The ascites in the chronic renal failure patient is often difficult to treat and becomes intractable. Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), as a maintenance therapy, is effective in the removal of ascites and may become a good alternative in dialysis therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the peritoneal membrane transport characteristics and ultrafiltration rate in CAPD patients who had preexisting ascites. Seven CAPD patients (6 male, 1 female; mean age 43 +/- 11 years) were included. The causes of ascites were liver cirrhosis (n = 4), hemodialysis-associated process (n = 2), and heart failure (n = 1). A peritoneal equilibration test (PET) using 2.5% dialysate was performed by the standard method at ten days after starting CAPD. The solute transport rate [dialysate glucose ratio (D/D6) and dialysate-to-plasma creatinine concentration ratio] showed high (n = 5) or high average (n = 2) transport. In 5 patients with high transport, PET showed a discrepancy between solute transport rate and drain volume. In spite of the high transport rate, the drain volume was greater than expected and corresponded to the area of low average or high average solute transport rate. Considering adequate solute clearance and good ultrafiltration, CAPD is an effective treatment in end-stage renal disease patients with intractable ascites.


The Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus), although an omnivore, is more carnivorous than its American counterpart. It is also more aggressive towards humans and is a threatened species because of the deforestation in the Himalayas. Furthermore, poverty, encroachment of the forest, extensive deforestation, lack of education and living near the forest are factors that increase the probability of such animal injuries. We report the case of a 35‐year‐old woman who suffered a severe penetrating head injury with scalp and bilateral eye avulsion, which was managed successfully.


Aim: The aim of this study is to measure the cyclic fatigue resistance of TruNatomy (Dentsply Sirona, Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) instruments in single and double curvature canals and compare it with those of ProTaper Next and 2Shape. Materials and methods: Sixty NiTi rotary files were used in this study and distributed into three groups ( n = 20 for each group). Group I: TruNatomy (size 26, taper 0.04), group II: ProTaper Next (size 25, taper 0.06), and group III: 2Shape (size 25, taper 0.06). Then, each group was subdivided into two subgroups ( n = 10 for each subgroup) according to the curvature of the canals (single or double). Lengths of all the used files were 25 mm. The files were tested in custom-made artificial canals with a single curvature (60° curvature, 5-mm radius) and a double curvature (coronal curve: 60° curvature, 5-mm radius and apical curve: 70° curvature and 2-mm radius). Each file was operated in a continuous rotation movement until the file fractures. Time for file separation and length of fractured fragment were recorded. The number of cycles to failure of each file was calculated. Statistical analysis: Data were statistically analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, one-way ANOVA, and the post hoc Tukey test. Results: The normal distribution of data was detected by the use of the Shapiro-Wilk test. The results of the ANOVA test revealed a significant difference in cyclic fatigue resistant among three groups of the tested files ( p < 0.05). The post hoc Tukey test showed that in both single- and double-curved canals, the number of cycles to failure of the TruNatomy group was significantly higher than other groups ( p < 0.05). No statistical difference in fragment length among the tested files in both curvatures ( p > 0.05). Conclusion: In both curvatures, TruNatomy instruments were more resistant to cyclic fatigue than 2Shape and ProTaper Next instruments.


The relaxed problems for SMR/spl sup/MR have been formulated by PMP with a free terminal time; SMR using Theorem Al and MR using Corollary Al; note that MR-FV has been solved by PMP-LP with a fixed terminal time. Secondly, we have proven that each problem for SMR/spl sup/MR can have nonnegative integer solution by using PMP-LP of which time complexity is semi-polynomial time in live TCC and SCC nets. But, checking critical siphons at each time is needed in the upper classes. We have also assured the above execution by computer simulations. These approaches can give useful approximation algorithms for various important reachability problems in practical applications.


Bangladesh Post Office introduced the Electronic Money Transfer System (EMTS), a mobile payment support service similar to Kenya's M-PESA, to helps citizens send money orders quickly and safely. EMTS data show dramatic increase in electronic money order issuance, amount remitted, and amount of commission that outnumbered corresponding figures of ordinary money orders. Also EMTS shortened the average money order delivery time from several days to a day and reported a very high delivery rate. However, EMTS concentrated on urban areas rather than rural areas. Electronic money orders within urban communities accounted for about 90 percent of total issuance, amount remitted, and commission. EMTS was not successful in making a difference in "unbanked" communities. Also EMTS encountered commercial competitors and thus its issuance and amount of remittance have dramatically declined since 2012. The rising and ebbing of EMTS provide valuable lessons on potential and limitations of public mobile payment services.


This paper investigates several applications for a heterogeneous real-time network testbed. The network is heterogeneous in terms of network devices, technologies, protocols, and algorithms. The network is real-time in that its services can provide per-connection end-to-end performance guarantees. Although diierent parts of the network use diierent algorithms , all components have the necessary mechanisms to provide performance guarantees: admission control and priority scheduling. Three applications for this network are described in this paper: a video con-ferencing tool, a tool for combustion modeling using distributed computing, and an MPEG video archival system. Each has minimumperformance requirements that must be provided by the network. By analyzing these applications, we provide insights to the traac characteristics and performance requirements of practical real-time loads.


As a geriatrician I have encountered innumerable distressed elderly women in hospitals and nursing homes slumped and sliding out of chairs and begging to be allowed to lie down. What is the evidence that elderly patients benefit from extended periods of sitting in chairs? How many patients need further investigation or palliative care rather than "mobilisation"? What about patients' rights to reject such "treatment"?

Surgeons introduced early "ambulation" after operations in the 1940s as an alternative to the time honoured tradition of nursing virtually all patients in bed. As curative surgery and other treatments became available, it was realised that prolonged inactivity not only did not help but might even retard recovery. An army of physiotherapists was recruited to help patients walk and become independent after treatment.

> Prescribed bed rest is not the same as rest resulting from felt need

The most famous advocate of ambulation for elderly patients was Richard Asher, a humane iconoclast who liked to poke …


The Dodd-Frank Act ushers in a new era of whistleblower law. Congress, for the first time, is rewarding the providers of "independent analysis" that helps the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) prosecute fraud. To receive a bounty under section 922(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act, "independent knowledge" of fraud is not required. While the statute recognizes the importance of securities analysts in identifying violations, the rules interpreting this language fall short in considering and accounting for the costs to whistleblowers in the financial services industry.This Article first argues that if SEC bounties are intended to compensate whistleblowers, the SEC's decisions as to the size of the bounty should reflect not only the intrinsic value of the information to the SEC, but also the whistleblower's cost of providing that information. Specifically, Rule 21F-6, which allows the SEC to consider whistleblower costs in determining the size of the award, should be changed to require the SEC to consider those costs.Second, this Article considers the recent economic research about whistleblowers and concludes that the SEC cannot afford to discourage hedge fund managers and other buy side analysts from participating in the SEC program. To avoid that outcome, the SEC should allow these actors to "double-dip," or collect bounties despite profiting on short positions. Finally, the SEC should clarify when "independent analysis" qualifies for a bounty.


We demonstrate efficient four-wave mixing with an intensity conversion efficiency of nearly 100% in theory without considering the Doppler-broadening effect in a four-level double-Λ system of hot 87Rb gas. The corresponding experimental value of about 73% was reported in our earlier work under the same conditions. This dramatic efficiency is critically dependent on the constructive interference between two four-wave mixing processes relevant to the internally generated four-wave mixing signal.


In the 1990s there was public speculation that New Zealand schools and businesses were establishing new and more relationships. Three broad public discourses sought to articulate this shift and its effects. They collectively represented business motives for school-business relationships as commercial, social, or operationally focused, or mixtures of these. This thesis argues with evidence from literature and original research, and with special attention on the activities of the food industry, that the prime business motive for school-business relationships was commercial. This motive is explored within the interwoven cultural contexts of changing businesses, changing childhoods and changing schools. In recent years businesses have assumed greater power as corporate meaning-makers in childhood identities as the boundaries between the cultural categories of advertising, entertainment and education collapse and new hybrid forms emerge including new school-business relationship forms. As business integrate public relations with their marketing objectives, this meaning-making role in an information society has intensified and fulfils a wide range of objectives from increased sales to management of public opinion. Businesses with the most fragile public profiles have gravitated to schools the most, and school children have become both key producers and key consumers of the sign value of the socially responsible business. Childhood is considered within a social constructionist perspective and it is argued that businesses influence childhood identity through the transgressive pedagogies of children's popular culture, and the commercialized adult discourses of child development and innocence. The tensions between these are being brought to some resolution in the increasingly popular commercialized edutainment pedagogies offered to students in schools, which simultaneously address adult and child desires. Responding to school-business relationships in New Zealand from 1990 was the marketised and corporatised school. The structural and cultural dimensions of New Zealand's marketisation reforms enabled pervasive discourses of competitive entrepreneurialism and managerial pragmatism to jostle with educational ethics in school-business relationship decision-making. Many school-business relationships found favour as fundraising opportunities or complex and financially advantageous relationships, limiting the potential for teacher dissent or community deliberation and debate. Teachers maintained an influential role in the key area of curriculum-related school-business relationships, but in this research, their perceptions about sponsored materials and programmes were overwhelmingly constructed within a discourse of curriculum utility and student appeal. The corporate agenda was usually positioned as benign advertising and marketing and there wes little understanding of the evolution of corporate public relations in recent years. Teachers decoupled the learning gain through school-business relationships from this corporate marketing. This steered them away from undertaking a deeper analysis of the corporate cultural agenda, limited their interest in the school's wider business relationships, and created a compelling argument for commercialized edutainment in schools. The business-like school was less capable of a critical understanding of the education-like business, and was often disinterested in resistance to school-business relationships. This thesis argues that school-business relationships need to be rescued by teachers from a discourse of pragmatic utility, and critically reconsidered as corporate pedagogies seeking to construct a consuming childhood and further various corporate ideologies and agendas. Schools as meaning-makers themselves are vital to this cultural assessment.


