OBJECTIVE
To understand why children exposed to adverse psychosocial experiences are at elevated risk for age-related disease, such as cardiovascular disease, by testing whether adverse childhood experiences predict enduring abnormalities in stress-sensitive biological systems, namely, the nervous, immune, and endocrine/metabolic systems.

DESIGN
A 32-year prospective longitudinal study of a representative birth cohort.

SETTING
New Zealand.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 1037 members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Main Exposures During their first decade of life, study members were assessed for exposure to 3 adverse psychosocial experiences: socioeconomic disadvantage, maltreatment, and social isolation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
At age 32 years, study members were assessed for the presence of 3 age-related-disease risks: major depression, high inflammation levels (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level >3 mg/L), and the clustering of metabolic risk biomarkers (overweight, high blood pressure, high total cholesterol, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high glycated hemoglobin, and low maximum oxygen consumption levels.

RESULTS
Children exposed to adverse psychosocial experiences were at elevated risk of depression, high inflammation levels, and clustering of metabolic risk markers. Children who had experienced socioeconomic disadvantage (incidence rate ratio, 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-2.62), maltreatment (1.81; 1.38-2.38), or social isolation (1.87; 1.38-2.51) had elevated age-related-disease risks in adulthood. The effects of adverse childhood experiences on age-related-disease risks in adulthood were nonredundant, cumulative, and independent of the influence of established developmental and concurrent risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS
Children exposed to adverse psychosocial experiences have enduring emotional, immune, and metabolic abnormalities that contribute to explaining their elevated risk for age-related disease. The promotion of healthy psychosocial experiences for children is a necessary and potentially cost-effective target for the prevention of age-related disease.


Warfarin has remained the most commonly prescribed vitamin K oral anticoagulant worldwide since its approval in 1954. Dosing challenges including having a narrow therapeutic window and a wide interpatient variability in dosing requirements have contributed to making it the most studied drug in terms of genotype-phenotype relationships. However, most of these studies have been conducted in Whites or Asians which means the current pharmacogenomics evidence-base does not reflect ethnic diversity. Due to differences in minor allele frequencies of key genetic variants, studies conducted in Whites/Asians may not be applicable to underrepresented populations such as Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians/other Pacific Islanders. This may exacerbate health inequalities when Whites/Asians have better anticoagulation profiles due to the existence of validated pharmacogenomic dosing algorithms which fail to perform similarly in the underrepresented populations. To examine the extent to which individual races/ethnicities are represented in the existing body of pharmacogenomic evidence, we review evidence pertaining to published pharmacogenomic dosing algorithms, including clinical utility studies, cost-effectiveness studies and clinical implementation guidelines that have been published in the warfarin field.


BACKGROUND
There is strong evidence that iron homeostasis is impaired in the aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain and that this contributes to neurodegeneration. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) has been identified as the strongest genetic risk factor for AD. However, the interaction between the two has yet to be fully explored.

OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between exogenous iron levels and ApoE in neurons and astrocytes.

METHODS
Our study used primary cultured cortical neurons and astrocytes to investigate the changes in ApoE caused by iron. Western blot and RT-PCR were used to measure ApoE.

RESULTS
We observed that iron upregulated intracellular ApoE levels in both neurons and astrocytes at the post-transcriptional and transcriptional level, respectively. However, there was less full-length ApoE secreted by neurons and astrocytes after iron treatment. We speculate that this might impair brain lipid metabolism and amyloid-β clearance. In terms of ApoE receptors, we observed that neuronal LRP-1 levels were increased by the addition of exogenous iron, which could contribute to AβPP endocytosis in neurons. However, there were no significant changes in neuronal LDLR, astrocyte LDLR, or astrocyte LRP-1.

CONCLUSION
Our study reveals that iron may contribute to the pathogenesis of AD by affecting ApoE and its receptors and supports the notion that iron chelation should be investigated as a therapeutic strategy for AD.


The zeta potential is a measure of electric potential at the mineral‐electrolyte interfaces. The zeta potential of natural sandstones depends on mineralogy, electrolyte pH, concentration, composition, amount of dissolved CO2, and temperature. We report for the first time the zeta potential measured on clayey sandstone comprising quartz, kaolinite, illite, albite and microcline saturated with NaCl solutions at supercritical CO2 conditions. Our results demonstrate that zeta potentials in clayey sandstone samples at supercritical CO2 conditions are significantly different from similar measurements conducted under ambient conditions and from those obtained with clean sandstones. Supercritical CO2 zeta potential remains negative but is influenced by clays and feldspars due to their significant presence and exposure to large pores, which yields less negative zeta potential compared to quartz, under identical conditions. Our results have significant implications to natural subsurface systems such as CO2 geo‐sequestration sites, aquifers, geothermal sources and hydrocarbon reservoirs.


SUMMARY Reconstruction of oral cavity and oropharyngeal defects following radical surgery for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) can be achieved by a variety of options. In selected cases myocutaneous platysma flap (MPF) may be a valid choice. However, several anatomical and oncological controversies on the use of this flap are debated. A retrospective study on 61 patients treated between January 2005 and December 2017 in two referral centres in which MPF was used for the reconstruction of defects following surgical resection of SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx was conducted. The technique of flap harvesting with anatomic details is described. In all cases the submental artery was sacrificed preserving the facial artery. All clinical data were collected. Tumours involved the oral cavity in 95.1% of cases, and the oropharynx in 4.9%. Pathological staging (TNM 7th edition) of tumours was: pT1 (42.6%), pT2 (39.3%), pT3 (4.9%) and pT4a (13.1%). Success rate of the flap was 93.4%. Four (6.5%) patients developed a partial necrosis of the skin paddle without platysma muscle involvement; none required surgical revision. The mean follow-up was 69 months (5-153 months). Thirteen patients (21.3%) developed a local recurrence, and in 1 patient was associated with contralateral neck metastasis. The MPF can be a suitable option in head and neck reconstruction of small or medium-sized defects in selected cases. The vascular pedicle can be provided by branches of the facial artery achieving both oncological radicality and optimal flap vascular supply.


The dynamics of the asymmetric D + MuH (Mu = Muonium) reaction leading to Mu exchange, DMu + H, and H abstraction, DH + Mu, channels has been investigated using time-independent quantum mechanical (QM) calculations. Reaction probabilities, cross sections, cumulative reaction probabilities, and rate coefficients were determined for the two exit channels of the reaction. Quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations were also performed in order to check the reliability of the method for this reaction and to discern the genuine quantum effects. Overall, the Mu exchange channel exhibits more structured reaction probabilities and cross sections with much larger rate coefficients than the H abstraction counterpart. Over the 100-1000 K temperature interval considered in this study, the QM rate coefficients for the Mu exchange vary between ≈5 × 10(-15) and 2 × 10(-11) cm(3) s(-1) and those for the generation of DH + Mu between 2 × 10(-18) and 3.5 × 10(-12) cm(3) s(-1). In common with the rest of the isotopologues of the H + H2 system, the height of the respective barriers in the collinear (symmetric stretch) vibrationally adiabatic potential energy curves matches the classical total energy threshold very accurately. Indeed, the lower and narrower vibrationally adiabatic collinear barrier as compared with that for the DH + Mu formation determines the preponderance of the DMu + H channel. Comparison of QM and QCT results and their analysis show that tunneling accounts for the reactivity at energies below the height of these barriers and that its effect on the rate coefficients becomes appreciable below 300 K. As expected, with growing temperature the contribution of tunneling to the global reactivity decreases markedly, but the rate coefficients are still much higher for the Mu exchange channel due to the effect of MuH rotational excitation that boosts the formation of DMu while diminishing the H abstraction channel that leads to DH formation. The analysis of the thermal cumulative reaction probabilities of the two channels indicates that at the lowest energies/temperatures the reaction into the DH + Mu channel takes place via'leakage' from collisions proceeding along the DMu + H reaction path.


The authors examined the filiform and fungiform papillae surfaces of rat tongue by scanning electron microscopy showing the numerous groupings of bacteria on the epithelial cell membranes. The fungiform papillae were round in shape and present few bacteria. The epithelial cell of filiform papillae revealed numerous streptococci. The grouping of the bacteria are attached on the epithelial cell membrane, demonstrating three-dimensional SEM images.


Africans are intensely dispersed across the world due to conflicts, famine, oppression, and search for greener pasture, business, and quest for sound education. Irrespective of their location, Africans tend to retain their affinity, loyalty, and relate with their homelands and ethnic affiliations in manners defined by the reasons for their dispersion. These relationships are in the areas of their involvement in homeland politics (that is characteristically ethnic in Africa), skills and knowledge transfer, cultures and values propagation, international support mobilisation, and support for development efforts. In all, the media facilitates the Diaspora groups' active and positive involvement in these homeland affairs as it moderates and determines the effectiveness of the relationships. They tend to establish and manage their own media known generally as Diaspora media. This article used the social identity theory to explore the concept of Diaspora media; the various African Diasporic media, and achievements since the 20th century.


