RATIONALE
The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR) is a central determinant of circulating LDL-cholesterol and as such subject to tight regulation. Recent studies and genetic evidence implicate the inducible degrader of the LDLR (IDOL) as a regulator of LDLR abundance and of circulating levels of LDL-cholesterol in humans. Acting as an E3-ubiquitin ligase, IDOL promotes ubiquitylation and subsequent lysosomal degradation of the LDLR. Consequently, inhibition of IDOL-mediated degradation of the LDLR represents a potential strategy to increase hepatic LDL-cholesterol clearance.

OBJECTIVE
To establish whether deubiquitylases counteract IDOL-mediated ubiquitylation and degradation of the LDLR.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Using a genetic screening approach, we identify the ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) as a post-transcriptional regulator of IDOL-mediated LDLR degradation. We demonstrate that both USP2 isoforms, USP2-69 and USP2-45, interact with IDOL and promote its deubiquitylation. IDOL deubiquitylation requires USP2 enzymatic activity and leads to a marked stabilization of IDOL protein. Paradoxically, this also markedly attenuates IDOL-mediated degradation of the LDLR and the ability of IDOL to limit LDL uptake into cells. Conversely, loss of USP2 reduces LDLR protein in an IDOL-dependent manner and limits LDL uptake. We identify a tri-partite complex encompassing IDOL, USP2, and LDLR and demonstrate that in this context USP2 promotes deubiquitylation of the LDLR and prevents its degradation.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings identify USP2 as a novel regulator of lipoprotein clearance owing to its ability to control ubiquitylation-dependent degradation of the LDLR by IDOL.


Spiking Neural P systems (SNP systems) are a class of computing models inspired by biological neurons. A variant of SNP systems which incorporates the biological feature structural plasticity is Spiking Neural P systems with Structural Plasticity (SPSNP systems). In this work, we propose models for simulation of Boolean logic gates and circuits using SPSNP systems.


Background: Breast cancer survivors make up a growing population facing treatment that poses long-standing adverse effects including chemotherapy-related body function changes and/or pain. There is limited knowledge of patients' lived experiences of chemotherapy-induced pain (CHIP). Objective: The aim of this study was to explore CHIP and any long-standing pain experiences in the lifeworld of breast cancer survivors. Methods: Fifteen women participated in a follow-up interview a year after having experienced CHIP. They were interviewed from a lifeworld perspective; the interviews were analyzed through guided phenomenology reflection. Results: A past perspective: CHIP is often described in metaphors, leads to changes in a patient's lifeworld, and impacts lived time. The women become entirely dependent on others but at the same time feel isolated and alone. Existential pain was experienced as increased vulnerability. Present perspective: Pain engages same parts of the body, but at a lower intensity than during CHIP. The pain creates time awareness. Expected normality in relationships/daily life has not yet been achieved, and a painful existence emerges in-between health and illness. Future perspective: There are expectations of pain continuing, and there is insecurity regarding whom to turn to in such cases. A painful awareness emerges about one's own and others' fragile existence. Conclusions: Experiencing CHIP can impact the lifeworld of women with a history of breast cancer. After CHIP, there are continued experiences of pain that trigger insecurity about whether one is healthy. Implications for Practice: Cancer survivors would likely benefit from communication and information about and evaluation of CHIP.


Swiss mice were used to study the effect of zinc in antagonizing the suppressive action of Cy on the immune function and thymus structure. Mice (weighing 18-22 g) receiving daily dose of 0.2 mg zinc for 25 days did not show any change in peripheral WBC count, production of IgM antibody and thymus weight, but did display marked resistance to the reduction of WBC count and number of mature T lymphocyte, suppressed production of IgM antibody and decreased thymus weight due to administration of Cy.


In order to better understand aerosol dynamics and deposition in the complex flow field of the respiratory tract, both in vitro experiments and numerical modeling techniques have widely been employed. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling offers the flexibility of easily modifying system parameters such as flow rates, particle sizes, system geometry, and heterogeneous outlet conditions. However, a number of numerical errors and artifacts can lead to nonphysical CFD results. Experimental methods offer the advantage of physical realism; however, parameter variation is often difficult. The objective of this study is to illustrate the use of CFD to enhance the understanding of experimental results. In parallel, the selected experimental results have been used to partially validate the CFD predictions. A specific case study has been considered focusing on 1-μm particle depositions in a physiologically realistic bifurcation (PRB) model of respiratory generations 3–5. Previous experiments in this system report a deposition rate of approximately 0.01%. An in-depth CFD analysis has been employed to evaluate two cases of the empirical model. The first case consists of only the PRB double bifurcation geometry. The second case includes a portion of the experimental particle delivery system, which may influence the entering velocity and particle profiles. To assess the influence of upstream transition and turbulence, each of the two cases considered has been evaluated using laminar and low Reynolds number k–ω approximations. Results indicate that both upstream flow effects and turbulent or transitional flow play a significant role in determining the deposition of 1-μm particles in the model considered. Simulating upstream flow effects and laminar flow was required to match the empirically reported deposition fraction and provided a two orders of magnitude improvement over initial CFD estimates. This study highlights the need to consider the effects of experimental particle generation systems on velocity and particle profiles entering respiratory models. Future work is necessary to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the experimentally observed local deposition patterns.


Commonly found in atmospheric aerosols, cooking oils, and human sebum, unsaturated lipids rapidly decay upon exposure to ozone, following the Criegee mechanism. Here, the gas-surface ozonolysis of three oleic acid-based compounds was studied in a reactor and indoors. Under dry conditions, quantitative product analyses by 1H NMR indicate up to 79% molar yield of stable secondary ozonides (SOZs) in oxidized triolein and methyl oleate coatings. Elevated relative humidity (RH) significantly suppresses the SOZ yields, enhancing the formation of condensed-phase aldehydes and volatile C9 products. Along with kinetic parameters informed by molecular dynamics simulations, these results were used as constraints in a kinetic multilayer model (KM-GAP) simulating triolein ozonolysis. Covering a wide range of coating thicknesses and ozone levels, the model predicts a much faster decay near the gas-lipid interface compared to the bulk. Although the dependence of RH on SOZ yields is well predicted, the model overestimates the production of H2O2 and aldehydes. With negligible dependence on RH, the product composition for oxidized oleic acid is substantially affected by a competitive reaction between Criegee intermediates (CIs) and carboxylic acids. The resulting α-acyloxyalkyl hydroperoxides (α-AAHPs) have much higher molar yields (29-38%) than SOZs (12-16%). Overall, the ozone-lipid chemistry could affect the indoor environment through "crust" accumulation on surfaces and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission. In the atmosphere, the peroxide formation and changes in particle hygroscopicity may have effects on climate. The related health impacts are also discussed.


In southern Ethiopia, pastoralism has been possible due to complex ancient indigenous technology for excavating and rehabilitating the ancient tula wells. Despite centuries of operations, recent years have seen fundamental transformations in labour mobilisation and the technology
 for water harvesting, while hired labour is replacing clan-based labour organisation. Payments for well rehabilitation have changed from cattle to cash, while technological transformations include using plastic buckets (jerrycans) instead of leather buckets (okole), and metal tools
 and earth moving machines. The combined effects of such transformations will affect the sustainability of the Borana water management system, which remains uncertain.


Schistosomiasis, one of the neglected tropical diseases continues to plague communities with little or no access to potable water and with high water contact activities. Ipogun village in Ondo State is one of such communities in Nigeria. This study assessed the efficacy of praziquantel and the association of the ABO blood grouping in disease epidemiology in the only private primary school in the village. Ten milliliters of urine and 3 ml of blood samples were collected for urinalysis and blood grouping test respectively from a total of 113 pupils. Results showed that, 60 (53.1%) were infected with Schistosoma haematobium . Infected pupils were treated with praziquantel (40 mg/kg body weight) and subsequently re-screened 5 months after the administration of the chemotherapeutic. Results also showed that a single dose of praziquantel conferred a 94.44% cure rate. ABO blood grouping was also observed not to be associated with the epidemiology of the disease as frequency or severity of infection was not significant (p > 0.05) among the three represented blood groups ( A, B and O).


This article examines EU-China relations with regard to two key renewable energy sectors, wind and solar. It finds that, although there have been sources for trade disputes in both sectors, trade frictions have surfaced most prominently in the solar sector. The reason is a double imbalance between the manufacturing and deployment of solar panels, both geographically (with China producing the bulk of solar panels almost exclusively for export) and numerically (with structural overcapacity). Yet, the image of a zero-sum bilateral trade war over solar panels is exaggerated, because there are both opponents and proponents of trade defense measures in China and the EU. The study further argues that the solar dispute is part and parcel of a global wave of clean energy trade frictions and it explores pathways to settle the issue through the negotiation of a multilateral agreement on environmental goods and services.


We study a fast local-global window-based attention method to accelerate Informer for long sequence time-series forecasting. While window attention is local and a considerable computational saving, it lacks the ability to capture global token information which is compensated by a subsequent Fourier transform block. Our method, named FWin, does not rely on query sparsity hypothesis and an empirical approximation underlying the ProbSparse attention of Informer. Through experiments on univariate and multivariate datasets, we show that FWin transformers improve the overall prediction accuracies of Informer while accelerating its inference speeds by 40 to 50 %. We also show in a nonlinear regression model that a learned FWin type attention approaches or even outperforms softmax full attention based on key vectors extracted from an Informer model's full attention layer acting on time series data.