As most farmers know, the ruminant's digestive system consists of the so-called 'four stomachs'. In actual fact it is one stomach made up of four compartments known as the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. The rumen and reticulum, known jointly as the reticulorumen, is where the feed mixes with water and saliva. Here the feed is separated into layers, with fine particles at the bottom and rougher, longer ones at the top. The longer particles are further broken down through rumination. For optimal digestion the reticulorumen functions as an anaerobic environment, indicating the absence of oxygen.


Strontium β-diketonate complexes were synthesized by the substitution reaction of the bis(trimethylsilyl) amide of Sr(btsa)2·2DME with an ethereal group and β-diketonate ligands. The compounds [Sr(tmge)(btsa)]2 (1), [Sr(tod)(btsa)]2 (2), Sr(tmgeH)(tfac)2 (3), Sr(tmgeH)(acac)2 (4), Sr(tmgeH)(tmhd)2 (5), Sr(todH)(tfac)2 (6), Sr(todH)(acac)2 (7), Sr(todH)(tmhd)2 (8), Sr(todH)(hfac)2 (9), Sr(dmts)(hfac)2 (10), [Sr(mee)(tmhd)2]2 (11), and Sr(dts)(hfac)2·DME (12) were obtained and analyzed by various techniques, including FT-IR, NMR, TGA (thermogravimetric analyses), and elemental analysis. Complexes 1, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 were further structurally confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, where complexes 1 and 11 showed dimeric structures with μ2-O bonds of ethereal groups or tmhd ligands, and complexes 3, 8, 9, 10, and 12 displayed monomeric structures. Interestingly, compounds 10 and 12, which preceded trimethylsilylation of the coordinating ethereal alcohols such as tmhgeH and meeH in the presence of HMDS as by-products due to highly increasing acidity of them, originated from electron-withdrawing two hfac ligands.


This study examined how the participation rates contribute to subjects' outcomes after a nutrition education (once/ week) and exercise (3 times/week) intervention program for 12 weeks in 44 obese female subjects. The subjects were divided into two groups: high-participator (HP) or low-participator (LP) groups according to their participation levels based on the median visit value (30 visits out of a total of 48 visits). Daily nutrient intakes assessed by a 24-hour recall, body composition, blood lipid profiles and physical fitness were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. After the intervention, weight, BMI, percent body fat, and the waist-hip ratio were significantly decreased in the HP group. In addition, the HP group had a greater rates of changes in weight (HP group: -6.6% and LP group: -3.1%, p < 0.01), BMI (-7.0% and -3.2%, p < 0.01), percent body fat (-7.8% and -4.2%, p < 0.05), and waist-hip ratio (-3.1% and -0.4%, p < 0.01) compared to the LP group. Energy-adjusted protein, fiber, potassium, vitamin B₁, vitamin B?, and vitamin C were significantly increased in the HP group. The HP group showed a significant increase in HDLcholesterol and a decrease in blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and atherogenic index (AI). While the muscle endurance, muscle strength, power, agility and flexibility were significantly increased in the HP group, agility and balance were improved in the LP group. In addition, dietary behavior score was significantly increased and stress score decreased in the HP group compared to the LP group. High participation rates were correlated with the improvement of the nutrient density (protein, fiber, potassium, Vitamin B₁, Vitamin B₂, Vitamin B? and folate), anthropometric parameters (body weight, BMI and percent body fat), serum lipid profiles (HDL-cholesterol, Triglyceride, and AI) and physical fitness (muscle endurance) adjusted for age, menopausal status, alcohol drinking, nutritional supplement use and baseline BMI. Our results suggest that high participation in nutrition education and exercise program was effective not only for weight reduction but also for the improvement of physical fitness in obese women.


According to XRD analysis, when sprayed amosite was heated at over 900°C for 3 h, amosite crystal was not detected in the sample. In contrast, a part of the needlelike amosite grains were not detected in the sprayed amosite using a phase-contrast microscope analysis after heating at 500°C for 3 h. Then the color of the needlelike amosite grains changed to red, because Fe2O3 (hematite) was precipitated at the surface of the amosite grains. The grindability of the needlelike amosite grains was improved with an increase of the heating temperature. When the sprayed amosite was heated at 1100°C for 3 h, a fine powder with under aspect ratio of 3 was obtained after grinding.


ABSTRACT The principal goal of this article is to examine the policy context in which private education has emerged in the post-Mao period, with particular attention paid to exploring the strategies adopted by educationalists and professionals in the Pearl River Delta to expand their control over the educational realm. This paper is based upon recent field visits to various private schools and colleges in the delta. The author observes that Chinese scholars in the delta have persevered in their attempts to assert their academic independence, trying consistently to expand their influence over the public domain, with the result that such a struggle may eventually lead to a redefinition of the 'private-public' distinction in the post-Mao Chinese society. The core section of the article examines the current development of private education in China, analyzing how Chinese intellectuals and educationalists in the delta have struggled to offer a new agenda for the educational realm by the establishment of privat...


Hydrocomplexity occurs when hydrologists realize that improved theoretical description of a hydrological process requires the representation of controlling features that hitherto had not been considered necessary. This paper makes a critical reappraisal of currently recommended methods for estimating the water requirements of irrigated crops, which reveals there is a fundamental theoretical inconsistency between present day understanding of the interaction between plant canopies and the atmosphere as represented by the Penman-Monteith (P-M) equation, and the procedures for estimating plant water requirements currently recommended by FAO. In the P-M equation, stomatal and aerodynamic controls on the transfer processes are expressed in terms of resistances which are embedded among the meteorological controls with crop-to-crop differences expressed in terms of different values for these resistances. However, the current procedure recommended by FAO for estimating crop water represents crop-to-crop differences as a simple multiplicative crop factor applied to an estimated evaporation rate calculated by the P-M equation for a single reference crop with fixed surface resistance and aerodynamic characteristics. Recent theoretical developments that allow adoption of the more robust P-M equation description of ET for all irrigated crops are reviewed along with an example application of this new approach to estimate the water requirements in the major irrigation districts of Australia. Broader adoption into irrigation practice of this method, which is known as the Matt Shuttleworth approach, is recommended on the grounds that it is consistent with present-day understanding of the evaporation process, is feasible and simple to apply, and will facilitate future adoption of realistic representations of the effect on evapotranspiration of plant stress and of crops with partial ground cover. However, when not all the weather variables needed to calculate crop evaporation rates are available, an estimate of reference crop evaporation may still have to be made by scaling down the measured evaporation loss from an evaporation pan by a "pan factor". In the past the value of this pan factor has been defined empirically but recent research into the physics which controls evaporation from the Class A evaporation pan has resulted in a physically-based equation that describes pan evaporation in terms of ambient climate variables. This equation, which has been verified experimentally, allows a formal definition of the pan factor that is used to investigate theoretically how ancillary measurements (or estimates) of temperature and wind speed at an evaporation pan site might be used to improve the accuracy of a pan-based estimate of reference crop evaporation.


Targeting of individual genes in complex genomes requires endonucleases of extremely high specificity. To direct cleavage at the unique site(s) in the genome, both naturally occurring and artificial enzymes have been developed. These include homing endonucleases, zinc-finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and restriction or chemical nucleases coupled to a triple-helix forming oligonucleotide (TFO). The desired cleavage has been demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro for several model systems. However, to limit cleavage strictly to unique sites and avoid undesired reactions, endonucleases with controlled activity are highly desirable. In this study we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of two strategies to generate restriction endonuclease-TFO conjugates with controllable activity. First, we combined the restriction endonuclease caging and TFO coupling procedures to produce a caged MunI-TFO conjugate, which can be activated by UV-light upon formation of a triple helix. Second, we coupled TFO to a subunit interface mutant of restriction endonuclease Bse634I which shows no activity due to impaired dimerization but is assembled into an active dimer when two Bse634I monomers are brought into close proximity by triple helix formation at the targeted site. Our results push the restriction endonuclease-TFO conjugate technology one step closer to potential in vivo applications.


The use of Monte Carlo samples of interpolated data from a linearly spaced grid of electromagnetic simulation data for yield analysis is investigated. The motivation for this approach stems from a desire to have accurate yield metrics without the need to fabricate a large number of circuits or run a large number of full wave simulations. A means to estimate circuit yield values with relatively little computational effort is presented. A Wilkinson power divider designed with Sonnet's electromagnetic simulation engine, em, is provided as a simple example.


