integral participants in the strategies for improving Indigenous health.


Tamm‐Horsfall protein (THP) binds strongly to complement 1q (C1q), a key component of the classical complement pathway. The goals of this study were to determine whether THP altered the activation of the classical complement pathway and whether the carbohydrate portion of THP was involved in this glycoprotein's binding to C1q and alteration of complement activation. The ability of THP to prevent complement activation in diluted serum or plasma incubated at 37°C was assessed using both a haemolytic assay with antibody‐sensitized sheep RBC and a C4d ELISA. Both these methods showed that THP inhibited activation of the classical complement pathway in a dose‐dependent manner. Glycosidases were used to remove most of the carbohydrate from THP. This partially deglycosylated THP bound human IgG with a higher affinity (K D1 = 1.4 nmol/L; K D2 = 0.31 μmol/L) than did intact THP (K D1 = 33.4 nmol/L; K D2 = 31.0 μmol/L). An ELISA showed that removal of carbohydrate from THP reduced, but did not eliminate, the ability of this protein to inhibit binding of C1q to intact THP. Haemolysis assays using antibody‐sensitized sheep RBC showed that removal of THP carbohydrate eliminated the ability of THP to protect against complement activation. In conclusion, THP inhibited the activation of the classical complement pathway that occurred in diluted serum or plasma. The carbohydrate moieties of THP appeared to be important in this inhibitory activity.


The academic literature on Australian Indigenous health and well-being suggests an overwhelming need for education to alleviate 'lifestyle' diseases and social dysfunction. Yet, the socio-cultural diversity of Australian Aboriginal communities provides a challenging landscape for efficacious and long-lasting support processes. The 'Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up!' (UJTU) programme is facing these issues from an innovative perspective. 'Thumbs up', addresses health and well-being in remote Aboriginal communities from the ground up by engaging in music education programmes with the youth of the community, which subsequently filters through to the broader community. Based on an analysis of the effectiveness of a 'Thumbs Up' case study, this article will present preliminary recommendations for working with Australian Indigenous youth and their broader communities through facilitated musical activities. Informal learning frameworks, which incorporate music-making shared between educators and community members, are shown to be a constructive means of engaging the youth and empowering them in the management of their health and well-being.


While recent advances in computing/communications technology have enabled the development and managed evolution of large scale system of systems (SoS) applications, lessons learned from industry indicate that these projects are not always successful. A key problem is the lack of a formal framework from which the development and management of SoS architectures can be studied. This paper describes the key ingredients and approaches to formal analysis that we believe will end up in this architectural infrastructure.


Background Linezolid is the first oxazolidinone available for clinical use. Linezolid is indicated in the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Streptococcus pneumoniae; and complicated skin and skin structure infections without concomitant osteomyelitis, caused by MRSA, Streptococcus pyogenes, or Streptococcus agalactiae; Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium infections; uncomplicated skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-susceptible only) or Streptococcus pyogenes. To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain their effectiveness, linezolid should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria. When culture and susceptibility information are available, they should be considered in selecting or modifying antibacterial treatment. Purpose To evaluate the appropriateness of linezolid prescribing in our hospital. Material and methods Retrospective study of patients treated with linezolid from January 2013 to April 2014 who continued with linezolid at discharge. Demographic and clinical data included age, sex, previous treatment, indication for linezolid, duration, side effects, antibiogram and clinical outcome. Results 69 patients were treated with linezolid (median age 67.4 years, 47/69 male). Median days with treatment was 20.41. The indication was the most prevalent infection of the skin and soft tissues (36/69 patients). In 42% of cases, indications did not conform to those adopted by the regulatory agency. Linezolid treatment was used as directed (38/69) mainly against coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Clinical cure was obtained in 57/69 of cases, and microbiological cure in 36/69. Treatment-related adverse reactions were reported In 2 patients. Thrombocytopenia, classified as conditional by the modified Karch-Lasagna algorithm, forced the discontinuation of linezolid and change to amoxicillin/clavulanate. A pruritic urticarial rash resolved with hydroxyzine. 3 patients died during the infectious episode. Conclusion The effectiveness and safety of linezolid is similar to that described in the assays. Off-label use and the large number of empirical treatments mean that treatment strategies should be developed. References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.


The ability to analyze and interpret enormous amounts of data has become a prerequisite for success in allied healthcare and the health sciences. Now in its 11 th edition, Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences continues to offer in-depth guidance toward biostatistical concepts, techniques, and practical applications in the modern healthcare setting. Comprehensive in scope yet detailed in coverage, this text helps students understand—and appropriately use—probability distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, variance analysis, regression, correlation analysis, and other statistical tools fundamental to the science and practice of medicine.


The seminal plasma (SP) is the liquid component of semen that facilitates sperm transport through the female genital tract. SP modulates the activity of the ovary, oviductal environment and uterine function during the periovulatory and early pregnancy period. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted in the oviduct (oEVs) and uterus (uEVs) have been shown to influence the expression of endometrial genes that regulate fertilization and early embryo development. In some species, semen is composed of well-separated fractions that vary in concentration of spermatozoa and SP composition and volume. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different accumulative fractions of the porcine ejaculate (F1, composed of the sperm-rich fraction, SRF; F2, composed of F1 plus the intermediate fraction; F3, composed of F2 plus the post-SRF) on oEVs and uEVs protein cargo. Six days after the onset of estrus, we determined the oEVs and uEVs size and protein concentration in pregnant sows by artificial insemination (AI-sows) and in non-inseminated sows as control (C-sows). We also identified the main proteins in oEVs and uEVs, in AI-F1, AI-F2, AI-F3, and C-sows. Our results indicated that although the size of EVs is similar between AI- and C-sows, the protein concentration of both oEVs and uEVs was significantly lower in AI-sows (p < 0.05). Proteomic analysis identified 38 unique proteins in oEVs from AI-sows, mainly involved in protein stabilization, glycolytic and carbohydrate processes. The uEVs from AI-sows showed the presence of 43 unique proteins, including already-known fertility-related proteins (EZR, HSPAA901, PDS). We also demonstrated that the protein composition of oEVs and uEVs differed depending on the seminal fraction(s) inseminated (F1, F2, or F3). In conclusion, we found specific protein cargo in oEVs and uEVs according to the type of semen fraction the sow was inseminated with and whose functions these specific EVs proteins are closely associated with reproductive processes.


Objective: To investigate the effect of using different food simulant materials on the shear bond strength
(SBS) of orthodontic bracket after Icon application. DESIGHN: Laboratory study. SETTING: Pediatric
dentistry, Orthodontics & Prevention dentistry department, Dentistry College, Kufa University & department
of materials, Technology university.
Methods: Metal brackets were bonded to 48 extracted premolars and were randomly arrange for three
categories with 16 teeth for each, revealing the storage solutions, which were distilled water, 50% aqueous
ethanol (alcoholic food), and corn oil (fatty food). Then each category was split for two subgroups, with 8
teeth describing Icon application, all specimens are immersed in their corresponding food simulants for 30
days. After the completed proposed time, the specimens were debonded by using an Instron apparatus to test
the SBS. Results: Results showed significantly diminished the bond strength of orthodontic adhesive after
holding the specimens for 30 days in the food simulants specially ethanol (highest for 50% ethanol, less for
corn oil & least for D.W). Icon categories showed higher SBS rather than non-Icon categories. Conclusion:
Application of Icon on enamel will increase the bond strength & the food simulating agents especially food
and rinses containing ethanol could influence the orthodontic bond strength which causes bond failure so
that the clinicians should inform their patients concerning their possible adverse effects and complications.


