Arsenic tops the list of priority list of hazardous substances 2022. People are frequently exposed to the environmental pollutant metalloid arsenic through their food, water, air, and soil. Arsenic is famous for its toxic effects. However, arsenicals have recently gained attention due to promising clinical trials for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Presently numerous studies on arsenic's anticancer effects have been done. So a review was conducted on the use of arsenicals as poison and medicine. Arsenical was used as a powerful medicine in the BC era. But arsenical became famous as "the King's Poison" and "the Poison of the King" due to its use as poison. But the development of Marsh's Test in the 18th century led to a decrease in the use of arsenicals as poison. In the 18th century, arsenicals were used as medicine to treat a variety of diseases such as fever, rheumatism, psoriasis, and syphilis. The development of antibiotics, new, safer chemotherapeutic agents, and radiotherapy halted its use as medicine. The dose and form of arsenicals make them medicine or poison. Many literary works reveal that arsenic's journey as "medicine" and "poison" is still ongoing in the twenty-first century.


Background: Family planning contributes in preventing maternal and child mortality and empowers women. For the past ten years contraceptive prevalence rate has remained stagnant in Nepal. This study aimed at identifying the use and factors associated with modern contraceptive methods in Piple, Chitwan, Nepal.
Methods: It was a cross-sectional study. Piple village development committee was selected purposively, in which two wards were randomly selected. Married women of reproductive age (n=332) of each household were interviewed. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed.
Results: About half (49%) of the respondents had used a modern contraceptive method. Women in the age groups 25-39 years [aOR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.16 - 4.92] and 40-49 years [aOR: 4.67; 95% CI: 1.71 - 12.70] were more likely to use modern contraceptives compared to the women in the age group 15-24 years. Similarly, women having 3 or more living children [aOR: 2.98; 95% CI: 1.19 - 7.50] were more likely to use the modern contraceptives than women with upto two children. Women whose husbands would approve of using the contraceptives [aOR: 11.33; 95% CI: 3.93-32.62] were more likely to use the methods than those who got or perceived no approval from husband.
Conclusions: Information and service on modern contraceptive methods should be focused to younger women. Involvement of husbands in family planning program would contribute to use of modern contraceptives by women.


The title lays claim to more than it intends, perhaps as an example of the close immersion of the authors in their trade. What the book actually covers, in a commendably lucid yet thorough fashion, is the manner in which neurons of mammalian dorsal root ganglia mediate the precision of connection between peripheral sources of excitation and the relevant central target(s). As the introductory chapter notes, there are more than 40 differing types of primary afferent units serving, for example, muscle spindles, thermoreceptors, hair displacement detectors, and a variety of nociceptors. Arranging and maintaining these multiple sources of input to produce appropriately integrated reflex outcomes and distinct qualities of sensation are dependent on an intricate chemical choreography. In large measure, this book in its 19 chapters is an examination of various growth factors that, via axoplasmic transport, nourish the connectivity and its subtle specificity in various stages of life. There


A synthetic peptide, selected in the predicted N-terminal amino-acid sequence of the purine cytosine permease (gene FCY2), linked to albumins proved a remarkably good immunogen in rabbits. In ELISA, sera reacted with the synthetic peptide and with specific proteins of plasma-membrane-enriched fractions of mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae pAB strains (amplified FCY2 gene) with high titers and high avidity. Western blots of plasma membrane proteins of pAB strain probed with antisera showed two bands: a major (45 kDa) and minor band (50 kDa). On the contrary, plasma-membrane-enriched fractions of mutant S. cerevisiae pJDB strain (deficient in FCY2 gene) gave no signal when probed in the same conditions. These results demonstrate the specificity of the antisera and also suggest that the 45 kDa and 50 kDa proteins are both products of the FCY2 gene.


Algebraic and geometric algorithms are presented to solve the general and some specific instances of the following problem which is known as FINDPATH in artificial intelligence: "Given a set of polyhedra and two external points (source and goal), calculate the shortest path between these points under the Euclidean metric, constrained to avoid intersections with the given polyhedra."
The shortest path is a polygonal path connecting the source and the goal, possibly bending at some edges of the given polyhedra while subtending equal entry and exit angles. The general problem can then be solved exactly using symbolic algebra and is based upon finding the real roots of a system of non-linear equations (stating the angular equality conditions) by elimination. If approximate solutions are acceptable this can also be done using numerical methods such as continuation, or using optimization methods to minimize a sum of square roots (expressing the length of the shortest path). In addition, two special cases are solved where there exists a single convex polyhedron, and the source and the goal are on its boundary or exterior. These solutions make use of planar developments of polyhedra and polyhedral visibility.
Two Voronoi-based locus methods are also introduced to solve FINDPATH. These methods use preprocessing to speed up subsequent searches for a shortest path. The first method partitions the boundary of a convex polyhedron given only the source on it so that, for a later goal on the boundary, the shortest path is found efficiently. It makes use of standard point location algorithms for a straight-edge planar subdivision once the partitioning is done. The second method, currently more of a descriptive nature than algorithmic, is based on W. R. Franklin's "Partitioning the Plane to Calculate Minimal Paths to any Goal around Obstructions" Tech. Rep., ECSE Dept., Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY, Nov. 1982 , and for a given source, partitions the free space around polyhedra into regions (bounded by high-order surfaces) so that the shortest paths for all goals in a given region follow the same sequence of edges of the given polyhedra. This method makes use of a recent spatial point location algorithm for arbitrary algebraic varieties.
Finally, an overview of a workbench (called SP) which implements some of the above and thus allows experimentation with shortest paths is given.


This paper focuses on the worship of the Mother Goddess in the Greek colonies on the west coast of the Black Sea from the Archaic to the Roman period. The epigraphic and the archaeological evidence demonstrate the importance of the Milesian colonies in the spread of the cult. The political aspect of the Goddess's personality is prominent and reminds of her Phrygian position. A Great Goddess very similar to the Phrygian Matar was worshiped in Thrace and on the western shores of the Black Sea before the arrival of the Greeks in 7th century BC. The Greek colonists and the Thracians were able to recognize simultaneously the continuum and the distinction in the forms and characteristics of their respective Great Goddess.


Abstract As was symbolically demonstrated by their agreement to the United Nations Salamanca Statement on the Education of All Disabled Children, the governments of Canada, the United States, and Mexico share the goal of improving opportunities for children and youth with disabilities. This article examines the convergence of dominant ideologies of policies targeting opportunities for children with disabilities in Canada, the United States, and Mexico during the last years of the 20th century. This policy arena is used as a case study for social policies evolved and constructed during an era of formulation of international trade agreements. The author wishes to thank Victoria Rodriguez, David Warner, Chandler Stolp, William Glade, and Kenneth Tolo for their guidance in this project.


Abstract In this study, acrylamide (AAm)/aconitic acid (ACA) copolymers were prepared with two different mol% of aconitic acid 4%, 17% and were irradiated with gamma irradiation at different irradiation doses (4 - 25kGy). The percent yield was assigned by gravimetrical method. The effect of irradiation dose, pH and involved amounts of monomers (AAm/ACA) in hydrogels on swelling properties were investigated. The conversion of monomers to hydrogels was 100% at 25kGy. Poly(acrylamide-co-aconitic acid) P(AAm/ACA) hydrogels have been used for the adsorption of some aqueous solutions of dyes such as Methylene Blue (MB) and Safranine-O (S). The hydrogels were swollen in distilled water at pH 3, 5, 7, 8 and in aqueous solutions of dyes. The initial swelling rates of hydrogels are increased by increasing of pH. The effects of concentration of the aqueous solutions of dye and hydrogel composition on the adsorption were investigated. The adsorption is increased and changed depending on the structure of dye and composition of hydrogel.


Syntactic Control of Interference (SCI) Rey78] has long been studied as a basis for interference-free programming, with cleaner reasoning properties and semantics than traditional imperative languages. This paper makes SCI-based languages more practical by introducing a revised version of Huang and Reddy's type reconstruction system HR96] with two signiicant improvements. First, we eliminate the need for explicit coercion operators in terms. Although this can lead to more complex principal typings, we introduce some minor restrictions on the inference system to keep the typings manageable. Second, we consider adding let-bound polymorphism. Such a modiication appears to be nontrivial. We propose a new approach which addresses issues of both polymorphism and interference control. Some examples show the utility of our system. SCI can be adapted to a wide variety of languages, and our techniques should be applicable to any such language with SCI-based interference control.


The authors describe how they have parallelized Python, an interpreted object oriented scripting language, and used it to build an extensible message-passing molecular dynamics application for the CM-5, Cray T3D, and Sun multiprocessor servers running MPI. This allows one to interact with large-scale message-passing applications, rapidly prototype new features, and perform application specific debugging. It is even possible to write message passing programs in Python itself. They describe some of the tools they have developed to extend Python and results of this approach.


We present a two-step camera calibration process based on linear least squares formulations. We show how to apply this process to build an integrated modeling environment, in which a scene is modeled by having the user specify, on a given image, a set of reference points (used for camera calibration) and object points (used for positioning the objects in the scene). Once this has been done, synthetic information can be superimposed onto the image and arbitrary views can be produced. Using this methodology, we developed virtual referee, an application to analyze soccer plays from still images, generating an OpenGL camera over a 3D field model.


Total sialic acid (TSA) and lipid-associated sialic acid (LASA) concentrations were found to be significantly elevated in the sera of patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) and those with chronic renal failure (CRF) who were maintained on haemodialysis. The reference values for TSA and LASA were determined in the sera of 60 healthy subjects (33 males and 27 females) and showed no significant dependence on age and sex. No correlation existed between the TSA and LASA values, nor between TSA and LASA and the serum BUN and creatinine values in the patients and controls. A large amount of bound sialic acids was excreted in the urine of both groups of patients, although the serum sialic acid levels were increased.