Background: Disruption of autophagy in macrophages can lead to inflammation and exacerbation of sepsis. Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 2 (TRPM2), a nonselective Ca2+-permeable channel, is important for immune function of macrophage. However, whether TRPM2 participates in macrophage autophagy during endoxemia remains unknown. Methods: Endotoxemia was induced via intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in wild-type and TRPM2-deficiency mice. The mortality was evaluated. The protein levels of Rab7A and LAMP1 were assayed both in peritoneal macrophages from the LPS-challenged mice and LPS-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). mRFP-GFP-Lc3 distribution in BMDMs were also analyzed by confocal microscopy. Results: TRPM2-/- mice challenged with LPS had increased mortality. In peritoneal macrophages from the LPS-challenged TRPM2-deficiency mice and LPS-stimulated TRPM2-deficiency BMDM, the expressions levels of RAB7A and LAMP1 were significantly decreased. Compared with that in wild-type macrophages, most puncta of mRFP-GFP-Lc3 in transfected TRPM2-deficiency cells were yellow (autophagosome) after LPS stimulation. Conclusions: TRPM2 may regulate the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes in macrophages after LPS stimulation, which may play important roles during endoxemia.


Three consecutive randomized open studies have been carried out to determine the optimal dosage of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in the prevention of postoperative thrombosis in general surgery (892 patients). All patients undergoing abdominal, gynaecological, thoracic or urological surgery were over 40 years old and presented at least one of the following risk factors for thrombosis: previous thromboembolism, obesity, varicose veins, malignancy (30 per cent), pre‐operative hospitalization over 5 days, oestrogen therapy, chronic cardiac disease or bronchitis. Isotopic venous thrombosis and bleeding complications were assessed after subcutaneous administration of a LMWH fragment (LMWH, Enoxaparine) or unfractionated heparin (UH). The three studies compared 3 × 5000 units UH daily with 1 × 60 mg, 1 × 40 mg, 1 × 20 mg LMWH daily. Thromboembolic events rates were not significantly different from group to group (UH: 3.8 per cent, 2.7 per cent, 7.6 per cent respectively compared with LMWH: 2.9 per cent, 2.8 per cent, 3.8 per cent). Bleeding episodes including wound haematoma formation, perioperative blood losses and systemic haemorrhage were not significantly different in patients receiving LMWH or UH. Significant decreases in haematocrit and haemoglobin were only observed in patients receiving 60 mg Enoxaparine (as compared to UH). An analysis using the 'intention to treat' approach gave results consistent with those of an analysis of good compliers. An overview of isotopic thromboses in the three studies gave no evidence of differences amongst the effects of the three doses of LMWH (P = 0.20), and pooling the results of the three studies using the Mantel‐Haenszel procedure gave no evidence of a global difference between Enoxaparine and UH (P = 0.54). These results suggest that an optimal dosage of 20 mg/day of Enoxaparine is safe and effective in the prevention of postoperative thrombosis in this population.


Objectives: The association between type and amount of clinical evidence and type of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommendations for interventional procedures was examined. Methods: The evidence about 736 studies (including 183,729 patients) relating to 130 different interventional procedures and about relevant recommendations was analyzed. Associations were examined between type of recommendation ("normal arrangements" or "cautionary guidance") and evidence type, total number of treated patients, and mean follow-up length. Evidence type was categorized as (a) randomized, (b) nonrandomized controlled, and (c) case series/reports. The main outcome measures were frequency of evidence type, total number of patients treated, and mean follow-up length, by type of recommendation. Results: "Normal arrangements" recommendations were made for 70 (54 percent) procedures and "cautionary guidance" was issued for 60 (46 percent) procedures. Procedures supported by at least one randomized study (34 percent, n = 44) were more likely to receive a "normal arrangements" recommendation (relative risk 1.38, p = .063). Overall, there were 85 (12 percent), 135 (18 percent), and 516 (70 percent) studies in categories a–c, respectively. The number of treated patients was significantly larger among procedures with "normal arrangements" (median, 605; range, 26–6,842) than among those with "cautionary guidance" (median, 240; range, 1–3,261; p < .001) recommendation. Mean follow-up length was longer in studies relating to procedures with "normal arrangements" recommendation (median, 16.7; range, 0–84 months) compared with those with "cautionary guidance" (median, 14.6; range, 0–67 months; p = .160). Conclusions: Procedures supported by randomized studies, and with larger numbers of patients and longer follow-up length, were more likely to receive positive guidance. Future research and development on interventional procedures should aim to produce better and more relevant evidence to optimize the possibility of such procedures being accepted by policy makers.


Predation is a prime selective force shaping prey behavior. Investment in anti-predator behavior is traded-off against time and energy for other fitness-enhancing activities such as foraging or reproduction. To optimize this benefit/cost trade-off, prey should be able to innately and/or by experience modulate their behavior to the level of predation risk. Here, we assessed learned predation risk management in the herbivorous two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae. We exposed spider mites coming from benign (naive) or high immediate predation risk (experienced) environments to latent and/or no risk and assessed their site choice, activity and oviposition. Benign environments were characterized by the absence of any predator cues, high immediate risk environments by killed spider mites, physical presence of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis and associated chemosensory traces left on the surface, and latent risk environments by only predator traces. In the no-choice experiment both naive and experienced spider mites laid their first egg later on leaves with than without predator traces. Irrespective of predator traces presence/absence, experienced mites laid their first egg earlier than naive ones did. Naive spider mites were more active, indicating higher restlessness, and laid fewer eggs on leaves with predator traces, whereas experienced mites were less active and laid similar numbers of eggs on leaves with and without predator traces. In the choice experiment both naive and experienced spider mites preferentially resided and oviposited on leaves without predator traces but experienced mites were less active than naive ones. Overall, our study suggests that spider mites experienced with high predation risk behave bolder under latent risk than naive spider mites. Since predator traces alone do not indicate immediate risk, we argue that the attenuated anti-predator response of experienced spider mites represents adaptive learned risk management.


Street drug use, and alcohol abuse among young adults from a high social class range were studied in the posh seaside resort of Punta del Este (Uruguay) during the (austral) summer vacation (February 1993). In this connection, an anthropological methodology was applied: Four young people were trained in systematic record and observation technics abilities. Results suggest two clearly defined social-cultural patterns with regard to both cannabis, and cocaine use. Both patterns take place within a social environment agreeable to drug use as well as strongly connected with social interaction ways peculiar to high-class youth.


The binding energies (BE) of molecules on the interstellar grains are crucial in the chemical evolution of the interstellar medium (ISM). Both temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) laboratory experiments and quantum chemistry computations have often provided, so far, only single values of the BE for each molecule. This is a severe limitation, as the ices enveloping the grain mantles are structurally amorphous, giving rise to a manifold of possible adsorption sites, each with different BEs. However, the amorphous ice nature prevents the knowledge of structural details, hindering the development of a common accepted atomistic icy model. In this work, we propose a computational framework that closely mimics the formation of the interstellar grain mantle through a water by water accretion. On that grain, an unbiased random (but well reproducible) positioning of the studied molecule is then carried out. Here we present the test case of NH3, a ubiquitous species in the molecular ISM. We provide the BE distribution computed by a hierarchy approach, using the semiempirical xTB-GFN2 as a low-level method to describe the whole icy cluster in combination with the B97D3 DFT functional as a high-level method on the local zone of the NH3 interaction. The final ZPE-corrected BE is computed at the ONIOM(DLPNO-CCSD(T)//B97D3:xTB-GFN2) level, ensuring the best cost/accuracy ratio. The main peak of the predicted NH3 BE distribution is in agreement with experimental TPD and computed data in the literature. A second broad peak at very low BE values is also present, which has never been detected before. It may provide the solution to a longstanding puzzle about the presence of gaseous NH3 also observed in cold ISM objects.


Despite being one of the most extensively researched of Eastern Himalayan languages, the basic morphological and phonological-prosodic properties of Apatani (Tibeto-Burman > Tani > Western) have not yet been adequately described. This article attempts such a description, focusing especially on interactions between segmental-syllabic phonology and tone in Apatani. We highlight three features in particular – vowel length, nasality and a glottal stop – which contribute to contrastively-weighted syllables in Apatani, which are consistently under-represented in previous descriptions of Apatani, and in absence of which tone in Apatani cannot be effectively analysed. We conclude that Apatani has two "underlying", lexically-specified tone categories H and L, whose interaction with word structure and syllable weight produce a maximum of three "surface" pitch contours – level, falling and rising – on disyllabic phonological words. Two appendices provide a set of diagnostic procedures for the discovery and description of Apatani tone categories, as well as an Apatani lexicon of approximately one thousand entries.


A new and easily implemented regression method is proposed for generating an index of exchange rate flexibility, whilst simultaneously identifying anchors of pegged currencies. The method can distinguish floats from pegs, including those with occasional devaluations. An annual index is calculated that can be compared with other regime classification schemes or used directly in empirical research as a measure of exchange rate flexibility. Different categories in the International Monetary Fund's de facto classification, and also in the Reinhart–Rogoff classification, are associated with significantly different average values of the index. Further analysis of managed floats shows that they have a strong tendency to track the US dollar.


Objective: To review the clinical indications and different causes of first-trimester vaginal bleeding by ultrasound. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Radiology, Faisal Hospital, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Period: March 2022 to June 2022. Material & Methods: A total of 150 female patients aged between 16-45 years with vaginal bleeding in the first trimester (gestational age up to 12 weeks) were included in the study. Clinically tested patients were found to be sent for ultrasound examinations. Both clinical findings and ultrasound were related. The Chi-square test was used to measure the association between vaginal bleeding and gestational age. Results: In a study of 150 patients, it was estimated that 105 patients (70%) were pregnant with an assisted ultrasound. However, 80 patients (76%) out of 105, showed a variety of abortions; 32 (40%) were threatened abortion, 28 (35%) were incomplete abortions, 12 patients (15%) had a complete abortion, and 8 patients (10%) had blighted ovum. However, 25 patients (23.8 %) out of 105 showed different pregnancies; 15 (14%) patients were pregnant with ectopic and 10 patients (10%) were pregnant orally. Conclusion: It was concluded from the study that most cases were in the age group of 21-30 years (39%) as compared to the others. However, 80 cases (76%) were various types of abortions and 105 patients (70%) were multigravida. This study found an association between vaginal bleeding (abortion and ectopic pregnancy) and gestational age (<10 weeks and >10 weeks) which was found to be statistically significant (p=0.005).


