India's life expectancy has more than doubled, and infant mortality, halved in the last fifty years.(1) The extent of progress on economic fronts and political scenario has been enormous. India is knocking the door for a permanent position in the United Nations and is one of the few atomic power countries in the world. However, paradoxically, we have the highest number of malnourished people in India and our child malnutrition rate is unacceptably high. With one sixth of the global population residing in India, one third of about two billion people suffering from vitamin and micronutrient deficit are in India.

Micronutrients are required in small quantities and responsible for vital functions of the human body. Logically, they should be addressed easily and on a priority basis. The facts are, however, contrary. As a result, micronutrient malnutrition has been a persistent problem in India, and as the recent data suggest, some forms of micronutrient malnutrition are reaching their peak in the present century. We are broadly looking at the magnitude of this problem, and the initiatives taken by the government to tackle it and the results obtained with those efforts. Then, an effort is made to consider newer options and commitments required that are available for tackling the problem of micronutrient malnutrition.

The intake of micronutrients in daily diet is far from satisfactory and largely less than 50% RDA is consumed by over 70% of Indian population.(2) The loss due to micronutrient deficiency costs India 1 percent of its GDP. This amounts to a loss of Rs. 27,720 crore per annum in terms of productivity, illness, increased health care costs and death.

Every day, more than 6,000 children below the age of five die in India. More than half of these deaths are caused by malnutrition-mainly the lack of Vitamin A, iron, iodine, zinc and folic acid. About 57% of preschoolers and their mothers have subclinical Vitamin A deficiency.(3) Anemia prevalence among children under five years is 69% and among women it is over 55% in a recently concluded national study.(4) With the scientific reality of anemia being a late result of iron deficiency, these data reflect an almost universal iron deficiency in Indian population.

The consequences of micronutrient malnutrition are unacceptably high morbidity and mortality.(2) Vitamin A, iron and zinc deficiency when combined constitute the second largest risk factor in the global burden of diseases; 330,000 child deaths are precipitated every year in India due to vitamin A deficiency; 22,000 people, mainly pregnant women, die every year in India from severe anemia; 6.6 million children are born mentally impaired every year in India due to iodine deficiency; intellectual capacity is reduced by 15 per cent across India due to iodine deficiency; and 200,000 babies are born every year with neural tube defects in India due to folic acid deficiency.

Micronutrient malnutrition needs effective control on a priority basis. For effective control program for any disease, there are three essential components: a well defined goal, enabling policy and effective strategy.(5) These three components in turn need to be supported by Research and Development, Communication and Program Operations. Let us see how did India do in these regards for micronutrient malnutrition problem.

In the 10th Five Year Plan (2002-2007),(6) the government of India set the following goals:

Eliminate Vitamin A deficiency as a public health problem.

Reduce the prevalence of anemia by 25%, and moderate and severe anemia by 50% in children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women.

Achieve universal access to iodized salt.

Reduce the prevalence of IDD in the country to less than 10% by 2010.

These targets indicate a well-defined goal and policy planning by the government. However, the effective strategy to successfully achieve what is to be done was lacking. A program that did not have sound plan for implementation and that has a poor monitoring potential is likely to fail. Thus, a program that perhaps did not do well before 2002 as there were no clear goals set and program guidelines not worked out, continued to fail despite clear goals as the strategy did not specify who would do what and did not involve contingency planning. A strong monitoring component backed up by corrective action is required for positive results. Among the competing priorities of communicable diseases and eradication targeted programs such as that of poliomyelitis, one program that always got pushed back was that of micronutrient malnutrition. Thus during the 10th five year plan, anemia prevalence increased instead of reduction as envisaged in the goals set by the five year plan.

It is with this reason largely that despite India being one of the first countries to start anemia control program along with initiating vitamin A supplementation, both as early as in 1970, the current scenario is not satisfactory. For almost two years now all the states are depleted of iron and folic acid tablet stock for pregnant women acknowledging that anemia contributes to 20% of maternal deaths every year in India. How can the Ministry of Health in the state department endorse this on one side and fail to utilize even 50% of funds made available to them under the National Rural Health Mission on the other?

The government is now committed to prioritize and work toward resolving micronutrient malnutrition. Indian Micronutrient Investment Plan(7) for 2007–2011 has been proposed by the Micronutrient Initiative, an international nongovernment organization working in collaboration with the Government of India.

In summary, the additional cost for control of micronutrient malnutrition works out to be Rs. 5.40 per capita per year, and Rs. 28.50 per high risk beneficiary. This additional cost constitutes 1% of the estimated per capital GDP loss incurred due to micronutrient malnutrition and 0.1% of the government expenditure. The total cost is thus about Rs. 77.6 crore. This is small amount as compared to budget of Rs. 3315 crore for ICDS expenses.

The challenges are high, but the promises are far reaching. We as public health specialists should refuse to accept these levels of micronutrient malnutrition and discourage set-ups where for two years at a primary health care level, iron and folic acid tablets are not made available to a severely anemic pregnant mother!


In recent years, self-supervised learning (SSL) has emerged as a popular approach for learning audio representations. The ultimate goal of audio self-supervised pre-training is to transfer knowledge to downstream audio tasks, generally including clip-level and frame-level tasks. Clip-level tasks classify the scene or sound of an entire audio clip, e.g. audio tagging, instrument recognition, etc. While frame-level tasks detect event-level timestamps from an audio clip, e.g. sound event detection, speaker diarization, etc. Prior studies primarily evaluate on clip-level downstream tasks. Frame-level tasks are important for fine-grained acoustic scene/event understanding, and are generally more challenging than clip-level tasks. In order to tackle both clip-level and frame-level tasks, this paper proposes two self-supervised audio representation learning methods: ATST-Clip and ATST-Frame, responsible for learning clip-level and frame-level representations, respectively. ATST stands for Audio Teacher-Student Transformer, which means both methods use a transformer encoder and a teacher-student training scheme.Experimental results show that our ATST-Frame model obtains state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance on most of the clip-level and frame-level downstream tasks. Especially, it outperforms other models by a large margin on the frame-level sound event detection task. In addition, the performance can be further improved by combining the two models through knowledge distillation.


We propose in this article a numerical algorithm based on the combination of the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) and the proper generalized decomposition technique (PGD) to solve time‐dependent heat equation. The MFS is considered as a truly meshless technique well adapted for a wide range of physical problems and the PGD approach can be considered as a reduction technique based on the separated representation of the variable functions. The proposed study relates to a separation between the spatial and temporal coordinates. To show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, several examples are presented and compared to the reference results.


Although there is convincing evidence for the beneficial effects of glucocorticoids at low dosages to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, the potential harms lead patients and physicians to be grouped as glucocorticoid "supporters", "opponents" or "neutrals" (i.e. people not favouring any pro or con position, perhaps the majority). In detail, patients are usually aware of both benefits and risks of glucocorticoid therapy. There is, however, sometimes even a certain imbalance favouring the risks over the benefits. This may be reflected in serious concerns about adverse effects and sometimes even refusal to take glucocorticoid treatment which hinders optimal treatment. Also with regard to medical doctors, nobody really questions the efficacy of these drugs, but the splitting up into the mentioned groups is primarily driven by safety concerns. And indeed, every group has their good arguments. To approach this problem, a EULAR Task Force was convened in order to achieve consensus on specific conditions where long-term glucocorticoid therapy has an acceptably low risk of harm in the treatment of chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (Strehl et al., Ann Rheum Dis, 2016). After a systematic literature search, the evidence on the four most worrisome adverse effects of glucocorticoid therapy (osteoporosis, hyperglycaemia/diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and infections) was critically reviewed. Robust evidence on the risk of harm of long-term glucocorticoid therapy was often lacking since relevant study results were often either missing, contradictory, or at a high risk of bias. The group agreed that the risk of harm is low for the majority of patients at long-term dosages of ≤5mg prednisone equivalent per day, whereas at dosages of >10mg/d the risk of harm is elevated. At dosages between >5 and ≤10mg/d, patient-specific characteristics including protective and/or risk factors need consideration when estimating the risk of harm. In conclusion, the level of harm of glucocorticoids depends on both dose and patient-specific parameters. General, disease and glucocorticoid associated risk factors but also protective factors like a healthy lifestyle should be taken into account when evaluating the actual and future risk. Disclosure of Interest F. Buttgereit Grant/research support from: Horizon Pharma, Consultant for: Horizon Pharma, Mundipharma, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Horizon Pharma, Mundipharma, Pfizer


This paper considers the control of a system composed of several interconnected subsystems. Each subsystem is described by a canonical non-linear state model, with the restriction that interaction between different subsystems is linear. Under very mild additional conditions a decentralized dither feedback control is constructed which will drive the system state to zero. The dither control method is shown to stabilize this system for all initial conditions.


Cell exfoliation is a characteristic feature of epithelia covering the external surface and the internal cavities of the body. While the benefit of cytology in infections and cancer diagnosis is well recognized, the clinical use of epithelial cells obtained from body fluids is relatively unexplored. As the first cells to encounter microbes, the epithelial cells exhibit toll like receptors (TLR) that bind specific conserved microbial patterns and transduce signals to thwart deleterious host responses to commensals and pathogens. We evaluated the potential application of epithelial cells derived from human saliva in investigating host responses to microbes. The salivary epithelial cells (SEC) derived from chronic periodontitis saliva exhibited distinct TLR-2 and TLR-4 expression profile and responded differentially to protein peptide derivative and lipopolysaccharides, ligand for TLR-2 and TLR-4 respectively. Interestingly, the ability of SEC to respond was not restricted to stimulation with oral microbes. Co-culture of SEC with Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, a transient cutaneous pathogen upregulated TLR-2 expression and induced increased secretion of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 and IFN-γ as compared to SEC exposed to a Staphylococcus epidermidis, a skin commensal. Collectively, it is postulated that the SEC is an efficient model to investigate the epithelial:microbe interphase and may serve as personalized specimen for evaluating individual response to biofilm.