Schistosomiasis is the second most important parasitic infection, after malaria, mainly infecting people in the tropics. Praziquantel is a drug of choice for treatment of schistosomiasis, most of the affected people can hardly afford its cost. However, there have been reports of Praziquantel resistance. Oxamniquine is the only alternative to praziquantel for S. mansoni infection but has limited supply because it is expensive hence out of market and also only kills S. mansoni. Development of schistosomiasis treatment which is more effective and safe, from reasonably less expensive natural sources is the main consideration, especially for most vulnerable poor communities in endemic areas. This was rationally approached through the study of indigenous traditional plant remedies. The aim of this study was to determine antischistosomal activity of Solanum incanum roots and Carica papaya seeds extracts in BALB/c mice infected with S. mansoni. Schistosome cercaria was subjected to various concentrations of the plant extracts. Worm recovery, pathological, immunological and cercaricidal assays were carried out to measure the antischistosomal activity of aqueous and methanol extracts. Phytochemical screening of S. incanum roots and C. papaya seeds extracts was done and medicinal phytochemicals were detected which include; alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids and glycosides. The mice were infected with S. mansoni and then treated with two doses of both 150mg/kg body weight of S. incanum or C. papaya methanol and aqueous extracts or 450mg/kg body weight of praziquantel. Concentrations of plant extracts (5 μg/ml, 15 μg/ml and 30 μg/ml), were used on cercariae in vitro (cercaricidal assay). Generally the two plants demonstrated an attack of schistosomiasis mansoni disease at different dimensions: C. papaya, demonstrated greater abilities in reducing pathology to the extent where the liver had a few granulomas and in some cases without granuloma. There were elevated immune responses which were significantlydifferent (P<0.05) from that of Praziquantel, with a high protective immunity. Generally, C. papaya destroyed cercariae at the shortest time, 20 minute at the least concentration (5 μg/ml). Solanum incanum showed more efficacy in reducing worm burden compared to PZQ (P<0.05). The extract with effects close to the drug of choice PZQ was S. incanum, since it reduced greatly the number of worms which is quite crucial in schistosomes infection. In conclusion, the ethnic use of seeds of the C. papaya and the roots of S. incanum has been verified in the study. The effects of worm reduction, cercaricidal, reduction of pathology and induction of immune responses forms a strong basis as potential anti-schistosomal agents. The results of this study, however, calls for further investigations towards development of new antischistosomal remedy. Further studies are required to determine the right dosage, synergistic effects, isolation of the active compound (s) contained in the crude extracts and to establish the mechanism (s) of their action.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of calcium supplementation on the inflammatory response of vascular endothelial cells and the possible role and mechanism of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor(GPER)under the physiological conditions of estrogen deficiency(ovary removal).

METHODS
Forty healthy 8-week-old female C57 BL/6 mice were divided into 4 groups by random number table according to body weight, which were respectively the control group, ovarian removal group, ovarian removal high calcium group, and G1 ovarian removal high calcium group, each group ten. One week after the basal diet, the control group underwent sham surgery, and the ovaries-removed group, ovarian-removed high-calcium group, and G1 ovarian-removed high-calcium group were treated for ovarian removal. The control group and the ovary-removed group were fed basic feed(AIN-93 G, calcium content 0. 5%), the ovarian-removed high-calcium group and the G1 implanted ovarian-removed high-calcium group were fed high-calcium feed(adjusted AIN-93 G, calcium content 1. 5%). Three months later, mice in the control, ovarian-removed, and ovarian-reduced high-calcium groups were implanted with a placebo subcutaneously, and G1 ovarian-removed high-calcium groups were implanted with a GPER specific agonist G1, intervention for 28 days, under the anesthesia state, collect blood from 40 mice, isolate serum to measure vascular endothelial adhesion factor-1(VCAM-1), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), estradiol and blood calcium concentration; take aortic arch for immunization histochemical detection of transient receptor potential channel 1(TRPC1), phosphorylated-extracellular regulated kinase(p-ERK)1/2, VCAM-1 and CD68 expression levels. SPSS software performs statistical analysis and draws conclusion.

RESULTS
The differences in weight gain between the three groups and the control group were statistically significant(P<0. 05), while the differences in weight between the three groups were not statistically significant(P>0. 05). There were statistically significant differences in serum estradiol levels between the three groups, the ovariectomized high calcium group, and the G1 ovariectomized group implanted with the control group(P<0. 05). The difference was not statistically significant(P>0. 05). The differences in serum VCAM-1 concentrations between the control group and the other three groups were statistically significant(P<0. 05). The difference in serum VCAM-1 concentration was statistically significant between the ovariectomized group and the implanted G1 ovariectomized high calcium group and the ovariectomized high calcium group(P<0. 05). There was no significant difference in serum VCAM-1 concentration in the group(P>0. 05). There was no significant difference in TNF-α concentration between the four groups(P>0. 05). By immunohistochemistry, the percentages of TRPC1, p-ERK1/2, VCAM-1, and CD68-positive cell areas in the ovarian high-calcium group were significantly higher than those in the ovarian-removed group and the G1-ovarian-removed high-calcium group. The difference was statistically significant(P<0. 05), and the difference in the percentage of positive cell area between the ovarian-removed group and the G1-removed high-calcium group was not statistically significant(P>0. 05).

CONCLUSION
In the state of estrogen deficiency, calcium supplementation causes an increase in inflammatory response, which may be related to the change in GPER activity, and then affect the TRPC1/ERK1/2 pathway.


For over forty years, the soccer was considered in South Africa an important scenario in the struggle for freedom, obtaining the anti-apartheid movement symbolic, but crucial achievements in this sphere when the local federation was suspended by FIFA from all international competitions until 1992. Once democracy, the soccer -like other sportshas been considered an instance of encounter and reconciliation in a society marked by racial cleavages, thus awarding the FIFA World Cup was hailed by the South Africa's people and the African continent as a great victory that raised expectations about the benefits of this event to improve the quality of life for millions of people. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze the political, economical and social motivations behind the organization of FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010. It is an explanatory study supported by the review of secondary sources and official data provided by the South African government aimed at estimating the diplomatic implications of an event that clearly surpassed the purely sporting.


This paper approaches the issue of performance requirements and construction criteria for masonry enclosure and infill walls. Vertical building enclosures in European countries include, very often, non-loadbearing masonry walls, using horizontally hollowed clay bricks. These walls are generally supported and confined by a reinforced concrete frame structure of columns, beams or slabs. Since these walls are commonly considered to be non-structural elements, and their influence over the structural response is ignored, their consideration in the design of structures as well as its linkage to the surrounding structure is often negligent or insufficiently detailed. In consequence, non-structural elements, as for wall enclosures, are relatively sensitive to drift and acceleration demands when buildings are subjected to seismic actions. Many international standards and technical documents alert to the need of acceptability criteria for non-structural walls, however they do not specifically indicate how to prevent collapse and severe cracking and how to enhance the overall stability for severe seismic loading. In this paper, appropriate measures are proposed to improve both in-plane and out-of-plane integrity and the performance behaviour under seismic actions of external leaf of double leaf cavity walls as well as premature disintegration of the infill walls.


In this work, we characterize the formation and evolution of electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) in the space-charge neutralization of ion beams using particle-in-cell simulations. These waves become excited when the electrons emitted from an external filament source initiate a two-stream instability in the beam. We show that such electrostatic waves become excited in both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) beams with different shapes and sizes. Through a 1D Bernstein–Greene–Kruskal (BGK) analysis of the 2D beam, we find that the non-Maxwellian nature of the beam electrons gives rise to large-sized ESWs that are not predicted by BGK theory since it assumes a Maxwellian electron velocity distribution in the beam. Finally, we show that a 1D BGK theory is inadequate to describe ESWs in 3D beams because of complex electron trajectories.


Background: Transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) is a regional anaesthesia technique. Analgesia is given following lower abdomen surgery, especially if parietal wall pain is a significant cause of suffering. Local anaesthetic deposition can be used to visually block the skin of the lower abdominal wall and the muscles over the Transversus Abdominis muscle. The goal of the investigation was to determine the efficacy of 0.25 percent Levobupivacaine and 0.5 percent Ropivacaine as analgesics in the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Post-Surgical Analgesia after Lower Abdominal Surgery. Material and Methods : 60 patients between the ages of 18 and 60 who underwent elective lower abdominal surgery and had an ASA grade I or II were included in the study. The TAP block was given using a double pop technique with an 18 gauge hypodermic needle. Rescue analgesia was provided postoperatively for a VAS of greater than 4. The drug of choice for treating pain was injection Tramadol. The criteria for rescue analgesia were also examined. Results : Both categories were equal in the demographic information. The diagnosis and the procedures carried out were the same in both courses. The drop in VAS score was equivalent in both classes. (P> 0.05). In the postoperative stage, rescue analgesia was required in both classes. Conclusion : Following lower abdominal surgery, Levobupivacaine and Ropivacaine produce comparable analgesia in the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Post-Surgical Analgesia.


As of May 1988, the Government of Quebec introduced a lump sum birth grant of $500 to assist families on the occasion of the birth of a child or of the adoption of a first or second child. When there are three or more children in the family, the grant is increased to $375 per quarter until the child reaches the age of two. In addition, as of January 1989, a young children's allowance was introduced for families with at least one child under the age of six. The allowance replaces the previous "availability allowance," but provides a higher level of benefit.


Rapid cycling mood disorder is an unusual and difficult syndrome to recognize in the elderly. A case of this disorder is presented in a patient with subtle central nervous system dysfunction who was treated for depression with tricyclic anti depressants. CNS dysfunction and antidepressants have both been identified as risk factors for rapid cycling. Successful treatment with carbamazepine lends credence to the concept of limbic system dysregulation being an underlying, important factor in cyclical affective disorder. ( J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1989;2:106-108).


