One hundred and nine unselected patients with Acute Renal Failure (ARF) of medical aetiology were hospitalized at the Nephrological Unit of Policlinico University Hospital (Modena) during a 30-month period. ARF was considered as a rapid increase of serum creatinine > 2mg/dl over the baseline level or the doubling of pre-existing value in chronic renal failure. Mean age of patients was 67+/-17 years and median age was 72; 64.2% needing dialytic treatment. Four main causes of ARF were identified: 33 patients had reduced renal perfusion by dehydration, hypotension etc.; 20 multifactorial aetiology; 14 biopsy-investigated renal parenchymal diseases and 39 had drug-related acute renal failure (D-ARF). The clinical outcome was significantly worse in elderly patients as regard mortality (P < 0.02), chronic dialytic treatment (P < 0.04) and complete recovery (P < 0.004). The mean age of D-ARF patients was significantly greater than remaining ARF patients (72.6+/-12.8 vs 63.2+/-18.5: P < 0.004. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and ACE-inhibitors (Ace-i) caused ARF in 24 and 8 patients respectively. Elderly age, vascular disease and monoclonal gammopathy represented the main risk factors and were significantly more frequent in D-ARF patients (P<001, <0.01, <0.04 respectively). Our data confirm the high susceptibility of ageing kidneys to nephrotoxic damage caused by drugs affecting glomerular autoregulation by microvascular mechanisms. Greater attention to renal changes in ageing and an increased dissemination of preventative measures among nephrologists, could reduce the incidence of these serious and potentially lethal diseases.


Little research examines the communication work that public police do following police shootings. Based on an analysis of 85 press releases, press conferences, and media interviews after police shootings in Canada spanning 2010–2020, we analyse narrative techniques used in police communications. Contributing to literature on police image management, we examine patterns in these communications, and we also identify silences and absences. We argue police press conferences and press releases after police shootings are less oriented toward misinformation or agenda-setting and more toward risk aversion. Sixty-two percent of communications in our sample used "euphemisms," which obfuscate elements of use of force, while 31% of communications were "silent" and provided no justification for or information on the shootings. For these reasons, these communications may contribute to a sense of injustice felt by families of the victims of police shootings. Our findings may give pause to police administrators and media liaison officers who should consider what message such risk-averse communications send to families of victims, as well as to the public. In conclusion, we reflect on what these findings mean for literature on police image management.


Learning temporal causal graph structures from multivariate time-series data reveals important dependency relationships between current observations and histories, and provides a better understanding of complex systems. In this paper, we examine learning tasks where one is presented with multiple multivariate time-series, as well as a relational graph among the different time-series. We propose an L1 regularized hidden Markov random field regression framework to leverage the information provided by the relational graph and jointly infer more accurate temporal causal structures for all time-series. We test the proposed model on climate modeling and cross-species microarray data analysis applications.


Global warming has become more and more serious, which is caused by greenhouse gases. Cutting down the emission of CO2 has already become one of the major research target in the world. This study utilized a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process to separate high-purity hydrogen and to capture CO2 from synthesis gas, which is the effluent stream of water-gas-shift reactor. The purified H2 can be sent to gas turbine for generating electrical power or can be used for other energy source, whilst the CO2 can be recovered and sequestrated to reduce greenhouse-gas effects. The PSA process studied is a two stage dual-bed eight-step process at room temperature using adsorbents: modified activated carbon AC5-KS and zeolite 13X-Ca. It is assumed that the gas mixture from which water has been removed enters the PSA process. The feed gas entering the PSA process consists of 1.3 % CO, 41.4 % CO2 and 57.3 % H2. It uses the method of lines combined with upwind differences, cubic spline approximation and LSODE of ODEPACK software to solve the equations. The optimal operating condition is obtained by varying the operating variables, such as feed pressure, bed length, step time, etc. Furthermore, the first stage H2-PSA could achieve 99.98 % purity and 79 % recovery of H2 as the top product and the second stage CO2-PSA could obtain about 92 % purity and 98 % recovery of CO2 as the bottom product. By PSA process, the goal of energy generation and environmental protection could be achieved at the same time.


The focus of this thesis is energy justice and sustainability science, and the argument is based on a case study of the Inga dams. Substantial further development of hydropower is planned at the Inga dams, located on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While the project will add macro-economic benefits through the additional power, benefits are limited for people living nearby, a pattern magnified by the in-migration during dam construction. Erstwhile construction workers are now largely unemployed and therefore directly natural resource dependent, so that they stand to be affected by environmental changes when the next dam is built. The dynamics surrounding the Inga dams suggest injustice, so a study was conducted using energy justice theory to evaluate this. Field work was done along the Congo River, in Kinshasa, Boma, Inga and Muanda. The methods used were interviews, focus groups, participant mapping, a survey, transect walks and participant observation, and the data generated was analysed using open-ended qualitative coding and some descriptive statistics. The existing Inga dams were found lacking in terms of energy justice. Distributional justice is limited as, while local people at Inga receive electricity, housing and water free of charge, service provision is of varying quality and benefits follow a pattern of social stratification. On the national level, only 13.5 % of the population have electricity access, and this causes sustainability challenges. Further, justice as recognition is insufficient, as only traditional right-holders are recognised, but there are many others that are affected. Procedural justice is most severely lacking, as affected people were not consulted or compensated during construction. There are further concerns connected to the new dam that is planned, Inga 3. The primary benefit to be expected for local people is employment, and this is short term in nature. Recognition is unlikely to expand beyond traditional right-holders. There are plans for consultation and compensation, but the extent to which this will meet local expectations is not clear. As such, there are various limits to energy justice with both existing and planned dams. Nevertheless, they are perceived in strongly positive terms across study sites. Even if limited, the potential benefits of the new dam mean that local people must accept its negative impacts, a watered down version of justice. This increases their vulnerability, and highlights the importance of ensuring that the project is aligned with the principles of energy justice so it is sustainable. (Less)


White tail disease (WTD) is a serious problem in Macrobrachium rosenbergii hatcheries and nursery ponds in Asia. The causative agents have been identified as M. rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and its associated extra small virus. This is the first report demonstrating MrNV virus in M. rosenbergii displaying WTD signs in Taiwan by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Amplified fragments of 850 and 425 bp for RNA-1 and RNA-2 of MrNV, respectively, were obtained by RT-PCR. RT-PCR products of about 850 and 1121 bp for RNA-1 and RNA-2 of MrNV were also obtained using different primer pairs. The amplicons were individually cloned into pGEM-T vector and sequenced. Using this recombinant plasmid of MrNV RNA-2 as DNA template, the non-radioactive DNA probes were prepared by PCR amplification with DIG-11-dUTP. The probes were used to successfully detect MrNV infection in the striated muscle tissues of WTD-diseased prawns using in situ hybridization. The 1121 bp genomic fragment of RNA-2 of MrNV consisted of a unique open reading frame with 1116 nucleotides, and it encoded a structural protein with 371 amino acids. The nucleotide sequence of the partial genome of MrNV RNA-2 revealed a 97% identity with an Indian isolate. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the nucleotide sequence of the viral capsid gene from insect and fish nodaviruses revealed that the MrNV Taiwan isolate could be interpreted as a new genus within the family Nodaviridae. However, its position showed more affinity with Alphanodavirus than with Betanodavirus. The study confirmed the presence of MrNV infection in freshwater prawns cultured in Taiwan suffering from WTD.


Along with unprecedented urbanization in the last few decades, cities have experienced rapid social and economic transformation in China. A major challenge facing urban authorities in the immediate future is how to plan and govern cities such that they can serve as inclusive systems where everyone is enabled and empowered to fully participate in and contribute to socioeconomic life. A first step towards realizing this is to conceptualize an integrated framework that allows analysts and decision-makers to delineate, evaluate, and guide the development of these cities towards inclusiveness. In this study, we conducted a conceptual analysis of urban inclusiveness and then proposed a multidimensional framework for the evaluation of inclusive development. This is followed by the presentation of the case of Xiong'an, for which inclusive development indicators (IDIs) were selected. By comparing the state before the establishment of Xiong'an with its current development progress, and analyzing the area's management structure and policy measures, the inclusive development challenges are identified. Subsequently, suggestions are given on how to direct Xiong'an toward higher levels of inclusiveness, including offering equal access to public services and employment opportunities, preserving environmental health and sustainable use of natural resources through waste recycling, and encouraging public participation in decision-making to bring higher levels of inclusion within reach.


