We present the prospects of searches for neutral, long-lived particles that decay to photons using their time of arrival measured with a newly installed timing system on the electromagnetic calorimeter (EMTiming) of the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). A Monte Carlo simulation shows that EMTiming can provide separation between decay photons from neutral, long-lived particles and prompt photons from standard model backgrounds. Using gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking (GMSB) ${\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{\ensuremath{\chi}}}_{1}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\gamma}\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{G}$ models, we estimate a quasi-model-independent sensitivity using only direct neutralino pair production, and also estimate the expected 95% confidence level exclusion regions for all superpartner production as a function of the neutralino mass and lifetime. We find that a combination of single photon and diphoton analyses should allow the Tevatron in Run II to easily extend the exclusion regions from ALEPH at LEP II at high neutralino masses and lifetimes, and cover parts of the theoretically favored ${m}_{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{G}}l\mathrm{\text{few}}\text{ }\mathrm{k}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{V}/{c}^{2}$ GMSB parameter space.


A prospective study of the free mediastinal foreign bodies was conducted over a 5-year period. A protocol was designed and the needed data were collated and studies. A thorough search of local and international literature was conducted.
We collected data on the ages, gender distribution, types of foreign bodied involved, routes of entry and the management profile of all the patients. The foreign bodies that were confined in the thoracic organs were excluded.
Only 7 patients met the study criteria. One of the patients swallowed Lukudi, a six-year-old girl fell on lead pencil which penetrated her anterior mediastinum. All the 7 patients were successfully managed.
The conclusions are the strictly free mediastinal foreign bodies are rare and there is a paucity of local reports on the topic. A striking incidence about a learned African who believed that he could make magical money brings to fore the need for public enlightenment against such practice.
The evolving world of endoscopic surgery throws a challenge towards the future management of these types of cases. We need to do more in this part of the world.
 NQJHM Vol. 13 (3-4) 2003: pp. 11-13


ABSTRACT Although postgraduate expansion swiftly followed the massification of undergraduate provision, with classed inequalities in access, postgraduate taught (PGT) education has rarely received the same level of scholarly attention as the critical mass of undergraduate research. To address this partial research lacuna, the paper traces 41 biographical narratives of first-generation students enrolled on taught Master's programmes at four English universities, complemented by four dialogic analysis workshops. Theorising social inequalities as lived and navigated structure and process, the paper traces a continuity of familiar refrains of inequality from undergraduate to postgraduate study. However, it illustrates how these may be reformulations, rather than replications. Firstly, it discusses material and symbolic barriers to PGT affordability including high fee levels, familial histories of debt and religious beliefs. Secondly, it emphasises that geographical mobility may be impossible or undesirable for Master's students due to relatively more 'complicated' lives, emplaced commitments, the subjectivity of social space and affective ties to place. Finally, it underscores that 'fitting in' still matters at PGT, as students may either divert from or feel uncomfortable in 'high-status' spaces where they feel they do not belong. In concluding, the paper argues the case for fully integrating PGT into HE equity agendas.


We consider the approximate string membership checking (ASMC) problem of extracting all the strings or sub strings in a document that approximately match some string in a given dictionary. To solve this problem, the current state-of-art approach involves first applying an approximate, fast filter, then applying a more expensive exact verification algorithm to the strings that pass the filter. Correspondingly, many string filters have been proposed. We note that different filters are good at eliminating different strings, depending on the characteristics of the strings in both the documents and the dictionary. We suspect that no single filter will dominate all other filters everywhere. Given an ASMC problem instance and a set of string filters, we need to select the optimal filter to maximize the performance. Furthermore, in our experiments we found that in some cases a sequence of filters dominates any of the filters of the sequence in isolation, and that the best set of filters and their ordering depend upon the specific problem instance encountered. Accordingly, we propose that the approximate match problem be viewed as an optimization problem, and evaluate a number of techniques for solving this optimization problem.


We consider the problem of setting the hyperparameters of one or more surrogate-assisted evolutionary optimization algorithms, and similar methods such as Bayesian Optimization (i.e. Gaussian Process regression combined with an acquisition function for choosing next solutions to sample), which are often used for problems with expensive function evaluations. It has been remarked elsewhere that these algorithms can be started with an initial experimental design, or with a random sample, or by starting from only two points. We here investigate how to make such choices. By equating the use of random search for the initial population (or design) with running a single-point random searcher for some few initial samples (and extending this view to other initialization methods) it seems clear that these methods (initialization + Bayesian optimizer) are rather like an algorithm portfolio, and something can be learned from that literature. However, we start largely afresh with experiments that combine different sampling methods (random search, Latin hypercube) with Gaussian processes and different acquisition functions (expected improvement, and a generalisation of it). We consider a number of different experimental setups (functions and dimensions), and attempt to get a rough view of what works well where. Our work complements some previous Evolutionary Computation work on initialization using subrandom sequences, and experimental designs, but considers more modern algorithms for expensive problems.


We analyze the controllability and observability (C/O) of first principles-based numeric and reduced semi-analytic PEMFC models, with emphasis on the effects of model reduction on these analyses. The numeric model is a partial differential equation (PDE) based model approximated by difference equations, including both channels and both GDL of a PEMFC. The reduced model uses a semi-analytic solution (SAS) method, which is a combination of analytic and numeric solutions, gaining physical intuition at lower computational cost. The C/O analysis is based on linearizations around multiple operating points of the numeric and the semi-analytic models. The results indicate that stabilizability of the anode water states is possible.© 2008 ASME


A test for children's goal-directed behavior was developed, based on neuropsychological executive function research of Vilkki and Holst and on the framework of Lewin's level-of-aspiration research. 46 12-yr.-old children were participants. Fluid Intelligence was expected to be linked to goal-directed behavior and a commonly used executive function task, the Wisconsin Card-sorting Test. A child was asked to set personal goals in a short-term memory task without prior knowledge about performance. Four different task versions were developed employing both verbal (memorizing series of words) and visuospatial (memorizing block sequences) material. The child set an individual goal for each memory trial. Goal-setting after successful and failed trials was investigated. Usually, the children lowered their goals after failures and set their goals higher or did not change them after successful trials. Compared to goal on a previous trial, Inadequate Responses included setting a goal higher after a failed trial and setting it lower after success. Fluid Intelligence was related to goal-directed behavior, viz., Inadequate Responses. It also correlated with scores on the Wisconsin Card-sorting Test. The results are in concordance with previous research. In addition to experimental executive function research, the novel test might be useful in research concerning children's motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning.


Radio wave attenuation for space vehicles during atmospheric re-entry is discussed. Attenuation as a function of frequency and altitude are shown. Attractive millimeterwave regions are discussed. An equation for attenuation during re-entry is listed.


Involvement of beta 1- and/or beta 2-adrenoceptors in vagal reflex-mediated tracheal dilatation during bronchoconstriction was investigated using the in vivo guinea pig tracheo-bronchi separated preparation. Inhalation of 0.01% (w/v) histamine to the bronchial site produced vagal reflex-mediated tracheal constriction followed by dilatation slightly after bronchial constriction. The latter reflex dilatation was significantly inhibited not only by 1% propranolol, a nonselective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, but also by 0.1% butoxamine and 0.01% ICI-118,551, selective beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonists. However, 0.1% atenolol, a selective beta 1-adrenoceptor antagonist failed to inhibit the dilatation. Furthermore, the dilatation was also inhibited by 0.1% guanethidine treatment or adrenalectomy. All of noradrenaline, adrenaline and cyclic AMP contents in the tissue of the tracheal site significantly increased during the reflex tracheal dilatation after bronchoconstriction. The increase in cyclic AMP was reduced by 1% propranolol. Furthermore, local treatment of the tracheal site with 0.01% noradrenaline or 0.01% adrenaline induced tracheal dilatation, which was significantly inhibited by 0.1% butoxamine or 0.001% ICI-118,551 but not by 0.1% atenolol. These results suggest that the reflex tracheal dilatation during bronchoconstriction may be mediated by mainly beta 2-adrenoceptors activated by adrenaline released from the adrenal medulla and by noradrenaline released from the adrenergic nerve terminals.


The JIAS welcomes submissions on HIV-related topics from across all scientific disciplines, including but not limited to:Basic and biomedical sciencesBehavioral sciencesEpidemiologyClinical sciencesHealth economics and health policyOperations research and implementation sciencesSocial sciences and humanities, including political sciences and mediaThe JIAS prioritizes submissions from operational research and implementation science as publication of such material can provide valuable information on various algorithms for monitoring and providing support for comprehensive, yet affordable and sustainable treatment, prevention and care programmes in different contexts.


The diagnosis of acute proctitis requires understanding who is at risk, being aware of symptoms, and leveraging a thorough sexual history with appropriate risk stratification to make the diagnosis. Cases have been concentrated in adolescents (ages 15-19 years), young adults (ages 20-24 years), men and transgender women who have sex with men, and those with a history of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Black adolescents experience a disproportionately high number of cases of proctitis due to an intersection of concentrated cases in sexual networks and delayed screening/diagnosis due to health care access barriers. Signs and symptoms include purulent discharge, bleeding, pain, tenesmus, pruritus, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, or fever. Multisite sexually transmitted infection testing should be offered based on risk stratification (eg, history of condomless anal sex, oral intercourse, number of sex partners). Further management includes promotion of barrier protection and preexposure prophylaxis, routine surveillance, partner notification, and routine access to preventive immunizations.