We used the lung ultrasound score (LUSS) to analyze the ultrasound images and assess the lesions and aeration loss in 12 lung regions of 11 COVID-19 neonates born to mother with COVID-19 and 11 age- and gender-matched controls. In the COVID-19 group, 132 regions were reviewed and 83 regions (62.8%) detected abnormalities. Compared with controls, COVID-19 neonates showed more increased B-lines (83 regions), abnormal A-lines (83 regions), abnormal pleural line (29 regions) and subpleural consolidation (5 regions). among which 49 regions (37%) were normal, 73 regions (55%) scored 1, and 10 regions (8%) scored 2. The LUSS was significantly higher in COVID-19 group. All the lesions were bilateral, multiple regions involved, and mainly located in bilateral lower lobes and right middle lobe. The intra-observer and inter-observer reproducibility of LUSS were excellent. Lung ultrasound is a noninvasive and convenient method for the assessment of neonatal COVID-19 pneumonia and presents typical signs. LUSS provides valuable semi-quantitative information about the lesion distribution and severity.


In 2007, the National Academy of Scholars (NAS) published The Scandal of Social Work Education, a report contending that social work education had become politicized to the extent that "dogma, tendentiousness, and coerced intellectual conformity were becoming integral to the definition of the field" (NAS, 2007a, p. 4). Comparing contemporary social work education "against traditional academic ideals of open-inquiry, partisan disengagement, and intellectual pluralism," the report concluded, "the results are scandalous" (NAS, 2007b, p. 1). Is it true, as the NAS report suggested, that social work education is characteristically dogmatic and doctrinaire, occasionally compromising students' first amendment rights and subverting "the intellectual foundations on which the modern university is based--the honest, rigorous, and, to the extent possible, open-minded search for truth" (NAS, 2007b, p. 1)? Unfortunately, I believe it is. Tenaciously held but critically unexamined beliefs also corrupt the scientific process in social work and allied fields. Researchers may act (consciously or unconsciously) in ways that reinforce their ideological biases. "True believers" ignore empirical findings at odds with their beliefs or artfully reinterpret even the most damning results in terms that support their favored positions. Prevailing paradigmatic accounts of social problems and proponents of those accounts frequently close off some avenues of inquiry altogether, particularly in cases in which new theories and data might undermine entrenched and politically useful perspectives. Several key areas of research related to human sexuality provide useful examples of the stultifying effects of rigid ideological beliefs on scientific progress. CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE (CSA) Susan Clancy ignited a firestorm of criticism with the publication of her book The Trauma Myth (2009), a research-based polemic repudiating the traumatogenic theory--the dominant theory in the CSA area for nearly 40 years. The traumatogenic theory purportedly explained the manner by which CSA produces adverse long-term consequences and was founded on three key assumptions: long-term effects of CSA are primarily a function of trauma experienced at the time of abuse; effects of such trauma on functioning later in life are direct in nature; and CSA varies in the extent to which it is traumatizing, with greater severity of trauma leading to more deleterious long-term outcomes (Clancy, 2009). Clancy cited her own research and that of other investigators to argue that most victims of CSA were not subjected to violence or otherwise traumatized at the time of their victimization but, rather, typically experienced feelings of confusion. She also identified a far greater role for indirect than for direct effects of CSA on functional outcomes in adulthood. Once victims fully appreciated the nature of their CSA experiences (usually in adolescence or young adulthood), they frequently reported that they felt betrayed by the abuser, blamed themselves for the abuse, and felt ashamed of their involvement in the CSA event(s). Disclosures of CSA were often greeted with disbelief or minimization of the effects or nature of the reported abuse, or the victim was outright blamed for the abuse. Clancy (2009) contended that although the traumatogenic theory has done much to heighten society's awareness of CSA, it has done little for victims--in part because it does not accurately characterize the nature of most victims' abuse experiences or the processes by which CSA produces adverse outcomes in adulthood: First, and most obviously, sexual abuse, for most victims is not [a] traumatic experience when it happens. Second, clearly the harm sexual abuse causes is not direct and immediate; before it begins to damage victims, it has to be understood ("reconceptualized") and that often occurs many years after the actual abuse. …


English language is gradually becoming the world's lingua franca, and the social media has broken all barriers to human connections and divides. The world has indeed become an e-village with social media as the platform and English language as the medium. This study examined the use of perceived self-efficacy in the conscious effort to keep to correctness in the use of English language by students of tertiary institutions in Kwara State, Nigeria. 1500 participants were drawn from seven tertiary institutions in the State consisting of two Universities, two Polytechnics, two Colleges of Education and one School of Nursing. Questionnaire was used to collate data that was analyzed using standard deviation, Mean, t-test and ANOVA statistical instruments. The study found that students generally deplore self-efficacy in their communication in English language on social media, and significance difference doesn't occur on the basis of gender, differences in institutions of learning and at the level of different courses students study. The study recommends the inclusion of English use on social media in the course outline of the General Use of English programmes of tertiary institutions and an inclusion of language proficiency evaluation on social media to instill consciousness on students. Keywords: English language, Self-efficacy, Social media, Use of English, Correctness


The purpose of the study described in this chapter is to demonstrate how gender stereotypes can be uncovered in language teaching, whilst refining the notion of 'critical cultural awareness' through the concepts of 'ideology' and 'essentialism'. The research was located in the British Higher Education sector and consisted of three case studies replicated with different groups of learners totalling 68 final year honours undergraduates learning the Spanish language. It focused on bringing views of Hispanic gender identities to the fore as a consciousness-raising pedagogical strategy through the reading of a short story about the experiences of two women from the impoverished suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The research comprises documentary data (students' diaries) and conversational data (class discussions, oral presentations and interviews). The chapter describes the teaching approach and the ways in which students reacted and responded to the literary text. It also provides empirical evidence of what 'critical cultural awareness' means in this study with suggestions of how it can be pedagogically developed. The results of the study indicate that when literature is used as a consciousness-raising resource, it can lead to an increased awareness of ethnocentric views and the impact that these can have on intercultural relationships.


Background Arterial remodeling reflects adaptation of the vessel wall to mechanical and hemodynamic stimuli and contributes to the progression of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tensile stress (TS) is one of the mechanical properties of the artery wall. We sought to investigate the effects of carotid viscoelasticity on its tensile stress (TS) in different age subjects.Methods Forty-five subjects were recruited and divided into the group1 (≥50 years old) and the group2 (<50 years old) according to the median age. The carotid arteries were examined by ultrasonography, including shear wave elastography (SWE), shear wave dispersion (SWD) and radiofrequency (RF) technologies. The values were obtained, including the carotid elastic modulus (SWE R ) and viscous index (SWD R ), as well as the peak and mean TS of the left and right carotid arteries (L-PTS, R-PTS, L-MTS and R-MTS). The correlations between SWE R , SWD R and tensile stress were investigated, respectively.Results In the group1, the carotid arteries had lower SWE R and SWD R than those in the group2 (SWE R , [10.29±9.57] kPa vs. [17.24±14.07] kPa; SWD R [11.99±3.51] (m/s)/kHz vs. [13.97±3.71] (m/s)/kHz, all P values < 0.05). In addition, the R-PTS was also lower in the group 1 ( P <0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the carotid SWE R was positively correlated with tensile stress. R -values for R-PTS, R-MTS, L-PTS and L-MTS were r =0.218, r =0.359, r =0.209 and r =0.369, respectively (all P <0.05). However, the carotid SWD R was not significantly associated with TS.Conclusion Ultrasonic shear wave imaging could be used to quantitatively assess carotid viscoelasticity. The carotid TS was related to its elasticity while little related to its viscosity, suggesting that mechanical properties of the arterial wall might be better revealed.


ABSTRACT What are the current challenges and opportunities for bringing actor-network theory (ANT) into issues-based science education? This article discusses experiences gained from introducing an educational version of ANT deploying digital technology into an upper secondary school science class. This teaching innovation, called controversy mapping, has been pioneered in different contexts of higher education before being adapted to school education. Experimenting with controversy mapping in a Swedish science class raised both conceptual and practical issues. These centre on: (1) how ANT-inspired controversy mapping redesigns the citizenship training enacted by institutionalized approaches to issues-based education as socioscientific issues (SSI); (2) how controversy mapping reconfigures the interdisciplinarity of issues-based science education; and (3) how controversy mapping displaces scientific literacy and knowledge of the nature of science as guiding concerns for teaching in favour of new preoccupations with digital literacy and digital tools and methods as contemporary infrastructures of free and open inquiry.


Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the use of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) is increasingly widespread. Since the masks' wetness can reduce its filtering capabilities, the World Health Organization advises to replace the FFRs if they become too damp, but currently, there is no practical way to monitor the masks' wetness. A low-cost moisture sensor placed inside the FFRs could discriminate a slightly damp mask from a wet one, which must be replaced. In this letter, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag exploiting an auto-tuning microchip for humidity sensing is designed and tested during an ordinary working day and a physical exercise. The tag returns about 1 unit of the digital metric every 3 mg of water generated by breathing and sweating, and it can identify excessively wet masks from commonly used ones.


We would like to draw attention to this new publication on the topic of purity and religious traditions in the Ancient Mediterranean World. Despite the large scope of this work, many contributions deal with purity in the Greek world. Great attention deserves also the contribution of J.F. Quack on purity in Egyptian religion, which will suscitate the interest of scholars in Hellenistic and particularly Ptolemaic religion. Purity and the Forming of Religious Traditions in the Ancient Mediterra...


To further assess the reliability of the Shtrasburg method for detection of amyloid A in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues and to expand the spectrum of the amyloid proteins analyzed by this method, we studied formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded amyloid-containing tissues obtained from patients with the following types of amyloidosis: amyloid A, light chain, transthyretin, calcitonin, beta2 microglobulin, and senile seminal vesicle. The tissue samples were deparaffinized, processed, and subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the Western blot technique. Only specimens from patients with amyloid A amyloidosis gave protein bands: a single 8.5-kd band in lanes of all tissues studied, except thyroid tissue, which displayed two bands of about 5 and 10 kd. Other types of amyloid failed to show any protein band. These findings suggest that the Shtrasburg method is sensitive, specific, and reliable and may have an important role in the diagnosis of amyloidosis.


This study investigates the effect of oxidatively modified low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) on the biomechanical properties of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). We show that treatment with OxLDL results in a 90% decrease in the membrane deformability of HAECs, as determined by micropipette aspiration. Furthermore, aortic endothelial cells freshly isolated from hypercholesterolemic pigs were significantly stiffer than cells isolated from healthy animals. Interestingly, OxLDL had no effect on membrane cholesterol of HAECs but caused the disappearance of a lipid raft marker, GM1, from the plasma membrane. Both an increase in membrane stiffness and a disappearance of GM1 were also observed in cells that were cholesterol-depleted by methyl-β-cyclodextrin. Additionally, OxLDL treatment of HAECs embedded within collagen gels resulted in increased gel contraction, indicating an increase in force generation by the cells. This increase in force generation correlated with an increased ability of HAECs to elongate and form networks in a three-dimensional environment. Increased force generation, elongation, and network formation were also observed in cholesterol-depleted cells. We suggest, therefore, that exposure to OxLDL results in the disruption or redistribution of lipid rafts, which in turn induces stiffening of the endothelium, an increase in endothelial force generation, and the potential for network formation.


BACKGROUND
Nurses are in key positions in the healthcare system to provide, monitor, and manage the care delivered to their patients. In 2005, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative was launched to redefine quality and safety competencies for pre-licensure nursing education. It is imperative that nurses are graduating with the full spectrum of the QSEN competencies to practice in today's healthcare environments.

AIMS
The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the research about student nurses' perceptions of their abilities to perform the six QSEN competencies and to determine the effect of integrating the QSEN content in their courses, clinical placements, or simulation experiences.

METHOD
A systematic review of the literature was conducted to retrieve published studies from CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science, and ERIC using the search terms of Quality and Safety Education for Nurses, QSEN, QSEN competencies, nursing student, and student nurse. The studies that were included in this review were assessed by both authors independently using standardized critical appraisal tools.

RESULTS
Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: four descriptive, one quasi-experimental, and two mixed-methods designs. Overall, pre-licensure nursing students perceived patient-centered care as the most discussed and quality improvement as the competency least reviewed in their curricula. Students reported to be most prepared to perform patient-centered care skills and least prepared to perform quality improvement skills.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION
Revisiting the integration of the quality improvement competency into nursing curricula can increase nursing students' understanding of this QSEN competency. More research with sufficiently powered sample sizes, valid and reliable tools measuring outcomes of interventional studies, and attention to quality and rigor is needed to assess graduating students' understanding of the QSEN competencies.


In the present study, we aimed to investigate the possibility of CZTS as a low-cost inorganic hole transport material (HTM). Hitherto, numerous researchers have reported the synthesis of CZTS nanoparticles (NPs) in specific atmospheric conditions. In the present study, the CZTS NPs were synthesized under ambient conditions by a sol–gel method. Furthermore, the effect of aging time on the size of NPs was studied by altering the aging time (3, 6 and 12 h). The size of the NPs was measured using a DLS Nano Zetasizer. Additionally, the size of the NPs was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. The smallest size of 400–500 nm was achieved by 3 h of aging. Furthermore, in the present study, an SnCl2-doped perovskite (CH3NH3Pb1−xSnxI3−yCly) was synthesized. The as-prepared CZTS NPs were applied as a low-cost eco-friendly HTM to replace the expensive and volatile (toxic) conventional spiro-MeOTAD in perovskite solar cells (PSC). In order to apply CZTS NPs as an HTM in PSC, nanoink was prepared by dispersing CZTS NPs in methanol. The combination of a CZTS NPs and SnCl2-doped perovskite (CZTS-PVSK) is reported for the first time. Additionally, for comparison, spiro-MeOTAD as an HTM-based PSC was also fabricated. A promising solar cell efficiency of 9.66% was achieved by CZTS-perovskite solar cells with a marginally higher stability. Hence, the present study demonstrates the great potential of CZTS as a low-cost, environmentally friendly HTM in PSCs.


Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a progressive intestine inflammatory disease that is prone to recur. Herein, we utilize microarray technology and bioinformatics to reveal the underlying pathogenesis of UC and provide novel markers. Colonic biopsies were taken from eight UC patients and eight healthy controls. Three differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMIs) and 264 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using mRNA and miRNA microarray. Most DEGs were significantly associated with immune response and were markedly enriched in the IL-17 signaling pathway. Among the target genes of DEMIs, PHLPP2 overlapped with DEGs and the downregulation of PHLPP2 group was mainly involved in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition. PHLPP2 was downregulated in UC patients, which was validated in 5 GEO datasets and qRT-PCR. The ROC curve demonstrated that PHLPP2 has a perfect ability to distinguish UC patients from healthy controls. Moreover, PHLPP2 was low expression in patients with active UC. CIBERSORT algorithm indicated that the abundance of gamma delta T cells (P = 0.04), M0 macrophages (P = 0.01), and activated mast cells (P < 0.01) was significantly greater than that of the control group. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that PHLPP2 was positively correlated with the proportion of activated NK cells (rho = 0.62, P = 0.013) and Tregs (rho = 0.55, P = 0.03), but negatively correlated with those of activated mast cells (rho = −0.8, P < 0.01) and macrophages (rho = −0.73, P < 0.01). These results indicate that PHLPP2 is associated with immune cells in the pathogenesis of UC, as well as provide new prospects and future directions of investigation.


We study how socioeconomic conditions, especially relative household income, affect self-assessed health. We use a random effects generalized ordered probit model with data from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) to test for heterogeneity in how people assess their health. The results show that individuals with high relative income are less likely to report poor health, but they are also less likely to report extremely good healthy. Although SAH capture many aspects of health elements, it might be biased on some socioeconomic features.


Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the expression of collagen I and III in fibrotic bone marrow (BM) in different pathologies. Background: A wide variety of benign conditions and malignant disorders are associated with BM fibrosis. BM fibrosis can be demonstrated by histochemical staining using silver impregnation or by trichrome stains. Immunohistochemical stains, especially anticollagen I and III, are also used for more accurate assessment of BM fibrosis. This study demonstrates the expression of collagen I and III in fibrotic marrow in different pathologies. No clinical data, prognosis , survival were mentioned in this study and so the impact was not investigated. Materials and methods: In this study 50 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded BM biopsy samples were selected from archived cases at the Clinical Pathology Department, Cairo University. These 50 cases included seven cases with myeloproliferative neoplasms, 14 with lymphoproliferative disorders, three with acute leukemia, four with metastasis, and 22 with reactive BM changes. Cases were divided into two groups according to the Masson's trichrome staining pattern: the fibrotic group, which included 13 cases, and the nonfibrotic group, which included 37 cases. The included cases were subjected to reticulin and trichrome stains, in addition to assessment of collagen I and III expression by immunohistochemistry. Results: As regards collagen I and III staining grades, grade 4 was significantly higher in the fibrotic group, whereas grade 0 was significantly higher in the nonfibrotic group. Conclusion: Collagen I and III are markedly expressed in fibrotic marrow and marrow fibrosis; in particular, collagen fibrosis appears to be more evident in myeloproliferative neoplasms and in tumor metastasis to the BM.


This article reports the findings of a study with university foreign language students, which employed ethnographic interview techniques as a pedagogical tool to promote positive attitudes toward speakers of the language studied. Informed by the theory of culture as process, the National Language Resource Center (LARC)1 at San Diego State University trained elementary-level university Spanish students to conduct ethnographic interviews in preparation for a cross-cultural project that was integrated into the course curriculum and class requirements. Quantitative and qualitative results indicate that the project enhanced student attitudes toward the study of Spanish as well as their understanding of their own culture and the culture of local Spanish speakers. Furthermore, by learning and conducting ethnographic interviews, students practiced formally the life skill of active listening. In addition to providing a review of relevant literature and research findings, this article describes a program for implementing ethnographic interview techniques in the foreign language classroom.


This conference presentation was delivered at 'Tourism and the Shifting Values of Cultural Heritage: Visiting Pasts, Developing Futures', held in Taipei in 2013. The conference was organised by Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage and National Taiwan University, in association with UNESCO's UNITWIN international network for cultural tourism development.
This paper addressed the issue of site presentation at heritage mining sites. Oakley identified the similarities between modes of presentation given alternative names and rationales, arguing that these rely on a common visual aesthetic of decay, which is actively but covertly maintained for audiences.
The paper was underpinned by field research conducted at preserved mining sites and related heritage destinations in California, Alaska, northern Sweden, Cornwall and Wales between 2008 and 2012. The research methods were primarily participant-observation, interviews and informal discussions with staff on site, augmented by digital and library research.
Oakley argued that the appearance of dereliction at such sites relied on extensive and continual interventions on the part of site managers to support underlying site narratives linked to wider cultural constructions. These interventions are tangential or run counter to dominant conservation conventions. They are, however, key to the successful reception of such sites by visitors, who value the experience of encountering apparent abandonment and decay. The introduction of a novel term – 'contrived dereliction' – foregrounds the actions entailed by, and rationale behind, this type of presentation. These outputs offer a new perspective on practices currently being frequently employed, yet rarely acknowledged, in heritage mining site management.
Oakley presented an early version of this argument, titled 'A mine of information', at the 2010 European Archaeological Association annual conference held in The Hague as part of the 'Reanimating industrial heritage' panel.


ABSTRACT Marine algae produce a variety of glycans, which fulfill diverse biological functions and fuel the carbon and energy demands of heterotrophic microbes. A common approach to analysis of marine organic matter uses acid to hydrolyze the glycans into measurable monosaccharides. The monosaccharides may be derived from different glycans that are built with the same monosaccharides, however, and this approach does not distinguish between glycans in natural samples. Here we use enzymes to digest selectively and thereby quantify laminarin in particulate organic matter. Environmental metaproteome data revealed carbohydrate-active enzymes from marine flavobacteria as tools for selective hydrolysis of the algal β-glucan laminarin. The enzymes digested laminarin into glucose and oligosaccharides, which we measured with standard methods to establish the amounts of laminarin in the samples. We cloned, expressed, purified, and characterized three new glycoside hydrolases (GHs) of Formosa bacteria: two are endo-β-1,3-glucanases, of the GH16 and GH17 families, and the other is a GH30 exo-β-1,6-glucanase. Formosa sp. nov strain Hel1_33_131 GH30 (FbGH30) removed the β-1,6-glucose side chains, and Formosa agariphila GH17A (FaGH17A) and FaGH16A hydrolyzed the β-1,3-glucose backbone of laminarin. Specificity profiling with a library of glucan oligosaccharides and polysaccharides revealed that FaGH17A and FbGH30 were highly specific enzymes, while FaGH16A also hydrolyzed mixed-linked glucans with β-1,4-glucose. Therefore, we chose the more specific FaGH17A and FbGH30 to quantify laminarin in two cultured diatoms, namely, Thalassiosira weissflogii and Thalassiosira pseudonana, and in seawater samples from the North Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Combined, these results demonstrate the potential of enzymes for faster, stereospecific, and sequence-specific analysis of select glycans in marine organic matter. IMPORTANCE Marine algae synthesize substantial amounts of the glucose polymer laminarin for energy and carbon storage. Its concentrations, rates of production by autotrophic organisms, and rates of digestion by heterotrophic organisms remain unknown. Here we present a method based on enzymes that hydrolyze laminarin and enable its quantification even in crude substrate mixtures, without purification. Compared to the commonly used acid hydrolysis, the enzymatic method presented here is faster and stereospecific and selectively cleaves laminarin in mixtures of glycans, releasing only glucose and oligosaccharides, which can be easily quantified with reducing sugar assays.


The work presented here aims at producing hydrogen for proton-exchange fuel-cell applications from hydrocarbons. This thesis describes an integrated catalytic converter comprising a steam-reforming reactor (heat of reaction supplied by catalytic combustion), a water-gas shift reactor and a preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide reactor, and the work performed on the fuel processing catalysts therein.

The first section describes the fuel processing unit itself and its performance. A number of hydrocarbons were used as feedstock, both gases (methane, natural gas, propane) and liquids (methanol, ethanol, kerosene). The reactor system was optimised concerning the steam-to-carbon ratio in the reformer, steam to carbon monoxide in the water-gas shift, oxygen to carbon monoxide in the preferential oxidation etc. The reactor system performed according to specifications, achieving 106 % of the 10 Nm3/h of hydrogen that it was designed for (natural gas as feedstock), with good emission control (carbon monoxide below 10 ppm and methane acceptable). The reactor performed satisfactorily with the other feedstocks (methane, propane, methanol, ethanol and kerosene) as well. The reactor start-up behaviour was investigated and the start-up time from fuel-feed to reformate with less than 20 ppm carbon monoxide was lowered from 30 to 20 min by using partial oxidation/auto-thermal reforming during start-up. A long-term experiment with a 3 Nm3/h of hydrogen unit showed acceptable performance for the ~500 h it was run.

The second section deals with the fuel-processing catalysts used, starting with the steam-reforming catalyst. There has been work performed both on nickel- and noble-metal-based catalysts. By doping the nickel-based catalysts with rare earth metals, the sulphur resistance was improved as well as the regenerability of the catalysts. The regenerability of the nickel-based catalysts was also improved by substitution of nickel into a hexa-aluminate structure. The improvements in the sulphur tolerance of the nickel-based catalysts were, however, not great enough and this, in association with lower activity, made noble-metal-based catalyst the choice for the steam reformer. Various noble-metal-based catalysts were manufactured and evaluated, and one of them showed both good initial activity and was stabile under the reaction conditions, even compared to a commercial catalyst formulation.