The study aimed at investigating the effect of seed capital on performance of micro, small and medium enterprises by reviewing related extant conceptual, theoretical and extant empirical literature. The study underpinning theories were; resource-based view, pecking order theory and theory of asymmetric information. The study employed literature review methodology. Based on the review of empirical research, it was concluded that seed capital contributes into developing a particular financing environment; where MSMEs can obtain angel capital from angel investors as well as equity capital from shareholders and crowdfunding, at the seed stage. More so, seed capital has an effect on performance of MSMEs supporting studies that found a positive effect. The seed capital, MSME uses to start a business, commonly comes from angel investors, owners' equity and crowdfunding. The paper recommends that MSMEs; first, need to obtain financing, obtain shared expertise and technical expertise from angel investors, should guarantee complete control through use of equity capital to preserve control and independence as they provide for reinvesting part of their profits.


Exosomes are cell-derived vesicles secreted by both normal and cancerous cells into the extracellular matrix and in blood circulation. Tumor-derived exosomes have attracted increasing attention in noninvasive cancer diagnosis and prognosis. However, their effective capture and specific detection pose significant technical challenges. Current detection methods largely fail to quantify the tumor-derived exosomes present in the total (bulk) exosome population derived from body fluids of cancer patients. In this proof-of-concept study, we report an electrochemical detection method to directly quantify the disease-specific exosomes present in cell culture media. The assay has a two-step design, where bulk exosome populations are initially captured by using a generic antibody (i.e. tetraspanin biomarker, CD9). Subsequent detection of the cancer-specific exosomes within the captured exosomes was carried out by using a cancer-specific antibody, in this case, a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) antibody, allowing quantification of HER2-postive, breast-cancer-derived exosomes. This approach exhibits excellent specificity for HER-2(+) BT-474 cell-derived exosomes (detection limit, 4.7×10 exosomes μL) with a relative standard deviation of <4.9 % (n=3). We suggest that this simple and inexpensive electrochemical method could be an alternative for the quantification of exosome subpopulations in specific disease settings for future clinical bioassays.


Background: There is increasing interest in environmental exposures as heritable risk factors. Animal studies have linked grand-maternal nicotine exposure to lung changes in grand-offspring of unexposed mothers. This has been partially corroborated in limited human studies, although inconsistently. Aim: To investigate the association between grand-maternal smoking during pregnancy and asthma risk in grandchildren Methods: From 1982-1986, 44,583 grandmothers gave birth to children in Sweden. Subsequently 46,197 of these children (aka mothers) gave birth to 66,271 grandchildren (aka children) (born 1996-2000).Smoking exposure was recorded at 10-12 weeks gestation for both mothers and grandmothers. Also 3 months preconception and third trimester smoking were recorded for mothers. Purchased asthma medication was recorded for children (2005-2013). Current asthma in any year was defined as purchasing inhaled steroids. Maternal smoking, gender, county, social allowance, grand-paternal smoking, grandmothers BMI and grandmothers age, were included as covariates. There was no interaction by maternal smoking. Results: Grandmothers smoking during pregnancy there was associated with an increased asthma risk for grandchildren from 1-6 years (Adjusted odds ratios: 1-2yr, 1.19; 95%CI 1.10,1.27; 2-3yr, 1.22; 1.14,1.31, 3-4yr, 1.11; 1.02,1.21, 4-5yr,1.10; 0.99,1.22, 5-6yr ,1.14; 1.00,1.31). Conclusions: Children aged 1-6 years had a 10- 22% increased risk of asthma if their grandmothers smoked during early pregnancy. These findings support possible epigenetic transmission of risk from environmental exposures in previous generations.


This paper describes the study on the SCARA robot motion. The accurate motion control of the robot becomes more important as it is introduced to various kinds of works, especially the robot is used in continuous path control mode. But there are many kinds of factors lying down in the robot motion. They are very complicated, and it is not so easy to find out the factors of robot motion error. In this report, the method applying the experimental measurement and the numerical simulation jointly, is taken to find out the factors. In conclusion of the application, it is pointed out that the main factor of the SCARA robot motion error is the delay of two motors controlled by servo system. The positional error of the tool point path is mainly caused by the delay unbalance of two motors which actuate the first and the second arms.


The acid activated bentonite clay ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 wt% was incorporated into polyetherimide membranes and was extensively studied for its morphology, porosity, membrane hydraulic resistance and hydrophilic properties. The nanocomposite membrane has shown an increment in porosity, hydrophilicity and a reduction in hydraulic resistance. Elemental mapping studies confirmed the intercalation of activated bentonite clay within the polymer matrix. Studies have been conducted to analyse the permeate flux and rejection of Cu(ii), Ni(ii) and Cd(ii) ions by varying the pH and initial feed concentration. The results revealed that membranes with higher clay dosage showed enhanced flux and rejection, whereas lower rejection was observed in the case of lower pH and higher initial feed concentrations. It has also been demonstrated that the affinity of metal ions to form the hydration sphere and the adsorption capacity towards bentonite clay plays a vital role in the effective removal of metal ions. The membrane showed good rejection of heavy metal ions without any external chelating agent. The membranes showed maximum rejection of 69.3%, 76.2% and 82.5% for 250 ppm of Cd(ii), Ni(ii) and Cu(ii) ion solutions, respectively. The low level of heavy metal concentration in the permeate indicates that good quality water could be reclaimed for further reuse.


Background. This study examined whether alcohol abuse patients are characterized either by enhanced schematic processing of alcohol related cues or by an attentional bias towards the processing of alcohol cues. Method. Abstinent alcohol abusers (N=25) and non-clinical control participants (N=24) performed a dual task paradigm in which they had to make an odd/even decision to a centrally presented number while performing a peripherally presented lexical decision task. Stimuli on the lexical decision task comprised alcohol words, neutral words and non-words. In addition, participants completed an incidental recall task for the words presented in the lexical decision task. Results. It was found that, in the presence of alcohol related words, the performance of patients on the odd/even decision task was poorer than in the presence of other stimului. In addition, patients displayed slower lexical decision times for alcohol related words. Both groups displayed better recall for alcohol words than for other stimuli. Conclusions. These results are interpreted as supporting neither model of drug cravings. Rather, it is proposed that, in the presence of alcohol stimuli, alcohol abuse patients display a breakdown in the ability to focus attention.


The paper presents a medical image coding technique that is suitable for interactive telemedicine over networks. The new encoding scheme allows a server to transmit progressively only a part of a compressed image over a network as requested by a client. This technique is different from the region scalable coding scheme in JPEG 2000 since it does not require that a region of interest (ROI) be defined when encoding occurs. In our method, a medical image is encoded at full resolution and stored in the server. A user can receive a basic image at low resolution and then specify a ROI. The server can then provide full resolution for the ROI. Our technique allows a user to select the ROI after the compression has been done. We employ integer wavelet lifting to support lossless coding for medical images that strictly require lossless compression. The paper shows the benefits of the proposed technique with examples and simulation results.


D/H ratios of terrestrially-sourced whole oils and their respective saturated, aromatic, and polar fractions, individual n-alkanes, formation waters and non-exchangeable hydrogen in kerogen were measured in potential source rocks from seven Australian petroleum basins. Data for 75 oils and condensates, their sub-fractions and 52 kerogens indicate that oil sub-fractions have dD values comparable to dDoil, with a DdD offset (dDkerogen dDoil) averaging ca. 23‰. The weighted-average dD of individual n-alkanes is usually identical to dDoil and dDsaturate. A trend of increasing dD with nalkane chain length in most oils causes individual n-alkanes from an oil to vary in dD by 30‰ or more. A modest correlation between dD for aromatic sub-fractions and formation waters indicates that about 50% of aromatic C-bound H has exchanged with water. In contrast, dDoil and dDsaturated show no evidence for H-exchange with formation water under reservoir conditions at temperatures up to 150 C. Acyclic isoprenoids and n-alkanes show essentially indistinguishable dD, indicating that primary isotopic differences from biosynthesis have been erased. Overall, extensive exchange of C-bound H in petroleum with other hydrogen is apparent, but seems to have affected most hydrocarbons only during their chemical genesis from precursor molecules. Our isotopic findings from terrestrially-sourced oils should be qualitatively relevant for marine oils as well. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-812-855-7645; fax: +1-812855-7961. E-mail addresses: firstname.lastname@example.com (A. Schimmelmann), email@example.com (A.L. Sessions), chris.boreham@ ga.gov.au (C.J. Boreham), firstname.lastname@example.com (D.S. Edwards), firstname.lastname@example.com (G.A. Logan), firstname.lastname@example.com (R.E. Summons). 1 Current address: California Institute of Technology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Mail Code 100-23, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. 0146-6380/$ see front matter 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserv doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2004.05.006


Temporal Knowledge Graph (TKG) representation learning embeds entities and event types into a continuous low-dimensional vector space by integrating the temporal information, which is essential for downstream tasks, e.g., event prediction and question answering. Existing methods stack multiple graph convolution layers to model the influence of distant entities, leading to the over-smoothing problem. To alleviate the problem, recent studies infuse reinforcement learning to obtain paths that contribute to modeling the influence of distant entities. However, due to the limited number of hops, these studies fail to capture the correlation between entities that are far apart and even unreachable. To this end, we propose GTRL, an entity Group-aware Temporal knowledge graph Representation Learning method. GTRL is the first work that incorporates the entity group modeling to capture the correlation between entities by stacking only a finite number of layers. Specifically, the entity group mapper is proposed to generate entity groups from entities in a learning way. Based on entity groups, the implicit correlation encoder is introduced to capture implicit correlations between any pairwise entity groups. In addition, the hierarchical GCNs are exploited to accomplish the message aggregation and representation updating on the entity group graph and the entity graph. Finally, GRUs are employed to capture the temporal dependency in TKGs. Extensive experiments on three real-world datasets demonstrate that GTRL achieves the state-of-the-art performances on the event prediction task, outperforming the best baseline by an average of 13.44%, 9.65%, 12.15%, and 15.12% in MRR, Hits@1, Hits@3, and Hits@10, respectively.