Mecaniques des Milieux Deformables. G. Gontier. Dunod, Paris, 1969. Illustrated. 580 pp (In French). 64 francs. This book deals with both mechanics of fluids and mechanics of solids, and is based on lectures given in higher degree courses (similar to MSc) in the Faculty of Science at Lille. The treatment is highly mathematical and has both rigour and precision. Thus the first two chapters are devoted to the algebra of matrices and tensors and to tensor calculus. These topics are treated in a very general manner; it is a pity that some physical examples are not given at this stage to help the reader who is an engineer. Unfortunately, there are no numerical examples or problems in this book. Questions of continuity and kinematics are dealt with in Chapter 3, from both the Lagrangian and Eulerian points of view. A tensor is introduced which characterises the movement of deformation of a continuous media. Some diagrams would have been helpful here to illustrate the construction of the mathematical relations. It is shown that the Mohr circle construction can be applied to a second order symmetric tensor. The deformations undergone by a body in a strained state are set out in Chapter 4 (referred to Cartesian co-ordinates), using Cauchy's theory of finite strain, and the author emphasises the conditions to be fulfilled for the deformation to be considered small, as in the classical theory of elasticity. The particular cases of both homogeneous and pure strains are considered. The significance of the compatability equations is often a cause of confusion, and a clear statement of the forms of these equations in both twoand three-dimensions would have been welcome. In Chapter 5, the fundamental laws of dynamics are set out, together with the theorems deduced from them. A tensor is defined which, at each point of the body, determines the distribution of constraint. This tensor is formulated both from the Eulerian and the Lagrangian viewpoints. This chapter ends with a "global" treatment of work and energy. It is shown that, from these general considerations, the local equation of energy can be derived and also the equation of heat for an immobile material medium. The laws governing the behaviour of isotropic materials are considered in Chapter 6, after two basic theorems on isotropic tensors have been established. The theory of Newtonian viscous fluids and that of the classical theory of elasticity is presented. Due to the generality of the treatment, the reader has to wait until p 249 before he is introduced to Hooke's law. There is a welcome treatment of non-linear effects (including the case of non-Newtonian fluids). Hypoand hyper-elastic behaviour is also discussed, as well as viscoelasticity and plasticity. The propagation of waves in gases and elastic solids, and in liquids with a free surface, is developed in Chapter 7. The author begins by investigating the laws of propagation of small disturbances in a gas initially at rest, with an example of the theory of characteristics as applied to one-dimensional motion. In elastic solids it is shown that there are both waves of dilatation and waves of distortion. The rest of this chapter deals with Hadamard's method for the propagation of waves considered as surfaces of discontinuity. In particular there is a very general mathematical treatment of shock waves (considered as waves of discontinuity of the first order). The methods by which the equations of tensor calculus may be expressed in curvilinear co-ordinates are set out in Chapter 8 (together with basic formulae for the velocity potential and stream function). The book ends with a chapter on applications of the foregoing theory, starting with simple examples (that do not warrant the complexities of tensor calculus) and ending with 70 pages on potential flow. By the time the reader has finished this book, he will know a lot about tensorial analysis but he will learn very little about the practical applications of the theory. Fortunately there are other books (in English) which enable the student to bridge this gap with much less toil—A. W. BABISTER.


Facial nerve injuries are rare complications after orthognathic surgery. A literature review shows that such damages can develop with various mechanisms and are usually transient. Two cases of delayed facial paralysis after mandibular osteotomy with spontaneous recovery are reported.


A simple high-performance decentralized controller based on Hopf oscillator is proposed for three-phase parallel voltage source inverter (VSI) in islanded Microgrid. In αβ frame, the oscillators equations corresponding output current and common bus voltage as feedbacks are designed according to coupled oscillator synchronization properties. The enough common bus information is considered to realize external synchronization, and the current feedback is to achieve internal synchronization between VSIs. Then, the controller employs Hopf evolution dynamics to integrate their both. Therefore, a larger phase error can be eliminated when additional inverter connects, and the pre-synchronization item is proposed to be close to synchronize with the operational inverters. In addition, an integrated small-signal states pace based on averaged model for two parallel VSIs is developed, and the root locus shows the large stability margin and low sensitivity of parameters. Simulation and experiment results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method in aspects of the fast dynamics response and precise current sharing performance.


In an evolved and civilized society, legal rules exist to regulate social relations. Also, there can be found along them, religious norms that stem from much later and which were printed in people's consciousness and in their lives through constant practice and moral coercion.The moral represents a form of social conscience, which reflects and sets in principles and rules the behavioral requirements concerning the relationship between individuals and between individuals and society.The Legal and the Religious Commandments are more than often assigned with the name of Rules. However, it has to be revealed a distinction between them, even if the similarity comes from their common basis which is the morality.


The human gait is the result of complex interactions between several sub-systems: neuromuscular, musculo-tendinous and osteo-articular, which work together to generate the body dynamics necessary to describe the bipedal movement. In the clinical routine, the gait analysis is the main element for identifying pathological disorders, supporting the diagnosis and facilitating a proper follow up. Traditionally, this analysis aims to establish the set of patterns that describe the dynamics of the system. However, this analysis is insufficient for some movements, especially for early stages of almost every pathological movement. The development of normal and pathological models has allowed to demostrate objective differences for each of these situations. In this article we present a summary of the models that describe the dynamics of the normal and pathological human gait, inspired by the morpho-physiology of the locomotor system. Furthermore, we perform an analysis of the effectiveness of the proposed models in the literature.


Objective: To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and to diagnose an occult HBV infection in healthy Thai subjects after implementation of the expanded program on immunization (EPI) in newborns. Material and Method: The detection of HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc was done from serum samples of 5,886 healthy first year students from Huachiew Chalermprakiet University collected between 2009-2011 by immunochro-matography rapid assay (Alcon, USA). In case of only anti-HBc positive, the results were confirmed with chemiluminescence enzyme  immunoassay (EIA) method and then they were investigated further for HBV occult infection by nested polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: A total of 78% (4,593/5,886) healthy first year students who had been vaccinated with HBV vaccine since birth were found to have no HBV markers, while 18.4% (1,083/5,886) had only anti-HBs. The prevalence of infection was 3.6% (210/5,886). Identification of patterns of HBV infection among the 210 infected subjects found that (1) Immuned due to past infection was 61.9% (130/210) (2) Infected with hepatitis B virus was 38.1% (80/120). The prevalence of both HBsAg and anti-HBc was 28.6% (60/210), while the prevalences of HBsAg and Anti-HBc alone were 3.8% (8/210) and 5.7% (12/210), respectively. Anti-HBc alone group was repeated with chemiluminescence EIA and HBV DNA was negative. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV infection was 3.6% (210/5,886), however, seropositive rate of HBV infection was 1.4% (80/5,886). Most antibodies from vaccination had substantially declined to the point that it was undetectable.  Therefore,  the overall study showed an effective implementation of EPI in newborns.


The steroid hormones regulate the reproductive physiology of animals and may influence by habitat and seasonal conditions. In this study, body weight and length, testosterone concentration and testicular histology were measured in Caucasian pit viper from Lar region, Tehran province, during summer and autumn seasons in year 2014. Serum samples were collected from 24 anesthetized snakes and testicles were removed and fixed for histological study. Enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) was conducted on serum samples to determine concentrations of testosterone (T) and standard histological procedure was performed on gonads. Results indicated that body weights and lengths in summer and fall seasons were respectively 49.88±9.6 gr, 50.25±7.4 cm and 42.75±4.5gr, 43.25±2.3 cm, serum testosterone level in summer, 29.3± 5.12 ng/ml was more than fall, 13.75±2.80 ng/ml at P is less than equals to 0.05. The numbers of spermatogonias, spermatocytes and spermatids in summer were more than fall and statistically different at P is less than equals to 0.05. The leydig cells number and diameter in fall were more than summer but differences were not significant. There were significant differences between seminiferous tubules diameter, germinal epithelial height and tunica albuginea thickness in summer as compared to fall at P is less than equals to 0.05. The data suggest male Caucasian pit-viper of Lar region of Tehran displaying estival spermatogenesis and some relationship was revealed between T level and snake's body weight, and high level of T coincide with the mating period.


ABSTRACT Moisture in unbound layers and temperature in asphalt layers affect the structural response of pavements, such as the tensile strain at the bottom of asphalt concrete layers. Previous studies have proposed relationships for estimating tensile strain at the bottom of an asphalt layer from Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) surface deflection measurements. These relationships have been developed based on theoretical calculations of strains and surface deflections. The main objective of this study was to evaluate these relationships using measured FWD deflections and tensile strains at the bottom of asphalt concrete layers. Three instrumented test structures were considered in the study. FWD and strain measurements were conducted at varying groundwater levels in the subgrade and temperatures in the asphalt concrete layers. The results revealed that the relationships have poor agreement with measured strains. A new relationship is proposed that incorporates the volumetric water content in the subgrade and the temperature in the asphalt layers in addition to the surface FWD deflections.


We address the question of verifying the quantumness of thermal machines. A Szilárd engine is truly quantum if its work output cannot be described by a local hidden state model, i.e., an objective local statistical ensemble. Quantumness in this scenario is revealed by a steering-type inequality which bounds the classically extractable work. A quantum Maxwell demon can violate that inequality by exploiting quantum correlations between the work medium and the thermal environment. While for a classical Szilárd engine an objective description of the medium always exists, any such description can be ruled out by a steering task in a truly quantum case.


Özet This study was related to evaluating the antioxidant of one pollen sample which was collected from Giresun, Turkey. The antioxidant properties of this sample were determined to use total phenolic contents (TPCs), total flavonoid contents (TFCs), proanthocyanidin contents (PCs), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The result of the total phenolic content was 6.33±0.11 mg GAE/ g sample, total flavonoid content was 1.88±0.11 mg QE/g sample, proanthocyanidin content was 0.86±0.00 mg CE/g sample, FRAP was also 72.38±0.21 µmoL respectively. The obtaining results revealed that the pollen could be seen as a valuable natural source thanks to its significant antioxidant capacity.


Fluid flow regime and the velocity distribution are effective parameters for systems in which various transport phenomena take place. Besides the properties of the contaminating particles and filter system in the case of high gradient magnetic filtration, the rheological properties of the fluid are also important for both design and efficiency of the process. This paper presents a theoretical study about estimation of the velocity distribution in a magnetic filter and the dependence of filter performance on this distribution. A model is presented to estimate the velocity distribution and filter performance in magnetic filtration of Newtonian or weak non-Newtonian liquids. The model is essentially based on the balance of forces acting on particles captured and accumulated in the filter. Model predictions and experimental data given in the literature for Newtonian liquids are in a good agreement.