An inventory of educational peer-reviewed, scholarly journals worldwide, including journals on-line, isunder construction in an ongoing project called REMI /Research in Education Mirrored In EducationalJournals. A history of educational journals and educational research according to what has beenpublished 1900-2007 is as well to be outlined. In this paper the collected data is used to examine in whatway research asking questions concerning education and inequality has been published. What patterns ofresearch publication appear, during the 20th century and a few years into the 21st century, when it comesto research concerning education and inequality? Two approaches will be presented in this paper. Firsteducational peer-reviewed, scholarly journals indexed in well-known databases as Academic SearchElite /Ebsco, DOAJ, Elsevier Science Direct, Emerald, Electric Journals Library, ERIC, Ingenta andProquest are looked into. Some of these databases have between 200 and 300 indexed educationaljournals. Others have more than 600 educational journals indexed. All of these are included and the onesthat overlap reduce the number. The educational journals collected out of these databases arecategorized according to their names, aims and scope. The constructed map indicates an absence offocus on education and inequality. Issues of inequality have however not been overlooked over theyears, as we all know. It can be assumed that the research body in question is to be identified and lookedfor elsewhere. A second approach in this paper digs deeper into a sample of educational journals. Whathas been published in this sample of educational journals from the beginning of the 20th century untilnowadays? In the intention to reach a globalized perspective, the affiliation of the author is looked at. Apicture is constructed of what kind of questions that are lifted in different parts of the world and inwhich context of scientific discipline. Are there peaks in time or periods of neglecting? What exactly isthe research about? The bibliometric-collected information about educational research published ineducational journals concerned with education and inequality, the picture given, is sociologicallyanalyzed in a multi-perspective, critical theory-and-method-design. Concepts offered by Bourdieu andhis theory of reflexivity is used, theories of research communication and discourse theories. Questionsabout the role of educational journals in the construction of the educational field are raised. Alsoquestions about dominating discourses, power and knowledge, social mechanisms and social fieldsrelated to scientific practise. A more transformative approach in educational research in order to enhancecommunication and knowledge production seems to be needed.


Sixteen yearling Angus bulls were randomly assigned to one of two temperature-controlled chambers to determine the effects of elevated ambient temperature on body functions and semen characteristics. After 8 wk adjustment at 23 C, eight heat-stressed bulls were exposed to 35 +/- 1 C for 8 h and 31 +/- 1 C for 16 h during each 24-h period, and eight control bulls were maintained at 23 +/- 1 C for 8 wk. Then all bulls were exposed to 23 C for 8 wk. Bulls were fed so that both control and stressed bulls gained at similar rates (.58 kg/d). Semen was collected with an artificial vagina twice weekly before, during and after heat stress. During treatment, the respiratory rate of stressed bulls was greater (P less than .001) than that of control bulls (54.2 +/- 1.5, 29.9 +/- 1.5 breaths/min, respectively). Rectal temperatures were increased (P less than .01) from 38.2 +/- .1 to 38.7 +/- .1 C and water consumption was increased by 35% in stressed bulls when compared with controls. Semen volume was not altered by treatment, but percentage of motile sperm decreased (P less than .01) in stressed bulls by 2 wk after the start of heat treatment. Sperm motility of stressed bulls returned to normal values 8 wk after the end of heat treatment. Similarly, the percentage of aged acrosomes on sperm from stressed bulls increased (P less than .01) by the second week of treatment and remained greater than that of controls throughout the stress period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In 1980, Clair C. Patterson stated: "Sometime in the near future it probably will be shown that the older urban areas of the United States have been rendered more or less uninhabitable by the millions of tons of poisonous industrial lead residues that have accumulated in cities during the past century". We live in the near future about which this quote expressed concern. This special volume of 19 papers explores the status of scientific evidence regarding Dr. Patterson's statement on the habitability of the environments of communities. Authors from 10 countries describe a variety of lead issues in the context of large and small communities, smelter sites, lead industries, lead-based painted houses, and vehicle fuel treated with lead additives dispersed by traffic. These articles represent the microcosm of the larger health issues associated with lead. The challenges of lead risk require a concerted global action for primary prevention.


While spleen cells from neonatal B10 (H-2b) are reactive (proliferate) in one-way mixed leukocyte culture, cell-mediated lympholysis reactivity does not arise until 7 days of age. When B10 cells are sensitized to B10.D2 (H-2d), cross-killing of third-party B10.BR (H-2k) target is always lower than the specific killing of B10.D2 targets and is not demonstrable until 27 days after birth.


The phase equilibrium behavior of a typical colloidal dispersion by the van der Waals-like theory was studied. In this theory, the colloid–colloid potential is split into two parts: a repulsive part modeled by the hard-core potential and an attractive part modeled by the square-well potential corrected by a linear tail. The theory is numerically elegant since the colloidal free energy is analytic and, physically, the model can be used to study the role played by the strength and range of interactions on the formation of coexisting phases. The effect of the strength of the interaction can be accounted for by varying the width of the square-well potential (simulated by γ parameter) while the range of the interaction—by changing the "slope" of the linear potential (simulated by λ parameter). In this work, we consider three separate cases. First, we fixed the threshold values γth, being γLLth = 0.221 for liquid–liquid and γSSth = 0.0329 for solid–solid, and increased λ to examine the appearance of the liquid–liquid and solid–solid coexistence curves which were both calculated with respect to their liquid–solid counterparts. Second, we fixed the threshold values λth, being λLLth = 0.325 for liquid–liquid and λSSth = 0.0456 for solid–solid, and increased γ
 (keeping the λ-slope unchanged) to bring in the strength of the interaction. In these two cases, the calculations showed that a switching on of λ or γ has the consequence of inducing stable liquid–liquid or metastable solid–solid coexisting phases. Finally, we maintained a given γ plus λ. Here the calculated liquid–liquid and solid–solid phase diagrams can be analyzed in finer details to exhibit the combined influences of the strength and range of interactions.


Objective: To compare the short term anti-schizophrenic efficacy and side effect profile of aripiprazole with risperidone. Methodology: The study was a non-randomized, naturalistic, rater blinded, prospective, 8-12 weeks, comparative trial between the risperidone and aripiprazole in patients with schizophrenia. Patients already getting treatment with aripiprazole (10 to 30 mg/day) or risperidone (3 to 8mg/day) were recruited. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Plus, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), Simpson Angus Scale (SAS), Udvalg for Klinske Undersogelser (UKU) Scale, Clinical Global Impression-severity scales were administered by principal investigator on the day of recruitment. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI, waist, hip, waist circumference) blood pressure and pulse rate were measured on day 1 and during follow up. All tests except MINI plus were administered again after 8-12weeks. Results: Both aripiprazole and risperidone treated patients have shown significant improvement on positive and negative symptoms but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Mean improvement in patient rated improvement scale score showed a trend towards significance favoring aripiprazole. Common adverse events (seen in ≥ 5% of patients) as assessed by the UKU Scale occurred more frequently in the risperidone group than in the aripiprazole group. Drug induced extra pyramidal symptoms were more common in risperidone treated patients. Aripiprazole showed less treatment emerged weight gain. Conclusion: Aripiprazole is equally efficacious and better tolerated than risperidone in patients with schizophrenia over a short-term period of eight weeks. Aripiprazole showed better patient satisfaction and side effect profile.


The halal label is the output of LPPOM MUI for products that have passed the halal certification process. The study analyzes the effect of product halal labels on purchasing decisions and to find out how much influence it has on consumers of the TIP TOP Supermarket Ciputat. The research method uses descriptive correlation with a quantitative approach. The findings of this study state that the halal label on the product has a significant positive effect on consumer purchasing decisions at the TIP TOP Ciputat Supermarket, with a correlation significance value of 0.420 and a coefficient of determination of 17.64%. While the other 82.36% is the influence of other factors.


We examine the phase and the period of the radiation-induced oscillatory magnetoresistance in GaAs/AlGaAs devices utilizing in situ magnetic field calibration by electron spin resonance of diphenyl-picryl-hydrazal. The results confirm a f-independent 1/4-cycle phase shift with respect to the hf=j variant Planck's over 2pi omega(c) condition for j>/=1, and they also suggest a small ( approximately 2%) reduction in the effective mass ratio, m(*)/m, with respect to the standard value for GaAs/AlGaAs devices.


Tremendous advances have occurred in the care of patients with HIV/AIDS resulting from the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This has led to differences in the presentations of HIV-related pulmonary disease. Infections such as bacterial pneumonias, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae, remain commonplace, while opportunistic agents such as Pneumocystis jirovecii remain a concern in patients without adequate access to optimal medical care. The tuberculosis epidemic, once thought to be slowing, has been re-energized by the spread of HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Unusual inflammatory responses due to a phenomenon of immune reconstitution, are now recognized as a consequence of HAART, with a reported incidence of IRIS in this setting ranges from 7 to 45% in retrospective reviews. Noninfectious pulmonary conditions such as chronic obstructive lung disease and pulmonary malignancies are gaining prominence as patients are accessing antiretroviral care and enjoying significantly extended survival.


Objective Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients does not halt disease progression, as these patients will progress and develop disabling non-levodopa responsive symptoms. These features may act as milestones that represent the overall functionality of patients after DBS. The objective of this study was to investigate the development of clinical milestones in advanced PD patients who underwent bilateral STN-DBS. Methods The study evaluated PD patients who underwent STN-DBS at baseline up to their last follow-up using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and Hoehn and Yahr scale. The symptoms of hallucinations, dysarthria, dysphagia, frequent falls, difficulty walking, cognitive impairment and the loss of autonomy were chosen as the clinical milestones. Results A total of 106 patients with a mean age of 47.21 ± 10.52 years at disease onset, a mean age of 58.72 ± 8.74 years at surgery and a mean disease duration of 11.51 ± 4.4 years before surgery were included. Initial improvement of motor symptoms was seen after the surgery with the appearance of clinical milestones over time. Using the moderately disabling criteria, 81 patients (76.41%) developed at least one clinical milestone, while 48 patients (45.28%) developed a milestone when using the severely disabling criteria. Conclusion STN-DBS has a limited effect on axial and nonmotor symptoms of the PD patients, in contrast to the effect on motor symptoms. These symptoms may serve as clinical milestones that can convey the status of PD patients and its impact on the patients and their caregivers. Therefore, advanced PD patients, even those treated with bilateral STN-DBS, will still require assistance and cannot live independently in the long run.


