Assessment of the effort level is an essential step in establishing the internal validity of any neuropsychological evaluation. The use of response bias measures as part of a core battery, however, is less common outside of forensic evaluations. The amount of time needed to administer many of these tests is often cited as a likely explanation for their exclusion from routine neuropsychological evaluations. This study examined all three trials of the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) in a large sample (n = 213) of inpatients on an epilepsy monitoring unit with the goal of establishing cut scores for early termination. TOMM Trial 1 demonstrated impressive diagnostic accuracy for determining both adequate and suboptimal levels of effort; various cut scores and classification statistics are presented. The optional Retention trial from the TOMM also increased the hit rate 16% in the detection of poor effort. Clinical implications, limitations, and directions for further research are discussed.


Figures derived from statistics show that large numbers of inhabitants of Europe have migrated all over the world in the past. Nowadays they still dominate economic and technological developments causing injustice in many countries, mainly outside Europe. As a result the economic system of the world is fundamentally unjust. Moreover the technological development supports the dominating powers at the cost of the poor and the oppressed. In the meantime a religious awakening is taking place. Unfortunately this religious renaissance tends to promote violence in many parts of the world. Therefore another religion is needed for another possible world. The second part of the article delineates the outlines of that other religion, which the main world religions seek for mutual contact and disclose the dangerous relationship between religion and power in many areas hoping to attain real conversion: choosing for the humanist core each world religion possesses.


Writing is one of the important skills in learning English. In learning writing, that is need process. Beside that the students have some problem in grammatical, vocabulary, content, organization, and mechanics. To face this common problem there must be some ways and solutions to improve the students' writing ability especially in recount text through the available method, in this case the researcher used Brainstorming Technique by Clustering to improve writing ability. In this research, there is problem, it is "how can Brainstorming Technique by Clustering improve students' ability in writing recount text on the eighth grade students of SMPN 1 Maesan in 2016/2017 academic year?". Based on the problem, the research objective is intended "To improve the eighth grade students' ability in writing recount text through Brainstorming Technique by Clustering at SMPN 1 Maesan in 2016/2017 academic year". The design of the research is classroom action research. This research covered four stages of activities, they are planning of the action, implementing of the action, observing, and reflecting of the action. This research subject is VIII-A class which consist of 24 students and to obtain the research data instrument used test and observation. To calculate the students' ability in writing recount text score, it was used mean formula. This research is supposed to be successful if the average score is 70. Brainstorming Technique by Clustering improved the students' ability in writing recount text in two cycles from the average of students scored ≤ 70 M = 64 in the first cycle to M = 72 in the second cycle. Finally, it could be conclude that the use of brainstorming technique by clustering could improve the eighth grade students' ability in writing recount text at SMPN 1 Maesan in 2016/2017 academic year by giving clear explanation and using clustering instruction in teaching learning recount text to build students' ideas development.


Bit error rates below 10-11 are reported for a 4-kb magnetic random access memory chip, which utilizes spin transfer torque writing on magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Tests were performed at wafer level, and error-free operation was achieved with 10 ns write pulses for all nondefective bits during a 66-h test. Yield in the 4-kb array was limited to 99% by the presence of defective cells. Test results for both a 4-kb array and individual devices are consistent and predict practically error-free operation at room temperature.


Three recently published trials, MR RESCUE, IMS III, and SYNTHESIS Expansion, evaluating the efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke have generated concerns about the future of endovascular approach. However, the tremendous evolution that imaging and endovascular treatment modalities have undergone over the past several years has raised doubts about the validity of these trials. In this paper, we review the role of endovascular treatment strategies in acute ischemic stroke and discuss the limitations and shortcomings that prevent generalization of the findings of recent trials. We also provide our experience in endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke.


In summary, it has been the task of this article to try to forecast the future of meniscal surgery over the next decade. As we enter the twenty-first century, it becomes evident that a combination approach will be the most likely procedure. The code phrase will be, "Save as much meniscus as possible." The authors predict that accomplishing this objective will involve the use of adhesive materials, possibly autologous but more probably exogenous, supported by the insertion of a collagenous type material, which will serve as a scaffolding for the ingrowth of fibrocartilage, and the healing will be stimulated by hormonal methods. Whether this occurs through recombinant DNA techniques or better methods of precipitation remains an issue. Dose-specific mitogens and chemotactic agents will be placed in the area of injury to potentiate the vascular fibrous response of the host tissue. With earlier and more exuberant fibrous response and initial tissue adhesion from the fibrin adhesive, better stability will be established to allow for primary healing of meniscal tissues. This procedure will work well for longitudinal tears of the meniscus. A dilemma arises with more complex tears of the meniscus, however. Previously irreparable tears may be conducive to resection then replacement with cultured autologous fibrochondrocytes, either in a gel-type form or on scaffolds made of collagen or biodegradable materials. These scaffold/fibrochondrocyte replacements may be contoured to the defect present and bonded tightly with the fibrin adhesives previously discussed. Again, growth factors would be needed for ultimate success as the fibrochondrocytes mature into the appropriate morphologic subpopulations and begin to turn over their own extracellular matrix. The patient would have a neomeniscal autologous transplant with normal host cell turnover of matrix. A brave new era lies ahead for meniscal repair, and the journey promises to be a most exciting one.


Accounting information systems (AIS) should provide the information firms need to manage organizational activities. Environmental considerations are increasingly important in the business world, so firms are attending more to environmental risks and activities. AIS must respond to these emerging environmental requirements. We develop an information matrix for identifying alternative management strategies for framing and responding to environmental issues. The proposed matrix provides a tool for identifying the information collected, stored, analyzed, and reported in environmentally attuned accounting information systems.


Zero-example event detection is a problem where, given an event query as input but no example videos for training a detector, the system retrieves the most closely related videos. In this paper we present a fully-automatic zero-example event detection method that is based on translating the event description to a predefined set of concepts for which previously trained visual concept detectors are available. We adopt the use of Concept Language Models (CLMs), which is a method of augmenting semantic concept definition, and we propose a new concept-selection method for deciding on the appropriate number of the concepts needed to describe an event query. The proposed system achieves state-of-the-art performance in automatic zero-example event detection.


This introductory chapter offers a mapping of the field of research to which we – the authors of the chapter and the editors of the volume – hope that the volume itself will contribute. Using the motif of 'new directions', we chart historical and contemporary scholarship on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), tracing avenues of enquiry, streams of argument, and architectures of practice across geographical, temporal, and institutional scales. In the course of our mapping, we identify overlapping waves of WPS scholarship, beginning with those who came to study WPS primarily through peace activism and women's movements (including those who engaged directly with the politics and processes that produced UNSCR 1325), through the emergence of 'WPS' as a discrete object of analysis, and to the current state of art represented by the contributions to this volume. In doing so we show how WPS has gone from peace activism at the margins to a more significant landmark in the peace and security environment than perhaps anyone had envisaged. This cataloguing constitutes the first substantive section of the chapter. In the second section of the chapter, we map the contours of the contemporary field of study, proposing three new horizons of WPS scholarship: new themes; new actors; and new methods of encounter. In the final section, we conclude our cartography with a discussion of the ways in which the more recent contributions to WPS scholarship and practice are producing interesting new contestations, tensions, and constellations of power, and re-situate the new politics of WPS in relation to the geographical, temporal and institutional scales which will shape its future trajectories.


The morphology of vegetative and reproductive structures of seven species of Leguminosae traded as "angelim" in the State of Para were analyzed. This study sought to determine the basic differences between the species traded under the same vernacular name, in order to facilitate their taxonomic identification. A dichotomous key was developed to distinguish the species studied (Andira surinamensis, Dinizia excelsa, Hymenolobium excelsum, H. modestum, H. pulcherrimum, H. petraeum and Vatairea paraensis). The main characteristics used for separation in the field were of leaf, leaflet, bark and trunk. However, flower or fruit characters are needed to identify those species of Andira, Hymenolobium and Vatairea that lose their leaves while flowering.


There is debate over whether homing pigeons, Columba livia, use olfactory information as part of their navigational map. Antagonists of the theory argue that homing deficits noted in anosmic pigeons may be due to a non-specific impairment in general information processing. In Experiment I, we present data from a modest investigation describing the typical navigational deficits that occur following zinc sulphate-mediated anosmia. Our results are consistent with previous experiments that noted impairments in homing performance from unfamiliar locations of anosmic pigeons. Experiment II is a critical experiment that involved a spatial working memory paradigm; this paradigm consisted of testing zinc sulphate-treated birds in a forced-choice alternation task in a T-maze. This experiment allowed us to determine whether anosmic pigeons were impaired in memory performance, a robust measure of general information processing. There were no differences between the last day of training and a subsequent-test day when pigeons received an intranasal injection of zinc sulphate. This experiment suggests that zinc sulphate anosmia does not impair general information processing, supporting the hypothesis that homing pigeons use olfactory cues when homing from unfamiliar locations.