Jared Diamond has done it again. In 1997, he burst into the reading public's consciousness with a Pulitzer Prize–winning book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, a work of awe-inspiring scholarship and sweeping breadth that explained how Europeans and their culture came to dominate the world. Diamond explained the large disparity between wealth and technology in different parts of the world as an accident of geography.The temperate latitudes of Eurasia facilitated the East-West dispersion of species over an extensive area, allowing a diversity of plants and animals to be domesticated, and this domestication led to increasing civilization as nomadic hunter-gatherers put down roots and progressed in their communities from families to tribes to villages, cities, nations, and empires. By contrast, the Americas with their North-South axis had little opportunity for the diffusion of species and thus were much slower to develop. China lagged behind Europe for different geographical reasons. The mountains, rivers, and irregular coastline of Europe ensured its division into competitive nation-states, which fostered technological development and the rise of a merchant class. With its regular coastline, absence of mountain ranges dividing its mid-section, and two navigable rivers connecting much of the coun-


Vasopressin-activated Ca2+-mobilizing (VACM)-1 gene product is a 780-amino acid membrane protein that shares sequence homology with cullins, a family of genes involved in the regulation of cell cycle. However, when expressed in vitro, VACM-1 attenuates basal and vasopressin- and forskolin-induced cAMP production. Mutating the PKA-dependent phosphorylation site in the VACM-1 sequence (S730AVACM-1) prevents this inhibitory effect. To further examine the biological role of VACM-1, we studied the effect of VACM-1 and S730AVACM-1 proteins on cellular proliferation and gene expression in Chinese hamster ovary and COS-1 cells. Cellular proliferation of VACM-1-expressing cell lines was significantly lower compared with that of the vector-transfected cells, whereas it was significantly increased in S730AVACM-1-derived cell lines. Furthermore, expression of VACM-1 but not S730AVACM-1 protein retarded cytokinesis and prevented MAPK phosphorylation. Screening with the Human PathwayFinder-1 GEArray system and subsequent Western blot analysis demonstrated that VACM-1 induces p53 mRNA and protein expression. In summary, VACM-1 inhibits cellular growth by a mechanism that involves cAMP, MAPK phosphorylation, and p53 expression.


In this article, we investigate inertial modes of rigidly rotating neutron stars, i.e. modes for which the Coriolis force is dominant. This is done using the assumption of a fixed spacetime (Cowling approximation). We present frequencies and eigenfunctions for a sequence of stars with a polytropic equation of state, covering a broad range of rotation rates. The modes were obtained with a nonlinear general relativistic hydrodynamic evolution code. We further show that the eigenequations for the oscillation modes can be written in a particularly simple form for the case of arbitrary fast but rigid rotation. Using these equations, we investigate some general characteristics of inertial modes, which are then compared to the numerically obtained eigenfunctions. In particular, we derive a rough analytical estimate for the frequency as a function of the number of nodes of the eigenfunction, and find that a similar empirical relation matches the numerical results with unexpected accuracy. We investigate the slow rotation limit of the eigenequations, obtaining two different sets of equations describing pressure and inertial modes. For the numerical computations we only considered axisymmetric modes, while the analytic part also covers nonaxisymmetric modes. The eigenfunctions suggest that the classification of inertial modes by the quantum numbers of the leading term of a spherical harmonic decomposition is artificial in the sense that the largest term is not strongly dominant, even in the slow rotation limit. The reason for the different structure of pressure and inertial modes is that the Coriolis force remains important in the slow rotation limit only for inertial modes. Accordingly, the scalar eigenequation we obtain in that limit is spherically symmetric for pressure modes, but not for inertial modes.


For the first time, we have engineered streptavidin labeled fluorescent silver nanoparticles for their application in immunosensing of biomolecules which will significantly increase sensitivity without compromising the specificity. A computational perspective for understanding the efficiency of the conjugation process is provided as a proof of concept. The fluorescence based sandwich immunoassay was demonstrated to detect HIV-1 p24 antigen in clinical specimens with improved sensitivity and specificity. The detection range of the fluorescent silver nanoparticle-based immunoassay (FSNIA) was found to be between 10 and 1000 pg mL−1 in a linear dose dependent manner. False positives were not observed with plasma samples from healthy adults (HIV−ve), hepatitis B (HBV+ve) and hepatitis C (HCV+ve). Plasma samples that were HIV−ve showed no interference with detection of HIV-1 p24 antigen. This technology can be used in resource limited settings and easily adopted for the detection of other pathogen antigens.


Ruminants, which have a central place in the food chain, ingest soil that may contain pollutants. The bioaccessibility of three different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds from soil was studied using an in vitro model based on the digestive tract of cows. For this purpose, pasture soil was spiked with (14)C radio-labeled compounds, aged, and then exposed to conditions which simulated the digestive compartments of the rumen, abomasum, and intestines. Our results show that aging generally reduced the bioaccessibility of all the compounds tested. Total bioaccessibilty in the first digestive compartment, i.e., the rumen, depended on the considered compound: elevated for phenanthrene (17-24%), moderate for pyrene (6.6-8.1%), and low for benzo[ a]pyrene (2.3-3.6%). Bioaccessibility was very low in abomasal acidity (generally <2%) and intestinal colloids (<8%). The liquid phases of intestinal medium successfully extracted compounds from freshly contaminated soil (25-28%), but the bioaccessibilty dropped markedly after aging (17% for phenanthrene and <9% for the more lipophylic compounds). Total bioaccessibilty in this in vitro model ranged from 11% for benzo[ a]pyrene in aged soil to 58% for phenanthrene in freshly contaminated soil, and the bioaccessibility of this latter compound was always higher compared to pyrene or benzo[ a]pyrene. Residual soil contained around half of the initial load, the highest residual levels being of benzo[ a]pyrene, which confirms the observed bioaccessibility.


Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a decreased life-expectancy, partly due to an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) (1, 2). Identification of RA patients with high CVD-risk would enable initiation of preventive interventions (3). However, routinely used CVD prediction models, e.g. Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation score (SCORE), generally underestimate the increased risk in RA patients (4, 5). Objectives To investigate whether RA-specific factors have an additional predictive value to traditional risk factors in predicting the occurrence of CVD over 10 years in RA patients. Methods This study was performed using the database of the Nijmegen early RA inception cohort (4).Two Cox proportional hazards models were created to predict the occurrence of the first non-fatal or fatal cardiovascular event (CV-event) within 10 years after inclusion in the cohort. The CVD model included a combination of the traditional CVD predictors from FRS and SCORE, using backward selection. The RA-specific model, was an extension of the CVD model by adding predefined RA-specific predictors, followed by backward selection. Harrell's C-statistics were calculated to assess discriminative power. A likelihood ratio test was performed to compare the models. Logistic regression analyses were performed to make receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration plots to gain insight into the accuracy of the models. Results Of the 1028 patients included in the analyses, 141 had experienced a CV-event with a mean time-to-event of 4.9 years. The RA-specific model (C-statistic=0.75) had a slightly higher discriminative ability compared to the CVD model (C-statistic=0.73). The likelihood ratio test (χ2 df=2=12.645, p<0.01) showed that the RA-specific model had a significant better fit to the data compared to the CVD model. Calibration plots show that both models underestimated the true probability on experiencing a CV-event. Conclusions RA-specific predictors slightly improved the performance of a model containing traditional CVD predictors. Doubt exists whether the additional value of RA-specific predictors outweighs the disadvantages of using a disease-specific model instead of a general one. Future studies should focus on identifying RA-specific factors that further improve the prediction of CV-events in RA patients. References Kitas G et al. Cardiac involvement in rheumatoid disease. Clinical medicine (London, England). 2001 Jan-Feb;1(1):18-21. Radovits BJ et al. Excess mortality emerges after 10 years in an inception cohort of early rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis care & research. 2010 Mar;62(3):362-70. Avina-Zubieta JA et al. Risk of incident cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Annals of the rheumatic diseases. 2012 Sep;71(9):1524-9. Arts EE et al. Performance of four current risk algorithms in predicting cardiovascular events in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the rheumatic diseases. 2014 Jan 3. [Epub ahead of print]. Crowson CS et al. Rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease. American heart journal. 2013 Oct;166(4):622-8 e1. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Society's inadequate response to disability impacts people's physical health, social relationships and lives in general which can be perceived in the realms of family, friends, neighbours, psychological state and level of independence. The consequences of a disability can have an impact on multiple levels, the personal, interpersonal, family and social (Catherin & Shanbhang, 2015). These impacts are mirrored – and in some ways exaggerated – in the lives of students living with disabilities. Students living with physical disabilities at universities of technology may experience challenges that negatively affect their studies. The purpose of the study reported in this article was to explore the experiences of students who are living with physical disabilities at a selected university of technology in KwaZulu-Natal. The study adopted a qualitative design. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were employed to collect data from the 10 participants. And participation of students living with physical disabilities was secured through the snowball sampling technique. The findings of the research revealed a variety of challenges that students with physical disabilities encounter at the selected university of technology.


Using the method of inhibition of lymphocyte migration, the authors have studied the migration activity of lymphocytes in healthy donors and patients with leukemia. The study proves that the lymphocytes migration activity in both acute and chronic types of leukemia has decreased by about 27-28% as compared with healthy donors. The tests with mitogen stimulation cells demonstrate that under the influence of PHGA, the migration activity of lymphocytes in patients with acute mieloblastic leucosis has increased by 10%, and in the groups with other types of leucosis it has decreased by 10-55% as compared with healthy donors. Under the influence of Con A, the migration activity of lymphocytes in patients with leukemia has decreased by 4257% as compared with a control group. The activation of lymphocytes in the presence of mitogens is a convenient model for studying the processes of growth and proliferation of cells in mammals.