In this paper we study polynomials in VPe (polynomial-sized formulas) and in ΣΠΣ (polynomial-size depth-3 circuits) whose orbits, under the action of the affine group GLaffn (F) (the action of (A, b) ∈ GLaffn (F) on a polynomial f ∈ F[x] is defined as (A, b) ο f = f (AT x + b)), are dense in their ambient class. We construct hitting sets and interpolating sets for these orbits as well as give reconstruction algorithms. Specifically, we obtain the following results: 1. For [EQUATION], where the ℓis are linearly independent linear functions, we construct a polynomial-sized interpolating set, and give a polynomial-time reconstruction algorithm. By a result of Bringmann, Ikenmeyer and Zuiddam, the set of all such polynomials is dense in VPe [14], thus our construction gives the first polynomial-size interpolating set for a dense subclass of VPe. 2. For polynomials of the form ANFΔ (ℓ1(x),..., ℓ4Δ(x)) where ANFΔ(x) is the canonical read-once formula in alternating normal form, of depth 2Δ, and the ℓis are linearly independent linear functions, we provide a quasipolynomial-size interpolating set. We also observe that the reconstruction algorithm of [35] works for all polynomials in this class. This class is also dense in VPe. 3. Similarly, we give a quasipolynomial-sized hitting set for read-once formulas (not necessarily in alternating normal form) composed with a set of linearly independent linear functions. This gives another dense class in VPe. 4. We give a quasipolynomial-sized hitting set for polynomials of the form f(ℓ1(x),..., ℓm(x)), where f is an m-variate s-sparse polynomial. and the ℓis are linearly independent linear functions in n ≥ m variables. This class is dense in ΣΠΣ. 5. For polynomials of the form Σsi=1 Πdj=1 ℓi,j (x), where the ℓi,js are linearly independent linear functions, we construct a polynomial-sized interpolating set. We also observe that the reconstruction algorithm of [45] works for every polynomial in the class. This class is dense in ΣΠΣ. As VP = VNC2, our results for VPe translate immediately to VP with a quasipolynomial blow up in parameters. If any of our hitting or interpolating sets could be made robust then this would immediately yield a hitting set for the superclass in which the relevant class is dense, and as a consequence also a lower bound for the superclass. Unfortunately, we also prove that the kind of constructions that we have found (which are defined in terms of k-independent polynomial maps) do not necessarily yield robust hitting sets.


Towards the end of 1859, I gave an account to the Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpool of certain indications of ice passing over and grooving the rocks in Toxteth Park. Since that time I have found the same appearances in two other places, and that a far greater interest is attached to the discovery than was at first anticipated; it seems therefore desirable that the particulars should be made known through the Geological Society. Toxteth Park.—The first locality which was noticed is between Park Hill Road and the Dingle. It is near a quarry in the "Pebblebeds" of the "Bunter" formation, where the strata dip 10° E. The surface of the rock inclines 5° N.E. The direction of the striations is N.W. by N., or more correctly N. 42° W., allowing for variation. After the discovery, I employed a labourer to clear away some more of the "Boulder-clay" which originally covered the surface of the rock to the depth of about 9 feet, until at least 20 square yards were visible; and no doubt the appearances extend over a considerable extent. The elevation is about 120 feet above the level of the sea. Boundary Lane, Kirkdale.—The second locality is in the brickfields, about 50 yards north of Boundary Street, and 150 yards west of Gore Street, where 10 square yards of striated surface have been exposed for several years. The sandstone belongs to the base of the "Keuper" formation; the surface inclines about 5° in the same direction as


Conclusions. Homeostasis of endolymph volume is a complex mechanism, in which the endolymphatic sac (ES) may play an important role. Objectives. To elucidate the effect of acute endolymphatic hydrops (EH) on the ES and to gain further information about the volume and pressure regulative function of the ES. Materials and methods. Distilled water was injected into the middle ear cavity of adult CBA/J mice. The ESs were studied morphologically by light and transmission electron microscopy. Results. Mild EH was found, particularly in the upper turn of the cochlea. Acute EH led to an increase in the size of the ES lumen, accompanied by collapse of the lateral intercellular spaces and dense perisaccular tissue, changes which had reversed 2 h after the injection.


This paper addresses the problem of increasing order variances in multi-tier supply chains. The majority of current approaches for reducing this problem, namely the bullwhip effect, rely on information sharing and/or cooperative planning in inter-organizational systems. Due to multiple barriers in implementing these approaches, we maintain the local autonomy of the participants in the supply chain and provide a multiagent-oriented solution to the problem. In particular, we design an agent-based reverse pricing model for matching supply and demand between independent agents. We adopt reverse pricing for operational procurement decisions and matchmaking that can be automated to a large extent. We evaluate our proposal by conducting a simulation study using a multiagent-based simulation system, and show that the novel approach results in a significant reduction of the bullwhip effect.


The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly challenged many men's mental health. Efforts to control the spread of the virus have led to increasing social disconnection, fueling concerns about its long-term effects on men's mental health, and more specifically their experience of psychological distress. Social disconnection, psychological distress, and the relationship between them have yet to be formally explored in a Canadian male sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study examined whether reduced social connection among men was associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms (psychological distress) and whether this association was moderated by living alone. The sample consisted of 434 help-seeking Canadian men who completed standardized measures. Analyses controlled for the potentially confounding effects of age and fear of COVID-19. Findings revealed that less social connection was associated with increased psychological distress. This association was not moderated by living alone, nor was living alone directly associated with psychological distress. Younger age and fear of COVID-19 were each independently associated with psychological distress. Socially disconnected men were more likely to experience anxiety and depressive symptoms, suggesting the need for interventions focussed on men's social connectedness, social support, and belongingness to help reduce some COVID-19-induced mental health risks.


ABSTRACT Wahyu Setiawan. D1215056. KULTIVASI DALAM BERMAIN GAME ONLINE (Studi Kasus Pembentukan Realitas Subjektif tentang Petualangan pada Pemain Game Ingress). Skripsi. Program Studi Ilmu Komunikasi Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Politik Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta. 2017. This research is inspired by the phenomenon which more online games are made to resemble real-world reality, one of those game is Ingress. The existence of Ingress that play like an adventure in the real world, feared to bring their players indirectly affected by the values that exist in the Ingress. This phenomenon encourages researcher to examine how the process of establishing a subjective reality of adventure in the Ingress. The purpose of this study is to know the views of Ingress players about the meaning of adventure in the real world, as well as to know how the subjective reality of adventure in Ingress is formed. Using the cultivation theory approach, the researcher tried to see the process of establishing subjective reality against five informants. All the five informants are Ingress player. This research is a qualitative paradigm research with case study method. Interview technique is used to obtain primary data sources, using snowball sampling to determine five informants. In this study, data analysis is done by basing on theoretical proposition, then develop into a case description. Finally researcher use triangulation of source and document for validation process. After conducting the interview and analyzing them, the researcher got the result that there are different views about adventure in the real world, and the formation of subjective reality of adventure in Ingress. There are several factors that influence the formation of subjective reality. These factors include exposure to the use of Ingress games, the belief of adventure experiences, social contact, the influence of the cyber community, and the resulting impact of gaining new knowledge. Keywords: Subjective Reality, Adventure, Game Ingress


In Colombia, three decades of neoliberal policies have driven deeper inequalities, precarious livelihoods and displacement amongst the rural poor. Yet the particularity of the Colombian case is that it is the far-right that has taken political leadership over the dislocations and discontents generated by neoliberalism. Here, a form of reactionary authoritarian populism, with origins in counterinsurgent groups, landlords and narco-mafias, has strengthened its dominance over both the state and civil society in the contemporary era. This paper seeks to provide an interpretation of this phenomenon through a closer examination of the dynamics of political mobilisation around the processes of agrarian change. My argument is that contemporary right-wing populism can be traced back to the historical trajectories of Colombia's rural struggles. Throughout the course of capitalist development in the Colombian countryside, landlords linked to local and regional political machines and military forces have blocked reforms at every turn, instead engineering a landlord-led, reactionary path of agrarian change. Since the 1980s and 1990s, these reactionary forces have gradually augmented their political power by building counterinsurgent paramilitary militias with a strong social base amongst the displaced, informal and unorganised new working classes in semiurban areas. Taking a case study of the dynamics of mobilisation, organisation and alliance-building amongst various political forces in the face of a rapidly transforming rural society in the Middle Magdalena region, this paper seeks to provide new insights into the everyday politics of far-right mobilisation Colombia. ERPI 2018 International Conference Authoritarian Populism and the Rural World


This study was conducted to determine the incorrect strategies developed by seventh-grade students to solve problems that require proportional reasoning and evaluate their solutions according to SOLO Taxonomy. This two-stage case study was conducted in a public school in the Central Black Sea region. The Proportional Reasoning Skill Test was administered to 33 seventh-grade students in the first stage. In the second stage, semi-structured interviews were held with 10 students by determining the 5 problems that students made mistakes in most. The students developed 5 different incorrect strategies when solving problems requiring proportional reasoning: additive relationships, data neglect, using numbers and no content, giving an emotional response, and failure to identify non-proportional situations. Students had difficulty identifying non-proportional situations and established additive relationships in problems requiring multiplicative relationships. Also, the levels of the participants were examined with the SOLO Taxonomy Rubric developed for proportional reasoning skills. Accordingly, the students with a high level of proportional reasoning were at abstract and relational structure levels, whereas those with moderate scores were at uni-structural and multi-structural levels. The students with low scores had low-level skills according to SOLO Taxonomy criteria.