Background People living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) frequently have care delivered by a high number of professionals. In the Bradford area, it was recognised that people living with MND did not have a single point of access for care. This was felt to lead to lower quality care through poor coordination and inequity in access to services. Aim An MND Care Coordinator was appointed at a local hospice, with the aim of establishing a single point of access for patients and families. Additionally, the role aims to increase understanding of MND amongst professionals locally and support the running of the hospice multidisciplinary team clinics. Methods This work presents findings from the formative evaluation, which utilised in-depth interviews, service data analysis and time-log methods. Results All new patients have been contacted by the coordinator within two weeks of receipt of referral, with the aim of establishing themselves as their single point of access. The ability to have more frequent caseload review has allowed for the identification of care needs in a timelier way Conversations about care for people with MND can be emotive. Due to their clinical experience as a senior nurse, the coordinator has provided appropriate psychological support in conjunction with coordinating care The coordinator co–organised a professionals MND study day, as well as completing informal MND training to hospice staff and has made improvements to the Multi–Disciplinary Team clinics to encourage a person–centred approach. Conclusion Evidence to date suggests structures have been put in place to establish the coordinator as a single point of access locally, as well as to support patients, families and other professionals alike. Future evaluation will assess the extent this may have had an impact for people living with MND and their families.


The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of knowledge, effectiveness of use, frequency of use and challenges in the use of e-resources among the agricultural research scientist in Ghana. This study was based on the Technology Acceptance Model which presents a model that examine the relationship between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitudes and behavioral usage of other information technologies in recent years. Research design for this study was a case study approach. Data collection involved questionnaires administered to 68 agricultural research scientists, which was supplemented with interviews with Directors of the Institutes. The Study concluded that adequate provision should be made on user education to make scientists aware of various e-resources that are available to enhance usage. Secondly there is the need for increment in the bandwidth of the Internet connectivity and was therefore recommended that, there should be specific budgetary allocation on e-resources to improve e-resources facilities in agricultural libraries since scientists are known to have preference for electronic resources over print resources.


To investigate the relationships among vimentin, keratin and cellular polarity, reorganized glands composed of renal cell carcinoma cells were investigated in vitro. We employed two different three-dimensional collagen gel culture methods, the "floating sandwich method (FSM)" and the "dispersed embedding method (DEM)." The cells composed of reorganized glands formed by FSM culture showed distinct polarity. In contrast, the cellular polarity of the cells formed by DEM culture was less distinct. Keratin was evenly distributed throughout the cytoplasm regardless of the culture method. In contrast, in reorganized glands obtained by FSM culture, vimentin was distinctly polarized at the basal pole while glands obtained by DEM culture showed random distribution of vimentin. These results suggest that there is a close relationship between cell polarity and intracellular localization of vimentin, and that there may be different mechanisms controlling the organization of the two intermediate filament (IF) networks.


In our continuing evaluation of the medicinal plants of the Lowland Mixe, we report here on the biological and pharmacological investigations of Hyptis verticillata Jacq. (Lamiaceae). It is used by the Mixe to treat gastrointestinal pain, headache, and skin infections, including viral infections (1, 2). Since such ethnobotanical uses may be based on a large set of biological or pharmacological effects, we utilized several biological assays to confirm the indigenous indications and to isolate the active principles.


The suitability of seven media for the enumeration of Listeria spp. was evaluated at 30 degrees C for 48 h. The media tested were (i) the original McBride Listeria agar formulation (with glycine); (ii) modified McBride agar containing glycine anhydride; (iii) LiCl-phenylethanol-moxalactam (LPM) agar; (iv) acriflavine-ceftazidime agar; (v) Rodriguez isolation agar (RISA); (vi) modified Vogel-Johnson (MVJ) agar; (vii) cyclohexanedione-nalidixic acid-phenylethanol agar; and tryptose agar as control. A total of 66 organisms were used including 11 Listeria monocytogenes strains and 5 other Listeria spp. For L. monocytogenes strains only, all media performed highly similarly. Of the other Listeria spp., only two grew on MVJ agar and three each grew on LPM and RISA. Only LPM agar inhibited the 50 non-listeriae, including five yeasts, while MVJ agar inhibited all but one yeast. The McBride Listeria agar formulation that contained glycine anhydride was less selective than the original. When pure cultures of 10 bacteria (including one L. monocytogenes strain) were combined and plated on four media, L. monocytogenes colonies were easiest to enumerate on MVJ agar, followed by LPM and RISA. These media ranked in the same order when plated with homogenates of various foods to which was added L. monocytogenes Scott A, but LPM agar was the best overall since Scott A was inhibited by MVJ. Upon microscopic examination of listerial colonies from the plating media, atypical cell morphology was noted with cells being about twofold in size on LPM, MVJ, and acriflavine-ceftazidime agars. Overall, LPM agar was the most suitable of the media tested even though it was inhibitory to Listeria grayi and Listeria murrayi.


Background Reconstruction of maxillary defect resulting from trauma or oncology surgery is of great importance for patients with physical and psychological complications. The virtual surgical planning (VSP) and 3D printing technics had been used in recent years which simplified the surgical procedure and promoted success and accuracy. To assess the accuracy and outcome of VSP surgery, here we report our experience in maxillary reconstruction retrospectively. Method Patients who received maxillary defect reconstruction from 2013 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. These patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 received VSP and 3D printed guiding plates in the surgery, while group 2 underwent free-hand surgery (FHS). Patients with different vertical and horizontal defects were classified according to Brown and Shaw classification. Clinical information and postoperative complications of all patients were collected. For patients with unilateral maxillary defect, orbit volume, orbit height, and the contour of the reconstructed side were compared with the normal side. Result Thirty-four patients who achieved the criteria were analyzed, of which 20 patients underwent VSP surgery. There were primary and secondary reconstruction cases in both two groups. Vascularized iliac crest flap was used in three cases, and fibula flap was performed in the other cases. One flap collapse occurred in FHS group. Seven patients in VSP group received dental implants, while the number in FHS group was 0. In vertical class III cases, the differences in orbit height (ΔD) and orbit volume (ΔV) between normal side and reconstructed side were measured and compared in the two groups. The mean ΔD is 1.78 ± 1.33 mm in VSP group and 4.25 ± 0.95 mm in FHS group, while the mean ΔV is 2.04 ± 0.85 cm3 in VSP group and 3.25 ± 0.17 cm3 in FHS group. The alterations of orbit height and volume in VSP group were much smaller than that in FHS group with statistical significance. From the perspective of aesthetics, the color-gradient map indicates a more symmetric and smoother curve of post-operation appearance in VSP group. Conclusion Compared with traditional free-hand surgical technics, VSP and 3D printing guiding plates can allow for a more accurate maxillary reconstruction with improved aesthetics.


Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are frequently used in the production of rubber and plastic, but little is known about the identity, concentration, or prevalence of PFAS in these products. In this study, a representative sample of plastic- and rubber-containing artificial turf (AT) fields from Stockholm, Sweden, was subjected to total fluorine (TF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF), and target PFAS analysis. TF was observed in all 51 AT samples (ranges of 16–313, 12–310, and 24–661 μg of F/g in backing, filling, and blades, respectively), while EOF and target PFAS occurred in <42% of all samples (<200 and <1 ng of F/g, respectively). A subset of samples extracted with water confirmed the absence of fluoride. Moreover, application of the total oxidizable precursor assay revealed negligible perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) formation across all three sample types, indicating that the fluorinated substances in AT are not low-molecular weight PFAA precursors. Collectively, these results point toward polymeric organofluorine (e.g., fluoroelastomer, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyvinylidene fluoride), consistent with patent literature. The combination of poor extractability and recalcitrance toward advanced oxidation suggests that the fluorine in AT does not pose an imminent risk to users. However, concerns surrounding the production and end of life of AT, as well as the contribution of filling and blades to environmental microplastic contamination, remain.


In response to environmental cues plants undergo changes in gene expression that result in the up- or down-regulation of specific genes. To identify genes in peach Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. trees whose transcript levels are specifically affected by low temperature (LT) or short day photoperiod (SD), we have created suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries from bark tissues sampled from trees kept at 5 degrees C and 25 degrees C under short day (SD) photoperiod or exposed to a night break (NB) interruption during the dark period of the SD cycle to simulate a long day (LD) photoperiod. Sequences expressed in forward and reverse subtractions using various subtracted combinations of temperature and photoperiod treatments were cloned, sequenced, and identified by BLAST and ClustalW analysis. Low temperature treatment resulted in the up-regulation of a number of cold-responsive and stress-related genes and suppression of genes involved in "housekeeping" functions (e.g., cell division and photosynthesis). Some stress-related genes not observed to be up-regulated under LT were increased in response to SD photoperiod treatments. Comparison of the patterns of expression as a consequence of different temperature and photoperiod treatments allowed us to determine the qualitative contribution of each treatment to the regulation of specific genes.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the change of Smoothened (Smo) expression in the retinofugal pathway and in the growth cones during the period of embryonic day 13 (E13) to E15.

METHODS
Smo expression in the chiasm and growth cones was observed by fluorescent immunostaining and retinal explant culture.

RESULTS
On E13 and E14, Smo was expressed moderately in the retina and optic disc, and in the corner of the retina, Smo expression was especially dense. On E13, Smo expression was detected in the optic nerves and ventral diencephalon, but only in the superficial region of the optic tract on E14. Smo was also detected in the stem and filopodia of the growth cones in the retinal explant culture during this period.

CONCLUSION
Smo expression changes in different developmental phases, suggesting that Smo might play a role in signal optic axon growth during the development of the retinofugal pathway.