Substantial allele‐frequency changes were observed at the Adh and αGpdh loci in a seminatural population of Drosophila melanogaster kept in a tropical greenhouse during 1972–1985. Further analysis of the changes at the Adh and αGpdh loci showed that linkage disequilibrium between these loci occurred for a prolonged period due to the presence of In(2L)t, a long inversion on the left arm of the second chromosome. We observed increases in the frequencies of In(2L)t and of short inversions on the left arm of the second chromosome in subpopulations kept at 29.5°C or 33°C. These inversion‐frequency increases were accompanied by an increase in Adhs and a decrease in αGpdhs frequency. In populations kept at 20°C and 25°C, inversion frequencies decreased, while αGpdhs allele frequencies decreased at 25°C and increased at 20°C. At 33°C, egg‐to‐adult survival of individuals possessing In(2L)t, either in the homokaryotypic or the heterokaryotypic state, was higher than that of the other karyotypes of identical allozyme constitution (i.e., Adhs αGpdhF). Thus it seems that In(2L)t has a selective advantage at high temperature. We argue that the observed changes in allele frequencies at the Adh and αGpdh loci are, in part, due to genic selection and are not merely the result of selection acting on the chromosome rearrangements and hitchhiking of the allozymes. The results are discussed with respect to the latitudinal clines found for In(2L)t, Adh, and αGpdh.


A novel elastic graph matching procedure based on multiscale morphological operations, the so called morphological dynamic link architecture, is developed for frontal face authentication. Fast algorithms for implementing mathematical morphology operations are presented. Feature selection by employing linear projection algorithms is proposed. Discriminatory power coefficients that weigh the matching error at each grid node are derived. The performance of morphological dynamic link architecture in frontal face authentication is evaluated in terms of the receiver operating characteristic on the M2VTS face image database. Preliminary results for face recognition using the proposed technique are also presented.


The research was conducted in Unidad Cientifico Tecnologica de Base (UCTB) Los Palacios belonging to the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agricolas (INCA), with the aim of contributing to the enrichment and genetic diversity conservation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) by morphoagronomic characterization of traditional cultivars collected in grower farm from Pinar del Rio province. Were evaluated a total of 13 cultivars, including 11 traditional and two improved using a randomized complete design with five repetitions. . In the development of the investigation twentyfive descriptors were used that included qualitative and quantitative characters, which were measured in flowering, ripening and postharvest stages crop. The obtained data were subjected to univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Differences between cultivars for qualitative and quantitative characters were found. Were detected in the genotypes Andres, Bluebonnet, Estrella Roja and Caracol, interest characters such as earliness, plant erection, panicle length, compact and well emerged panicles, tillering capacity and slow senescence that could contribute to make progress rice genetic improvement.


Continuously analyzing medical time series as new classes emerge is meaningful for health monitoring and medical decision-making. Few-shot class-incremental learning (FSCIL) explores the classification of few-shot new classes without forgetting old classes. However, little of the existing research on FSCIL focuses on medical time series classification, which is more challenging to learn due to its large intra-class variability. In this paper, we propose a framework, the Meta self-Attention Prototype Incrementer (MAPIC) to address these problems. MAPIC contains three main modules: an embedding encoder for feature extraction, a prototype enhancement module for increasing inter-class variation, and a distance-based classifier for reducing intra-class variation. To mitigate catastrophic forgetting, MAPIC adopts a parameter protection strategy in which the parameters of the embedding encoder module are frozen at incremental stages after being trained in the base stage. The prototype enhancement module is proposed to enhance the expressiveness of prototypes by perceiving inter-class relations using a self-attention mechanism. We design a composite loss function containing the sample classification loss, the prototype non-overlapping loss, and the knowledge distillation loss, which work together to reduce intra-class variations and resist catastrophic forgetting. Experimental results on three different time series datasets show that MAPIC significantly outperforms state-of-the-art approaches by 27.99%, 18.4%, and 3.95%, respectively.


This investigation was designed for the purpose of ascertaining if one muscle group (dorsi flexors, abdominals, plantar flexors, or knee and hip flexors and extensors) could be identified which most significantly affects dynamic balance. The dependent variable was the dynabalometer. Subjects were 100 male volunteers, between the ages of 19 and 25 yr. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control or 1 of 4 treatment groups. Testing was counterbalanced over time and day. Controls had a practice period and 3 performance trials; other Ss had a practice period, localized fatigue of a muscle group followed by 3 performance trials. Analysis of variance indicated a significant difference between treatment groups (F = 312.09, p < .01). Multiple comparisons of treatment means showed that only one muscle group, the knee and hip flexors and extensors, differed significantly from all other groups (q = 4.75, p < .01). Results indicate strongly that the knee and hip flexors and extensors can be considered a most important muscle group for performance by ordinary male college students on the dynabalometer.


Hypernatremia stimulates the secretion of oxytocin (OT), but the physiological role of OT remains unclear. The present study sought to determine the involvement of OT and renal nerves in the renal responses to an intravenous infusion of hypertonic saline. Male Wistar rats (280–350 g) were anesthetized with sodium thiopental (40 mg. kg−1, i.v.). A bladder cannula was implanted for collection of urine. Animals were also instrumented for measurement of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and renal blood flow (RBF). Renal vascular conductance (RVC) was calculated as the ratio of RBF by MAP. In anesthetized rats (n = 6), OT infusion (0.03 µg • kg−1, i.v.) induced renal vasodilation. Consistent with this result, ex vivo experiments demonstrated that OT caused renal artery relaxation. Blockade of OT receptors (OXTR) reduced these responses to OT, indicating a direct effect of this peptide on OXTR on this artery. Hypertonic saline (3 M NaCl, 1.8 ml • kg−1 b.wt., i.v.) was infused over 60 s. In sham rats (n = 6), hypertonic saline induced renal vasodilation. The OXTR antagonist (AT; atosiban, 40 µg • kg−1 • h−1, i.v.; n = 7) and renal denervation (RX) reduced the renal vasodilation induced by hypernatremia. The combination of atosiban and renal denervation (RX+AT; n = 7) completely abolished the renal vasodilation induced by sodium overload. Intact rats excreted 51% of the injected sodium within 90 min. Natriuresis was slightly blunted by atosiban and renal denervation (42% and 39% of load, respectively), whereas atosiban with renal denervation reduced sodium excretion to 16% of the load. These results suggest that OT and renal nerves are involved in renal vasodilation and natriuresis induced by acute plasma hypernatremia.


A series of 5,5-disubstituted hydantoin derivatives was synthesized by alkylating 5,5-bis(mercaptomethyl)-2,4-imidazolidinedione (3) with various halomethylaromatic or halomethylheteroaromatic precursors, or by using the Buchener-Berg procedure on the required ketone. When evaluated for their ability to inhibit HIV-induced cell killing and virus production in CEM or MT-2 cells only compounds 2, 4n, 4o, and 4i demonstrated modest activity, the latter with an IC50 = 53 microM.


INTRODUCTION
The objective of this study was to evaluate whether volar locking plating can restore the anatomical volar tilt of 12° and the anatomical length of the radius relative to the ulna. We retrospectively reviewed the radio-graphic outcome of distal radius fractures treated with two different first-generation locking plate systems; VariAx (Stryker) and Acu-Loc (Acumed).

METHODS
Three independent observers evaluated radial volar tilt and ulnar variance (> 2 mm) on radiographs taken preoperatively, immediately after the operation and five weeks later. In addition, the radial inclination, distal radio-ulnar joint incongruity and articular step-off were assessed in order to describe the personality of the fracture.

RESULTS
A total of 576 fracture cases were included in the study. Preoperatively, the mean volar tilt was 18 ± 6° and -15 ± 11° for volarly and dorsally displaced fractures, respect-ively. After operation, the mean volar tilt was 4.5 ± 6° without any significant changes after five weeks, p = 0.79 and no significant differences with respect to fracture type or type of plate. Thus, the anatomical angulation of 12° was not achieved at any point in time after surgery (p < 0.001). Shortening of the radius (> 2 mm ulnar variance) was still seen in 9% of the cases immediately after surgery and in 22% after five weeks.

CONCLUSIONS
Volar locking plating did not restore the anatomy after distal radius fractures. The clinical implication of these findings is unclear because the functional outcome of the patients was not available. Level of evidence, level IV.

FUNDING
none.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
not relevant.


The results of the analysis of hydration spectra of Na(+) hyaluronan (HA) performed in a companion study are translated in terms of chemical mechanisms. We find that dried HA is characterized by chains having ordered parts of at least 6 disaccharide repeat units that extend over 60 A. The order is mainly due to C3O3H...O5 and C4O4H...O5 hydrogen bonds that hinder rotations around beta(1-4) and beta(1-3) glycoside bonds. Along one chain there are two-thirds of the N-H amide groups and carboxyl groups that are directly hydrogen bonded, with no water intermediate, to form N-H...(-)O-C=O hydrogen bonds, which are collateral to C3O3H...O5 hydrogen bonds. The existence of these N-H...(-)O-C=O bonds is somewhat in opposition to literature descriptions. In this dry state a "water wire" of 4-5 H(2)O molecules, which are anchored on C=O carboxyl groups and hydrating the Na(+) CO(-) ionic group, establishes hydrogen bonds on other hydrophilic groups of the same chain or other chains and remains embedded in HA, even at 104 degrees C. Hydration occurs at low hygrometry around the remaining one-third of the N-H...(-)O-C=O pairs that are not hydrogen bonded. Each of these N-H and (-)O-C=O groups is hydrated by a nanodroplet of some 25 H(2)O molecules that finds other sites for binding and hydrates 2 disaccharide repeat units. At higher hygrometry bigger nanodroplets hydrate all hydrophilic sites.