IN HIS DISCUSSION OF TRAGEDY in the Defence of Poesy (ca. 1580), Philip Sidney mentions Sophocles' fifth-century play [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (Latinized as Ajax) to illustrate the impact that tragedy should make on its audience. (1) [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] depicts the frenzy of the famous Greek warrior who became so frustrated after the dead Achilles' armor was given to Odysseus that he went mad: let but Sophocles bring you Ajax on a stage, killing or whipping sheep and oxen thinking them the army of Greeks with their chieftains Agamemnon and Menelaus, and tell me if you have not a more familiar insight into anger than finding in the schoolmen his genus and difference. (2) Sidney compares theatrical performance with study, evoking two responses to tragic action: psychological involvement with the protagonist's fall, and academic dissection of his type; he prefers the experience of watching "Ajax on a stage," and the personal "insight into anger" thereby gained to reading the commentaries of "the schoolmen" which dryly anatomize rather than vividly represent Ajax's rage. Sidney's discussion of these different responses to [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] is part of the Defence's wider satire of pedantically misguided reactions to literature, but can also be read as a critique of his contemporaries' attitudes towards Greek tragedy. Sophocles was embedded within the curriculum at early modern Oxford and Cambridge, and as a Christ Church undergraduate during the late 1560s Sidney would have probably heard the Greek lectures, in which Sophocles was one of the authors taught. (3) Sidney interrogates an engagement with Sophocles only for his didactic usefulness, and suggests that the Greek dramatist should be more than just a worthy pillar of the curriculum, but should instead be watched "on a stage" to make an audience think and empathize. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] may well have occurred to Sidney as a good example both because of Sophocles' place within the academic curriculum and because the play had recently been prepared for the university stage. Just before Sidney went up to Oxford in 1568, a Latin production of Sophocles' play under the expanded title Ajax Flagellifer (Ajax the Scourger) had been included in a high-profile royal progress visit to Cambridge. (4) On August 9, 1564, after various sermons, debates, and perambulations, the Queen pleaded fatigue, and so, in the stark words of one eyewitness, "This nyght sholde haue byn pleyed Aiax flagellifer in Latin and was not." (5) In 1605, nearly twenty years after Sidney's death, Ajax was again staged, this time at his alma mater, Christ Church, on an expensive, innovative Inigo Jones-designed stage, yet despite being overseen by powerful courtiers and the Office of the Works, accounts of its reception were mostly negative. The performance lasted from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., (6) and an observer again noted bad-tempered royal fatigue: apparently James "was verye weary before he came thither, but much more wearied by that, and spake manye wordes of dislike." (7) Although another eyewitness enthused that "the King shewed himselfe verie well pleased, and content with it," we might be skeptical, since this comes from the official panegyric Oxfords Triumph (1605), authored by Anthony Nixon, "freelance Jacobean hack." (8) So both versions of Ajax were either canceled or apparently unsuccessful: could this failure have been predicted? On the contrary--there were sound reasons for the play's selection. Like all progress visits, the university entertainments were primarily intended to impress the monarch, and with court advisors such as William Cecil (in 1564) and Thomas Howard, earl of Suffolk (in 1605), breathing down their necks, Cambridge and Oxford pitched their entertainments squarely at two monarchs who prided themselves on scholarship, both to pay a compliment to a learned prince and to imply that university and monarchy shared priorities. …


In the earlier experiments (three in number) the lymphocytes increased somewhat after the onset of rickets, while in the later ones (five in number) the polymorphs underwent the increase, but in two of these latter cases a bronchopneumonia was discovered after death, and ,probably accounted for the leucocytosis. Thus experimental rickets is not necessarily accompanied by any anaemia, and when anaemia does appear it is, as a rule, of minor degree, and may frequently be -accounted for by some complication. There may or may not be a leucocytosis, and this also when it occurs may be the result of some complication. It can at least be truly said that in the blood of animals suffering from rickets there is no marked pathological change and absolutely nothing characteristic. It is thus seen that these experimental results are in entire accordance with those obtained in the cases of spontaneous rickets, and which I have briefly reviewed above. Of 30 children suffering from active and uncom,plicated rickets, only 9 presented anaemia, in not one of *which was the number of red cells less than 4,100,000 c.mm. As a rule, however, the blood estimations were abnormally high. Nucleated red cells were exceedingly rare. In only 2 of the cases was there an unequivocal leucocytosis, '9 presented a leucopenia, and 19 a slight increase in the number of white cells. REFERENCES. 1Ewing, Clinical Pathology of Blood, second edition, Kimpton, London, 1904, p. 378. 2Rich. C. Cabot, The Clintical Examination of ;the Blood, London, 1897, pp. 279-280. 8Holt, Diseases of Infancy and, .Childhood, London, 1907, p. 267. ACheadle, Allbutt's Syst. of Med., -vol. iii, p. 122. 5Ashby, Gibson's Textbook of Med., vol. i, p. 496. 6Hutchison, Goulstonian Lectures, No. ii, Lancet, March 14th. 1904. 7Pfaundler and Schlossmann, The Diseases of Children, London, 1908, vol. ii. pp. 205-206. 8Morse, A Study of the Blood in Rickets, Boston Med. and Surg. Tourn., April 22nd. 1897, vol. cxxxvi, p. 369. 9Esser, Mulnch. med. Woch., 1907, p. 818. 10Cabot, loc. cit., p. 279. 11Starck <quoted by Wentworth, Boston Med. and Surg. Journ., vol. cxlv, p. 491). 12Paton and Goodall, 7ourn. of Phys., vol. xxxiii, 1905, pp. 22-23. '1I Cowan and McClure, Brit. Journ. Child. Diseases, August, 1906.


Background: The practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in the Netherlands has been regulated since 2002 by the Euthanasia Act. In the ongoing debate about the interpretation of this Act, comparative information about the opinions of the different stakeholders is needed. Aim: To evaluate the opinions of Dutch physicians, nurses and the general public on the legal requirements for euthanasia and PAS. Design: A cross-sectional survey among Dutch physicians and nurses in primary and secondary care and members of the Dutch general public, followed by qualitative interviews among selected respondents. The participants were: 793 physicians, 1243 nurses and 1960 members of the general public who completed the questionnaire; 83 were interviewed. Results: Most respondents agreed with the requirement of a patient request (64–88%) and the absence of a requirement concerning life expectancy (48–71%). PAS was thought acceptable by 24–39% of respondents for patients requesting it because of mental suffering due to loss of control, chronic depression or early dementia. In the case of severe dementia, one third of physicians, 58% of nurses and 77% of the general public agreed with performing euthanasia based on an advance directive. Interviewees illustrated these findings and supported the Act. Conclusions: Health care professionals and the general public mostly support the legal requirements for euthanasia and PAS. The law permits euthanasia or PAS for mental suffering but this possibility is not widely endorsed. The general public is more liberal towards euthanasia for advanced dementia than health care professionals. We conclude that there is ample support for the law after eight years of legal euthanasia.


Boron-doped diamond-film-coated titanium (Ti/BDD) has become increasingly attractive because of the combined properties of these two unique materials. The challenge for the composite material is stability, especially when it is used as an electrode. In order to meet this challenge, a two-temperature (2-T)-stage hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method was employed in this study. The accelerated working lifetime was significantly increased to 804 h for the 2-T electrode, compared with 244 h for the diamond-film electrode fabricated under the one-temperature (1-T)-stage method. With the characterization of micro-Raman, X-ray diffraction, and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy, a multilayer of Ti/TiC/(diamond + amorphous carbon)/ diamond could be found in the 2-T sample and the structure of Ti/TiC/diamond in the 1-T sample. There was less void space observed in the interlayer of the 2-T sample. The multilayered compact structure played an important role in improving the adhesion of diamond film to the titanium substrate, which in turn increased the electrode working lifetime by over two times.


AIM
The aim was to assess two macronutrient interventions in a 2x2 factorial dietary design to determine their effects on oral health.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Participants (65-75 years old) with a BMI between 20-35 kg/m2 of a larger RCT who consented to an oral health assessment were recruited. They had ad libitum access to one of four experimental diets (omnivorous higher fat or higher carbohydrate, semi-vegetarian higher fat or higher carbohydrate) for 4 weeks. Periodontal examination included periodontal probing depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL) and bleeding on probing. Oral plaque and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were collected before and after the intervention.

RESULTS
Between baseline and follow up the number of sites with a CAL <5 mm (mean difference (MD) -5.11±9.68, P=0.039) increased and the GCF amount (MD -23.42±39.42 Periotron Units (PU), P=0.050) decreased for the semi-vegetarian high fat diet. For the mean proportion of sites with PPD reduction >1 mm and CAL gain >1 mm significant differences were calculated between the diets investigated. The clinical parameters were not associated with changes of the oral microbiota.

CONCLUSION
The results of this study provided evidence that a semi-vegetarian higher fat diet provides benefits to clinical parameters of periodontal health. ACTRN12616001606471. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The elderly is susceptible to infection due to immunosenescence causing high cases of infection with significant deaths due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many studies have examined inflammatory parameters as predictors of the outcome of COVID-19 cases, but there has been no comparison of the values of these parameters between the elderly and adult groups. This study aims to explain the relationship between inflammatory parameter values in the elderly group compared to the adult group with the outcome of confirmed COVID-19 patients treated at Ulin Hospital Banjarmasin. An analytical observational cross-sectional design study with the samples was patients with examined Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) when admitted to the COVID-19 isolation room at Ulin Banjarmasin Hospital and was divided into elderly and adult groups. A bivariate correlation test was conducted to assess the relationship between each parameter and continued by finding the cut-off value using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Odds Ratio (OR) is sought to find out how much the outcome risk prediction is based on the cut-off value. The relative coefficients of NLR, PLR, CRP, and ESR in the elderly group of 1147 subjects were 0.304; 0.119; 0.378; and 0.071. While the cut-off value of NLR, PLR, CRP, and ESR for the elderly group is 6.77; 257.5; 95.65, and 53.4. Outcomes prediction of the confirmed COVID-19 patients in the elderly group from the most significant are CRP, NLR, and PLR. Meanwhile, ESRs are statistically insignificant. The results showed that there are differences in inflammatory parameter values between the elderly and adult groups to predict the outcome of COVID-19 cases.