The MBE GaAs_(1-x)Sb_x/GaAs strained layer quantum well has been investigated by means of photoreflectance measurement. The energy band structure has been estimated by theoretical fitting with the experimental results. We confirmed that the variations of band structure caused by hydrostatic component of the strain mainly exist in conduction band, and that MBE GaAs_(1-x)Sb_x/GaAs strained layer quantum well is a typical one of type II. The theoretical estimation coincide well with our experimental results.


Admission Medication Reconciliation (Med Rec) is an organizational practice designed to ensure patients' pre-admission medications are ordered correctly upon hospital admission. We describe the implementation of admission Med Rec at two academic health sciences centres, each having designed distinctly different processes. Common challenges encountered included the multi-step, inter-professional nature of Med Rec, staffing resource and workload concerns and frequent medical staff turnover in a teaching environment. Both teams found that participation in a national safety collaborative enabled the pilot initially; however, they later found the outcome measures suggested by the collaborative less useful and switched to internal compliance measures for establishing maintenance and spread. Common themes were identified among the critical success factors, with unique variations at each centre. Both teams acknowledged accreditation standards to be a major accelerator of implementation and spread. Using different measures of implementation success at each centre, the majority of patient admissions on the pilot units are complying with admission Med Rec. However, very high levels of compliance remain elusive. At Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre's pilot unit, 62-77% of patients are being screened by a pharmacist and 65-75% of high-risk patients identified are undergoing Med Rec by a pharmacist. At The Hospital for Sick Children's pilot unit, 72-88% of patients have a physician's primary medication history documented on a Med Rec form and 57-73% of patients are also undergoing Med Rec by a nurse or pharmacist.


Bardaisan of Edessa's Book of the Laws of Countries contains many elements of Greco-Roman ethical philosophy, ranging from loose allusions to fairly clear instances of direct borrowing. The influences from Greco-Roman philosophy are diverse, including Stoicism, Cynicism, Epicureanism, and the nebulously-defined "Middle Platonic" material that drew and innovated from both Platonic and Stoic sources. Specifically, we see in Laws several ethical concepts derived from Greco-Roman philosophy: the ideal human attitude to external forces, particularly the evils of society; the link between divinity, inner moral character, and proper ethics; the innate goodness of human character that can be improved and perfected based on an ideal of nature; and (closely aligned with the first concept) an understanding that moral virtue is determined by one's individual, free will decisions, implying an innate valuation of the internal at the expense of the external.


The relationship between the cavitation and acoustic peak negative pressure in the high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) field is analyzed in water and tissue phantom. The peak negative pressure at the focus is determined by a hybrid approach combining the measurement with the simulation. The spheroidal beam equation is utilized to describe the nonlinear acoustic propagation. The waveform at the focus is measured by a fiber optic probe hydrophone in water. The relationship between the source pressure amplitude and the excitation voltage is determined by fitting the measured ratio of the second harmonic to the fundamental component at the focus, based on the model simulation. Then the focal negative pressure is calculated for arbitrary voltage excitation in water and tissue phantom. A portable B-mode ultrasound scanner is applied to monitor HIFU-induced cavitation in real time, and a passive cavitation detection (PCD) system is used to acquire the bubble scattering signals in the HIFU focal volume for the cavitation quantification. The results show that: (1) unstable cavitation starts to appear in degassed water when the peak negative pressure of HIFU signals reaches 13.5 MPa; and (2) the cavitation activity can be detected in tissue phantom by B-mode images and in the PCD system with HIFU peak negative pressures of 9.0 MPa and 7.8 MPa, respectively, which suggests that real-time B-mode images could be used to monitor the cavitation activity in two dimensions, while PCD systems are more sensitive to detect scattering and emission signals from cavitation bubbles.


To love repeatedly in an unsatisfying and self-destructive way cripples many people. The dynamics that underlie this painful way of relating often escape clinical attention, and people with subtle yet pervasive masochistic problems often tumble miserably through life with an undetected disorder. The authors propose an object relations approach to psychotherapy with the masochistic personality. In treatment, insight into unconscious conflict is complemented by opportunities for the patient to experience the therapist as a new object offering new possibilities for growth. Patients are offered the opportunity for a corrective interpersonal experience, geared to helping them master unresolved developmental issues and developing more appropriate and satisfying interpersonal relationships.


The work of this book provides us to understand that trioxanes can be a better alternative medication for Malaria. Malaria is a major parasitic disease of the tropics, affecting around 300–500 million people of which more than one million die each year. Peroxide group, present in the form of 1, 2, 4-trioxane, is essential for the anti-malarial activity. A series of 1,2,4 trioxane derivative synthesized by treating p-chloroacetophenone with ethyl 2-bromoacetate to give ethyl 3-(4-chloro phenyl)-3-hydroxy butanoate which on dehydration, yield (Z)-ethyl 3-(4-chloro phenyl) but-2 enoate. On reduction yield (Z)-ethyl 3-(4-chloro phenyl) prop-1-en-1-ol. Further on photo oxygenation it yield 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-2 hydroperoxybut-3-en-1-ol, which on condensation with ketones to give the final product. The structures of synthesized compound were confirmed on the basis of their spectral data and elemental analysis. Compounds were evaluated for antimalarial activity against Plasmodium yoelii and compared with standard drug. The final product derivatives are potent in antimalarial activity.


Unmanned air system (UAS/UAV) noise and urban mobility noise were the subject of two National Academy of Engineering (NAE) hosted workshops under the auspices of the Technology of Quieter America (TQA) program. Both workshops were organized by the INCE Foundation in cooperation with
 the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The first workshop "UAS and UAV (Drone): Noise Emissions and Noise Control Engineering Technology" was held in Washington, DC in December, 2018. manufacturers, users,
 U.S. government agencies, universities, consultants and professional societies. The second was an e-workshop "Aerial Mobility: Noise Issues and Technology" in December, 2020. Participants at each workshop included representatives from manufacturers (US and international), users,
 U.S. government agencies, academia, consultants, professional societies, and law firms. Topics included: modelling, testing, psychoacoustics, community impact, noise reduction strategies, measurement techniques, and uses of both UAS/UAVs and aerial mobility.


Incubators and accelerators help businesses overcome obstacles such as lack of space, cash, mentoring, and training. While business incubation is not a new idea worldwide, its function in developing and scaling up start-ups remains vacant in Kenya. This study examined whether start-up incubators and accelerators help Kenyan companies grow. This study focused on the importance of accelerators and incubators in Kenya. Kenya is recognized as the second most important innovation cluster in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the tremendous influence of incubators and accelerators on the growth of start-ups in Kenya, their long-term sustainability suffers partly due to a weak knowledge-building environment, inadequate marketing research, poor customer service, a lack of adequate personnel training, and inefficient demand forecasting and analysis, all of which is the Covid-19 outbreak has hampered start-up growth, lowering their formation, survival, and progress. Finally, incubators help entrepreneurs succeed by providing them with space, guidance, mentorship, connections to investors, and internet access. To safeguard established start-ups from the Covid-19 outbreak and guarantee them focus on scaling up, the problem may be overcome by assisting new and existing start-ups. Policymakers can alleviate short-term worries by encouraging short-term liquidity and capital, as well as fostering new business prospects. Policies that encourage new businesses and promote entrepreneurial potential may help speed up the recovery and sustain aggregate employment. Advocate for the Kenyan government to alter existing national legislation and enhance coordination among the numerous players in the start-up ecosystem.


When comparing alternative query execution plans (QEPs), a cost-based query optimizer in a relational database management system needs to estimate the selectivity of conjunctive predicates. To avoid inaccurate independence assumptions, modern optimizers try to exploit multivariate statistics (MVS) that provide knowledge about joint frequencies in a table of a relation. Because the complete joint distribution is almost always too large to store, optimizers are given only partial knowledge about this distribution. As a result, there exist multiple, non-equivalent ways to estimate the selectivity of a conjunctive predicate. To consistently combine the partial knowledge during the estimation process, existing optimizers employ cumbersome ad hoc heuristics. These methods unjustifiably ignore valuable information, and the optimizer tends to favor QEPs for which the least information is available. This bias problem yields poor QEP quality and performance. We demonstrate MAXENT, a novel approach based on the maximum entropy principle, prototyped in IBM DB2 LUW. We illustrate MAXENT's ability to consistently estimate the selectivity of conjunctive predicates on a per-table basis. In contrast to the DB2 optimizer's current ad hoc methods, we show how MAXENT exploits all available information about the joint column distribution and thus avoids the bias problem. For some complex queries against a real-world database, we show that MAXENT improves selectivity estimates by orders of magnitude relative to the current DB2 optimizer, and also show how these improved estimate influence plan choices as well as query execution times.


We consider an ordinary differential equation with a unique hyperbolic attractor at the origin, to which we add a small random perturbation. It is known that under general conditions, the solution of this stochastic differential equation converges exponentially fast to an equilibrium distribution. We show that the convergence occurs abruptly: in a time window of small size compared to the natural time scale of the process, the distance to equilibrium drops from its maximal possible value to near zero, and only after this time window the convergence is exponentially fast. This is what is known as the cut-off phenomenon in the context of Markov chains of increasing complexity. In addition, we are able to give general conditions to decide whether the distance to equilibrium converges in this time window to a universal function, a fact known as profile cut-off.


With the rapid development of science, the academic community requires higher and higher quality of the published articles. This great responsibility is placed on editorial boards of journals, on program committees of conferences and their members. In addition, with a large number of scientific conferences held each year, searching for experts that would be invited to join the program committees is an increasingly hard task. In this paper, we propose an expert modelling method on different indicators of expertise, in particular on citation networks in order to build suggestions of members for program committees of conferences. Contrary to most of the works about expert search in the literature which are based on textual sources of evidence to define the expertise of an expert candidate, our model leverages non-textual indicators only. We evaluate the proximity of an expert candidate according to the weights of his/her various relations with the conference for which the candidate is proposed to be member of the next program committee. We report various experiments in the context of the SIGIR conference editions. These experiments give hints on the composition of program committees and on the effectiveness of our approach.