Observation of the multisensory experience using fMRI, EEG and analysis of users' responses using Fuzzy logic. The tabulation of these data aims to verify the responses and quantify them for comparison with a personal opinion survey using the SAATY scale and apply in general terms (opinion response and neural response) in other users belonging to the same group of people. Based on the data and processes of the described applications, a sensory mapping of the observer and verification of "patterns in neurophysiological processes" can be performed with a verbal response, in addition to allowing the understanding of the importance of these patterns for the selection of an option.


We present an analytical treatment of the dissipative-stochastic dynamics of a charged classical particle confined biharmonically in a plane with a uniform static magnetic field directed perpendicular to the plane. The stochastic dynamics gives a steady state in the long-time limit. We have examined the orbital magnetic effect of introducing a parametrized deviation (η-1) from the second fluctuation-dissipation relation that connects the driving noise and the frictional memory kernel in the standard Langevin dynamics. The main result obtained here is that the moving charged particle generates a finite orbital magnetic moment in the steady state, and that the moment shows a crossover from para- to diamagnetic sign as the parameter η is varied. It is zero for η=1 that makes the steady state correspond to equilibrium, as it should. The magnitude of the orbital magnetic moment turns out to be a nonmonotonic function of the applied magnetic field, tending to zero in the limit of an infinitely large as well as an infinitesimally small magnetic field. These results are discussed in the context of the classic Bohr-van Leeuwen theorem on the absence of classical orbital diamagnetism. Possible realization is also briefly discussed.


The article is devoted to terminological collocations as one of the types of stable word combinations. The main approaches to defining terminological (specialized) collocations based on the works of a number of domestic and foreign authors are considered. The properties of collocations of this type in comparison with the main characteristics of natural language collocations are described. An attempt is made to determine the status of terminological collocations in linguistics. It is shown that distinguishing the terminological collocations in a separate group of lexical units is possible only within a broad approach to the concept of "collocation," as these word combinations are characterized by varying degree of semantic cohesion of their components. A typology of terminological collocations with their division into term-forming and term-containing is proposed. The main focus is on collocations that are part of the political terminology of the English and Turkish languages with examples from lexicographical sources, as well as national corpora of these languages and special corpora created in the Sketch Engine system.


We have developed guidelines of pharmaceutical activity which describes how pharmacists are actively involved in supporting the initial treatment of poisoning and overdosed patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). These guidelines are derived from the original procedural manual that consisted of protocol charts. The charts provide the pharmacist including ICU staff members with directions for the collection of clinical information and the forms to use for documentation. We focused on appropriate collection and proper preservation of collected samples in order to perform diagnostic analysis when needed. The original Information Record Form, completed by the participating pharmacist, documents all information regarding the patient's care. This record provides for integration of the diverse and complicated clinical information of the patient so that the physician can gain a comprehensive picture of the patient. The guidelines, manual book, materials for sample collection and the Information Record Form are stored in a container called the "Poisoning Aid Set", which will be available in the ICU. The guidelines are activated once an emergency call from paramedics is received regarding a suspected poisoning patient. According to the guidelines, the emergency room (ER) physician immediately contacts the pharmacist who will provide his professional services as a member of the treatment team. We have applied these guidelines to 29 poisoning patients and have critically evaluated for effectiveness. Early participation by pharmacists, by reviewing timely, accurate and competent clinical information enabled the pharmacist to identify the suspected drug from the biological samples obtained. From our experiences, we conclude that this active involvement of pharmacist in the initial treatment of poisoning and overdosed patients in the ICU was both supportive and beneficial to the patient. In addition, the participation of pharmacist as a member of a treatment team provided an excellent opportunity to collaborate with the entire ICU staff members.


IMPORTANCE
To evaluate and financially reward general surgery residency programs based on performance, performance must first be defined and measureable.

OBJECTIVE
To assess general surgery residency program performance using the objective clinical outcomes of patients operated on by program graduates.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
A retrospective cohort study was conducted of discharge records from 349 New York and Florida hospitals between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011. The records comprised 230,769 patients undergoing 1 of 24 general surgical procedures performed by 454 surgeons from 73 general surgery residency programs. Analysis was conducted from June 4, 2014, to June 16, 2015.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
In-hospital death; development of 1 or more postoperative complications before discharge; prolonged length of stay, defined as length of stay greater than the 75th percentile when compared with patients undergoing the same procedure type at the same hospital; and failure to rescue, defined as in-hospital death after the development of 1 or more postoperative complications.

RESULTS
Patients operated on by surgeons trained in residency programs that were ranked in the top tertile were significantly less likely to experience an adverse event than were patients operated on by surgeons trained in residency programs that were ranked in the bottom tertile. Adjusted adverse event rates for patients operated on by surgeons trained in programs that were ranked in the top tertile and those who were operated on by surgeons trained in programs that were ranked in the bottom tertile were, respectively, 0.483% vs 0.476% for death, 9.68% vs 10.79% for complications, 16.76% vs 17.60% for prolonged length of stay, and 2.68% vs 2.98% for failure to rescue (all P < .001). The differences remained significant in procedure-specific subset analyses. The rankings were significantly correlated among some but not all outcome measures. The magnitude of the effect of the residency program on the outcomes achieved by the graduates decreased with increasing years of practice. Within the analyses of surgeons within 20, 10, and 5 years of practice, the relative difference in adjusted adverse event rates across the individual models between the top and bottom tertiles ranged from 1.5% to 12.3% (20 years), 9.1% to 33.8% (10 years), and 8.0% to 44.4% (5 years).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Objective data were successfully used to rank the clinical outcomes achieved by graduates of general surgery residency programs. Program rankings differed by the outcome measured. The magnitude of differences across programs was small. Careful consideration must be used when identifying potential targets for payment-for-performance initiatives in graduate medical education.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: To assess the association between blood pressure (BP) with age and its heterogeneity across various sociodemographic subgroups in China. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we analysed the data from nearly 3.3 million individuals aged 35–75 years from all 31 provinces in mainland China collected from September 2014 through August 2019. On the basis of possible combinations of eight characteristics and antihypertensive status, subgroups of at least 10 000 individuals were created and the age--blood pressure relationship was determined for each group. Results: The study included 3 291 058 participants (59.6% women), with a mean age of 55.8 ± 9.8 years. The prevalence of hypertension was 47.6%, of which 30.0% were taking antihypertensive medications. The mean SBP was 135.9 ± 20.2 mmHg. SBP increased at a mean unadjusted rate of 0.639 ± 0.001 mmHg/year. For 95% of the 25 145 subgroups, the SBP increased by 0.28--0.85 mmHg/year. The most common characteristics in the subgroups with the steepest association were female sex, rural area, low education, low-income family, Tibet region, and farmer occupation. The increase in SBP ranged from 0.13 to 0.41 mmHg/year for 95% of the treated subgroups and from 0.33 to 0.82 mmHg/year for 95% of the untreated subgroups. Conclusion: Blood pressure is positively associated with age in this study, with almost three-fold variation across subgroups, indicating subgroup differences in biology, behaviour, or exposures. Antihypertension strongly blunts the association of age and blood pressure and diminishes the variation.


An integrated multimedia supported intelligent video surveillance system is proposed. The system is aimed to alleviate the disadvantages of the existing video-surveillance kits and provides advanced search, notification, visualization and alarming functionality through integration of artificial intelligence, motion detection and tracking technology, multimedia databases and Internet/cell phone connectivity. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed concept is proven through experimental results on a real-life video sequence


This paper proposes a Space Vector PWM (SVPWM) algorithm based on fractals for two legged three phase multilevel inverters. The paper presents the observation that the space vector representation of two legged three phase multilevel inverter has an inherent fractal structure. The properties of fractal structure together with the simplicity of fractal arithmetic are utilized to propose a generalized algorithm for SVPWM generation for two legged multilevel inverters and it can be easily extended to n-level inverters. The voltage space vectors of higher level inverter can be generated from the voltage vectors of an equivalent 2-level inverter using simple addition operations. Sector identification and switching vector determination in SVPWM generation are carried out using simple arithmetic operations without any computational complexity. The proposed algorithm doesn't use any look up table for sector identification and switching vector determination. The validation of the algorithm through simulations in MATLAB/SIMULINK has been carried out for two legged 3-level and 5-level inverter configurations for which the results are also presented.