Image restoration technique is an important method to improve the quality of image in flights photograph and machine vision. On account of blur emerge in relative motion and other condition, the paper analyse its mathematic principle, then for each motion pattern we adopt different deblurring method. Be concrete, we first judge the type of motion, for linear motion blur we take both hough transform and error-parameter to estimate the blur parameters, yet for rotate motion blur we take curve-fitting and polar transformation to estimate parameters. After that we apply Wiener filtering to recover image and improve image quality. We perform experiments with linear motion blur parameter (30,70) and rotate motion blur parameter ((128,128), 20°). The contrast results of the experiments indicate that the algorithm can enhance image quality effectively. Compared with traditional handling, ours have the advantage of being high precision, robustness and speediness‥


Seat vibration is one of the major causes of discomfort in moving vehicle. Tyre, engine, drivetrain and aerodynamic forces excite the cabin and interior through various pathways. In this paper, the contributions of tyre and engine vibration to seat excitations are studied. Virtual Source Analysis (VSA) is implemented to decompose the source signals into incoherent phenomena. Studying these phenomena (virtual sources) shows the amount and frequency bands that physical sources affect the seat vibration as the response channel. Experiment is conducted while riding on smooth and bumpy roads. Road roughness is characterized using International Roughness Index (IRI). VSA technique approve that tyre is the main source of seat vibration for the moving vehicle. Seat vibration has significant values below 400 Hz and tyre is found to be the dominant source of excitations for both smooth and bumpy roads. For smooth road, strong engine harmonics below 200 Hz also has some involvements. But in bumpy road, tyre vibration rise up and become the dominant broadband source of excitations. Tyre damper and engine mount Frequency Response Function (FRF) analysis show that these parts are designed to be highly efficient below 1400 Hz and 200 Hz, respectively. These ranges are identical with those that were found as the critical operational frequency spans in VSA.


Conventional measurement of lipid concentrations includes total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG). Several guidelines for cardiovascular diseases recommend using LDL-C as the primary target of therapy in conjunction with assessing risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD); however, emerging findings have revealed that lowering LDL-C to the goal with statins is not enough to prevent primary and secondary CVD. Thus, we need new parameters to better integrate residual risks into CVD risk stratification. Recently, non-HDL-C, apolipoprotein B (apoB), and LDL-C/HDL-C have been suggested. Non-HDL-C, indicating the cholesterol contents of all atherogenic lipoproteins and retaining continuity with the concept of cholesterol, is quickly computed by subtracting HDL-C from TC, needs no additional costs, and includes atherogenic TG-rich lipoproteins, called remnant lipoproteins. In addition, non-HDL-C has been shown to be an excellent predictor of CVD, free from dietary variations. ApoB, the number of atherogenic lipoproteins, is also a valuable parameter with slightly better performance than non-HDL-C in epidemiological studies, but it costs more and takes longer than conventional lipid examinations. Several lipid parameters, such as TC/HDL-C, non-HDL-C/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, are also available in clinical practice and epidemiological study; however, we should note that LDL-C/HDL-C is not reliable in cases of high TG. Thus, in general health checks, we should first pay attention to the absolute values of LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG for the diagnosis and subsequently use non-HDL-C, apoB, and other parameters, considering the pathophysiological condition, convenience, and costs.


A "cation pool" of an N- acyliminium ion was found to serve as an effective initiator of cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers in a microflow system consisting of two micromixers (IMM micromixer) and two microtube reactors. The cationic polymerization of n-butyl vinyl ether in CH(2)Cl(2) at -78 degrees C led to very narrow molecular weight distribution (M(w)/M(n)=1.14). The molecular weight (M(n)) increased linearly with an increase in monomer/initiator ratio. The carbocationic polymer end was effectively trapped by allyltrimethylsilane. Additionally, the synthesis of block polymers was accomplished by the present microflow system controlled method. The polymerization was also conducted using commercially available trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH) as an initiator. A high level of molecular weight control was attained even at -25 degrees C. The TfOH-initiated polymerization could be conducted using a microflow system based on T-shaped micromixers, which serves as a practical tool for microflow system controlled carbocationic polymerization.


A horizontality adjusting system of the earth drill′s platform is designed to deal with the operation difficulty of the platform which appeared while the earth drill is used. The proportional-impulse control to eliminate the over-adjustment and electricity-hydraulic-proportional control to drive the adjusting mechanism are adopted in the system. The control scheme and control algorithm are introduced in detail. The software flow chart is given.


.. High resolution computed tomography scan, in modern years, is more effective than standard computed tomography scan and conventional chest radiography in localization of diseases in the lobule of lung and in the appraisal of pulmonary parenchymal diseases because of high-resolution power and minimal partial volume effect. Objectives: To identify pulmonary tuberculosis in clinically suspected patients by high resolution computed tomography scan of chest. Study Design: Cross Sectional Descriptive study. Setting: Department of Radiology, Mayo Hospital, Lahore. Period: 15th February 2018 to 15th November 2018. Material & Methods: After taking consent, fifty patients, fulfilling inclusion and exclusion criteria, were selected by convenient sampling in this cross sectional descriptive study. Demographic details, clinical history and High resolution tomographic scan findings were documented. Data analysis was performed on Microsoft excel and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS v21) and reported by descriptive statistics. Results: Out of 50 patients, pulmonary tuberculosis was diagnosed in 44(88%) patients, acute on chronic tuberculosis in 2(4%), healed tuberculosis in 2(4%), interstitial lung disease in 1(2%) & post tubercular sequela in 1(2%) patient. Majority were males (n=29, 58%) and most patients belonged to fifth decade of life (n=19, 38%). Overall mean age of patients was 45.14±12.16 years and mostly belonged to lower socioeconomic status (n=38, 76%). Most common symptom and High resolution computed tomography finding were low grade fever in 45(95%) & consolidation in 39(78%) patients, respectively. Conclusion: High resolution computed tomography scan is valuable in diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis & its related spectrum of diseases in patients having clinical suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis.


The study of the functioning of the venous muscle pump by means of plethysmographic tests allowed us to discover a clearly marked condition in the varicose veins combined with chronic venous deficiency and in the thromboses of the deep veins. In the case of varicose veins, we found an interdependence between the gravity of the functional lesions and the existence of insufficient perforating veins. The study, which dealt with cases of thrombosis, showed that the trophic skin lesions appear only after several years of poor nervous pump functioning.


The normal development of follicles involves a series of complex life processes such as ordered transcriptional activation and inhibition, which is crucial for female reproductive ability. Histone methylation can change the chromatin state in cells and affect the transcription activity of genes. Current studies indicate that epigenetic modifications such as histone methylation play an important regulatory role in follicular development in female mammals. This paper summarized the relationship between H3K4, H3K9 methylation and germ cell development, their regulatory effects, including their dynamical changes during follicular development, and the progress of H3K4me3 and other histone methylation binding to promoter regions of different genes to regulate gene expression and thus affect germ cell epigenetic reprogramming, oocyte transcription, meiosis and other processes. This review will provide a reference for the study of mechanisms related to histone methylation modification and the development and maturation of gonadal parenchymal cells.


by the authors' comparative referencing of other African coups and relevant theories by Chazan and others. Due to Hughes and Perfect's rich knowledge and well-rounded perspective, the analysis of Jawara's legacy is likely to remain an authoritative statement on that subject. Hughes and Perfect provide a seminal work that will become a key reference in historiography of The Gambia. The work is not a comprehensive examination of that country; the focus remains firmly centred on the realm of top-down state governance and electoral politics. Nonetheless, the authors' insight and attention to detail make the work of potential interest for most Gambianists and anyone desiring a broad perspective on the machinations of the urban and political elites following the establishment of Bathurst. The book will thus be an excellent background source for analyzing recent, contemporary and future developments in 'the Smiling Coast of West Africa'. On their first page the authors repeat the common characterization of The Gambia as 'unusually democratic' and stable. It would be worthwhile to investigate the exact significance of that label. While this author must admit to having used a similar description of the country as relatively peaceful, such nebulous assertions beg for further examination of the standard of measurement. Although there have been some encouraging developments, including unprecedented progress on the pressing issue of women's status and welfare, Gambian electoral politics and governance have become notably contentious in the early twenty-first century. There appears to be a worrying trend towards heightening tensions and overt manifestations of authoritarianism and violence. It remains to be seen whether the country will avoid widespread violent conflict of the type that has engulfed many of the countries in the sub-region. Regardless of what occurs, A Political History will be a vital resource for situating future developments in their historical context.


Computer Networks and Distributed Computing have reached a new phase of development, improving both connectivity and instant and consistent social ability. Over the past few years, Cloud Computing has becoming one of the revolutionary of technologies in ICT growths in both popularity and importance, both in industry field and in academic domain. Recently, a lot of on-going research activities has been focusing on cloud computing's applications and platforms development mainly driven by the world leading companies and network professionals. To exploit both Cloud Computing technology and collaborative agents' productivity potential, this paper outlines how to adopt agent technology as solution for a cloud-based community Care e-Service System to produce effective services scheduling, control and management. Our approach to building software application with integrated cloud services and agent-based solutions which emphasizes the importance of using agent architecture via cloud-based infrastructure, software and platform as a critical key step in developing and producing software architectures and applications.


