Abstract Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are the standard first-line treatment for EGFR-mutant nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, studies have reported that not all NSCLC patients harboring kinase domain mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) show significant clinical benefits from EGFR-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Therefore, it is necessary to establish feasible biomarkers to predict the prognosis of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs. This study aimed to determine biomarkers using inflammatory parameters from complete blood counts to predict the prognosis of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs. We retrospectively investigated 127 stage IIIB/IV NSCLC patients with activating EGFR mutations who were treated with EGFR-TKIs. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to determine the optimal cut-off for the inflammatory markers as prognostic factors. Additionally, univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs. The receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) cut-off values were 3.37 and 2.90, respectively. The univariate analysis showed that a high LMR (>3.37) and low NLR (⩽2.90) were significantly correlated with long-term PFS and OS (LMR, P = .007; NLR, P < .001). The multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that only low NLR was an independent prognostic factor for long-term PFS and OS (PFS, HR = 0.573, 95% CI: 0.340–0.964, P = .036; OS, HR = 0.491, 95% CI: 0.262–0.920, P = .026). The data show that a low NLR was a good prognostic factor in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients receiving EGFR-TKIs treatment. Moreover, the NLR measurement has better prognostic value than LMR.


Summary Urbanisation is associated with obesity, hypertension and development of the metabolic syndrome (MS). We aimed to assess the use of different coping styles and their influence on increases in MS indicators and target end-organ damage (TOD) in urban black African men. A sample of 53 men was classified as clear high active (AC, n = 30) or passive coping (PC, n = 23) responders, using the Amirkhan African validated coping style indicator. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded with an aneroid sphygmomanometer and waist circumference (WC) was determined. Carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) and microalbuminuria were analysed to determine TOD. Fasting serum and eight-hour urine samples revealed elevated MS indicators in AC men. Strong associations existed between MS indicators and TOD in AC but not PC men. To conclude, only BP and seeking social support were positively associated with TOD in urban PC African men, while in urban AC African men, most MS indicators were positively associated with TOD, i.e. sub-clinical atherosclerosis and renal impairment.


Abstract Due to the characteristic that A* algorithm takes a long time when traversing an OPEN table and a CLOSED table, an improved method is proposed that is a new way of array storing in an OPEN table and a CLOSED table. Compared to the original A* algorithm, the way of array storing accesses the array elements by locating the number ranks each time you visit a specified element, which can be done by only one operation. The original A* algorithm requires the traverse of multiple nodes in order to find a specified element. The experimental results show that the comparison of the improved A* algorithm with the original A* algorithm shows that the operating efficiency is improved by more than 40%. Based on the improved A* algorithm the method preserves the advantages of the original A* algorithm, improving the operating efficiency of A* algorithm.


The way a material is synthesized and processed has an immense effect on its microstructure, which in turn has a big impact on its transport properties. Here, we compare the thermoelectric (TE) properties of n- and p-type Bi2−xSbxTe3 (x: 0 and 1.5) materials synthesized through two different routes, specifically mechanochemical alloying (MA)—as a solid-state synthesis route—and microwave(MW)-assisted polyol synthesis—as a solution synthesis route. Reaction time is significantly reduced in the MW synthesis, leading to significantly lower energy consumption (i.e., higher energy efficiency) per batch than using the MA route. The resultant materials are compared for their crystallinity, phase purity, morphology, and microstructure. Spark plasma sintering was used to prepare pellets, and the resultant consolidates were evaluated for their transport properties. TE properties and microstructure of the specimens were investigated in relation to processing conditions and composition. MA samples formed fused structures (from 200 nm to several micrometers in size) composed of smaller particles. MW-synthesized materials exhibited hexagonal platelet morphology, high crystallinity, and phase purity. They also showed lower thermal conductivity, leading to a higher resultant TE figure-of-merit ZT. TE properties of Bi2−xSbxTe3 samples were studied on sintered cylindrical pellet samples, where the highest ZT values achieved were 1.04 (at 440 K) for MW-Bi2Te3 and 0.76 (at 523 K) for MW-Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 samples, while MA-Bi2Te3 and MA-Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 samples showed maximum ZT values of 0.74 (at 460 K) and 0.27 (at 300 K), respectively, as n- and p-type TE materials. The observed trend is much higher ZT values for MW samples, ascribed to their higher degree of texturing and nanostructured grains reducing the thermal conductivity, thus achieving a better overall performance, verifying the prospect to enhance ZT using MW-assisted solution synthesis approach.


Summary In last years, Campylobacter spp has become one of the most important foodborne pathogens even in high-income countries. Particularly, in Europe, Campylobacteriosis is, since 2005, the foodborne disease most frequently notified and the second in USA, preceded by the infection due to Salmonella spp. Campylobacter spp is a commensal microorganism of the gastrointestinal tract of many wild animals (birds such as ducks and gulls), farm animals (cattle and pigs) and companion animals (such as dogs and cats) and it is responsible for zoonoses. The transmission occurs via the fecal-oral route through ingestion of contaminated food and water. The disease varied from a watery diarrhea to a severe inflammatory diarrhea with abdominal pain and fever and can be burdened by some complications. The main recognized sequelae are Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), the Reactive Arthritis (REA) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Recently, many cases of Campylobacter spp isolated from human infections, showed an important resistance to various antibiotics such as tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones. For these reasons, the prevention of this infection plays an essential role. Many preventive measures exist to limit the transmission of the pathogens and the subsequent disease such as the health surveillance, the vaccination of the poultry and the correct food hygiene throughout the entire production chain. A global surveillance of Campylobacteriosis is desirable and should include data from all countries, including notifications of cases and the microbiological data typing of strains isolated from both human and animal cases.


An organizational modeling language can be used to specify an agent organization in terms of its roles, organizational structure, norms, etc. Such an organizational specification imposes constraints on agents that play roles in it, and the agents are expected to take this into account when deciding what to do. This means that agents need to have a basic understanding of what it means to comply with organizational constraints. For this, it is essential that these constraints are precisely specified. In this paper, we address this in the context of the MOISE+ organizational modeling language. We define a semantic framework for MOISE+ MAS and an accompanying linear temporal logic (LTL) to express its properties. We analyze which constraints MOISE+ imposes on agents, and investigate how these can be made precise in LTL. We show that multiple interpretations of constraints are sometimes possible, and explore the space of possibilities. These analyses demonstrate the need for a rigorous specification of organizational constraints, and provide the foundations for the development of agents that understand how to function in a MOISE+ MAS.


Forty Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) hens and 8 SCWL cocks were randomly divided into four treatment groups. Each group was fed a diet containing .02% beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, lutein, or basal control. After 20 d of feeding, eggs were collected daily from each experimental group for incubation. Two different hatches were set and chicks from each hatch were used for one of two different experiments. In both experiments, 24 chicks per treatment were vaccinated against Newcastle disease virus at 1 d of age and raised for 5 wk on a basal diet. In the second experiment, birds were revaccinated at 3 wk of age. In both experiments, at the end of 5 wk birds were killed and bursa of Fabricius, liver, and spleen were collected. For both experiments, there were no differences in antibody titers, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and relative bursa weights of chicks. However in the second experiment, birds hatched from breeders fed lutein had significantly lower relative liver weights than chicks of the other treatments, whereas birds hatched from the breeders fed beta-carotene and canthaxanthin had significantly lower spleen weights than the control. These experiments suggest that carotenoids may not be effective in increasing neonatal immune response when they supplement practical breeder diets.


The i4sea research project provides effective and efficient big data integration, processing and analysis technologies to deliver both real-time and historical operational snapshots of fishing vessels activity in national sea areas. This paper presents the architecture of the i4sea big data platform for sea area monitoring and analysis of fishing vessels activity and demonstrates the operation of some use-case pilot scenarios.


Background: Professionalism is a core competency of physicians, identified as one of the learning outcomes for the Doctor of Medicine program. In all the efforts geared towards supporting students develop high standards of professionalism through the 4-year course of medical education, perhaps the greatest gap is in assessment. Objectives: The study aimed to determine how attitudes towards professionalism among medical students change during clinical clerkship, which attitudes change, and if these changes are associated with certain demographic factors and specific clinical rotations. Methodology: This is a cohort study with a baseline and three consecutive measurements of attitudes towards professionalism among students in a medical school as they rotated in the different clinical departments for the first semester of AY 2018-2019. A 36-item questionnaire based on a validated instrument was used. Frequency counts, means, percentages, paired t-tests, analysis of variance, and chi-square were used to analyze the data. Results: Overall, the attitudes towards professionalism among medical students were positive at baseline and did not significantly change through three consecutive clinical rotations. The scores were highest and most stable for altruism, accountability, and excellence. No association was found between any change in attitudes and certain demographic factors including age, gender, and pre-medical course, and specific clinical rotation. Conclusion: No significant change in attitudes towards professionalism was found among fourth year medical students as they rotated through three consecutive clinical rotations. While many factors should be considered, this finding should prompt a comprehensive look at how clinical clerkship experiences actually educate for professionalism.