A theory of anisotropic viscoplasticity is developed. It is compared with and shown to reduce to existing theories under appropriate restrictions. The theory accommodates anisotropic hardening laws which, by means of Lagrangian mappings in stress space, incorporate experimentally observed yield surface distortion as well as kinematic and isotropic flow-induced changes. The theory is applied to the prediction of flow surfaces in tension-torsion space.


Purpose – This study introduces a new theoretical framework to examine similarities and differences between accounting major Malaysian and English students. It concerns attributes and outcomes associated with the accounting profession, and the relationship between students' perceptions and intentions to pursue an accounting career. Design/methodology/approach – A survey research approach has been adopted to investigate students' perceptions regarding the accounting profession. The data for this study were collected via questionnaires completed by Malaysian exchange students visiting a university in England and students of a major university in England. The results of the questionnaire were then quantitatively analyzed. Findings – The results indicate that both groups hold positive perceptions of the accounting profession and there is a significant correlation between students' perceptions and their intention to pursue a career in the profession. The study also identifies that Malaysian and English students hold differing perceptions concerning the accounting profession's attributes and outcomes. Originality/value – This is one of the first accounting education papers using the work value theory to investigate perceptions regarding the accounting profession by Malaysian students of Chinese ethnicity and compare these perceptions with the perceptions of students of a major university in England of English ethnicity.


The decay amplitudes for anti-B0 -> Ds+ Ds- and anti-Bs0 -> D+ D- have no factorizable contributions. We suggest that dominant contributions to the decay amplitudes arise from two chiral loop contributions and one soft gluon emission contribution. Then we determine branching ratios BR(anti-B0 -> Ds+ Ds-) ~ 7E-5 and BR(anti-Bs0 -> D+ D-) ~ 1E-3.


Letters are one of the kinds of things that people send each other while they are physically separated. All these gifts, beyond the contingent value they may have, are presents that metonymically represent a relationship as they come into the presence of the recipient. Exchange and forwarding of gifts serves crucially to gain 'regard' from others, which may be used immediately for tangible gain or may be its own reward or may be stored for future use. The giving and receiving of letters and other gifts is often not restricted to two persons but takes place and has meaning within and between networks. Brokers create new connections and act as catalysts for the formation of new networks. The gift of letters may lead to gifts of other kinds, which in turn may set in motion networks of epistolary (and other) correspondence. These ideas are explored here in relation to an epistolary network that operated, during the nineteenth-century, between a group of missionaries in Western Australia and various persons in Italy. Exchanges of letters within an ever-expanding network led to a consignment of Aboriginal material culture objects, the first such collection to reach Europe from Western Australia. This consignment originated as a gift to repay kindness from a friend of a friend, and in turn set in chain fresh cycles of writing and giving.


Abstract Hedysarum orumiehense Ranjbar and H. neyshaboricum Ranjbar, two new species endemic to Iran, are described and illustrated. Both new species belong to section Multicaulia Boiss. in Hedysarum L. (Fabaceae) and are distinct among Iranian species. The former species is closely related to H. atropatanum Bunge ex Boiss. and is distinguished by its glabrous pods, the leaflets in eight to 11 pairs, and the longer corolla wings (10–11 mm). The latter is distinguished from H. paucifoliolatum Ranjbar & Olanj by its longer peduncles (20–27 cm), stipules (7–9 × 4–5 mm), and corolla standard (15–17 × 13–14 mm). Both H. orumiehense and H. neyshaboricum are evaluated as Vulnerable (VU) according to IUCN Red List criteria.


: Repeatedly, it has been argued that advancements in digitalisation could be beneficial for rural areas. However, digital inequalities persist and affect rural communities as well. Schools can play a key role in bridging digital inequalities, but little attention has been paid to the specific conditions rural schools find themselves in when facing continuous digital developments. Therefore, we apply the digital inclusion lens and explore the impact of digital developments on rural schools in the German context. In 2019, we conducted 16 in-depth interviews with heads and teachers from rural elementary and secondary schools in Baden-Wurttemberg and Lower Saxony. We found that smaller rural schools especially can experience difficulties and conclude that the contribution of schools to a digital-included society is subject to a geographical lottery. This could eventually increase existing rural–urban digital inequalities and these findings are also relevant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing a sudden switch to distance learning.


A series of 5-chloro-1H-indole-2,3-dione 3-thiosemicarbazones 3a-g were syn- thesized to investigate the chemotherapeutic activities. The structures of 3a-g were con- firmed by the spectral data (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR-APT, 13C NMR-DEPT, HSQC, HMBC) and elemental analysis. Anticancer activities of the compounds were evaluated using cell kinetic parameters on HeLa cells derived from human cervix carcinoma. The preliminary screening results indicated that alkyl substituted compounds 3a, 3b and 3d were more effective in mi- tosis phase when compared to the synthesis phase. 3a-g were tested against some DNA and RNA viruses in CRFK, HeLa, HEL, MDCK and Vero cells. None of the compounds was active against any of the RNA or DNA viruses at 100 μM. All compounds were also evaluated for antimicrobial activity against selected strains. Methyl substituted 3a and allyl substituted 3c were found to be active against S. aureus and C. albicans.


Since Senoo and Lincicome (1951) first have brought up for attention to the existence of malayan filariasis in Korea, several reports on the epidemiological investigations of the disease had already been made by many workers. However it is little known what kind of mosquitoes are involved as the major vectors in main endemic areas. In Cheju-Do, known as one of main endemic areas in Korea, Aedes togoi is most likely suspected as an important vector because of their abundant collections and vigorous biting attack to human. As a part of studies on filariasis in Korea, an essential preliminary is to determiine whether this mosquito, Aedes togoi collected in the above areas is receptive to the microfilariae of B. malayi. Therefore, the present paper is concerned chiefly with the development of B. malayi in A. togoi. It is also hoped that the studies on the larval morphology in the mosquito host and the structure of microfilariae will provide the base line data required for later investigation of the different vector hosts. The studies were summarized as follows: 1)The measurements of the fixed points in percentage of the body length of microfilariae from the Giemsa stained thick films were made, and they showed that cephalic space was 8 %,cephalic space length to width, 1.3:1, nerve ring, 21.2 %, excretory pore, 30.8 %, excretory cell, 36.5 %, R1 cell, 66. 5 %, anus 80.4 % and body length 202 micro(l81-228 micro) maximun width 7.6 micro. 2)A study on the development of microfilaria malayi in the mosquito, Aedes togoi was carried out at room temperature (24-30 degrees C). Mosquitoes used in this experiment were reared from larvae collected from the tide water rock pool in the coastal areas of Cheju-Do and they were fed with a blood meal of carrier donors whose microfilaria densities were in the range from 0.5 to 0.7 per cmm of blood. 3)All of the microfilariae ingested by mosquito exsheathed in stomach, penetrated into the body cavity and then migrated into the thoracic muscles of the mosquitoes within 10 hours, after two moults in the mosquito host, the length of the developing 3rd stage larvae reached in size of 1.3~1.7 mm X 23~32 microns with anal ratio, 2.6 to 3.6. The first appearance of 3rd stage larvae in the mosquito host in this experiment was in 8th day after infection. The larvae were observed in the various cavities of mosquito, such as head, thoracic cavity, abdomen, halters, eye and legs. During the larval development in larval development in the host, the shortening of body length was first observed and then elnongation was followed until becoming 3rd stage larvae. 4)Aedes togoi was proved to be the most suitable host for this species of microfilaria malayi in the above endemic areas.


Background Although B cell depletion therapy with rituximab is successful in the majority of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, 30–40% of patients do not respond. The mechanism behind this is yet unknown, as B cell depletion generally takes place in all patients. This study aims to explore changes in serum cytokines during rituximab therapy in established RA patients. Methods Serum was collected from 18 established RA patients before and after 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of rituximab therapy. A panel of thirty-four cytokines was measured in a multiplex immunoassay. Patients with a change in disease activity score (∆DAS28) >1.2 after 6 months were considered responders. Results During rituximab therapy, CXCL13 significantly decreased in all patients (median 1.9-fold decrease (IQR 1.4-3.3)), irrespective of responder status. This coincided with B cell depletion, suggesting that CXCL13 reflects B cell levels in the circulation. No differences were observed between responders and non-responders after 1 and 3 months of therapy. However, at 6, 9 and 12 months, CXCL10 dynamics differed significantly between responders and non-responders (R vs. NR, T6/T0 p = 0.004, T9/T0 p = 0.003, T12/T0 p = 0.001). Non-responders showed an increase compared to baseline, whereas responders did not. The change in CXCL10 correlated to the ∆DAS28 at 6 months, indicating that this reflects disease activity rather than a mechanistic effect of rituximab. Most strikingly, IL-12 was undetectable in most non-responders until 6 months, but showed a substantial increase after 9 months of therapy, which did not occur in the responders (R vs. NR T9/T6 p = 0.030, Fisher's exact p = 0.049). The change in IL-12 did not correlate to ∆DAS28. Conclusions This study shows that during rituximab therapy, cytokine changes occur in the patient serum, both related and unrelated to the clinical response. CXCL13 seems to reflect B cells levels in the circulation, whereas the dynamics of CXCL10 and IL-12 during therapy are regulated differently between responders and non-responders during rituximab treatment. These findings indicate different pharmacological effects of rituximab between responders and non-responders. This research was supported by the Center for Translational Molecular Medicine (CTMM) and the Dutch Arthritis Foundation (TRACER).