In the water-gas shift, a Pt-based CeO2 catalyst was investigated, a catalyst with high initial activity and susceptible to a high initial rate of deactivation. The catalysts were characterized by H2 and CO temperature programmed reduction, and the gas species with the highest impact on the rate of deactivation was concluded to be carbon monoxide. It was also concluded that the rate of deactivation was counteracted by the presence of water. The catalyst was stabilised in various ways both by adding dopants to the active phase and to the CeO2-based carrier. The stabilisations resulted in a more stabile catalyst with equal or higher initial activity. Doping with tungsten (W) had a positive effect on the Pt/ CeO2 catalyst whilst doping the CeO2 with zirconia had the greatest impact. The regeneration behaviour of the catalyst was investigated and it was shown that steam and soft oxidation in air had a regenerative effect. The sulphur tolerance of the catalyst system was also investigated and the results show that the catalysts are affected by sulphur; even in as low concentrations as 3 ppm, but that the effect is reversible. The discussion takes up the various deactivation mechanisms proposed for this system in the literature and conclusions are drawn concerning proposed deactivation mechanisms etc.

Several noble-metal-based catalysts were investigated for their activity, selectivity and susceptibility to side reactions in the selective oxidation of carbon monoxide in hydrogen-rich streams. A total of 15 catalysts were tested, 5 different noble metals mounted both on NiO and CoO and on γ-alumina. The catalyst showing the best activity/selectivity was Pt mounted on CoO and this was further investigated and characterised. It was shown that as the activity increased with increased Pt cluster size, the selectivity reached a maximum and this information was used to make predictions about a sample run on-stream for 1000 h. This sample showed high activity but poor selectivity, leading to the conclusion that a growth of Pt crystallite size is a possible reason for catalyst aging. By using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy with X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy and a high-angle annular dark-field detector it was concluded that there were Pt particles on the larger CoO particles. These Pt particles were concluded to be the ones causing increased activity and selectivity.

The major conclusion of this study is that it is possible to produce fuel-cell-quality hydrogen by using an integrated catalytic approach to reactor design. By using this design and the developed catalysts described, it is also possible to achieve good power density of the system (1 kWe/dm3 of reactor volume, including water gas shift and preferential oxidation reactor).


This paper reports the effect of electrode pressure in spot welding. In this experiments, electrode pressure has been investigated as a factor affecting temperature rise in spot welding, and to find the effect of pressure some experiment have been performed.The results were as follows ;i) Pressure controls the deformation of metals, so in spot welding electrode pressure affects the conditions of the contact surface. And its effect results temperature rise.ii) Not only the initial electrode pressure but also the pressure during welding affects the extent of melt.iii) It is neccessary in order to determine the proper electrode pressure that the mechanical properties of the metal are known.


Multi-core processors represent major evolution in computing hardware technology. Multi core provides a network parallel image processing applications and security with more processing power from the hardware prospective. However, there are still significant software design challenges that must be overcome, In this paper , we present new architecture for multi-core supported network parallel applications, which aims at providing network parallel processing with out causing performance penalty in the normal network operations. While hardware based parallelisms have shown their advantage on throughput performance, parallelisms based multi-core with parallel algorithm for median filters and security which provides more flexible, high performance, comprehensive, intelligent, and scalable solutions to network parallel applications.


This study was aimed at identification of the values, grounding educational practices in the school as an organization in the context of a learning organization, and how employees perceive them. For the research of organizational values 170 teachers of Kaunas city schools were interviewed. Questionnaire was based on dimensions of organizational values determined by Glomseth, R., Gottschalk, P. & Hole A. S. (2010), who constitute a scale of 21 bipolar values with the additional statements reflecting learning organization issues. The project LangOER 2013 – 4107 / 001 – 001); (No. 543239-LLP1-12013-LV-KA2-KA2NW (the Faculty of Public Security at Mykolas Romeris University is the partner in a Consortium led by the Fryske Academy in the Netherlands) enabled approaching Lithuanian teachers with the question about the relation between learning in organizations and the values behind learning. The research data allow to conclude that teachers perceived their organizations as potentially learning organizations, but also the barriers for the development of the school into a learning organization can be identified.


This study was performed to detect viral pathogens between the years of 2003-2004 in potato growing areas of Nigde and Nevsehir provinces by using serological and biological methods. In the course of survey, leaf and tuber samples were collected randomly from symptomatic and non-symptomatic plants. These samples tested for PVX ( Potato X potexvirus ), PVY ( Potato Y potyvirus ), PVS ( Potato S carlavirus ), PVA ( Potato A potyvirus ), PVM ( Potato M carlavirus ) and PLRV ( Potato leafroll luteovirus ) by using DAS-ELISA and mechanical inoculation. PVY, PVS, PVX, PVA and PLRV viruses were detected in both potato leaves and tubers by using DAS-ELISA method in Nigde and Nevsehir. These viruses were detected as single or mix infections. Beside single infections like PVX, PVY, PVS and PLRV, mix infections like PVY+PVS, PVY+PLRV, PVY+PVS+PLRV, PVS+PVA and PVY+PVA were also encountered as complex infections. When PVS inoculated to Chenopodium amaranticolor, C. quinoa, Nicotiana tabacum cv. Maden, N.t. cv White Burley, N.t . cv. Xanthi, N. glutinosa, Capsicum annuum, Datura stramonium test plants, some symptoms such as; mosaic, with bubble mosaic, mottling, vein clearing, vein banding, leaf distortion, chlorotic and necrotic local lesion were observed on leaves. The over all disease incidence was calculated as 32.35 % for 2003 and 34.05 % for the year 2004.


A multiphase-field model previously proposed by the authors is reformulated in a thermodynamically consistent form and extended to multicomponent systems. The phase-field and diffusion equations, derived from a free energy functional, are compared to those postulated in the previous model in the limit of a binary alloy. The constraint of local quasiequilibrium, which is equivalent to the postulate of equal diffusion potentials for coexisting phases, is deduced from a variational principle. Solute partitioning and evaluation of the thermodynamic driving force for phase transformation are done by numerical minimization of the free energy of the multiphase system using the Calphad approach. A local extrapolation scheme which enhances the computational efficiency for complex numerical simulations of technical alloys is presented. It is shown that this extrapolation scheme, used in a "multibinary" approximation, reproduces the former model without restriction to dilute solutions.


We consider nonlinear perturbations of control systems with linear dynamics and seek to analyze whether the approximately reachable set may be left unchanged by this perturbation. Under suitable conditions it is shown that this analysis may be reduced to the presumably simpler analysis of such invariance for a family of aane perturbations. Interest centers on the context of innnite dimensional state spaces so the system may, for example, correspond to a hyperbolic or parabolic partial diierential equation.


Abstract:Youth relationships with nature are profoundly influenced by their day-to-day interactions with people and places. Here, we explored whether abrupt spatial restrictions imposed by COVID-19 lockdowns impacted how/where youth relate with nature. We compared "story maps" created by two groups of youth—before and during lockdown—which combined geographically referenced locations, images, and descriptions about relationships with nature, supplemented by follow-up surveys. Our findings indicate that youth relationships with nature are dynamic, responding to changing circumstances, environments, and needs. Specifically, during lockdown youth were more likely to find fulfillment and respite in nature, value lasting associations, and notice nature near where they live.


This Article describes the development of conditions for cleaving silicon-oxygen bonds using catalytic quantities of fluoride at neutral pH in mixed organic-aqueous solutions that contain buffer. A variety of silicon protecting groups can be removed under these conditions, which show tolerance for acid- and base-sensitive groups. A modified procedure also is presented using catalytic fluoride in anhydrous dimethyl sulfoxide-methanol, which generates primarily volatile silicon byproducts.


Despite half a century of research on both domestic violence and elder abuse, homicide of older people by a partner or family member (domestic homicide (DH)) remains largely unexplored. This article presents data drawn from a larger parent study examining homicide of older people (aged sixty and over) in the UK. This analysis is based on a subset of cases that would fall within current definitions of DH (n1⁄4221). Analysis reveals differences in DH of older men and women in relation to the perpetrator gender and relationship and differences between intimate-partner homicides and those perpetrated by other family members. Implications for research, theory and practice are discussed.