This article has no intention to deconstruct the now classical Saidian idea that Western Orientalism was a global system of misrepresentation and control of non-Western cultures, particularly in the nineteenth century, when the colonial expansion spread over most of the regions marked by the cultures of Islam. Instead, It intends to reflect upon the fact that during this period, the Orientalist system established itself in the broader context of a modern condition which was (and still is) felt and conceived as a general "state of crisis." This critical dimension of modern Western culture explains both the extreme degree of violence of the Orientalist enterprise of capture and its internal criticism by its own perpetrators. The same duality characterizes the modern production of visual images: the crisis of the Western mode of mimetic representation is responsible for both the paroxysmal multiplication of images, in the nascent "society of the spectacle," and their implosion, in the experiments of the so-called artistic avant-gardes at the beginning of the twentieth century. Some decades earlier, such a radical critique of representation had been developed at the crossroads of applied arts and architecture, in debates on the nature and function of ornaments. We know how central the reference to the arts of Islam and their aesthetics, which were conceived in opposition to the contemporary Orientalist fancies, was for these debates. How did these two positions—the critique of Orientalism and of visual representation—interact? To what extent did they reinforce each other? In order to illustrate this question, This article will conjure up a most revealing episode: Henri Matisse's trip to Algeria in 1906 and the works that immediately followed this early "Oriental" encounter for the artist.


Cedarburg Bog was an attractive location for prehistoric Indian occupancy sites. The combination of upland deciduous forest and lowland marsh environments provided a rich food resource base for native inhabitants. During a surface survey conducted in 1991-1992, 11 habitation sites were located on the Bog's adjacent upland area. Projectile points which were found on the various sites and were diagnostic of certain periods, revealed a range of habitation from Early Archaic (6000 B.C.) to Late Woodland (1700 A.D.). Based on the characteristics of the sites discovered, it is apparent that other sites remain to be uncovered. This preliminary survey was meant to draw attention to sites which may be threatened by urbanization.


Mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs) are rare tumors composed of two different histological components, one of which is of a neuroendocrine origin. Given its suggested underdiagnosis and consequent low prevalence, no clear diagnostic and treatment guidelines are available, and treatment usually follows regimens similar to that of the most aggressive component. On the other hand, multiple primary tumors (MPTs) are also rare neoplastic entities that usually confer a challenge regarding treatment options, for a regimen that comprises both the primary and the synchronous/metachronous malignancy should be used. Here, we discuss the challenging diagnostic and therapeutic management of a patient with an ileocecal MiNEN that presented along with a synchronous squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (SQ-NSCLC). The patient presented with intestinal obstruction symptoms for which he underwent an emergency resection of the ileocecal MiNEN. An initial CT scan showed an additional lung mass later identified as an SQ-NSCLC after bronchoscopy biopsy analysis. Given the rapid hepatic metastatic progression, palliative platinum-based chemotherapy was initiated, with an adequate response of the local and metastatic lesions of the MiNEN, but suggested platinum resistance and progression of the pulmonary neoplasm. Second-line treatment with pembrolizumab directed for the SQ-NSCLC was initiated; however, it was stopped after immune-mediated toxicities developed. A third-line chemotherapy scheme with carboplatin/gemcitabine was initiated, but central nervous system (CNS) progression developed, with the patient dying 11 months after initial diagnosis.


Abstract With PLAGSALUD support, pesticide illness surveillance has extended to all seven Central American countries, producing 7,000 poisoning reports in 2000, but governments' use of the surveillance data has been limited by inadequacies of data management, interpretation, and reporting and an influential pesticide industry in weak economies. Overrepresented reports of suicides minimize occupational hazards. In six countries, 32,245 questionnaire responses indicated 98% underreporting of pesticide poisonings and a regional estimate of 400,000 poisonings per year (1.9% of the population), 76% work-related. A potentially far-reaching measure to come out of this surveillance is an agreement of the ministers of health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (RESSCAD 2000) for a harmonized list of banned and restricted pesticides, including the 12 most frequently reported. The RESSCAD agreement has met considerable resistance from industry. Its achievement versus failure will disclose the ability of Central American governments to prioritize protection of human health against commercial corporate interests. Surveillance data have potential for policy reform, but a more aggressive health sector is needed, linked with the. environmental sector, grass-roots organizations, and universities.


An enhanced transmission reflection technique for the precise determination of the complex permittivity of dielectric materials partially filling the cross section of a rectangular waveguide is described. Dielectric properties are determined by an iterative procedure from two-port S-parameter measurements and a numerically generated propagation constant obtained from the analysis of a partially filled waveguide. Convergence of the solution is ensured from perturbational approximations. Unlike previous approaches, an uncertainty investigation is performed, taking into account all the parameters involved in the dielectric characterization. Permittivity accuracy values are presented and, hence, an optimum measurement setup can be established. Measurements of reference materials have been carried out to validate the method.


Nitella sonderi A.Braun in family Characeae was described in 1852, on the basis of a single specimen collected by Ferdinand von Mueller from Melbourne. This specimen was lost and not referred to again, nor illustrated. From 1857 until 1935, three other specimens of N. sonderi were examined or referred to in published literature. The species was amalgamated with the Asian species N. pseudoflabellata in 1962 and a neotype (Lewis 6) was assigned in 1972. In the year 2000, a specimen with the same collection locality and collector as the type of N. sonderi, labelled N. sonderi ,w as found in the National Herbarium of Victoria (Mueller, September 1852). In the present paper, I deal with the following two issues: typification of N. sonderi (i.e. is the Lewis or the Mueller specimen the most appropriate type?) and whether N. sonderi and N. pseudoflabellata are the same species. The Lewis and the Mueller specimens were compared with the protologue, and the neotype is retained. Oospores and vegetative features of N. sonderi were compared with type material of N. pseudoflabellata var. imperialis (sensu R.D.Wood) and N. sonderi is reinstated as a separate species on the basis of its vegetative morphology, dioecy and oospore morphology, and a description is given with reference to specimens from its entire range. N. sonderi is a spring and summer-growing annual of sheltered sites in temporary wetlands throughout Victoria, New South Wales, and upland south-eastern Queensland. It persists during dry times via a bank of dormant, long-lived oospores in the seed bank. Linking a good taxonomy with thorough ecological studies in this way can inform management of water resources.


An assurance case is intended to provide justifiable confidence in the truth of its top claim, which typically concerns safety or security. A natural question is then"how much"confidence does the case provide? We argue that confidence cannot be reduced to a single attribute or measurement. Instead, we suggest it should be based on attributes that draw on three different perspectives: positive, negative, and residual doubts. Positive Perspectives consider the extent to which the evidence and overall argument of the case combine to make a positive statement justifying belief in its claims. We set a high bar for justification, requiring it to be indefeasible. The primary positive measure for this is soundness, which interprets the argument as a logical proof. Confidence in evidence can be expressed probabilistically and we use confirmation measures to ensure that the"weight"of evidence crosses some threshold. In addition, probabilities can be aggregated from evidence through the steps of the argument using probability logics to yield what we call probabilistic valuations for the claims. Negative Perspectives record doubts and challenges to the case, typically expressed as defeaters, and their exploration and resolution. Assurance developers must guard against confirmation bias and should vigorously explore potential defeaters as they develop the case, and should record them and their resolution to avoid rework and to aid reviewers. Residual Doubts: the world is uncertain so not all potential defeaters can be resolved. We explore risks and may deem them acceptable or unavoidable. It is crucial however that these judgments are conscious ones and that they are recorded in the assurance case. This report examines the perspectives in detail and indicates how Clarissa, our prototype toolset for Assurance 2.0, assists in their evaluation.


In this article I report on research investigating factors associated with participation in mammography screening in Sweden. I conducted semistructured interviews with 32 women aged 40–49 years who attended mammography screening in rural Sweden. Study participants undertook screening in the context of a health system in which women aged 40 years and above are contacted by mail with an appointment time to attend for screening. Study participants placed great value on this system, and trust was expressed in health authorities. Availability of local screening facilities was also highly valued by study participants.


Microbrachis (Limnerpeton) obtusatum (Fritsch) is redescribed, and additions to our knowledge of the vertebrae and skull structure of Microbrachis have been made. The vertebrae of Microbrachis are apsidospondylous, the centrum is a pleurocentrum, the intercentra are small, caudal intercentra always being present with a varying number of pre-sacral intercentra. In the Microbrachis skull there is a free attachment of the cheek and skull table the supratemporal resting on a shelf which projects inwards from the dorsal edge of the squamosal. In this Microbrachis resembles the pre-captorhinomorphs Protorothyris and M.C.Z. 1963 in which the relation of these two bones is similar. The occiput of Microbrachis has been described. A statement of microsaur characters is given and the list of characters separating microsaurs from captorhinids given by Gregory is critically examined. The conclusion is reached that microsaurs and captorhinomorphs are basically of similar structure and form part of a related group which separated from labyrinthodonts in pre-Carboniferous times, or had a separate origin from the rhipidistian fishes. The differences between microsaurs and captorhinomorphs lie not in basic structure but in evolutionary timing, the microsaurs, for example, being precocious in the structure of their vertebrae.