This article looks at the role of music in the Australian novelist Patrick White's life and works. Just as composers have used a knowledge of literature to colour their music, some writers have drawn on their love and knowledge of music. White is considered within the context of writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and D.H. Lawrence, where musical knowledge is manifest in words in the use of musical structures, techniques and allusions. In addition the article uses the many references to music in White's letters to demonstrate what he listened to, and how this coloured his texts, with a particular focus on the short stories and on three novels: The Aunt's Story (1948), Voss (1957) and Riders in the Chariot (1974).


In contrast to the tremendous increase in practical opportunities and theoretical knowledge in the western world, resulting in a doubling of our average life expectancy, the number of diseases has not been reduced during the last 150 years. This apparent contradiction, secondary to changes in environmental influences and sociocultural developments such as smoking habits, sedentary lifestyles, fast food meals, stressful jobs, etc, have led to the introduction of newer definitions for illnesses. From this perspective, the illness pattern has changed during the last century and a half from infectious diseases to more culturally influenced diseases, such as coronary artery disease (CAD). However, to date, following thorough research, no evidence is available that these cultural influences are the sole initiators in the process of atherosclerotic plaque formation. Albeit that plaque formation is the result of a variety of processes culminating in CAD, the search for the initial trigger is ongoing. During the last few years, more and more evidence has become available that an inflammatory response plays a key role in atherosclerotic plaque formation leading to CAD.

These mediators of inflammation interact with nervous signalling transduction pathways arising from the environment of the atherosclerotic plaque. The inflammatory substances released during myocardial ischaemia are relevant to progression of the atherosclerotic process in the narrowed coronary arteries. In contrast, the recruited nervous and neurohumoral pathways during cardiac ischaemic challenges are thought to be involved in maintaining the integrity of the myocytes.

Subsequently, myocardial ischaemia, angina pectoris signalling pathways, and neurohumoral and inflammatory responses are considered to be key players in atherosclerotic heart disease.

This article discusses newer insights into the pathophysiology of chronic (refractory) angina pectoris, resulting from stable atherosclerotic CAD, and suggests some potential additional treatments.

### Atherosclerosis

During the initial phase in the atherosclerotic process, the vascular wall thickens in conjunction with luminal …


This paper contains reflections on the experience of fieldwork carried out in Nicaragua into urban gangs in Managua. It examines the dilemmas encountered by an anthropologist employing participant observation, in which he became accepted as a member of a gang. In the process, it provides an original insight into the inner workings of such urban gangs.


This paper addresses the analysis of die attach disbonds (delaminations) of silicon die in a multichip module (MCM). A silicon die attached to a silicon substrate in an MCM requires good adhesion for thermal dissipation and reliability purposes. Traditionally, die attach is evaluated by destructively measuring adhesion or non-destructively measuring voiding through x-ray radiography. For this paper, non-destructive acoustic microscopy and destructive dye penetrant testing were used to supplement the x-ray radiography. A sample in which x-ray radiography showed little die attach voiding had significant die attach disbonds at both the die/die attach interface as well as the die attach/substrate interface. The disbonds were identified by the acoustic microscope. Interpretation of the acoustic microscopy data proved complex and required careful comparison of the C-mode images generated with the A-scans at specific locations. The nature of the disbonds at the A-scan locations was confirmed using dye penetrant testing, metallurgical cross section and optical microscopy. The disbonded areas can change the thermal dissipation characteristics and mechanical stress distribution of the sample and indicate processing problems. X-ray radiography is effective for determining density variations or voiding in the die attach and acoustic microscopy is effective for determining interface characteristics and the combination of the two techniques provides an excellent approach for evaluating die attach in MCM's. These techniques can be applied to interfacial analysis of other structures and can be used to characterize interfaces for modeling and establish evaluation criteria for non-destructive process monitoring.


Introduction
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction reduces mortality secondary to malignant arrhythmias. Whether end-stage heart failure (HF) with continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (cf-LVAD) derive similar benefits remains controversial.

Methods
We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of all published studies that examined the association between active ICDs and survival in advanced HF patients with cfLVAD. We searched PubMed, Medline, Embase, Ovid, and Cochrane for studies reporting the association between ICD and all-cause mortality in advanced HF patients with cfLVAD. Mantel-Haenszel risk ratio (RR) random-effects model was used to summarize data.

Results
Ten studies (9 retrospective and one prospective) with a total of 7,091 patients met inclusion criteria. There was no difference in all-cause mortality (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.65-1.10, p=0.20, I2 =62.40%), likelihood of survival to transplant (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.98-1.17, p= 0.13, I2 =0%), RV failure (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.44-1.25, p = 0.26, I2 =34%) between Active ICD and inactive/no ICD groups, respectively. Additionally, 27.5% received appropriate ICD shocks, while 9.5% received inappropriate ICD shocks. No significant difference was observed in terms of any complications between the two groups.

Conclusions
All-cause mortality, the likelihood of survival to transplant, and worsening RV failure were not significantly different between active ICD and inactive/no ICD in cf-LVAD recipients. A substantial number of patients received appropriate ICD shocks suggesting a high-arrhythmia burden. The risks and benefits of ICDs must be carefully considered in patients with cf-LVAD.


We present a case of Horner's syndrome occurring as a complication of thyroidectomy. A 42-year-old female patient presented with eyelid drop which developed immediately after thyroidectomy for goitre. Ophthalmic examination revealed eyelid ptosis, miosis and anhidrosis. Preoperative ultrasonography showed multiple isohyperechogenic solid nodules in each lobe, consistent with multinodular goitre. Therefore, the patient underwent subtotal thyroidectomy. The ophthalmic findings did not improve at the end of 6 months follow-up. Similar cases have been reported related to neck tumours or their surgery, mediastinum-located goitre and retropharyngeal abscess surgeries, but not after benign nodular goitre surgery. Several possible mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon; anatomical variations making the patient susceptible to damage to the sympathetic chain seem to be most likely in our patient.


The physical properties of the skin were measured by using noninvasive methods on 72 people displaying various levels of solar elastosis on the neck. The physical parameters measured were the skin extensibility, the elastic recovery, the skin colour, the skin thickness and the electrical conductance. The correlation between the above parameters, the clinical grades of elastosis and the chronological age of each subject were studied using two different statistical approaches. They both showed that elastotic skin is less elastic, dryer, darker, more erythematous and less yellowish than the nonexposed skin. The similarities and differences between the properties of elastotic skin and purely chronologically aged skin are discussed.


: A degree in English writing and literature at Wayne State College will develop your intellect as you learn to write creatively, with clarity and precision. Our literature and writing courses will expand your knowledge and prepare you for a variety of careers rooted in language and rhetoric.


In the last decades, genomic and postgenomic technologies obtained a great amount of information on molecular bases of cell physiology and organization. In spite of this, the knowledge of cells and living organisms in their entirety, is far from being achieved. In order to deal with biological complexity, Systems Biology uses a new approach to overcome this inadequacy. Despite different definitions, Systems Biology's view of biological phenomena highlights that a holistic perspective is needed to integrate and understand the huge amount of empirical data which have been collected. This is one of the aspects that makes Systems Biology so interesting, from a theoretical and epistemological point of view, and that renders it a useful tool to help students approach living beings' dynamics within a comprehensive framework of their biological features as well. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2010 © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Temporal evolution of outer radiation belt electron dynamics resulting from superluminous L-O mode waves is simulated at L = 6.5. Diffusion rates are evaluated and then used as inputs to solve a 2D momentum-pitch-angle diffusion equation, particularly with and without cross diffusion terms. Simulated results demonstrate that phase space density (PSD) of energetic electrons due to L-O mode waves can enhance significantly within 24 h, covering a broader pitch-angle range in the absence of cross terms than that in the presence of cross terms. PSD evolution is also determined by the peak wave frequency, particularly at high kinetic energies. This result indicates that superluminous waves can be a potential candidate responsible for outer radiation belt electron dynamics.


Abstract Unusual among birds, the bill tips in crossbills (Loxia spp.) overlap in the vertical plane, with the tip of the lower mandible to either the left or right of the tip of the upper mandible when viewed from above. Patterns observed in wild populations and experimental foraging data suggest that a 1:1 ratio of left- to right-crossing individuals is maintained by frequency-dependent natural selection in some populations, and that genetic drift causes deviation from a 1:1 ratio in other populations. Both processes require a genetic basis for this remarkable polymorphism, yet few data are available that address whether, and how, mandible crossing direction is heritable. To test for a genetic basis of this trait (single or quantitative, autosomal or sex-linked), we analyzed resemblance in mandible crossing direction between related captive-bred individuals of several crossbill taxa with standard statistical techniques as well as modern animal model methodology. Surprisingly, we did not find statistically significant support for a genetic basis of mandible crossing direction. Comparisons of the ratio of left- to right-crossing males and females in wild populations also did not support a sex-linked quantitative genetic basis. We conclude that mandible crossing direction may have uncharacteristically low heritability, but we cannot rule out that it is nongenetically determined. La Dirección de Cruzamiento de la Mandíbula en las Especies de Loxia no Presenta Base Genética


Tufted Ghost Crabs (Ocypode cursor) experience local population declines and also range contractions at larger spatial scales due to increasing anthropogenic pressures on coastal ecosystems. Therefore, the environmental drivers of the decline in ghost crab populations and the efficiency of protection measures are needed to be better understood for more efficient coastal management. We surveyed Tufted Ghost Crab populations along a 3 km coastline in the Levant Basin of the Mediterranean, which hosts two protected with low and two public beaches with intense human recreational use. Abundance and distribution of the crabs were surveyed along 24 transect counts. The protected beaches hosted more burrows than corresponding nearby public beaches and the ghost crabs in the protected beaches inhabited a larger habitat band. Furthermore, Tufted Ghost Crab populations in the protected beaches consisted of more diverse age groups than that of public beaches, which lacked the smaller size crabs. Overall, our survey corroborated the role of Tufted Ghost Crabs as indicator species of coastal ecosystems and demonstrated the potential role of small protected zones within urbanized coastal regions as refugia for Tufted Ghost Crabs.