A novel technique for fabricating efficiently precision cutting tools made from polycrystalline superhard materials is reported in the present paper. For this purpose, a two-stage electro-discharge machining (EDM) was applied on diamond polycrystallines, by employing first wire-electrode EDM for rough cutting and subsequently rotational disc-electrode EDM for finishing operations. Experimental results obtained clearly indicate the applicability of the proposed two-stage technique for fabricating precision cutting tools that can be used for the production of machined components made from glass and plastics, ceramics, composite materials and non-ferrous metals, at an industrial scale. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Classical plasticity theories generally assume that the stress at a point is a function of strain at that point only. However, when gradients in strain become significant, this localization assumption is no longer valid. These conventional models fail to display a 'size effect'. This effect is seen experimentally when the scale of the phenomenon of interest is on the order of several microns. Under these conditions, strain gradients are of a significant magnitude as compared to the overall strain and must be considered for models to accurately capture observed phenomena. The mechanics community has been actively involved in the development of strain gradient theories for many years. Recently, interest in this area has been rekindled and several new approaches have appeared in the literature. Two different approaches are currently being evaluated. One approach considers strain gradients as internal variables that do not introduce work conjugate higher order stresses. Another approach considers the strain gradients as internal degrees of freedom that requires work conjugate higher order stresses. Experiments are being performed to determine which approach models material behavior accurately with the least amount of complexity. A key difference between the two models considered here is the nature of the assumed boundary conditions at material interfaces. Therefore, we are investigating the deformation behavior of aluminum/sapphire interfaces loaded under simple shear. Samples are fabricated using ultra-high vacuum diffusion bonding. To determine the lattice rotations near the boundary, we are examining the samples with both electron backscatter diffraction methods (EBSD) in the scanning electron microscope and with a variety of diffraction techniques in the transmission electron microscope. The experimentally found boundary conditions shall be subsequently used to determine whether the simpler internal variable model is adequately descriptive or if the greater complexity associated with the internal degree of freedom approach is warranted.


OBJECTIVE
The goal was to describe military men's and women's functioning and psychiatric symptoms according to their military sexual stressor exposure.

METHOD
A cross-sectional survey of 204 Army soldiers and 611 other active duty troops (487 men and 327 women) was performed.

RESULTS
Forty-five percent of men and 80% of women reported at least one sexual stressor type (i.e., sexual identity challenges, sexual harassment, or sexual assault). After adjustment, subjects reporting more types of sexual stressors had poorer physical, work, role, and social functioning; more-severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety symptoms; and more somatic concerns, compared with subjects reporting fewer or no sexual stressor types (all p < or = 0.004). Interactions by gender were insignificant (all p > 0.11). Within sexual stressor category, men and women reported similar mean adjusted functioning and psychiatric symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
For both men and women, impaired functioning and more severe psychiatric symptoms were more common among those reporting more types of sexual stressors.


A heterogeneous environment consists of a number of dissimilar networks, computing devices, end users, applications, and environmental conditions. Traditional distributed applications are generally not aware of the heterogeneities of the environment. In this paper we present "AwareWare", which is a middleware that facilitates applications to be more adaptive in such a heterogeneous environment. AwareWare addresses five types of heterogeneities and advocates dynamic component reconfiguration as a unified approach for both architectural and application level adaptation. AwareWare includes environment measurement tools, an adaptation decision module that is separated from other constructions of the application, and reconfiguration mechanisms for component based distributed applications. Prototype examples are presented that demonstrate the potential use of the middleware.


A mathematical model is developed for long peristaltic waves propelling a suspended rigid object down a fluid-filled axisymmetric tube. The fluid flow is described using lubrication theory and the deformation of the tube using linear elasticity. The object is taken to be either an infinitely long rod of constant radius or a parabolic-shaped lozenge of finite length. The system is driven by a radial force imposed on the tube wall that translates at constant speed down the tube axis and with a form chosen to generate a periodic wave train or a solitary wave. These waves exert a traction on the enclosed object, forcing it into motion. Periodic waves drive the infinite rod at a speed that attains a maximum at a moderate forcing amplitude and approaches approximately one quarter of the wave speed in the large-amplitude limit. The finite lozenge can be entrained and driven at the same speed as a solitary wave or periodic wave train if the forcing is sufficiently strong. For weaker forcing, the lozenge is either left behind the solitary wave or interacts repeatedly with the waves in the periodic train to generate stuttering forward progress. The threshold forcing amplitude for entrainment increases weakly with the radial span of the enclosed object, but strongly with the axial length, with entrainment becoming impossible if the object is too long.


A feminist perspective was used to interpret data gathered from perimenopausal women using hormonal replacement therapy. Silence was the most pervasive and disquieting theme. These women parroted biomedical cognizance and iterated little authentic expression of experience. This silence reflected the women's existential position of the double other, marginalized first by being a woman and second by reason of medical norms for women being based on reproductive function. This position of alienation is explored within the context of Western culture and the patriarchal values of rationality and science. Implications are drawn for holistic nurses to facilitate women's physical awareness and articulation of their personal experiences.


Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare inherited disorder of complement factor C1 inhibitor. There are ∼6000 HAE cases in the United States, nearly one-half of whom suffer a monthly exacerbation. Little is known about hospital use patterns by patients with HAE attacks in the United States. This study was designed to examine burden, epidemiology, and outcomes of hospitalizations among HAE patients. We evaluated epidemiology, resource use, and discharge destinations of HAE (ICD-9-CM code 277.6) hospitalizations within the NIS, part of Agency's for Healthcare Research and Quality Healthcare Costs and Utilization Project in 2004 through 2007. There were 10,125 hospitalizations with HAE, of which 3216 (31.8%) had HAE as the principal diagnosis (HAE-PD). Two-thirds of all HAE hospitalizations were among women, and 60% were white. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (26.9%, all HAE, and 28.0%, HAE-PD). Mortality was 1.4% in HAE and 0.3% in the HAE-PD group. Mean hospital length of stay (3.7, 95% CI 3.0-4.4 days vs. 5.0, 95% CI 4.6-5.4 days) and costs ($4,760, 95% CI $3,612-$5,907 vs. $8,383, 95% CI $7,432-$9,334) were lower in HAE-PD than in the HAE cohort. Although >80% in each group were discharged home routinely, 15.9% of HAE and 4.9% of HAE-PD required either home health care or a transfer to another short-term hospital or a skilled nursing facility. HAE hospitalization volume is substantial. Because diagnostic uncertainty is likely, HAE and its related resource use may be underestimated. HAE prevention strategies need to be examined in the context of these outcomes.


We investigated scaling of conservative solute transport using temporal moment analysis of 98 tracer experiments (384 breakthrough curves) conducted in 44 streams located on five continents. The experiments span 7 orders of magnitude in discharge (10−3 to 103 m3/s), span 5 orders of magnitude in longitudinal scale (101 to 105 m), and sample different lotic environments—forested headwater streams, hyporheic zones, desert streams, major rivers, and an urban manmade channel. Our meta‐analysis of these data reveals that the coefficient of skewness is constant over time ( CSK =1.18±0.08 , R2>0.98 ). In contrast, the CSK  of all commonly used solute transport models decreases over time. This shows that current theory is inconsistent with experimental data and suggests that a revised theory of solute transport is needed. Our meta‐analysis also shows that the variance (second normalized central moment) is correlated with the mean travel time ( R2>0.86 ), and the third normalized central moment and the product of the first two are very strongly correlated ( R2>0.96 ). These correlations were applied in four different streams to predict transport based on the transient storage and the aggregated dead zone models, and two probability distributions (Gumbel and log normal).


Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, overwintering populations in Mexico have declined over the past 20 years. One reason attributed to this decline is the loss of milkweed (Asclepias spp.) in corn and soybean fields due to growers' widespread use of herbicide-tolerant crops. Reestablishing milkweed and nectar resources is critical to combat the population decline. Roadsides and prairies are important habitat resources and could help compensate for this loss if conservation efforts in these habitats are successful in providing milkweed and forbs for ovipositing adults and hungry caterpillars. There are many factors to consider when establishing habitat for the monarch, including milkweed patch size. If monarchs have a patch size preference for oviposition, then optimizing patch size could help maximize egg and caterpillar production. We hypothesized that monarch oviposition is not random and is influenced by milkweed patch size. To test this hypothesis, eight gravel roadsides in Story and Boone Counties, Iowa were monitored for milkweed with GPS units. Over 14,000 milkweed stems were mapped and examined for eggs and larvae. These data were spatially analyzed in ArcMapTM 10.4, GeoDa, and R to measure the correlation between stem density and egg and larval density. A similar study was conducted in several prairies where common (A. syriaca) and swamp (A. incarnata) milkweed were transplanted into a replicated block design with three patch densities. Plants were examined weekly for eggs and larvae over three summers. Results from both studies are used to determine if there is an "optimal" patch size for female monarch oviposition.


The complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of two DNA barcode-defined haplotypes of Metcalfa pruinosa and one of Salurnis marginella (Hemiptera: Flatidae) were sequenced and compared to those of other Fulgoroidea species. Furthermore, the mitogenome sequences were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among fulgoroid families. The three mitogenomes, including that of the available species of Flatidae, commonly possessed distinctive structures in the 1702–1836 bp A+T-rich region, such as two repeat regions at each end and a large centered nonrepeat region. All members of the superfamily Fulgoroidea, including the Flatidae, consistently possessed a motiflike sequence (TAGTA) at the ND1 and trnS2 junction. The phylogenetic analyses consistently recovered the familial relationships of (((((Ricaniidae + Issidae) + Flatidae) + Fulgoridae) + Achilidae) + Derbidae) in the amino acid-based analysis, with the placement of Cixiidae and Delphacidae as the earliest-derived lineages of fulgoroid families, whereas the monophyly of Delphacidae was not congruent between tree-constructing algorithms.


Background Exudative pleural effusion (EPE) is a common diagnostic challenge. The utility of medical thoracoscopy (MT) and closed pleural biopsy (CPB) to aid in the diagnosis of EPE has been reported in many published studies. Herein, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the diagnostic yield and safety of CPB and MT in EPE. Methods Four databases were searched for studies reporting the diagnostic yield of CPB and MT for EPE. The quality of the included studies was evaluated according to the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) tool. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and complication risks were compared between the two groups. Results Ten studies dealing with CPB and twenty-three studies dealing with MT for the diagnosis of EPE were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR of CPB group was 77%, 99%, 32.55, 0.22, 165.71, respectively, while pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR of MT group was 93%, 100%, 10.82, 0.08, 162.81, respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve of CPB and MT were both 0.97. The ability of CPB to diagnose non-malignant diseases was like MT (69% vs. 68%), while the ability was lower than that of MT to diagnose malignant diseases (72% vs. 92%). The pooled diagnostic accuracy of CPB and MT for mesothelioma was 26% (95% CI, 14–38%) and 42% (95% CI, 22–62%) (P<0.001), respectively. The rate of complications with CBP was lower than that reported for MT. Conclusions CBP is a relatively accurate tool with a lower complication rate compared to MT in the diagnosis of EPE, especially in diagnosing non-malignant diseases. We confirm the utility of MT in the diagnostic workup of malignancy (especially mesothelioma); however, in selected cases, CPB could be used as the first diagnostic approach with a favorable safety profile.


Introduction
Red beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with 22-25 % protein and 50-60 % carbohydrates are one of the most important legumes in the world, particularly in some developing countries. It is one of the major sources of vegetable protein. With regard to increasing population and increasing the need of protein, the use of plant resources like red bean with a large amount of protein is growing. Modern agriculture is highly dependent on the use of herbicides. Due to increase in the number of herbicide-resistant weeds and environmental concerns, there have been considerable efforts in designing alternative weed management strategies. Although the use of herbicides is the most popular method for weed control, but the use of integrated weed management (considering other methods like conservation tillage, sowing date and method) as an ecological strategy provides a suitable method to reduce herbicides and as a result, to increase the competitiveness of crops and inhibit weed growth. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of weed interference, sowing date and method on growth, yield, and yield components of red bean (var. Akhtar).

 Materials and Methods
This experiment was conducted in 2014 at the research field of College of Agriculture (Badjgah region), Shiraz University, Iran, NE (lat 29. 40˚ N, long 52.25˚ W). The soil of research area was clay with pH of 6.92. The experiment was carried out in split-split plot arrangement based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments included two levels of sowing method (single-row and double-row) and three sowing dates (15 May, 1 June, and 18 June) which were performed in weedy and weed-free conditions. Studied features were included leaf area at flowering stage, pod number per plant, seed number per pod, 100-seed weight, pod length, pod weight, number of branches, biological yield, and seed yield. Analysis of variance of the data, correlation, stepwise regression analysis and path analysis was carried out using SAS (2002) software. Duncan´s test was applied to compare means at 5% probability level. Excel (2007) software was used to draw figures.

Results and Discussion
The results showed that dry weight of both broad-leaf and grass weeds in single-row sowing method was higher than double-row. According to previous researches, competitiveness of weeds at single-row planting pattern was higher than double-row planting method and double-row planting method due to better weed overlap with the closure of the canopy and better competition with crops could control weeds. Weed density and dry weight on 18 June were less than 15 May, and 1 June. The results of the influence of planting date and weed interference on sweet corn growth and development Sweet corn was suggested high weed biomass early, which reflected resource availability to the weed community, but low weed biomass late could be the result of a more suppressive crop, lower weed growth rate, or a combination of the two factors. The effect of sowing method was not significant on all traits except for weed dry weight. Also, the effect of sowing date was significant on all traits except for 100-seed weight and number of branches. All the traits on 15 May and 1 June were higher than 18 June. The results of path analysis showed that number of pods per plant, 100-seed weight and biological yield had the highest direct effect on grain yield. According to the results of this experiment, 1June and 15 May sowing date had no significant difference with each other, so these sowing dates could be offered as appropriate sowing dates for red bean in Badjgah region. It should be mentioned that, the Agrotis segetum and Tetranychus urticae activities were higher in early and late season, respectively, and also, density and dry matter of broadleaf weeds were higher on 15 May sowing date (data not shown).

Conclusion
Generally, with regard to importance of sowing date and method to enhance the red beans yield, suitable weed control, sowing on 1 June with double-row sowing method can be recommended specially for Badjgah region.

Key words: Path analysis, Red bean, Sowing date, Sowing method


Abstract: Mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam, previously mtTFA) is a key regulator of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcription and replication. We have reported that overexpression of nuclear respiratory factor‐1 (NRF‐1) and high concentration (50 mM) of glucose increased the promoter activity of the rat Tfam in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of high glucose‐induced Tfam transactivation. The addition of 50 mM glucose for 24 h increased Tfam promoter activity up to twofold. The glucose‐induced Tfam expression was dose‐dependent and cell‐type specific. Glucose increased the Tfam promoter‐driven transactivity in L6 (skeletal muscle), HIT (pancreatic beta‐cell), and CHO (ovary) cells, but not in HepG2 (hepatoma), HeLa, and CV1 (kidney) cells. Among various monosaccharides, only glucose and fructose increased the Tfam promoter activity. Oxidative stress might not be involved in glucose‐induced Tfam expression since treatment with antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, probucol, or α‐lipoic acid did not suppress the induction. None of the inhibitors of protein kinase C, MAP kinase, and PI3 kinase altered the glucose‐induced Tfam promoter activity, suggesting that general phosphorylation is involved in its signaling. However, a dominant negative mutant of NRF‐1, in which 200 amino acids of C‐terminus were truncated, completely suppressed the glucose‐induced Tfam induction. It was concluded that high glucose‐induced Tfam transcription in L6 cells might be mediated by NRF‐1.


Abstract Traumatic brain injury in older adults is an increasing problem in our aging community. Traditional functional outcome measures, such as return to work or academic achievement, as used with younger samples following traumatic brain injury are of limited use for older people. Although challenging to assess reliably, evaluation of prospective memory is gradually being included in outcome assessments following traumatic brain injury in younger samples and may be a useful index of cognitive competence in everyday life when assessing older adults following traumatic brain injury.


This Commentary addresses the ongoing disagreements between many safety advocates who endorse traditional models of prevention and those who oppose them, arguing that safety measures are offset by risk compensation (RCT). The debate is especially heated with respect to regulatory or legislative prevention measures. After explaining the rationale behind risk compensation (aka risk homeostasis theory) (RHT), I provide examples of RCT studies to explain why I believe they should be rejected. The main basis for my rebuttal, however, rests on data that show steady declines in unintentional injury mortality, which, according to RCT, should not have occurred. There are many other reasons for rejecting this theory, and it seems that the time has come for the debate to finally be concluded.


Background: Adjustment disorder is a temporary psychological condition related to emotional responses or behaviour in reaction to stress resulting from certain changes in a specific period of an individual's life yet which does not significantly affect his/her daily life. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) constitutes recurrent inflammation of the oral mucosa, in the form of an ulcer, frequently associated with psychological stress. Occasionally, a patient does not realise that she/he is suffering from a psychological disorder until the emergence of clinical symptoms, among them recurrent ulcers the causes of which are unknown. Purpose: This article presents a case of adjustment disorder diagnosed from symptoms observable in the oral cavity. Case: The case involved a 21-year-old student who presented with the symptoms of large, painful ulcers on her tongue, the inside of her cheek, and the floor of her mouth. These symptoms had been observable for one month but remained untreated. The patient only ate once a day or even once every two days. An introverted personality, she did not associate with other people. Case management: The procedure covered anamnesis, clinical examination, blood laboratory tests, total immunoglobulin E (IgE), an Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) test, bacterial and fungal culture in ulcus, questionnaire screening on psychological disorders, cortisol level examination and referral to a psychiatrist. Symptomatic therapy administered to the patient led to recovery of the ulcer in 29 days. Conclusion: RAS can be triggered by psychological stress which induces changes in the immune system and oral mucosa tissue.