Gas transmission pipes are required to have sufficient material toughness at their minimum working temperature, (here, called Minimum Design Metal Temperature, MDMT) to avoid brittle fracture. This paper proposes a new practical approach in predicting the MDMT for buried natural gas transmission pipes. This approach is based on a thermal-hydraulic mathematical model to simulate the conjugate heat transfer through the pipe metal, the gas flow inside the pipe, the soil medium surrounding it, and ambient. For the gas flow inside the pipe, a 1D thermal-hydraulic model was utilized to simulate the convective heat transfer, Joule-Thomson effect, and heating of the gas due to pipe wall friction. Using computational simulations in conjunction with regression analyses, a simplified analytical model was developed to predict the temperature field in the surrounding soil for the parameter ranges of interest, including time-varying ambient air temperature. This model was then incorporated as a boundary condition in the 1D thermal-hydraulic gas flow model above to reflect the thermal interaction among the ambient air temperature, soil medium, pipe metal, and the gas flow inside the pipe. Based on the results, daily average ambient temperature data results in the same soil temperature as the hourly data. The initial soil temperature distribution also affects MDMT prediction. The model has been successfully validated against numerical analysis studies in the literature. The proposed approach can replace the transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for practical MDMT prediction in pipelines.


Training deep convolutional networks for satellite or aerial image analysis often requires a large amount of training data. For a more robust algorithm, training data need to have variations not only in the background and target, but also radiometric variations in the image such as shadowing, illumination changes, atmospheric conditions, and imaging platforms with different collection geometry. Data augmentation is a commonly used approach to generating additional training data. However, this approach is often insufficient in accounting for real world changes in lighting, location or viewpoint outside of the collection geometry. Alternatively, image simulation can be an efficient way to augment training data that incorporates all these variations, such as changing backgrounds, that may be encountered in real data. The Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Image Generation (DIRSIG) model is a tool that produces synthetic imagery using a suite of physics-based radiation propagation modules. DIRSIG can simulate images taken from different sensors with variation in collection geometry, spectral response, solar elevation and angle, atmospheric models, target, and background. Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) is a multi-modal traffic simulation tool that explicitly models vehicles that move through a given road network. The output of the SUMO model was incorporated into DIRSIG to generate scenes with moving vehicles. The same approach was used when using helicopters as targets, but with slight modifications. Using the combination of DIRSIG and SUMO, we quickly generated many small images, with the target at the center with different backgrounds. The simulations generated images with vehicles and helicopters as targets, and corresponding images without targets. Using parallel computing, 120,000 training images were generated in about an hour. Some preliminary results show an improvement in the deep learning algorithm when real image training data are augmented with the simulated images, especially when obtaining sufficient real data was particularly challenging.


Optimized conditions of aqueous acetonitrile (ACN) eluent composition and temperature are established for the rapid separation of a standard mixture of 15 taxanes, on each of five different fluorinated phases and one C8 hydrocarbonaceous phase. On both types of stationary phase, the retention factors (k') of most of the taxanes decrease at the same rate with increasing ACN concentration. However, the taxanes containing a xylosyl group show a higher rate of decrease, which necessitates careful control of eluent composition to achieve separation of all the taxanes. Temperature can have a remarkable and counterintuitive effect on retention and selectivity. For the C8 phase with eluent compositions in the 40%-60% ACN range, the k' values of the xylosyl taxanes show an increase with increasing temperature over the range from 25 to 55 degrees C; the k' values for 10-deacetyl baccatin III and 10-deacetyl taxol go through a maximum over the same ranges. The other taxanes behave normally. The same pattern is observed on the propyl(perfluorophenyl) phase, although this and the other fluorinated phases are less retentive. This accounts for the common belief that fluorinated stationary phases offer resolution of taxanes superior to that on hydrocarbon phases. The higher retention on the latter requires eluent compositions near 50% ACN, where careful temperature optimization is required, which in practice is rarely performed. The lesser retention on the fluorinated phases allows use of lower ACN concentrations where the aberrant temperature effect is not found, so good separations without temperature optimization can be achieved. Further evidence of the lack of any fundamental difference in the selectivity of the two types of stationary phase is the similarity of the surface excess isotherms measured for ACN/H2O on both the fluorinated and hydrocarbon phases.


One of the major users of fuels is a Steam Power Plant (PLTU) as a provider of electricity to the primary needs of people living in the city/county in Indonesia. Energy sector, especially the activities of burning fossil fuels (petroleum) is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emmisions. The analysis used to assess the effect of power plat emmisions (PLTU) of the housing surrounding the model dispersion (spread) gas in the air (Screen View) is a mathematical simulation to calculate the spread of gas emissions in the air around the power plant. It is made by computer programs that generated mathematical equations and algorithms which simulated the spread of pollutants. And perceptions with statistical analysis.The results on PLTU Tonasa II Pangkajene Regency the dispersion of gas emissions (S0 2 , CO, C0 2 , N0 2 , TSP) spread from the source after 60 minuts with concentration 0,0054 µg/m 3 ) at the average distance 1158 m, with dimensions (average) plume is x = 61,65 m, y = 70,59, and z = 41,32 m, which is formed in the direction of the wind. And the results of people's perceptions aspect of human basic needs about PLTU Tonasa II have affected and unaffected. Similary the standarts aspects of a healthy home. Keywords :             Effect, flue gas, the concentration and dispersion emissions.


I. Successful psychotherapy i characterized by,a sense of vital intensity and personal intimacy.b tween client and therapist. Current theory and'research hav left this level of interpersonal contact untouched. The hypot esis is advanced that the intelisity and intimacy of, interpersonal contact supplies the motivation whicil allows the patient to make use of the conditions offered by ihe therapist in the patient's own comicpg to explore and experiency his inner self. The author defines intensity and intimacy of interpersonal contact and presents a tentative scale for its measurement. Finally, the relationshiglof this concept to .othertherapeutic conditions offered by the therapist is discussed. (MPJ) 1 *********************************************************************** 41, Documents acquired by ERIC 'nclude many informal unpublished 1, * materials not available from o r sources.-ERIC makes every effort *,/ ttle * to obtain the best copy availa i . Nevettheless, items oi marginal ** reproducibility are often'encountered and this affects the quality * , * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIO sakes available * * via the Eng Document Reproduction SerAice (EDRS). EDRS is not *;1, * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied"14 EDRS are the best that can be made.from the ori4inal. * **********************************************m**********************


There are inconsistencies in the literature regarding lens-shape change with age. This study looks at the dimensions and curvatures of 20 human lenses varying in age from 10–84 years. All lenses were from post-mortem eyes. Large individual variations mask any indications of a trend with age. There is a suggestion that growth in sagittal width is predominantly in the anterior section, indicating that the lens shape may become more symmetrical as it ages.


This study is conducted in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Negeri I Prabumulih city, and object of the were in strategic of headmastern deep increase quality the madrasah. Data Analysis with usefull technic SWOT Analysis. Result of Analysis indicate that is headmasters strategic deep increase quality of madrasah mentioned strategic, be based on result degree issue usefull Litmus Test with result : S-O score value is 32 issue strategic, W-O score value is 31 issue strategic, S-T score value is 30 issue strategic, and W-T score value is 27 issue moderate. It can be concluded that the classification of strategy issues is: utilizing extracurricular activities (non-academic) to increase achievement in the academic field, achievement in the field of religion, and achievement in the field of tahfidz homes that are linked to the socio-cultural surrounding communities as an effort to promote Prabumulih State 1 Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. Then the importance of implementing a learning process that is safe, comfortable, interesting and fun through interactive learning media by utilizing the cultural conditions of students, cultivating 5 work cultures of the ministries of religion and elements of 5 S ( greeting, polite, smile, respectful, well behaved) in providing excellent service to school committees, guardians of students and the community caring for education in the environment around madrasas, improving facilities and infrastructure through the role of committees and communities concerned with education. Nextin formulating madrasah quality improvement strategies programs, good cooperation between madrasas, committees, communities and the government is needed to improve its strategic programs.


The origin of new diploid, or homoploid, hybrid species is associated with rapid genomic restructuring in the hybrid neospecies. This mode of speciation has been best characterized in wild sunflower species in the genus Helianthus, where three homoploid hybrid species (H. anomalus, H. deserticola, and H. paradoxus) have independently arisen via ancient hybridization events between the same two parental species (H. annuus and H. petiolaris). Most previous work examining genomic restructuring in these sunflower hybrid species has focused on chromosomal rearrangements. However, the origin of all three homoploid hybrid sunflower species also is associated with massive proliferation events of Ty3/gypsy-like retrotransposons in the hybrid species' genomes. We compared the genomic organization of these elements in the parent species and two of the homoploid hybrid species using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We found a significant expansion of Ty3/gypsy-like retrotransposons confined to the pericentromeric regions of two hybrid sunflower species, H. deserticola and H. paradoxus. In contrast, we detected no significant increase in the frequency or extent of dispersed retrotransposon populations in the hybrid species within the resolution limits of our assay. We discuss the potential role that transposable element proliferation and localization plays in the evolution of homoploid hybrid species.