The effect of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on bovine pulmonary mast cells (MCs) was investigated in calves aged 1-4 months. PAF was administered over a 5-min period at a rate of 50 ng/kg/min to six animals, which were killed approximately 10 min later. No macroscopical lesions were observed in the lung tissue of five control calves. On semi-thin toluidine-blue stained sections, MC cytoplasm showed profuse deep-blue granulation. In the lung tissues of PAF-treated calves, striking interstitial, alveolar and interlobular oedema and emphysema were observed. MC granules occurred at the periphery of the cytoplasm and MC nuclei were easily detectable. Moreover, the number of granules in the MC cytoplasm was remarkably low. A few granules with some metachromatic material were sometimes detected outside the cell limits. Ultrastructurally, the matrix pattern of the MC granules in lung tissues of control calves was either amorphous or granular. In lung tissues of the PAF-treated calves, the granular matrix pattern was pronounced, varying from fine- to coarse-grained, and the MCs were of reduced size, with many filiform processes and exocytotic vesicles. These findings indicate that pulmonary MC degranulation was induced by PAF in healthy calves.


Beyond the scientific literacy as the starting point of ANT's investigations, such a focus on written traces calls for unfolding the utterly graphic quality of modern societies. Our world, namely writing societies (as anthropologists used to put it), is literally saturated with traces and written objects. Any human being is constantly defined with birth and death certificates, identity papers, school or professional degrees, employment contracts, fingerprints, property acts, marriage agreement… and of course handwritten signatures. Watches, calendars and diaries, clocks, rules and yardsticks, scales… and of course money are also crucial in the coordination and synchronisation of actions. Similarly, a contemporary city would not exist without its architectural plans and drawings, street plaques, directory signs, road markings, shop signs… and of course its map, on both printed and online versions. The State itself would be little, if anything at all, without administrative lists, regular population census, archives of many kinds, a lot of maps of different scales, resource inventories… and of course national statistics. In this chapter, we want to acknowledge the basic place of writing in our world by going back to ANT's roots in anthropology of writing. Such a move, we argue, is helpful in better understanding, at least, two crucial aspects of the contemporary life that are constantly performed and enacted by written traces: Forms of reasoning and modes of governing. These practices are commonplace in ANT studies, and the best-known vocabulary used by scholars to describe them is one of the 'immutable mobiles' (Latour, 1986) and their stabilising properties. However, following the developments in anthropology of writing is key in unfolding and (re)discovering how far the multiplicity of written traces goes beyond immutable mobiles, and gives access to hitherto neglected practices in producing knowledge and performing politics.


BACKGROUND
Chronic productive cough is a common clinical problem; often potential causes outside the lower respiratory tract are forgotten or ignored. The aim of this study was to make a precise etiopathogenetic diagnosis of chronic productive cough in young adults.

METHODS
In a clinical setting, 212 subjects (mean age 41+/-5 years) who had reported chronic productive cough in a previous postal survey of a young adult population underwent within two years clinical and functional investigations following a rational diagnostic approach. Two pulmonologists independently established the diagnosis using a clinically structured interview on nasal and respiratory symptoms, spirometry and other tests when appropriate (bronchodilator test or methacholine bronchial challenge, chest radiography); if rhino-sinusitis was suspected, subjects underwent an ENT examination with nasal endoscopy and/or sinus computed tomography.

RESULTS
At the end of the diagnostic procedure, 87 subjects (41%) no longer had chronic productive cough and had normal function. Fifty-eight subjects (27%) had chronic rhino-sinusitis; seventeen subjects (8%) had asthma, and of these fourteen also had chronic rhino-sinusitis; 50 subjects (24%) had COPD stage 0+, of these seven also had chronic rhino-sinusitis. Chronic rhino-sinusitis was more frequent in females than in males (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Both in clinical practice and in epidemiological studies, it is important to consider that the origin of chronic productive cough could be frequently outside the lower respiratory tract; a consistent percentage of young adults with persistent productive cough has indeed chronic rhino-sinusitis.


Epidemiological data show that in China, approximately 100,000 neonates annually are born with congenital heart disease, an incidence equivalent to that found internationally. However, surgical treatment is available to only one-fifth of these individuals. Access to surgery is generally becoming more readily available in the urbanised coastal areas than in the rural interior. Over 1000 procedures annually are performed at the two largest facilities, the Fu Wei Hospital, Beijing, and the Shangai Children's Medical Centre. The 300 paediatric cardiac surgery facilities across China perform approximately 30,000 operations each year, with the quality of treatment varying according to location and procedure type: data on Tetralogy of Fallot correction, for example, show that standards are equivalent to those seen internationally, with a mortality rate of 1.1-5%. For other procedures, although outcomes have improved since the beginnings of Chinese paediatric cardiac surgery in the 1970s, there is still a process of quality improvement, especially for the more severe and complex disorders.


Honey bee division of labor is characterized by temporal polyethism, in which young workers remain in the hive and perform tasks there, whereas old workers perform more risky outside tasks, mainly foraging. We present a model of honey bee division of labor based on (1) an intrinsic process of behavioral development and (2) inhibition of development through social interactions among the workers in a colony. The model shows that these two processes can explain the main features of honey bee temporal polyethism: the correlation between age and task performance; the age at which a worker first forages and how this age varies among hives; the balanced allocation of workers to hive tasks and foraging; the recovery of a colony from demographic perturbations; and the differentiation of workers into different behavioral roles. The model provides a baseline picture of individual and colony behavior that can serve as the basis for studies of more fine-grained regulation of division of labor.


Through observations and perceptions of athletic directors/coaches, this study (1) broadly examined substance abuse of adolescent (high school) student-athletes; (2) made comparisons of substance abuse between student-athletes and students comprising the general student body; and (3) made selected comparisons of substance abuse between the regional data of this study and that of a national survey of high school coaches done by George H. Gallup International Institute (1991). Some comparisons were also made with the findings of a survey of drug use patterns among a sample of 10,883 public school students conducted by the Alcohol and Drug Defense (ADD) Section, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (1991; 1989; 1987a, 1987b) and a survey of drug use patterns among 2,685 high school student-athletes (Shields, 1988). The drug abuse problem for student-athletes was observed-perceived to be of lesser magnitude regionally than nationally and to be less for student-athletes with their peers in the general student body. In virtually every comparison of student-athletes with their peers in the general student body, the drug problem was seen to be less for student-athletes, and in some instances, dramatically less.


Background/Aim: Patients who receive radiotherapy (RT) may experience significant distress. This study investigated distress scores during RT for a variety of malignancies. Patients and Methods: Distress thermometers (scores of 0-10 points) were completed by 927 patients at baseline and end of RT. Six characteristics were evaluated for changes of distress scores including age, sex, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), tumor type, intent of treatment, and previous RT. Results: Mean distress scores were 4.9 (±2.7) at baseline and 4.6 (±2.7) at the end of RT; mean change was −0.3 (±2.8) points. On univariable analysis, increased distress (≥2 points) was significantly associated with KPS 90-100 (p<0.001) and curative intent (p=0.040). Trends were found for age ≤64 years (p=0.062), head-and-neck cancer (p=0.076), and no prior RT (p=0.055). In patients with baseline scores ≤5 points, deterioration rates were 30-47%. Conclusion: Psychological support should be offered to all patients undergoing RT. This would benefit particularly patients with risk factors for increased distress.


The direction of policy the Government of D.I. Yogyakarta is empowerment the community for tourism development. The tourism destination of Breksi Park is managed by Pokdarwis Sambirejo Village, "Lowo Ijo". Increasing the number of visitors each year by> 950,000 in 2018, followed by an increase in the number of workers by 2018 people has made the Breksi Park a public area that is obliged to guarantee the Safety and Health of visitors. The purpose of this activity is to increase the capacity of participants in OHS risk management. The methods used are counseling and training so that workers are aware of potential hazards and are skilled at identifying hazards and assessing risks, planning hazard control techniques and preparing reports. Community Service was carried out on May 24, 2019, July 19, 2019 and August 5, 2019. There was an increase in the average level of knowledge and skills about risk management in occupational safety and health for participants, but statistically the increase was not significant (p = 0, 207) and (p = 0, 014). It is recommended to Breksi Park's OHS that has been formed, in order to continue the activities in risk management and need to follow up with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The tourism office and the ministry of tourism need to include risk management as one of the assessment indicators in the tourism arena to improve the consistency of implementating of occupational safety and health risk management. Keyword: Training, Risk management, community based tourism, Health tourism, safety tourism


The objective with this Master's thesis was to develop, implement and evaluate an iterative procedure for hierarchical clustering with good overall performance which also merges features of certain already described algorithms into a single integrated package. An accordingly built tool was then applied to an allergen IgE-reactivity data set. The finally implemented algorithm uses a hierarchical approach which illustrates the emergence of patterns in the data. At each level of the hierarchical tree a partitional clustering method is used to divide data into k groups, where the number k is decided through application of cluster validation techniques. The cross-reactivity analysis, by means of the new algorithm, largely arrives at anticipated cluster formations in the allergen data, which strengthen results obtained through previous studies on the subject. Notably, though, certain unexpected findings presented in the former analysis where aggregated differently, and more in line with phylogenetic and protein family relationships, by the novel clustering package.


This paper describes the implementation of the Aesthetic Bot, an automated Twitter account that posts images of small game maps that are either user-made or generated from an evolutionary system. The bot then prompts users to vote via a poll posted in the image's thread for the most aesthetically pleasing map. This creates a rating system that allows for direct interaction with the bot in a way that is integrated seamlessly into a user's regularly updated Twitter content feed. Upon conclusion of the each voting round, the bot learns from the distribution of votes for each map to emulate user preferences for design and visual aesthetic in order to generate maps that would win future vote pairings. We discuss the ongoing results and emerging behaviors that have occurred since the release of this system from both the bot's generation of game maps and the participating Twitter users.