Abstract.
 This study refers to specimens of Lauraceae collected in Brazil by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius between 1817 and 1820. He collected 57 currently accepted species of Lauraceae, which belong to nine genera: Aniba, Cassytha, Cinnamomum, Cryptocarya, Dicypellium, Licaria, Nectandra, Ocotea, and Persea, for which Martius is known to have made about 99 different collections. The vast majority of them are nomenclatural types and, taking into account the synonyms involved, encompassing 26 holotypes, 23 lectotypes, and 30 syntypes. Besides Martius himself, early descriptions and citations of these materials were made by Nees von Esenbeck, Meissner, and Mez, the first monographers of the family. Martius's collections were the basis for the Flora Brasiliensis, where the taxonomic treatment of Lauraceae was made by the Swiss botanist Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner in 1866, being of particular interest for indicating all the collections examined and available at that time. Here, we provide an annotated and updated list of 60 entries with information on the status of the names and their types, currently accepted names, collections found in different herbaria, accompanied by an Index to Scientific names and an Index to Collections. Although there are no cases of specimens of Lauraceae collected by Martius from his "Martii Herbarium Florae Brasiliensis," they are also listed here since they have been attributed to him in literature. Lectotypes for two names, Cryptocarya speciosa, and Nectandra nitidula var. maior, are designated, and a new synonymy is proposed.


The insertion of thin interlayers of LiF under the negative metal electrode (Al and Au) of bulk heterojunction solar cells significantly enhances the fill factor and stabilizes high open circuit voltages. Compared to devices without the LiF interfacial layer, the white light efficiencies increase by over 20% up to ηeff∼3.3%. Substitution of the LiF by another insulating interlayer SiOx results in lower overall efficiencies. In the case of a LiF/Au electrode, substantial efficiency enhancement is observed compared to a pristine Au electrode and white light efficiencies up to ηeff∼2.3% are reported.


This paper looks at the task of predicting word association strengths across three datasets; WordNet Evocation (Boyd-Graber et al., 2006), University of Southern Florida Free Association norms (Nelson et al., 2004), and Edinburgh Associative Thesaurus (Kiss et al., 1973). We achieve results of r=0.357 and p=0.379, r=0.344 and p=0.300, and r=0.292 and p=0.363, respectively. We find Word2Vec (Mikolov et al., 2013) and GloVe (Pennington et al., 2014) cosine similarities, as well as vector offsets, to be the highest performing features. Furthermore, we examine the usefulness of Gaussian embeddings (Vilnis and McCallum, 2014) for predicting word association strength, the first work to do so.


1. Comment: Chen and coauthors investigated the relationships between leaf δ15N and metallic nutrients across a large number of sites from northeast to southwest China. They found leaf δ15N was positively correlated with leaf K, Ca, Mg and Zn but negatively correlated with leaf Fe, and these correlations were not affected by vegetation and soil type. However, the relationship between δ15N and Mn was dependent on vegetation and soil type. This is an interesting study which examined the relationships between leaf δ15N and leaf metallic nutrients for the first time. I have no major concerns with the content of the manuscript. However, the paper needs a strong hand in English editing. The language is often not precise/exact, sometimes appears to be ordinary and has grammatical errors. I strongly suggest to critically check the gram-


This Article proposes a three-part approach to improve the food supply. Specifically, it explores government taxing and spending, two traditional public health tools, and suggests that both of these governmental powers can be used to make healthier foods more readily available at reasonable prices, while increasing the cost of less healthy alternatives. Finally, it proposes that we promote a true "food democracy" through the creation of an education and awareness campaign. This campaign would not only better educate Americans about proper nutrition but would also focus on how we can change our entire relationship with food. It would encourage consumption of locally grown whole foods and sensitize individuals to the need for sustainable agriculture. It would also address the benefits of taking the time for balanced, sit-down meals rather than eating on the run.Part II of this Article outlines the problem of obesity in America. Part III explores the current state of our food supply. Part IV proposes the implementation of 1) taxing, 2) spending, and 3) educational and awareness modifications to improve the food supply and to begin to shift our consciousness surrounding food.


Abstract. Andriyono S, Jobaidul Alam Md, Kim HW. 2019. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding: Diversity study around the Pondok Dadap fish landing station, Malang, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 3772-3781. Molecular identification of species is now fast growing and currently widely applied method in the diversity estimation of aquatic biota; even though morphological identification is still carried out. The molecular approach is beneficial complementing on regular surveys, e.g. use of nets, traps, fishing rods, and even with poisons. In this study, the eDNA metabarcoding was applied to water samples around the Pondok Dadap fish landing station, Indonesia to determine the diversity of fish around the waters and also to identify marine fish landed in this area. Molecular identification was carried out on fish samples obtained from the fish market improved GenBank database on COI and ITS. While, seawater samples were carried out by using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform to obtain the eDNA metabarcoding data for the first time. Molecular identification obtained 34 species (68 sequences of COI and ITS regions) belonging to 28 genera, 18 families, 4 orders, while the eDNA metabarcoding approach identified 53 marine fish species by using the MiFish pipeline representing 38 genera, 27 families, and 7 orders. From the present study, we can able to estimated fish diversity by eDNA metabarcoding, and this finding will be helpful for baseline data preparation for future effective management of resources in this area.


Microsoft Exchange Server in a Nutshell covers the implementation and configuration of Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5. When you need to set up a single Exchange server for your company, or want to implement an enterprise-wide, multisite rollout with connectivity to foreign mail systems, this will be the book to guide you through the configuration and daily administration tasks you need to perform. The first two chapters describe the context for understanding the Exchange server technology. Topics include: The evolutionary history of Microsoft mail clients and servers A walkthrough of an Exchange implementation, outlining all the steps and issues A detailed look at the technical architecture, including an in-depth description of all the internal communication paths The heart of the book is contained in the next three chapters. All of the Exchange directory objects are thoroughly documented in Chapter 3's alphabetical reference. Chapter 4 is the reference for the graphical interface tools, most notably Exchange Administrator. And Chapter 5 offers complete reference material for the command-line tools. Appendixes include coverage for X.4 00 concepts, Exchange service executables and dependencies, Exchange folder structure, Exchange perfmon objects, and key Internet port numbers. Microsoft Exchange Server in a Nutshell is a handy and indispensable companion for every busy Exchange Administrator.


Introduction 10%–15% of colorectal cancer (CRC) is due to Microsatellite Instability(MSI). The aim of the study was to determine the prognostic significance of detecting MSI in Stage II CRC and to understand the demographic and pathological characteristics of the disease in the Indian scenario. Methods This was an 8 year retrospective study (2010 to 2017) of 195 patients with Stage II colorectal adenocarcinoma who were categorised into Microsatellite stable (MSS) or MSI based on immunohistochemical expression of the DNA Mismatch Repair(dMMR) proteins. Various clinical and pathological factors as per the Revised Bethseda criteria were compared and analysed between the MSI and MSS groups by Chi- square test and T Test. Kaplan- Meier method was used to calculate the Disease Free Survival (DFS) and Overall-survival (OS) for the 2 groups. Log Rank test was applied to know the strength of association between the DFS and OS with each of the parameters. The data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 20 software. Results There were 53 (27%) patients in the MSI group. Younger age, and presence of synchronous or metachronous malignancies, right sided location of tumour, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, mucin production and presence of peritumoral Crohn's like lymphocytic response showed statistically significant association with MSI. A definite relationship of MSI status with family history could not be established. The mean DFS in MSI group was 74.7±3.496 months as compared to 69.2±3.631 months in MSS group. Disease related death was seen in 2.8% and 15.7% of patients in MSI and MSS group respectively, p=0.042. Overall survival among the MSI patients was significantly higher (76.6±4.149 months) than the MSS patients (65.05±3.555) p=0.04. MSI patients did not show improved survival with adjuvant therapy. Conclusions Early stage MSI related CRC has good prognosis even without adjuvant chemotherapy. Knowledge of the MSI status in CRC is useful in management decisions and prognostication. In addition it can help to detect those with Lynch Syndrome who may not fulfil the Revised Bethesda criteria.


This thesis considers the industrial aspects of regional policy, in particular the concept of transferring work to the workers. An in depth study, based in the North-East of England, analyses in detail two "new" factories. These factories are studied in terms of the demands made by groups of managers and employees of their employment. These demands are analysed, both through the working agreement, and a categorisation of 'types' of employee and groups of managers. The rational behind such a study is as follows. Links are drawn between the concept of transferring work to the workers and the ideology of "pluralism". It is suggested that the industrial aspects of regional planning have their basis in a pluralist definition of, and solution to the regional problem. Also it is outlined that this pluralist base results in a failure to consider or investigate the details of "new" manufacturing plants. It is assumed by policy makers that "new" industry will solve the regional problem. To rectify such a failing this study of two "new" plants is carried out. Several tentative conclusions suggest criticisms of the simplistic pluralist approach to "new" manufacturing employment. Doubt is also cast upon the accuracy of the pluralist definition of the regional problem.