This work developed a new treatment system, which could effectively purify biologically treated heavy oil produced wastewater to the acceptable levels in the reused boiler at the Liaohe Oilfield, China. The ultrafiltration was used as pretreatment for the nanofiltration process. The filtration experiments of the selected wastewater were performed by modifying transmembrane pressure of the membranes. Results showed that the water quality of final permeate was improved after filtration with the ultrafiltration–nanofiltration membranes to successfully meet the admissible limit set by China's Environmental Protection Agency. After coupling ultrafiltration with nanofiltration process, a stable permeate flux was observed, which was kept above 25 L/m h during 40 min of continuous treatment. It was also found that a flux recovery of 0.96 was obtained for the fouled ultrafiltration membrane after chemical cleaning with the mixture of NaOH and sodium dodecylsulphate (both at 0.2 wt.%).


The key elements for the establishment of a preventive program for patients suffering from erosion are described on pathophysiologic grounds. These elements aim 1) to diminish frequency and severity of acid challenge, 2) enhance salivary flow, 3) to enhance acid resistance, remineralization and rehardening by fluoride application, 4) to offer chemical protection by buffering substances, 5) to minimize abrasion, 6) to offer mechanical protection. Recommendations for prophylactic measures are made as a conclusion and summarized in the form of check-lists.


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Abstract Experiments were conducted using female golden hamsters to identify the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF) and its receptors NTRK1 and TNFRSF1B in the uteri of female animals and regulation on their expression by estrogen and progesterone. NGF and its receptor NTRK1 were immunolocalized to luminal epithelial cells, glandular cells, and stromal cells. TNFRSF1B was immunolocalized in luminal epithelial and glandular cells, with no staining found in stromal cells of the uterine horns of normal cyclic golden hamsters. Strong immunostaining of NGF and its receptors NTRK1 and TNFRSF1B was observed in uteri on the day of proestrus as compared to the other stages of the estrous cycle. Results of immunoblot analysis of NGF revealed that there was a positive correlation between uterine NGF expression and plasma concentrations of estradiol-17β. To clarify the effects of estrogen and progesterone on NGF, NTRK1, and TNFRSF1B expression, adult female golden hamsters were ovariectomized and treated with estradiol-17β and/or progesterone. Immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry indicated that estradiol-17β stimulated expression of NGF and its two receptors in the uterus. Treatment with progesterone also increased NGF and NTRK1 expression in the uterus. However, no additive effect of these steroids on expression of NGF and its receptors was observed. Changes in uterine weights induced by estradiol-17β and/or progesterone showed the same profile with that of NGF, suggesting that a proliferative act of NGF may be involved in uterine growth. These results suggest that NGF may play important roles in action of steroids on uterine function.


Abstract. In the last years a research project aimed at the assessment of the landslide hazard and susceptibility in the high Cordevole river basin (Eastern Dolomites, Italy) have been carried out. The hazard map was made adopting the Swiss Confederation semi-deterministic approach that takes into account parameters such as velocity, geometry and frequency of landslides. Usually these parameters are collected by means of geological and morphological surveys, historical archive researches, aerophotogrammetric analysis etc. In this framework however the dynamics of an instable slope can be difficult to determine. This work aims at illustrating some progress in landslide hazard assessment using a modified version of the Swiss Confederation semi-deterministic approach in which the values of some parameters have been refined in order to accomplish more reliable results in hazard assessment. A validation of the accuracy of these new values, using GPS and inclinometric measurements, has been carried out on a test site located inside the high Cordevole river basin.


To exploit the full and flexible capability of offshore voltage-sourced converter high-voltage DC (VSC-HVDC) lines, interaction studies in the offshore AC grid are required but are not well understood or reported. This study examines the interaction dynamics of an offshore AC grid for interconnecting large wind power plants (WPPs). The conventional eigenvalue analysis method has limitations which make the interaction analysis of such systems difficult. Hence, in this study, an impedance-based analytical approach is employed to investigate the interaction phenomena. The impedance model of a VSC-HVDC converter for both direct and vector control with outer and droop controls are derived along with the impedance model of the full-converter wind generator. The interaction dynamics of the offshore grid is predicted through the well-established Nyquist criteria and is validated using time-domain simulations. The analysis shows that the system stability is decidedly influenced by the control configurations and tuning of the VSC-HVDC lines.


Thorough counseling with emphasis on the importance of mosquito bite avoidance, as well as on compliance with prophylactic antimalarial regimens, remains an important task for the physician preparing a patient for international travel. Chloroquine continues to be the drug of choice for prophylaxis in areas not reporting chloroquine resistance. Otherwise, mefloquine is the first-line agent. Under special circumstances, alternatives to mefloquine can be employed and include doxycycline or proguanil plus chloroquine.


The author has emphasized on the need to provide higher education students with innovative teaching materials that would promote their comprehensive development and increase their competitiveness.
It has been noted that forensic psychology is an independent branch of legal psychology that studies psychological patterns and mechanisms of the development of processes and phenomena that arise during the performance of judicial activity. It has been emphasized that forensic psychology, as well as every branch of legal psychology, has its own objective, task, object of study, subject matter of study and subjects of study. It has been stressed that the scientific and applied provisions of forensic psychology should be based on certain principles and provide an understanding of the whole spectrum of psychological peculiarities of judicial activity.
The scientific novelty of the study is that:
1) the author for the first time: a) has defined the content of the objective, subjects of study, the object of study and the subject matter of study of forensic psychology; b) has specified the list of functions of scientific and applied provisions of forensic psychology (gnosiological, interpretative, explanatory, noteworthy, critical, practically applied, communicative, organizational, creative, perceptual, prognostic and synthesizing); and has considered their content; c) has distinguished the sections of forensic psychology (general theoretical provisions of forensic psychology, psychological peculiarities of judicial activity, psychological characteristics of a judge's personality, psychological characteristics of the participants in court proceedings) in accordance with the directions of the subject of study, and the tasks are specified for each of them;
2) has improved the content of the concept of "forensic psychology";
3) the principles of scientific and applied provisions of forensic psychology (legality, integrity, complexity, comprehensiveness, objectivity, consistency, systematicity, concreteness, determinism and flexibility) and their content have been further developed.
Everything will contribute to the systematization, specification, refinement and development of the main scientific and applied, general theoretical provisions of forensic psychology as an independent branch of legal psychology.


In plural types of stress echocardiographies, every time a single type of stress or plural types of stresses are applied to a site in plural examination stages for the respective types, a data acquiring part transmits ultrasonic waves to a subject of a data acquisition target, and when reflected waves are received, values of plural types of parameters signifying the state of the site of the subject are obtained. Subsequently, when receiving a request to browse the examination results by designation of the type of stress echocardiography through an operation part, a display controller reads out, from the storage, the values of the parameters of the stress echocardiography of the designated type and displays a list of the values of the parameters on a graphic with one item as the types of the parameters and the other item as the respective examination stages of the designated stress examination.


Jump Box-Jenkins (BJ) models are a collection of a finite set of linear dynamical submodels in BJ form that switch over time, according to a Markov chain. This paper addresses the problem of maximum-a-posteriori estimation of jump BJ models from a given training input/output dataset. The proposed solution method estimates the coefficients of the BJ submodels, the state transition probabilities of the Markov chain regulating the switching of operating modes, and the corresponding mode sequence hidden in the dataset. In particular, the posterior distribution of all the unknown variables characterizing the jump BJ model is derived and then maximized using a coordinate ascent algorithm. The resulting estimation algorithm alternates between Gauss-Newton optimization of the coefficients of the BJ submodels, a method derived based on an instance of prediction error methods tailored to BJ models with switching coefficients, and approximated dynamic programming for optimization of the sequence of active modes. The quality of the proposed estimation approach is evaluated on a numerical example based on synthetic data and in a case study related to segmentation of honeybee dances.


The principle of wheelchair seating systems for children with special needs and particularly children with cerebral palsy is to maintain body posture, balance, stability and comfort, while allowing the user to participate in activities of daily life. However, the problematic nature of involuntary movement in children with spastic cerebral palsy causes difficulty with chair interfacing and positioning. Furthermore the high impact forces suddenly produced result in high contact forces that potentially cause pain and injury, which also impair their functional abilities. During an extensor spasm, the impact forces experienced by the user on conventional rigid systems may be reduced with the use of a wheelchair with dynamic response. The dynamic backrest system permits forward and backward movement as the occupant extends and retracts his or her body. In the expectation that it will respond appropriately to children with strong muscle spasms, through reducing the pain and pressure from restricted posture, while still providing the appropriate support. However, the quantitative effectiveness and impact of using dynamic components has yet to be established. Therefore our objective is to quantify and compare the imparted forces on equivalent rigid and dynamic seating systems, to understand the interactions between force, wheelchair compliance and physical activity throughout a four hour session of non-laboratory based daily living. The Mygo™ seating system which was used for this study was fitted with strain gauges. It has been designed to capture load data, with one hundred strain gauges arranged on certain components in such a way that each strain gauge bridge was sensitive to a particular direction. The fully independent data acquisition system was located in the base of the wheelchair facilitating mobility. Therefore the subject was able to perform their activities of daily living normally without interruption, before being returned to their normal chair at the end of the agreed time.


The transport in double-barrier heterostructures of electrons interacting with longitudinal optical phonons in the presence of parallel electric and magnetic fields is analyzed theoretically with the aid of a three-dimensional quantum transport simulator. Inter-Landau state transitions induced by LO-phonon scattering-assisted resonant tunneling is shown to be an important process with a probability comparable to that of intra-Landau state scattering. Analysis of the current-voltage characteristics reveals also that the current peak is a periodic function of the inverse of the magnetic field, with a period dependent on the quasiresonant energy level.