Technical writing requires creativity but not Lewis Carrolllike creative writing. Self-control and self-criticism are needed to achieve simplicity and clarity of expression. Generally, the core of the paper should be written first because the act of writing often furthers or changes the development of the subject and therefore affects both the introduction and the conclusion of the text. The introduction should provide context and perspective for the results and conclusions. A common fault is covering too much material in too wordy a fashion. It is often better to rewrite with a sharper outlook than simply to cross out words. Vague or defensive statements and generalized descriptions are good candidates for elimination. Mathematics may often be moved to an appendix and charts or graphs used to clarify the numerical work. Good judgment rather than haste should prevail in technical writing.


Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), autoimmune disease that is categorized via chronic inflammation manifestation, obesity, cardiovascular risk and even enhanced the mortality and affect the 0.3 and 1% of population worldwide. The current experimental study was scrutinize the anti-arthritic effect of β-sitosterol loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) against complete Fruend adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis via dual pathway. Double emulsion solvent displacement method was used for the preparation of β-sitosterol solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). CFA was used to induce arthritis and rats were divided into different groups for 28 days. Biochemical, anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediator were estimated, respectively. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), Heme Oxygenase-1(HO-1) and Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expression were estimated. β-sitosterol-SLN significantly (p < .001) reduced the paw edema, arthritic index and increased the body weight. β-sitosterol-SLN increased the redox status of synovium {reduce the malonaldehyde (MDA) and increase superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT)} level and reduced the cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2, interleukin-6, interleukin-16, interleukin-17 and increased level of interleukin-10, Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). β-sitosterol-SLN significantly (p < .001) reduced the level of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and NF-κB. β-sitosterol-SLN significantly increased the expression of HO-1,Nrf2 and decreased the expression of NF-κB, RANKL, STAT3. In conclusion, β-sitosterol SLN showed the antiarthritic effect via suppression of NF-kB and activation of HO-1/Nrf-2 pathway.


A multipoint recognition system based on a calix[6]arene is described. The calixarene core is decorated on alternating aromatic subunits by 3 imidazole arms at the small rim and 3 aniline groups at the large rim. This substitution pattern projects the aniline nitrogens toward each other when Zn(II) binds at the Tris-imidazole site or when a proton binds at an aniline. The XRD structure of the monoprotonated complex having an acetonitrile molecule bound to Zn(II) in the cavity revealed a constrained geometry at the metal center reminiscent of an entatic state. Computer modeling suggests that the aniline groups behave as a tritopic monobasic site in which only 1 aniline unit is protonated and interacts with the other 2 through strong hydrogen bonding. The metal complex selectively binds a monoprotonated diamine vs. a monoamine through multipoint recognition: coordination to the metal ion at the small rim, hydrogen bonding to the calix-oxygen core, CH/π interaction within the cavity's aromatic walls, and H-bonding to the anilines at the large rim.


Virtualization is a key technique for cloud computing. One challenge in it is providing a scalable, high performance and high cost effective data storage for virtual machines. In this paper, we propose a parallel I/O dispatch model called PIOD based on Lustre parallel file system to address this issue. PIOD adopts queue mechanism to coordinate data access requests from clients, avoiding random and concurrent storage access. Doing so contributes to avoid random disk seek overhead, which in turn improves I/O performance of data access. The simulation results show that PIOD is effective and can improve I/O throughput about 26.3% on average.


Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) missions, such as the Formosa Satellite‐3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC) and the upcoming FORMOSAT‐7/COSMIC‐2, provide valuable profiling of the ionized atmosphere for the monitoring of space weather. This study shows that the FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC and FORMOSAT‐7/COSMIC‐2 missions' ability to monitor highly variable ionospheric weather can be considerably extended with the help of data assimilation. The Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) Ionosphere is a new data assimilation system designed specifically for the low‐latitude and midlatitude ionosphere. The capability of the GSI Ionosphere is first demonstrated with actual FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC RO total electron content (TEC) data for January 2013. Features of the ionospheric equatorial ionization anomaly in a coupled plasmasphere ionosphere thermosphere model become more consistent with the TEC maps created with independent ground‐based GPS data. The consistency has improved by assimilation of FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC RO data up to about 50% in comparison to the control simulation case without data assimilation. To evaluate the impact of future RO missions on ionospheric weather specification, comparative Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) are carried out with synthetic RO TEC data. An OSSE of FORMOSAT‐7/COSMIC‐2 shows that the GSI Ionosphere can improve the ionospheric specification within ±30° geomagnetic latitude by 67% over the control case, which is comparable to the improvement yielded by FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC for 2009 (61%). These results indicate a great potential for improving the monitoring of realistic ionospheric weather with the help of FORMOSAT‐7/COSMIC‐2 RO TEC data.


Occupational asthma (OA) is a type of bronchial asthma due to causes and conditions attributable to a particular occupational environment. It is the most prevalent occupational lung disease in industrialized countries, accounting for approximately 5% of asthma in adults. Since OA has important medical, social and economic consequences, its prevention is mandatory, and the most important measure is primary prevention at the workplace. Control of environmental exposure can be realized by completely eliminating the causative substances, or, failing that, by reducing exposure to the lowest practicable levels. This goal may be achieved in a variety of ways, e.g. by automation of a process, improvement of ventilation, modification of the process or agents, and use of personal protection devices. However, the control of environmental exposure presents several difficulties. First of all, exposure levels that favour respiratory sensitization to high molecular weight (HMW) or low molecular weight (LMW) agents are not completely defined. There is a critical need for the development of methods able to quantify the airbone levels of sensitizing agents at the workplace and to establish limits of exposure for respiratory sensitization. Development of assays (e.g. immunochemical assays) able to quantify airbone allergen levels should facilitate determination both of exposure-response relationships and of exposure limits for preventing respiratory sensitization and development of OA. Quantification of risk at the workplace is also often rough and based on indirect markers of exposure. At present, the target for an optimal approach to the primary prevention of OA is the development of methods able to evaluate both the sensitizing and the asthmogenic properties of the substances before their introduction in the work environment.


The fight against infectious agents is a topical issue of the day, and treatment of the infectious pathology in rheumatological patients of is often presents a difficult task. The main problems faced by rheumatologists include presence of new pathogens, the role of opportunistic microflora and increased influence of the resistant microorganisms, the issue of the effectiveness and interaction of antibacterial drugs with antirheumatic drugs. All the above listed necessitates the search and development of new schemes and methods of antibiotic therapy in rheumatology. The main diseases associated with bacterial infection include reactive arthritis, Lyme arthritis against the background of Lyme borreliosis, bacterial (septic) arthritis, and others. The authors performed the analysis of literature sources and international recommendations regarding the possibilities of using antibacterial drugs for reactive arthritis, Lyme arthritis and bacterial (septic) arthritis. The current schemes of rational antibacterial therapy are presented. The timely treatment of chlamydial urogenital infection in patients with reactive arthritis plays an important role. The effectiveness of the treatment of the early stages of Lyme arthritis, that is, at the stage of erythema migrans, was noted, which may be the primary prevention of joint damage. Combinations and timing of antibiotic therapy for bacterial (septic) arthritis are highlighted. It should be remembered that a bacterial infection can be a trigger for the development of rheumatological pathology, therefore, the timely use of adequate antibiotic therapy, in some cases, can be considered the primary prevention of certain diseases. Therefore, the development of effective schemes for rational antibiotic therapy and monitoring of infectious agents are urgent problems. Rheumatologists should be aware of new recommendations for the management of patients with infectious diseases and timely prescribe the most effective regimens and therapy programs.


Reactions of laser-ablated silver atoms with carbon monoxide molecules in solid argon and neon have been investigated using matrix-isolation IR spectroscopy. Small silver cluster carbonyls, (AgCO)2 and AgnCO (n=2-4), as well as mononuclear silver carbonyls, Ag(CO)2 and Ag(CO)3, are generated upon sample annealing in the argon experiments and are characterized on the basis of the isotopic substitution, the CO concentration change, and the comparison with theoretical predictions. However, these polynuclear carbonyls are absent from the neon experiments. Density functional theory calculations have been performed on these silver carbonyls and the corresponding ligand-free silver clusters, which support the identification of these silver carbonyls from the matrix IRspectrum. A terminal CO has been found in the most stable structures of (AgCO)2, Ag2CO, Ag3CO, and Ag4CO. Furthermore, a plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed to account for the formation of the (AgCO)2 and AgnCO (n=2-4) molecules.


The article deals with the methodology of verification of non-contact thermometers. A black body calibrator intended for infrared non-contact thermometers, which is considered an etalon gauge, is used to assess selected metrological properties. Also contact thermometer was used to check black body temperature. Industrial infrared thermometers, hand infrared thermometers and infrared thermal cameras were evaluated. Absolute measurement errors, standard deviations and measurement uncertainties of these devices were monitored.


In this paper, we consider a Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) multicasting Internet of Things (IoT) system comprising of a multiantenna Transmitter (TX) that simultaneously transfers information and power to low power and data hungry IoT devices. Each IoT device is assumed to be equipped with Power Splitting (PS) hardware that enables Energy Harvesting (EH) and imposes an individual Quality of Service (QoS) constraint to the downlink communication. We study the joint design of TX precoding and IoT PS ratios for the considered MISO Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT) multicasting IoT with the objective of maximizing the minimum harvested energy among IoT, while satisfying their individual QoS requirements. In our novel EH fairness maximization formulation, we adopt a generic Radio Frequency (RF) EH model capturing practical rectification operation, and resulting in a nonconvex optimization problem. For this problem, we first present an equivalent Semi- Definite Relaxation (SDR) for the considered design problem and prove that it possesses unique global optimality. Then, capitalizing on our derived tight upper and lower bounds on the optimal solution, we present an efficient algorithmic implementation for the jointly optimal TX precoding and IoT PS ratio parameters. Insights on the optimal TX precoding structure are also presented. Representative numerical results including comparisons with benchmark schemes corroborate the usefulness of the proposed design and provide useful insights on the interplay of critical system parameters on the optimized power vs achievable rate trade off.