Maintaining food and nutritional security for the increasing population of the world is a great challenge for us. Besides emphasizing on main crops and vegetables, various pulses also play an important role to satisfy the growing human food demands. Pulses are important source of protein particularly for the poor people and provides nutritional security. But pulses are mostly grown by the small and marginal farmers under resource constraints situation. The Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.] is a member of the subtribe Phaselous, belongs to leguminaceae family and native to Africa. It is also known as tur or redgram. It is most drought tolerant among all pulses. It is deep rooted, C3 and short day plant. It requires temperatures between 18-30 °C and sandy loam to clay loam soils are well suited.


Learn to edit with Pinnacle Studio 19 Plus and Ultimate using practical examples. Get started using the sample video included with the program and master editing principles. Discover the power of the Importer and Library, then move on to explore a true multi-track editor using downloaded source material and projects. Storyboarding, Transitions, Effects, the power of the Dual View trim mode and much more are explained in detail. Pinnacle have introduced many new features in version 19 including MultiCam, Project Bins and Smart Drag & Drop which are all explained in this fully revised book.


The paper presents univariate and panel unit root tests for gasoline and oil price convergence over the last decade. We test for the absolute versus relative version of the LOOP and estimate the speed of convergence as well as its development over time. Our results show that the absolute version of the LOOP cannot be supported. Constant price differences between countries remain, caused mainly by existing tax differences. The relative version of the LOOP is strongly supported by the data. The speed of convergence increased over time, but differs for gross and net-of-tax prices. We can show that national tax policy by EU member states is not (yet) threatened by arbitrage due to cross-border shopping.


BACKGROUND
Malaria is one of the most vital infectious diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the Plasmodium genus. As P. falciparum, the cause of most of the severe cases of malaria, is increasingly resistant to available drugs such as amodioquine, chloroquine, artemisinin, and antifolates, there is an urgent need to identify new targets for chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE
This study screened novel pyrazole derivatives carrying iminium & benzothiazole group for antimalarial potential against P. falciparum chloroquine sensitive (3D7) strain.

MATERIALS & METHODS
Several pyrazole schiff base hybrids with a wide range of substitution have been synthesized via condensation of substituted aniline with substituted 4-formylpyrazole and evaluated for their in vitro antimalarial activity against asexual blood stages of human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The interaction of these conjugate hybrids was also investigated by molecular docking studies in the binding site of P. falciparum cystein protease falcipain-2. The pharmacokinetic properties were also studied using ADME prediction.

RESULTS
Among all compounds, 6bf and 6bd were found to be potential molecules with EC50 1.95µg/ml and 1.98µg/ml respectively. Docking study results reveal that the pyrazole schiff base derivatives occupy the PfFP binding sites and they show good interactions with significant values of binding energies.

CONCLUSION
We provide evidence which implicates pyrazole Schiff base hybrids as potential prototypes for the development of antimalarial agents.


The inherent characteristics of vehicular networks, such as dynamic topology and high mobility, pose significant challenges for the deployment of delay-sensitive applications, e.g., video streaming, in urban Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANET). In this paper, we propose an integrated network-layer scheme for seamless delivery of video packets in VANET. First, we propose a new quality-driven routing scheme for delivering video streams from a fixed network to a destination vehicle via multihop communications. The routing scheme aims to optimize the visual quality of the transmitted video frames by minimizing the distortion, the start-up delay, and the frequency of the streaming freezes. We further propose an efficient network mobility management scheme, which introduces a novel adaptation of Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6) for multi-hop VANET scenarios, and incorporates a handover prediction mechanism. Numerical results are given to demonstrate that our integrated scheme can achieve a better performance for the video quality metrics, the handover delay and the signalling cost.


Background: After completing the rehabilitation services, person with spinal cord injury (SCI) return the community with learned knowledge and skills of integration the livelihood situation. Centre for the rehabilitation of the paralyzed (CRP) provides three months in-patient rehabilitation services and though to be successful in leading an integrated and enabling life. As a developing nation, person with SCI in Bangladesh again enter to the community and might confronts various types of barriers and inaccessibility in their society.
Objectives: This study was aimed to find out the barriers and inaccessibility during reintegration into the community among individuals with spinal cord injury in Bangladesh.
Methods: Participants, who had sustained an SCI with the ages between 26 to 45 years, responded to semi-structured written questions which were categorized as one Health-related; barriers for patients with SCI inaccessibility of community reintegration; two, Mobility aids and equipment issues as barrier of inaccessibility in the community; three, Environmental issues as a barrier of inaccessibility in community reintegration; four, Barriers to transportation in community reintegration; five, Societal barriers of inaccessibility in community reintegration; six, Employment and economic barriers inaccessibility of community reintegration. A total eleven individuals were interviewed conveniently and analysed by Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA).
Result: Content was analysed by several thematic factors that based on the utmost physical, social, economic and environmental barriers. The mean age the respondents were 35.45 (± 7.39) years. The most prominent categories of barrier were transportation barrier (infrastructure 100%), environmental barrier (slops and stairs 90%) and socio-economical barrier (lack of acceptance & poverty both 81.8%).
Conclusions: This study comprehends the multispectral experience of barriers & inaccessibility during community reintegration of the person with SCI. They had residual disability and confronted diversity of barriers. In addition, ascertainment of these barriers will help to give emphasize on overcoming strategy of those challenges.


The mechanical response of a composite material damaged in fatigue, or in any other loading mode, is characterized by a set of vector fields, each representing a damage mode. Constitutive equations are derived for isothermal small-deformation behaviour following attainment of a damage state. For small damage, the elastic constants of a damage state are related to those of the undamaged state. The usefulness of these relations in characterizing the development of damage, for instance during fatigue, is discussed.


Alluvial fans are ubiquitous geomorphological features that occur throughout the world, regardless of climate, at the front of mountains as the result of erosion and deposition. They are more prominent in semi- and arid climates simply because of the lack of vegetative cover that masks their fan shapes in more humid areas. From both engineering and geological viewpoints, alluvial fans present particular fluvial and sedimentation hazards in semi- and arid regions because episodic rainfall-runoff events can result in debris, mud, and fluvial flows through complex and, in some cases, migratory channel systems. Further, in semi- and arid climates alluvial fans often end in terminal or playa lakes. Given the uniform topography of playa lakes, these features often present ideal locations for facilities such as airports; however, regardless of the engineering advantages of the topography, the episodic and often long-term flooding of these lakes attracts migratory birds. The purpose of this volume is to summarize the current state-of-the-art, from the viewpoint of engineering, in the identification and mitigation of flood hazard on alluvial fans; and to accomplish this a fundamental understanding of geology is required.


IL-10, an immunosuppressive cytokine, is found in the tumor environment. While it is appreciated that Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) in combination with signals through the B cell receptor and CD40 can modulate IL-10 production by B cells, the role that TLR stimulation plays on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes B (TIL-B) remains unclear. To study this, we used a transgenic mouse model of serous ovarian cancer (Tg-MISIIR-TAg) and ascites of ovarian cancer patients; in vivo experiments in an IL-10 reporter mouse model are ongoing. We found that early tumors contained TIL-B phenotypically similar to B220hi CD21/35 med IgMmed follicular B cells, as demonstrated by flow cytometry. As the tumor progressed, phenotype evolved from fresh isolated TIL-B with up-regulation of CD1d and CD5, and overexpression of IL-10 compared to splenic B cells. In addition, freshly harvested TIL-B from Tg-MISIIR-TAg tumors and frozen B cells from ascites of ovarian cancer patients expressed high levels of TLR4, TLR2 and TLR9. Finally, TIL-B cultured in presence of TLR agonists increased further IL-10 production compared with fresh harvested TIL-B or splenic B cells cultured in the same conditions. Taken together, our findings indicate a direct link between the increased TIL-B production of IL-10 and stimulation through TLRs. We propose that chronic exposure of B cells to the tumor microenvironment may enhance their regulatory-like phenotype and increase their receptiveness to TLR-driven IL-10 production.


In this contribution we present a new system-level hardware/software partitioning approach (HiPART) which is run in the frame of an integrated hardware software design methodology for embedded system design. The benefits of the approach result from an hierarchical partitioning algorithm, consisting of three phases of constructive and iterative methods. The main advantage of the system is a freely selectable degree of user interaction and manual partitioning. A permanent observation of timing constraint violations during partitioning guarantees the applicability for real-time systems.


The present bachelor thesis addresses translation of a particular technical text in the field of rubber industry. The theoretical part contains general knowledge about the study of translation theory from the past to the present and several types of translation as well. Special technical text is one of the types that is examined in detail in this study. The particular technical text and the following analysis of chosen translation phenomena previews are based on this theoretical background. Conclusion is dedicated to the comparison of the analysis results of the particular text with theoretical principles.


Epidemiological studies in both humans and animals conducted in Mexico have shown that the isolation frequency of Escherichia coli O157 : H7 is low. In a previous study, IgG antibodies against E. coli O157, O7 and O116 LPS were found in serum samples from children and adults with no previous history of E. coli O157 : H7 infection. The present study was designed to determine whether a similar immune response against E. coli O157 : H7 and other antigenically related bacteria was present in bovine serum samples. A total of 310 serum samples from different herds in Mexico was analysed by microagglutination assays against different enterobacterial antigens, including E. coli O157. Microagglutination assays were positive against E. coli O7 (55 %), O116 (76 %) and O157 (36 %), Escherichia hermannii (15 %), Salmonella enterica serotype Urbana (14 %) and Salmonella enterica subsp. arizonae (40 %). These results were confirmed using a specific ELISA with purified LPS. A positive reaction was observed against the LPS of E. coli O7 (29 %), O116 (12 %) and O157 (22 %), E. hermannii (4 %), Salmonella Urbana (13 %) and S. enterica subsp. arizonae (12 %). Serum absorption studies of positive serum samples indicated the existence of at least three common epitopes shared by the LPS of E. coli O7, O116 and O157, and two others between E. coli O157 and Salmonella Urbana and S. enterica subsp. arizonae. A bactericidal assay against E. coli O157 : H7 using 31 bovine serum samples was performed, and 22 (71 %) of these serum samples gave positive results. The data demonstrated that bovine serum showed a response against different enterobacteria, including E. coli O157, and that this response could be due to the presence of shared epitopes in the LPS of these organisms.