Two cDNAs encoding galecti"s named cengerins I and II from the skin mucus of conger eel (Cbnger myriaster) were isolated and sequenced. Comparisoll of the nucleotide sequences of congerins I and II showed that the sequence similarities of the 5' and 3' untranslated regiens (86 and 88%, respectively) were much higher than those of the protein-coding region (73%). The numbers of npcleotide substitutions per site (KN) for the untranslated regions are smaller than the numbers of nucleotide substitutions per


The publication was compiled to provide the Lithuanian reader with a comprehensive understanding of gender responsive economic initiatives. It provides a conceptual and theoretical framework, traces the evolution of work in this area, shows how gender economics and gender analysis have been used as a tool of a more efficient allocation of economic resources. The article outlines and discusses the main gender problems and their impact into the government economic policy not only on the micro– but on the macro level too. It is the discussion about the gender responsive budget, trade liberalisation and gender impact into the trade liberalisation and gender responsive financial policy. The author concludes the integration and implementation of the gender analysis into the Lithuanian government economic policy could accelerate the sustainable economic growth and soften the consequences of globalisation process.


Two experiments are reported comparing majority and minority influence on attitudinal (opinion) vs. objective (knowledge) tasks. The hypothesis that minority influence would decline on objective items was tested by exposing subjects either to a minority or majority influence source; the question under discussion was eirher objective ('from which country does Italy import most of its raw oil?') or attitudinal ('from which country should Italy import most of its raw oil?'). Experiment 1 showed that, compared to a no-influence conrrol group, majoriries exerted a reliable influence on both objective and attitudinal issues whereas minorities were persuasive only on attitudinal issues. Experiment 2 indicated that this was true only for subjects who were uncertain of their own position, while minorities were unable to convince highly certain subjects regardless of type of task. Implications of these findings for the comparison of conformity and minority influence research are discussed.


There is considerable public policy concern over the relatively low rates of health insurance coverage among the self-employed in the United States. Presumably, the reason for the concern is that their low rates of insurance lead to worse health outcomes. We use data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey conducted in 1996 to analyze how the self-employed and wage-earners differ with respect to insurance coverage and health status. Using a variety of ways to measure health status, we find that the relative lack of health insurance among the self-employed does not affect their health. For virtually every subjective and objective measure of health status, the self-employed and wage earners are statistically indistinguishable from each other. Further, we present some evidence that this phenomenon is not due to the fact that individuals who select into self-employment are healthier than wage-earners, ceteris paribus. Thus, the public policy concern with the relative lack of health insurance among the self-employed may be somewhat misplaced.


This research revealed the phenomenon of Indonesia as a country with a demographic bonus of over 262 million population facing the challenges of the industrial revolution 4.0. There were different cases of people with the ability to catch up with this development thereby leading to shock and mental instability. Therefore, counselors need to understand this phenomenon and revisit their counseling theories in order to be optimal in helping clients (especially teenager and adult) deal with these problems. The library research method was used in this study. After the review of the works of literature as regards the concept, it was found that the flow of existentialism is being used to view humans. This, according to Albert Ellis, shows that it is not an external experience or event that causes emotionality but an understanding given to it. However, this means that the client's understanding of the challenges in the industrial revolution must be discussed in the counseling session so as to have the right perception and effective behavior. Therefore, counselors can use the life skill counseling model to help their clients.


This report is a listing of 434 species collected over a period of five years, January, 1964 to January 1969, from a borrow pit south of the town of Belle Glade, Palm Beach County, Florida.  The material is believed to be lower Pleistocene in age.  Of the 165 species of Pelecypoda, 8 species of Scaphopoda and 261 species of Gastropoda only about 15% are extinct.  The remaining 85% are found living today in Florida and Caribbean waters.  Those species marked with an asterisk are thought to be extinct.


Contemporary modes of urban governance involve a wide variety of actors. The present paper combines insights from several debates into a framework that considers the multiple sites where practices of governance are exercised and contested, various and entangled layers of relations and a broad range of practices of governance that may involve various modes of power, as well as different scales. The paper illustrates some of these complexities with an empirical study of the governance of marketplaces in Maputo, Mozambique. It shows how urban governance in a context of extensive informalisation and `democratic transition' can be highly fragmented and fluid, contesting some of the assumptions underlying Western debates on urban governance. It also questions notions of the hollowed-out state and an excessive focus on public policy.


In this review, a continuation of our in-depth coverage of natural products derived from West African medicinal plants with diverse biological activities has been given. In the previous parts of this review series, the most abundant bioactive compound classes: terpenoids, flavonoids and alkaloids from West Africa were thoroughly investigated. We now focus on the least abundant compound classes (quinones, steroids, phenolics, glycosides, and other classes), having remarkable biological activities. A correlation between the biological activities of the derived compounds and the uses of the plants in African traditional medicine has been established.


Disorder in circadian rhythm has been revealed as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Several studies in molecular biology established a gene interaction network using coronary heart susceptibility genes and the circadian rhythm pathway. However, cross talk between genes was mostly discovered in single gene pairs. There might be combination sets of genes intergraded as a unit to regulate the network. To resolve multiple variables in coronary heart susceptibility genes controlling circadian rhythm pathways, a multiple correlation analysis was applied to the transcriptome. Nine genes, including CUGBP, Elav-like family member (CELF); sodium leak channel, nonselective (NALCN); protein phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit B gamma (PPP2R2C); tubulin alpha 1c (TUBA1C); microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4); cofilin 1 (CFL1); myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7); QKI, KH domain containing RNA binding (QKI); and maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK), from coronary heart susceptibility were identified to predict the outcome of a linear combination of circadian rhythm pathway genes with R factor more than 0.7. G protein subunit alpha o1 (GNAO1), protein kinase C gamma (PRKCG), RBX, and G protein subunit beta 1 (GNB1) in the circadian rhythm pathway are characterized as combination variables to coexpress with coronary heart susceptibility genes.


Metabolomics is a new approach based on the systematic study of the full complement of metabolites in a biological sample. This technology consists of two sequential steps: (1) an experimental technique, based on mass spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, designed to profile low molecular weight compounds, and (2) multivariate data analysis. Metabolomic analysis of biofluids or tissues has been successfully used in the fields of physiology, diagnostics, functional genomics, pharmacology, toxicology and nutrition. Recent studies have evaluated how physiological variables or pathological conditions can affect metabolomic profiles of different biofluids in pediatric populations. Little is known about the overall metabolic status of the term and preterm neonate. On the other hand, the management of sick or preterm newborns might be improved if more information on perinatal/neonatal maturational processes and their metabolic background were available. At present, the use of metabolomics in Neonatology is still in the pioneering phase. Meaningful diagnostic information and simple, non-invasive collection techniques make urine a particularly suitable biofluid for metabolomic approach in neonatal medicine. Using NMR-based metabolomic analysis of urine, distinct metabolic patterns have been shown to be associated with different classes of gestational age in a population of preterm and term infants. Together with genomics and proteomics, metabolomics appears to be a promising tool in Neonatology for the monitoring of postnatal metabolic maturation, the identification of biomarkers as early predictors of outcome, the diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases and the "tailored" management of neonatal disorders.


This case report describes an anger coping program that was used with an individual who sustained a traumatic brain injury as a result of an automobile accident. A certified therapeutic recreation specialist and a neuro-psychologist implemented the program to teach coping skills as part of the client's treatment in an outpatient brain injury program. Skills taught throughout the program included: (a) identifying anger, (b) reacting to anger, (c) recognizing the boiling point, (d) coping with stress and anger, (e) discussing assertive reactions, (f) modeling assertive behavior, (g) role-playing assertive behavior, and (h) processing feelings. A review of the program indicated that the participant demonstrated an improved ability to cope with, and respond to, anger as a result of participating in the anger coping program.