AIM: As a response of pastoralists to climate change, nomadic migration deeply shaped Chinese history during the imperial era. Existing research on climate‐driven nomadic migration is conducted mainly on a national–continental scale. To advance the current work, we aim to resolve migratory movements at a provincial–regional scale using a large and long‐term historical dataset as a first attempt. The spatio‐temporal features of nomadic migration under climatic effects, specifically precipitation, are analysed in the theoretical context of behavioural ecology. LOCATION: China. TIME: Imperial era (220 BC–1910 AD). STUDY SUBJECT: Nomadic pastoralist minorities in imperial China. METHODS: We frame the analysis using an ideal free distribution model. A total of 1,842 historical location records of pastoralist immigration are empirically examined. Precipitation anomalies and nomadic migration are statistically assessed with nonparametric and Poisson regression methods, and temporal interdependencies among provincial–regional migratory movements are explored with a vector autoregressive model. RESULTS: We divide imperial China into six regions according to statistical results and geographic factors. Overall, decreased precipitation and drought provoked pastoralist migrations in a north‐to‐south direction. Northern nomads, with an apparent preference for central China as a major destination, triggered the most conflicts with resident agriculturalists. Nomads originating from the Tibetan minority regions moved north‐eastward into Qinghai Province as their main destination. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Long‐term regional patterns of pastoralist migration are closely associated with drought‐induced ecological change in imperial China. Climate‐driven dynamics assessed with long‐term historical data facilitate the understanding of climate–ecology–society interactions in behavioural ecology and macroecology. Moreover, findings from imperial China may imply that cultural acceptance and communications could avoid conflicts between immigrants and original residents when facing mass migration, an issue of growing contemporary urgency in many parts of the world.


Diarrhoea is a symptom of infections caused by a host of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms and most of which are spread by faeces-contaminated water. In developing countries, children under three years old experience on average three episodes of diarrhoea every year.A descriptive epidemiological investigation was carried out in kherajkhat area of Lakhimpur district of Assam during the occurrence of Acute Diarrhoeal disease (ADD) cases to find out their source of infection as well as to come across the factor responsible for ADD outbreak.3 (three) nos of rectal swab specimen were collected in the Carry Blair media for culture and sensitivity test to determine the causative agent from patients those having the complain of passage of 3 or more loose or watery stools in the past 24 hours. 5 (five) nos of water sample using aseptic measures were collected from drinking water source of patients house for H2S test and bacteriological test like Most probable number (MPN).Culture shows growth of normal Flore of gut (E.coli).H2S test for water also showed no colour change after observation. But it was suspected that other bacteria may also be present in the water sample which cannot be determined by H2S test. In MPN test result also not showed the presence of bacilli. The overall attack rate of ADD cases was 1.47%. The overall case fatality rate was 3.2%.Both the sex groups were equally affected. Median affected age is 40.5 years (ranging from 6-60 years) and high risk age group was11-20 years.The cause of the outbreak was confirmed as due to the consumption of adulterant Proshad in an occasion of Swaraswati Puja as well as the unprotected wells used by the people in that area.


Using 5.2 fb-1 of e^+e^- annihilation data recorded with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring while operating on the Y(4S) resonance, a sample of fully reconstructed B^0 decays in the hadronic modes B^0 -> D^{*-}pi^+ and B^0 -> D^{*-}rho^+ have been reconstructed. In this paper, a study of these events is reported, including preliminary measurements of the absolute branching fractions for these modes, which are found to be B(B^0 -> D^{*-}pi^+) = (2.9+/-0.3+/-0.3) x 10^{-3} and B(B^0 -> D^{*-}rho^+) = (11.2+/-1.1+/-2.5) x 10^{-3}.


BACKGROUND
In this study all patients observed between January 1993 and October 1997 with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have been analyzed in order to describe the impact of treatment modality on survival.

METHODS
Medical records of 56 patients with MPM (44 male, 12 female, median age = 59 yrs) were reviewed. In 34 cases the histotype was epithelial, in 4 sarcomatoid, in 4 mixed, in 3 desmoplastic, and in 11 not specified. Four treatment modalities were identified: 1) Surgery (subtotal pleurectomy) = 20 patients; 2) Chemotherapy = 19 patients; 3) Surgery+Chemo-therapy = 8 patients; 4) Supportive care = 9 patients.

RESULTS
The median survival was: 1) Surgery = 12.4 months; 2) Chemotherapy = 7.5 months; 3) Surgery+Chemotherapy = 12 months; 4) Supportive care = 11.4 months. Using univariate analysis, 8 prognostic factors were studied (age, sex, asbestos exposure, side, histotype, performance status, stage, treatment). Among these, only the stage and the performance status had shown a prognostic value on survival (p<0.05), while the treatment modality had not significantly influenced the prognosis. Using multivariate analysis only performance status showed to be significatively associated with survival (p=0.01 and odds ratio = 1.9, I.C. 1.2-3.2).

CONCLUSIONS
Despite the limits of a retrospective study, personal experience confirms the ineffectiveness of current therapeutical approaches to MPM. A better understanding of MPM is required to develop new therapeutical approaches and alter the dismal prognosis of this disease.


Lianas are woody climbing plants that begin their life cycles as seedlings rooted in the ground, but eventually rely on other plants for physical support in order to reach the top of the forest canopy (Holbrook & Putz 1996, Putz & Holbrook 1991). Lianas can negatively affect plants they climb by competing with them for common resources such as light, water and nutrients, and by causing them direct physical damage (Dillenburg et al. 1995, Pérez-Salicrup & Barker 2000, Stevens 1987, Whigham 1984). Yet, there is little documentation about the size at which liana individuals of different species begin to climb on other plants in nature. This information is important because the size at which a liana begins to climb on other plants will determine when lianas potentially start physically affecting their supporting plants. Furthermore, although the growth of liana seedlings might be determined by light (Sanches & Válio 2002), the availability of support will also largely influence the rate of growth of liana stems (Peñalosa 1982, 1983, 1985). Thus, information about the size at which liana species find support in the forest understorey will be useful in understanding future growth of liana individuals.


The early to mid-4th Dynasty (c. 2600-2500 BCE) stands out as a peak of monumentality in the early historical periods of Pharaonic Egypt. Within 100 years, Sneferu, Khufu, and Radjedef built pyramids on an unprecedented scale at Maidum, Dahshur, Giza, and Abu Rawash. Pyramid construction absorbed enormous resources and reflects a new quality of large-scale organization and centralization. Pyramids are the nucleus of Old Kingdom court cemeteries. The early 4th Dynasty examples were a template for the generations following the 4th Dynasty. Like few other sites, the workmen settlements and ancillary buildings in Giza and Dahshur allow for a "contextual approach," embedding pyramids in the interplay of people, materials, and landscape. The areas outside the political center are less well-known, although the body of evidence is constantly growing. The imbalance of the record makes the relationship of center and periphery one of the key questions for research on the 4th Dynasty.


If you were walking past the Dodd lecture hall on March 1st, you may have been startled to hear a group of people yelling "fat" at the top of their lungs. Usually, a single utterance, or worse, a cheerleading-style chant of the word "fat" is not a good thing—someone is probably being insulted or harassed. On this day, however, activist/scholar Marilyn Wann asked the gathered students and faculty to do just this, to shout out the word "fat" to launch the beginning of her talk, "Fighting Fat Fear During the War on 'Obesity.'" Wann's talk was the third and final talk in the Center for the Study of Women's Winter 2010 Faculty Curator lecture series, "Gender and Body Size," curated by Professor Abigail Saguy, Department of Sociology at UCLA .


According to this facility's protocol for the treatment of anemia in hemodialyzed patients, androgens were administered to male patients aged over 50 yr and recombinant human erythropoietin was administered to male patients below 50 yr of age and to female patients. In the study presented here, both therapeutic approaches have been prospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A was composed of 18 patients, aged 62 +/- 12 yr, treated with nandrolone decanoate (200 mg/wk im) for 6 months; Group B was composed of 22 patients (6 men, 16 women) aged 47 +/- 15 yr, treated with subcutaneous recombinant human erythropoietin (initial dose, 6000 IU/wk) for 6 months. The increases of hemoglobin were similar in both groups; Group A, from 7.3 +/- 0.8 to 10.8 +/- 1.7 g/dL (P < 0.001), and Group B, from 7 +/- 0.6 to 10.4 +/- 1 g/dL (P < 0.001). In Group A, increases of triglycerides (159 +/- 71 versus 267 +/- 153 mg/dL, P < 0.001), serum albumin (3.9 +/- 0.3 versus 4.2 +/- 0.3 g/dL, P < 0.05), and dry weight (62.1 +/- 9.8 versus 64.9 +/- 10.1 kg, P < 0.001) were observed, which remained unmodified in Group B. Blood pressure control worsened in one patient (6%) from Group A, and in ten patients (45%) from Group B (P < 0.05). In conclusion, androgens produced an improvement in anemia in selected patients, similar to that achieved by use of recombinant human erythropoietin but at a lower cost. Androgens also have an appreciable anabolic effect and did not increase the blood pressure.