Given the recent breakthrough in constraint-based mining of local patterns, we decided to investigate its impact on feature construction for classification tasks. We discuss preliminary results concerning the use of the so-called δ-free sets. Our guess is that their minimality might help to collect important features. Once these sets are computed, we propose to select the essential ones w.r.t. class separation and generalization as new features. Our experiments have given encouraging results.


An air traffic management (ATM) has been studied in a variety of fields to utilize an air traffic capacity efficiently and solve a congested air traffic situation due to an increment of an air traffic demand. In this paper, an air traffic management, which is related with controlling and determining the sequencing of an aircraft approaching to an airport, in terminal control area is studied. This paper focuses on scheduling algorithms with a given problem for the air traffic management with operational constraints, such as a space separation, an overtaking on the same air-route, and a route merge point (a scheduling point). For a real-time calculation, the presented algorithms focus on dispatching heuristic rules which are able to assign tasks in a fast time period with an adequate performance, which can be demonstrated as a proper and realistic scheduling algorithm. A simulation result is presented to illustrate the validity and applicability of the proposed algorithm. Each scheduling rule is analyzed on the same static and dynamic air traffic flow scenario with the ATM Monte-Carlo simulation.


To consulting organizations without diagnostics is impossible and unacceptable. This is, perhaps, recognized by all consultants, regardless of the school and the direction of consulting that they represent. Diagnostics begins with the first acquaintance with the client and his organizationand continues until completion of work with him. No matter how much information about client receives consultant, it will always be incomplete. But client-centered approach also assumes a separate mandatory stage of counseling - organizational diagnostics. In some cases, this stage is sold as a separate service, that is, an independent consulting product. Such diagnostics necessarily includes feedback - a joint discussion with the client about the written report and expert assessment of the consultant's actual state of the client organization. According to the method of counseling, our approach to diagnosing the organization differs from the generally accepted ones, that we pay great attention to the reconstruction of the organization's history and, in particular, to individual differences in the vision of the organization among its managers and owners, and also to their individual histories. Methodological distinction of the approach is connected not so much with the methods used, as with the dialogic position of the consultant in each interview. This position defines the minimal formalization of diagnostics, free discussion with each manager of a given set of topics.


The effect of low protein diets on the production of waste metabolites in normal persons and on their blood levels in patients with renal failure is examined, and their possible role in producing uremic symptoms is considered on the basis of in vitro and in vivo studies in animals and man. These preliminary observations are used as a basis for an interpretation of the symptoms of uremia and of the mechanism of action of low nitrogen diets with high biological value protein. The possible side effects, the limitations, and the therapeutic possibilities of such treatment are discussed.


The main objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of steel-concrete interaction degree (from total to various levels of partial interaction) over the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of composite floors when subjected to human rhythmic activities. The investigated structural model was based on a steel-concrete composite floor spanning 40m by 40m, with a total area of 1600m 2 . The structural system consisted of a typical composite floor of a commercial building. The peak accelerations found in the present analysis indicated that the investigated floor presented problems related with human comfort. Hence it was detected that this type of structure can reach high vibration levels that can compromise the user's comfort.


The IEEE Technology Time Machine (TTM) is a unique event for industry leaders, academics, and decision making government officials who direct R&D activities, plan research pro grams or manage portfolios of research activities. This report covers the main topics of the 2nd Symposium of future technologies. The Symposium brought together world renowned experts to discuss the evolutionary and revolutionary advances in technology landscapes as we look towards 2020 and beyond. TTM facilitated informal discussions among the participants and speakers thus pro vi ding an excellent opportunity for informal interaction between attendees, senior business leaders, world-renowned innovators, and the press. The goal of the Symposium is to discover key critical innovations across technologies which will alter the research and application space of the future. Topics covered the future of Wireless Technology, Smart Grid, The Internet Of Things, Cloud Computing, Silicon, and non-Silicon technology, Biotechnology, and life Sciences. The following is a review of some of the areas covered at TTM 20 12.


The growth of cultural firms is important in developing local economies, enhancing employment, and improving urban sustainability, but it is difficult to achieve in fragmented industries that are populated by the smallest firms and offer a particularly unfavorable context for growth. The study takes a contingency perspective and contributes to both the literature on business strategy in fragmented industries and that on the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by identifying the strategies implemented in a fragmented cultural industry, determining which of them are associated with a firm's expected growth, and finding the few firm-specific factors that are associated with growth. It also complements the extant literature on art galleries by looking at them from the understudied strategic perspective. Suggestions for practitioners and policy makers are included.


Reduced size microstrip antennas with different slot and patch shapes are investigated .The ground plane size is 20 X 20 mm and substrate thickness taken to be is 1.6mm which is about the size of atypical wireless card. Detailed simulation and experimental investigations are conducted to understand their behavior and optimize for miniaturized operation. It is shown that the shorting pin makes the patch resonate at a much lower frequency compared with the conventional patch of same size and the narrow slot increases the effective electrical length of the patch thus reducing the required disk size for an antenna operated at a given frequency and helps providing more space on ground plane for electronics. The CST simulation software is employed for optimizing the design parameters and the simulation results in general agree with the measured data. Radiation patterns, S-parameter for circular and square shaped meandered patch antennas for frequency band of 1100MHz to 3000MHz are measured and shown.


Emotional and neutral words were used to compare old, middle-aged, and young groups in their recognition memory at two hours and at one week following learning. The old retrieved fewer emotionally charged words than younger groups, while they were equally proficient in the recognition of neutral words. All groups made more correct and more false recognitions of emotional words than of neutral words. Based on discriminability measures, the emotional value of words induced a greater recognition difference at one week than at two hours. The old were less willing to guess than younger persons, adopting high decision criteria especially for emotional words during the two-hour test. The results were interpreted that the elderly are less responsive to emotional words or, alternatively, adopt more stringent recognition criteria for such words.


Recent developments in mammalian biotechnologies that have been driven largely by medical bioscience, offer new opportunities for livestock industries. Major impacts may be expected in the area of reproductive, genomic and cell technologies that could lead to improved animal breeding strategies or animal production and health applications. In particular, the use of advanced reproductive technologies to select animals at very early stages of life, possibly as early as a 4-day embryo, combined with genomic technologies to predict genetic merit, could lead to significantly increased rates of genetic gain. Such advanced animal breeding technologies will depend strongly on conventional quantitative genetic evaluation systems. Genetic modification in the near future will offer targeted animal improvement options for control of health and production. Long-term impact of genetic modification on animal production systems will depend on consumer acceptance, and its perception by social, environmental and animal welfare groups. However, the opportunity to develop animal products beyond conventional boundaries may prove too attractive with genetic modification eventually being accepted as the norm. The naturally synergistic effect of ex vivo transgenic modification of embryo stem cell or somatic cell lines, combined with nuclear transfer present potentially high value propositions for development of novel and high value products. Opportunities for the mass production of elite males for use in extensive animal production systems will be possible.


Ensuring fairness in a system with scarce, preferred resources requires time sharing. We consider a heterogeneous system with a few "big" and many "small" processors. We allocate heterogeneous processors using a novel token mechanism, which frames the allocation problem as a repeated game. At each round, users request big processors and spend a token if their request is granted. We analyze the game and optimize users' strategies to produce an equilibrium. In equilibrium, allocations balance performance and fairness. Our mechanism outperforms classical, fair mechanisms by 1.7×, on average, in performance gains, and is competitive with a performance maximizing mechanism.


This study compared the oxidative stabilities of fish-oil-enriched milk, yoghurt, and salad dressing and investigated the effects on oxidation of adding either neat fish oil or a fish-oil-in-water emulsion to these products. Milk emulsions had higher levels of a fishy off-flavor and oxidized faster, as determined by the peroxide value and volatile oxidation products, than fish-oil-enriched yoghurt and dressing, despite the fact that dressings had a higher fish oil content and were stored at room temperature. Additionally, fish-oil-enriched yoghurt generally had higher oxidative stability than fish-oil-enriched dressings, irrespective of the mode of fish oil addition. Yoghurt thus seemed to be a good delivery system of lipids containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Different effects of adding fish oil either as neat fish oil or as a fish-oil-in-water emulsion were observed for milk, yoghurt, and dressing. Yoghurt and dressing enriched with neat fish oil were more stable than those enriched with a fish-oil-in-water emulsion, whereas milk enriched with neat fish oil was less stable than milk enriched with the fish-oil-in-water emulsion. Overall, it seemed that application of neat fish oil was a good option for preserving the final quality in yoghurt and dressings, but a pre-emulsion may still be considered for the fish oil enrichment of certain food products, for example, milk.