ABSTRACT Purpose: To compare foveal avascular zone density (FAZ) in the superficial (SCP) and deep (DCP) capillary plexus and vessel density (VD) in the macula in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME) treated with intravitreal aflibercept. Methods: Patients with DME were imaged at baseline, and 30 days after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd intravitreal aflibercept injection. Images were analyzed for the FAZ area in the SCP and DCP in each visit and VD. Results: Twenty eyes were enrolled. FAZ was 0.304 ± 0.131 mm2 in the SCP and 0.738 ± 0.5836 mm2 in the DCP at baseline. SCP FAZ was not significantly different whereas, FAZ in the DCP decreased (p = .035) after treatment. VD in the center was 20.62 ± 4.31 at baseline and decreased by 8% (p = .002). Parafoveal VD remained unchanged with treatment. Conclusion: DCP ischemia may improve after aflibercept treatment. Central macular vessel density was found to decrease post-treatment, but the clinical relevance needs further investigation.


Summary The paper provides empirical evidence for the question whether firms' IT-enabled labour productivity is affected by the age structure of the workforce. We apply a production function approach with heterogenous labour to firm-level data from German manufacturing and services industries. We find that workers older than 49 are not significantly less productive than prime age workers, whereas workers younger than 30 are significantly less productive than prime age workers. Older workers using a computer are significantly more productive than older non-computer users. The positive and significant relationship between labour productivity and IT intensity is not affected by the proportion of older workers.


The natural cycle of nitrogen is an essential part of both plant growth and crop production, but in recent years there has been an increase in nitrogen through the use of synthetic fertilizers. Agricultural surface runoff can carry away the converted, mobile nitrate nitrogen into downstream systems leading to an unnatural influx of nitrogen. This increased nutrient load can stimulate algal growth in the marine ecosystem which can cause an oxygen depletion. When the dissolved oxygen levels fall, the area is deemed 'hypoxic' and can no longer support most aquatic life. In recent decades, industrial agriculture has used monoculture practices, which are heavily governed by the use of synthetic fertilizers, to meet crop demand but employing the practices year after year strip away nutrients from the soil. In response, best management practices (BMPs) have been established to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and their adverse effects on the environment but a lesser used agricultural practice is polyculture, although utilizing these practices also reduces nitrogen demand. This study looked into both BMPs and polyculture in a comparative light to showcase the benefits of utilizing polyculture practices to reduce both nitrogen demand and hypoxic conditions in downstream systems. A focus was also made to provide recommendations as to when and where polyculture agriculture should be employed to maximize the benefits.


Abstract
This paper is a keynote address prepared for a conference on "Entangled Political Economy" sponsored by the Wirth Institute. In keeping with the conventions of such an address, I look both backward and forward, while placing more emphasis on looking forward. In looking backward, I compare and contrast two orientations toward political economy: additive and entangled. In looking forward, I explore some of the analytical challenges that confront efforts to pursue a vision of entangled political economy. While these challenges are substantive in character, those efforts necessarily rest on methodological presumptions. Accordingly, the paper opens by reviewing some of those methodological presumptions before turning to the substantive articulations and challenges.


A silver film was deposited on silicon wafer by DC unbalance magnetron sputtering system. The temperature dependence of the silver film was investigated. The spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) with the heating of sample stage (HTC100) was employed for the in situ SE measurement under annealing cycles of the sample from room temperature to 300°C in dry nitrogen gas. The results show that the pseudo dielectric constants (, < ε2>) of the sample varied with an annealing temperature. The real part of pseudo dielectric constant () of annealed Ag film was slightly changed and the imaginary part (< ε2>) was strongly increased at a photon energy below the optical band gap (3.5-4.5 eV). Furthermore, the pseudo dielectric constant of imaginary part at low energy region was changed due to the enhancement of crystallinity of Ag film at 300°C. All measured SE spectra were fitted by Drude-Lorentz optical model, the scattering time and resistivity were obtained.


Identification of tyrosine Fyn kinase inhibitor is recognized as an effective and feasible therapeutic measure in reducing consequences of memory loss disorder Alzheimer's. The present investigation has been attempted with an objective to find out a novel potent inhibitor with similar homological structure to Fyn kinase using structure based in silico screening measure. Such derived structure was compared with natural data base pool and were systematically analyzed. Ligand based interaction was also tested and evaluated. We applied a molecular dynamic simulation technique to validate the stability of the identified complexes and to understand the ligand binding mechanism. Results provide information on the characteristics of novel and potent inhibitor for tyrosinase Fyn kinase protein so as to develop an innovative strategy to treat AD.


According to structure characteristics and technological requirements of hood-type annealing furnace, Simatic S7-300 PLC is used as a kernel control unit of the system. Master/slave station distributed I/O control of the whole system is realized by use of Profibus. Siemens Step 7 software is adopted to realize PID magnitude limiting control and pulse combustion control of temperature control system. Actual application shows that temperature control accuracy is higher and hardware cost is lower, and the whole system meets the need of technological process perfectly.


OBJECTIVE
This study compared the gingivitis and plaque reduction efficacy of a novel smart-connected oscillating-rotating (O-R) electric toothbrush with micro-vibrations, used in Sensitive mode with an extra gentle ("sensitive") brush head, to the efficacy of a soft manual toothbrush.

METHODS
This was a 12-week, examiner-blind, two-treatment, parallel-group clinical trial with 100 adult subjects (N = 100) having evidence of gingivitis and plaque at baseline. Subjects were randomly assigned to use either the O-R electric rechargeable toothbrush (Oral-B iO with Oral-B Gentle Care brush head) or the soft manual toothbrush (Oral-B Indicator). Gingivitis was assessed with the modified gingival index (MGI) and the gingival bleeding index (GBI). Plaque was assessed with the Rustogi modification of the navy plaque index (RMNPI). Patients were classified as having a "healthy" or "not healthy" gingival case status according to the criteria of the American Academy of Periodontology and the European Federation of Periodontology. Efficacy assessments and oral soft-tissue examinations were conducted before brushing at baseline, week 1, and week 12. The baseline assessment included both pre- and post-brushing plaque evaluations to evaluate single-use plaque removal efficacy.

RESULTS
All 100 subjects completed the trial. Subjects had a mean age of 49.1 years; 72% were females. The O-R brush group had a significantly higher percentage of subjects who transitioned from "not healthy" to "healthy" gingival case status than did the manual brush group. Plaque reduction for the O-R brush group was also significantly greater (P ≤ .009) than for the manual brush group for whole mouth, gingival margin, and interproximal region, from day 1 (single use) through 12 weeks. Both brushes were well tolerated.

CONCLUSION
The novel O-R toothbrush with micro-vibrations used in Sensitive mode with an extra gentle brush head provided significantly greater gingivitis and plaque reduction than did a manual toothbrush over 12 weeks.


Brillouin spectroscopy in amorphous media for different angles offers a direct way to determine the difference between changes in dielectric constant along and perpendicular to induced strain. Here the method is applied to quartz glass and supercooled liquid o-terphenyl. It is found for liquid o-terphenyl that the change in dielectric constant along the induced displacement is smaller than the change in dielectric constant perpendicular to the induced displacement, as it is also in quartz.


The use of visual information for voice recognition is an important solution in the absence of audio information. This paper presents a method for speech recognition using visual information by describing spatial-temporal changes in the lobe of the lips. The gradient of the image was used for feature extraction. In the proposed method, after lobe area detection and extraction of key points, the gradient was extracted to describe the spatial information of the key points. To describe the key areas of the lip during speaking, the 3D histogram of gradients path curve fitting was used. The main focus of this research was to provide an adequate description of speech. For this purpose, different classifiers were tested and the best one was recognized. To evaluate the proposed method, the MIRACL-VC1 database was used and the results were compared with previous methods for speech recognition which had an improvement about 11 to 17 percent.


A comprehensive model of a salient-pole synchronous machine is developed for a real-time environment. By obtaining the effective specific permeance of the machine from simple experimental measurements and the exact geometry of the rotor pole arc, a model is developed that includes the exact distribution of windings and operating-point-dependent saturation. This model offers a superior simulated response of the machine for fault transients, as well as for steady-state harmonic behavior, and is suitable for the closed-loop testing of relays and controls. The inductances of the machine are computed using the modified winding function approach and validated using finite-element analysis. Finally, the performance of the model is validated under healthy and faulted conditions by comparison with tests on an actual machine.


Cardiovascular disease involves hundreds of genes, many environmental factors, and myriad interactions. Although studies of Mendelian traits and transgenic mice have been very informative, analyzing the individual components of a system is not sufficient. We would like to know how these components interact with each other and how these interactions differ in disease states. Toward this end, we have over the last several years attempted to develop an approach that integrates common DNA variations, global gene expression array analyses, and clinical phenotypes. The approach uses segregating populations of mice or randomized populations of human subjects that are typed for genetic markers as well as clinically relevant traits. In addition, we carry out global expression array analyses of tissues or cells from the subjects. This approach greatly facilities gene discovery, since one can examine correlations between transcript levels and clinical traits. It also permits the construction of gene coexpression networks that underlie cardiovascular disease. We have applied the approach in different ways to examine clinically relevant traits. First, we used knowledge of loci controlling transcript levels to help identify genes for vascular calcification and high-density lipoprotein levels. Second, we used probabilistic modeling to predict several novel genes involved in metabolic syndrome. Third, we used primary endothelial and smooth muscle cell lines from human subjects to construct gene networks for inflammatory responses.