The novel combination of atezolizumab/bevacizumab has demonstrated unprecedented response rates in a subgroup of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) patients. In order to understand why only a subset of aHCC patients respond to immunotherapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, we subjected pre-treatment tissue biopsies from 31 aHCC patients, with mainly non-viral etiologies, to simultaneous single-cell transcriptome (scRNAseq) and T-cell receptor (scTCRseq) sequencing, providing an integrative view of the tumor-microenvironment of aHCC (n=91 169 cells). The therapeutic targets, PD-1 and PD-L1 are expressed in tumor-infiltrating T- cells versus myeloid cells and tumor cells, respectively. Myeloid cells in tumors responding to immunotherapy (according to mRECIST) express significantly higher levels of PD-L1 (p=0.014) compared to non-responders and this is driven by pro-inflammatory PD-L1 expressing CXCL10+ macrophages, involved in T-cell recruitment. In contrast, non-responding tumors are infiltrated by immature CX3CR1+ macrophages and CCR2+ 'monocyte-like' macrophages (p=0.009 and p=0.01, respectively). Interestingly, the composition of tumor-infiltrating T-cells did not differ significantly between patient groups. However, responding tumors were characterized by a more clonal baseline T-cell receptor repertoire (p=0.007). Single-cell T-cell receptor sequencing revealed that this clonality was present in activated, effector T-cells, while non-responders had a higher proportion of non-clonal T-cells (p=0.01) concentrated within naïve and memory-like T-cell phenotypes. In conclusion, this is the first and largest aHCC cohort to correlate single-cell sequencing data with clinical outcomes. Prior to treatment, differences in abundancy and ligand expression in small clusters of immune cells as well as difference in baseline T-cell clonality drive response to checkpoint inhibition in aHCC.
 Citation Format: Sarah Cappuyns, Gino Philips, Vincent Vandecaveye, Chris Verslype, Eric Van Cutsem, Diether Lambrechts, Jeroen Derkervel. Pretreatment immune cell composition and checkpoint ligand expression define the response to immunotherapy in advanced HCC: a study using single-cell sequencing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in the Pathogenesis and Molecular Therapies of Liver Cancer; 2022 May 5-8; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2022;28(17_Suppl):Abstract nr PR03.


Localized arc filament plasma actuators are used to control an axisymmetric Mach 1.3 ideally expanded jet of 2.54 cm exit diameter and a Reynolds number based on the nozzle exit diameter of about 1.1 × 10. Measurements of growth and decay of perturbations seeded in the flow by the actuators, laser-based planar flow visualizations, and particle imaging velocimetry measurements are used to evaluate the effects of control. Eight actuators distributed azimuthally inside the nozzle, approximately 1 mm upstream of the nozzle exit, are used to force various azimuthal modes over a large frequency range (StDF of 0.13 to 1.3). The jet responded to the forcing over the entire range of frequencies, but the response was optimum (in terms of the development of large coherent structures and mixing enhancement) around the jet preferred Strouhal number of 0.33 (f =5 kHz), in good agreement with the results in the literature for low-speed and low-Reynolds-number jets. The jet (with a thin boundary layer, D/θ ∼ 250) also responded to forcing with various azimuthal modes (m = 0 to 3 and m = ±1, ±2, ±4), again in agreement with instability analysis and experimental results in the literature for low-speed and low-Reynolds-number jets. Forcing the jet with the azimuthal mode m = ±1 at the jet preferred-mode frequency provided the maximum mixing enhancement, with a significant reduction in the jet potential core length and a significant increase in the jet centreline velocity decay rate beyond the end of the potential core.


PURPOSE
To assess the neuroprotective effects of different glutamate modulation strategies, with a nonselective (MK801) and a selective (ifenprodil) NMDA receptor antagonist and a metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist (mGluR Group II, LY354740), in glaucoma-related in vivo rat models of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) apoptosis.

METHODS
RGC apoptosis was induced in Dark Agouti (DA) rats by staurosporine (SSP) treatment. Single agents MK801, ifenprodil, or LY354740, or MK801 and LY354740 combined, were administrated intravitreally at different doses. Eyes were imaged in vivo using a recently established technique and the results confirmed histologically. The most effective combined therapy regimen of MK801 and LY354740 was then assessed in a chronic ocular hypertension (OHT) rat model with application at 0, 1, and 2 weeks after OHT surgery and the effects assessed as described before.

RESULTS
All strategies of glutamate modulation reduced SSP-induced-RGC apoptosis compared with the control, in a dose-dependent manner: MK801 (R2= 0.8863), ifenprodil (R2= 0.4587), and LY354740 (R2= 0.9094), with EC50s of 0.074, 0.0138, and 19 nanomoles, respectively. The most effective combination dose of MK801 and LY354740 was 0.06 and 20 nanomoles (P < 0.05), respectively, and the optimal timing of the therapy was 0 weeks after OHT surgery (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
This novel SSP model was validated as a useful tool for screening neuroprotective strategies in vivo. Group II mGluR modulation may be a useful treatment for RGC death. Combination therapy optimized to limit neurotoxic effects of MK801 may be an effective neuroprotective approach in retinal degenerative disease. Furthermore, treatments that minimize secondary RGC degeneration may be most useful in glaucoma.


Children with developmental delays often do not acquire perspective taking skills without training. These skills are imperative to the ability to relate to others socially and the development of appropriate social behavior. They may lack the ability to recognize that another person's view may differ from their own, or that reality may differ from appearance. This study used deictic relational training to aid in the development of a 'Theory of Mind' and the acquisition of perspective taking skills. The PEAK relational training system was used in a special education classroom to train YOU and I relations, as well as YOU and I reversal, to two nine year old students with intellectual disability. Multiple exemplar training was then used to promote the generalization of these perspective taking skills to an in situ deceptive container task. One subject participated in the first two training phases, but was absent for the remainder of the study. The second subject successfully completed all training phases and was then able to correctly respond when asked to report what the perspective of another individual would be.


Diabetes mellitus is the name of a collection of different disorders characterized by raised blood sugar levels due to either absolute or relative insulin insufficiency to properly control the blood glucose levels in the body. The β-cells in pancreas don't have the ability to secrete insulin as much as required to meet the demand caused by obesity-driven insulin resistance. Diabetes is a growing public health issue, where type 2 diabetes is the most common form among the population. With the global increase of obesity and the emerging epidemic of type 2 diabetes there is a need for new medicines that cures type 2 diabetes. Researchers at AstraZeneca are working on developing new drugs that are specifically targeting β-cells using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). ASOs have a great potential to become a treatment because of the ability to bind and knockdown genes. There are still challenges that needs to be overcome regarding the delivery to specific cell types. One strategy to enhance the cellular uptake of ASOs is to use ASOs conjugated to a peptide hormone called Glucagon-like peptide 1, that can bind to a receptor found on the β-cells surface. Currently successful uptake of ASOs is quantified by measuring the relative expression of gene inhibited with a manual and low throughput qPCR assay. To speed up the process and to be able to screen several ASOs, the aims of this study were to set up a two-step qPCR-based semi-automated assay on GLP1 receptor overexpressing HEK293 cell line and primary mouse pancreatic islet cells to assess the delivery of a tool compound (ASO targeting MALAT1 ). The assay used in this study was based on another in-house assay, that involves cell lysis, cDNA synthesis of the accessible mRNA and qPCR amplification reaction. However, the assay needed modifications to generate robust and reproducible concentration-response curves showing the relative gene expression. This study have shown that setting up a high-throughput qPCR based assay is not straightforward and takes time to find the conditions for working assay in GLP1 receptor overexpressing HEK293 cells. Finding the right lysis buffer for the cell type, using a Poly-D-Lysine coated plate, 10% lysate in the cDNA synthesis and using hydrolysis (TaqMan) probes in the qPCR, solved the problem regarding the performance of amplification reaction and relative gene expression (concentrationresponse curves). The assay developed in this project can now be used for comparing and ranking of ASOs with different conjugated GLP1 peptides based on the efficacy and potency.


Lack of vocational training has been considered as the bane of the economy of many African countries particularly Nigeria. The indispensable role of women in any development process calls for eradication of gender related barriers and women empowerment at all levels. This study examined the impact of skill acquisition and capacity building on women economic empowerment with reference to the activities of Women Education Center Birnin Kebbi. A sample of 225 respondents was selected from a population of 452 graduates due to time and cost constraints. A descriptive survey was conducted using a structured interview. Two null hypotheses stated were tested using spearman rank correlation coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there is a low positive correlation between skill acquisition and women economic empowerment and a high positive correlation between capacity building and women economic empowerment. However, while the relationship between skill acquisition and women economic empowerment was not significant, the relationship between capacity building and women economic empowerment was significant. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that government should invest more on human capital development particularly on women, increase expenditure on instructional materials and infrastructural facilities at vocational training centers, improve by assisting trainees with capital to start business. Finally, women should be allowed by their guardians to learn functional skills to improve their economic status and avail themselves the opportunity offered by government to get functional skills. This will go a long way in attaining the MDGs.


Future ship operations on a global basis will be based on the increase in world trade and the accompanying changes in its structure. These trends will be influenced by international trade and currency policies and by the greater industrialization in the developing countries. Such regional changes will have a marked impact on the demand for highly specialized ships manned by crews of high educational standards and operated by companies as part of integrated transportation Depending largely on the development of regional trade blocks and flag discrimination, shipping companies will become increasingly international and form cooperations with greater resources than those available in the transportation industry today. The pattern of shipbuilding financing may undergo drastic changes depending on national policies regarding preservation of the shipbuilding industries and the balance of demand and capacity. Rapid changes may lead to great difficulties in a transportation market with ships operating under very different financial conditions. Major problems of recruitment and the safety of ships and their environment will have to be solved, putting additional emphasis on the need for a well planned and operated transportation system in the future.