Abstract Trace fossils are long known to exist in the Fossil Hill Formation (lower to middle Eocene) at Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. During fieldwork in 2009, abundant new avian tracks were recovered, which are analysed here. Three avian ichnotaxa are distinguished. The most common impressions are tridactyls and tetradactyls with slender digit imprints II–IV and a posterior hallux. They are included in the ichnogenus Gruipeda. In addition tridactyl and tetradactyl footprints with short and thick digit impressions are conferred to Uhangrichnus. The third ichnotaxon is a tridactyl impression with broad and short digits assigned to Avipeda. The latter taxon is here documented for the first time from Antarctica. These avian tracks are preserved in volcaniclastic sediments consisting in reddish-brown layers of mudstone intercalated with coarse sandstone. The sequence represents lacustrine environments which seasonally dried and were episodically refilled.


Justice-centred science pedagogy has been suggested as an effective framework for supporting teachers in bringing in culturally relevant pedagogy to their science classrooms; however, limited instructional tools exist that introduce social dimensions of science in ways teachers feel confident navigating. In this article, we add to the justice-centred science pedagogy framework by offering tools to make sense of science and social factors and introduce socioscientific modelling as an instructional strategy for attending to social dimensions of science in ways that align with justice-centred science pedagogy. Socioscientific modelling offers an inclusive, culturally responsive approach to education in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics through welcoming students' diverse repertoires of personal and community knowledge and linking disciplinary knowledge with social dimensions. In this way, students can come to view content knowledge as a tool for making sense of inequitable systems and societal injustices. Using data from an exploratory study conducted in summer 2022, we present emerging evidence of how this type of modelling has shown students to demonstrate profound insight into social justice science issues, construct understandings that are personally meaningful and engage in sophisticated reasoning. We conclude with future considerations for the field.


Gender has always remained an alarming concern for patriarchal power discourse and thereby has been omitted from securing an important place of discussion in parity to the world's economic, political, social, and cultural crisis. Recent control of the Taliban's rule on Afghanistan has reflected and repeated the historical totalitarian sense of dictatorship and gender apartheid; so that, the rule of 'phallus' in controlling, re-presenting, and depicting the lives of all women is started. Alarms of 'girls at risk', 'women being abolished from professional spaces' soon emerged with the Taliban's rule. The news and report portrayed how the Taliban treated women as 'objects' and machines of 'reproduction', where the vaginal authority is smashed with 'legitimate' phallus, and thus the vaginal bodies turn into the 'sex-slaves' and servants to serve the Taliban rulers. Power has a crucial role in ordering the central tendency of 'bodies'; the Taliban target is to have the power; a power that is allowing countries like China, the U.S.A to dominate. It is important to note more than Pakistan, it is China's support (secretly) that is permitting the Taliban to accelerate. Gender and Power dynamics always altered domains of inheritance and are associated and inclined more deeply towards the white-cis-heterosexual-phallus (gender) in comparison to any other. Women as subjects have always lacked power because restrictions and marking on the accessibility to 'gain power' were blurred. Politics and phallus are complementary power dynamics in operation that uses Gender as an operative tool to create 'crises' for one and support for the other. Where the power-play within the phallogocentric symbolic order creates the suffering veiled. Hence, my paper aims to present the deplorable condition of women under the Taliban's rule and make a comparison of their position before 1996 and after that till the present.


A class of implication functions is constructed from fuzzy negations. The interest of this new class lies in its simplicity and in the fact that when N is Idsymmetrical, the corresponding implication agrees with the residuum of a commutative semicopula.


ABSTRACT Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a multifactorial pathophysiologic irreversible process that often leads to a terminal state in which the patient requires renal replacement therapy. Most cases of CKD are due to chronic-degenerative diseases and endothelial dysfunction is one of the factors that contribute to its pathophysiology. One of the most important mechanisms for proper functioning of the endothelium is the regulation of the synthesis of nitric oxide. This compound is synthesized by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase, which has 3 isoforms. Polymorphisms in the NOS3 gene have been implicated as factors that alter the homeostasis of this mechanism. The Glu298Asp polymorphisms 4 b/a and -786T>C of the NOS3 gene have been associated with a more rapid deterioration of kidney function in patients with CKD. These polymorphisms have been evaluated in patients with CKD of determined and undetermined etiology and related to a more rapid deterioration of kidney function.


The isolation paradigm is often used for studying the effects of distinctiveness on memory. Within this paradigm the isolated item can appear early or late in the list. Most prior studies using the isolation paradigm with older adults placed the isolated items late in the study list, however, Smith (2011) used an early isolation list and found that older adults showed an early isolation effect when the dimension of isolation was more readily detected (numbers vs. letters) but did not show an isolation effect when the dimension of difference was more subtle (category membership). The current experiments replicate these findings and demonstrate judgments of learning are elevated for the isolated item in the former case, but not in the latter case, for young and older adults.


ABSTRACT Introduction Pleural infection causes significant morbidity and mortality. An important aspect in the treatment of pleural infection is the pharmacokinetics of antibiotics, an area often neglected. Areas covered Pathophysiology of pleural infection and the importance of antibiotic therapy in the treatment of pleural infection are discussed. After reviewing all available literature on pharmacokinetics of antibiotics for pleural infection, the scarcity of data and knowledge gaps are highlighted. Expert Opinion This review aims to heighten awareness of the limited pharmacokinetic data of commonly used antibiotics for pleural infection. It serves to remind clinicians that choice of antibiotics for pleural infection should be based not only on bacterial sensitivity but also adequate delivery of antibiotics to the infected pleural cavity. Antibiotic pharmacokinetics may vary with agents used, pleural thickness and individual characteristics. Consideration must be given to insufficient pleural delivery of systemic antibiotics in patients lacking clinical improvement. Pleural infection research has disproportionately focused on fluid drainage. Optimizing delivery of effective antibiotic therapy to the pleural cavity must be regarded a key priority to progress clinical care. Large comprehensive cohort studies on pharmacokinetic variability are the essential next step. The possibility of intrapleural administration is also an area that warrants additional research.


Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a preventative, economical method for infants with low birth weight (LBW). KMC benefits LBW infants in a number of ways. This review standpoints the effect of KMC on the weight gain of LBW neonates. KMC also improves breastfeeding rates during the hospital stay as well as at home. KMC can be provided not only by mothers but also by fathers and other adults in the family. However, it is not routinely practiced in hospitals. Short-term and long-term KMC is beneficial for survival, neurodevelopment, breastfeeding, and mother-infant bonding. Preterm infants are more likely to experience neonatal mortality and morbidity due to acute breathing problems, gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune disorders, and neurological defects as compared to full-term and normal-weight infants. A thorough literature search was conducted using key databases like PubMed and Google Scholar, as well as Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms and related keywords. Clinical health experts also believed that implementing KMC would assist mothers in developing more solid emotional bonds with their newborns. As a result, both mothers and their newborns felt more secure, and the babies were more relaxed. KMC was also seen to support the infants' growth and development, which improved the mothers' sense of connection. It is crucial to remember that KMC works better for babies with very low birth weight (VLBW). The mother-child relationship enhances sucking-feeding, and KMC infants have higher means of growth parameters.


Surface electromyographic (EMG) signals were detected from the laryngeal area of 7 normal and 7 vocally hyperfunctional speakers during rest, two resisted-force maneuvers, vowel production, and connected speech. Vowel fundamental frequency, absolute and relative period perturbation, laryngeal-palpation ratings, and harshness ratings were acquired as well. The two groups differed significantly on all EMG measures except those associated with the resisted-force maneuvers, the vowel EMG-to-rest EMG ratio, and the speech EMG-to-rest EMG ratio. Moderately high correlations were evident between selected clinical measures and speech EMG values.


Sweeping changes designed to safeguard children treated by the NHS in Wales are urged in a new report.

The report recommends establishing a director of children's healthcare services, an all-Wales NHS child protection organisation, two new charters for children, police checking of staff who come into contact with children, and protection of NHS whistleblowers.

The review, carried out by a panel of experts and chaired by Lord Carlile QC, was set up in the wake of the north Wales child abuse inquiry, which heard allegations from former inpatients of a child and adolescent mental health unit in North Wales.

Its 150 recommendations to the Welsh Assembly also include medical access to child protection registers, some access to health records by social workers, the establishment of complaints officers in every NHS trust, and a network of children's advocates.

"Every child and young person being treated by the NHS should be safe, feel safe, be treated as individuals, …


Overexpression and mutational activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is involved in tumor development and progression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Somatic mutations in the EGFR kinase domain confer high sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The two most frequent mutations are the exon 19 deletion and the exon 21 L858R. Distinct EGFR mutations differ in their effect on response and survival to TKIs. We have examined EGFR mutations in more than 1800 stage IV NSCLCs for erlotinib customization as both first- and second-line treatment. EGFR mutations cluster in never-smokers, women and adenocarcinomas, as has been described in multiple retrospective studies. The overall frequency of EGFR mutations in our study was 15% and the response in first- and second-line treatment was 84%. Overall, progression-free survival was 13 months and median survival has not been reached. However, patients with exon 19 deletions showed a significantly longer progression-free survival than those harboring L858R mutations. Despite abundant molecular evidence on the role of EGFR mutations, there is still no general agreement as to their predictive value. To clarify this important issue, the Spanish Lung Cancer Group has opened a Phase III trial comparing erlotinib with chemotherapy in stage IV NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations. This study is open to other European institutions.


AIM
To investigate the effects of serum testosterone level on plasms lipid and apolipoprotein spectrum in orchiectomized rabbits.