Fractal dimension analysis is a computational image processing technique that allows assessing the degree of complexity in patterns. In seismology, fractal dimensions can be used to describe fractured surfaces quantitatively. The larger the fractal dimension the more rugged is the surface, the more irregular is the line, and the more complex is the pore space. For the present investigation the seismicwave signal of 40 earthquakes including one foreshock, main shock and 38 aftershocks (mb ≥ 5.0) of 2015 Gorkha-Kodari earthquakes from 2015/4/21 to 2016/11/27 were considered. The seismograms were retrieved from the archived waveform data of Incorporated Research Institutions of Seismology (IRIS). The fractal dimension (D) was evaluated by the Python program for box counting. It is found that the fractal dimensions of the seismic wave signal during the active seismic period do not show sudden variation and they are almost identical. The maximum value was noticed to be 1.99±0.006 and the minimum value to be 1.95±0.007. The estimated fractal dimension is greater or equal to 1.95 with an average value of 1.98 which signify the presence of high grade of fractality in seismic wave time series. This suggests that the fractal characteristics of the seismic wave signal of 2015 central Himalayan earthquakes occurrence behavior is nonlinear and coplanar.


A total of 168 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) strains were isolated from milk samples taken from cows with clinical mastitis. The samples were collected between January 1990 and August 1992 from cows in the veterinary surveillance area of the Ambulatory Clinic, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hautjärvi, Finland. In 100 cases the effect of antibiotic treatment was evaluated 3-4 weeks after initial sampling. Clinical symptoms of the animals were recorded, and the inflammatory status of their udders was evaluated using the CMT test and assessing milk NAGase activity. CNS mastitis was most common in young cows during early lactation. Staphylococcus hyicus, S. simulans and S. epidermidis were the most frequently isolated CNS. Clinical symptoms were most severe with S. hyicus. Cure rates for CNS induced mastitis were high.


This paper is a personal reflection revealing the author's ideas of faith and belief to have previously been inadequate as they have focussed on believing in particular certainties, even when this way of thinking about faith proved selfdestructive. The context for this way of approaching faith is the first few years of ministry in an Anglican/ Episcopalian church, which led to the author abandoning ministry for a number of years. The ideas of Wilfred Cantwell Smith and others are used to demonstrate that faith is more about a direction and less about certainties. The essay also proposes that the fundamental content of faith is action, often taken because of the ability to doubt accepted norms. On this basis, doubt is a useful element of true faith and good ministry. Faith is not something fixed but something that moves and develops. This is found to be of more practical use than lists of items to be believed as 'true.'


A method for bounding the rate of bit-stuffing encoders for 2-D constraints is presented. Instead of considering the original encoder, we consider a related one which is quasi-stationary. We use the quasi-stationary property in order to formulate linear requirements that must hold on the probabilities of the constrained arrays that are generated by the encoder. These requirements are used as part of a linear program. The minimum and maximum of the linear program bound the rate of the encoder from below and from above, respectively. A lower bound on the rate of an encoder is also a lower bound on the capacity of the corresponding constraint. For some constraints, our results lead to tighter lower bounds than what was previously known.


In dry regions, it is customary for farmers to use soil water conservation and/or water harvesting techniques. These practices have now become applicable to agriculturalists combating the adverse effects of drought on food production. In the semiarid areas of Zalingei in western Sudan, we quantified the soil erosion using traditional conservation measures, and conducted experiments in two consecutive rainy seasons (2013 and 2014). A split-split plot design was used to quantify the respective influences of each variable on reducing soil erosion: A) three gentle gradients (Slope1 (0.98%), Slope2 (1.81%), and Slope3 (3.1%)); B) two cropping systems (mono-crop and mixed-crops); and C) five indigenous conservation tillage practices—chisel ploughing (CHP), cross slope tied bonding (CSTB), contour ridge with stone bonds (CRSB), cross slope bonding (CSB), and zero tillage (ZT). Our results showed that there were significant differences between the slopes in season 2 (2014); the soil eroded at Slope3 was more than that of Slope1 and Slope2 by 71% and 27%, respectively. Over two seasons, there were no significant differences between the cropping systems. Conversely, the erosion level observed with CHP was higher than with the other practices. However, the CSTB and CSB erosion levels were only higher in season 2 when compared with those of CRSB and ZT. The study concluded that under the above conditions, the rate of soil erosion was severe and exceeded the erosion tolerance. Based on these results, in western Sudan, CRSB and ZT may be the more effective indigenous conservation practices for the protection of agricultural soils and productivity.


More than 50 different intronic and exonic autosomal dominant mutations in the tau gene have been linked to the neurodegenerative disorder frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome-17 (FTDP-17). Although the pathological and clinical presentation of this disorder is heterogeneous among patients, the deposition of tau as pathological aggregates is a common feature. Collectively, FTDP-17 mutations have been shown to alter tau's ability to stabilize microtubules, enhance its aggregation, alter mRNA splicing, or induce its hyperphosphorylation, among other effects. Previous in vitro studies from our lab revealed that these mutations differ markedly from each other in the longest 2N4R isoform of tau. However, it is not entirely known whether the effect of a single mutation varies when compared between different isoforms of tau. Differences in the isoelectric points of the N-terminal region of tau isoforms lead to changes in their biochemical properties, raising the possibility that isoforms could also be disproportionately affected by disease-related mechanisms such as mutations. We therefore performed a comparative study of three FTDP-17 mutations present in different regions of tau (R5L, P301L, and R406W) in the three 4R isoforms of tau. We observed significant differences in the effect these mutations exert on the total amount and kinetics of aggregation, aggregate length distributions, and microtubule stabilizing propensity of 4R tau isoforms for all three selected mutants. These results demonstrate that different combinations of FTDP-17 mutations and tau isoforms are functionally distinct and could have important implications for our understanding of disease and animal models of tauopathies.


This article examines the impact of international human rights law on international criminal procedure. Given the fact that international criminal courts and tribunals (ICTs) are not party to human rights treaties, the question arises whether these norms formally even apply to them. The first part of the article therefore addresses whether ICTs are bound by human rights by virtue of international law, and what concrete consequences this might have. As will be seen, international law fails to provide definitive answers to questions regarding which sources of international human rights law bind the ICTs, and how human rights norms are supposed to operate in the context of an international criminal trial. As a result, it is difficult to establish concrete tools to determine the scope and content of the human rights obligations of ICTs. The second part of this article therefore investigates whether the internal law of the tribunals fills this gap and clarifies the impact of international human rights law on the law and practice of the ICTs. Finally, the article will identify and discuss the prevalent approaches of the ICTs towards the interpretation and application of concrete international human rights norms.


Meteorites have pelted Earth from space for billions of years, but the identity of their source has long stumped planetary scientists. To pin it down, scientists intend to throw something back: the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft. Later this month, NEAR will begin a 3-year journey to the asteroid Eros, using remote sensing to match the asteroid's composition against Earth's meteorites. But critics say NEAR's orbit—just 30 kilometers above the asteroid—is still too far, and the only way to get a solid answer is to collect a surface sample—a much more expensive proposition.


This paper reports on a study of how people do research that matters to people with learning disabilities and that involves them and their views and experiences. The study was an attempt to bring together people doing inclusive research so that, collectively, we could take stock of our practices. This would add to the individual reports and reflections on approaches that are already available. In particular we wanted to explore what quality means in inclusive research and how we might best achieve this. We used focus groups to share and generate knowledge and we recorded, transcribed and analysed the dialogue, looking for themes and answers to core questions. We found that there are many different ways of doing research inclusively and we propose a model to describe this. Reflecting on the findings we argue that is important to keep a flexible vision of inclusive research and to keep learning and talking together.


We have developed a long-extension-PCR strategy which amplifies approximately half of the mitochondrial genome (6.3 kb) of Caenorhabditis elegans using an individual worm as target. We analyzed three strains over their life span to assess the number of detectable deletions in the mitochondrial genome. Two of these strains are wild-type for life span while the third is mutant in the age-1 gene, approximately doubling its maximum life span. At the mean life span in wild-type strains, there was a significant difference between the frequency of deletions detected in the mitochondrial genome compared with the mean number of deletions in young animals. In addition, deletions in the mitochondrial genome occur at a significantly lower rate in age-1 mutants as compared with wild type. We cloned and identified the breakpoints of two deletions and found that one of the deletions had a direct repeat of 8 bp at the breakpoint. This is the largest single study (over 900 individual animals) characterizing the frequency of deletions in the mitochondrial genome as a function of age yet carried out.


Cloud computing offers an attractive solution for modern computer games. By moving the increasingly demanding graphical calculations (e.g., generation of real-time video streams) to the cloud, consumers can play games using small, cheap devices. While cloud gaming has many advantages and is increasingly deployed, not much work has been done to understand the underlying factors impacting players' user experience when moving the processing to the cloud. In this paper, we study the impact of the quality of service (QoS) factors most affecting the players' quality of experience (QoE) and in-game performance. In particular, these relationships are studied from multiple perspectives using complementing analysis methods applied on the data collected via instrumented user tests. During the tests, we manipulated the players' network conditions and collected low-level QoS metrics and in-game performance, and after each game, the users answered questions capturing their QoE. New insights are provided using different correlation/auto-correlation/cross-correlation statistics, regression models, and a thorough breakdown of the QoS metric most strongly correlated with the users' QoE. We find that the frame age is the most important QoS metric for predicting in-game performance and QoE, and that spikes in the frame age caused by large frame transfers can have extended negative impact as they can cause processing backlogs. The study emphasizes the need to carefully consider and optimize the parts making up the frame age, including dependencies between the processing steps. By lowering the frame age, more enjoyable gaming experiences can be provided.