'It started a line of thought and visual conceptions which were to dominate first England and then the world for two centuries. It is the first suggestion ever of a possible beauty fundamentally different from the formal, a beauty of irregularity and fancy.' Sir Nikolaus Pevsner


Polymeric micelles represent an effective delivery system for poorly water-soluble anticancer drugs. With small size (10–100 nm) and hydrophilic shell of PEG, polymeric micelles exhibit prolonged circulation time in the blood and enhanced tumor accumulation. In this review, the importance of rational design was highlighted by summarizing the recent progress on the development of micellar formulations. Emphasis is placed on the new strategies to enhance the drug/carrier interaction for improved drug-loading capacity. In addition, the micelle-forming drug-polymer conjugates are also discussed which have both drug-loading function and antitumor activity.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prognostic relevance of the axis "structure" of operationalized psychodynamic diagnostics (OPD) with respect to the symptom-related and interpersonal outcome of inpatient psychotherapy by applying group comparisons as well as individual criteria.

METHODS
The structural level of 102 psychiatric inpatients was related to the general and dissociative psychopathology (SCL-90; FDS-20) as well as interpersonal problems (IIP) at the beginning and at the end of inpatient treatment.

RESULTS
There was a tendency toward an association between the structural level and psychopathological improvement. However, we did not find any clear relationship between structure and interpersonal difficulties either at the beginning or during the course of the treatment. The structural dimensions did not correlate with the reduction of psychopathology or interpersonal problems. From the patients perspective, however, overall personality structure, defence and object perception were important predictors for therapy success.

CONCLUSIONS
In correspondence with other studies our findings suggest that consistent predictions on therapy outcome in regards to psychopathology and interpersonal problems are not possible on the basis of the axis "structure". The possible implications for a differential therapy indication are discussed.


Background Virtual simulators have been widely implemented in medical and surgical training, including ophthalmology. The increasing number of published articles in this field mandates a review of the available results to assess current technology and explore future opportunities. Method A PubMed search was conducted and a total of 10 articles were reviewed. Results Virtual simulators have shown construct validity in many modules, successfully differentiating user experience levels during simulated phacoemulsification surgery. Simulators have also shown improvements in wet-lab performance. The implementation of simulators in the residency training has been associated with a decrease in cataract surgery complication rates. Conclusions Virtual reality simulators are an effective tool in measuring performance and differentiating trainee skill level. Additionally, they may be useful in improving surgical skill and patient outcomes in cataract surgery. Future opportunities rely on taking advantage of technical improvements in simulators for education and research.


In this text, we use a Bayesian framework for active multimodal perception of 3D structure and motion — which, while not strictly neuromimetic, finds its roots in the role of the dorsal perceptual pathway of the human brain — to implement a strategy of active exploration based on entropy. The computational models described in this text support a robotic implementation of multimodal active perception to be used in real-world applications, such as human-machine interaction or mobile robot navigation.


We investigate the properties of the two-dimensional distribution and kinematics of ionized gas and stars in the central kiloparsec of a matched sample of nearby active (Seyfert) and inactive galaxies, using the SAURON integral field unit on the William Herschel Telescope. The ionized gas distributions show a range of low-excitation regions, such as star formation rings in Seyfert and inactive galaxies, and high-excitation regions related to photoionization by the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The stellar kinematics of all galaxies in the sample show regular rotation patterns typical of disc-like systems, with kinematic axes that are well aligned with those derived from the outer photometry and provide a reliable representation of the galactic line of nodes. After removal of the non-gravitational components due to, for example, AGN-driven outflows, the ionized gas kinematics in both the Seyfert and inactive galaxies are also dominated by rotation with global alignment between stars and gas in most galaxies. This result is consistent with previous findings from photometric studies that the large-scale light distribution of Seyfert hosts is similar to that of inactive hosts. However, by fully exploiting the two-dimensional nature of our spectroscopic data, deviations from axisymmetric rotation in the gaseous velocity fields are identified, which suggest that the gaseous kinematics are more disturbed at small radii in the Seyfert galaxies compared with the inactive galaxies. This provides a tentative link between nuclear gaseous streaming and nuclear activity.


The colossal torso of the god Asclepius, kept into the Castello Maniace during the Spanish domination of Sicily, is now one of the most significant examples of roman statuary in the Syracuse Museum. The recent restoration of the Castello Maniace has been celebrated in 2008 with an exhibition of archaeological finds obtained in the various excavations of the castle. The statue of Asclepius, which had for centuries been a part of the architecture there, should have been the most significant piece on display. However, its large size and frailty made such a temporary move inadvisable, and it was decided that a plaster cast should be made and exhibited instead. A team of archaeologists and information technicians from the Archeomatica Project of Catania University were able to contribute to this task by creating a 3D model of the statue through the use of laser scanning techniques.


SUMMARY Gliding has often been discussed in the literature as a possible precursor to powered flight in vertebrates, but few studies exist on the mechanics of gliding in living animals. In this study I analyzed the 3D kinematics of sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) during short glides in an enclosed space. Short segments of the glide were captured on video, and the positions of marked anatomical landmarks were used to compute linear distances and angles, as well as whole body velocities and accelerations. From the whole body accelerations I estimated the aerodynamic forces generated by the animals. I computed the correlations between movements of the limbs and body rotations to examine the control of orientation during flight. Finally, I compared these results to those of my earlier study on the similarly sized and distantly related southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). The sugar gliders in this study accelerated downward slightly (1.0±0.5 m s–2), and also accelerated forward (2.1±0.6 m s–2) in all but one trial, indicating that the body weight was not fully supported by aerodynamic forces and that some of the lift produced forward acceleration rather than just balancing body weight. The gliders used high angles of attack (44.15±3.12°), far higher than the angles at which airplane wings would stall, yet generated higher lift coefficients (1.48±0.18) than would be expected for a stalled wing. Movements of the limbs were strongly correlated with body rotations, suggesting that sugar gliders make extensive use of limb movements to control their orientation during gliding flight. In addition, among individuals, different limb movements were associated with a given body rotation, suggesting that individual variation exists in the control of body rotations. Under similar conditions, flying squirrels generated higher lift coefficients and lower drag coefficients than sugar gliders, yet had only marginally shallower glides. Flying squirrels have a number of morphological specializations not shared by sugar gliders that may help to explain their greater lift generating performance.


A technique is described, feedforward signal regeneration (FFSR), to combat the effects of multipath propagation on VHF and UHF pilot tone single sideband (SSB) mobile radio systems. Unlike feedforward automatic gain control (FFAGC), FFSR suppresses both the random amplitude and phase fluctuations in the received signal. Extensive laboratory and field tests have shown that the operation of SSB at UHF frequencies is a viable proposition for both speech and data communication.


The aim of the study was to determine clinical and demographic features that are significant for prognosis after the first-ever myocardial infarction (MI). Kaunas men and women aged 25 - 64 years, admitted to Kaunas hospitals due to their first-ever MI during 1983 - 1992 and with the first coded electrocardiogram (ECG) were enrolled into the study. The Kaunas ischemic heart disease (IHD) register was the source of data, ECGs were coded using the Minnesota Code, and deaths were identified via prospective death s register. Factors significantly increasing the risk of death from IHD during the first year after first-ever inferior MI were age (p=0.01), atrial flutter or fibrillation (p=0.02). In patients with Q wave in anterior site the risk of death from IHD was increased not only by age, but also by acute heart failure - 3.74-fold (p=0.01), history of previous stroke - 3.82 (p=0.046), and history of diabetes - 2.53 (p=0.04).


The sanctions standoff, the growing global crisis, and the pandemic have exacerbated the issues of stimulating economic growth and investment activity. This study is based on data from the IMF, Rosstat, the Bank of Russia, and the Rand Corporation. This study is based on the publications of a number of foreign and Russian scientists. It analyzes the dynamics and structure of investments in fixed assets, GDP, money supply (monetary aggregate M2), the rate of inflation, and the key interest rate. In the course of the analysis, the dynamics of GDP growth, money supply, and the monetization coefficient of the leading economies, including Russia, were analyzed. In the course of the study, the regularities, features and limits of monetization were established. The results of the study can be used to further substantiate the necessity and expediency of the monetary policy vector, as well as to develop tools for channeling the money supply. The study revealed that the sanctions regime is formed by noticeable problems with attracting foreign investment. The latter leads to a decline in investment activity and stagnation in the economy. In this situation, it is necessary to change the priorities of monetary policy.


ABSTRACTDigital three-dimensional (3D) cartography environments provide new ways of landscape visualization and topographic interpretation: digital terrain modeling (DTM) is added to the traditional cartographic technique, where relief interpretation skill is needed to interpret 3D topographic information from 2D representations. The emergence of augmented reality (AR) technology for DTM representation offers a new way to develop map-reading skills. It is in the representation of the landforms (hills, dunes, depths, valleys, mountains, shapes, slopes, and elevations) where the AR allows a new way to interact with the landscape representation. Once AR technology is combined with tablet computers, the manipulation of DTM can be done by finger gestures. This paper analyzes the potential of AR as an innovative teaching tool to improve relief interpretation skill based on the results of a workshop with 73 engineering students from La Laguna University, Spain. Participants performed exercises with 2D traditiona...