Unskilled labour productivity on construction sites is highly needed and improving
their output is a vital performance measure needed to enhance the efficiency and
effectiveness of the construction industry. Thus, the study aimed to determine
measures for improving unskilled labour productivity on construction sites from the
perspective of skilled labourer. A questionnaire survey was conducted among
building contractors who were working on Accra Polytechnic sites were selected to
solicit information pertaining improvement of unskilled labour productivity. The data
collected was analysed quantitatively, using the Relative Importance Index (RII). The
findings revealed that, lack of education, poor health of the workers, ignorance of
safety precautions and psychological needs were some of the factors affecting their
output. Again, employee motivation, employee training, communication and job
satisfaction were the key variables to improve unskilled labour productivity on
construction sites. It was recommended that, education and training sessions should
be organized frequently and job security to enhance the productivity of unskilled
labourers on construction sites making them more effective and efficient in terms of
productivity improvement.%%%%A thesis submitted to the Department of Building Technology, College of Art and Built Environment in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, 2016%%%%KNUST


PurposeTechnology-based incubators depend on high-level knowledge to constantly meet the demands of the market. Incubators offer a variety of specialized services to help startups increase the chances of crossing the valley of death. These services include infrastructure, access to a professional network of mentors and an intensive support of a consultant team to help with managerial and legal challenges. Therefore, it is critical to incubators to develop both highly skilled teams of consultants and social environment that facilitates communication. The purpose of this paper is to understand how innovation-oriented social networks created within technology-based incubators are shaped.Design/methodology/approachData were collected in five incubators participating connected to federal universities from the state of Minas Gerais. The network attributes collected in the survey were placed in a matrix form. The mapping and measurement of the relationships between individuals were developed using the Ucinet software. Ucinet enables the analysis of attributes (attitudes, behaviors and characteristics) characterized as relational (contacts, ties and relationships). The software also includes the Netdraw network visualization tool, which enables the creation of matrices and graphical network maps. The measurements of centrality, closeness and intermediation were analyzed to assess the intra-organizational social network.FindingsThe results indicate that although the flow of communication does not follow the formal hierarchy, the interaction between team members to spontaneously exchange ideas, information and experiences is rare. The workers are so concerned about their timely tasks, that they have few opportunities to exchange information and knowledge. The coordination is carried out by university professors, who also perform other tasks (e.g. teaching, research and administration activities) besides those related to the incubators. The results also suggest that in the technology-based incubators studied, besides dealing in an innovative environment, the distribution of tasks and responsibilities are still rigid and traditional.Originality/valueBy analyzing the degree of the relationship between team members, the proximity and the level of intermediation of co-workers, it is possible to see how the incubators workers interact, thereby identifying the flow of information. This study offers implications for theory and practice. To the theory, this study adds to the discussion of intra-organizational social network of technology-based companies in the Brazilian context. To practitioners, this research sheds light on the importance of the social network built within the organization to promote effective communication and knowledge sharing.


A radio frequency (RF) vacuum technology is proposed for drying kiwifruit slices using a 27.12 MHz, 3 kW RF-vacuum drying system. The results demonstrated that electrode gap, vacuum pressure and sample thickness had major effects on the RF-vacuum drying. The RF-vacuum drying was associated with internal heating and rapid drying, resulting in 65% reduction of hot air (60ºC) drying time. Moreover, kiwifruits dehydrated by RF-vacuum drying were associated with better color stability, higher vitamin C retention and higher rehydration capacity (P<0.05). Overall, the RF-vacuum drying process may provide a more effective and practical method for high-quality dehydration of kiwifruits. Keywords: radio frequency-vacuum drying; hot air; moisture content distribution; moisture effective diffusivity; quality


Abstract. Ngoring Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (TP). The lake water temperature was observed to be generally rising during the ice-covered period from November 2015 to April 2016. This phenomenon appeared in the whole water column, with slowing in deep water and accelerating in shallow water before ice melting. The process is different from low-altitude boreal lakes. There are few studies on its mechanism and effects on lake-atmosphere interaction. Based on the observation data of Ngoring Lake Station, ERA5-Land data, MODIS surface temperature data, and precipitation data of Maduo Station of China Meteorological Administration, the characteristics of water temperature rise in the ice-covered Ngoring Lake are analyzed. LAKE2.3 model, which is currently little used for TP lakes, is applied to explore the influence of local climate characteristics and the main physical parameters on the radiation transfer in water body. The study questions are the continuous rise of water temperature in the ice-covered period, and the effects of different water temperature profiles prior to ice breakup on the lake heat storage per unit area and sensible and latent heat release. The results show that LAKE2.3 represents well the temperature evolution and thermal stratification in Ngoring Lake, especially in the ice-covered period. The strong downward short-wave radiation plays a dominant role, low precipitation gives positive feedback, and smaller downward long-wave radiation, lower temperature and larger wind speed give negative feedback. Increase of ice albedo and ice extinction coefficient reduces the heating rate of water temperature before reaching the maximum density temperature, and increases the maximum temperature that can be reached during ice-covered period, while increasing the water extinction coefficient has little influence on water temperature. The lake temperature in Ngoring Lake rising during the ice-covered period, and the temperature at the upper layer of lake body was higher than that at the maximum density temperature before ice breaking. Compared with the characteristics of three typical ice-covered periods which the lake temperature remained fixed in each layer, and the lake temperature was less than or equal to the maximum density temperature, the difference of heat release after ice breaking lasted for 59–97 days. The higher the lake temperature before breakup, the more heat is stored in the lake, and the more sensible heat and latent heat is released when the ice melts completely and the faster is the heat release.


[Extract] In 2001, the United Nations declared HIV and AIDS an international crisis (United Nations, 2001). The HIV epidemic hit African countries that were already facing a multitude of problems including weak governance, conflicts and natural disasters.

That same year, the World Health Organization's Commission on Macroeconomics and Health and the UN's Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa concluded that the lack of
political will to sufficiently increase spending on health at sub-national, national and international levels was perhaps the most critical barrier to improving health in low-income countries (Sachs, 2001; The Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa, 2001). It was clear,
however, that removing financial constraints alone would not be sufficient to improve health outcomes and that progress also hinged on the ability of countries to increase the capacity of their health sectors. In particular, the human resource shortage in Africa, which was exacerbated by the effects of AIDS, constituted a barrier to universal and sustainable access to health
services. Other weaknesses in the health system, such as poor infrastructure, the absence of sustainable supply systems, fragmented health information systems and weak governance structures, also needed to be addressed with short-, medium- and long-term perspectives.


World manufacture of hydraulic cements is close to one thousand million tonnes per year, and cements along with steel are the most important constructional materials. Yet our understanding of the structure and properties of cements is not anything like as advanced as that of steels. But the cheapness and ready availability of the primary product, the facts that the energy consumed in manufacture is considerably smaller than that for metals, plastics, or ceramics and that hardening takes place with water at ordinary temperatures, provides the motivation for improving the strength, toughness and durability of cements not only for their more conventional uses, but also so that they might be used in quite new applications as replacements for energy intensive plastics, metals and ceramics. During the last 5—10 years there have been significant advances in fundamental understanding of the physics and chemistry of cements, and various recipes are available for cements with much improved properties. The aims of this meeting are to review the present understanding of structure-property relations, and cement hydration, to describe the improvements in properties that have been obtained so far, and to discuss the potential applications of such materials. The organizers hope that this meeting, which has attracted people from different disciplines, researchers, and industrial producers and users, will not only help to stimulate research aimed at further improvements, but even more important, also help to promote the very difficult process of the transfer of the technological advances.


Extension programs must be evaluated in order to assess their value to participants, institutions, funders, and all other stakeholders. Evaluations can be especially useful when the program has specific objectives that are measurable, either qualitatively and quantitatively. There are many different methods and formats for evaluation, and choosing the correct evaluation can be critical to ensuring the accuracy and relevance of the evaluation results. Considerable thought must be put into determining the correct method for an evaluation, and they must always be focused on the specific objectives of the extension program. After administering an evaluation, the results should be communicated back to the stakeholders of the program in an effective manner and, after some deliberation, the program should be considered for alteration if deemed necessary. This paper aims to be a 'how-to' guide for development, administration, and appraisal of evaluations and evaluation results for a broad spectrum of extension programs.


https://www.childtrends.org/publications/how-to-implement-trauma-informed-care-to-build-resilience-to-childhood-trauma 1/14 Children who are exposed to traumatic life events are at significant risk for developing serious and longlasting problems across multiple areas of development.[1],[2],[3],[4] However, children are far more likely to exhibit resilience to childhood trauma when child-serving programs, institutions, and service systems understand the impact of childhood trauma, share common ways to talk and think about trauma, and thoroughly integrate effective practices and policies to address it—an approach often referred to as traumainformed care (TIC).[5]


Buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) form a bracing system that provides lateral strength and stiffness to a building. These systems have been shown to provide larger energy dissipation in severe earthquake events compared to concentrically and eccentrically braced frames (CBFs and EBFs). However, unlike CBFs and EBFs there is no guidance document or specific instructions in regulatory standards for the design of buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs) in New Zealand. This makes it difficult for structural engineers to be aware of all the strength and stability considerations required for the safe design of BRBFs. Currently, structural designs that include BRBFs require a peer-review to gain building compliance. The American standard ANSI/AISC 341-16 is the adopted document used in New Zealand for guidance in how to collect evidence showing a BRBF system will perform as intended. However, as ANSI/AISC 341-16 is not a governing document in New Zealand, instructions within the document are not enforced and can be made to fit within the constraints of a building project. By way of example, this paper presents the experimental test process and results acquired from pre-qualification testing of three different commercially available BRB architypes. Of the three BRB designs investigated, one failed prematurely due to global buckling. A manufacturing error was the likely cause of this premature failure. This failure highlights the need for strict quality control during fabrication. All remaining BRBs performed well, meeting the acceptance criteria set out in ANSI/AISC 341-16. Positive pre-qualification results meant the BRBs were installed in medium to high-rise buildings throughout New Zealand. The importance of sub-assemblage testing to assess the performance of a BRB and its frame components is also discussed. Finally, the capability of high fidelity modelling to supplemental physical testing is also presented.