METHODS
40 male New Zealand rabbits were divided randomly into five groups (n = 8): control group, sham (castration), castration group (castration), hypotestosteronemia group (castration plus low dose testosterone replacement), physiological level group (castration plus moderate testosterone replacement), and hypertestosteronemia group (castration plus large dose testosterone replacement). The rabbits in hypotestosteronemia, physiological level and hypertestosteronemia group were injected testosterone undecanoate 3 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, and 12 mg/kg, respectively and the remaining control, and castration rabbits, vehicle only. 8 weeks after initiation of the experiment, blood was collected for determination of serum levels of total testosterone (TT), estradiol (E2), lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins.

RESULTS
After castration, the serum level of TT decreased significantly to the lowest level, and TU replacement increased serum TT level depending on dose. The low dose of TU increased serum TT level slightly and produced a hypotestosteronemia model, the moderate dose of TU increased serum TT level near to normal level and produced a physiological model, the large dose of TU increased serum TT level significantly to the highest level and produced a hypertestosteronemia model. The tatol cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) were significantly increased in hypotestosteronemia and hypertestosteronemia rabbits and significantly decreased in physiological serum testosterone rabbits.

CONCLUSION
Testosterone, at physiological level has good effect on the serum lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins in the castration rabbits, and the hypotestosteronemia and hypertestosteronemia has bad effect.


Legislative redistricting alters the political and electoral context for some voters but not others, thus offering a potentially promising research design to study many questions of interest in political science. We apply this design to study the effect that descriptive representation has on co-ethnic political engagement, focusing on Hispanic participation following California's 2000 redistricting cycle. We show that when redistrictors draw legislative boundaries in California's 1990, 2000, and 2010 apportionment cycles, they systematically sort higher-participating Hispanic voters into majority-Hispanic (MH) jurisdictions represented by co-ethnic candidates, biasing subsequent comparisons of Hispanic participation across districts. Similar sorting occurs during redistricting in Florida and Texas, though here the pattern is reversed, with less-participating Hispanic voters redistricted to MH districts. Our study highlights important heterogeneity in redistricting largely unknown or underappreciated in previous research. Ignoring this selection problem could significantly bias estimates of the effect of Hispanic representation, either positively or negatively. After we correct for these biases using a hierarchical genetic matching algorithm, we find that, in California, being moved to a district with an Hispanic incumbent has little impact on Hispanic participation in our data.


Using Oregon State University and Mexican Navy cruise data, along with maps previously published by other workers, we have compiled a set of regional maps of the marine magnetic anomalies and oceanic crustal isochrons off northwest Mexico and southern Alta California. We then examined magnetic anomaly profiles obtained in and near the mouth of the Gulf of California to determine spreading rates between the North American, Pacific, Rivera, and Cocos plates. The post-4 Ma Pacific-North American spreading rate in the mouth of the Gulf of California, measured using magnetic anomaly profiles, is either 66 or 49 km/m.y., depending on which of two sets of subjective anomaly correlations is preferred. The post-4 Ma Pacific-Rivera spreading rate over the Rivera Rise increases along the ridge from 51 km/m.y. near the Tamayo Fracture Zone to 56 km/m.y. near the Rivera Fracture Zone. From this linear rate-of-change of spreading we determine that the Pacific-Rivera instantaneous pole of relative motion is about 21 arc-degrees northeast of the middle of the Rivera Rise. Early Gulf spreading on the northern Rivera plate at the Maria Magdalena Rise may have been diffuse, characterized by multiple axes of extension. The post-1.9 Ma Pacific-Cocos spreadi g rate south of the Rivera Fracture Zone is about 88 km/m.y. After a ridge-jump at about 5 Ma and prior to 1.9 Ma, the spreading rate here was only about 69 km/m.y. Prior to about 5 Ma, the spreading rate was about 76 km/m.y. Thus, although there may have been a change in the overall spreading rate coincident with the ridge-jump, it appears that about 3 m.y. were still required to completely transfer Pacific-Cocos spreading from the Mathematicians Rise to the East Pacific Rise. End_Page 47-------------------------


The present invention relates to a wet wipe (1), for wiping a surface, such as the role of baby wipes, cleansing paper, and other skin care products outside the human body, also in domestic or industrial. These wet wipes are folded to each other and (40, 50) is interleaved to provide an improved stacking configuration whereby each of the wet wipes may be individual user easily be removed from the wet wipe stack.


This study focuses on using m-learning in Arabic language learning for deaf student. A thorough planning has been organised on the methodology and the study research sequence, to ensure smooth organisation of the research. The methodology of this research contains three sections. The first section is on the sample/participants chosen for the study, the second section focuses on the research design/procedures used in conducting the study and the third section is on the research experimental method. Finding of study showed that there is statistically significant difference between total scores before / pretest and total scores after / posttest in intervention program of writing skills for deaf students.


This report correlates the coals in the Scottish Coalfield and provides a key by which local coals, and their local names, can be fitted in to the BGS Carboniferous Stratigraphy. It attempts to collect together all the various seam names, correlations and aliases for coal seams. This information was collected from documents completed by BGS palaeontology, BGS reports and memoirs, NCB/British Coal sections, other external coal publications plus my own personal knowledge within the Scottish Coalfields.
It includes the Sanquhar coalfield but does not take into consideration coalfields at Machrihanish, Brora and a few other isolated small coalfields.
The spreadsheet shows:
1. An indication of where the coal seam name first originated. (they could also be within other sources) denoted by colour of lines round spreadsheet cells
2. Speckled cells show correlations within areas.
3. Solid lines round hatched or speckled boxes show known correlations whereas dashed line indicate possible correlations.
4. Horizontal lines in cells show BGS correlation across different areas.
5. Vertical lines in cells indicate NCB/Coal Authority correlations across areas.
6. Cross hatching indicates agreement with BGS and NCB/Coal Authority correlations
The spreadsheet was initially created to try to show where every coal seam name on any coal plan or publication was located within the geological strata for any area within the Scottish Coalfield (Figure 1). Correlations for the coal seams within the same area and in different areas were added later. As it was impossible to have headings for every area in Scotland, all the coal seam names in a column may not exist in the places listed at the heading as the seam names are merely within any location name in the headed areas.


Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the micro-strain around dental implant using two different CAD/CAM crown fabricated materials through strain gauge analysis. Materials and Methods: Five dental implants were fixed in a 5 previously drilled solid rigid polyurethane test blocks in the edentulous area with neighboring abutments mesial and distal printed out using special 3D Dental printer, Cyanoacrylate adhesive was then used to fix the printed-out part on to the polyurethane test blocks, creating the bounded saddle replicas. Ten CAD/CAM screw retained crowns were fabricated; five Enamic crowns from vita enamic blocks, and five zirconia crowns from presintered katana zirconium blocks. Each crown was cemented to abutment and screwed over the implant fixture. Two strain gauges were installed on their corresponding prepared sites to measure the micro-strains in the medium surrounding the implant. For each tested implant, loads were applied by a universal testing machine, micro-strains were recorded with the strain gauges and stress distribution around the implant was statistically evaluated. Results: Microstrain recording revealed a statistically significant difference in mean micro-strain recording applied in central fossa between Zirconia and Enamic, for both the buccal and lingual measurements, Enamic was significantly lower than Zirconia. Conclusion: The modulus of elasticity of restorative materials has a meaningful effect on forces applied to dental implant and transmitted to the supporting bone.


East Asia has been a paragon of global development success. The dramatic transformation of the region over the past half century—with a succession of countries having progressed from low-income to middle-income and even to high-income status—has been built on what has come to be known as the "East Asian development model." A combination of policies that fostered outward-oriented, labor-intensive growth while strengthening basic human capital and providing sound economic governance has been instrumental in moving hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into economic security. Yet East Asia's economic resurgence remains incomplete. More than 90 percent of its people now live in 10 middle-income countries, many of which can realistically aspire to high-income status in the next generation or two. But these countries are still much less affluent and productive than their high-income counterparts. Even as the region's middle-income countries attempt to move up to high-income status, they confront a rapidly changing global and regional economic environment. Slowing growth in global trade and shifts in its patterns, rapid technological change, and evolving country circumstances all present challenges to sustaining productivity growth, fostering inclusion, and enhancing state effectiveness. A Resurgent East Asia: Navigating a Changing World is about how policy makers across developing East Asia will need to adapt their development model to effectively address these challenges in the coming decade and sustain the region's remarkable development performance.


Injury to the growth plate is associated with growth disturbances, most notably premature cessation of growth. The goal of this study was to identify spatial changes in the structure and composition of the growth plate in response to injury to provide a foundation for developing therapies that minimize the consequences for skeletal development. We used contrast-enhanced microcomputed tomography (CECT) and histological analyses of a murine model of growth plate injury to quantify changes in the cartilaginous and osseous tissue of the growth plate. To distinguish between local and global changes, the growth plate was divided into regions of interest near to and far from the injury site. We noted increased thickness and CECT attenuation (a measure correlated with glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content) near the injury, and increased tissue mineral density (TMD) of bone bridges within the injury site, compared to outside the injury site and contralateral growth plates. Furthermore, we noted disruption of the normal zonal organization of the physis. The height of the hypertrophic zone was increased at the injury site, and the relative height of the proliferative zone was decreased across the entire injured growth plate. These results indicate that growth plate injury leads to localized disruption of cellular activity and of endochondral ossification. These local changes in tissue structure and composition may contribute to the observed retardation in femur growth. In particular, the changes in proliferative and hypertrophic zone heights seen following injury may impact growth and could be targeted when developing therapies for growth plate injury.