The book is divided into two sections. First section, "An Appraisal of the Tashkent Declaration" deals with the various aspect of pre-Tashkent developments. The author also summarizes the postscript in a sketchy manner. He seems to be quite bewildered on finding it out that "the two countries are returning to their stereotyped pre-war postures". The possibility of such a posture was quite apparent to many of the political analyists in India. It seems that Mr. Sharma more or less toes Government's line when he interprets Tashkent accord in the following words: " ... the Tashkent accord deserves our full support. It strikes an Aristotelean golden mean between two extremist position."... (p, 2). 1'\'11'. Sharma's day to day commentary on deliberations before Tashkent is based on a comprehensive study of press reports. Further, it may not be incorrect to presume that the whole study circles around the wisely selected press clippings. And his attempt to distinguish the reporting by various newspapers in India and Pakistan is commendable. Mr. Sharma has very rightly concentrated on the second section of the book containing documents. It contains much useful and relevant material such as U.N. Security Council Resolutions and reports, Mr. Kosygin's message and other relevant documents. The two chronologies would be helpful for locating the developments in proper prespective. Mr. J.P. Narayan very rightly observes in his foreword that this brochure would be a useful "reference book" "for all those who have not written off Tashkent." V.K.


Australian alpine plants. In reading the " Notes and News " of the last number of the BOTANICAL GAZETTE I was led to recall a paper published in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, August 23, 1886, by J. Stirling. It consists chiefly in a review and a farther account of evidences of glaciation shown in the higher mountains of the Australian Alps (S. E. Australia.) The culmination of the ice-clad period is supposed to have taken place in later Pliocene or Pleistocene times. He refers to the close relationship which the flora of those mountains presents to that of Tasmania, and that "many species found there (in the Australian Alps), between 2,000 and 5,000 feet, have a wide range, recent researches in the flora of Morocco, in Africa, and on that of Rurum Valley, Afghanistan, having disclosed the presence of numerous species of plants common to the Australian Alps." He then refers to Hooker's remark in his Australian Flora that a cooled atmosphere in intertropical regions corresponding to the glacial epochs of the temperate zones might account for the presence of European and arctic species in antarctic and south temperate zones. It seems to me the character of the mountain flora also would find its explanation here. AUG. F. FOERSTE.


This paper made a comparative study on domestic and international game archives that preserve and study the history of games. Based on that, it suggests the structure to classify and build a database to establish a history museum of games. The objective to gather and preserve history of games is mainly in order to build a baseline for ludology studies, but not solely for that reason. This study proposes the series of procedures of gathering, preserving, classifying, displaying and referencing digital games according to the academic field of Media Archaeology.


Cholangiocarcinoma, a malignancy arising from the biliary tract, is associated with high mortality due to the late diagnosis and lack of effective therapeutic approaches. Our knowledge of the molecular alterations during the carcinogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma is limited. Previous study suggests that apoptosis-related protein-1 (Apr-1) is involved in cancer cell proliferation and survival. In the present study, we first detected the expression pattern of Apr-1 in human cholangiocarcinoma tissues and the effects of forced Apr-1 expression on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Cell cycle gene array analysis was used to identify downstream molecules that were regulated by Apr-1, and their expression levels were further evaluated in human cholangiocarcinoma tissues. We showed that Apr-1 expression was downregulated in human cholangiocarcinoma tissues. Forced expression of Apr-1 inhibited cell proliferation of cholangiocarcinoma cell line QBC939 and induced G2/M phase arrest. Downregulation of cell cycle-related genes cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) 2, and cyclin-dependent kinase subunits (Cks) 1 and 2 was involved in Apr-1-induced cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, we found that Cdk2 and Cks1/2 expression levels were elevated in human cholangiocarcinoma tissues. Taken together, our data showed that Apr-1 plays a crucial role in cell proliferation by controlling cell cycle progression, implying a tumor-suppressor function of Apr-1 in cholangiocarcinoma carcinogenesis. Thus, the present study provides a rationale to further study the underlying mechanisms of Apr-1 downregulation in cholangiocarcinoma for exploring potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.


Afghanistan has one of the highest concentrations of guns per person in the world. There may be up to 10 million small arms circulating in a country which has a population of 23 million. The human consequences are not just measured in deaths and injuries. The culture of the gun has become deeply embedded, and the presence of firearms has a fundamental impact on democracy, development, and security.


Eleventh-, twelfth- and thirteenth-century England is a complex multilingual jigsaw, and a much underestimated period of literary production. This article surveys and explores the close relationship between English, Latin and French book production, offering valuable insights into English manuscript culture in this period and re-contextualising texts and their manuscripts, calling for each to be studied in its own right and understood as part of a pattern of wider manuscript production. The article also introduces the reader to key and crucial issues in literary production in this period, and to new research in the field.


Indian financial sector has undergone an important role in inspiring and stabilizing the growth of an economy. Economics essentially involves the efficient transfer of funds in exchange for goods, services or promises of future return, it brought momentous changes in the financial sector in general and banking in particular. While there have been striking changes in the financial structure, India remains a bank conquered financial system. One of the major purposes of financial liberalization was to make the financial institutions more efficient and competent. A number of developing countries have undertaken financial sector reforms in order to pursue the goals of economic growth and improved living standards. This paper examines aspects of the development of financial sector particularly after 1990 when financial liberalization began. The usual confidence is that liberalization process allows for the development of a competitive financial system, which aids the efficient allocation of resources by mobilizing savings through the growth of financial intermediation and asset


LTE-R is a new standard under development to serve future high-speed railway systems (HSRs) with reliable real-time train control and management system support as well as passenger safety, convenience, and infotainment services. The QoS of LTE communications is significantly degraded in HSRs due to rapid channel variations that exceed the variation range of LTE systems, resulting in delayed handover or handover failure due to radio link failure. Therefore, a handover decision scheme optimized for HSRs to ensure the QoS requirements for communications is necessary. In this article, a new H2 scheme for HSRs is proposed, which improves the handover performance of high-speed moving LTE systems. The H2 scheme monitors the reference signal received power variation level of the serving evolved node B and handover target evolved node B to prevent late handover and stably execute handover in rapidly changing conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed H2 scheme can significantly lower the handover failure probability for HSRs compared to the handover schemes currently used in LTE.


The suppression patterns of 11 phage P22 mutants bearing different amber mutations in the gene encoding lysozyme (19) were determined on six different amber suppressor strains. Of the 60 resulting single amino acid substitutions, 18 resulted in defects in lysozyme activity at 30 degrees; an additional seven were defective at 40 degrees. Revertants were isolated on the "missuppressing" hosts following UV mutagenesis; they were screened to distinguish primary- from second-site revertants. It was found that second-site revertants were recovered with greater efficiency if the UV-irradiated phage stocks were passaged through an intermediate host in liquid culture rather than plated directly on the nonpermissive host. Eleven second-site revertants (isolated as suppressors of five deleterious substitutions) were sequenced: four were intragenic, five extragenic; three of the extragenic revertants were found to have alterations near and upstream from gene 19, in gene 13. Lysozyme genes from the intragenic revertant phages were introduced into unmutagenized P22, and found to confer the revertant plating phenotype.


Doping carbon materials have proved to be the front runners to substitute for Pt as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Fluorine-doped graphene (FG) has rarely been used as ORR catalyst because of the difficulty in preparation. Herein, we report FG sheets prepared by a thermal pyrolysis graphene oxide (GO) process in the presence of zinc fluoride (ZnF2) as an efficient electrocatalyst for ORR in the alkaline medium. The results show that the pyrolysis temperature seriously affected the doped fluoride amount and morphology of catalyst. It is found that the FG-1100 catalyst possesses a more positive onset potential, higher current density and better four-electron process for ORR than other FG samples. FG-1100 displays an outstanding ORR catalytic activity that is comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Also, its durability and methanol tolerance ability are superior to those of the commercial Pt/C. The excellent ORR catalytic performance is closely related to its higher doped fluorine amount and wrinkle morphology. The FG catalyst can be developed as a low-cost, efficient and durable catalyst as a viable replacement for the Pt/C catalyst, promoting the commercialization of fuel cells.


Using an experimental model of genetic diabetes (DBM mouse) a comparison was made of the results of quantitative data obtained by light and electron microscopy (measurement of glomerular and mesangial surface areas, assessment of the thickness of the basal membrane and its irregularities) and was used to demonstrate the actual presence of glomerulosclerosis in the renal parenchyma of 31 diabetic animals. In addition, immunofluorescent investigations in these same animals demonstrated the presence of serum proteins (in particular immunoglobulins and albumin) in the glomerulus and the tubular basal membrane. These substances transude through the vessels as a result of increased vascular permeability. In this area, membrane abnormalities are not a consequence of hyperglycaemia. In the group, one batch of animals in which hyperglycaemia was partially reduced by glycoregulatory therapy showed the same glomerular changes. Amongst other factors, the possible role of hyperinsulinaemia constantly present in these animals, regardless of their blood glucose level, is worthy of considération.


A metabolically engineered Lactobacillus plantarum mutant, which could
produce D-lactic acid from both glucose and xylose, was applied for the
production of optically pure D-lactic acid from corncobs by simultaneous
saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Using a corncob hydrolysate
obtained by a combination of dilute acid treatment using 1.5% H2SO4
followed by enzymatic saccharification, the L. plantarum mutant
completely assimilated both glucose and xylose in the corncob
hydrolysate within 20 hours, resulting in the successful production of
D-lactic acid with high optical purity in a batch culture. To improve
the performance of D-lactic acid production from corncobs, SSF
experiments from 100 to 250 g/L of acid-hydrolyzed corncobs using 1.5%
H2SO4 were performed, and 49.7 to 101 g/L of D-lactic acid with
96.8-98.6% of optical purity was successfully produced. The D-lactic
acid yield from corncobs (YL/C) was approx. 0.61 when 100-150 g/L of
acid-hydrolyzed corncobs was used; however, the YL/C decreased to 0.49
as the concentration of acid-hydrolyzed corncobs because of insufficient
acid hydrolysis of the corncobs. Therefore, by increasing the H2SO4
concentration to 3.5%, D-lactic acid production from corncobs
significantly increased to 134 g/L with YL/C of 0.63 and 2.88 g/(L・h) of
productivity from 250 g/L of acid-hydrolyzed corncobs.