Eleven premature babies developed necrotizing enterocolitis in an epidemic of gastroenteritis and salmonella infection. This occurred in one of two premature baby wards over a period of 10 weeks. All affected babies had severe gastroenteritis and six had salmonella infection. No cases of necrotizing enterocolitis occurred in the unaffected ward during the same period. All other possible factors which might have predisposed to necrotizing enterocolitis occurred with equal frequency in both wards. There seems little doubt that infection was the significant factor in the pathogenesis.


In a recent article, Nesbitt-Larking (2007) postulated the notion of 'deep multiculturalism', dependent, at least in part, on dialogue and on 'host' societies questioning their core values. In this commentary I suggest that whilst such a proposal is indeed a worthy ideal, the social psychological processes underpinning how this can be achieved need to be adequately addressed if such a vision is to become a reality. Using Social Representation Theory, I hope to explicate the operation of power, ideologies and collective memory on the process of representation, and suggest that understanding this process may better enable one to manage the obstacles involved in a project of deep multiculturalism. Drawing on Whiteness studies, I suggest that for a host society to question their core values, certain unconsciously held values need first to be illuminated; however, in so doing, I postulate that caution is exercised in order that such exposure does not perpetuate racialising representations. Using the concepts of anchoring and objectification, I propose that highlighting the similarities and shared experiences of a society's members may be a more successful strategy for achieving deep multiculturalism, than focusing on diversity and difference. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The loan risk is the possibility of loan and interest losses caused by being unable to recover the loans on schedule. So a set of modern quantitative methods to effectively identify the credit risk is urgently needed to fully reveal the future solvency capability of evaluation object. This paper has firstly constructed a set of credit evaluation index system, and on that basis, using a large number of cleared loan data by far to determine five evaluation index value related to "five-category loan" classification, establish fuzzy pattern recognition model of loan risk, and determine the risk level of outstanding loan.


Received Sep 25, 2021 Revised Mar 8, 2022 Accepted Apr 23, 2022 Many types of medical pictures have to be fused, as single-modality medical images can give limited information because of the imagery and the complicated architecture of the human organ. This study proposes to offer a platform on which to make clinical diagnoses and to increase the accuracy of the target identification and the quality of the fused pictures by combining the benefits of nonsubsampled contourlet transform (NSCT) and fuzzy entropy. A picture is first broken down into low frequency or high frequency subbands through NSCT. In line with the various features of the low and high frequency components the respective fusion rules must be implemented. It calculates the level of membership of low frequency coefficients. The fusion of coefficients is also calculated and then utilized to retain picture features. By increasing regional energy, high-frequency components are merged. Inverse transformation produces the final fused picture. Experimental results have shown that, based on subjective visual effect and objective assessment standards, the suggested technique produces a satisfactory fusion effect. This process may also achieve high average gradient, standard deviation (SD), and edge preservation and maintain the fused picture features well. Effective reference can be provided by the outcome of the suggested algorithm for patients' assessment.


57 galaxies and 52 stars have been observed in four colors using a blue sensitive phototube. The response bands of the photometric system have effective reciprocal wave lengths of (micron units) 2.66, 2.39, 2.07, and 1.68. In addition to the blue measurements 8 galaxies and 19 stars have been observed in four colors using a red sensitive photocell. The effective reciprocal wave lengths of the red response bands are 1.55, 1.26, 1.14, and 1.00. From one to five different aperture sizes have been used in the photometry of each galaxy, with an average of three per galaxy. The entire eight color photometric system has been calibrated to place color index measurements on an absolute energy basis.

Correlations between nuclear color index and inclination, spectral class, and nebular type indicate that most of the observed galaxies fall into fairly distinct groups. Radial color variations are also found to correlate with group membership. The dominant characteristics of the groups are as follows: Spectral type A, spectral type F, spectral type FG, nebular type SA, nebular type E, nebular type SO, nebular type SB.

The correlation between nuclear color and inclination (axis ratio) is found to show a distinct separation of SA, SB, and elliptical galaxies, probably due in part to differences in internal absorption. The correlation of nuclear color and spectral type shows that FG galaxies, while later in spectral class than F galaxies, have nuclei bluer than those in F galaxies. A possible explanation is offered which interprets the inversion in terms of the relative numbers of normal and low metal abundance stars in each type of galaxy. Radial color investigation reveal the existence of blue nuclei in three galaxies.

Synthetic models are given for five distinct types of extragalactic nuclei. K nuclei can be represented with a mixture of old population I and II stars. F, FG, and probably AF nuclei can be produced by adding various numbers of young blue stars to K galaxies. A type galaxies appear to be completely dominated by young stars.


Taste perception is controlled by taste cells that are present in the tongue that produce and secrete various metabolic hormones. Recent studies have demonstrated that taste receptors in tongue, gut, and pancreas are associated with local hormone secretion. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a link between taste sensitivity and levels of circulating metabolic hormones in humans and whether taste sensitivity is potentially related to peripheral metabolic regulation. Thirty-one subjects were recruited and separated into tasters and non-tasters based on their phenol thiocarbamide (PTC) bitter taste test results. Fasting plasma and saliva were collected and levels of hormones and cytokines were assayed. We observed significant differences in both hormone levels and hormone-body mass index (BMI) correlation between tasters and non-tasters. Tasters had higher plasma levels of leptin (p = 0.05), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (p = 0.04), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) (p = 0.03). There was also a trend toward increased IGF-1 levels in the saliva of tasters (p = 0.06). We found a positive correlation between plasma levels of glucose and BMI (R = 0.4999, p = 0.04) exclusively in non-tasters. In contrast, plasma C-peptide levels were found to be positively correlated to BMI (R = 0.5563, p = 0.03) in tasters. Saliva TNF-α levels were negatively correlated with BMI in tasters (R = −0.5908, p = 0.03). Our findings demonstrate that there are differences in circulating levels of leptin, TNF-α, and IGF-1 between tasters and non-tasters. These findings indicate that in addition to the regulation of food consumption, taste perception also appears to be tightly linked to circulating metabolic hormone levels. People with different taste sensitivity may respond differently to the nutrient stimulation. Further work investigating the link between taste perception and peripheral metabolic control could potentially lead to the development of novel therapies for obesity or Type 2 diabetes.


How does the Internet affect authoritarian regimes? This article argues that while the Internet has made mass mobilization easier than ever, its spread has also counter-intuitively allowed savvy authoritarian regimes to become more stable than ever. For the population, higher technical literacy means a demonstrable decrease in transaction costs and thus a greater incidence of collective action. However, higher regime technical literacy gives authoritarians the capacity to monitor their populations and solve the dictator's information problem, thus keeping their populations satisfied without needing to liberalize. The article compiles a new and original data set of measures of technical literacy across all states since the year 2000, and uses a factor analysis approach to construct latent measures of population and regime technical literacy for all country-years. A large-n, cross-country empirical approach finds strong evidence of the theorized relationship between technical literacy and revolution.


Motion-compensated time-averaged imaging (MTI), a method of accumulating frames with a motion compensation technique using small subregions was conducted to improve power Doppler and B-mode imaging. In our previous study, MTI was shown to be able to clearly image vasculature with contrast agents without image blurring even if the target tissue was moving [Yoshikawa, H, 2006]. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether MTI is applicable to power Doppler and B-mode imaging. It was found that image qualities improved in each case. The motion artifact of a power Doppler image of rabbit kidney was reduced without blurring the image. Also, in the B-mode image of a human carotid artery, the inner membrane was clearly imaged, which is not possible with conventional imaging. The motion of carotid arteries in the slice direction leads to signal compounding at various angles in that direction and results in clear imaging without speckles. Although MTI is a powerful tool for improving ultrasound images, it incurs high computational costs because tissue motion must be compensated in every consecutive frame of an MTI image. As a feasibility test, we investigated whether we could carry out real-time MTI processing with a MAP processor (Equator Technologies, Inc.), which decreases computational cost. We estimated the cost of carrying out MTI with a MAP processor and found that it can be done at frame rates of up to 23 frames per second


As post‐Independence but still ethnically divided Cyprus enters Europe and speaks the idiom of multiculturalism, the fear of Others and otherness become re‐inscribed in its cultural self‐projections and the politics of the history of education. This article argues that the post‐Independence fascination with roots and derision for otherness has been marked by a double colonial legacy: the colonial 'Othering' of Cypriots as a 'hybrid genus', and the resistance to colonial usurpations of educational control by tainting every cultural contact under or through colonial rule as de‐Hellenization. Focusing on the transculturation of local educational idioms during colonial times, the paper suggests that the nationalist discourse that enveloped Greek Cypriot anti‐colonialist educational politics was actually hybrid. It involved a partial collaboration with and appropriation of the idioms of the Empire and an ideological borrowing from the Hellenic diaspora. The re‐iteration of this hybridity is proposed as a task ...