ABSTRACT Across the world, people have seen their lives interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an online survey, we explored how the psychosocial effects of the pandemic affected the mental health of LGBTQ+ young adults who were confined with their parents during the lockdown period (N = 1,934), from six countries: Portugal, UK, Italy, Brazil, Chile, and Sweden. South American participants experienced more negative psychosocial effects of the pandemic. Depression and anxiety were higher among participants who were younger, not working, living in Europe and who reported feeling more emotionally affected by the pandemic, uncomfortable at home, or isolated from non-LGBTQ friends. Not attending higher education predicted depression while not being totally confined at home, residing habitually with parents, and fearing more future infection predicted anxiety. LGBTQ+ community groups, as well as health and educational services should remain particularly attentive to the needs of LGBTQ+ young adults during health crises.


Objectives The purpose of this study was to inspect the clinical characteristics, surgical approaches, functional preservation, and complications of petrous bone cholesteatoma and to propose appropriate surgical approaches based on long-term follow-up cases and previous reports in the literature. Methods The medical records of 31 patients who underwent surgery for petrous bone cholesteatoma between 1990 and 2011 at two tertiary referral hospitals were retrospectively analyzed with regard to the classification, type of surgical approach, preservation of facial and auditory function, and recurrence. Results Of 31 cases, 16 were supralabyrinthine (class I), 1 was infralabyrinthine-apical (class III), 13 were massive (class IV), and 1 was apical (class V). Facial nerve palsy was found in 35.5% of the cases (11 cases). Hearing was preserved in 11 of 22 patients who had better than a 50-dB hearing level of bone conduction pure tone average preoperatively. Preoperative hearing was preserved in only four of the patients in class I (supralabyrinthine). Facial function was preserved or improved in 29 patients (93.5%). Conclusion Complete removal of cholesteatoma of petrous bone can be achieved by choosing the appropriate approach based on location and extent. Facial function was preserved postoperatively in most reviewed cases. Auditory function could not be preserved postoperatively in some cases, but preserving residual hearing levels can be accomplished mostly in supralabyrinthine cholesteatomas with the appropriate surgical approach.


The discovery of pulsars as heavy as 2 solar masses has led astrophysicists to rethink the core compositions of neutron stars, ruling out many models for the nuclear equations of state (EoS). We explore the hybrid stars that occur when hadronic matter is treated in a relativistic mean-field approximation and quark matter is modeled by three-flavor local and non-local Nambu Jona-Lasinio (NJL) models with repulsive vector interactions. The NJL models typically yield equations of state that feature a first order transition to quark matter. Assuming that the quark-hadron surface tension is high enough to disfavour mixed phases, and restricting to EoSes that allow stars to reach 2 solar masses, we find that the appearance of the quark matter core either destabilizes the star immediately (this is typical for non-local NJL models) or leads to a very short hybrid star branch in the mass-radius relation (this is typical for local NJL models). Using the Constant-Sound-Speed parametrization we can see that the reason for the near-absence of hybrid stars is that the transition pressure is fairly high and the transition is strongly first order.


This paper addresses several questions related to the nature, production, and use of animal-human (a-h) chimeras. At the heart of the issue is whether certain types of a-h chimeras should be brought into existence, and, if they are, how we should treat such creatures. In our current research environment, we recognize a dichotomy between research involving nonhuman animal subjects and research involving human subjects, and the classification of a research protocol into one of these categories will trigger different ethical standards as to the moral permissibility of the research in question. Are a-h chimeras entitled to the more restrictive and protective ethical standards applied to human research subjects? We elucidate an Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysical framework in which to argue how such chimeras ought to be defined ontologically. We then examine when the creation of, and experimentation upon, certain types of a-h chimeras may be morally permissible.


Background: Earlier investigations have shown that a woman's chance of having a child, or various proximate determinants of her fertility, are influenced by the socioeconomic resources in the community in which she lives, net of her own resources. Methods: This study, which is based on DHS surveys from 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, adds to the knowledge about this issue. With a focus on first and higher-order birth rates, four specific questions are addressed. Results: One result is that the effects of the average education in the census enumeration area in which a woman lives, net of her own education, have remained stable or become stronger over the last decade. Second, these effects are most pronounced among women who score high on indicators of socioeconomic development, which suggests that they may become further strengthened. Third, effects even appear when a fixed-effects approach - based on data from two DHS surveys with GPS coordinates in each country - is employed to control for unobserved constant characteristics of units at a slightly higher level than the census enumeration area. Fourth, local processes seem to be particularly important: the education among women in the province or nearest census enumeration areas does not have a similar fertility-depressing effect.


To assess the relationship between left ventricular (LV) response to exercise and myocardial ischaemia, 40 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 17 control subjects underwent radionuclide ventriculography at rest and during semiupright exercise. In 14 of the 40 patients with CAD, radionuclide exercise studies were repeated 20 min after 20 mg of sublingual nifedipine. Patients with CAD had increases in both LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes and no change in ejection fraction during exercise. End-systolic volume increased and ejection fraction decreased significantly more in patients with multivessel disease, exercise-induced angina and/or ischaemic ST segment depression. Nifedipine reduced angina and ST-segment depression during exercise, attenuated exercise-induced increase in end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes and improved ejection fraction. This study suggests that in patients with CAD, the response of LV volumes and ejection fraction to exercise is related to the degree of exercise-induced myocardial ischaemia and nifedipine improves exercise LV performance.


Tolbutamide and carbutamide given orally to fasted rats cause a rise in the liver glycogen content 1(1/2) to 3(1/2) hr. after administration of the drugs. Glycogen accumulates preferentially in the right lobe. Subcutaneously injected tolbutamide has the same effect. Both sulphonylureas cause inhibition of glucose-6-phosphatase activity of rat liver homogenates in vitro, but at drug concentrations comparable with those found in plasma of treated patients the degree of inhibition is less than 10%. Livers from treated rats show normal glucose-6-phosphatase activity. The glucose uptake of the isolated rat diaphragm is unaffected by the sulphonylureas added in vitro. Diaphragms from treated rats show normal glucose uptake in the presence or absence of insulin. The inferences to be drawn from these results are discussed in the light of previous work. It is concluded that the sulphonylureas exert hypoglycaemic action by inhibiting glycogenolysis and it is suggested that they might do so by inhibiting release of glucagon from the pancreas.


This paper reviews the basics and recent researches of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems for assisting neuroradiologists in detection of brain diseases, e.g., asymptomatic unruptured aneurysms, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and multiple sclerosis (MS), in magnetic resonance (MR) images. The CAD systems consist of image feature extraction based on image processing techniques and machine learning classifiers such as linear discriminant analysis, artificial neural networks, and support vector machines. We introduce useful examples of the CAD systems in the neuroradiology, and conclude with possibilities in the future of the CAD systems for brain diseases in MR images.


Significance ϕ-Value analysis remains the only experimental method that can give detailed structural information on protein folding transition states. Calculating ϕ-values from simulations is therefore an important validation of inferred folding mechanisms but has remained challenging. We describe a novel method for computing ϕ-values from folding transition paths, motivated by transition path theory. In addition to rendering an average ϕ-value, our approach can characterize pathway heterogeneity by resolving ϕ into contributions from individual transition paths. This method should be applicable not just to protein folding but to other complex self-assembly processes including protein binding or nucleic acid folding. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations now allow us to create movies of proteins folding and unfolding. However, it is difficult to assess the accuracy of the folding mechanisms observed because experiments cannot yet directly resolve events occurring along the transition paths between unfolded and folded states. Protein folding ϕ-values provide residue-resolved information about folding mechanisms by comparing the effects of mutations on folding rates and stability, but determining ϕ-values by separately simulating mutant proteins would be computationally demanding and prone to large statistical errors. Here we use transition path theory to develop a method for computing ϕ-values directly from the transition path ensemble, without the need for additional simulations. This path-based approach uses the full transition path information available from equilibrium folding and unfolding trajectories, or from transition path sampling, and does not require identification of folding transition states. Applying our approach to a set of simulations of 10 small proteins by Shaw and coworkers [Lindorff-Larsen K, Piana S, Dror RO, Shaw DE (2011) Science 334(6055):517–520; Piana S, Lindorff-Larsen K, Shaw DE (2011) Biophys J 100(9):L47–L49; and Piana S, Lindorff-Larsen K, Shaw DE (2013) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110(15):5915–5920], we find good agreement with experiments in most cases where data are available. We can further resolve the contributions to fractional ϕ-values coming from partial contact formation versus transition path heterogeneity. Although in some cases, there is substantial heterogeneity of folding mechanism, in others, such as Ubiquitin, the mechanism is strongly conserved.