Achieving fast coincidence timing resolution (CTR) is an important issue in clinical time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) to improve the reconstructed image quality. One of the major factors affecting the CTR is the crystal surface treatment, which is often parameterized as surface roughness. However, previous studies on the crystal surface treatment optimization had two limitations of crystal-by-crystal variation and worse CTR over 200 ps. Here, we report the effects of the crystal surface treatment on the performance of a 20 mm long fast-LGSO crystal based TOF detector by tracking the same crystals in the sub-180 ps CTR regime. The light collection efficiency (LCE), energy resolution (ER) and CTR of the TOF detector were evaluated with six different crystal surface treatments of chemically polished (C.P), C.P half side roughened (1/2S) treatment, and then the C.P one side roughened (1S) treatment, mechanically polished (M.P) treatment, M.P 1/2S treatment, and M.P 1S treatment. The four lateral surfaces of each crystal were wrapped by using enhanced specular reflector film while the top surface was covered by using Teflon tape. The bottom surface of the crystal was optically coupled to a silicon photomultiplier. The timing and energy signals were extracted by using a custom-made high-frequency readout circuit, and then digitized by using a waveform digitizer. All the experimental conditions were same except the crystal surface treatment. Among the six different crystal surface treatments, the M.P 1S would be the optimal crystal surface treatment which balanced enhancements in the CTR (165 ± 3 ps) and ER (10.5 ± 0.5%). Unlike the M.P 1S, the C.P 1S did not enhance the CTR and ER. Hence, the C.P without roughening would be the second-best optimal crystal surface treatment which balanced the CTR (169 ± 3 ps) and ER (10.5 ± 0.5%).


This study has investigated the feasibility of estimating chest acceleration from the pelvic acceleration and shoulder belt forces measured on a vehicle occupant exposed to a frontal crash. The method of estimating chest acceleration is based upon a simple two-mass one-dimensional model of a vehicle occupant in which pelvic acceleration and shoulder belt force are applied as forcing functions. The predictive power of the model was evaluated by comparing the estimated and measured chest acceleration of 18 Hybrid-III crash test dummies subjected to 56 km/hr full frontal barrier crash tests. The crashtest dummies were restrained by airbags and three-point belt systems with pretensioners and load-limiting shoulder belts. The combined loads exerted on the chest by the pelvis and the shoulder belts were shown to be a reasonable estimate of force on the chest early in the crash event prior to significant airbag loading.


This paper presents topology optimization of capillary, the typical two-phase flow with immiscible fluids, where the level set method and diffuse-interface model are combined to implement the proposed method. The two-phase flow is described by the diffuse-interface model with essential no slip condition imposed on the wall, where the singularity at the contact line is regularized by the molecular diffusion at the interface between two immiscible fluids. The level set method is utilized to express the fluid and solid phases in the flows and the wall energy at the implicit fluid-solid interface. Based on the variational procedure for the total free energy of two-phase flow, the Cahn-Hilliard equations for the diffuse-interface model are modified for the two-phase flow with implicit boundary expressed by the level set method. Then the topology optimization problem for the two-phase flow is constructed for the cost functional with general formulation. The sensitivity analysis is implemented by using the continuous adjoint method. The level set function is evolved by solving the Hamilton-Jacobian equation, and numerical test is carried out for capillary to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed topology optimization method. It is straightforward to extend this proposed method into the other two-phase flows with two immiscible fluids.


A color/near-infrared camera inspired by the mantis shrimp visual system enables tumor detection and lymph node mapping during cancer surgery. Through a shrimp eye brightly A camera for intraoperative imaging of tumors could improve surgical outcomes, but some imaging technologies have been difficult to translate to clinical practice. Blair et al. designed an imaging system based on the eye of the mantis shrimp. This system detected multiple near-infrared fluorescent signals simultaneously and was tested in a mouse model of human prostate cancer. In support of clinical feasibility, the authors showed that fluorescently labeled sentinel lymph nodes could be detected by the sensor in patients with breast cancer undergoing surgical resection. This bioinspired imaging sensor could offer a flexible tool for image-guided surgical removal of tumors. Cancer affects one in three people worldwide. Surgery remains the primary curative option for localized cancers, but good prognoses require complete removal of primary tumors and timely recognition of metastases. To expand surgical capabilities and enhance patient outcomes, we developed a six-channel color/near-infrared image sensor inspired by the mantis shrimp visual system that enabled near-infrared fluorescence image guidance during surgery. The mantis shrimp's unique eye, which maximizes the number of photons contributing to and the amount of information contained in each glimpse of its surroundings, is recapitulated in our single-chip imaging system that integrates arrays of vertically stacked silicon photodetectors and pixelated spectral filters. To provide information about tumor location unavailable from a single instrument, we tuned three color channels to permit an intuitive perspective of the surgical procedure and three near-infrared channels to permit multifunctional imaging of optical probes highlighting cancerous tissue. In nude athymic mice bearing human prostate tumors, our image sensor enabled simultaneous detection of two tumor-targeted fluorophores, distinguishing diseased from healthy tissue in an estimated 92% of cases. It also permitted extraction of near-infrared structured illumination enabling the mapping of the three-dimensional topography of tumors and surgical sites to within 1.2-mm error. In the operating room, during surgical resection in 18 patients with breast cancer, our image sensor further enabled sentinel lymph node mapping using clinically approved near-infrared fluorophores. The flexibility and performance afforded by this simple and compact architecture highlights the benefits of biologically inspired sensors in image-guided surgery.


The authors used high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) for studying 52 congenitally malformed ears in 45 children between five and 10 years of age. In six children the malformations were bilateral. The malforma tions clinically manifested as microtia, atresia of the external auditory canal and conductive deafness. Analyzing anatomical details and pathological changes on HRCT axial sections the authors established three groups of malformations. In the first group, auditory assicles were malformed in almost all cases, in the second group besides deformed auditory ossicles in majority of cases, the mastoid was apneumatised, and in the third group there were malformed auditory ossicles and the mastoids were apneumatised and in more than half of cases cavum tympani was malformed or filled with mesenchyme. These features have great importance in surgical reconstruction of congenital middle ear malformations. MJIRI, Vo1.5, No.3 & 4,105-109,199


In recent years, organisational theorists have been interested in the tensions faced by healthcare organisations. In this paper, these tensions are examined using the virtue approach to ethics of Alasdair MacIntyre. It is argued that although MacIntyre's framework shares many concerns with organisational studies, it supplements the analysis with a focus on moral content and evaluation. By providing moral evaluation of the stories told in organisations, an ethical analysis compels action on a basis that organisational studies does not. Nevertheless, it is the analysis of stories in organisation studies that provides the tools for taking action. The analysis presented here provides an example of how ethics and organisational studies can be brought together to provide a stronger analysis of organisational phenomena. Indeed, it provides support for Nielsen's position that organisational theory and ethics are co-dependent and suggests that greater attention should be paid to ethical concepts in the study of organisational phenomena.


Studies have suggested that engagement in a programme of exercise is beneficial for people living with Multiple Scelrosis (MS). There is evidence of improvements in mobility, overall health and the management of some symptoms such as fatigue, muscle stiffness, anxiety and depression. St Giles Hospice has been working to develop it's provision of Supportive Care, working with community partners to meet the needs of those affected by a life limiting illness who have previously not easily accessed hospice services. A 12 week pilot exercise and support programme was undertaken working in collaboration with a community based exercise facilitator, and local NHS MS services. The aims:


Domain-specific languages (DSL) have many potential advantages in terms of software engineering, ranging from increased productivity to the application of formal methods. Although they have been used in practice for decades, there has been little study of methodology or implementation tools for the DSL approach. We present our DSL approach and its application to a realistic domain: the generation of video display device drivers. The article focuses on the validation of our proposed framework for domain-specific languages, from design to implementation. The framework leads to a flexible design and structure, and provides automatic generation of efficient implementations of DSL programs. Additionally, we describe an example of a complete DSL for video display adaptors and the benefits of the DSL approach for this application. This demonstrates some of the generally claimed benefits of using DSLs: increased productivity, higher-level abstraction, and easier verification. This DSL has been fully implemented with our approach and is available. Compose project URL: http://www.irisa.fr/compose/gal.


Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the pancreas is a rare exocrine ductal tumour with unknown pathophysiology and poor treatment options. We present a case of SCC in a 59-year-old male patient who presented with epigastric pain, vomiting, anorexia, asthenia, and weight loss. Abdomino-pelvic CT revealed a pancreatic mass with adenopathy satellites. Surgical biopsies were negative, and a trans-duodenal gastric endoscopy showed suspicious lymphadenopathies and a hypoechoic lesion invading the portal vein. An anapathological study confirmed SCC at the site of intense necrotic and inflammatory changes. The patient received radio-chemotherapy, but ultimately developed peritoneal carcinoma.