The aim of this study is to explore the potential role of the newspapers on scientific literacy for citizenship. The methodology is based on a content analysis which is one of the qualitative research methods. For this purposes five newspapers were chosen on the basis of their national outreach. The chosen newspapers were examined covered the period of one month. The analysis of the newspapers were restricted with the firs three pages. In addition, the first pages of the news papers were analysed depending on their contents The analysis showed that the news of science and technology generally emphasis the side effect of them on the environment. They are not giving enough information about the nature of science and science process skills.


The space mission PLATO will usher in a new era of exoplanetary science by expanding our current inventory of transiting systems and constraining host star ages, which are currently highly uncertain. This capability might allow PLATO to detect changes in planetary system architecture with time, particularly because planetary scattering due to Lagrange instability may be triggered long after the system was formed. Here, we utilize previously published instability time-scale prescriptions to determine PLATO's capability to detect a trend of decreasing planet frequency with age for systems with equal-mass planets. For two-planet systems, our results demonstrate that PLATO may detect a trend for planet masses which are at least as massive as super-Earths. For systems with three or more planets, we link their initial compactness to potentially detectable frequency trends in order to aid future investigations when these populations will be better characterized. (Less)


Neonatal tetanus (NT) elimination, <1 case per 1000 live births (LB), was assessed at district level in Zimbabwe using a combined lot quality assurance–cluster sampling survey (LQA–CS). Three of the highest risk districts were selected. NT was considered eliminated if fewer than a specified number of NT deaths (proxy for NT cases) were found in the sample determined using operating characteristic curves and tables. TT2+ vaccine coverage was measured in mothers who gave birth 1–13 months before the survey and women aged 15–49 years. NT was considered as eliminated, TT2+ coverage was 78% (95% CI 71–82%) in women aged 15–49 and 83% (95% CI 76–89%) in mothers. The survey cost US$ 30000 excluding costs of consultants. NT incidence was below the elimination threshold (<1/1000 LB) in the surveyed districts and probably in all districts. LQA–CS is a practical, relatively cost effective field method which can be applied in an African setting to assess NT elimination status.


We would like to bring to your notice that we have to organize the 3rd World Congress on Cells Science and Stem Cell ResearchA¢Â€Â which is held during APR 16-17, 2021 at Zurich, Switzerland. 2nd International Conference on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine facilitated by the Allied Academies, during May 20-21, 2019 in Rome, Italy with the subject A¢Â€ÂœStem cell Research A¢Â€Â" Rising Revolution in The future of MedicineA¢Â€Â, was effectively finished and Speakers shared most recent and energizing developments in every aspect of Cell biology. We expand our warm wishes for the Editorial Board Members of Journals just as from the Scientists, Doctors, Professors, Researchers, and Students from the fields of Stem cells and Regenerative Medicine who had made this meeting an immense achievement. Stem Cell Congress 2019 included two days of introductions from the prominent characters from everywhere throughout the globe whose examination zone is mostly centered around Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. Speakers investigated their exploration work and found the idea and topic of the gathering extremely fascinating. The wide scope of subjects allowed participants to find out about each part of Stem Cells. With the constructive input from the OCMA¢Â€Â™s, Speakers, and other prominent characters for the Stem Cell Congress 2019 meeting, we might want to report the beginning of the A¢Â€Âœ3rd World Congress on Cells Science and Stem Cell ResearchA¢Â€Â which is held during APR 16-17, 2021. We are thankful to our Organizing Committee Members for their liberal help and proposals for the gathering. A¢Â€¢ Yohei Kawasaki, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan A¢Â€¢ Parthasarathi Barik, China Medical University, Taiwan A¢Â€¢ Nayana Patel, Akanksha Hospital and Research Institute, India A¢Â€¢ Marco Fadda, Comecer SPA, Italy Coordinators of Allied Academies had taken the fantastic benefit of congratulating the Organizing Committee Members and Keynote Speakers who had gone to Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Congress 2019 and upheld for the accomplishment of this occasion and we trust Stem Cell Congress 2020 will likewise turn into a terrific achievement. The theme of the conference is A¢Â€ÂœNovel Insights and Innovations in Stem CellsA¢Â€Â which centers around the different respiratory issues. This gathering is going to cover the whole field identified with Stem Cell research, Scientists, and instructors. Our Conference can survey the significant occasion in creating, overhauling, and instructing Stem Cell, Cancer Stem Cells, and many more.


As the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology continues to evolve and mature, RFID tags can be implemented in a wide range of applications. Due to the shared wireless medium between the RFID reader and the RFID tag, adversaries can launch various attacks on the RFID system. To thwart different types of attacks, we propose an Efficient RFID Authentication Protocol (ERAP), which can accomplish the authentication without disclosing real IDs of the participating tags and provide strong privacy and security protection of the RFID users. ERAP offers the anonymity of tags in addition to tag untraceability. It also provides forward security (forward privacy) which ensures that data transmitted today will still be secure even if secret tag information is revealed by tampering in the future. In this paper, we define a formal security model for authentication and privacy in RFID system. Under this model, we describe protocol that provably achieves the properties of authentication and privacy. In addition, the proposed ERAP requires only little resources to perform the authentication, which satisfies the requirement of highly resource-constrained low-cost RFID tags.


Social capital is an old concept but it entered into academic and policy debates only in 1990s. Its importance in explaining economic and social phenomena have been increasingly felt in recent years. Literature on theoretical and empirical aspects of social capital grew significantly during last decade. The whole notion of social capital is centred on social relationships and its major elements include social networks, civic engagement, norms of reciprocity, and generalised trust. Broadly speaking, it is defined as a collective asset in the form of shared norms, values, beliefs, trust, networks, social relations, and institutions that facilitate cooperation and collective action for mutual benefits. It is a complex multidimensional concept having different dimensions, types, and levels of measurement. Common types of social capital include: structure and cognitive; bonding, bridging, and linking; strong and weak; and horizontal and vertical. It can be measured and analysed at individual- and collective-levels in terms of social perspective and micro-, meso- and macro-levels in terms of geographic perspective. The properties of social capital, such as capacity to appear in as an explanatory variable in the production function, accumulation over time, capability of improving economic performance, investment with expected future returns, convertibility, and the need of maintenance, make it qualify as a form of capital, though there are some criticisms about the use of term 'capital' in social capital. Research on social capital remains in its initial stage and the concept is still elusive, prone to contextual definition, deficient in common measurement indicators, inability to explicitly quantify effects, and subject to various criticisms. Conceptual and measurement imprecision has led the concept prone to vague interpretation, less empirical application, and underestimation of its value. More empirical studies and testing of the concept on the ground is needed to develop a commonly accepted definition and measurement indicators that can explicitly disentangle and quantify its effects on overall development processes. Better conceptualisation and operationalisation of social capital theory is helpful to attract more investment on its development, design appropriate social policies, and promote sustainable development.


This paper addresses the estimation of the set of admissible solu- tions of uncertain polynomial systems with coefficients depending polynomially on an uncertain vector constrained in a polytope. This is a problem relevant to several disciplines, met for instance when investigating the steady states of dynamical systems. It is shown that an outer estimate with fixed shape of this set can be obtained by solving a convex optimization problem with LMI con- straints. Then, a necessary and sufficient condition is provided for establishing the tightness of this estimate. Lastly, it is shown how the proposed approach can be extended in order to address the computation of the minimum volume outer estimate in a certain given class.


The modified BaTiO3 ferroelectric materials are suitable for
pyroelectric applications. This paper reports the structural, dielectric and
electrical properties on copper influence in BaTiO3 when it was
substituted site "A" of perovskite structure
of BaTiO3. Copper
has been chosen for modified BaTiO3 with different concentrations
with stoichiometry Ba1-xCuxTiO3, where
x = 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03% and 0.04%. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the samples doped
with different composition of CuO are found to be that the positions and
intensities of the diffraction peaks are similar and no secondary phases were observed.
The Curie's temperature (Tc)
for all CuO doped BaTiO3 with were found to be in the range of 120°C
to 125°C. The frequency dependence of relative permittivity (er) and
dielectric loss (Tanδ) of Ba1-xCuxTiO3 samples
at room temperature were reported in the range 100 KHz - 1 MHz. The
temperature dependence of D.C electrical resistivity studies were reported for
all samples indicating that the participation of Cu2+-Cu+ ions in the
conduction process around their Curie's temperature.


Criminal offense of robbery has become a constant phenomenon in our country, as an act that violates and undermines the property values of society, which are guaranteed by international conventions, as well as with local laws. I have considered reasonable to survey, analyze and observate this issue, so we can look closely at the implementation of the punitive policy, with a special approach to detecting and prosecuting the perpetrators of the criminal offense of robbery, addressing the work done by the judiciary bodies, especially the police and prosecution office, therefore, case studying and analyzing the work of judicary bodies contributes in recognizing the steps taken in these cases and prevent future similar cases of robbery.


A retrospective analysis of the radiographic records of 1653 sailors aboard the USS Enterprise was performed during the author's recent reserve assignment. For the period 1985 to 1987, 102 radiographically recognizable injuries were discovered in the study group. The high rate (53.9%) of hand injuries aboard ship typifies that of a wage-earning population (age 20 to 50). However, analysis of the fracture pattern in the hand indicates that many of the most frequently encountered hand injuries may be preventable. Since the rates of anterior shoulder dislocation and gamekeeper's thumb may also be increased, initiating the necessary investigation and control measures for these injuries seems warranted.


In this paper, a Ge-doping square solid-core photonic bandgap (PBG) fiber is proposed and the effective index of defect mode is investigated. Simulations show that, at the starting wavelength of the defect mode, n/sub effd/ (the effective index of defect mode) changes rapidly due to the PBG effect, which induces large negative dispersion in fiber. This mechanism is different from the mode coupling case in dual-core concentric fibers, and the dispersion characteristic is more robust to structural deviations.