This work aimed to verify the concentration and accumulation of N, P, K, Ca and Mg, due to the application of increasing doses of fertilizers and to determine the critical level of these nutrients in the soil and in the plant, in seedlings of 'sansao-do-campo' (Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia Benth.) produced in three types of soil (mesotrophicUltisol, alic Oxisol and distrofic Oxisol). The seedlings were planted in pots with a capacity of 2.1 dm3. The experiment was conducted from December 2004 to April 2005, in Vicosa, in Minas Gerais state. The treatments were defined according to a Baconian matrix, where the macronutrients varied in three different doses and two additional treatments (zero and base), with four replications. The seedlings of 'sansaodo- campo' had generally a higher content of N, P, K, Ca and Mg as their availability in the soil increased. This fact was reflected in a higher content of nutrients in all parts of the plant. However, in some cases, there cresciwas no evidence of any correspondent increase for this increase. In terms of critical level, the values that provided better growth of the plant were: N (16 to 17.3 g kg-1 in the shoot), P (77 to 110 mg dm -³ in the soil and 1 to 1.5 g kg-1 in the shoot), K (51 to 86.5 mg dm-3 in the soil and from 5.7 to 7.1 g kg-1 in th e shoot), Ca (0.8 to 2.2 cmolc dm-³ in the soil and from 10 to 14.4 g kg-1 in the shoot) and Mg (0.2 to 0.25 cmolc dm-³ soil from 1.3 to 2.4 g kg-1 in the shoot). However, for K and Ca, studies with doses are suggested within this range of values found for better definition of the critical level. Among the soils that were studied, the Oxisol showed to be more demanding of adding nutrients, especially N and P, for an adequate production of Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia seedlings


This paper examines the implementation of industrial training programme for Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in Universiti Tenaga Nasional. The main objective of industrial training is to expose students to the real working environment of an engineering profession. It is also believed that through the industrial training programme, industries can contribute towards enhancing the learning process of students. In addition, it helps the universities and industries to develop stronger links and collaboration between them such as in research and development.Our experience shows that about 40% of the students carried out their industrial training in the manufacturing sector, 20% in power utilities, while the other 40% in other sectors such as oil and gas, service and maintenance, engineering consultancy, and automotive industry. Feedbacks for the host supervisors from the industries indicate that the students are very productive and efficient. Our assessment also shows that at least 90% of the students are excellent in accomplishing the industrial training programme. Feedbacks form faculty members who visited the students on site were also gathered and analyzed. Finally, this paper will also highlight some pertinent views and recommendations from the host companies for further improvement of the industrial training programme.


Aiming at the tracking task and interception task in air defense antimissile operations, a mathematical model of cooperative combat assignment is constructed. By using the global searching ability of the cuckoo algorithm and the fast and efficient local search ability of the quantum particle swarm algorithm, the framework and process of hybrid optimization, based on quantum particle swarm optimization and the cuckoo, are designed. Finally, an example is given to demonstrate the rationality of the task allocation model and the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm. It provides a method and reference for solving the problem of air defense antimissile assignment.


Determining the relationships between five-factor model (FFM) personality dimensions and Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC) types is important for counselors and clients during the career choice process. There have been mixed findings regarding this relationship, necessitating this research. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the FFM and RIASEC interest types employing a multivariate meta-regression meta-analysis. Thirty-four studies with 43 independent samples comprising 19,872 participants were employed. Moderator variables included mean age, country of sample, publication year, and FFM and RIASEC Measurement Scales. Estimated correlations between FFM and RIASEC scores ranged from −.08 to .36 suggesting that personality and interests are more distinct constructs than previously thought. FFM Measurement Scales and RIASEC scores by country of sample are important moderating variables in the FFM-RIASEC relationship. The findings have important implications for counseling and research.


Corticosteroids are by far the most frequently used agents to treat ocular inflammation. When administered topically to the eye, different derivatives of the same corticosteroid base are not equivalent in their antiinflammatory properties. A change in the derivative of a corticosteroid base alters its behavior as an antiinflammatory agent. To date, the acetate derivative of each corticosteroid base studied has been the most effective, and among commercially available ophthalmic formulations, 1.0 percent prednisolone acetate is the drug of choice for maximal antiinflammatory effect. Hourly instillation produces a greater, more rapid reduction of corneal inflammation than does instillation of the drug every 4 hours, while instillation at 15-minute intervals results in an even greater therapeutic effect. Topical delivery of five doses of 1.0 percent prednisolone acetate at 1-minute intervals each hour results in an antiinflammatory effect comparable to that achieved by instillation every 15 minutes. Topical instillation of a corticosteroid produces a greater reduction in inflammatory cells invading the cornea than does periocular injection of a steroid. Administration of corticosteroids concurrently by topical and subconjunctival routes produces an additive antiinflammatory effect. Addition of a topically applied corticosteroid to an effective topical antibiotic regimen containing a bactericidal agent does not enhance bacterial replication in the cornea if the corticosteroid is not instilled more frequently than the antibiotic. Corticosteroids enhance viral proliferation and are contraindicated in active epithelial herpetic keratitis. Many instances of stromal herpetic keratitis appear to be a toxic or immune response to incomplete, nonreplicating viral particles rather than alteration of tissue by multiplying live virus, and the judicious use of corticosteroids is advocated along with an antiviral antimetabolite. Because control of replicating fungal organisms by specific antifungal agents is often difficult to achieve, corticosteroids should not be used in the treatment of mycotic keratitis.


In this study, the ability of nitrite and nitrate to mimic the effects of estradiol on growth and gene expression was measured in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Similar to estradiol, treatment of MCF-7 cells with either 1 mumol/L nitrite or 1 mumol/L nitrate resulted in approximately 4-fold increase in cell growth and 2.3-fold to 3-fold increase in progesterone receptor (PgR), pS2, and cathepsin D mRNAs that were blocked by the antiestrogen ICI 182,780. The anions also recruited estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) to the pS2 promoter and activated exogenously expressed ERalpha when tested in transient cotransfection assays. To determine whether nitrite or nitrate was the active anion, diphenyleneiodonium was used to inhibit oxidation/reduction reactions in the cell. The ability of diphenyleneiodonium to block the effects of nitrate, but not nitrite, on the induction of PgR mRNA and the activation of exogenously expressed ERalpha suggests that nitrite is the active anion. Concentrations of nitrite, as low as 100 nmol/L, induced a significant increase in PgR mRNA, suggesting that physiologically and environmentally relevant doses of the anion activate ERalpha. Nitrite activated the chimeric receptor Gal-ER containing the DNA-binding domain of GAL-4 and the ligand-binding domain of ERalpha and blocked the binding of estradiol to the receptor, suggesting that the anion activates ERalpha through the ligand-binding domain. Mutational analysis identified the amino acids Cys381, His516, Lys520, Lys529, Asn532, and His547 as important for nitrite activation of the receptor.


The surface of a spinning liquid takes the shape of a paraboloid that can be used as a reflecting mirror. This very old and nearly forgotten concept has recently been revived and I review its present status. Extensive interferometric tests of liquid mirrors (the largest one having a diameter of 2.5-meters ) show excellent optical qualities. I discuss the factors that can limit the optical quality of liquid mirrors, how to minimize them as well as the basic technology. A handful of liquid mirrors have now been built that are used for scientific work. I show representative data obtained from 2.65-m diameter liquid mirror telescopes used for astronomy and the atmospheric sciences (lidar). Section 5, of particular interest to cosmologists, or astronomers using surveys, examines the expected performance of 4-m liquid mirror telescopes dedicated to cosmological surveys. It is rather impressive, due to the fact that the instruments work full- time on four-year surveys: Spectrophotometry reaches B=24 for all objects within over 100 square degrees and wide-band photometry reaches about B=28. I consider the future of liquid mirror telescopes: limits to their sizes, engineering issues as well as speculations on lunar or space LMTs. I briefly mention the possibility of non-rotating GRIN liquid mirrors. Finally I address the issues of the field accessible to LMTs equipped with novel optical correctors. Optical design work, and some exploratory laboratory work, indicate that a single LMT should be able to access, with excellent images, small regions anywhere inside fields


The volume of data traffic in the Internet has increased drastically in the last years, mostly due to data intensive applications like video streaming, file sharing, etc.. This motivates the development of new communication methods that can deal with the growing volume of data traffic. To this aim, Named Data Networking (NDN) has been proposed as a future Internet architecture that changes how the Internet works, from the exchange of content between particular nodes of the network, to retrieval of particular content in the network. The NDN architecture enables ubiquitous in-network caching and naturally supports dynamic selection of content sources, characteristics that fit well with the communication needs of data intensive applications. However, the performance of data intensive applications is degraded by the limited throughput seen by applications, which can be caused by (i) limited bandwidth, (ii) network bottlenecks and (iii) packet losses. In this thesis, we argue that introducing network coding into the NDN architecture improves the performance of NDN-based data intensive applications by alleviating the three issues presented above. In particular, network coding (i) enables efficient multipath data retrieval in NDN, which allows nodes to aggregate all the bandwidth available through their multiple interfaces; (ii) allows information from multiple sources to be combined at the intermediate routers, which alleviates the impact of network bottlenecks; and (iii) enables clients to efficiently handle packet losses. This thesis first provides an architecture that enables network coding in NDN for data intensive applications. Then, a study demonstrates and quantifies the benefits that network coding brings to video streaming over NDN, a particular data intensive application. To study the benefits that network coding brings in a more realistic NDN scenario, this thesis finally provides a caching strategy that is used when the in-network caches have limited capacity. Overall, the evaluation results show that the use of network coding permits to exploit more efficiently available network resources, which leads to reduced data traffic load on the sources, increased cache-hit rate at the in-network caches and faster content retrieval at the clients. In particular, for video streaming applications, network coding enables clients to watch higher quality videos compared to using traditional NDN, while it also reduces the video servers' load. Moreover, the proposed caching strategy for network coding enabled NDN maintains the benefits that network coding brings to NDN even when the caches have limited storage space.