Research on the impact of human resource management (HRM) on firm performance has increased since the end of the nineties. Despite the pile of studies and results, critical assessments of this literature stream point to several empirical and theoretical gaps. We focus on two empirical gaps. First, there is a lack of attention to innovation as a measure of firm performance outcome. Most articles use financial (e.g., return on assets (ROA)), organisational (e.g., productivity) and employee related (e.g., commitment) performance measures. Yet, Western knowledge economies consider innovation to be a driving force of economic growth, and international competitive advantage. Moreover, innovation is a function of a firm's ability to create, manage and maintain knowledge. Because knowledge is created by and stored within individuals, human resources as well as HRM may play an important role as drivers of innovation. Second, HRM is considered to be a large company phenomenon. Yet, small businesses provide a great environment to study the HRM-performance relationship because of their transparent nature and the small distance between an individual's and a company's performance. Next, human resources and HRM are crucial to small businesses because they have less tolerance for inefficiency. We examine a sample of small start-ups that aim for an innovation strategy, but are not necessarily successful in terms of innovative output. We expect start-ups with superior human resources and HRM to produce more innovative output. The results show that both human capital (of owners/managers and employees) and HRM are important determinants of innovation in start-ups.


Flow-Induced Motions (FIM) is an issue for multi-column platforms, such as Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT). The phenomenon can increase the fatigue failure of the mooring and/or cable systems and can also stop the turbine operation. One of the solutions to reduce the wave-induced motions (WIM) of FOWT designs is the inclusion of Heave Plates (HP). HP is used for increasing the added mass and viscous damping for the motions in waves; however, the behavior was not deeply investigated in the presence of currents. FIM model tests were performed for the Jappaku FOWT (JPK), a FOWT developed to operate in Brazilian waters. This paper aims to investigate the presence of FIM on the JPK to show the importance of HP design and to show how HP mitigates FIM. Three different HP dimensions were tested and compared with the condition without HP. In addition, two different incidence angles of the current were tested, namely 0 and 180 degrees. The results showed amplitudes in the transverse direction of around 100% of the diameter of the external platform column for the case without HP, which is larger than the ones observed for the deep-draft (DD) semi-submersible (SS). Conversely, FIM amplitudes decreased when increasing HP dimensions. The presence of the central column played an essential role in FIM. Due to the different diameters of the external and central columns, the FIM presented two different branches of response related to the vortex-shedding frequency around the columns. The results showed that significant FIM could occur for this specific JPK investigation even with HP. The HP design has a positive effect for reducing dynamic behaviors due to the wave and current incidences. Therefore, its design must be included in the preliminary stages of FOWT developments.


Background: A gap between best practice and actual clinical care exists and this can be overcome by evidence-based practice (EBP), which is essential to improve the clinical decision making. A strategy to reduce deficits in care provision is to train the postgraduate students in the practice of EBP in the journal clubs as evidence from medical colleges in India reveals that current format of journal club presentations is unsatisfactory. Aim: The aim of the present study was to refine the journal club presentations of postgraduate students of clinical departments and to study the effectiveness of EBP training in them for better EBP. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted in S. Nijalingappa Medical College, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India, and it was a pre- and post-trial. This study was a pre- and post-trial done during the journal club presentations of postgraduate students from clinical departments. Postgraduate students' understanding of concepts about EBP was assessed using Fresno test questionnaire in traditional journal club presentation. A hands-on session incorporating steps of EBP was imparted to them. Soon after the session, each student was assessed. In the next journal club presentation, 1 week later, the students were assessed again with the same questionnaire by the same faculty. Scores of the postgraduate students, before and after intervention (immediate and 1 week later), were compared. Data were analyzed by paired t-test using SPSS. Results: An increase in mean posttest scores was seen immediately and also 1 week later as compared to the pretest scores. The scores also increased significantly, when each step of EBP was considered. Conclusions: Incorporating teaching of EBP in journal club presentations improved the competencies of postgraduate students in clinical decision making.


In this paper, the model repair of timed discrete-event systems where anomalies may occur is considered. The nominal model is assumed to be known, and a set of observed timed sequences is given. The approach works with time Petri net models and is based on the formulation of a mixed-integer linear programming problem. The repaired model is obtained from the nominal one by adding fault transitions as well as by extending the firing interval of transitions. Note to Practitioners-The data collected from the observation of a discrete-event system are usually given in terms of behavioral sequences that may be fixed or may be increased in the course of the system operation (e.g., due to new experiments or simply to the system running). If this occurs, the nominal model of a system may reveal not consistent with these additional observations if they include anomalies. This paper presents an approach to repair the model of the system in order to make it able to also generate the observed timed faulty behavior. The repaired model can be used to perform fault diagnosis.


Folk tales are part and parcel of human life because they have been told and retold in every human society from the time immemorium. Though its not clear when and how they have been an intrinsic part of human life. This is a treasure and specially the treasure of language which have been bestowed by our ancestors. Since the folk tales are part of the folk literature, they have drawn the attention of the folklorists. Folklorists have studied, analyzed, interpreted and researched on the different genres of folk literature and the folk tale is one of them. They are simple narrative. They are simple, short and having unique structure which enthrall listeners and also encourage the tellers to tell them again and again nevertheless even at our age of science and technology. Nepali society is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and diverse in nature. They have their folktales to entertain and heal the psychological burden too. The present research tries to analyze the folktales of Kathmandu/Nepal from the structural approach. The present research claims that the structures of folktales are the main cause of bringing effects on both tellers and the listeners. This research will take help of the idea/theory developed by Vladimir Propp whose Morphology of Folktale will be the methodology to analyze the structure of the folktale.


In this work, colloidal spheres composed of azo polymers with different chromophore loading densities were prepared, and their photoinduced deformation behavior was studied. The colloids were constructed by using a series of amphiphilic epoxy-based random copolymers containing 4-carboxylazobenzene functional groups with different degrees of functionalization (DFs). The colloidal spheres were fabricated through gradual hydrophobic aggregation of the polymeric chains in tetrahydrofuran-H2O dispersion media, which was induced by gradually adding water into the systems. The colloidal spheres were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The photoinduced deformation behavior was studied by irradiating the colloidal spheres with a linearly polarized Ar+ laser beam. Results showed that the critical water content (CWC) for the colloid formation is related to the DF of the polymers, and CWC increases with the increase of DF. The hydrodynamic diameter of the colloidal spheres is also related to the DF of the polymers. When the DF of the polymers increases, the average size of the colloids gradually decreases. The hydrodynamic diameter of the colloidal spheres increases as the water dropping rate decreases. When the dropping rate is below 20 microL/s, the size of the colloidal spheres increases abruptly as the dropping rate further decreases. Upon the linearly polarized Ar+ laser beam irradiation, the colloids composed of polymers with different DFs can all be elongated along the polarization direction of the laser beam. As DF increases, the deformation degree characterized by the axial ratio (l/d) almost linearly increases. These observations can give some insight into the photoinduced deformation mechanism and can be used to construct colloids with different sizes and photoresponsive ability.


Monitoring cellular homeostasis is one of the crucial elements in understanding the real causes of the pathological state and in designing more efficient treatments. Fluorescent nanometer sized particles have great potential in the quantitative real-time analysis of important cellular analytes. In this paper we focus on the development of optical chemical nanosensors for probing dissolved oxygen inside living cells. The nanosensor is composed of organically modified silica nanoparticles, doped with a luminescent oxygen-sensitive [Ru(II)-tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)] ([Ru(dpp)3]2+) complex. A monodisperse population of nanoparticles with an average size of 70 nm was obtained based on a modified sol–gel-based Stober method. The nanoparticles were initially calibrated in water using a phase fluorometry setup. Very good repeatability from cycle to cycle and reversibility in oxygen response was obtained for the nanoparticles. The excellent performance of the nanosensors is reflected in their very low limit of detection (LOD) (0.007 ppm). Transmission electron microscopy images obtained from in vitro studies reveals that the final intracellular location of the nanoparticles is in the lysosomes. The performance of the nanoparticles was tested inside cells using Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) instrumentation. Despite a decrease in the oxygen sensitivity of the nanoparticles located in the intracellular milieu (LOD = 0.226 ppm), a significant change in lifetime (∼1.3 μs) is detected within the physiological oxygen concentration range. Moreover, nanoparticles show no cytotoxic effect when incubated with cells for up to 72 h. These results demonstrate therefore the great potential of ([Ru(dpp)3]2+)-doped organically modified silica nanoparticles for monitoring the intracellular oxygen concentration.


Introduction: Guayaquil population has an endemic – epidemic presence of dengue and there are few studies on the historical trend of the factors that influence its behavior. Objective: To establish the historical trend of factors relate to the dynamics of dengue in the city of Guayaquil during the period 2008 - 2013. Design. Non-experimental study, longitudinal trend. Setting: City of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Material: Cases of dengue. Methods: Information on cases of Dengue, temperature, humidity and wind, Breteau index and circulating viruses were obtained. Main outcome measures: Historical trend of the factors that influence the dynamics of dengue. Results: The trend with the most cases occurred in weeks 10-24 in 2010 and 2012, with scattering points compared to the trend line. Environmental variables showed findings of moisture above 70% with high and low winds that can cause conditions that  may increase the transmission of the disease. The study also showed that there are epidemiological periods when the transmission decreases that may be related to lower temperatures, relative humidity and presence of wind. The 4 serotypes of dengue were present, with simultaneous movement of DEN1, DEN2 serotypes, and DEN4 serotypes for the past 3 years. Conclusions: The historical trend of dengue throughout the year has periods and years of variability. Environmental factors like temperature, humidity, winds and Breteau index accounted for more cases in the first 2 periods of each year. The polynomial trend was 63.3% which can be considered reliable on the increase in cases for the projection for 2017. It is important to continue the studies of the historical behavior of dengue with an integrated approach.