Abstract Purpose: Obesity causes changes in the total body surface area as well as the distribution of skin surfaces. In burn management, three methods are commonly used to determine the surface area burned: the patient's palm, the rule of nines, and the Lund-Browder chart. These methods rely on the distribution of skin surface, although none of these methods consider differences in body mass. This study investigates the relationship between body surfaces and body mass in the assessment of burn size to determine the validity of the conventional methods when applied to obese individuals. Methods: The current literature was reviewed using relevant electronic databases. The initial search yielded 247 results. Relevant articles were then reviewed. A total of seven publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results: The palmar surface area ranged between 0.59%–1.22%, depending on BMI, gender, and ethnicity, compared to 1% according to conventional methods. The palmar surface area of obese individuals approximated 0.7% of the total body surface area in Caucasians. The surface areas comprised 5%–7.5% of the total body surface area for each arm, 15%–20% for each leg, and 40%–52% for the trunk in obese or morbidly obese individuals, compared to 9%, 18%, and 36%, respectively, for normal-weight adults. Conclusions: The commonly used methods for assessment of burns should be used with caution when applied to obese burn patients, and the clinical parameters observed even more systematically.


Curves are presented for inverting measured mutual impedance to yield the conductivity and permittivity of an equivalent half space. The displacement currents are allowed for, and the loop separation distance is unrestricted.


Wave coupling between the fundamental vector modal fields of two identical, polarization-maintaining, weakly guiding fibers is analyzed. An improved coupled-mode theory is used that also applies to anisotropic materials. Coupling coefficients that are the elements of a coupling matrix are calculated and presented as functions of the relative tilt angle between the two fiber principal axes. Exact analytical expressions for the eigenvalues and their associated eigenvectors are given in terms of the elements of this coupling matrix, for any relative tilt angle. Symmetry relations that are found between elements of the coupling matrix much simplify the presentation of the eigenvectors. A weak-coupling approximation of the eigenvector expressions, which is also given, retains their qualitative properties. >


The aim of this study was to examine sex differences regarding peers and coaches motivational climates, cohesion and collective efficacy. Participants were 75 male football players from the Third Division and 69 female football players from the Second Female Division, ranging in age from 15 to 36 years old. Results showed that female teams had greater scores in social cohesion than male teams, whereas male teams perceived higher peer performance climate than female teams. Furthermore, either both male and female teams, collective efficacy was related to cohesion and peers and coaches mastery climate. Besides, task cohesion was the strongest predictor of collective efficacy. Finally, results are discussed and main conclusions of the study are showed.


Perfectly matched layers are a very efficient and accurate way to absorb waves in media. We present a stable convolutional unsplit perfectly matched formulation designed for the linearized stratified Euler equations. However, the technique as applied to the Magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) equations requires the use of a sponge, which, despite placing the perfectly matched status in question, is still highly efficient at absorbing outgoing waves. We study solutions of the equations in the backdrop of models of linearized wave propagation in the Sun. We test the numerical stability of the schemes by integrating the equations over a large number of wave periods.


J. Lepowsky and R. L. Wilson initiated the approach to combinatorial Rogers-Ramanujan type identities via the vertex operator constructions of representations of affine Lie algebras. In this approach the first new combinatorial identities were discovered by S. Capparelli through the construction of the level 3 standard A (2) 2 -modules. We obtained several infinite series of new combinatorial identities through the construction of all standard A (1) 1 -modules; the identities associated to the fundamental modules coincide with the two Capparelli identities. In this paper we extend our construction to the basic A (1) 2 -module and, by using the principal specialization of the Weyl-Kac character formula, we obtain a Rogers-Ramanujan type combinatorial identity for colored partitions. The new combinatorial identity indicates the next level of complexity which one should expect in Lepowsky-Wilson's approach for affine Lie algebras of higher ranks, say for A (1) n , n ≥ 2, in a way parallel to the next level of complexity seen when passing from the Rogers-Ramanujan identities (for modulus 5) to the Gordon identities for odd moduli ≥ 7. Introduction J. Lepowsky and R. L. Wilson gave in [LW] a Lie-theoretic interpretation and proof of the classical Rogers-Ramanujan identities in terms of representations of the affine Lie algebra g̃ = sl(2, C). The identities are obtained by expressing in two ways the principal characters of vacuum spaces for the principal Heisenberg subalgebra of g̃. The product sides follow from the principally specialized WeylKac character formula; the sum sides follow from the vertex operator construction of bases parametrized by partitions satisfying difference 2 conditions. Very roughly speaking, for a level 3 standard g̃-module L with a highest weight vector v0, Lepowsky and Wilson construct Z-operators {Z(j) | j ∈ Z} which commute with the action of the principal Heisenberg subalgebra, and show that Z(j1)Z(j2) . . . Z(js)v0, j1 ≤ j2 ≤ · · · ≤ js <


In this paper we consider a population of would-be migrants in a developing country. To begin with, this population is divided into two sets: those who save by themselves to pay for the cost of their migration, and those who pool their savings with the savings of another would-be migrant to pay for the cost. Saving jointly brings forward the timing of migration: funds needed to pay for the migration of one of the co-savers can be accumulated more quickly, enabling him, using his higher income at destination than at origin, to speed up the migration of his co-saver. However, people may hesitate to save jointly for fear that a co-saver who is the first to migrate might fail to keep his part of the agreement. We show that an increase in the cost of migration stimulates the formation of co-financing, joint-saving arrangements that enable would-be migrants to cushion the impact of the increase. The evolution of joint-saving arrangements can create a time window during which the intensity of migration need not decrease: no fewer people (and conceivably even more of them) will migrate during a time interval that follows the increase in the cost. This prediction is at variance with the canonical economic model of migration according to which if migration is costlier, then there will be less of it.


Vesicle ↔ micelle transitions are important phenomena during bile formation and intestinal lipid processing. The hepatocyte canalicular membrane outer leaflet contains appreciable amounts of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM), and both phospholipids are found in the human diet. Dietary SM enrichment inhibits intestinal cholesterol absorption. We therefore studied detergent-induced vesicle → micelle transitions in SM-PC vesicles. Phase transitions were evaluated by spectrophotometry and cryotransmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) after addition of taurocholate (3–7 mM) to SM-PC vesicles (4 mM phospholipid, SM/PC 40%/60%, without or with 1.6 mM cholesterol). After addition of excess (5–7 mM) taurocholate, SM-PC vesicles were more sensitive to micellization than PC vesicles. As shown by sequential cryo-TEM, addition of equimolar (4 mM) taurocholate to SM-PC vesicles induced formation of open vesicles, then (at the absorbance peak) fusion of bilayer fragments into large open structures (around 200 nm diameter) coexisting with some multilamellar or fused vesicles and thread-like micelles and, finally, transformation into an uniform picture with long thread-like micelles. Incorporation of cholesterol in the SM/PC bilayer changed initial vesicular shape from spherical into ellipsoid and profoundly increased detergent resistance. Disk-like micelles and multilamellar vesicles, and then extremely large vesicular structures, were observed by sequential cryo-TEM under these circumstances, with persistently increased absorbance values by spectrophotometry. These findings may be relevant for bile formation and intestinal lipid processing. Inhibition of intestinal cholesterol absorption by dietary SM enrichment may relate to high resistance against bile salt-induced micellization of intestinal lipids in presence of the sphingolipid.


BACKGROUND
Clinical factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been extensively studied in antiviral treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection but not in treatment-experienced patients. Owing to the wide availability of antiviral agents that effectively suppress HBV replication, we investigated HCC risk factors in treatment-experienced patients.

METHODS
In a cohort of 330 patients who underwent pretherapeutic liver biopsy, we analyzed the HCC incidence in relationship to clinical parameters. Ultra-deep sequencing of the viral genome was performed on 11 entecavir-treated and pegylated interferon (peginterferon)-treated patients.

RESULTS
Initial univariate/multivariate explorations indicated that cirrhosis and antiviral treatment were independently associated with HCC occurrence. The peginterferon-experienced patients had a lower HCC incidence than the nucleos(t)ide analogue-treated patients (P = .011). The peginterferon and entecavir monotherapy groups also differed in HCC incidence (P = .018). Results of analysis of baseline-matched subgroups concurred with cohort analysis (P = .009 for comparison of peginterferon-experienced vs nucleotide analogue-treated patients; P = .022 for comparison of peginterferon- vs entecavir-treated patients). Viral loads of entecavir-treated patients were constantly suppressed to levels lower than those of peginterferon-treated patients (P < .001). Oncogenic surface antigen truncation mutations were detected in entecavir-treated patients with HCC but not in peginterferon-treated patients (P = .015).

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment by peginterferon was associated with a lower HCC incidence than nucleos(t)ide-analogue treatment in chronic HBV infection.


Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) can cooperate to regulate tumor growth and survival, and synergistic growth inhibition has been reported for combined blockade of EGFR and IGF-IR. However, in preclinical models, only a subset of tumors exhibit high sensitivity to this combination, highlighting the potential need for patient selection to optimize clinical efficacy. Herein, we have characterized the molecular basis for cooperative growth inhibition upon dual EGFR and IGF-IR blockade and provide biomarkers that seem to differentiate response. We find for epithelial, but not for mesenchymal-like, tumor cells that Akt is controlled cooperatively by EGFR and IGF-IR. This correlates with synergistic apoptosis and growth inhibition in vitro and growth regression in vivo upon combined blockade of both receptors. We identified two molecular aspects contributing to synergy: (a) inhibition of EGFR or IGF-IR individually promotes activation of the reciprocal receptor; (b) inhibition of EGFR-directed mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) shifts regulation of Akt from EGFR toward IGF-IR. Targeting the MAPK pathway through downstream MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) antagonism similarly promoted IGF-driven pAkt and synergism with IGF-IR inhibition. Mechanistically, we find that inhibition of the MAPK pathway circumvents a negative feedback loop imposed on the IGF-IR- insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) signaling complex, a molecular scenario that parallels the negative feedback loop between mTOR-p70S6K and IRS-1 that mediates rapamycin-directed IGF-IR signaling. Collectively, these data show that resistance to inhibition of MEK, mTOR, and EGFR is associated with enhanced IGF-IR-directed Akt signaling, where all affect feedback loops converging at the level of IRS-1.