Vertical electrical sounding (VES) was carried out in southern Paiko, north central Nigeria, using Abem Terrameter model SAS 4000. The study area which is about 100km square, falls within the basement complex region of Nigeria with an elevation of 304m above sea level. The study was carried out with a view of determining the subsurface layer parameters (resistivities, depths and thicknesses) that were employed in delineating groundwater potential and sites for structural development of the area. A total of six transverses with ten VES stations along each traverse, having separation of 50m apart, were investigated. It has a maximum current electrode separation (AB/2) of 100m. Three to four distinct geoelectric layers were observed namely; Top layer, weathered layer, fractured layer, and fresh basement layer. Top layer has resistivity, depth and thickness range of 194-4582Ωm, 0.5-47.9m and 0.5-47.9m respectively. Second layer has a range of: resistivity, 11-8475.2Ωm; depth, 1.33-59.6m and thickness, 0.13-55.7m. Third layer has a range of: resistivity, 42.0-9730.9Ωm; the depth and thickness are not defined in some part of the area, while the fourth layer has a resistivity range of 50.2-9145.7Ωm, its depth and thickness are not defined. Eighteen VES stations were delineated as groundwater potentials of the area, having third and fourth layer resistivities ranging from 98Ωm to 309Ωm. Depths range found were from 12.50m to 25.70m and thickness varying between 6.94m and 23.98m. The southeastern and northwestern part of the study area having good aquifer at depths ranging from 21.00m to 26.70m, thickness varying between 18.75m and 55.7m are good sites for location of viable boreholes for potable water. Also the southeast and northwestern parts of the area were delineated for structural development having depths to bedrock varying between 0.63m and 3.99m. Most part of the study area have weak protective capacity, hence are prone to contamination. KEYWORDS : Vertical electrical sounding, groundwater potentials, Southern Paiko, protective capacity, structural development sites, depths to bedrock


Osteosarcoma of the jaw is rare constituting about 4% of all the primary malignant neoplasm in the jaw. Radiologically, it presents with radiopacity of the affected jaw often described as 'sunray\' in appearance. However, at early stage, the commonest radiological presentation is characterized by widening of periodontal ligament space in a plain radiograph. At this stage without proper radiological evaluation, it could easily be misdiagnosed as a suppurative process or as a benign neoplasm. The problem of misdiagnosis of osteosarcoma and other jaw tumours in our environment is strongly associated with the radiological misinterpretation. We have experienced several cases of Osteosarcoma wrongly diagnosed as periodontal disease or dentoaveolar abscess due to wrong radiological interpretations and extraction done with dire consequences. The purpose of this article is to emphasize the need for proper radiological interpretation in the diagnosis of osteosarcoma before treatment and to illustrate the dilemma of two young adolescent Nigerians that were the victims of radiological misinterpretation. Keywords : Osteosarcoma; Jaw; Radiological Interpretation. Journal of College of Medicine Vol. 13 (1) 2008: pp. 39-43


Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with well-documented effects on patients' quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the QoL of patients with HS via the use of a newly developed questionnaire: Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life-24 (HSQoL-24). This study was performed on a population of 342 HS patients. Their QoL was assessed via the HSQoL-24 questionnaire. The perceived impairment of QoL due to HS in the studied group was considered to be serious (mean HSQoL-24 score: 58.3 ± 21.0 points). Women tended to experience a significantly higher impact from the disease than men (61.6 ± 19.2 points vs. 51.1 ± 23.1 points, p < 0.001). The HS severity had an effect on the perceived QoL, with statistically significant differences being evident between the self-assessed HS severity groups. The level of QoL impairment correlated positively with the number of affected body areas (r = 0.285, p < 0.001) and the duration of the disease (r = 0.173, p = 0.001), while the patients' age at disease onset correlated negatively with the HSQoL-24 global score (r = −0.182, p = 0.001). Patients living in their family house scored higher than other groups. The least affected were patients who lived alone. The study shows that the HSQoL-24 questionnaire is a reliable, HS-specific tool for measuring the QoL among patients with HS in real-life clinical settings.


Kawasaki's formula is a tool to compute holomorphic Euler characteristics of vector bundles on a compact orbifold X . Let X be an orbispace with perfect obstruction theory which admits an embedding in a smooth orbifold. One can then construct the virtual structure sheaf and the virtual fundamental class of X . In this paper we prove that Kawasaki's formula "behaves well" with working "virtually" on X in the following sense: if we replace the structure sheaves, tangent and normal bundles in the formula by their virtual counterparts then Kawasaki's formula stays true. Our motivation comes from studying the quantum K-theory of a complex manifold X (see [GT]), with the formula applied to Kontsevich' moduli spaces of genus 0 stable maps to X .


Annexin A3 has been identified as a novel biomarker in different types of cancers. However, little is known about its clinical significances and and biological roles in gastric cancer. In this study, we assessed annexin A3 expression in 80 patients with gastric cancer and explore its correlation with prognosis Moreover, correlations with Ki-67, Bcl-2 and Bax were also investigated. Expression of annexin A3 was increased in gastric cancer compared with that in normal gastric tissues. Annexin A3 expression was significantly associated with tumor volume and TNM stage (p<0.05). and inversely correlation with prognosis of patients. More interestingly, expression of annexin A3 was positive correlated with Ki-67 and Bcl-2 expression. Our study showed annexin A3 might be a potential prognostic marker for gastric cancer and involved in tumorigenesis by regulating apoptosis and proliferation.


In this paper, having morphed their external personae to become almost mainstream, the future looks bright for real programmers. The author discusses the evolution of the programming profession.


The transmission loss factors play a vital role in determining the loss component of the Locational Marginal Price. If single slack bus power flow approach is used, then the component for loss in Locational Marginal Price is found to vary exorbitantly whenever the slack bus changes. This paper proposes a Participant Based Distributed Slack Power Flow model where the losses are distributed to each participant instead of each bus. Using the Jacobian Matrix of the Participant Based Distributed Slack Power Flow model Participant based transmission loss factors are calculated which are slack bus independent and are obtained using a unique reference point. These loss factors overcome the problem of variations of loss component in Locational Marginal Price due to changes in slack bus. These loss factors are more suitable for competitive deregulated power market since it is calculated with respect to each participant and is different from existing techniques which calculates loss factors for each bus. This paper proposes the mathematical formulation of Participant based Distributed Slack Power Flow model and the calculation of Participant based loss factors. Case studies carried out using radial five bus system and IEEE 30 bus system indicate the effectiveness of the proposed model.


Marketers need new ways of generating campaigns artificially for their marketing activities. Many marketers assume proprietary systems are individualized enough. This article investigates an order of models used to measure how reliably a system can generate campaigns artificially while producing a campaign classification and generation models that are integrated into an intelligent marketing system. The order is between a Classification Model (CM) and a Generation Model (GM). The order also functions as an iterative model improvement process for developing the models by evaluating the models' accuracy distributions. The CM received a mean accuracy of 100%. The GM received 98.9% mean accuracy and a reproducibility score of 96.2%, implying the vast potential for increased resource savings, marketing precision, and less consumer annoyance. The conclusion is that the developed system can reliantly construct campaigns.


The aim of the current study was to evaluate the functioning of children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer. This was a cross-sectional, observational study, with children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, from 2 to 18 years of age, of both sexes, invited to participate in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) questionnaire was applied to the caregivers to assess the functioning of the participants, in four domains: daily activities, mobility, social/cognitive, and responsibility. In total, 33 children and adolescents participated, of both sexes, with a mean age of 9.23 years. The results showed that in the mobility category, participants older than 8 years presented worse functioning (OR = 22.000, 95% CI = 3.415–141.733, p = 0.0001). Children older than 8 years of age and adolescents with different types of cancer showed a higher chance of presenting lower mobility than their normal peers of the same age and compared with children under 8 years of age. Understanding the impact of childhood cancer is important for the physiotherapist to determine treatment strategies for this population who live with dysfunctions left by the cancer treatment.


Among the taxa of the Milla complex (Themidaceae), a monocot group of perennial petaloid geophytes, there are two genera with controversial taxonomic status: Behria andBessera. Tree-based and character-based analyses were conducted on 14 populations to determine if they should be considered different taxa. In addition, ecological separation was taken into account. As outgroups representative taxa of Dandya, Jaimehintonia, Milla and Petronymphe, i.e. the rest of the genera in the Milla clade, were used. Behria is a monotypic genus restricted to Baja California and Bessera includes two species from the Pacific slopes of Mexico and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The chloroplast intergenic spacer psbK-psbI was sequenced and 37 morphological characters were coded. Tree-based analyses retrieved all populations of Behria  and all populations of Bessera as monophyletic groups, both forming part of a more inclusive clade. Character-based analysis detected six diagnostic characters, all of which were floral. The conclusion of recognizing Behria and Bessera as independent genera was based on these results and also on their different distributional ranges.


Abstract—In this work, the IMC-PID controller cascaded filter based on Internal Model Control (IMC) scheme is systematically proposed for the simplified decoupling control system. The simplified decoupling is firstly introduced for multivariable processes by using coefficient matching to obtain a stable, proper, and causal simplified decoupler. Accordingly, transfer functions of decoupled apparent processes can be expressed as a set of n equivalent independent processes and then derived as a ratio of the original open-loop transfer function to the diagonal element of the dynamic relative gain array. The IMC-PID controller in series with filter is then directly employed to enhance the overall performance of the decoupling control system while avoiding difficulties arising from properties inherent to simplified decoupling. Some simulation studies are considered to demonstrate the simplicity and effectiveness of the proposed method. Simulations were conducted by tuning various controllers of the multivariate processes with multiple time delays. The results indicate that the proposed method consistently performs well with fast and well-balanced closed-loop time responses.