Forty-nine cell envelope proteins of Salmonella typhimurium SL1344 have been identified by microsequencing and assigned to a two-dimensional reference map. Ten of the sequenced proteins appear to be novel. Several others closely match currently hypothetical proteins or proteins found in other bacteria but not previously reported in salmonellae.


The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique was applied to investigate humidity sensing properties of a copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) thin film prepared by drop cast method. The humidity adsorption and desorption kinetics of (CuPc) thin film was evaluated. The QCM and electrical measurements results showed that humidity sensing properties of CuPc is very sensitive to humidity changes and reversible adsorption/desorption performance which is an indicative of a good humidity sensor even at room temperature. Reproducible experimental results indicated that CuPc thin films have an abundant potential for humidity sensing applications at ambient temperature. According to the first-principle density functional theory calculations, the promising humidity sensing properties of CuPc can be attributed to the considerable charge transfer from the water molecule into Cu atom.


The objective of the research was to analyzed rainfall trends from 6 rainfall stations Kajoran, Mendut, Muntilan, Ngablak, Salaman and Tempuran rainfall station in different time scales (monthly, 3-months periodicityand annual). Identification homogenity of the rainfall data period 1986-2016 for Magelang district using Rescaled Adjusted Partial Sums (RAPS) methode. The three non-parametric tests, Mann-Kendall (MK), modified Mann-Kendall (MMK), trend free prewhitening Mann-Kendall (TFPW-MK) and Sen's slope wereemployed to assess significance of trends and detecting magnitude of trends.The results shows that monthly rainfall have no significant trend using MK, MMK, and TFPW-MK test at 0.05 level significance. Rainfall 3-month based January-February-March (JFM) period Kajoran station have negative significant trend with magnitude 19.4 mm/3-month. Mendut station have positive trend for April-May-June (AMJ) period with magnitude 6.75 mm/3-month. No significant trends at 0.05 level significance using MK trend test were detected in annual rainfall for 6 rainfall stations.


Traditional fossil fuels are being replaced by pyrolytic carbonization fuel from agricultural and forestry biomass to address the energy shortage crisis and the environmental pollution caused by the massive burning of fossil fuels in recent years. This paper introduces the research progress in the preparation of agriculture and forestry biomass pyrolysis carbonization molding fuel. The advantages and disadvantages of different biomass conversion technology are presented. The effects of different technological parameters on the preparation of pyrolytic carbon from agricultural and forestry biomass waste were reviewed. Agriculture and forestry biomass combustion characteristics and their regularity are analyzed.


Azaphosphiridines κP pentacarbonylchromium(0) complexes 2a,b (2a: R = H; 2b: R = Me) exhibit an average ring strain ranging from 24.2 to 25.7 kcal mol(-1) as obtained from homodesmotic reactions at the LPNO-NCEPA1/def2-TZVPP//BP86/def2-TZVP level. Parent azaphosphiridine chromium complex 1 is more stable than the ylidic P-iminiumphosphanide chromium complex isomer 6, which is obtained from (formal) endocyclic P-C bond cleavage. Computational evidence is provided for an insertion of carbon monoxide into the P-N bond of 1 to form 1,3-azaphosphetidin-2-one chromium complex 11, as the reaction was exergonic by -15.1 kcal mol(-1). The VBSD (variation of bond strength descriptors) methodology unveiled that SET (single electron transfer) oxidation of trimethyl-azaphosphiridine chromium complex 2b results in selective endocyclic P-C bond cleavage to afford the trimethyl-iminiumphosphanyl radical cation complex 13(•+). SET reduction of a wide variety of differently P-substituted azaphosphiridine complex derivatives (2a: R = H; 2b: R = Me; 2c: R = Cp; 2d: R = Cp*; 2e: R = CHTms(2); 2f: R = CMe(3); 2g: R = CMe(2)Ph; 2h: R = CMePh(2); 2j: R = Ph; 2k: R = C(6)F(5); Cp*: pentamethylcyclopentadienyl; Tms: trimethylsilyl) lead to selective decomplexation and thus to the corresponding unligated azaphosphiridines 14. Only in case of the P-trityl substituted azaphosphiridine complexes 2i does the SET reduction preferably cleave the exocyclic P-C bond thus affording azaphosphiridinide complex 12(-) and the triphenylmethyl radical.


Issues associated with modeling of quantum devices within the framework of the transient Wigner equation are addressed. Of particular importance is the structure of the Wigner function, hysteresis, and device switching time, whose value is determined by the large signal device properties.


In this paper, I articulate the thesis that most delusional beliefs are continuous with other irrational beliefs. Any interpreter with some knowledge about the cognitive and affective life of subjects with delusions can at least partially understand their reports, and explain and predict their behavior in intentional terms. I identify similarities and differences between this approach to the nature of delusions and the approach adopted by Rhodes and Gipps, who have recently defended the view that people with delusions do not share the same bedrock beliefs as people without (the Background Theory of Delusions).


Many control methodologies have been applied to the motion control of linear motor drive systems. Compensations of nonlinearities such as frictions and cogging forces have also been carried out to obtain better tracking performance. However, the relationship between the driving current and the resulting motor force has been assumed to be linear, which is invalid for high driving coil currents due to the saturating electromagnetic field effect. This paper focuses on the effective compensation of nonlinear electromagnetic field effect so that the system can be operated at even higher acceleration or heavier load without losing achievable control performance. Specifically, cubic polynomials with unknown weights are used for an effective approximation of the unknown nonlinearity between the electromagnetic force and the driving current. The effectiveness of such an approximation is verified by offline identification experiments. An adaptive robust control (ARC) algorithm with online tuning of the unknown weights and other system parameters is then developed to account for various uncertainties. Theoretically, the proposed ARC algorithm achieves a guaranteed transient and steady-state performance for position tracking, as well as zero steady-state tracking error when subjected to parametric uncertainties only. Comparative experiments of ARC with and without compensation of electromagnetic nonlinearity done on both axes of a linear-motor-driven industrial gantry are shown. The results show that the proposed ARC algorithm achieves better tracking performance than existing ones, validating the effectiveness of the proposed approach in practical applications.


The fruits of Ailanthus altissima Swingle (AS) possess a variety of pharmacological activities. Its antioxidant activity and the potential mode of action have not yet been investigated. In in vitro studies, AS revealed the strong reducing power and DPPH scavenging effect, but hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and ferrous ions-chelating ability were not strong. Meanwhile, the oxidative stress RAW264.7 cell injury model was established, the low and medium-doses of AS showed significant protective effects on the viability of H2O2-treated cells by CCK-8 method. Besides, three doses of AS all increased the activities of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px and decreased the MDA level compared with the H2O2 group, suggesting it significantly relieved oxidative stress of cells. The active ingredients and related targets of AS were collected by HERB and Swiss Target Prediction database, the common targets of drugs and diseases database were conducted by GeneCards database platform and the Venny platform. We screened the core targets of AS like threonine kinase1 (AKT1), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), sirtuin-1 (SIRT1), mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (MTOR) by STRING database, and the key pathways involved PI3K-AKT and FoxO signaling pathway by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Besides, qRT-PCR revealed AS preconditioning significantly up-regulated the expression level of AKT1, SIRT1, MAPK1, and MTOR in model cells, and the effect was related to the regulation of FoxO and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In summary, AS showed significant antioxidant activity and its potential mechanism was regulating FoxO and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.


ABSTRACT Corporate sponsorship of public-sector organizations is becoming more commonplace. However, few studies have examined citizen attitudes toward sponsorship of public-sector organizations. Using parks and recreation as the study context, this research assessed general citizen support for corporate sponsorship as well as preferences for specific sponsorship promotional activities and contractual conditions. Given that previous research has linked sponsorship attitudes to individual and contextual factors, relationships between socio-demographic, park use characteristics, and sponsorship support were also examined. A mail survey of 578 citizens in the Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pennsylvania MSA indicated that a majority supported corporate sponsorship of park and recreation agencies. Sponsorships by local businesses and sponsorships that provided free products received the most favorable evaluations. Sponsorships involving naming rights, exclusivity, and user fees were evaluated least favorably. However, older adults, minority citizens, and park users were less likely to favor a number of specific sponsorship activities and conditions. Implications for sponsorship program design and future citizen-based research are discussed.


Cusp-electron emission in He2+ on He collisions has been investigated in the energy range 100-300 keV. By detecting the electrons in coincidence with the charge-state-analysed outgoing He2+ and He+ ions, the processes of electron capture to the continuum (ECC), and ECC accompanied by bound-state capture (transfer ionization, TI) were identified, respectively. The ratios of yields for the TI and ECC cusps are found to increase steeply with decreasing projectile energy. At 100 keV the obtained TI/ECC ratio (1.42±0.14) is almost two times larger than the corresponding ratio measured in a previous experiment for an Ar target at the same impact energy. The measured data are compared with calculations carried out in the independent particle model with use of the classical trajectory Monte Carlo method and the continuum-distorted-wave theory. The disagreement observed between the theory and experiment indicates the presence of electron correlation effects in TI.