In this study, samples of commercial Portland cement mixed with 30% weight of crushed waste silicate glass were prepared in the shape of well-dried cylinders. Then, their physical and mechanical properties were investigated for two types of samples: samples without exposure and samples with exposure to gamma-ray and neutron irradiation. A notable deterioration of the physical properties of the irradiated samples relative to the non-irradiated ones was recorded. All the spectroscopic analyses were performed for the samples with exposure and without exposure to gamma-ray and neutron irradiation. The XRD emerging peaks of irradiated samples were studied to estimate the presence and stabilities of major peaks indicating the presence of the main compositions of cement with the amorphous nature of glass. FT-IR transmittance spectra were identified and the bonds were located close to those of identical glasses. Moreover, SEM images and EDX analysis were conducted on the two types of composite samples (without exposure and with exposure to gamma and neutron irradiation) to specify the change in the physical appearance and the chemical composition after irradiation. The attenuation parameters were computed theoretically with the assistance of Phy-X/PSD software to evaluate the gamma-ray and neutron shielding properties by defining the composition and the density of the samples. The irradiation was found to have a negative impact on the shielding ability of the prepared samples where there was an over-reduction in the parameters calculated with the probability that the damage may increase with longer exposure to the radiation.


The Ar ion-etching technique, successfully employed to produce PMMA blazed holographic gratings, has not been applied to produce SiO2 gratings, because the etching rate of SiO2 is lower than that of AZ1350, the mask material for ion etching. In the present study a CF4 reactive ion-etching technique using a high SiO2 etching rate is developed to produce original SiO2 blazed holographic gratings. The blaze angle of gratings can be controlled easily by varying the incident angle of the ion beam. This technique appears very useful for producing blazed gratings made of various materials.


If robots are ever to achieve autonomous motion comparable to that exhibited by animals, they must acquire the ability to quickly recover motor behaviors when damage, malfunction, or envi-ronmental conditions compromise their ability to move effectively. We present an approach which allowed our robots and simulated robots to recover high-degree of freedom motor behaviors within a few dozen attempts. Our approach employs a " behavior specification " expressing the desired behaviors in terms as rank ordered differential constraints. We show how factoring these constraints through an " encoding templates " produces a recipe for generalizing a previously optimized behavior to new circumstances in a form amenable to rapid learning. We further illustrate that adequate constraints are generically easy to determine in data-driven contexts. As illustration, we demonstrate our recovery approach on a physical 7 DOF hexapod robot, as well as a simulation of a 6 DOF 2D kinematic mechanism. In both cases we recovered a behavior functionally indistinguishable from the previously optimized motion.


Abstract Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta) are often used to test life-history theory. However, within populations, the factors that contribute to among-individual variation in egg size and clutch size are poorly understood, and an understanding of the biotic and abiotic parameters that contribute to this variation is important when framing patterns of maternal investment in a life-history context. We examined proximate sources of reproductive variation in a northern population of Painted Turtles, we attempted to frame these sources of variation in a life-history context, and we evaluate which optimality model most adequately explains patterns of reproductive allocation in populations of small-bodied turtles. We used multiple linear regression on data from 168 first clutches of marked females that nested at a long-term study site in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada, in 2004. We found that mean egg mass was positively related to maximum plastron length (MPL) and female age, and negatively related to clutch size and water temperature prior to oviposition. Clutch size was positively related to MPL and carapace height, and negatively related to mean egg mass, and the number of clutches laid in the season. Body size (MPL) was the most important predictor of each reproductive parameter, and residual analysis indicated that egg mass was more conserved than clutch size across the range of female body sizes sampled in this study. Thus, egg size may be optimized as a body size-specific function, and in light of this, we suggest that 'phenotype-habitat matching' may occur in C. picta. If a female's phenotype (e.g., body size) influences the selective environment of her eggs and hatchlings (e.g., if larger females generally nest farther away from water), then the optimal strategy of maternal investment should vary among maternal phenotypes. The positive correlation between egg mass and body size that was observed in the present study can be explained in adaptive terms under hypotheses based on the concept of phenotype–habitat matching.


Continuous treatment with 8% ethanol doubled the vase life of 'White Sim' carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) flowers. Other alcohols, other concentrations of ethanol, or pulse treatments with up to 8% ethanol had little or no effect. Butanol and longer-chain alcohols shortened vase life and caused the flower stem to fold. During their eventual senescence, the petals of ethanol-treat ed flowers did not inroll; instead, individual petals dried slowly from their tips. Very little ethylene was produced by ethanol-treated flowers, and the normal increase in ACC content and EFE activity was also suppressed. Ethanol treatment also decreased the flowers' sensitivity to exogenous ethylene.


Polarized Raman spectra of the strontium vanadium oxide bronze β-Sr0.33V2O5 are measured in the temperature range between 300 and 77 K. The charge ordering phase transition at about 165 K is characterized by the appearance of new Raman-active modes in the spectra, as well as through an abrupt change of the phonon frequencies and dampings. The Raman scattering spectra of β-Sr0.33V2O5 in the charge disordered phase are in apparent resemblance with those of α′-NaV2O5, which suggests that there is a similar charge-phonon dynamics in both compounds. We also suggest that the electrons are delocalized into V1–O5–V3 orbitals in the mixed valence state of β-Sr0.33V2O5.


Objectives: Respiratory virus infections are the most common disease among all ages in all parts of the world and occur through airborne transmission. The purpose of this study was to detect and quantitate human respiratory viruses in residential environments. Methods: Air samples were collected from the residential space of apartments in the Seoul/Gyeonggi-do area. The samples were collected from indoor and outdoor air. Among respiratory viruses, influenza A virus, influenza B virus, parainfluenza virus, metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus were investigated by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Among the virus-positive samples, we performed adenovirus quantification by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Virus detection rates were 44.0%, 3.8%, 3.4%, and 17.3% in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. The virus detection rate was higher in winter and spring than in summer and autumn. Adenovirus was most commonly detected, followed by influenza A virus and parainfluenza virus. Virus distribution was not significantly different between indoor and outdoor environments. Conclusions: Although virus concentrations were not high in residential environments, residents in houses with detected viruses may have an increased risk of exposure to airborne respiratory viruses, especially in winter and spring.


Long emission wavelengths, high fluorescence quantum yields (FQYs), and large Stokes shifts are highly desirable features for fluorescent probes in biological imaging. However, the current development of many fluorescent probes remains largely trial-and-error and lacks efficiency. Moreover, to achieve far-red/near-infrared emission, a significant extension in the π-conjugation is usually adopted but accompanied by other drawbacks such as fluorescence loss. In this review, we discuss an effective red-shifting strategy built upon the green fluorescent protein chromophore, which enables a synergistic tuning of both the electronic ground and excited states. This approach could shorten the path toward redder emission in comparison to the conventional intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) strategy. We envision that this spectroscopy and computation-aided strategy may advance the noncanonical fluorescent protein design and be generalized to various fluorophore scaffolds for redder emission while preserving other superior properties such as high FQYs.


We review the conversion of waste biomass into recyclable materials using different methods of materials treatment such as thermal, mechanical and chemical processes. Renewable and sustainable biomaterials are increasingly becoming alternatives for synthetic strong materials, e.g. composites. The type of treatment of biomaterial will determine the form to which the biomass is converted and its subsequent applications. It is anticipated that the transformation will produce materials that have superior qualities, properties and characteristics. These include biopolymer materials such as cellulose and hemicellulose, which have all been obtained as products of treatment and extraction from plant materials such as lignocellulose. The main reason for inefficient biomass conversion has been found to be poor manipulation of composite properties during biomass treatment process. The treatment processes are expected to facilitate dehydration, dehydrogenation, deoxygenation and decarboxylation of the bulk biomass materials to target the formation of new compounds that may be used to make strong materials.


"Background: In order to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure during institutional delivery,Govt. of India has launched a nationwide ini-tiative - Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) which provides cashless services to pregnant mothers & sick infants accessing public health facilities.
Objectives: To estimate out of pocket expenditure (OOPE) among mothers who availed the benefits of JSSK.
Method: A community based cross sectional study was done in Dharsiwa block of Raipur district among 352 mothers having child less than one year using multistage random sampling method using predesigned pretested proforma from July 2015 to June 2016. Median OOPE was calculated and expressed in Indian National Rupee. (INR)
Result: Overall median OOPE during pregnancy was INR 1220 while during antenatal and natal period, median OOPE was INR 750, INR 300 respectively. Nil OOPE incurred for admission, stay and investigation but median OOPE for transport, medicine, food, informal payments and blood transfusion was INR 200, INR 550, INR 60, INR 500 and INR 1050 respectively. Total Median OOPE incurred by JSSK beneficiaries was highest in medical college and among those who underwent C-section delivery.
Conclusion: Mothers were benefitted with services mentioned under JSSK in the public health facilities; however drugs and transport contributed to the Out of Pocket expenditure."


The biomaterials technology industry is already well established in the western world and is growing rapidly within Asian Pacific nations. It is often described as the 'next electronics industry', whilst the laser is described as a 'solution looking for a problem'. This book describes the use of the laser to solve a troublesome and costly problem in a rapidly growing global industry. The authors have spent many years conducting research using laser materials processing and wettability characteristics and have perfected a technique to improve the bio-compatibility of various bone-implant materials using laser irradiation. They have made pioneering discoveries on the subject and established some generic theories and principals that will have a wide range of applications in the biomaterials field.


BACKGROUND
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedure prior to implant placement and the long-term outcome of the inserted implants.

METHODS
Prior to dental implant placement, GBR procedure was performed on 14 patients (mean age 48 years) using a synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) spacer under a collagen membrane. After a mean healing period of 8 months, bone biopsies were obtained during the placement of 14 implants. The specimens were processed for histology without demineralization in order to assess bone quality and quantity of the regenerated bone.