Neurological manifestations in COVID-19 are well described. We describe a 15-year-old girl with acute focal deficit with altered sensorium due to massive right intracerebral hemorrhage following a hypertensive emergency and acute on chronic kidney disease. She was found to be COVID positive by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). She gradually improved although her neurological deficit in the form of left hemiparesis persisted at discharge. There might be a possible association between intracerebral hemorrhage and COVID-19, although the causation is still not well established.


Our first principles studies predict that PbZnO3 will realize the phase transition from LiNbO3-type to perovskite-type and finally to post-post-perovskite-type with the gradual increase of pressure. Three types of PbZnO3 quantum dots are constructed based on such three phases, and their plasmon properties are investigated. It is found that the perovskite-type PbZnO3 can realize the regulation of optical absorption in near-infrared to ultraviolet regions, and the dipole oscillation mode of post-post-perovskite PbZnO3 plasmons can change from short range to long range. More accurately, we estimated the electric polarization of LiNbO3-type PbZnO3 to be 116µC/cm2. Our investigations confirm the excellent properties and great application prospect of PbZnO3 materials in different photoelectric fields.


Summary

Defined as operational units, the estuarine and marine fishing production systems (FPS) from the two southernmost states of Brazil, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul were analyzed using the RAPFISH technique with respect to sustainability of fisheries. The FPS were defined by 49 attributes divided into five fields: economic, social, ecological, technological and managerial. Data were obtained from the literature and interviews with fishers, skippers, and ship owners in 2003 and 2004. Overall, 26 FPS were identified: nine small-scale; three medium-scale; ten large-scale operating on the shelf, upper slope or nearby oceanic waters; and four large-scale fishing systems on the upper slope or neighboring oceanic waters. The latter included only foreign vessels, which produced frozen products exclusively for export. Analyses of 15 selected attributes more closely associated with sustainability in the five fields of evaluation showed all FPS in an intermediate position between the extremes of ideal and bad, reinforcing the perception that no FPS in southern Brazil can be considered truly sustainable; evidence of clearly unsustainable FPS was also not found. Thus RAPFISH fell short of producing a clear pattern that could result in sound management, probably due to disagreement among the different dimensions of sustainability. All five fields of evaluation were equally weighted; however, it could be argued that the biological and ecological status of fisheries were not given enough emphasis in relation to the other dimensions. Dissimilarities within FPS and differences regarding sustainability levels must all be taken into consideration for sound management measures.


A new analysis of a class E power amplifier is presented and a fully analytic design approach is developed. Using our analysis, all of the circuit currents and voltages and, hence, the power dissipation in each component is calculated as a function of a key design parameter, denoted by x. This parameter is the ratio of the resonance frequency of the shunt inductor and shunt capacitor to the operating frequency. We have shown that there is a limited continues range for this parameter, in which class E operation with realizable circuit is achieved. Three conventional design methods, namely infinite dc feed, parallel circuit, and even harmonic design methods are the special cases, corresponding to a certain value of x. Our analysis explains the power efficiency, the power capability, and other characteristics of the class E power amplifier circuit as a function of the parameter x. We have developed new design formulas that give the values of the circuit components for each value of x. These equations enable the designer to analytically optimize the circuit for a desired performance measure, such as power efficiency or power capability. To obtain the optimum design, the shunt inductor quality factor and the switch on-state resistance must be given. Then, one can find the value of x corresponding to the optimum value of the given performance measure. The analysis results show that the power efficiency is better a optimization measure than power capability. To assess the analysis results and to compare the new design method with the conventional methods, we have used the foundry design kit for STMicroelectronics 90-nm global-purpose CMOS process. For this purpose, we have designed four identical class E power amplifiers, one using the parallel-circuit method, another with the even-harmonic method, and two others with the proposed design method. One of the latter has been optimized for maximum power capability and the other for maximum power efficiency. The designed power amplifiers have been simulated in the foundry design kit and the simulation results prove the accuracy of the analysis and reveal the usefulness of our design method.


HPLC methods and modified extraction procedures were used to analyze residues of oxytetracycline (Terramycin, OTC) or sulfadimethoxine (SDM) and ormetoprim (OMP) in channel catfish fed OTC or Romet-30 under controlled conditions. Mean recovery rates in fish muscle were 92.5% for OTC over concentrations of 0.05-1.0 ppm and 86.3% for OMP and 87.9% for SDM over 0.05-5.0 ppm. SDM and OMP were rapidly depleted from large catfish (about 345g) after 5 days feeding with Romet-30 at 50-100 mg/kg body weight. By day 2 post-treatment, no residue was detected. Residues of OTC, SDM and OMP were also detected in fingerling channel catfish (about 20.3g) after 4 and 8 wk of feeding with Romet-30 or OTC at 12.5, 25, or 50 mg/kg body weight, but not after a 3-wk-withdrawal period.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the cell necrosis by the hysteric heating of Co/sub 1-x/Ni/sub x/Fe/sub 2/O/sub 4/ and Ba/sub 1-x/Sr/sub x/Fe/sub 12/O/sub 19/ ferrites under external magnetic field with respect to applications in hyperthermic cancer treatments. Co/sub 1-x/Ni/sub x/Fe/sub 2/O/sub 4/ and Ba/sub 1-x/Sr/sub x/Fe/sub 12/O/sub 19/ ferrites were synthesized by a sol-gel process. Variation of the temperature as a result of hysteresis heating was measured as a function of the exposure time to the external alternating magnetic field at frequencies of 0.1 /spl sim/ 15 MHz. A human squamous cell carcinoma KB cell line was selected to determine the effect of the synthesized ferrites on the destruction of carcinoma cells in vitro using a methylthiazol tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. When a CoFe/sub 2/O/sub 4/ disc was placed in 0.2 ml of distilled water, the greatest temperature change (/spl Delta/T=29.3/spl deg/C) was observed. More than half of the malignant carcinoma cells were dead after being exposed to the 7-MHz ac magnetic field for 1 h by CoFe/sub 2/O/sub 4/ ferrites, while normal cells survived more than 60% of the time.


For the purposes of this report, adhesiveness was defined as that force which resists the mechanical separation of attached pairs of cells, and stickiness as the tendency of cells to cling to a foreign substrate; in the present experiments the substrate employed was glass. The cells selected for study were from the normal rabbit epiderm and the V2 rabbit carcinoma. Adhesiveness was determined by measuring the bend produced in a calibrated microneedle when subjected to the strain of pulling apart an attached pair of cells. Stickiness was measured by calculating the percentage of cells clinging to a glass surface after being dipped 3 times in salt solution.

It was found that the normal epidermal cells were strongly adhesive but not very sticky, whereas the cancer cells were extremely sticky but poorly adhesive. Thus, it was concluded that the two properties are different and independent.

Possible explanations and implications of the results are discussed and further studies suggested.


Motivated by Autonomous vehicle idea and driving safety issues, driver assistance system such as Active braking, Cruise Control, Lane departure warning lane keeping and etc. has become a very active research area. However, this paper presents the performance and robustness analysis of a model predictive control and proportional integral derivative control for lane keeping maneuvers of an autonomous vehicle using computer vision simulation studies. A simulation study was carried out where a vehicle model based on single tracked bicycle model was developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment together with a vision dynamic system. Both PID controller and MPC were simulated to maintain the desired reference trajectory of the vehicle by controlling steering angle. Further performance and robustness analysis were carried out and the simulation results show that the proposed control system for the PID control achieved its objective even though it was less robust in maintaining its performance under various conditions like vehicle load change, different longitudinal speed and different cornering stiffness. While in the case of MPC the optimizer made sure that the predicted future trajectory of the vehicle output tracks the desired reference trajectory and was more robust in maintaining its performance under same conditions as in PID. Keyword: performance, robustness, analysis, lane keeping, maneuvers autonomous, vehicles


Science Citation Index (SCI) depends for intellectual content entirely on citations by authors, who are sometimes prodded by editors and referees. Its patchiness is therefore not surprising, but frequently it gives access to relevant and up-to-date documents not easily accessible by other means. Two contrasting "citation families" are described. The first family, dealing with the various ascorbic acid derivatives having C substitution at C-2, actually retrieved very nearly all the relevant documents (other than patent specifications) that were retrieved by a CAS ONLINE substructure search. Organic chemists are clearly careful authors. The second family, dealing with amino acid residues covalently bound in soil organic matter, yielded documents having surprisingly little overlap with those retrieved by using a carefully devised Boolean "profile" on the general subject index of Chemical Abstracts. This was only partly because SCI is beset by language-barrier problems to which Chemical Abstracts is immune. The SCI management might extend its journal coverage, but otherwise improvement can only come from a more serious attitude to placing references in primary publications. SCI remains a complement to, not a substitute for, other data-bases.


Etching was performed on (100) silicon wafers using silicon-dissolved tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solutions without the addition of surfactant. Experiments were carried out in different TMAH concentrations at different temperatures for different etching times. The surface phenomena, etching rates, surface morphology and surface reflectance were analyzed. Experimental results show that the resulting surface covered with uniform pyramids can be realized with a small change in etching rates during the etching process. The etching mechanism is explained based on the experimental results and the theoretical considerations. It is suggested that all the components in the TMAH solutions play important roles in the etching process. Moreover, TMA+ ions may increase the wettability of the textured surface. A good textured surface can be obtained in conditions where the absorption of OH-/H2O is in equilibrium with that of TMA+/SiO2 (OH)22-.