Surveys are an important tool in economics and in the social sciences more broadly. However, methods used to analyse ordinal survey data (e.g., ordered probit) rely on strong and often unjustified distributional assumptions. In this paper, we propose using survey response times to solve that problem. Our main identifying assumption is that individual response time is decreasing in the distance between the value of the latent variable and an indecision threshold. This assumption is supported by a large body of evidence on chronometric effects in psychology and neuroscience. We provide conditions under which the expected value of the latent variable (e.g., average happiness) can be compared across groups, even without making distributional assumptions. By applying it to an online survey experiment, we show how our method can be implemented in practice and gives rise to new insights.


OBJECTIVE
To determine reference values for size of the radiographic cardiac silhouette in healthy adult medium-sized psittacines.

DESIGN
Prospective case series.

ANIMALS
46 African grey parrots (Psittacus erythacus), 7 Senegal parrots (Poicephalus senegalis), and 6 orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica).

PROCEDURE
Birds were anesthetized, and ventrodorsal radiographic projections were obtained. Maximum width of the cardiac silhouette, width of the thorax at the level of the maximum width of the cardiac silhouette, and width of the coracoid were measured on the radiographs. Sternum length was directly measured on individual birds. Results of physical examination, electrocardiography, and echocardiography were normal in all birds.

RESULTS
Mean cardiac silhouette width-to-sternum length ratio was 38%, mean cardiac silhouette width-to-thorax width ratio was 55%, and mean cardiac silhouette width-to-coracoid width ratio was 600%. Width of the cardiac silhouette was strongly correlated with length of the sternum, width of the coracoid, and width of the thorax. No significant differences between species were detected.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Results suggest that in healthy adult medium-sized psittacines, the cardiac silhouette on a ventrodorsal radiographic projection should be 35 to 41 % of the length of the sternum, 51 to 61 % of the width of the thorax, and 545 to 672% of the width of the coracoid.


Background Earlier, a G/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the HMGCR gene was shown to significantly reduce the overall serum lipids response to pravastatin. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of the rs17238540 SNP with coronary heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease risk. Design Cross-sectional study from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Norfolk cohort. Methods Genotype was determined by pyrosequencing 23 011 participants, for whom clinical and biochemical data were available. Baseline risk factors according to genotype were evaluated, and the risk for fatal and nonfatal stroke, ischaemic heart disease and all types of cardiovascular diseases were assessed by logistic regression after approximately 11 years of follow-up. Results The G allele carriers presented 1.4 mmHg higher systolic blood pressure and 0.8 mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure than those who were TT carriers. They also presented higher risk of prevalent total (odds ratio: 1.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.97, P = 0.025) and nonfatal (odds ratio: 1.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.12-2.17, P = 0.009) stroke events compared with the TT individuals in the multivariate models. Conclusion An association between the rs17238540 SNP and stroke risk was observed, independent of the effect of the SNP on the blood pressure. The possible mechanisms involved, besides the effect on blood pressure, might be related to pleiotropic functions of the HMGCR, and remain to be explored.


In this deliverable, the reengineered products relating to groups 1 to 3 are tested by consumers in Africa in order to test whether the acceptance meets consumer needs. The summaries are by group. These products were widely different and tested in differing cultures and situations. A common feature, however, is that all products are already commonly consumed by the communities and accepted, particularly with respect to the baseline products. Some products were found to be more acceptable (Gowe and Akpan in Benin, Kenkey in Ghana, Kong and Lanhouin in Senegal, Bissap and Baobab in Senegal), some of similar acceptance (Kitoza in Madagascar) and some were less acceptable (Kishk Sa'eedi in Egypt and Jaabi in Cameroon). Ways forward are discussed in all cases. Group 1: The reengineered group 1 products had mixed acceptance to consumers. Ones that were highly accepted were the reengineered Akpan which was highly accepted regardless of age, gender, socio- professional category and possessions (goods) and the majority (84.9%) expressed an interest for purchasing the reengineered Akpan and the reengineered gowe (n=100 consumers) in Benin, which was strongly accepted and more so than the traditional gowe. However, the reengineered Kenkey in Ghana while being comparable acceptance to the traditional white kenkey this would only meet a niche market. However, for the reengineered Kishk Sa'eedi, it was less acceptable and the difference was due to sour taste and spicy flavour. Group 2:The group 2 products had mixed acceptance among consumers. In the case of Kong in and Lanhouin in Senegal, the reengineered products had improved acceptance while for kitoza in Madagascar, there was no improvement in acceptance apart from those in terms of quality and safety. More specifically, Kong made using liquid smoke novel technique (RLK) had by far the highest acceptance and could easily be integrated as part of the Senegalese cuisine. This shows that there is a potential for RLK on the Senegalese market. Two types of reengineered Lanhouin types (Lanhouin dry powder, Lanhouin dry fillet) were greatly acceptable and the powdered form more than the fillet. In the case of Kitoza, consumer acceptance studies showed that there was no significant difference between all samples tested. Group 3: Group 3 reengineered products had mixed acceptance among consumers. Re-engineered bissap (hibiscus drinks) in Senegal were positively appreciated by consumers in Senegal and better accepted than the traditional commercial infusion used as baseline comparison. However, the new drinks were not perceivably different from the baseline drink to consumers concerning both the traditional character and the nutritional and healthy attributes. The reengineered baobab drinks were positively appreciated by consumers in Senegal and significantly better appreciated than the traditional commercial ones earlier tested. Jaabi (Ziziphus mauritiana). The result is the proposition of a reengineered Yaabande presenting fine texture well appreciated by consumers. However, particle size was critical and this needed to be lower than 125μm. Due to this limit, processors have adopted the manual production of flour of particle size 250μm>O>125μm, which is less tiresome, though it appears in second rank in the preference of consumers. The detailed methodology for each product is given for Groups I, II and III respectively. Common to all of the methodologies is the Ethical assessment and consent which is listed as follows: Ethical assessment and consent. The studies have been assessed and approved by the University of Greenwich Research Ethics Committee and the Ethics Committee at CIRAD. Consent was sought from sensory panellists and from adult consumers participating in this study. Enumerators informed participants about the study and explained that their participation was entirely voluntary, that they could stop the interview at any point and that the responses would be anonymous.


Clavulanic acid, a product of Streptomyces clavuligerus with β-lactam structure, is a potent inhibitor of several β-lactamases. To study its pharmacokinetic and CSF penetration in patients without meningeal inflammation, a single oral dose of 250 mg of clavulanic acid was given to 21 patients. One patient was studied in a multiple dose schedule. Fifteen of these 21 patients had a diagnostic lumbar puncture and 3 neurosurgical patients had a continuous CSF drainage. Serum and urine concentrations of clavulanic acid were available from 22 patients. The mean peak serum concentration was 4·3 mg/l and individual peak serum concentrations ranged from 0·1-9·5 mg/i between 40 and 60 mm after ingestion of clavulanic acid. Urinary recovery between 300 and 400 mm ranged from 0·8-54·3% of the administered dose. The mean absorption half life was 0·26 h and the mean elimination half life was 0·9 h. Considerable degradation of clavulanic acid occurred in vitro at 37°C. In pooled human serum, phosphate buffer pH 7 and 5, an hourly loss of activity of about 10, 7 and 10% respectively, was observed


Abstract Large changes in landscape, vegetation, and culture in northwestern (NW) Europe during the first millennium AD seem concurrent with climatic shifts. Understanding of this relation requires high-resolution palaeoclimate reconstructions. Therefore, we compiled available climate reconstructions from sites across NW Europe (extent research area: 10°W–20°E, 45°–60°N) through review of literature and the underlying data, to identify supraregional climatic changes in this region. All reconstructions cover the period from AD 1 to 1000 and have a temporal resolution of ≤50 yr. This resulted in 22 climate reconstructions/proxy records based on different palaeoclimate archives: chironomids (1), pollen (6), Sphagnum mosses (1), stalagmites (8), testate amoebae (4), and tree rings (2). Comparing all temperature reconstructions, we conclude that summer temperatures between AD 1 and 250 were relatively high, and the period between AD 250 and 700 was characterised by colder summer conditions. The period from AD 700 to 1000 was again characterised by warmer summers. These temperature shifts occurred in the whole of NW Europe. In contrast, the compilation of precipitation reconstructions does not show a common pattern across NW Europe either as a result of a heterogeneous precipitation pattern or the lack of suitable and consistent precipitation proxies.


The maximum rates of lactate oxidation and lipogenesis from lactate by early-neonatal brain slices were considerably greater than those for utilization of glucose and 3-hydroxybutyrate at physiological concentrations. Lactate inhibited glucose utilization, but enhanced 3-hydroxybutyrate utilization. 3-Hydroxybutyrate inhibited lactate and glucose utilization. Glucose slightly inhibited oxidation of lactate and 3-hydroxybutyrate, but scarcely enhanced lipogenesis from these substrates.