The transfer of biological concepts into synthetic micropatterned adhesives has recently enabled a new generation of switchable, reversible handling devices. Over the last two decades, many design principles have been explored that helped to understand the underlying mechanics and to optimize such adhesives for certain applications. An aspect that has been overlooked so far is the influence of longer hold times on the adhesive contacts. Exemplarily, the pull‐off stress and work of separation of a micropatterned adhesive specimen are enhanced by factors 3 and 6, respectively, after 1000 min in contact with a glass substrate. In addition to such global measures, the increase of adhesion of all individual micropillars is analyzed. It is found that contact aging varied across the microarray, as it drastically depends on local conditions. Despite great differences on the micropillar scale, the adhesion of entire specimens increased with very similar power laws, as this is determined by the mean contact ageing of the individual structures. Overall, contact aging must be critically evaluated before using micropatterned adhesives, especially for long‐term fixations and material combinations that are chemically attractive to each other.


Deep brain stimulation is an established and evidence-based therapeutic option for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease. Main indication and inclusion criteria are the presence of idiopathic Parkinsonism with motor fluctuations and / or dyskinesias and / or with medication refractory tremor, a significant improvement of akinesia / rigidity in response to dopaminergic medication, the absence of relevant cognitive deficits and other significant comorbidities. DBS neurosurgery has a low risk of complications. The clinical programming should follow an established monopolar review algorithm. Regular follow-up visits are required for stimulation monitoring.


Past studies on military expenditures in the United States have primarily focused on the extent to which guns versus butter trade-offs are prevalent without examining this relationship in the context of how other fiscal policy tools are used to pay for defense. Using annual data from 1947–2007, this study examines the relative importance of defense financing policy measures, such as guns versus butter trade-offs, tax increases, and deficit spending in paying for defense. The results show evidence of guns versus butter trade-off during the Reagan Era, but not during other periods. Both federal tax policy and deficit spending have played influential roles in funding defense spending during peacetime. This modeling strategy points to the importance of analyzing the effects of multiple fiscal policy tools when studying the forces that drive military spending in the United States since World War II.


We consider the bounded linear operators with domain in the Hilbert space $L^2(S^n)$, $n=2,3,5$ and describe its symbolic calculus defined by the Berezin quantization.In particular, we derive an explicit formula for the composition of Berezin's symbols and thus a noncommutative invariant star product.


This paper presents the first rigorous proof of the chaotic behavior in a piecewise linear Linz-Sprott system, which is the algebraically simplest continuous three-dimensional dynamical system with chaotic behavior. The proof is computer assisted and relies on the estimation of the numerical calculation errors. The mathematical part of the proof uses topological hyperbolicity and information on the whereabouts of the periodic trajectories.


In a multi-state system, both the system and its components are allowed to experience more than two possible states, e.g. completely working, partially working or partially failed, and completely failed. In this paper reliability evaluation and reliability optimization of k-out-of-n systems are studied for the case where the components and the system have multiple performance levels. A recursive algorithm is used for reliability evaluation of multi-state k-out-of-n systems with independent components. Then a fuzzy model is presented for minimization total cost subject to reliability constraint. In the fuzzy model a fuzzy constraint is used for reliability that may we use different weights to constraint and objective function, and as a consequence the amount of importance of each objective function and reliability constraint can consider. Finally a numerical example is given.


This article reports how a prenatal clinic in a major urban teaching hospital has developed and integrated an HIV education and counseling program into routine prenatal care. The patient population served are predominantly minority women living in an inner-city community that has been disproportionately affected by the AIDS epidemic. Implementation of the patient program has required training and support for all professional staff. Staff training served as a foundation for this comprehensive patient program, which has reached all prenatal patients regardless of risk behavior. The program has succeeded in involving a large population of women in an educational program, has identified HIV-1 seropositive pregnant women through voluntary testing, and has provided them with the necessary medical and social work services. Principles of program development are identified for use in other settings.


Although pulmonary fibrin deposition and coagulation abnormalities have been observed in acute lung injury in humans, their role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary disorders is unclear. In order to gain further insights into the role of the coagulation in lung injury, we examined the relationship between procoagulant activity in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids and the evolution of bleomycin-induced lung injury in marmosets. The BAL procoagulant activity was increased at 1, 2, and 4 wk after bleomycin challenge compared with that in control subjects, and it was capable of shortening the recalcification times of plasmas deficient in factor VII and factor VIII but not in factor X. This profile suggested the presence in BAL of an activator of factor X. Activation of purified human factor X by BAL was demonstrated by measuring the amidolytic activity of the generated factor Xa on its N-benzoyl-L-isoleucyl L-glutamyl-glycyl-L-argenine-p-nitroanilide substrate. Factor X activating activity was increased in BAL at 2 wk after bleomycin challenge. Cleavage of 125I-labeled human factor X by BAL from bleomycin-challenged marmosets yielded a 55,500 Mr product that comigrated with factor Xa, the appearance of which correlated strongly with amidolytic evidence of factor Xa activity. Electron microscopy of the lungs of animals from all groups revealed pulmonary fibrin deposition at 2 wk after bleomycin challenge, at the time of increased BAL procoagulant and factor X activating activity. The BAL procoagulant activity was completely sedimentable by ultracentrifugation and was inhibited by concanavalin A and phospholipase C. Activation of purified factor X by BAL was inhibited by monospecific polyclonal goat and rabbit antibodies to human factor VII as well as antibody to bovine tissue factor, demonstrating that factor X activating activity in BAL was attributable to tissue factor associated with material similar to factors VII or VIIa. We conclude that procoagulant activity in BAL increases after bleomycin challenge in marmosets and is attributable to activation of factor X by tissue factor associated with factors VII or VIIa-like material. Increased BAL procoagulant activity is temporally associated with pulmonary fibrin deposition and pulmonary fibrosis during bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury in the marmoset.


I analyzed the finger prints of 59 male and 48 female unrelated Bengalis in a rehabilitation camp of Dacca, Bangladesh. The most common pattern type in the Bengalis was the ulnar loop (53%), then whorls (40%); arches (5%) and radial loops (2%) were the least common. Radial loops occurred most frequently on the index fingers. I have shown the arch/whorl, whorl/loop, and pattern intensity indices, and I have presented ridge counts by individual digits and by total digital ridge count. Digital dermatoglyphics in the male Bangladeshis were similar to previous findings in male Brahmins of Bengal. However, there were more whorls and arches, fewer loops, and a higher mean total digital ridge count in the female Bangladeshis than in female Brahmins.


A longstanding goal of regulatory genetics is to understand how variants in genome sequences lead to changes in gene expression. Here we present a method named Bayesian Annotation Guided eQTL Analysis (BAGEA), a variational Bayes framework to model cis-eQTLs using directed and undirected genomic annotations. In a use case, we integrated directed genomic annotations with eQTL summary statistics from tissues of various origins. This analysis revealed epigenetic marks that are relevant for gene expression in different tissues and cell types. We estimated the predictive power of the models that were fitted based on directed genomic annotations. This analysis showed that, depending on the underlying eQTL data used, the directed genomic annotations could predict up to 1.5% of the variance observed in the expression of genes with top nominal eQTL association p-values < 10−7. For genes with estimated effect sizes in the top 25% quantile, up to 5% of the expression variance could be predicted. Based on our results, we recommend the use of BAGEA for the analysis of cis-eQTL data to reveal annotations relevant to expression biology.


This research examined the conditional cash transfer program of the Philippines, dubbed Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya), through a historical institutional approach. It sought to answer the questions, ―Why did the Philippine government decide to embark on a CCT program? How has this decision been influenced by the historical and institutional contexts of social policy of the country, as well as the various forces in the state and in society, and with what implications?‖

The results show that on the surface, the government's decision to adopt, continue, and subsequently expand CCTs has been triggered by the urgent need to address poverty in the country, as well as the intent to meet the MDG targets, especially as regards reduction of poverty and hunger, and improvement in education and health indicators. But digging deeper, this decision only reflects the country's unchanged social policy trajectory epitomized by the bias for targeted, palliative, and purportedly apolitical social provision measures, not to mention externally-influenced, drawing ―encouragement‖ and financial support from multilateral institutions, all at the expense of structural reform and redistribution. The results further show that the very nature of the scheme which is loath to confront structural issues, paints a bleak picture for the long-term solution of the problems of poverty and inequality, and the necessary shift towards a more redistributive and/or universal social provision.

If anything, the Philippine case (re)emphasizes the fact that social policymaking is never a straightforward process, and that there is no hard and fast rule to explain the policy positions of forces in the state and in society at certain junctures.