Objective: The objective of this study to assess the prevalence and associated factors of chronic kidney disease among kidney problem patients attending public hospitals in Addis Ababa.
Method: This study was a hospital based quantitative cross-sectional study conducted among patients hospitalized in a nephrology clinic and OPD at public hospital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The sample was simple randomly selected based on standard sample size formula. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS software: Versions 20 compute the variables by regression analysis such as bivariate and multivariate analysis was done.
Result: According to CKD EPI equation used to mobile application to calculate eGFR 66 (15.6%) of participants have normal/stage 1, 49 (11.6%) of participants have stage 2, 82(19.4%) of the participants have stage 3, 62 (14.7%) stage 4 and 163 (38.6%) stage 5 CKD respectively. Those patients who were in the age group of >68 were three times more likely (AOR 3.16 (CI 1.36, 7.35); P=0.07) to develop CKD as compared to those who were under 18.
Conclusion and recommendation: This study identified a prevalence of CKD (38.6) by CKD EPI equations among Kidney disease patients that attend the public hospitals of Addis Ababa. Patients in Addis Ababa and out of Addis wait a lot of appointments because of shortage of dialysis service in public hospitals so the people lost their life exposed to high cost in the private dialysis center.


This paper aims to investigate the contribution of prosody in the expressions of attitudes in televised political-electoral debates, showing the argumentation role of prosody in these communicative situations. In order to do so, we conducted an acoustic study aiming to observe how the fundamental frequency (F0), the duration and intensity behave in the expression of criticism in statements extracted from four debates with candidates for the Minas Gerais State government in 2014 Brazilian elections. We made measurements in global points of F0 and calculated the articulation and speech rates, together with the average duration of pauses and unstressed syllables, statements' final tonic syllable and average intensity of utterance. Our results showed that speakers make adjustments in the prosodic parameters during the expression of attitudes and these adjustments work as nuances shaping the criticism. Finally, criticism can be characterized with higher F0 values and different speech rate compared to attitudinally neutral statements.


Nrf2 is a master transcription factor that regulates a wide variety of cellular proteins by recognizing and binding to antioxidant response elements (AREs) in their gene promoter regions. In this study we show that increasing cellular Nrf2 results in transcriptional activation of the gene for mTOR, which is central to the PI3K signaling pathway. This is the case in cells with normal physiological PI3K. However, in cells with abnormally active PI3K increased cellular Nrf2 levels have no effect on mTOR. ChIP assays results show that increased Nrf2 binding is associated with decreased p65 binding and H3-K27me3 signal (marker of gene repression) as well as increased H3-K4me3 signal (marker of gene activation). However, in cells with PI3K activation, no effect of cellular Nrf2 increase on mTOR transcription was observed. In these cells, increasing Nrf2 levels increases Nrf2 promoter binding marginally, whereas p65 binding and H3-K27me3 mark were significantly increased, and H3-K4me3 signal is reduced. Together, these data show for the first time that Nrf2 directly regulates mTOR transcription when the PI3K pathway is intact, whereas this function is lost when PI3K is activated. We have identified a link between the Nrf2 system of sensing environmental stress and mTOR, which is a key cellular protein in metabolism. Studies in cells with activating mutations in the PI3K pathway suggest that Nrf2 transcriptional regulation of mTOR is related to promoter binding of p65 and of methylation of histone residues permissive of transcription.


Frog culture industry is not yet familiar but has much potential. Generally, in farm, the population density is higher than that of in nature and frog farm is not the exception. But when population density is high, it can easily leads to stressful condition, poor sanitation. When a disease occur, it is a primary factor that makes the population more susceptible and the results more grave. Because of severe Rhabditoideahelminth infection and subsequent bacterial septicemia, 50∼70% of the total population had been died in a farm in Jeong-sun in Gangwon-do and Chungju in Chungcheongbuk-do from late June, 2012 to September, 2012. Diseased frogs showed ruptured lung, bloody ascites, liver discoloration, myocardium weakness, congested kidney, microcytic anemia and so on. Enterobacteriacea, Citrobacter.sp, Cupriavidus metallidurans, Acinetobacter.sp were isolated as major bacterium that had caused septicemia in frogs. Among isolated bacterium, Cupriavidus metallidurans, Ewingella americana, Shewanella aquimarina and Pseudoalteromonas sp. have not reported as potential pathogens in frogs before. It is a good example that severe helminth infection in frogs can lead to secondary infection of bacteria.


Besides experimental methods, numerical simulations bring benefits and great opportunities to characterize and predict mechanical behaviors of materials especially at nanoscale. In this study, a nano-single crystal aluminum (Al) as a typical face centered cubic (FCC) metal was modeled based on molecular dynamics (MD) method and by applying tensile and compressive strain loadings its mechanical behaviors were investigated. Embedded atom method (EAM) was employed to represent the interatomic potential of the system described by a canonical ensemble. Stress-strain curves and mechanical properties including modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio, and yield strength were determined. Furthermore, the effects of strain rate and system temperature on mechanical behavior were obtained. It was found that the mechanical properties exhibited a considerable dependency to temperature, but they hardly changed with increase of strain rate. Moreover, nucleation and propagation of dislocations along the plane of maximum shearing stress were the mechanisms of the nanocrystalline Al plastic deformation.


Globalization and liberalisation brings lots of new innovative products to the world, Foreign Direct Investment is the one among this, also there are number of different forms of FDI is available currently. Recently, Government of India allowed FDI in different sectors of Indian economy. But several opposition parties are making it a political issue in parliament on these policy decisions and amendments. With a view to infuse globally acceptable best practices, modern management skills and latest technology, it has been decided to allow foreign investment in India. The objective of the present study is to provide a skeleton on foreign direct investment with the scene of different sectors. It also point out the sector-wise distribution of FDI inflow to know about which has concerned with the chief share. The present study is based on secondary data collected from different sources. This paper also tries to find out the scenario and role and Scope of Foreign Direct Investment in India.


Background: The current and potential uses of adaptogens are mainly related to treatment of stress-induced fatigue, impaired cognitive function, mental illness, and behavioral- and age-related disorders. However, clinical evidence regarding the efficacy of adaptogens is limited. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether a combination of adaptogenic plant extracts from Andrographis paniculata and Withania somnifera (Adaptra® Forte) could be used as effective and safe treatment for impaired cognitive, memory, or learning ability functions and sleep disorders. Methods: The changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency ranges in 17 different brain regions, psychometric tests of cognitive performance, as well as standard questionnaires of assessment of mood and sleep were measured after single and repeated administration of Adaptra® or placebo for four weeks and after a two-week treatment-free follow-up period within a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled two-armed cross-over study. Results: Adaptra® Forte significantly improved cognitive performance in the d2-Test for attention and the concentration performance test after four weeks' treatment, and was positively correlated with increases in δ and θ power in the quantitative EEG compared with placebo during cognitive challenges. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that Adaptra® Forte exhibits a calming and anxiolytic effect without sedation, and is associated with overall stress-protective activity.


In December 17, 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama surprised the world by announcing his intention to enter into negotiations aimed at reestablishing diplomatic relations with Cuba. Since then, expectations and interest regarding the health system of that country have increased. This report focuses on the Cuban health and pharmacy systems from a practical and educational standpoint. Pharmaceutical services, strengths, opportunities, and challenges are described. Cuba's new trends toward patient‐centered care are analyzed to provide insights for developing pharmaceutical care practice and implementing policies suitable for practice in all health care settings.


Autopsy material from 22 patients with hairy cell leukemia was examined. All patients had the expected widespread involvement of the hematopoietic system. Peripheral lymphadenopathy was detected in only three cases, but significantly enlarged mediastinal, retroperitoneal, and abdominal lymph nodes were present in 15. Lymph nodes of two patients showed malignant lymphoma, large-cell type. Evidence of pulmonary infiltration by hairy cells was present in 15 cases; but in 14 of the 15, there was evidence of coexisting pneumonia, and in 13 of the 15 cases the presence of microorganisms was documented. Only one patient demonstrated clinical findings attributable solely to lung involvement by hairy cell leukemia. Liver involvement was present in every case, but the extent of the leukemic infiltration did not always correlate with serum biochemical abnormalities, and there was no correlation with the hairy cell count in the peripheral blood. M kansasii was found in the lymph nodes of three patients and in the lung and liver specimens of one of these. The tissue response in two of the patients with M kansasii consisted of the presence of poorly formed granuloma; the third patient had only focal areas of necrosis, with no polymorphonuclear or macrophage response.


Monolayers of a new series of amide-containing alkanethiol compounds, CH 3 (CH 2 ) n-2 C(O)NHC 2 H 4 SH (referred as CnC2SH, n=4, 5. 5, 8), were self-assembled from ethanol solutions onto gold and their structures have been characterized using the reflectance absorption infrared spectroscopy (RA-FTIR) and wettability measurement. It has been proved that the C=O and N-H bonds are parallel to the gold surface and the orientations of alkyl chain in these Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) are perpendicular to the surface. The special orientation of the amide moiety and molecular axis are suggested to be attributed to the hydrogen-bonding formed between the amide moieties of neighbor molecules. Meanwhile, wettability measurement reveals that the packing degree of the SAMs depends on the length of the alkyl chains in the thiol molecules. These results demonstrate that both the hydrogen-bonding and the length of the alkyl chain exerts the tremendous influnece on the orientation of amide-containing alkanethiol molecules. And also, it give us a way to control the molecular orientation in SAMs in molecular level.