We study grooming for two-period optical networks, a variation of the traffic grooming problem for wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) ring networks introduced by Colbourn, Quattrocchi, and Syrotiuk. In the two-period grooming problem, during the first period of time there is all-to-all uniform traffic among $n$ nodes, each request using $1/C$ of the bandwidth; and during the second period there is all-to-all uniform traffic only among a subset $V$ of $v$ nodes, each request now being allowed to use $1/C'$ of the bandwidth, where $C' < C$. We determine the minimum drop cost (minimum number of add-drop multiplexers (ADMs)) for any $n,v$ and $C=4$ and $C'\in\{1,2,3\}$. To do this, we use tools of graph decompositions. Indeed the two-period grooming problem corresponds to minimizing the total number of vertices in a partition of the edges of the complete graph $K_n$ into subgraphs, where each subgraph has at most $C$ edges and where furthermore it contains at most $C'$ edges of the complete graph on $v$ specified vertices. Subject to the condition that the two-period grooming has the least drop cost, the minimum number of wavelengths required is also determined in each case.


This guide is selective and limited to items held by the Cornell University Library, with an emphasis on those resources held in the Reference collections of Olin, Kroch, and Uris Libraries Asia and the Middle East


Impatiens parviflora DC. was brought to European botanic gardens in 1837, from which it escaped and spread over almost the entire continent colonising predominantly synanthropic habitats. However, in the second half of the 20th century it also became permanently naturalised in natural deciduous forests. The causes of small balsam's success in colonisation of new habitats are not known. They may include either the continuous degradation of forest phytocoenoses or those properties of the alien species that allow it to colonise degraded habitats more effectively as compared to the native species. The aim of this paper was to verify the hypothesis on the relationship between the floristic and structural degradation of the herbaceous or groundlayer and its resistance to the invasion of I. parviflora . The investigations were carried out in the Forest Reserve "Las Bielanski" in Warsaw using 30 transects that crossed natural floodplain forests and natural and degraded lime-hornbeam forests. The study has shown that: (1)there is a significant negative correlation between the species richness and cover of the groundlayer and the frequency, cover, and density of the population of I. parviflora ; (2) small balsam easily penetrates into degraded and floristically impoverished communities; (3) dense groundlayer of the natural communities provides an effective barrier to the expansion of I. parviflora . This expansion is promoted by such disturbances of the groundlayer that induce formation of gaps providing safe microsites for seed germination and further growth of seedlings.


This study examines critical factors contributing to institutionalizing creative ideas into a formal innovation and their difference in the regulatory-pillar output of innovation, which public sector innovation academics (PSI) rarely explore. Using multiple case study methods, this study interviewed 23 informants involved in four innovation cases in two local governments in Indonesia. This study highlighted nine critical factors in institutionalizing public innovation categorized into four dimensions: leadership, intraorganizational, innovation candidate attributes, and external environment. This study's novel contribution lies in identifying critical factors shaping and the outputs of institutionalization of public innovation.


In a real-time distributed transactional system, transactions which should be scheduled to be executed on different servers. To schedule these transactions the circulating multisequencer algorithm has been considered to obtain a global view of the system. A mathematical model is developed to obtain the average stay time of a transaction within the system, when no transaction misses its deadline. This model introduces the bulk arrival M/G/I station with K classes of customers, where bulks are considered according to FIFO discipline and customers (actions) are scheduled according to EDF within a group. The validity of the model has been proved by simulation.


24 Abstract: The article analyzes the media broadcasts in the evening editions of the news broadcasts on TVP and TVN (with different ownership forms) concerning the events at the Poland-Belarus border. Examined were the content, its form, visual and auditory messages. The analyzed aspects are enumerated to distinguish the broadcaster of the TV message, showing possible similarities and differences in that message. In this way, the author wanted to answer, if there is a difference in the presentation of the same political event by depending on who is the owner of the medium. As a background for the conducted research, the author presents theoretical issues concerning the mediatization of the political sphere and the agenda-setting theory.


A patterned Au/Pt/In0.2Ga0.8N/GaN heterostructure Schottky prototype solar cell is fabricated. The forward current-voltage characteristics indicate that thermionic emission is a dominant current transport mechanism at the Pt/InGaN interface in our fabricated cell. The Schottky solar cell has an open-circuit voltage of 0.91 V, short-circuit current density of 7mA/cm2, and fill factor of 0.45 when illuminated by a Xe lamp with a power density of 300 mW/cm2. It exhibits a higher short-circuit current density of 30 mA/cm2 and an external quantum efficiency of over 25% when illuminated by a 20-mW-power He-Cd laser.


In the early 17th century, Pierre de Fermat proposed the following problem: given three points in the plane, find a point such that the sum of its Euclidean distances to the three given points is minimal. This problem was solved by Evangelista Torricelli and was named the {\em Fermat-Torricelli problem}. A more general version of the Fermat-Torricelli problem asks for a point that minimizes the sum of the distances to a finite number of given points in $\Bbb R^n$. This is one of the main problems in location science. In this paper we revisit the Fermat-Torricelli problem from both theoretical and numerical viewpoints using some ingredients of convex analysis and optimization.


The following discussion of touch as a syntactic-semantic unit in ritual structures is based on an analogy of ritual and language postulating a 'deep structure' or a 'universal grammar' for rituals as presented by Frits Staal, Axel Michaels, and Naphtali Meshel. Following E. Thomas Lawson and Robert N. McCauley in their cognitive approach to ritual competence and in identifying actions as building blocks in ritual structures, I propose an analysis of ritual events as a category with distinctive semantic and syntactic properties and within the framework of ritual communication and ritual competence. I extend Martina Wiltschko's universal spine hypothesis for linguistic categories to the language-ritual analogy in the domains of semantics and syntax. The viability of this analytical framework is demonstrated by categorizing touching events in rituals in shared festivals in Kerala. I conclude the discussion by hypothesizing universal categories for ritual events and entities, and universal structural patterns partially analogous (perhaps even homologous) to categories and patterns used in Wiltschko's universal spine hypothesis.


Focus on the defects of the extraction method of velocity pulsated signals in the velocity spectrum image of pulsed Doppler ultrasounds (such as the limited data, great amount of work and low reproducibility), we combine the earlier research results and the basic rules of the velocity spectrum image, and employing the visual basics plateau, to design and develop a software to extract the velocity signals from the spectrum image automatically. Compare the mean velocity and RNS between the PIV and the PDU resulting from the method, the correlations are r = 0.93 and r = 0.78 respectively. The study reveals the software increase the amount of valid data, decrease the amount of work and increase reproducibility of the signals extraction. The method may be an effective way to analyse the velocity spectrum image of PDU in clinic.


In crack detection, pixel-accurate predictions are necessary to measure the width – an important indicator of the severity of a crack. However, manual annotation of images to train supervised models is a hard and time-consuming task. Because of this, manual annotations tend to be inaccurate, particularly at pixel-accurate level. The learning bias introduced by this inaccuracy hinders pixel-accurate crack detection. In this paper we propose a novel tool aimed for synthetic image generation with accurate crack labels – Syncrack. This parametrizable tool also provides a method to introduce controlled noise to annotations, emulating human inaccuracy. By using this, first we do a robustness study of the impact of training with inaccurate labels. This study quantifies the detrimental effect of inaccurate annotations in the final prediction scores. Afterwards, we propose to use Syncrack to avoid this detrimental effect in a real-life context. For this, we show the advantages of using Syncrack generated images with accurate annotations for crack detection on real road images. Since supervised scores are biased by the inaccuracy of annotations, we propose a set of unsupervised metrics to evaluate the segmentation quality in terms of crack width.


Serial spirograms of 121 dust workers whose chest X-rays were found to be "class 1" of the diagnostic criteria for pneumoconiosis were obtained during 1978-80. Yearly changes of pulmonary function variables (%VC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC%,V25/H, and V50/V25) by age, smoking habit, total years of exposure to dust, and work history were evaluated. The average age of the dust workers was 48.0 +/- 5.5 years, and the average years of exposure to dust was 21.6 +/- 6.8 years in 1978. Eighty-two dust workers smoked with the mean smoking history of 24.7 pack-years. No significant differences of spirograms were found between the smoking and non-smoking groups. Among the smokers, however, linear regression of FEV1/FVC% by age gradually decreased during 1978-80. All the pulmonary function variables showed no correlation with smoking history as well as total years of dust exposure. All the dust workers were classified into eight types of work by their histories; crushing and quarrying operators, brick mason, foundry and grinding operators, asbestos workers, underground miners, refractory material workers, pyrites roasters, and welders. The underground miners showed lower FEV1/FVC% and V25 than the average. However, the difference of such pulmonary function variables by eight types of work was not significant by analysis of variance. Since aging is the most dominant factor for pulmonary dysfunction, a longer observation on this group will be needed.


The ground-state properties and low-lying excitations of a (quasi) one-dimensional system of longitudinally confined interacting bosons are studied. This is achieved by extending Haldane's harmonic-fluid description to open boundary conditions. The boson density, one-particle density matrix, and momentum distribution are obtained accounting for finite-size and boundary effects. Friedel oscillations are found in the density. Finite-size scaling of the momentum distribution at zero momentum is proposed as a method to obtain from the experiment the exponent that governs phase correlations. The strong correlations between bosons induced by reduced dimensionality and interactions are displayed by a Bijl-Jastrow wave function for the ground state, which is also derived.