ABSTRACT Background and Context: Physical computing involves complex negotiations of multiple, on and off-screen tasks, which calls for research on how to best structure collaborative work to ensure equitable learning. Objective: We focus on how pairs self-organized their multi-domain tasks in physical computing, and how their social interactions supported or inhibited productive collaboration. Method: We conducted a 30+ hour physical computing workshop where high school student pairs created interactive electronic textile signs. We recorded how students shared or allocated their tasks in fieldnotes and looked for reasons why this occurred through student post-interviews. Findings: Students worked collaboratively on project planning, which involved discussion and decision-making, but individually during project construction, which involved physical execution of their plan. The quality of students' social interaction was seemingly linked to how viewed their partner as a socioemotional resource. Implications: Inherent qualities of the different domains of physical computing and how students view their partners in socioemotional terms can shape the productivity of student collaborative learning.


The aim of this work was to examine the possibility of preparation of
 acidophilus milk and probiotic yoghurt by processing of milk (1%, 2.8% and
 3.2% w/w fat) enriched with honeybee pollen (0.6% w/w). The quality of
 produced fermented milks was followed by comparing pH value during
 fermentation and storage time, as well as of lactic acid content and sensory
 properties during 14 days of storage. Fermentation time was influenced more
 the type of the starter culture than by honeybee pollen addition or fat
 level. The addition of honeybee pollen increased the production of lactic
 acid, regardless of the fat level. The effects of different starters (L.
 acidophilus LA-5, S. thermophilus and L. Delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus) on the
 production of lactic acid were also different, but not as obvious as that due
 to pollen addition. The obtained results revealed that honeybee addition had
 positive effects on the physicochemical and sensory properties of produced
 acidophilus milk and probiotic yoghurt.


Triple-Negative Breast Cancers (TNBCs) are aggressive, associated with poor prognosis and lack targeted therapies, mainly due to the absence of suitable molecular targets. The genomic region 6p21-p25 is recurrently amplified in TNBCs and encompasses the PIM1 oncogene. This study interrogated genomic breast cancer datasets and identified gene copy number-driven increase of PIM1 expression in TNBC. To understand the role of PIM1 in malignant phenotypes of TNBCs, functional studies were carried out in breast cancer and non-malignant mammary epithelial cell line models. RNA interference and rescue-of-function experiments revealed addiction to PIM1 kinase for cell population growth and apoptosis protection in TNBC cells, absent in non-malignant cells. In cells sensitive to PIM1 knockdown, we observed a subsequent reduction of the expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins BCL2 and MCL1. Moreover, exogenous expression of BCL2 prevented apoptosis caused by PIM1 knockdown. BH3-profiling analysis further confirmed that PIM1 blocks apoptosis elicited through the mitochondrial pathway in TNBC cell lines. The activity of PIM1 in other cancers has been closely linked to the regulation of c-MYC, an "un-targetable" oncogene that drives malignancy and that is frequently amplified and highly expressed in primary TNBCs and post-chemotherapy residual disease. Importantly, we found that PIM1 expression associates with several MYC-transcriptional signatures in TNBCs and mediates phosphorylation of c-MYC Ser62 and Histone-H3 Ser10, key targets for MYC-driven transcription. Exogenous expression of MYC rescued the phenotypes caused by PIM1 knockdown, providing mechanistic insights for the observed addiction. Finally, the therapeutic potential of targeting PIM1 was assessed using AZD1208, a small molecule inhibitor of the PIM kinase family. AZD1208 inhibited growth and sensitized TNBC derived cell lines, cell line xenografts and PDXs to chemotherapy by increasing apoptosis. We therefore identify PIM1 as a driver of malignancy in TNBC, illustrating relationships with MYC-activation and regulation of anti-apoptotic BCL2 and MCL1 proteins. PIM1 inhibitors could provide a potential therapeutic to abrogate chemotherapy resistance in TNBCs. Citation Format: Fara Braso-Maristany, Simone Filosto, Steven Catchpole, Rebecca Marlow, Jelmar Quist, Erika Francesch Domenech, Gianmaria Liccardi, Leila Zakka, Violeta Serra, Albert Gris, Maggie Cheang, Nirmesh Patel, Anna Perdrix Rosell, Patrycja Gazinska, Elodie Noel, Jonathan Watkins, Pierfrancesco Marra, Anita Grigoriadis, Andrew Tutt. PIM1, a novel target in chemotherapy-resistant triple-negative breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 178.


We present a simple method with the aid of a microfluidic droplet-generation technique to fabricate magnetic Janus particles by utilizing a solvent evaporation-induced phase separation and preferential partitioning of magnetic nanoparticles in the polymer blends. Non-aqueous emulsion droplets of the polymer blends and nanoparticles solution are produced to become Janus particles after the evaporation of the solvent. The stabilizing polymer of the nanoparticles, which is compatible only with one of the polymer blends to be phase-separated, plays a key role in the anisotropic positioning of the nanoparticles in the Janus particles. Using this phase separation-based method and microfluidics, excellent control over the size, size distribution, and morphology of the particles is achieved. Especially, we could control the morphology of the Janus particles easily by varying the volume ratio of the polymers. However, with an analysis of the shapes of resulting Janus particles, we found that non-equilibrium aspects of the evaporation-induced phase separation play a major role in determining the particle morphology. We expect that the versatility of this method in the choice of polymer blends and functional nanoparticles will enable the fabrication of colloids with various functionality and desired morphology.


Tender hot-mix asphalt mixtures have been observed and experienced by paving contractors for many years. However, during the field compaction of coarse-graded Superpave® mixes, a "tender zone," not a true tender mix, is sometimes experienced. The tender zone is a range of mix compaction temperatures during which the mixture exhibits instability during roller action. Many possible causes of the tender zone have been presented, including differences in laboratory and production absorption, mix moisture, a low dust-to-asphalt ratio, increased asphalt binder film thickness, and a temperature differential with the lift. A study was conducted to document and evaluate field mixtures exhibiting the tender zone to determine the possible cause(s) of its occurrence. Documentation included mix-, production-, and construction-related items. Laboratory evaluation consisted of mixture gradation and volumetric testing along with Superpave asphalt binder testing with the project asphalt binder before and after steam distillation. Project results failed to clearly identify one particular reason for the occurrence of the tender zone. However, it is believed that the tender zone was a result of field absorption being less than the design absorption and increased asphalt binder film thickness acting in conjunction with an inherent temperature differential within the lift.


Book reviews Complications of Nervous System Trauma Edited by RA Thompson and JR Green (pp 346 $38-35) Raven Press: New York. 1979. This is a useful collection of review essays on various aspects of nervous system trauma. The title is, however, slightly misleading; only by stretching the definition of complication is it possible to claim that five of the seventeen chapters are relevant. It should have been called 'Topics in Neural Trauma'. There is a good review of the pathophysiology of concussion with over 60 references, and the account of human neuropathology is much the best in the American literature; it both gives some quantitative data about the frequency and distribution of lesions and it gives reasonable prominence to white matter shearing lesions and its 160 references include important recent European work. A curious chapter on physiological monitoring manages to miss out intracranial pressure and to avoid reference to Europe altogether. CT scanning is inevitably represented by an extensive account of isodense subdural haematomas, and the use of the body scanner in detecting spinal fractures. Prediction of outcome after severe injury and of traumatic epilepsy are other topics. The chapter on psychological follow-up is a highly individual view which does not relate to current scientific neuropsychology. The brain damage section ends, appropriately, with a review of brain death. Experimental studies on the microvascular response to spinal trauma is followed by an account of microvascular regeneration. The medical complications of spinal cord trauma are briefly reviewed and a further chapter deals specifically with chest complications. There is an authoritative review of cervical spondylosis with beautiful illustration of operative proceduresbut is this spinal trauma in the ordinary sense? Changing attitudes and developing knowledge of peripheral nerve trauma since the year 1900 are splendidly reviewed. It is difficult in such a heterogeneous book, which does not have a coherent theme, to do much more than list its contents and make the obvious comment that some chapters are better than others. The reviews were originally given at a conference at the Barrow Neurological Institute, although this is not declared on the title page, preface or blurb-presumably to avoid the stigma of conference proceedings.


Several authors have reported the dependence of the rest masses of particles upon the inverse of the alpha constant. Barut was able to associate such behavior with magnetic self-energy effects in the case of leptons. The present author has taken account of magnetic energy effects phenomenologically, in a way similar to the adopted by E. Post many years ago. This paper presents the extension of the approach to the full baryon octet and decuplet, and the inverse dependence with alpha is obtained. The masses of all these particles are shown to be described in terms of magnetodynamic energies considering as a fundamental feature the quantization of magnetic flux inside a zitterbewegung motion " orbit" performed by each particle in consequence of its interaction with the vacuum background.


In contrast to the truism that "Everyone talks about the weather but no one does anything about it," everyone talks about trauma and many write about it. However, few works exist in which the editor and contributors are widely experienced, knowledgeable, and able to write clearly about the subject. This book adds a somewhat different dimension to the body of knowledge about trauma and trauma care. The majority of the 25 contributors have the Bellevue Hospital-New York University connection, although several Texans and others also participate. Overall, the effect is one of competence in presentation based on years of doing and teaching trauma care. This book is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive treatise on the subject of trauma management, but rather is a collection of papers and scientific dissertations on both the more troublesome and controversial areas. These vary considerably in length, as well as in information


The vast majority of evaluation metrics for machine translation are supervised, i.e., (i) are trained on human scores, (ii) assume the existence of reference translations, or (iii) leverage parallel data. This hinders their applicability to cases where such supervision signals are not available. In this work, we develop fully unsupervised evaluation metrics. To do so, we leverage similarities and synergies between evaluation metric induction, parallel corpus mining, and MT systems. In particular, we use an unsupervised evaluation metric to mine pseudo-parallel data, which we use to remap deficient underlying vector spaces (in an iterative manner) and to induce an unsupervised MT system, which then provides pseudo-references as an additional component in the metric. Finally, we also induce unsupervised multilingual sentence embeddings from pseudo-parallel data. We show that our fully unsupervised metrics are effective, i.e., they beat supervised competitors on 4 out of our 5 evaluation datasets. We make our code publicly available.