― Pseudotuberculosis pathogen, Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida ( Pdp ) shows some differences in virulence between Japanese and US strains. In this study, we analyzed plasmid DNAs derived from Japanese and US strains of Pdp , and found two homologous regions in these plasmids, pOT-51443-4/p91-197-1 and pOT-51443-1/p91-197-2. All genes in the p91-197-1 from US strain were observed in the pOT-51443-4 from Japanese strain. This event might have occurred during transmission of the US plasmid to Japanese strain. Inhibitor of vertebrate lysozyme ( ivy ), a known pathogenicity factor was encoded in the homologous region of pOT-51443-1/p91-197-2. Thus, the genomic region containing ivy may have been horizontally transmitted between the two Pdp strains.


In his article (Archives, 1979, 54, 303), Dr Lewis suggested that mourning a stillborn child is facilitated by concentrating on the dead baby, and that an identity is created for the baby by the parents seeing and holding him, talking to the staff, and having a funeral and known burial place for him. Dr Lewis makes little of the more important and positive stages in the baby's development when he is alive and kicking in utero, very much existing and far from a nonperson, with both parents enjoying the pregnancy and the planning. It seems extraordinary to replace the memories of these stages, during which parents and the developing if unseen baby have a relationship, with those of a dead, cold, still, and possibly deformed baby. Even the baby of an early miscarriage may live long enough to be thought of as a person; more so is a baby who may have had as long as 20 weeks' visible and palpable activity. Occasionally the parents know before delivery that the baby has an abnormality incompatible with life; however this may not destroy the relationship although it must colour it. It is hard to see what the parents gain by substituting happy memories with ones which are at best negative and at worst shocking. While a funeral for a baby who has lived postnatally is important, it may do little for the parents of a stillborn child. We appreciate that Dr Lewis is looking for ways of making mourning easier for parents, but there is no room for dogmatism. A flexible approach is needed by all members of staff with the senior ones seeing that the conspiracy of silence, which he rightly condemns, is replaced by talking freely both in hospital and later at home. JANE M. CURRIE AND SIMON CURRIE, St James's University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF


In this paper we present an automated method for the classification of the origin of non-native speakers. The origin of non-native speakers could be identified by a human listener based on the detection of typical pronunciations for each nationality. Thus we suppose the existence of several phoneme sequences that might allow the classification of the origin of non-native speakers. Our new method is based on the extraction of discriminative sequences of phonemes from a non-native English speech database. These sequences are used to construct a probabilistic classifier for the speakers' origin. The existenc of discriminative phone sequences in non-native speech is a significant result of this work. The system that we have developed achieved a significant correct classification rat e of 96.3% and a significant error reduction compared to some other tested techniques.


Physiochemical assessment of leachate in three open dumpsites in Oluku, Uselu and New Benin in Benin City was carried out in this study using  standard methods. The pH of leachate sample from Oluku dumpsite was ultra-acidic (3.4) with electrical conductivity of 1650 μS/cm. However pH of leachate samples (7.4 and 8.6) collected from Uselu Market dumpsite and New Benin dumpsite were in the alkaline range with electrical conductivity of 8600 and 9800 μS/cm. The aforementioned approach was employed at distances of 2m and 5m from the mid-sections of these dumpsites and pH of leachate at a distance of 5m from the three were observed to be in the neutral range. The physiochemical analysis indicated the hazards of open waste dumping, as  leachate in these dumping sites contains ammonia, calcium carbonate, nitrate, sulphate and other heavy metals which can percolate and contaminate surface water and ground water thereby, causing negative effects on public health safety and the environment. Keywords : Leachate, Open dumpsites, Organic wastes, Contaminants.


We sought sequence characteristics that might explain the apparent high recombination frequency of the 5-kb BglII segment containing M-bcr exons 1, 2 and 3, and the intron to exon 4. An Alu sequence (subfamily Sx), in 5'-->3' orientation, lay in the middle of a 3-kb region that contains the great majority of Philadelphia chromosome breakpoint sites. The breakpoint of only one out of five chronic myeloid leukemia patients, for whom the BCR breakpoint site had been sequenced, was located within this Alu. Other features of interest for recombination were a 51-bp AT-rich region close to the 3' end, six hypervariable minisatellite consensus octamers, GC[A/T]GG[A/T]GG, six lymphoid recombinase heptamer signal sequences, one nonamer and a 16-bp inverted repeat. Dot matrix comparisons of the 5-kb M-bcr sequence with a 3-kb m-bcr2 segment showed significant homology only in corresponding Alu sequences.


Archaeal lipids differ considerably from eubacterial and eukaryotic lipids in their structure and physical properties. From the membranes of the extreme thermophilic archaea Sulfolobus acidocaldarius a tetraether lipid fraction was isolated, which can form closed and stable monolayer liposomes in aqueous media. The function of three different primary proton pumps originating from archaeal, bacterial and eukaryotic lipid sources have been studied after reconstitution in these liposomes: bacteriorhodopsin from the archaea Halobacterium halobium; cytochrome-c oxidase from the thermophilic bacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus and cytochrome-c oxidase from beef heart mitochondria. Liposomes composed of tetraether lipids form a competent matrix for all three exogenous proton pumps. Bacteriorhodopsin was inserted inside-out in these liposomes, as normally observed in bilayer-forming lipid. The activities of the two oxidases were inhibited at high tetraether-lipid concentration, probably due to the low fluidity of these membranes. Only bacteriorhodopsin, which originates from diether archaeal lipids is fully functional in the tetraether membranes.


Nitrate, found abundantly in green leafy vegetables, may improve exercise performance by increasing availability and utilization of metabolic fuels that require less oxygen for energy production. However, it is not known if the performance effect occurs at the peak exercise intensity. We hypothesize that supplemental nitrate treatment will promote the metabolism of specific fuels (carbohydrates versus fatty acids) during exercise that require less oxygen to produce ATP. Metabolic analysis will quantify if a net change in these fuels are linked to an improvement in exercise performance with nitrate treatment during submaximal exercise conditions.

 Adult zebrafish were exposed to sodium nitrate (606.9 mg NaNO3/L water) or control water for 21 days (n = 54). Fish were sampled at three conditions during a graded exercise test: 1) rested, 2) peak speed, and 3) post-exercise. Whole fish tissue was homogenized and analyzed using high-pressure liquid chromatography Triple Q-ToF mass spectrometry based untargeted metabolomics.

 Metabolomics analysis resulted in the detection of 12,135 and 10,604 features in positive and negative ion mode respectively. Preliminary results show succinate levels significantly increased in nitrate-treated rested fish as compared to control rested fish. Likewise, a significant increase in methylmalonate, which serves as a vital intermediate in the catabolism of lipids and protein, was detected in nitrate-treated fish at rest relative to rested controls. Nitrate treatment both at rest and at peak exercise intensity, significantly increased the abundance of various acyl carnitines relative to control fish at the same exercise intensity, and these metabolites function to transfer long-chain fatty acids to mitochondria for β-oxidation, relative to control fish at the same exercise intensity. Work is ongoing to further identify metabolites that significantly changed with nitrate treatment at various exercise intensities.

 Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that nitrate treatment may alter lipid and carbohydrate metabolism of zebrafish.

 Celia Strickland and G. Kenneth Austin III Endowment, the Oregon Agricultural Experimental Station, and National Institutes of Health.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the representation of other cultures in award-winning picture books from the United States, Australia, and Great Britain between 1960 and 2009. Not only was the cultural content of children's literature over the past fifty years investigated, but the protocol created to evaluate the books was a newly devised instrument that focused on the educational application of the content in the books. The protocol included three levels of analysis of the award-winning picture books. The Level I Analysis determined which books depicted other cultures; that is, cultures that were different from the cultures in the country in which the book was originally published. The Level II Analysis investigated the type of cultural representation found in the books, including depictions of geographic location, social systems, economic systems, and/or political systems. The final analysis (Level III Analysis) identified the genres and themes found in the picture books. Of the 143 books read for this study, only 25 (17%) depicted information about cultures different from those in the country in which the book was originally published. Books from the 2000s had the least amount of cultural representation. Geographic location was the cultural element most often represented in the picture books. Political systems had the least amount of representations in the books. This study addresses the potential for using children's literature as a medium for cross-cultural awareness and the importance of providing teachers with appropriate tools to critically analyze books with cultural content. Study results might be interpreted as an indication that there is a need for more picture books to be representative of all people and cultures.


This article describes the influence of rheological properties on the bearing torque characteristics of the lithium soap greases with five types of base oils. The greases used had different yield stress depending on the base oils even with the same thickener concentration. Measurement of bearing torque was conducted for a deep-groove radial ball bearing by using a bearing test apparatus. The bearings filled with greases initially exhibited high torque but showed gradual decrease in the torque with prolonged rotation, where the greases with higher yield stress showed larger normalized torque decrease. Observation of bearing after the rotation revealed a tendency that the greases with larger normalized torque decrease had been pushed aside in the raceway by channeling. This implied that the greases with higher yield stress tended to show channeling. On the other hand, the greases with lower yield stress circulated within the bearing by churning and showed smaller normalized torque decrease. These behaviors were explained in terms of the yield stress of the greases and the shear stress to entrain the greases into the contacts. Observation of grease structure was made with atomic force microscopy showed that the greases whose thickener network structure was distributed more densely had higher yield stress.