Maximum bandwidth limits are developed for lossless planar arrays over a ground plane through use of Fano's broadband impedance matching method and Richards' transformation. It is demonstrated that such an array cannot exceed 8.3:1 bandwidth without material loading (for VSWR'2). It is also demonstrated that an additional dielectric superstrate layer can provide up to 12.1:1 bandwidth, without magnetic or lossy substrates. A simple analytic expression for the maximum bandwidth is given as a function of impedance mismatch (VSWR) and substrate material parameters. The dependence of bandwidth on aperture complexity is quantified, showing that a simple first-order aperture has a bandwidth limit of 5:1, without material loading.


Drawing on two action-research projects conducted between 2007 and 2011, this paper compares the benefits of pro-poor microtrade arrangements for smallholder litchi growers in northern Thailand and small-scale vanilla growers in northwestern Tanzania. The case studies combine various qualitative and participatory research methods with an in-depth analysis of the underlying social, economic and knowledge networks. Theoretically, our research is grounded in the concept of strategic niche management, which emphasizes networking, experiential learning, and the convergence of expectations among producers, exporters, consumers and supporting agencies. Our findings suggest that community-based microtrade with high-value agricultural products can be particularly beneficial for small producers and marginalized groups, such as women and the elderly. Evidence from the comparative study of the two cases further underscores the importance of external knowledge and innovation intermediaries in the formation of community-based and pro-poor microtrade arrangements. We conclude that long-term knowledge and innovation partnerships need to be established to successfully connect smallholder farmers to international markets and to carefully balance the power differentials among all actors along the supply chain.


Interesting essay today on considerations about the need to make changes to prevent postural upp, how often do them and what other measures can be used.


BACKGROUND
Defining and detecting the metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents is difficult because of ongoing discussion of components and thresholds. The aim of this work was to highlight the limitations of a dichotomous definition of the metabolic syndrome, leading to considerable overlap between those with and without the metabolic syndrome, by computing different continuous scores.

METHODS
A total of 50 children and adolescents ages 6-16 years were studied. Height and weight were measured; body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and obesity was defined by age- and sex-specific 97(th) percentiles of French reference values. Metabolic syndrome prevalence was based on the criteria reported by Chen et al. in 2006 and compared with five scores reflecting specific metabolic syndrome components (MetScores): Fat mass, waist circumference, BMI, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), and systolic blood pressure.

RESULTS
Using a standard clinical definition, 48% of obese children and adolescents were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the sample was much higher using specific MetScores: Fat mass, 92%; waist circumference, 94%; BMI, 94%; HOMA, 98%; and systolic blood pressure, 84%. Insulin resistance (IR), assessed as a high HOMA index, was present in 68% of the sample, and was the metabolic syndrome component with the highest prevalence.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of a continuous indicator of the metabolic syndrome, such as MetScores, may help to overcome limitations imposed by dichotomous definitions, particularly among obese children and adolescents. A high prevalence of IR indicates the relevance of HOMA in detection of the metabolic syndrome.


A multispectral imaging technique has been developed to detect and identify explosive particles, e.g. from a fingerprint, at stand-off distances using Raman spectroscopy. When handling IED's as well as other explosive devices, residues can easily be transferred via fingerprints onto other surfaces e.g. car handles, gear sticks and suite cases. By imaging the surface using multispectral imaging Raman technique the explosive particles can be identified and displayed using color-coding. The technique has been demonstrated by detecting fingerprints containing significant amounts of 2,4-dinitrotoulene (DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrotoulene (TNT) and ammonium nitrate at a distance of 12 m in less than 90 seconds (22 images × 4 seconds)1. For each measurement, a sequence of images, one image for each wave number, is recorded. The spectral data from each pixel is compared with reference spectra of the substances to be detected. The pixels are marked with different colors corresponding to the detected substances in the fingerprint. The system has now been further developed to become less complex and thereby less sensitive to the environment such as temperature fluctuations. The optical resolution has been improved to less than 70 μm measured at 546 nm wavelength. The total detection time is ranging from less then one minute to around five minutes depending on the size of the particles and how confident the identification should be. The results indicate a great potential for multi-spectral imaging Raman spectroscopy as a stand-off technique for detection of single explosive particles.


A single crystal X-ray analysis of the crystal structure of [TlMe21,10-phen]ClO4 confirms the presence of a bent dimethylthallium group with a C-Tl-C angle of 168.3 (1.5)°. The thallium coordination is best described as a distorted pentagonal bipyramid with one equatorial position vacant. The equatorial bonds are predominantly electrostatic, and the perchlorate ions are bidentate giving rise to a polymeric structure in the crystal.


This article presents the digital design of a versatile and low-power broadband impedance spectroscopy (IS) system based on the pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS) excitation. The PRBS technique allows fast and low-power estimation of the impedance spectrum over a wide bandwidth with adequate accuracy, proving to be a good candidate for portable medical devices, especially. This article covers the low-power design of the firmware algorithms and implements them on a versatile and reconfigurable digital platform that can be easily adjusted to the specific application. It will analyze the digital platform with the aim of reducing power consumption while maintaining adequate accuracy of the estimated spectrum. This article studies two main algorithms (time-domain and frequency-domain) used for PRBS-based IS and implements both of them on the ultralow- power GAP-8 digital platform. They are compared in terms of accuracy, measurement time, and power budget, while the general design tradeoffs are drawn out. The time-domain algorithm demonstrated the best accuracy, while the frequency-domain one contributes more to save power and energy. However, the analysis of the energy-per-error FOM revealed that the time-domain algorithm outperforms the frequency-domain algorithm, offering better accuracy for the same energy consumption. Numerical methods and microprocessor resources are exploited to optimize the implementation of both algorithms, achieving a 27-ms processing time, the power consumption of as low as 1.4 mW, and a minimum energy consumption per measurement of 0.5 mJ, for a dense impedance spectrum estimation of 214 points.


Background Primary care has become increasingly important in STI management in England but data on diagnosis and treatment in this setting are not routinely analysed. Aims To investigate and assess the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial STIs in general practice (GP). Methods We calculated age and gender standardised estimates of the incidence of diagnoses of chlamydia and gonorrhoea in GP using data from the GP Research Database and national population statistics for the years 2003–2008. Since diagnoses made and treated elsewhere can be recorded in primary care notes, we estimated cases treated in primary care using an algorithm to identify appropriate prescriptions within defined window periods, accounting for other possible treatment indications. We estimated the proportion of all cases reported in England which were treated in GP, relative to other providers of sexual health services. Results An estimated 21 423 diagnoses of chlamydia (42.3/100 000 registered population) and 1494 diagnoses of gonorrhoea (2.96/100 000) were made in GP in England/annum between 2003 and 2008. 35% of chlamydia diagnoses were in those over 25 years. 70% of chlamydia and 36% of gonorrhoea diagnoses recorded in GP were treated, comprising respectively 12% and 3% of all cases diagnosed in England. Doxycycline and azithromycin were most commonly prescribed drugs for chlamydia. Despite revision of gonorrhoea treatment guidelines in 2005, quinolones remained most commonly prescribed for gonorrhoea (42% in 2006–2008), although the proportion treated with cephalosporins rose gradually over the study period (29% in 2006–2008). The algorithm identified 12% and 30% more treated cases of chlamydia and gonorrhoea compared with including same-day prescriptions only. Conclusions General practice makes an important contribution to the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial STIs. Efforts to ensure GPs are aware of and use recommended treatment guidelines are needed.


Occupational health nurses are encountering veterans in the workplace who have served one or more tours of duty in Afghanistan or Iraq. Soldiers making the transition from combat to civilian life may have physical and mental injuries from war. Occupational health nurses who recognize the unique nature of these injuries and are knowledgeable about resources for meeting veterans' needs will be instrumental in facilitating their return to civilian life.


InAlAs/InP hetero-interface grown by MBE was compared with that grown by MOCVD from the viewpoints of structural and electrical properties by using Grazing Incidence X-ray reflectometer and C-V method. The etching experiments on a thin InP layer were also made to examine the influence of the interface properties on the etching selectivity. It was revealed that the abruptness of InAlAs/InP interface grown by MBE was better than that grown by MOCVD if the special interface formation process was not employed. In the case of MOCVD epitaxial layer, it was suggested that the transition layer was formed at InAlAs to InP interface and this layer might affect not only electrical properties but also etching process of InP etch-stop layer.


Sanborn Fire Insurance maps contain a wealth of building-level information about U.S. cities dating back to the late 19th century. They are a valuable resource for studying changes in urban environments, such as the legacy of urban highway construction and urban renewal in the 20th century. However, it is a challenge to automatically extract the building-level information effectively and efficiently from Sanborn maps because of the large number of map entities and the lack of appropriate computational methods to detect these entities. This paper contributes to a scalable workflow that utilizes machine learning to identify building footprints and associated properties on Sanborn maps. This information can be effectively applied to create 3D visualization of historic urban neighborhoods and inform urban changes. We demonstrate our methods using Sanborn maps for two neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, USA that were bisected by highway construction in the 1960s. Quantitative and visual analysis of the results suggest high accuracy of the extracted building-level information, with an F-1 score of 0.9 for building footprints and construction materials, and over 0.7 for building utilizations and numbers of stories. We also illustrate how to visualize pre-highway neighborhoods.