Despite many accolades, E. Franklin Frazier, the first African American to be elected to the American Sociological Society, is also an object of scorn. Specifically, some accuse Frazier of a view that blames the ills of the Black community on female-headed households, illegitimacy, and family disorganization. Some also accuse Frazier of characterizing the Black family as broken and pathological and the opinion that families must be formal and nuclear in order to be viable. This paper argues that these representations of Frazier are mistaken and offers a more accurate and holistic portrayal of Frazier's sociological judgements and theorizing regarding the African-American family


Article history: Received 27 December 2016 12 May 2017 Accepted 3 June 2017 Available online 07 June 2017 Every year throughout theworld N50million vehicles reach the end of their life, producingmillions of tons of automotive waste. The current strategies for the separation of the non-ferrous waste fraction, contain mainly aluminum, magnesium, zinc and copper alloys, involve high investment and operational costs, and pose environmental concerns. The European project SHREDDERSORT, in which our research group was actively involved, aimed to overcome this issue by developing a new dry sorting technology for the shredding of non-ferrous automotive wastes. This work represents one step of the complex SHREDDERSORT project, dedicated to the development of a strategy based on Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for the sorting of light alloys. LIBSwas here applied in laboratory for the analysis of stationary aluminum shredder samples. To process the LIBS spectra a methodological approach based on artificial neural networks was used. Although separation could in principle be based on simple emission line ratios, the neural networks approach enables more reproducible results, which can accommodate the unavoidable signal variations due to the low intrinsic reproducibility of the LIBS systems. The neural network separated samples into different clusters and estimates their elemental concentrations. © 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.


This paper discusses the definition, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of congenital anorchia. It concludes that preparations containing esters of testosterone are preferable to synthetic derivatives for long-term treatment as they are metabolized in the same way as endogenous testosterone. In addition, it appears that recommended doses for replacement therapy are lower than previously suggested. An ideal formulation of testosterone for use in androgen replacement therapy is not currently available.


Introduction: For people, the difficulty in setting up emotions is a kind of incompatibility, and represents a high risk factor for mental health. The present study examined the predictive role of emotion regulation in the posttraumatic growth and development of blind veterans. Materials and Methods : In this descriptive-correlation study, participants were 110 blind veterans who were selected using convenience sampling method. Calhoun and Tedeschi emotion regulation difficulty questionnaire as well as Gratz and Roemer posttraumatic growth and development questionnaire were completed with the help of questioners. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression tests via SPSS software. Results: There was a negative relationship between emotion regulation difficulty with posttraumatic growth and development. Moreover, as a result of regression analysis between emotion regulation difficulty with posttraumatic growth and development, F statistic value was 4.319, and the standardized regression coefficient was -0.196. Therefore emotion regulation was able to predict posttraumatic growth and development (P < 0.05). Conclusion : According to research findings, it seems that if emotional regulation is appropriately performed, it is not only possible to prevent high-risk behaviors, but also leads to individual's growth and development.


[Excerpt] This "double issue" of Cornell Quarterly is special in a number of ways. Most obviously, it is quite lengthy. Given the amount of material for this issue, we decided to make this a combined issue, and thus this represents the October-December 2003 issue (numbers 5 and 6 of volume 44). But besides its length, the timing of this issue is also noteworthy. This is the final issue of Cornell Quarterly to be published by Elsevier. The reasons and benefits of this change will be discussed in our next issue; however, I did want to mention this important point. Furthermore, as this marks the end of an impressive run, I wanted to end this relationship by looking back over Elsevier's publishing tenure, and provide a salute to the content that CQ has printed over this time.


The present work was focused to design a cheap, rapid, portable and easy to use filter paper based assay for the qualitative and quantitate analysis of acetone. Sodium alginate gel was loaded with the acetone specific optical signal probe, and subsequently coated onto filter paper surface to design portable colorimetric assays for acetone monitoring. The color of the paper sensor strip was observed to change from dark yellow to light yellowish in the presence of varying concentrations of acetone. Three different color analyzing models including RGB, HSV, and LAB were employed to probe the output optical signal, and their performance was compared in terms of better interpretation of the generated signal. The LAB model was found to provide better analytical figures of merit with a linear response for the acetone concentration ranging from 2.5 to 1500 ppm, and a limit of detection of 0.5 ppm. Furthermore, the specificity of the designed filter paper based sensor was demonstrated against different common interfering compounds. The results demonstrated the potential of our proposed filter paper based sensor as a novel tool for the analysis of acetone.


Cattle are an important livestock species for human life, but certain breeds are at risk of extinction. Maintaining genetic diversity plays an important role in sustainable breeding and conservation programmes in farm animals. The aim of this study was to determine genetic diversity among five Turkish native cattle breeds. A total of 199 Turkish native cattle of the Native Southern Yellow (n = 40), South Anatolian Red (n = 40), Anatolian Grey Cattle (n = 40), Native Black Cattle (n = 39) and East Anatolian Red (n = 40) breeds were investigated using 22 autosomal microsatellite markers. The analysis revealed considerable genetic variation among these breeds. All loci were polymorphic, and a total of 545 alleles were found. Among these loci, only INRA032 was at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Thirty-four private alleles with frequencies greater than 5% were found. Expected heterozygosity and polymorphic information content indexes were 0.87 and 0.88, respectively. Native Southern Yellow, South Anatolian Red and Native Black Cattle breeds were closely related. Keywords: animal genetic resources, microsatellite, genetic relationship, genetic conservation


This paper discusses some of the issues that concern the operation of currency boards, by comparison to conventional exchange rate pegs, and looks at the experiences of three examples of this type of arrangement: Argentina (from 1991), Hong Kong (from 1983) and Estonia (from 1992). In all three cases, the implementation of currency boards or equivalent arrangements played a significant role in their successful stabilization programs. Currency boards derive their strength from the fact that they severely constrain the policy maker's room for manoeuvre, by comparison to conventional pegs. They generally require an even stricter and less forgiving attitude to bank failure, wage and price rigidities and other disturbances than do exchange rate pegs in general. This is a Paper on Policy Analysis and Assessment and the author(s) would welcome any comments on the present text. Citations should refer to a Paper on Policy Analysis and Assessment of the international Monetary Fund mentioning the author(s) and the date of issuance. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Fund.


A phase-locked loop (PLL) is a closed-loop feedback control system that estimates the frequency as well as phase of an input signal. The most commonly deployed synchronization method in three-phase applications is a type-2 synchronous reference frame PLL. With pre/in-loop selective harmonic filtering stage, type-2 PLLs can obtain good detection speed, decent stability margins, and better disturbance rejection. However, it suffers from the finite steady-state phase error during ramp change in input signal frequency. To tackle this challenge type-3 PLLs have been developed recently, either by adding a feed-forward path to the PLL structure, or by using a second-order controller as the loop filter. However, recent analysis carried out of type-3 PLLs show that they aggravate stability problem and compromise the performance in terms of detection speed and disturbance rejection. A new concept of synchronization is proposed in this paper that obtains the performance of type-3 PLL but retains all the advantages associated with type-2 PLL. Extensive experimental results are provided to validate the proposed work.


The book publishing industry, compared with other more "glamorous" industries such as automobiles or computers, has received relatively scant attention from academic researchers. Little has been written on the subject, despite the fact that it is an US$18 billion industry (in USA). The general perception is that publishing is a staid and old‐fashioned industry, with few changes since the invention of the movable type by Gutenberg in the fifteenth century. This view no longer holds true. In the past 15 years, many exciting challenges and changes have taken place that have altered the very foundations of the industry. The first major wave of change took place in the early 1980s, with the advent of the personal computing. Following that, shifts in consumer demand, and merger and acquisition activities have also affected the industry. The onset of the information superhighway promises even greater changes, but has also given rise to confusion and uncertainty as to the industry's future.


A biological experiment was conducted to study the effect of Chromoleana odorata, Azadirachta indica and Spondias mombin as alternative to antibiotic growth promoter on broiler production, performance and antibiotics residue with eight weeks old broiler chicks which were randomly allotted to six dietary treatment groups in a completely randomised design (CRD). Each treatment group contained 44 birds and further divided into four replicate groups of 11 birds each. Fresh Chromoleana odorata, Azadirachta indica and Spondias mombin leaves were plucked, the leaves were removed from the stalk, allowed to wilt at room temperature by air drying and milled before adding and formulated with the feed at the rate of 0.5 % for treatment 3 to 6. Treatment 1 (negative control) in which birds were not giving any vaccination or prophylactics. Treatment 2 (positive control) birds were given normal prophylactics (that is antibiotics and drugs ) and normal vaccination schedule was used. Results showed that use of antibiotics in raising broilers show a level of antibiotic residue in the meat tissue and organ as compared to the control treatment T1 (negative control) and other dietary treatments that were fed with three different phytogenic plants (Treatment 3 – 6). Also the result of performance characteristics in starter broiler showed that the phytogenic plant as feed additives in poultry diet were inconsistent whereby highest mean values were recorded in final weight (431.5 g), feed intake (27.9 g) and weight gain (14.0 g). While other parameters like feed conversion ratio and mortality were not significantly (p > 0.05) influenced by the experimental diets. But in finisher phase of broiler, all parameters were significantly (p < 0.05) influenced and highest mean value was recorded. It is now concluded that phytogenic plants as feed additives in broiler ration is recommended to be used as an alternative to the use of antibiotics, vaccines and other prophylactics for the control of antibiotic residue.