Abstract The development of automated work machine systems towards autonomous operation is proceeding rapidly in different industrial sectors. The aim of the study was to explore the current situation and possible differences in standardization supporting the development in different industrial sectors. The existing ISO and IEC standards and work items related to autonomous machinery were reviewed as well as activities in international industry groups regarding automation and autonomy of machinery. In general, the current standards are made mostly for machine manufacturers, but the views or responsibilities at worksite level are not considered. Three different approaches for safety concepts for different operating conditions were identified. One of them relies on onboard safety systems including sensor and perception systems for indoor applications. One guides to separate and isolate the autonomously operating machinery and to use access control to the autonomous operating zone. The third one is relying mainly on the machine operator's ability to understand the situation and to react correctly according to the available information. From technology point of view there seems to be a gap between the safety requirements set in standards and the state of the art in currently available technology.


This project is focused to identify desirable characteristics of hotel executives from hotel management companies. Research is conducted by studying articles in industry periodicals, journals and those involving business management. A questionnaire to 13 hotel management companies is used to obtain objective data as a practical source for this study. The study identified desirable personal and professional characteristics of hotel executives and other related information from the analysis of responses. The findings of this study are the most part accordance with previous studies and with widely held beliefs in the industry. These may be used for reliable criteria in selecting and evaluating hotel executives by hiring parties as well as provide a guide for future executives to develop themselves to be a desirable hotel executive. Several recommendations for further study are suggested in relation to the topic of this project.


This paper examines the proposed association of bilateral asymmetry of the jugular foramen as an indicator of handedness observable from cranial morphology. The jugular foramina of 54 subjects were observed for size asymmetry during routine autopsy procedures. Hand preference data were collected on each subject from family members. Of the 54 subjects, 47 were documented as being right-handed and 7 as being left-handed. These values approximate the average percentage of right-handed versus left-handed individuals from larger populations. Jugular foramen asymmetry was qualitatively identified for 36 subjects (66.7%) and was judged equivocal for the other 18 (33.3%). Of the 36 subjects exhibiting asymmetry, 28 (77.7%) showed positive correlation between the asymmetry direction and handedness. This moderate level of congruence, coupled with the result that 4 of the 7 left-handers exhibited dominant right-side foramina, casts doubt on the reliable use of jugular foramen asymmetry for estimating handedness.


The rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is the most important and potentially damaging rice disease globally. Its frequent appearance during all stages of plant
growth greatly decreases yield and grain quality. Marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) selection can play a vital role in developing disease resistant, high-yield or
quality rice varieties by incorporating a gene of interest into an elite variety that is already cultivated by farmers. The main objective of this study was to develop a blast resistant rice variety from cross between MR263 and Pongsu Seribu 1 (PS1). The specific objectives were to introgress blast resistant genes derived from a resistant variety, PS1 into the popular but blast susceptible Malaysian rice variety MR263 through MABC, to identify polymorphic SSR markers associated with blast resistant genes for foreground selection, to identify polymorphic SSR markers between the two parents, and to evaluate agronomic performance of advanced blast resistant rice lines of BC2F3 generation. A total of 450 SSR markers were used among which 65 polymorphic
markers were identified including Pi gene based markers and background markers to identify the segregation ratio in 300 individuals of BC2F1 rice population derived from
MR263  PS1. For the phenotypic study, the most virulent blast (Magnaporthe oryzae) pathotype P7.2 was used to screen BC2F1 individuals to determine the inheritance of blast resistance as well as linkage association with the SSR markers. Among the 65 polymorphic markers, 16 markers showed a heterozygous band in the BC2F1 population. From the 16 polymorphic markers, only eight markers (RM5961, RM263,RM163, RM224, RM262, RM168, RM229 and RM169) showed a good fit to the expected segregation genotypic ratio (1:1) for the single dominance gene model (df =1.0, P < 0.05) using chi-square (χ2) analysis. Phenotypic data analysis of the BC2F1 population also showed a good fit to the expected phenotypic ratio (1:1; R:S) for
resistant and susceptible plants. Resistance to blast Pathotype P7.2 in PS1 is most likely controlled by a single dominant gene whereby the eight markers are linked to rice blast resistance. These linked-markers could be used in marker-assisted selection programme to develop a durable blast resistant rice variety. From BC2F2 generation,four blast resistant lines (MR263-BR-3-2, MR263-BR-4-3, MR263-BR-13-1 and MR263-BR-26-4) were selected for rice blast resistant varietal development. These lines were identified to carry the Pi-7(t), Pi-d(t)1, and Pir2-3(t) genes and the qLN2 QTL as determined by markers RM5961 and RM263 (linked-marker to the blast resistant genes and QTL). Background selection analysis using 65 polymorphic SSR markers revealed that high recurrent parent genome recovery was 96.0% in MR263-
 BR-4-3, 94.1% in MR263-BR-3-2, 89.5% in MR263-BR-26-4 and 89.1% in MR263-BR-13-1, and these four resistant BC2F2 lines were selfed to develop BC2F3 population. Finally, thirty advanced blast resistant BC2F3 lines were selected for agromorphological evaluation. Out of 30 blast resistant lines, 12 lines (Lines 12, 6, 7, 5, 21,
22, 26, 11, 8, 10, 13 and 15) produced comparable grain yield per hill, number of tillers per hill, panicles per hill and percentage of filled grain to variety MR263. The
estimates broad-sense heritability values in the selected rice population were high (70 to 95%) for all the traits indicating that these characteristics are highly heritable to the next generation. From cluster analysis based on the agro-morphological traits, 20 advanced lines were grouped into similar cluster with MR263 variety. This result was expected due to a high genome recovery (mean 96%) of MR263 variety into the advanced lines. The 12 advanced rice lines are recommended for multi-location trial to select blast resistant high yielding lines for development of highly potential rice variety in Malaysia.


Matching pursuit is a general and flexible method for solving an optimization problem that is of interest in signal analysis, coding, control theory and statistics. In this paper, principles of rate-distortion optimal coding are used in combination with matching pursuit algorithm to obtain an enhanced fractal image coding method. The advantages of using such a method over traditional fractal image coders are described and compression results are presented.


In this paper we present a method that allows complete time scale separation and parallelism of the H/sub /spl infin// optimal filtering problem for linear systems with slow and fast modes (singularly perturbed linear systems). The algebraic Riccati equation of singularly perturbed H/sub /spl infin// filtering problem Is decoupled into two completely independent reduced-order pure-slow and pure-fast H/sub /spl infin// algebraic Riccati equations. The corresponding H/sub /spl infin// filter is decoupled into independent reduced-order, well-defined pure-slow and pure-fast filters driven by system measurements. The proposed exact closed-loop decomposition technique produces many savings in both on-line and off-line computations and allows parallel processing of information with different sampling rates for slow and fast signals.


This paper investigates the stability of the power-law steady state often observed in marine ecosystems. Three dynamical systems are considered, describing the abundance of organisms as a function of body mass and time: a " jump-growth " equation, a first order approximation which is the widely used McKendrick-von Foerster equation, and a second order approximation which is the McKendrick-von Foerster equation with a diffusion term. All of these yield a power-law steady state. We derive, for the first time, the eigenvalue spectrum for the linearised evolution operator, under certain constraints on the parameters. This provides new knowledge of the stability properties of the power-law steady state. It is shown analytically that the steady state of the McKendrick-von Foerster equation without the diffusion term is always unstable. Furthermore, numerical plots show that eigenvalue spectra of the McKendrick-von Foerster equation with diffusion give a good approximation to those of the jump-growth equation. The steady state is more likely to be stable with a low preferred predator : prey mass ratio, a large diet breadth and a high feeding efficiency.


In vulnerability assessment of aircraft complex systems subjected to traditional weapons, kill tree is used as a visual illustration of the critical components and all component redundancies. This research applies fault tree analysis method in reliability field to analyze the kill tree and determine the minimal cut sets for different kill levels, such as KK, K, A, B and C attrition kill. The tree is first translated to its equivalent Boolean equations and then the top-down substitution method is used. Two Boolean laws, the distributive law and the law of absorption, are used to remove the redundancies. In addition, a CAD tool based on the simple constructs (parallel, series, k-out-of-n) is developed to facilitate the analyzers to identify the contributions of critical component kill to aircraft system kill. A hypothesis aircraft complex system composed of several non-redundant components and several sets of redundant components is used as an example to illustrate the feasibility of the method and the developed tool.


In general, the main purpose of using processor-in-memory (PIM) modules is to dramatically increase the data-level parallelism (DLP) and avoid the limited issue rate of current systems (even when they include SIMD extensions) caused by the limited data bandwidth and functional units. Our approach is to divide the PIM module into hundreds of smaller pieces so that each of these smaller PIMs can execute motion estimation for a group of macro blocks in a parallel fashion. We also design the logic in each PIM to execute in a highly pipelined fashion so that even more parallelism can be exploited. The main contribution of this paper is the presentation of architectural techniques that can be used in the PIM module to overcome the addressing and data sharing overhead when these smaller PIMs are used. Our architectural techniques have been applied to motion estimation. Indeed, it has been reported that motion estimation takes the majority of the execution time of MPEG encoding and it has been researched by many because of its importance in MPEG encoding. With our paradigm and techniques, the host processor can be relieved from the most computationally demanding and data-intensive portions of the workload, which should therefore yield a significant performance gain. Indeed, we observed (when 512 of these smaller PIMs were used) a reduction in the number of memory accesses by a factor of up to 2,034 times. At the same time, the performance improved by a multiplicative factor as high as 439 times.