New trends in software engineering recently emerged to cope with even more complex systems which in turns highlight problems software shortfalls and defects. The SQUADE (Software QUAlities and their DEpendencies) workshop focuses on increasing the understanding of the nature of Software Qualities (SQs), i.e., nonfunctional properties or extra-functional requirements (e.g., reliability, security, maintainability, etc.), and their interrelationships with the aim of bringing them into practice of software engineering. The topic is highly relevant due to the current trend of designing and developing software-intensive systems with larger complexity, increased autonomy, higher speed of changes, and growing need for interoperability within systems of systems. Unfortunately, this new trend comes with more software shortfalls and defects, which are widely and publicly spread. The primary goal of the workshop is to bring together researchers and practitioners to build more solid foundations when dealing with software qualities.


Introductory programming is an essential part of the curriculum in any engineering discipline in universities. However, for many beginning students, it is very difficult to learn. In particular, these students often get stuck and frustrated when attempting to solve programming exercises. One way to assist beginning programmers to overcome difficulties in learning to program is to use intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) for programming, which can provide students with personalized hints of students' solving process in programming exercises.
Currently, mostly these systems manually construct the domain models. They take much time to construct, especially for exercises with very large solution spaces. One of the major challenges associated with handling ITSs for programming comes from the diversity of possible code solutions that a student can write. The use of data-driven approaches to develop these ITSs is just starting to be explored in the field. Given that this is still a relatively new research field, many challenges are still remained unsolved. Our goal in this paper is to review and classify analysis techniques that are requested to generate data-driven hints in ITSs for programming. This work also aims equally to identify the possible future directions in this research field.


States in 26Na were populated in the (d, pγ) reaction, induced by bombarding deuterium target nuclei with an intense reaccelerated beam of 25Na ions from the ISAC2 accelerator at TRIUMF. Gamma-rays were recorded in coincidence with protons and used to extract differential cross sections for 21 states up to the neutron decay threshold of 5 MeV. Results for levels below 3 MeV are discussed in detail and compared with shell model calculations and with previous work. The angular distributions of decay gamma-rays were measured for individual states and are compared to theoretically calculated distributions, highlighting some issues for future work.


ABSTRACT The effect of ice storage on the chemical composition of fat greenling and black rockfish, especially their lipid quality were evaluated. Both physical and biochemical changes occurred during ice storage, resulting in increased moisture content, free fatty acid (FFA), acid values (AV), peroxide values (POV), thiobarbituric acid values (TBARS), and increased activities of lipases and lipoxygenase. Decreases in the ash, protein, phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), triacylglycerol (TAG), and fatty acid contents were also observed. The decreased PC, PE, and TAG values, together with the increased amount of AV and each FFA as well as lipases activity indicated the hydrolysis of lipids induced by lipases. In addition, the increased POV and TBARS as well as lipoxygenase activities, together with the decrease in the fatty acid contents, point to the lipoxygenase-assisted oxidation of lipids. Based on the increase rate of the total volatile basic nitrogen and FFA as well as the decreased rate of the PC, PE, TAG, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids during ice storage, black rockfish was more prone to spoilage, less sensitive to hydrolysis, and more sensitive to oxidation compared to fat greenling.


A thermal integration study of various space nuclear power system (SNPS) alternatives for the Space Surveillance and Tracking System (SSTS) spacecraft was performed for the purpose of defining concepts. SNPS/SSTS integrated thermal analyses predicted SSTS surface temperatures and thermal fluxes, which were used to ascertain approximate thermal conditions and indicate thermal trends for the various SNPS/SSTS configurations studied. The three space nuclear power systems examined were the SNAP-DYN system, the modified SP-100 system, and the STAR-C system. The SP-100 created the hottest thermal environment and worst thermal impacts on the SSTS because of the size of its hot thermal radiator. The STAR-C, although operating with the hottest thermal radiator, produced only moderately hot thermal environments and impacts on the SSTS because its small size and configuration-limited SSTS exposure to the STAR-C radiator. The SNAP-DYN generated the most benign thermal environments and impacts on the SSTS because its thermal radiator, although the largest of the three SNPS studied, operates at relatively cool temperatures.<<ETX>>


Late Quaternary fluviolacustrine siltstones, mudstones and claystones (Loboi Silts) on the northern margins of the saline, alkaline Lake Bogoria in the Kenya Rift Valley contain up to c. 40% authigenic analcime and minor natrolite. The zeolitic sediments are reddish brown and up to 1 m thick. The amount of analcime increases upward in the profile, but decreases with distance from the lake. The altered sediments show many pedogenic features including zeolitic root mats, rootmarks, concretions and carbonate rhizoliths. Residual patches of calcrete locally cap the zeolitic rocks. The profile is interpreted as an exhumed palaeosol and land surface on the former margins of the lake.

The analcime occurs as submicroscopic (0–5–2–5 μ.m) subhedral and euhedral crystals, which have an average Si/A 1 ratio of 2–33 (as determined by X-ray microanalysis) or 2–18 (d-value of 639 analcime peak). The analcime formed in lake marginal sediments (soils) by reaction of silicate detritus with Na2CO3 rich pore waters concentrated close to the land surface by evaporative pumping and evapotranspiration. Poorly ordered clay minerals were probably the main reactants. Authigenic illite may have been a by-product of the reactions. Chemical analyses suggest that pore waters supplied some of Na+, and possibly K+ and SiO2. The associated calcrete and rhizoliths were formed during or shortly after the main period of zeolitic alteration. The Ca2+ may have originated from infiltrating dilute runoff and groundwater. Authigenic smectite was precipitated in open porosity following analcime formation. The zeolitic alteration at Lake Bogoria provides a relatively recent analogue for lake marginal zeolites found in many ancient saline, alkaline lake sediments.


Introduction: This research was designed in order to determine the ectoparasitic burden of lice infestation in local and exotic breed of chickens and the relationships between age, sex, and management status of the infested and uninfested birds. Methodology: A total of 515 chickens were examined at 12 different locations of Maiduguri and environs for the presence of lice in which the prevalence were obtained from each location; in order to determine the ectoparasitic burden of lice infestation in local and exotic breed of chickens and the relationships between age, sex, and management status of the infested and uninfested birds between April, 2018 and June, 2019. Result: The overall prevalence of ectoparasitic burden of lice infestation in chickens from Maiduguri and its' environments examined between April, 2018 and June, 2019 was 17.5% (90 infected) while 82.5% (425) were non-infected. In order of abundance, it was found that Menacanthus stramineus, Menopon gallinae, Lipeurus caponis, Goniodes gigas and Goniocotes gallinae, were the most commonly infestating lice of poultry in the study area. Female chickens were more infested 66 (22.2%) than their male counterparts 24 (11.0%) (P < 0.05). Adult chickens were more infested 82 (27.3%) than the younger ones 8 (3.7%) (P < 0.005). Exotic chickens were more exposed to lice infestation 66 (21.3%) than local chickens 24 (11.7%) (P < 0.05). Additionally, intensive managed chickens were more infested 69 (18.0%) than extensive managed chickens 21 (15.9%) (P > 0.05). The thigh and breast muscle predominate by habouring 51 (98.1%) of the biting lice, the vent recorded 23 (95.8%); while 14 (93.3%) was found under the wings. Conclusion: It is highly imperative to investigate the presence of some hemoparasites associated with these lice species found on chickens in the study area in order to come-up with a comprehensive control and management of lousiness and lice associated parasites on chickens in the area.


The city of Rome is described in a number of Arabic and Persian geographical and historical texts produced between the ninth and thirteenth centuries. Despite the chronological range and geographical distances that separate many of these texts, a common thread of transmission unites them, testament to the fact that very few eyewitness accounts of the city were used. Instead, the descriptions of Rome drew on the authority of more ancient literary accounts, that were reproduced with variations and additions deriving from a number of different origins. While it is not possible to identify the exact web of sources used, nor whether some descriptions refer to Old Rome—the city of the Pope—or to the new Rome on the Bosporus, Constantinople, these texts nevertheless reveal a substantial knowledge of the city's symbolic features. Indeed, it appears that accurate physical descriptions of Rome were considered less important than exemplary representations of the city. One of the figurative details assumes the iconographic form of a labyrinth, at times identified as a map of the city of Rome, and at other times as a prison located in the city. In this paper, it will be argued that the labyrinth icon is drawn from one of Rome's own myths concerning the founding of the city by complex and at times obscure means that offer promising directions for further research. More generally, it would appear that the Arabic and Persian sources considered here share a view of the city of Rome that is nourished by a great respect and admiration.


We have employed modern graphics processor units (GPUs) for the acceleration of the well-known finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Our implementation achieves speedups up to 40x traditional microprocessor-based solutions.


In the era of globalization, various roles and responsibilities of the state, i.e. who known as Nation-State has increased and diversified. Under such diversification, a role of nation-state has also increased. One of the primary duty of the state, is to provide elementary education to its future citizens – children. However, in case of fulfilling these duties, state has most of the home felt incompetent to do so. Hence therefore these responsibilities along with other responsibilities have been diversified to non-state actors and institutions. One such institution set up is known as Madrasah. Though claimed as institutions only for Muslim minorities, it has however not been free from criticism. One such general criticism has been the inclination of religious educations, inspite providing elementary education needed for all round development of individual. However, has madarsah been able to fulfill its duty in providing elementary education?  what in the role of religious institution as such madarsah,  in any democratic setup?  what has there been significant reason for their existence? How effective can such religious institution like Madarsah be for non-muslim weaker section's children? Therefore, I would like to analysis such questions through this work and will try to look answer to these questions.