This work investigates theoretically the triply differential cross sections for electron-impact ionization of He in doubly symmetric geometry, i.e. equal energies and equal emission angles for the two electrons in the final state. Dominant ionization mechanisms are identified and the contribution of different scattering amplitudes are discussed. It turns out that the cross section in doubly symmetric geometry is strongly influenced by interference of these amplitudes. In particular, the theory predicts zero cross sections due to interference under certain kinematical conditions. This explains the appearance of deep minima in the measured differential cross sections.


Football is a very popular subdivision of sports for our country, as all around the world and the money spent for football is on a large scale. In spite of this, scientific studies interested in the statistical, economical dimensions and performance evaluation for the football are scarce in our country even in the world.  One of the reasons of this is not to record football statistics in our country. FIFA statistics can be hold as a sample in this field. FIFA, holds about fifty numbers of different football statistics at player basis or team level during the World Cup matches. It is obvious that the performance of players one by one and as an entire and the team's performance is so important. The goal of this study is to pioneer for how the performance analysis is applied and how its results can be benefited in football if the statistics are recorded. Displaying the numerical size of defectiveness mathematically also helps trainers and players. On the other hand, the output oriented CCR model of data envelopment analysis and super efficiency model AP were used.


Democracies are less likely to fight wars with each other. They are also more likely to prevail in wars with autocratic states. I offer an explanation of this syndrome of powerful pacifism drawn from the microeconomic theory of the state. State rent seeking creates an imperialist bias in a country's foreign policy. This bias is smallest in democracies, where the costs to society of controlling the state are relatively low, and greatest in autocracies, where the costs are higher. As a result of this bias, autocracies will be more expansionist and, in turn, war-prone. In their relations with each other, where the absence of this imperialist bias is manifest, the relative pacifism of democracies appears. In addition, democracies, constrained by their societies from earning rents, will devote greater absolute resources to security, enjoy greater societal support for their policies, and tend to form overwhelming countercoalitions against expansionist autocracies. It follows that democracies will be more likely to win wars.


From the existing full set of international policy instruments on forests, eight core components are identified and submitted to two differing assessments. The first (consistency assessment) uses a policy design approach to match the core components with their goals, policy tools, target group preferences and justifications for the choice of goals and policy tools. The second (compatibility assessment) examines the institutional inter-linkages of the core components. Both assessments reveal a series of challenges for international forest governance that can, however, be turned into opportunities. It is proposed that the coordination of and cooperation between the representatives of forest and non-forest users be strengthened at the national, regional and international levels, under the shared overarching idea of sustainable forest management, by means of 'forests+' policies. Forests+ policies go beyond the forest sector and acknowledge both the inter-sectoral character of forest policymaking and the importance of international regimes that have a decisive impact on forests but for which forests are not the main focus of attention. (Less)


Demographic data on the sizes of local populations of Armenia and the rates of people migration were employed for prediction of genetic differentiation level using S. Wright's f-statistics. This expected value of fe was applied for approximation of the observed level of dermatoglyphic f0d and familial f0n differentiation. Both empirical estimations of f were found to be closely to each other (f0d = 0,0616, f0n = 0,0600) and fall within the limits 0,0712 greater than or equal to fst greater than or equal to 0,0580 predicted from "island" model of Armenian population structure. The present state and direction of the genetic process in Armenia is discussed in the paper with the main conclusion that the dermatoglyphics and family surnames could be used in studies of the genetic process in human population.


Streptococcus thermophilus is a common yogurt starter that consumes lactose as its primary carbon source. The enzyme β-galactosidase is essential for the lactose metabolism and the growth of this species. Streptococcus thermophilus appears to be a promising cell factory. Food-grade vectors have advantages in heterologous protein expression. This study aimed to determine whether the β-galactosidase of S. thermophilus has the α-complementary characteristic and to develop a novel food-grade vector based on this phenomenon. The N-terminal 7 to 36 AA residues of the β-galactosidase in S. thermophilus were deleted. The obtained mutant S. thermophilus Δα lost β-galactosidase activity and growth ability in the lactose medium. Subsequently, plasmids expressing α-fragments with different lengths of 1 to 36 (Sα1), 1 to 53 (Sα2), and 1 to 88 (Sα3) AA were constructed and transformed into S. thermophilus Δα. Recombinant S. thermophilus Δα expressing Sα2 or Sα3 recovered the ability to grow in the lactose medium, and their β-galactosidase activity accounted for 24.5% or 11.5% of the wild strain, respectively. These results indicated that the α-complementation system of β-galactosidase existed in S. thermophilus. Based on the characteristic, a food-grade vector pSEα was constructed. Except for Sα2, vector pSEα expressed the α-donor derived from E. coli β-galactosidase. This facilitated the construction of recombinant plasmids in E. coli DH5α and thus improved the transformation efficiency of S. thermophilus. Green fluorescent protein as a reporter protein could be highly expressed in S. thermophilus using this vector. As a result, pSEα is an efficient and safe vector for S. thermophilus with potential food applications.


The electric power system maintains a dynamic and delicate balance between generation and load in normal operation condition. A disturbance, such as a sudden change of load, a power system fault, or a trip of a large generation unit, may break the balance, cause the oscillations among the generator rotor angles and force the generators to adjust to a new operating condition. The adjustment will not happen instantaneously due to the inertia of the generator prime movers. The oscillation will cause either stable and/or unstable power swings. During a power swing, the impedance trajectory seen by a distance relay may enter the fault detection zones and cause unwanted relay operation.


The Trojan Y Chromosome strategy (TYC) is a genetic biocontrol strategy designed to alter the sex ratio of a target invasive population by reducing the number of females over time. Recently an alternative strategy is introduced, that mimics the TYC strategy by harvesting females whilst stocking males . We consider the FHMS strategy, with a weak Allee effect, and show that the extinction boundary need note be hyperbolic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a non-hyperbolic extinction boundary in mating models, structured by sex. Next, we consider the spatially explicit model and show that the weak Allee effect is both sufficient and necessary for Turing patterns to occur. We discuss the applicability of our results to large scale biocontrol, as well as compare and contrast our results to the case with a strong Allee effect.


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common blood-borne viral infection in haemodialysis. It causes significant morbidity and long-term mortality. Practice of universal precautions has been reported to be sufficient to prevent HCV seroconversion in dialysis units. However, the seroconversion rate remains very high in many dialysis units. A previous study from 1995 to 1998 at our own hospital without isolation showed that nosocomial transmission is the major cause of HCV seroconversion. The present study was therefore conducted with the aim to study the impact of isolation on HCV seroconversion. In this prospective cohort study, with non-probability consecutive sampling, patients with HCV infection were dialysed in an isolated room. In addition, standard universal precautions were practiced. HCV seroconversion rate was compared with the previous study. All patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) admitted to our hospital for renal replacement therapy were included in the present study. At the time of admission, HCV screening was done. All anti-HCV-positive patients were dialysed in an isolated room. While on maintenance haemodialysis, all patients were monthly tested for anti-HCV, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. Any patient who had HCV seroconversion was transferred to an isolated room for maintenance haemodialysis. Patients with HCV infection were managed by further testing for HCV-RNA and liver biopsy. Every patient who ultimately received renal transplantation at our hospital was also tested for HCV just prior to renal transplantation as well as 3 months after renal transplantation. HCV infection was diagnosed by detecting anti-HCV antibodies using an ELISA-based third-generation diagnostic test kit. Serum bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were assayed using standard laboratory techniques. From March 2003 to February 2006, 1,417 patients were admitted for haemodialysis in our unit. Of these 1,077 (76%) had ESKD. Mean age of patients was 42.47 ± 16.2 (14–94) and 70.39% were males. Patients with ESKD had had more dialysis sessions (10.9 ± 39.5 vs. 4.4 ± 5.95, p = 0.009), more blood transfusions and more pre-existing HCV infections (4.72 vs. 1.5%, p = 0.009) than patients with acute renal failure. Of the ESKD patients, 65.7% were discharged, 9.47% died, 1.85% were shifted to chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and 22.46% patients received renal transplantation. Of the patients who received renal transplantation, HCV seroconversion was detected in 2.75%. In the previous study without isolation practices, the HCV seroconversion rate in transplanted patients was 36.2%. The hazard of HCV seroconversion was 0.97 (95% CI 0.93–1.02, p = 0.2) for each additional dialysis and 1.09 (95% CI 0.88–1.36, p = 0.37) for each additional blood transfusion. The study concludes that isolation of HCV-infected patients during haemodialysis significantly decreases the HCV seroconversion rate.