The absolute magnitude calibration of stars on the red giant branch (types G, K, and M) analysed in an earlier work by the same authors (Egret et al., 1982) is now revisited with the trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions measured by Hipparcos. The same sample of stars, carefully classi ed in the MK system, is studied, and absolute magnitudes are derived for those stars for which trigonometric parallaxes have been obtained by Hipparcos with an accuracy better than 15 per cent.


Factorization is the central ingredient in any theoretical prediction for collider experiments. We introduce a factorization formalism that can be applied to any desired observable, like event shapes or jet observables, for any number of jets and a wide range of jet algorithms in leptonic or hadronic collisions. This is achieved by using soft-collinear effective theory to prove the formal factorization of a generic fully differential cross section in terms of a hard coefficient, and generic jet and soft functions. In this formalism, whether a given observable factorizes in the usual sense, depends on whether it is inclusive enough, so the jet functions can be calculated perturbatively. The factorization formula for any such observable immediately follows from our general result, including the precise definition of the jet and soft functions appropriate for the observable in question. As examples of our formalism, we work out several results in two-jet production for both e{sup +}e{sup -} and pp collisions. For the latter, we also comment on how our formalism allows one to treat underlying events and beam remnants.


INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of translocations and insertions in the blood of long-term pilots in relation to estimated cumulative radiation dose received while flying, and to compare that to the frequency in a group of similarly aged men without a history of frequent airline travel.

METHODS
Healthy, non-smoking male pilots aged 40-60 yr were recruited from a single airline. Non-pilot controls were recruited from healthy, non-smoking professional males in the same age range and without a history of frequent flying. Eligibility was determined based on screening surveys. Career pilot radiation doses were calculated individually using airline flight profiles, personal flight history, and the CARI computer program. Translocation frequency was determined using fluorescence in situ hybridization.

RESULTS
Blood samples for chromosome analysis were provided by 19 individuals. The mean number of metaphases counted per subject was 2802 in the pilots and 3000 in the controls. The mean number of translocations per cell (genome equivalent) was significantly higher among the pilots (mean +/- SE; 0.0031 +/- 0.0008) than among the controls (0.0010 +/- 0.0003) (p = 0.03, Mann-Whitney U test). However, within the 26 to 72 millisievert range encountered in this study, observed values among the pilots did not follow the dose-response pattern expected based on available models for chronic low dose radiation exposure.

CONCLUSIONS
There was a statistically significant higher number of translocations per cell among pilots than among controls, although the expected dose-response relationship for radiation was not observed among the pilots.


They additionally examine what befalls the sensory system when individuals have neurological, mental, and neurodevelopmental messes. A neuroscientist can have practical experience in a wide scope of fields, from neuroanatomy to neuropsychology. Exploration in this field can improve our comprehension of both the cerebrum and the body, how they work, and the medical problems that influence them. Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary science that works intimately with different controls, for example, arithmetic, phonetics, designing, software engineering, science, reasoning, brain research, and medication. Neuroscientists study the cell, useful, social, developmental, computational, sub-atomic, cell, and clinical parts of the sensory system. There are different fields that emphasis on various viewpoints, yet they regularly cover.


The Notch pathway is a highly conserved cell–cell communication pathway in metazoan involved in numerous processes during embryogenesis, development, and adult organisms. Ligand‐receptor interaction of Notch components on adjacent cells facilitates controlled sequential proteolytic cleavage resulting in the nuclear translocation of the intracellular domain of Notch (NICD). There it binds to the Notch effector protein RBP‐J, displaces a corepressor complex and enables the induction of target genes by recruitment of coactivators in a cell‐context dependent manner. Both, the gene‐specific repression and the context dependent activation require an intense communication with the underlying chromatin of the regulatory regions. Since the epigenetic landscape determines the function of the genome, processes like cell fate decision, differentiation, and self‐renewal depend on chromatin structure and its remodeling during development. In this review, structural features enabling the Notch pathway to read these epigenetic marks by proteins interacting with RBP‐J/Notch will be discussed. Furthermore, mechanisms of the Notch pathway to write and erase chromatin marks like histone acetylation and methylation are depicted as well as ATP‐dependent chromatin remodeling during the activation of target genes. An additional fine‐tuning of transcriptional regulation upon Notch activation seems to be controlled by the commitment of miRNAs. Since cells within an organism have to react to environmental changes, and developmental and differentiation cues in a proper manner, different signaling pathways have to crosstalk to each other. The chromatin status may represent one major platform to integrate these different pathways including the canonical Notch signaling. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 969–981, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company


An investigation of thermomechanical testing and deformation behavior of tubular specimens under torsional loading is described. Experimental issues concerning test accuracy and control specific to thermomechanical loadings under a torsional regime are discussed. A series of shear strain-controlled tests involving the nickel-base superalloy Hastelloy X were performed with various temperature excursions and compared to similar thermomechanical uniaxial tests. The concept and use of second invariants of the deviatoric stress and strain tensors as a means of comparing uniaxial and torsional specimens is also briefly presented and discussed in light of previous thermomechanical tests conducted under uniaxial conditions.


The purpose of this note is to prove that under certain conditions, if a compact Lie group G acts on a space M, then there will exist uncountably many topologically distinct actions of G on M. Montgomery and Yang have recently shown in [3] that S1 can act on S7 in countably many topologically distinct ways. Their methods are different from the ones employed in this paper. In both cases, the actions are distinguished by the orbit spaces. However, Montgomery and Yang distinguish the orbit spaces, which are in fact differentiable manifolds, by global properties. In this note, the orbit spaces are distinguished by local properties, and hence they are not manifolds. The notation and terminology are standard. If G acts on M, and x is an element of M, then Gx will denote the isotropy subgroup, G/Gx the quotient subgroup, G(x) the orbit of x, M/G the orbit space, and Pg the projection map from M to M/G. If A is an arc in the interior of a &-cell D, then D/A will denote the space obtained by identifying A to a point.


Device-to-device communication is a technology that allows users in close proximity to establish a direct communication link instead of passing through the base station. Because direct communications are likely to have a strong line- of- sight component in the received signal, it is reasonable to model the direct channel with Rician fading. In this paper, we propose a power- control scheme for device-to-device communications on a shared channel. Our allocation minimizes the total power consumption while limiting the link outage probability due to Rician fast fading. By leveraging the concept of conditional-value-at-risk from the field of finance, we obtain a linear programming formulation which can be efficiently solved. Through simulation results we show the benefit of the proposed power allocation compared to a deterministic power control that does not account for the random channel variations. Moreover, we provide insights into how the network topology and the parameter settings affect the performance and feasibility of the power allocation.


OBJECTIVE
To explore a method for isolation and culture Dispase II and Trypsin-EDTA. Cells were seeded onto mitomycin C-treated of rat buccal mucosa stem cells and to identify the stem cells.

METHODS
Epithelial cell mass were obtained by digesting rat buccal mucosa with 3T3 Swiss albino layer and cultured in DMEM for 24 hours, followed by K-SFM culturing. Some cells were induced to osteocytes and adipocytes and underwent ALP testing after 72 hours. Five days later, the primary cells were digested with trypsin and inoculated onto collagen IV-coated flasks and cultured at room temperature for 20 minutes. The adherent cells continued to be cultured with epithelial stem cell medium, then examined for identifying the clones, osteocytes, adipocytes, cytokeratin and ALP staining.

RESULTS
83.96 percent of the primary epithelial cell mass were in G0/G1 phase by flow cytometry test. The clones were seen after 72 hours on 3T3 Swiss albino layer, and the osteocytes and adipocytes were positive. Cells were adhered quickly to collagen IV, in a shape of round or orbicular-ovate with strong refraction. The induced-osteocyte and adipocyte, cytokeratin and ALP were all positive.

CONCLUSIONS
The stem cell-like epithelial cells could be obtain using the 3T3 Swiss albino layer method. Sieved by collagen IV and cultured in epithelial stem cell medium could make the epithelial stem cells depurate and proliferate quickly.


ISSUE
Triggered by the lived experiences of the authors-one junior career, female, and black; the other senior career, male, and black-we provide a critical, sociological overview of the plight of racial/ethnic minority students in medical education. We analyze the concepts of categorization, othering, and belonging in medical education, which we use to shed light on the psychological and academic consequences of overgeneralizing social categories.

EVIDENCE
The ability to categorize people into different social groups is a natural, subconscious phenomenon. Creating social groups is believed to aid people in navigating the world. This permits people to relate to others based on assumed opinions and actions. Race and gender are two primary dimensions of categorization, with race or ethnicity being a particularly salient category. However, over-generalization of social categories can lead the categorizer to think, judge, and treat themselves and members of a perceived group similarly, leading to prejudice and stereotyping. Social categorization also occurs in educational settings across the globe. The consequences of categorization may influence a student's feelings of belonging and academic success.

IMPLICATIONS
Our analysis reflects on how to promote equitable opportunities for ethnic minority medical trainees through the lens of those who have experienced and succeeded in an inequitable system. By revisiting the social and psychological constructs that determine and influence the academic progress and success of minority students in medical education, we discovered that more engagement is (still) needed for critical discourse on this topic. We expect such conversations to help generate new insights to improve inclusion and equity in our educational systems.


MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. Access to Education; Census Figures; *Cultural Differences; *Demography; *Educational Attainment; *Equal Opportunities (Jc.bs); Ethnic Groups; *Family Characteristics; Futures (of Society) ; *Hispanic Americans; Immigrants; Income; Poverty; Profiles; Social Class Hispanic Americans are diverse, but researchers are often limited by available data that do not highlight their diversity. This report presents information about the total Hispanic American population, along with data on the largest subgroups that Take up that total. Good and bad news about Hispanics is presented using ata from the U.S. Bureau of the Census to describe them in terms of origins, families, access to jobs and education, population diversity, immigration, geographical distributions, and other demographic characteristics. Also included are data on the states and cities in which Hispanics live and information about how the Hispanic population has changed demographically. The report concludes with a discussion of the major issues facing Hispanic Americans, including family changes, undereducation, employment, income disparity and poverty, migrant groups, the rise of the Hispanic middle class, and voting patterns. Appendixes present four tables of demographic profile information, and four figures charting supplementary data. (Contains 4 text tables, 3 text figures, and 32 references.) (SLD) * '; 7' A AA A A....A.',A********************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.


In this study, cationic dyes used in dyeing of acrylic fiber, Synacryl Red X-SGN, Synacryl Magenta, and Synacryl Black X-FBL were examined properties of antibacterial activity. Five different species of bacteria which are harmful for human health were determined; Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirablis, how activity on 1 %, 2 %, and % 5 selected dye concentrations. According to the zone of inhibition experimental results, each of tested dye have antimicrobial effect against selected microbes.


BACKGROUND: High-grade dysplasia is the anal carcinoma precursor. Clinicians ablate high-grade dysplasia with laser, electrocautery, and infrared coagulation to prevent cancer. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the long-term effectiveness of high-grade dysplasia ablation and the incidence of cancer. DESIGN: This study is a retrospective chart review of patients who were treated for high-grade dysplasia from February 1998 until May 2012. SETTING: This study was conducted in a surgical practice screening patients for anal cancer and high-grade dysplasia. PATIENTS: The patients identified were HIV-positive and -negative men who have sex with men. INTERVENTION: The ablation of high-grade dysplasia was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes measured were the probability of high-grade dysplasia recurrence postablation and the incidence of cancer. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-six HIV-positive men who have sex with men (mean age, 45 ± 9 years) and 271 HIV-negative men who have sex with men (mean age, 41 ± 11 years) followed for a median of 2.2 (range, 0.2–13) years underwent high-grade dysplasia ablation by laser, infrared coagulation, and/or electrocautery. Median time to recurrence was 6.8 and 6.9 months for HIV-positive and -negative patients. Kaplan-Meier curves predict a rate of recurrence 1 year after the first ablation for HIV-positive and -negative patients of 53% (95% CI, 49%–58%) and 49% (95% CI, 43%–55%). At 2 and 3 years, the rate of recurrence was 68% (95% CI, 63%–73%) and 77% (95% CI, 7%2–82%) for HIV-positive patients and 57% (95% CI, 51%–64%) and 66% (95% CI, 59%–73%) for HIV-negative patients. The median number of recurrent lesions was ⩽2 for HIV-positive patients and ⩽1 for HIV-negative patients. Recurrence increased with HIV infection (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1–1.6) and each additional lesion treated (HR 1.6, 95% CI, 1.1–1.2). Five HIV-positive men who have sex with men developed cancer. The Kaplan-Meier probability of cancer 3 years postablation was 1.97% (95% CI, 0.73%–5.2%). LIMITATIONS: This is a retrospective study by 1 surgeon who has extensive experience treating anal dysplasia. There was no pathology review, and the type of recurrence cannot be definitively determined because the location could be inaccurate. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing ablation of intra-anal high-grade dysplasia have high recurrence, but the probability of developing anal cancer is low. HIV infection and increased number of high-grade dysplasias increases the risk of recurrence.


A generalization of the generating function for Gegenbauer polynomials is introduced whose coefficients are given in terms of associated Legendre functions of the second kind. We discuss how our expansion represents a generalization of several previously derived formulae such as Heine's formula and Heine's reciprocal square-root identity. We also show how this expansion can be used to compute hyperspherical harmonic expansions for power-law fundamental solutions of the polyharmonic equation.


The atomic scale structures of the ruthenium substituted metallic glasses Fe83-xRuxB17 and Fe80-xRuxB20 have been studied by x-ray and neutron scattering. The addition of up to 22% of ruthenium causes an 5% increase in the first neighbour distance, while the co-ordination number stays roughly constant around the value n112.5±0.5. The evolution in the shape of the first peak in the radial distribution function is consistent with the new atomic correlations introduced by the addition of ruthenium. The higher real space resolution in the neutron experiments allows the first neighbour transition metal-boron correlations to be identified. The substitution of the larger transition metal causes little change in the structural order in these glasses, which are confirmed to be suitable candidates for the study of collinear and non-collinear magnetic structures in ferromagnetic metallic glasses. The variation of the magnetization of these glasses with composition can be described in an empirical way or in the context of percolation theory. Neither model requires the presence of non-collinear moments. According to the latter description the magnetization M appears to have a power law dependence on composition M = (x - xc). The magnitude of = 0.39 is close to the expected value, although the critical concentration xc = 0.595 is much greater than the values predicted by percolation theory.


Financial institutions provide financial services to their clients or retail customers where money is managed. Credit risk has been identified as one of the dominant risks that affect the performance of a company. A firm's efficiency with different credit risk management practices is still unknown. This research aims to evaluate the credit risk management and efficiency of the financial institutions that are publicly listed in Bursa Malaysia from year 2013-2016 with the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. Based on the financial ratios, the DEA model allows the relative efficiency of a set of companies to be assessed by solving a linear programming model. The results show that ALLIANZ, APEX, BURSA, ECM, LPI and TAKAFUL are efficient in terms of their credit risk management. This study identifies the efficient and inefficient financial companies in Malaysia.


The widespread use of Internet and the rapid development of smart mobile devices have significantly contributed to changing the learning process. As a result of importing the above technologies in the education is the mobile learning (m-learning), which is an evolution of e-learning (e-learning) and concerns the learning process through the use of mobile devices.
The aim of this thesis is to use the possibilities offered by the Android operating system for developing applications in smart mobile devices. By using these features, an application was implemented, whose purpose is to provide to the teachers a better, easier and more effective way to assess their students, through the instruments provided by technology.
Through the implementation, the teachers are able to send tests to their students and have aggregated results for student performance. The students, through the application, may solve the tests and send the results back to the teacher. They also have the ability to immediately know their score, which helps in quick understanding of the degree of understanding of the learning content, both on the part of the teacher, and by the side of the learner.
For the implementation of the application has been used Google Cloud Messaging service, which is provided by Google for exchanging text messages via the internet. For achieving the communication between the application and the Google Cloud Messaging service, a server was developed, which undertakes to manage application data.


Surgery for goiter embodies a unique challenge. Our objective is to provide a comprehensive analysis of cervical and substernal goiter data in two paired articles. This second article focuses on surgical management. The following null hypotheses regarding goiter excision have been tested: 1) there are no goiter‐associated risk factors for difficult intubation; 2) there are no predictive risk factors for recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (RLN) or postoperative hypocalcemia; 3) there is no difference in RLN injury with neural monitoring versus without.


The determination of low concentrations of sodium using atomic spectrometric methods is often limited by environmental contamination in the sample preparation step. Wet digestion techniques must be carried out in a clean environment and require that samples be dissolved in plastic containers with the use of high-purity acids. Fusion methods require the use of high-purity flux materials to avoid contamination. Such materials are often difficult to obtain and are expensive. The analytical blank usually defines the lower limit of detection for sodium determinations when either wet digestion or fusion methods are used to prepare the sample. Direct sample introduction methods which require no sample preparation would significantly minimize contamination problems related to dissolution.


Nowadays, piezoceramics are commonly used in ultrasonic transducers (underwater applications, medical imaging, NDT …). Most of them are PZT-based materials (Pb(Zr, Ti)O3), which causes environmental issues due to the presence of lead. To comply with international regulations on the use of lead, numerous studies are conducted on lead-free piezoceramics (K0.5Nao.5Nb03, BaTiO3) which can offer similar electromechanical performance to lead - based materials. Fabrication of lead-free textured ceramics enables the production of large area of piezoelectric materials with good electromechanical capabilities. Textured ceramics can be simply modeled as a 3-phases composite: one for the single-crystal that increases with the texturation degree, another one for the ceramic matrix and a last one for porosity. The amount of porosity depends on the sintering conditions. In the long wavelenght approximation, this material can be considered as homogeneous and characterized by effective properties. In this context, few studies were carried out for this homogeneization step and, in this paper, a homogeneization scheme is developped, based on the generalization of series and parallel connections. For the modeling, a unit cell is defined and used to determine the effective electroelastic moduli. Then, a validation step for this model is performed using FEM calculation. Results show that a high texturation is necessary and that the presence of porosity is not always damaging to optimize the targeted performance. Finally, theoretical properties of two single-element transducers based on textured piezoceramics are determined and compared to those based on PZT.


Platelets participate not only in thrombus formation but also in the regulation of vessel tone, the development of atherosclerosis, angiogenesis, and in neointima formation after vessel wall injury. It is not surprising, therefore, that the platelet activation cascade (including receptor-mediated tethering to the endothelium, rolling, firm adhesion, aggregation, and thrombus formation) is tightly regulated. In addition to already well-defined platelet regulatory factors, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostacyclin (PGI2), and adenosine, reactive oxygen species (ROS) participate in the regulation of platelet activation. Although exogenously derived ROS are known to affect the regulation of platelet activation, recent data suggest that the platelets themselves generate ROS. Intracellular ROS signaling in activated platelets could be of significant relevance after transient platelet contact with the vessel wall, during the recruitment of additional platelets, and in thrombus formation. This review discusses the potential cellular and enzymatic sources of ROS in platelets, their molecular mechanisms of action in platelet activation, and summarizes in vitro and in vivo evidence for their physiological and potential therapeutic relevance.