RESULTS
Both the bone density and the resorption degree of HA particles were relatively varied between samples. The different phenotypes of osteoclasts and multinucleated giant cells and the individual host response could partially explain the unpredictable results in terms of bone remodeling and biomaterial resorption. However, the presence of HA particles in the regenerated bone had no influence on the osseointegration of implants presenting a success rate of 86% after a 7-year observation period.

CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm the possibility of regenerating bone by means of bioabsorbable materials, assuring at the same time the long-term success for implants inserted in regenerated sites.


Coffea arabica, an allotetraploid hybrid of C. eugenioides and C. canephora, is the source of approximately 60% of coffee products worldwide. Cultivated accessions have undergone several population bottlenecks resulting in low genetic diversity. We present chromosome-level assemblies of a di-haploid C. arabica accession and modern representatives of its diploid progenitors, C. eugenioides and C. canephora. The three species exhibit largely conserved genome structures between diploid parents and descendant subgenomes, which show a mosaic pattern of dominance, similar to other polyploid crop species. Resequencing of 39 wild and cultivated accessions suggests a founding polyploidy event ∼610,000 years ago, followed by several subsequent bottlenecks, including a population split ∼30.5 kya and a period of migration between Arabica populations until ∼8.9 kya. Analysis of lines historically introgressed with C. canephora highlights loci that may contribute to their superior pathogen resistance and lay the groundwork for future genomics-based breeding of C. arabica.


In this paper we give fast distributed graph algorithms for detecting and listing small subgraphs, and for computing or approximating the girth. Our algorithms improve upon the state of the art by polynomial factors, and for girth, we obtain an constant-time algorithm for additive +1 approximation in the Congested Clique, and the first parametrized algorithm for exact computation in CONGEST. In the Congested Clique, we develop a technique for learning small neighborhoods, and apply it to obtain an $O(1)$-round algorithm that computes the girth with only an additive +1 error. Next, we introduce a new technique (the partition tree technique) allowing for efficiently and deterministically listing all copies of any subgraph, improving upon the state-of the-art for non-dense graphs. We give two applications of this technique: First we show that for constant $k$, $C_{2k}$-detection can be solved in $O(1)$ rounds in the Congested Clique, improving on prior work which used matrix multiplication and had polynomial round complexity. Second, we show that in triangle-free graphs, the girth can be exactly computed in time polynomially faster than the best known bounds for general graphs. In CONGEST, we describe a new approach for finding cycles, and apply it in two ways: first we show a fast parametrized algorithm for girth with round complexity $\tilde{O}(\min(g\cdot n^{1-1/\Theta(g)},n))$ for any girth $g$; and second, we show how to find small even-length cycles $C_{2k}$ for $k = 3,4,5$ in $O(n^{1-1/k})$ rounds, which is a polynomial improvement upon the previous running times. Finally, using our improved $C_6$-freeness algorithm and the barrier on proving lower bounds on triangle-freeness of Eden et al., we show that improving the current $\tilde\Omega(\sqrt{n})$ lower bound for $C_6$-freeness of Korhonen et al. by any polynomial factor would imply strong circuit complexity lower bounds.


Introduction It is seen that shift work causes various biological, psychological, and behavioral problems in individuals. This study aimed to determine the eating attitudes and behaviors of health workers working in shifts in a stressful environment such as the emergency service and to examine the relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress levels and eating behaviors (emotional eating, restrictive eating, and external eating) in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Material and Methods Sociodemographic data form; Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS); and Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) were used. The study sample consisted of 92 employees (doctor, nurse, emergency medical technician (EMT), medical secretary, and security, staff) who were actively on duty in the emergency department of Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Medical Faculty Training and Research Hospital. Results In our study, when the eating behavior of emergency service workers was evaluated in terms of "emotional, external, and restricted eating" sub-dimensions, depression (p=0.043), anxiety (p=0.017), increased stress levels (p=0.002), being female (p=0.022), nurse-emergency medical technician profession (p=0.001), working in 24-hour shifts (p=0.001), and diet history (p=0.013) were associated with "emotional eating." In addition, an increase in depression levels (p=0.048), being single (p=0.015), working in 24-hour shifts (p=0.005), a decrease in age (p<0.001) with "extrinsic eating," an increase in body mass index (BMI) (p=0.020) and waist circumference (p=0.049), and diet history (p<0.001) were associated with "restricted eating." Conclusions In our study, among the sociodemographic factors, being female, being single, working in 24-hour shifts, diet history, nurse-EMT profession, and undergraduate education level were found to increase the tendency to develop eating behavior problems. An increase in depression levels, being single, working in 24-hour shifts, and a decrease in age were associated with "extrinsic eating." There is a correlation between depression, anxiety, and stress scores and emotional eating scores. Additionally, we found significant correlations between body mass index, waist circumference, diet history, and restricted eating scores. In the approach to eating behavior problems, it is important to determine the individual eating behavior disorder. Due to the increased risk of eating behavior disorder in those who work in long shifts such as 24 hours, it will be possible to organize work programs and increase the quality of service.


Abstract : The reform and the democratic control of the security sector and the joining together of security and development have become a major focus of international intervention into post-conflict societies. In theory, security sector reform (SSR) programs derive from a comprehensive national defense and security review. They involve, at the core, the transformation of a country's military and police forces but they also involve a comprehensive review and restructuring of intelligence services, the penitentiary, the judiciary, and other agencies charged in some way with preserving and promoting the safety and security of the state and its citizenry. However, the process of SSR in Liberia, supported by the United Nations, the United States, and a number of bilateral donors, is far more rudimentary than the conceptual paradigm suggests. It is aimed simply at the training and equipping of the army and the police, with little attention or resources being devoted to the other components of the security system. In this monograph, Mr. Mark Malan of Refugees International finds that the SSR program in Liberia is not governed by an overarching strategic framework, not informed by a wide-ranging and integrating public security concept, and not effectively linked to wider government planning and budgeting processes. He argues that a multi-sectoral, whole-of-government approach to SSR, while conceptually valid, has not been applied in Liberia. He concludes that much more can be done to arrest insecurity in Liberia within a more modest program that focuses primarily on military and criminal justice reform, but that this would require a sustained injection of technical and financial support from the United States. He also calls for the U.S. Government to provide advice and support to the Government of Liberia in the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive national security strategy and policy.


Background Electronic medical records (EMRs) are becoming a predominant feature of health care and an important tool in residents' medical education. Few studies have examined and compared the EMR performance of residents from different departments. This study explores the quality of EMRs in residency and offers pedagogical implications.Method Authors developed an EMR checklist which examined fundamental EMR requirement through six dimensions and 20 items. A total of 149 records created by residents from 32 departments/stations were randomly chosen. Seven senior physicians rated the EMRs using the checklist. Medical records were grouped as General Medicine, Surgery, Pediatric, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Other Departments. Overall and grouped performances were analyzed by ANOVA.Results Overall performance was rated as fair to good. Regarding the six dimensions, the discharge note (0.81) gained the highest scores, followed by the admission note (0.79), problem list (0.73), overall performance (0.73), progress note (0.71), and weekly summary (0.66).Among the five groups, Other Departments (80.20) gained the highest total score, followed by Obstetrics and Gynecology (78.02), Pediatrics (77.47), General Medicine (75.58), and Surgery (73.92).Conclusions The quality of EMRs, core competencies, and clinical reasoning skills are deeply interconnected in resident education. This study suggested that the use of duplication in EMR, and the communication abilities of residents are associated with the variable quality of medical records in different departments. Further study is required to apply the insights obtained in this study to improve the quality of EMRs, and thereby the effectiveness of resident training.


Piston slap is one of the sources producing engine block surface vibration and mechanical noise. To analyze piston slap-induced vibration. a realistic but simple model is proposed and verified experimentally. A piston is modeled by 3 degree of freedom system and an impact point between piston skirt and cylinder wall by 2 degree of freedom system. Numerical simulation estimates impact forces of piston in cylinder and the engine block surface vibration response is predicted by the convolution of the impact forces with measured impulse responses. Experimental verification on the predicted response has been also performed by using a commercial 4-cylinder diesel engine. The predicted and experimental vibration responses confirm that the suggested model is practically useful


This research aims to analyze the implementation of Competency and Conservation Based Curriculum in order to improve the quality of graduates of Economics Faculty of Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES). The goal of this study was to provide information, policy, and recommendations to improve the quality of graduates based on lectures behavior. The respondents of this research were lecturers of Faculty of Economics. Research data were collected by using questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistical multiple linear regression were employed to analyze data. This study provided empirical support that lecturers' ability and commitment positively contributed to the implementation of Competency and Conservation Based Curriculum to improve the quality of graduates to be competence and conservation-minded. This study also proved that while lecturers' ability and commitment play an important role, their commitments do not affect the implementation of Competency and Conservation Based Curriculum. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that lecturers' ability to implement the Competency and Conservation Based Curriculum needs to be improved. Workshops and training should be given to lecturers in order to help them to create learning apparatus such as syllabus, lesson plans and teaching materials, as well as the evaluation of Competency and Conservation Based Curriculum.