This paper examines a major social cleavage—sex—in its changing relationship to policy preferences, as this relationship shapes and is shaped by political parties and the partisan attachments of men and women in American society. Some social cleavages come almost pre-packaged in these regards, as with social class and social welfare or racial background and civil rights. Others have less immediate but equally insistent implications, as with religious denomination and cultural values. Though all three leave substantial room for further impacts from political parties and party attachment.
Sex is less obvious in its expected relationships.
Better data coupled with an analytic framework designed to address the changing relationship between social cleavages and policy preferences by way of partisan attachment allow a fresh approach to sex as a social cleavage in American politics.


Summary In children, acute respiratory distress (ARD) is a clinical presentation requiring emergency management, including mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilators are lacking in sub-Saharan Africa. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is an alternative form of non-invasive respiratory support that has been used in high-income countries for over four decades. Its use in sub-Saharan Africa is, however, limited and often restricted to neonates. Controlled trials in Ghana have shown that the use of CPAP in children younger aged 1–12 months reduces 2-week all-cause mortality from ARD by 60% (RR 0·40, 0·19–0·82; p=0·01). The absolute reduction in mortality of 4% implies one infant life saved for every 25 children treated with CPAP. This paper reviews the findings of the trials in Ghana and contrasts the findings with those of trials in Bangladesh and Malawi. It makes the case that implementation research (rather than more controlled trials) is now needed to support the routine, safe and effective use of CPAP in managing ARD in older infants in district hospitals in Ghana. Funding None declared


Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic progressive scarring oral disease caused due to areca quid chewing. The constituents of areca nut can enter into the circulation by swallowing the liquid mixture of areca quid which evokes oxidative stress on RBC membrane integrity. Aims: To study the morphometric characteristics of erythrocytes under light microscopy and to assess the role of areca quid constituents on the morphology of circulating erythrocytes. Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood smears prepared from blood samples of 50 patients selected according to Lai's classification. Group I: Normal individuals (10 cases); Group II: Mouth opening > 35 mm (10 cases); Group III: Mouth opening 30-35 mm (10 cases); Group IV: Mouth opening 20-30 mm (10 cases) and Group V: Mouth opening < 20 mm (10 cases). The slides were stained with Leishman's stain and assessed by light microscopy. A total of 100 randomly selected RBCs from 5 different fields in each smear were selected and the RBC circumference was measured and tabulated. Statistical analysis and Results: Data was analyzed using GraphPad Prism 5.03 software. Tukey's multiple comparison test showed statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between groups I and IV; I and V; II and IV; II and V; III and IV; III and V. Conclusion: These results suggest the possibility of cytotoxic effect of areca quid constituents on circulating erythrocytes in advanced cases of OSMF, which might result in microcytic anaemia.


Objectives Ceylon tea is the main traditional export of Sri Lanka. Most of the workers in tea factories are females. It has been reported that these females are commonly complaining musculoskeletal pain in multiple sites of the body. However this problem has not been studied systematically. Therefore, this research was carried out with the objective of study the CWP and other musculoskeletal problems among the female tea factory workers in Akuressa, Sri Lanka. Methods This study was carried out among a random sample of female workers, working in tea factories in Akuressa, Sri Lanka. A criterion given in the "Manchester Definition" for CWP was used for the identification of CWP. Data was collected by medically qualified research assistants using a structured questionnaire. Results Four hundred female workers participated in the study. Mean age of workers was 38.25 years with the range of 19–57 years. Most (61.5%) had an education only up to grade 5. Mean duration of work in tea factories is 15.55. 24.25% of workers were found to have CWP. Back pain was the most prevalent (20.25%) individual musculoskeletal problem. Other reported problems include ankle pain (12.75%), knee pain (13.75%), neck pain (8.25%), shoulder pain (17.25%) and wrist pain (13.5%). Conclusions Female tea factory workers in Sri Lanka report a variety of musculoskeletal health problems. Almost one fourth of workers were found to have CWP. Long term follow-up studies for identify the risk factors of developing musculoskeletal problems of these workers is therefore warranted.


A 3:1 combination of 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (CMI) and 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MI) is widely used to preserve cosmetic products. We show here that CMI/MI induced apoptosis in normal human keratinocytes (NHK) as at low concentrations (0.001-0.05% documented by subdiploid DNA content and phosphatidylserine exposure, while at the highest concentration (0.1% as supplied, 15 p.p.m.) the response was necrosis. Various molecular events accompanied the cytotoxic effects of CMI/MI. Generation of ROS and hyperpolarization of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsim) were early events, followed by increased Fas expression and activation of caspase-8, and then activation of caspase-3 and -9. The drop in DeltaPsim occurred only later in the cell death pathway, when NHK showed signs of apoptosis. Pretreatment of cells for 2 h with the redox-active agent N-acetyl-L-cysteine conferred complete protection against the CMI/MI-induced cytotoxic effects, DeltaPsim loss, and apoptosis. The pan-caspase inhibitor Z-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe)-CH2F blocked the CMI/MI-induced apoptosis without preventing ROS generation and the drop in DeltaPsim. These results indicate that the generation of ROS plays an important part in mediating apoptosis and necrosis associated with CMI/MI treatment. This new aspect of the in vitro toxicity of CMI/MI may provide important information about the relationship between the preservative's in vitro apoptotic activity and its in vivo toxicity.


Correction of non-ideal effect due to a magnetic fluctuating tensor is derived from the ideal MHD equations. The inclusion of a magnetic turbulent field leads to modifications of the hydrostatic equilibrium equation and thermodynamical variables such as the temperature T, the adiabatic exponent gamma, the adiabatic temperature gradient del(ad) and the temperature gradient del. In particular, the modifications in the adiabatic and radiative temperature gradients will result in a change in the Schwarzchild criterion, hence in the location of the base of the convective zone. Incorporating the modifications, we construct a modified thermodynamical equilibrium structure of the Sun.


The article deals with the study of the formation of the prefixal and onomasiological category of Negation in Old English, Middle English, Early New English and New English Periods. The description of this category is based on the analysis of above 738 prefixal derivatives. Structural and semantic patterns have been determined as reflected in lexicographical sources of different time reference. The complex diachronical study of the English prefixal derivatives from the point of view of their word-formation potential within the onomasiological category of Negation was made. The research focuses on the structural, notional and nominative peculiarities of substantive and verbal prefixal derivatives of the onomasiological category of Negation during four periods of the English language development. It gives the possibility of analyzing the character of considerable changes in its semantic and onomasiological structures within the frame of the onomasiological category of Negation during the English language development. The main characteristics of the formation of the onomasiological category of Negation have been described upon the basis of the combinable peculiarities of prefixes with verbal and also substantive derivative bases of different lexico-semantic groups as integral components of the patterns, which are typical ones for the prefixal and onomasiological category of Negation. Thus, in the article lexical and semantic groups of derivative bases are singled out as they actively organize onomasiological categories during different time periods of English language development; structural and semantic models are outlined, the most productive are highlighted; the development of notional peculiarities of compatibility of lexical and semantic groups of verbal and substantive bases and prefixes of onomasiological category of Negation is observed.