The usages of medicinal plants as therapeutic agents have been practiced in a large scale of applications that make studies of their mutagenicity and/or anti-mutagenic /anti-carcinogenic effects very essential. The current investigation is focused on the anti-mutagenic effects of the Tamarix nilotica (Ehrenb) crude extract using chromosomal aberrations analysis in mice bone marrow. In fact, a single plant may have diversity of phytochemicals ranging from bitter compounds that stimulate digestive system, phenolic compounds for antioxidants and many other pharmacological properties, antibacterial, and antifungal, tannins that work as natural antibiotics, diuretic substances and alkaloids, etc. Tamarix is represented in Egypt with two indigenous species which are Tamarix aphylla (L.) (H.Karst) and T. nilotica (Ehrenb.) Bunge (T. nilotica (Ehrenb.). In addition, it was used in Egyptian traditional medicine as an antiseptic agent. Extracts of Tamarix species have been widely used in traditional medicine in Asia and Africa mainly for their antiseptic, astringent, diaphoretic and diuretic properties. The current investigation is focused on the anti-mutagenic effects of the Tamarix nilotica crude extract using chromosomal aberrations analysis in mice bone marrow. Mitomycin C (MMC) was administered to mice as a positive control alone before and after treatment with 5 or 0.5 mg/ kg b.wt Tamarix crude extract as acute (24 and 48 h) and sub-acute (15 consecutive days) doses respectively. Results indicated that the Mitomycin C (MMC) exposure induced statistically significant increase in chromosomal aberrations compared to the control, however T. nilotica revealed slight insignificant effect on aberrant mitosis rate. Chromosomal aberration domain structural and numerical aberrations. The frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CA) and mitotic index (MI) decreased with increasing the dose and time of T. nilotica treatment, especially pre-treatment (plant + MMC). This effect was found to be dose-dependent. In conclusion, the results showed that T. nilotica could be considered as a good anti-mutagenic agent.


Diagnostic arthroscopy was performed in 174 consecutive patients under the age of 18 years. Eight arthroscopies were bilateral. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed in only three of 17 knees in children under aged 14 years and in 44 per cent of the knees in older children. The most commonly disproved diagnoses were torn meniscus and chondromalacia patella. Arthroscopy seldom changed the diagnosis in cases of osteochondritis dissecans. In 38 per cent of the knees, arthroscopy revealed no surgical treatable abnormality, and unnecessary arthrotomy was avoided. Arthroscopy in acute hemarthrosis revealed that ligamentous tears are rather common in children; in nine of 25 knees a partial or complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament was demonstrated at arthroscopy. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed in eight knees in cases of hemarthrosis. There was no significant difference between the hemarthrosis group and the remaining group as regards a disproved clinical diagnosis. We conclude that arthrotomy should always be preceded by diagnostic arthroscopy in children and adolescents if the clinical diagnosis leaves any doubt.


why we have suggested that our criteria should not be used in children below 6 months of age. However, in older children and adults, our criteria have performed very well in discriminating between atopic and seborrhoeic dermatitis. None of the seborrhoeic dermatitis cases in our independent hospital and community validation surveys were misclassified as AD cases.^'^ The evidence would therefore suggest that our criteria are helpful in separating, rather than confusing the two conditions, when used as recommended. We would like to reiterate that the protocol for recording the sign of 'visible flexural dermatitis' is meant to be used in conjunction with the other features of the U.K. refinement of Hanifin and Rajka's diagnostic criteria for use in epidemiological surveys.^'^ Although these have now been used in over 30 countries worldwide without any major problems, we welcome further suggestions as to how they might be improved.


ReO3-type NbO2F and TaO2F thin films were synthesized using HF vapor oxidation during hydrothermal treatment and their dielectric properties were investigated. It was confirmed for the first time that these ReO3-type oxyfluoride thin films can function as dielectric materials, as demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. NbO2F and TaO2F thin films exhibited relatively high dielectric constants of 80 and 60 at 1 MHz, respectively. This new ReO3-type family of films is promising for the preparation of dielectric materials that can be utilized for improving electronic components. Moreover, our results provide a new strategy to improve dielectric constants without reducing bandgap energy.


A new optical method which allows the identification of electronic defects in semiconductors is presented. Deep level characterization is done by detecting changes of the Brewster angle induced by optically excited transitions involving defects, An empirical model is developed which correlates the minima of the derivative of the Brewster angle as a function of photon energy with the energetic locations of defects in the semiconductor gap. Contactless room-temperature measurements on n-GaAs ( 100) and p&P ( 111) clearly reveal defects with high accuracy, including the well known EL2 and EL12 centers in GaAs. The applicability of the method for semiconductor device technology processes is discussed,


In this paper, a block coded based convolution encoding technique has been analyzed and investigated for evaluating the feature of the proposed system. A typical shift register is considered to be eliminated the consecutive zeros where the effective code rate is closed to k/n. Here, the block coding is introduced and executed to the shift register for encoding as well as to flush the message from the encoder. And finally, it is found that the effective code rate does not fall below k/n for all cases as well as reduces the bit error rate.


This research is aimed at conducting an analysis basic model's politicization grassroots and hybrid civil initiates in modern Russia. This problem is particularly relevant in the context of the transformation of the political system in modern Russia. Understanding the scenarios, technologies, and most importantly, the risks inherent in models of politicization of civil initiatives is necessary for the balanced development of the state and society. The identification and subsequent typologization of models of politicization of grass-roots and hybrid civil initiatives can become the basis for the consolidation and modernization of modern Russian society and the state. This, in turn, will make it possible to purposefully influence their relationship. The conceptual basis of the research is formed by an interdisciplinary methodology. It is based on the following categories of political science-politicization, sociological concepts-civil society and civil initiatives. The subject of research is formed by the interaction of categories of political science (politicization, depoliticization, political risks, political threats, etc.) and sociological theories of civil society and civil initiatives. The interdisciplinary nature of the research is determined by the set of principles, methods and methods of obtaining new knowledge, and the scientific objectives of the project. Grassroots and hybrid network initiatives are often «sub political». Civic initiatives form a new understanding of citizenship. Citizens are participants in the larger political world. That is why the interdisciplinary approach in this study helps to move away from disciplinary stereotypes and the tried and tested mental models. This opens up opportunities for free transfer of knowledge and theoretical and methodological approaches from one research area to another.


In north-central Nigeria a group of rocks of alkalic affinities, known as the Younger Intrusive Series, invades a metamorphic terrain. The classic sequence of magmatic differentiation is observed, but the proportion of felsic to mafic rock is unusually high. The appearance of riebeckite, aegirine, hedenbergite, iron-rich biotite, and fayalite in the felsic rocks corresponds well with the theoretical products of differentiation. The Younger Intrusive Series of Nigeria is highly discordant to pre-existing structures. The clean sharp contacts, locally chilled, irregular but not intricate, confirm the magmatic origin suggested by the petrology. Some of the rhyolites of the Series are now believed to be extrusive. The rocks are post-tectonic, and have emplaced themselves chiefly by large-scale stoping along concentric and radial fractures relatively close to the surface. Many bodies of intrusive rhyolite occupy crescentic fractures, and granite porphyry develops ring-structures. The granite stocks afford illuminating evidence of intrusion by large-scale stoping, in which areas of country rock are almost severed by arms and apophyses from the main granite mass. The alkalic rocks of New England are remarkably similar to the Younger Intrusive Series of Nigeria in history, structure, and petrology. Mineralogical parallels extend even to minor constituents. In both areas, the older rocks consist of metamorphosed sediments invaded by concordant syntectonic bodies, the so-called "Older Granites". The chief group of alkalic rocks in New England is the White Mountain Magma Series of New Hampshire, consisting of ring-structures and other complexes comparable in size and extent to those of Nigeria. One difference from the Nigerian occurrences is the presence of a few feldspathoid rocks in New England. In both areas, the mineral evolution shows a progression from calcic to sodic plagioclase, with quartz appearing in the younger rocks, and a corresponding increase of the ratio of iron to magnesia in the dark minerals. These trends suggest derivation of the various rocks by magmatic differentiation, but such differentiation is quantitatively inadequate to explain the great preponderance of felsic rocks. It is suggested that, concomitant with the regional metamorphism and orogeny, there was partial melting at depth, contributing to the formation of a hybrid magma in the post-tectonic phase.


Abstract Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) is economically important in many countries. Many biopesticides have been developed and studied to control this pest species; however, few natural products from marine organisms have been studied for their pesticidal efficiency. This study compared the acute contact toxicity of solvent extracted from the viscera of Holothuria atra and isolated triterpene glycoside compounds on third-instar S. litura. Our results showed that crude methanolic extracts were the most toxic to the larvae (LC50 ~ 10.37 mg/ml) compared with other crude extracts and contained the bioactive compound 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (LC50 ~ 6.01 mg/ml). All crude extracts and isolated triterpene glycoside compounds inhibited carboxylesterase activity. The efficiency and effectiveness of H. atra extractions and triterpene glycoside compounds against S. litura indicate their potential use in integrated pest management programs and the overall value of marine species as natural sources of insecticidal compounds.


The growing significance of housing to wealth inequality in Western societies is now well recognised and widely debated. This paper argues that understanding of the nature and causes of this problem and discussions of potential approaches to addressing it through progressive policy responses are both hampered by adopting a partial perspective on the housing question. Focusing singularly on ownership – how it has been idealised and subsidised, how it might be democratised and so forth – has led to scholars and policymakers tending to neglect the other main tenure form, in strict relation with which ownership always exists both materially and discursively: rental. We can neither understand why and how today's asset-based inequalities have materialised nor plot realistic and meaningful policy responses unless we conceptualise and approach ownership and rental relationally. Using the United Kingdom and Swedish cases as exemplars, and examining how relevant national policy realities and logics have been constructed over time, the paper further argues that the emergence of significant asset-based inequalities in recent decades is rooted in the policy-driven emergence of significant inequalities – ideological as much as economic – between tenure forms, whereby ownership has increasingly been privileged over rental. If Western societies are to have any credible prospect of reducing existing property asset-based inequalities, preventing those inequalities from being reproduced within younger generations and limiting the likelihood of the re-emergence of comparable inequalities in the future, (re)instituting principles and practices of tenure equality should be made a primary political and policy objective.