The present study deals with four species of benthic deep-water caridean shrimps collected on the continental slope off southeastern Brazil, between 360 m and 900 m. The deepwater pandalid Bitias stocki Fransen, 1990, previously known only from a few localities in the eastern Atlantic, is reported for the first time from the western Atlantic (Brazil). The Brazilian material of B. stocki also represents the first record of the genus Bitias Fransen, 1990 in the western Atlantic. The palaemonid Periclimenes tenellus (Smith, 1882), previously known only from South Carolina and New Jersey, USA, is reported for the first time from Brazil, representing a considerable range extension of this uncommon species into the southwestern Atlantic. Another deepwater palaemonid shrimp is described as new: Periclimenes bathyalis sp. nov. The new species is morphologically closest to the echinoid associates Periclimenes milleri Bruce, 1986 and Periclimenes ingressicolumbi Berggren & Svane, 1989. Finally, the bizarre deepwater crangonid genus Prionocrangon Wood-Mason in Wood-Mason & Alcock, 1891 is reported for the first time from Brazil and the southwestern Atlantic, where it is represented by a new species, Prionocrangon brasiliensis sp. nov.


Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has received extensive attention as non-invasive cell-level oncotherapy for treating solid cancer tumors. However, boron-containing drugs such as L-boronophenylalanine (BPA) and sodium borocaptate (BSH) have low boron content and/or poor tumor-targeting ability, limiting their application. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of nontoxic, dual-target boron carriers (B139, B142, and B151) with the ability to accumulate specifically in tumor cells. We found that B139 uptake into hypoxic tumor regions was high, with a 70-fold boron content compared to BPA. In addition, in vivo observation showed that B139 can be trapped in tumor cells for a prolonged period and maintains an effective therapeutic concentration, with a peak boron concentration of 50.7 μg/g and a high tumor: blood boron ratio of >3, achieving ideal BNCT conditions. Cytotoxicity evaluation in mice further proved that B139 is safe and reliable. Therefore, B139 has great potential for BNCT application as a dual-target, safe, and efficient boron carrier.


With technology scaling, the growing impact of signal integrity issues imposes significant challenges in integrated circuit testing. They cause delay in the supply and ground networks, cross talk noise between multiple interconnects, variations in substrate and thermal noise parameters of the circuit, etc. Therefore, the consideration of signal integrity issues during pattern generation ensures a better path delay fault coverage. In this paper, we propose a constrained Automatic Test Pattern Generation(ATPG) flow to test path delay fault by simultaneously coupling multiple aggressors surrounding a delay sensitive victim path. This flow uses the most effective aggressors for pattern generation based on cross talk information predetermined from the layout of the circuit. We developed the constrained ATPG flow by customizing the existing scan-based techniques to generate functionally testable path delay faults. The proposed ATPG flow is applied to ITC'99 benchmark circuits. The comparison results with SPICE-based simulations shows the effectiveness of our pattern in determining worst-case path delay and also in terms of computation time.


five Felicity conditions, the importance of context in understanding utterance meaning, Grice's Maxims of the Cooperative principle and finally the role of politeness in human communication. The seventh chapter, "Extensions and Applications", provides a brief overview of three areas in which linguistic analysis can be applied: historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. The section on historical linguistics starts with an examination of well-known diachronic sound changes (the First and Second Germanic Sound Shifts) using English-German cognates as an example. This part of the chapter ends with a brief comparison between Old, Middle, and Modern English. The section on sociolinguistics presents the notion of sociolinguistic variable based on two classic studies: Trudgill's investigation of the pronunciation of the suffix -ing in Norwich and Labov's study of diphthongs in Martha's Vineyard. The final section of this chapter on psycholinguistics provides a brief overview of investigations of the organization of words in the mental lexicon and speech errors. Overall this is an extremely well written and highly useful introductory textbook on linguistics. Despite the fact that this is the work of a team of authors, the overall presentation of the material is remarkably uniform. The textbook is written in a clear, concise style, which is accessible without compromising detail or complexity. The focus on linguistic analysis and the development of concepts with well defined criteria and diagnostics ensures that students who use this book will have a strong understanding of the fundamental properties of the tools of linguistic analysis. In short, this is an excellent introduction that can be read with great profit by both instructors and students in linguistics.


The arrival of synchronised sound film in the late 1920's
coincided with the introduction of political broadcasting in Britain and a further extension of-the franchise, inaugurating a new political era. The mass communication of information assumed a more potent political form since these new media commanded vast audiences and were now potential channels of mass political persuasion. Widely accepted beliefs as to the vulnerability of the mass population to manipulation were sustained by the experience of the management of public opinion during the Great War. Drawing on this experience, and on the hostility of the press during the 1920's, the leaders of the Labour movement
attributed to the cinema immense power to captivate audiences, disarm the critical senses, and exercise a near-hypnotic influence. In the content of newsreels, the workings of the censorship system and the determination of the National Government to prevent a critical voice
appearing on cinema screens, Labour leaders identified evidence of collusion between the cinema industry and Labour's political opponents to maintain the status Quo. Similarly, the simultaneous transmission of information into millions of homes across the nation raised the
spectre of an all-pervasive instrument of mass control. In view of the techniques of dictatorship used in Europe, radio broadcasting could, in the Labour view, create an homogeneous culture; and the power of the BBC as an institution could prove irresistibly attractive for the
establishment of authoritarian government.

During those years when cinema and radio were emerging as
channels of mass political persuasion the Labour movement was undergoing profound changes. The Labour Party sought to become established within the political elite as the natural alternative Party of office; and the movement's industrial leaders sought full participation in the
processes of consultation and decision-making of the State and industry. In this context these media appeared both dangerous and attractive: dangerous in so far as they could inhibit further democratic advance; attractive in so far as they offered opportunities for the movement to publicise its ideals and policies, and contribute to the general political education of the mass electorate. The production of films by the Labour movement arose from this ambivalent perspective: films could be used as a direct counter to the commercial cinema, as means of agitation and propaganda, and as a means of cultivating an authentic 'workers' culture',one which could ultimately exercise an influence on the commercial values of the cinema industry itself. Similarly, the radio, informed by an ethos of public service, and committed to a broad educational role, was
seen by Labour leaders as contributing to the further democratic development of the nation. But it was also seen as offering Labour unprecedented opportunities for reaching the mass electorate with its own point of view, particularly during moments of heightened political tension such as general elections. Where therefore film was used by Labour to perform an essentially cadre function, Labour's attempts to use the airwaves for political broadcasting had a more ambitious purpose. Labour's use of these media was never extensive in comparison with the activities of the
Conservative Party and the National Government. But Labour film activities, particularly within the left wing of the movement, made an important contribution to Labour politics in the 1930's; and in seeking and gaining access to the microphone the Labour Party not only contributed to the
broad political education of the listening public, but consolidated its own position within the two-party system at the expense of the Liberals, and bore some responsibility for the development of political broadcasting
as such.


Host-guest chemistry is exploited to tune the rate at which block copolymer vesicles undergo morphological transitions. More specifically, a concentrated aqueous dispersion of poly(glycerol monomethacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate)-poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) [P(GMA-co-GlyMA)-PHPMA] diblock copolymer vesicles was prepared via polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). The epoxy groups in the GlyMA residues were ring-opened using a primary amine-functionalized β-cyclodextrin (NH2-β-CD) in order to prepare β-CD-decorated vesicles. Addition of azobenzene-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) (azo-mPEG) to such vesicles results in specific binding of this water-soluble macromolecular reagent to the β-CD groups on the hydrophilic P(GMA-co-GlyMA) stabilizer chains. Such host-guest chemistry induces a morphological transition from vesicles to worms and/or spheres. Furthermore, the rate of this morphological transition can be tuned by UV/visible-light irradiation and/or guest molecule competition. This novel molecular recognition strategy offers considerable scope for the design of new stimulus-responsive diblock copolymer vesicles for targeted delivery and controlled release of cargoes.


This paper is aimed to synthesize the cultural policies pursued by the Italian Public Administration at all government levels in the field of contemporary art. In a frame frequently changing its scope and name in the last decades - finally, the today MiBACT, the Ministry for cultural heritage and activities and tourism - the Plan for contemporary art has been, and still is, the main financial instrument for the acquisition of works of art to public property, despite the gradual reduction of the related allocations over time. Since the end of 2009, the Office in charge of Contemporary Architecture and Art, in particular its Contemporary Network, is aimed to connect both the range of activities and services carried out by the public administration at the State, the regional and local level and those performed by agencies, foundations as well as private persons. The coordination among these various entities and the differences in action and results realized in Southern and Centre-Northern Italy are focused as chief problems and primary targets of the Office undertaking, in view of improving the overall quality of the Italian cultural policy in support of contemporary art, and to profitably interact with the international scene.


Concrete industry assumes a basic job in the turn of events and improvement of India. It is restricting substance required while building something. In this paper we are talking about different sorts of fixings and the proportion of these fixings that are be utilized in Portland concrete. In this paper we additionally talking about the usefulness of these fixing.


Sikkim is the 22nd state situated in the Himalayas. It is a small, but beautiful state with endless potentialities for tourism. Tourism is estimated to contribute to around eight per cent of the state gross domestic product (GDP) in Sikkim and its importance has been increasing day by day. This beautiful alpine Himalayan state has a very relevant performance in exploring the quality of public life. At the same time, this distinctive bio-geographic region is fragile and prone to earthquake and other ecological problems arising from out of climate change and increasing industrialization. This chapter is an attempt to analyze the positive and negative socio-economic conditions on the backdrop of disaster management perspective in the state. Based on review of literature on crisis situations and possible disastrous effects exhibiting from out of tourism activities in similar destinations, socio-economic issues have been dealt with through investigation of secondary data and opinion survey.