Two- and three-particle correlation functions are computed from video-microscopy data of two-dimensional suspensions of charged colloids and inverted to derive the pair and three-body interaction potentials between the colloidal particles. Our method allows to resolve the full spatial dependence of the three-body potentials. Examining colloidal systems at different colloid densities, we find density-independent, attractive three-body potentials, with a minimum of a few kT that is most pronounced in the equilateral triangle configuration.


This paper proposes a scheme to provide flexible semi-autonomous grasping capabilities to an assistive robotic manipulator. The testbed consists of a five-finger robotic hand mounted on a robotic arm. During teleoperation, the position of the hand is continuously controlled in the three translational degrees of freedom, and the user has no direct influence over the rotational behavior. The proposed semi-autonomy scheme assists the user for moving and orienting the hand towards the object, and automates the grasping process when it is triggered. The velocity commands issued by the user are enhanced using virtual fixtures, which are not preprogrammed to support one approach direction to the (known) object, but are adapted online according to the intended movement. The approach is validated with a psycho-physical user study where the participants grasp objects in a simulation environment using a SpaceMouse interface. This setting serves as a testbed for the target application in which disabled subjects will control the real robotic system with an interface based on bio-signals. The user study compares the semi-autonomous and the pure teleoperation modes in terms of objective and subjective measures, showing an increase in performance and a decrease in workload for the proposed semi-autonomous mode.


In this paper, we study the security of an image scrambling algorithm based on space-filling curves (SFC). A random SFC is a pixel permutation that changes the scanning order without changing pixels values. Few attacks were reported in the literature. A ciphertext-only attack when a different scan is generated for each frame in the video was proposed. The success of this attack heavily depends on the statistics of the plain frame. In addition, scanning each frame with a different SFC is not adapted to compression as many compression algorithms exploit temporal redundancy. We revisit the security properties of this scrambling technique and propose an efficient and low-cost chosen-plaintext attack when the same SFC is used for each frame in the video.


This paper presents a novel estimation approach to sensorless control of wound rotor synchronous motor drives. The proposed rotor position estimation strategy is motivated by principle function of a resolver and utilizes design similarity between the controlled motor and the resolver based rotor position sensor. The rotor circuit is fed by controlled three-phase bridge rectifier which produces an ac component of frequency of 300Hz in the rotor excitation (flux) current. This ac component of rotor excitation current can be understood like an injection signal. Its response on the stator is evaluated by simplified Kalman filter which estimates the rotor position. This paper describes physical principle and functionality of the proposed sensorless rotor position estimation technique and verifies the theoretical foundations by simulation and experimental results made on developed drive prototype of rated power of 10kW.


Objective: As several studies have shown a link between T1D and liver disease we explored the hepatic alterations due to diabetes and the modulation of this complication by the metformin adjunct therapy. Design and method: Fifty five Wistar rats were divided in three groups: control (CTL, n = 20), high-fat diet/streptozotocin induced diabetic (DM, n = 20) and diabetic treated with metformin plus insulin (DM + Met + Ins, n = 15). The biochemical parameters (%HbA1c, cholesterol, fructosamine, triglycerides, total proteins, bilirubin, urea, uric acid, and ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, and amylase activities) were analyzed by spectrophotometry. Intravital microscopy was used to study the hepatic microcirculation. In the liver tissue, real-time PCR was used to analyze oxidative stress enzymes, the inflammatory marker MCP-1 and RAGE gene expression. Lipid peroxidation was assessed by TBARs. AGE deposition and RAGE protein expression were studied in the liver by fluorescence spectrophotometry and western blot, respectively. Results: The following parameters were maintained at levels similar to the control values after the adjunct treatment: body weight, insulin, fasting blood glucose, fructosamine, triglycerides, %HbA1c, and pancreas, renal and liver function serum markers. Regarding the microvascular effects, the dual therapy protected from the increase in rolling and adhesion of leukocytes. In the liver, metformin adjunct therapy protected the diabetic animals from increase in lipid peroxidation, rolling and adhesion of leukocytes, advanced glycation end products deposition and decrease in catalase gene expression and activity. The histopathological analysis of the liver showed no differences among the studied groups. AMPK activation was shown to be reduced in DM and DM + Met + Ins groups. Conclusions: Our results suggest that oxidative stress, catalase gene expression and activity, microcirculatory damage and glycated proteins could be involved in the etiology of liver disease due to diabetes and could explain at least in part the mechanism of action of metformin adjunct therapy. The better understanding of the mechanisms of action of metformin and pathophysiology of liver disease would lead to further advances in the management of T1D patients.


The article discusses the relevance of the use of automated medical technologies for employees of oil companies in remote regions of theRussian Federation. The theoretical base is studied and types of application of telemedicine technologies are considered. The statistics of the use of available technologies in the Northern regions, in particular, in the Khanty-Mansiysk district, is analyzed. It was determined the growth of popularity, as well as the need for the use of these technologies, due to the increase in population and harsh climatic conditions. The absence of application of telemedicine technologies in oil companies was revealed. The relevance of technology application was considered in more detail on the example of employees of PJSC Gazprom. The ratio of the working and administrative staff is analyzed, and it is revealed that 48.7% of the working staff work in shifts in the Northern regions of Russia, remote from settlements and do not have specialized medical centers in their territories, providing a full examination and quality treatment. Thus was proved the relevance of the use of telemedicine technologies, which are able to provide quality and timely medical aid workers to solve the problem of deficiencies of qualified doctors in remote villages, to reduce the cost of medical services, increase the investment attractiveness and improvement of the company image in the society.


Agroforestry production systems are underappreciated for their role in meeting the SDGs on poverty, food security, and climate change. In Bangladesh, low-productive agroforestry practices also provide ecosystem services and supply food to more than 22 million poor families. Accordingly, Madhupur Garh's agroforestry practices are very promising and act as a significant factor in providing several outputs and opportunities for over 50,000 farmers to improve farm productivity, livelihoods, and resource conservation. Therefore, a case study was undertaken to analyze the economical profitability of promising local agroforestry practices and their impacts on the livelihoods of the rural farmers living in Madhupur Garh. This study identified six of the most common potential agroforestry practices in the Madhupur Garh. Among six identified agroforestry practices, the highest gross return and net profit were obtained from the Acacia-Pineapple-Ginger-based agroforestry practice (BCR 2.83). Moreover, these agroforestry models have simultaneously improved participants' social, physical, human, and ecological capital. So, the study argues that these agroforestry models not only provide economic returns but also augment the livelihood capital of the local farmers, thus developing their community as a whole, and this research looks at some of the key aspects of that development. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Acacia-Pineapple-Ginger-based agroforestry program can be the most effective strategy for generating income for the rural people in the study area and have an impact on the local farmers' livelihoods in the Madhupur Garh of Bangladesh.


Microbiological examination of meat is an important aspect of meat inspection and meat hygiene for food security. Colony plate macroscopic and microscopic examinations as well as various biochemical tests showed thirteen isolates from 300 samples of retailed raw beef and the meat contact surfaces at the Rukuba local market in Jos, Nigeria. Meat contamination (88 or 59.1%, n = 150) was significantly higher (p Pseudomonas, E. coli and Proteus were more frequently seen in meat at rates of 16.0, 14.7 and 6.7% respectively, while Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas and Streptococcus were the highest contaminants of contact surfaces at a rate of 5.3% each. Other isolates were Klebsiella (3.0%), coagulase negative Staphylococcus (2.7%), Bacillus (2.3%), Micrococcus (2.0%), Corynebacterium (1.7%), Clostridium and Serratia (1.0%). Mean count of E. coli (5.5x107 cfu/g) and Proteus (1.8x107 cfu/g) were the highest of the microbial density. There was higher contamination of the intestine (52.3%) than either the liver (27.3%, n= 50) or muscle (20.4%, n=50) but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Keywords : Beef, Bacteria, Contamination, market, Nigeria > Animal Production Research Advances Vol. 2 (4) 2006: pp. 239-243


In this paper,a novel approach is proposed for computing object surface orientation from an image using structured light.Different from the exsiting structured light methods,our approach infers surface orientation by exploiting a new algorithm principle instead of a triangulation principle.Only the image data tained surface orientation by using the new approach can randomly approximate an exact solution under the image data condition.The algorithm is computationally simple and parallel.


Although optical character recognition of printed texts has been a focus of research for the last few decades, Arabic printed text, being cursive, still poses a challenge. The challenge is twofold: segmenting words into letters and identifying individual letters. We propose a method that combines the two tasks, using multiple grids of SIFT descriptors as features. To construct a classifier, we don't use a large training set of images with corresponding ground truth, a process usually done to construct a classifier, but, rather, an image containing all possible symbols is created and a classifier is constructed by extracting the features of each symbol. To recognize the text inside an image, the image is split into "pieces of Arabic words" (paws), and each paw is scanned with increasing window sizes. Segmentation points are set where the classifier achieves maximal confidence. Using the fact that Arabic has four forms of letters (isolated, initial, medial and final), we narrow the search space based on the location inside the paw. The performance of the proposed method, when applied to printed texts and computer fonts of different sizes, was evaluated on two independent benchmarks, PATS and APTI. Our algorithm outperformed that of the creator of PATS on five out of eight fonts, achieving character correctness of 98.87%-100%. On the APTI dataset, ours was competitive or better that the competition.