Abstract Background Slowly digested carbohydrates are perceived as beneficial by some consumers, and various regulatory bodies have published specific criteria defining lower postprandial glycemic response. We developed an optimized savory cluster snack containing slowly digested starch. Objective We compared the glucose and insulin responses elicited by the optimized (test-) cluster, a control-cluster, and an available-carbohydrate-matched portion of white bread in healthy individuals. The primary outcome was blood-glucose peak rise. We tested healthy individuals (n = 25) on 3 occasions using a randomized crossover design. On each occasion, the participants provided fasting blood samples and then consumed 1 serving of test-cluster, control-cluster, or white bread. We then measured the participants' blood-glucose and serum-insulin concentrations over the next 4 h. Results The test-cluster elicited a significantly lower blood-glucose peak rise (mean ± SEM: 1.24 ± 0.09 mmol/L) and incremental area under the curve (iAUC; 67 ± 8 mmol × min/L) than the control-cluster (2.27 ± 0.13 mmol/L and 117 ± 10 mmol × min/L, respectively) and white bread (2.27 ± 0.16 mmol/L and 114 ± 9 mmol × min/L, respectively). The serum-insulin peak rise and iAUC elicited by the test-cluster (128 ± 13 pmol/L and 6.10 ± 0.73 nmol × min/L, respectively) and white bread (141 ± 20 pmol/L and 6.47 ± 1.11 nmol × min/L, respectively) were significantly lower than those elicited by the control-cluster (205 ± 26 pmol/L and 9.60 ± 1.31 nmol × min/L, respectively). Conclusion The test-cluster elicited lower glucose and insulin responses than the control-cluster. The results support the hypothesis that the carbohydrates in the test-cluster are digested and absorbed slowly in vivo.


BACKGROUND
The general way to differentiate objects in a field is to stain each of them specifically with a different dye, as the eye can easily discriminate colors. The use of specific dyes or immunohistochemical staining associated with an automated image analysis facilitates the quantitation of differently Colored objects.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells were seeded in culture conditions. When the cells reach confluence, they can be stained by immunocytochemistry. We were able to compare four different variables of immunostaining of two antigens in the same preparation. Antigenic expression was detected after double immunocytochemical staining, alkaline phosphatase, or peroxidase, and each antigen was stained sequentially by either enzyme.

RESULTS
We have developed an approach to a nondestructive and noncolored limited quantitative method, that allows a strict analysis on the same view of two defined colors. We used the system of intensity, hue, and saturation to digitize colored video image. The distribution of these two antigens, alpha-actin and 2P1A2 both specific of smooth muscle cell, was quantitatively analyzed, and was not affected by the sequence of staining.

CONCLUSIONS
This technique opens new possibilities for pathologists to compare antigenic distribution after immunocytochemical labeling. This can be extended to other dyes on histologic sections and to facilitate diagnosis.


The main objective of the paper is to analyze and synthesize existing scientific literature related to supply chain areas where machine learning (ML) has already been implemented within the supply chain risk management (SCRM) field, both in theory and in practice. Furthermore, we analyzed which risks were addressed in the use cases as well as how ML might shape SCRM. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic literature review. The results showed that the applied examples relate primarily to the early identification of production, transport, and supply risks in order to counteract potential supply chain problems quickly. Through the analyzed case studies, we were able to identify the added value that ML integration can bring to the SCRM (e.g., the integration of new data sources such as social media or weather data). From the systematic literature analysis results, we developed four propositions, which can be used as motivation for further research.


Population stratification is a major concern in genetic association studies. Failure to control it effectively can lead to excess false-positive results and failure to detect true associations. Many methods have been designed to adjust for population stratification, which mainly belong to the following categories: (1) genomic control, (2) structured association, (3) principal component or multidimensional scaling adjustment, (4) stratification score method and (5) other approaches. No method is likely to be superior in all situations. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the assumptions of the method are met and that the method is used for its intended purpose.

Keywords:

population stratification;
genomic control;
structured association;
principal components;
multidimensional scaling;
stratification score


Editor Biographies. List of Contributors. Foreword. Introduction. Part One: People and Technology. 1. Predicting the Socio-technical Future (and Other Myths) (Ben Anderson and Paul Stoneman). 2. Social Networks, Social Computing and Knowledge Management (Nicholas J. Kings, John Davies, David Verrill, Sinan Aral, Erik Brynjolfsson and Marshall van Alstyne). 3. Device Futures (Jonathan Mitchener). 4. Online Trust and Customer Power: The Emergence of Customer Advocacy (Glen L. Urban). Part Two: Building the Infrastructure. 5. The Semantic Web - From Vision to Reality (Paul Warren and John Davies). 6. Flexible ICT Infrastructure (Mike Fisher and Paul McKee). 7. Achieving Security in Enterprise IT (Theo Dimitrakos and Ivan Djordjevic). 8. The Future All Optical Network - Why We Need It and How We Get There (David Payne). 9. End-to-End Service Level Agreements for Complex ICT Solutions (John Wittgreffe, Mark Dames, Jon Clark and James McDonald). 10. Mobility and ICT (Richard Dennis and Dave Wisely). 11. Pervasive Computing (David Heatley, George Bilchev and Richard Tateson). 12. Artificial Intelligence Comes of Age (Simon Thompson). Part Three: Applying Technology. 13. Healthcare (Chris Wroe, Paul Garner and Janette Bennett). 14. Supply Chain Management in the Retail Sector (Edgar E. Blanco and Chris Caplice). 15. Technology Innovation in Global Financial Markets (Lesley Gavin) 16. Technology and Law: The Not So Odd Couple (Marta Poblet, Pompeu Casanovas and Richard Benjamins). Part Four: Final Words. 17. Over the Horizon (Ian Pearson). 18. Conclusions (Paul Warren, John Davies and David Brown). Index.


Contemporary firms must determine more precise prices by revising organisational structure through evaluating their existing and potential consumers profiles to survive and to gain competitice advantage in their markets. Therefore, defining consumer perceptions related with price according to their demographical properties considering quality, prestige, value and discount concepts is now more crucial. In this study, the determinants of the price quality relationship which is figured out by minimum wage employees. Using the survey method, data collected from 400 participants living in Karabuk districtand t-test, ANOVA, Factor analysis and multiple regression methods has been employed. t test results indicate that participants evaluate price-quality relationship and discount sensitivity different according to their gender. ANOVA test results present that, participants appraise price mavenism different according to their age, appraise discount sensitivety and price consciousness different according to their jobs. Multi-regression results which uses six factors obtained through factor analysis indicate that consumers figure out price-quality relationship more precisely if their value consciousness, prestige sensitivity and price consciousness ascend.


The widespread existence of corruption in the Balkans has been subject to numerous studies so far, many of which underline its cultural underpinnings. While valuable, they do not explain why the region has generally failed to eradicate such activities despite receiving extensive external assistance to fight corruption and promote democratization in recent years. We therefore explore the possibility that the ongoing corruption in the Balkans is linked to foreign assistance for democratization. Although further research is necessary to draw firm conclusions, we suggest that there are at least two ways in which foreign assistance can be related to corruption in the region. First, foreign financial assistance in polities where judicial control is weak or nonexistent may lead to predatory behaviour by the elites, who treat them as spoils that are readily available and expendable for their own gains. Second, foreign assistance to combat corruption may elevate public expectations and alter their perceptions, and thus make it difficult to rely on global surveys and indices that measure corruption levels. On a broader level, these arguments can help to rule out the possibility that external assistance for democratization efforts and corruption are irrelevant, and can further promote future research dedicated to explore the nature of their relationship.


Regulation of fucosyltransferases (FUTs) and sialyltransferases (STs) in a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 and nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB)-p65 knockdown HT-29 cells was investigated after stimulation with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) using real time PCR. TNFalpha stimulation induced the biphasic increases in expression of NFkappaB-p65, ST3Gal I, FUT IV, ST3Gal IV and ST6GalNAc III mRNAs and the transient increase in expression of ST6Gal I mRNA and the decrease in ST3GalNAc IV mRNA. In NFkappaB-p65 knockdown HT-29 cells, the biphasic and transient increases in all of these mRNA expression induced with TNFalpha were diminished. On the other hand, NFkappaB-p65 siRNA enhanced the constitutive expression levels of ST3GalNAc IV mRNA which was suppressed by TNFalpha. Transcription activities of ST3Gal I reporter gene from nt -1050 5'-flanking region to translation initiation site which has consensus NFkappaB binding sites were up-regulated by stimulation with TNFalpha in HT-29 cells. The promoter activities for deletion constructs of each NFkappaB binding sites were determined using dual luciferase assay. The results indicated that constitutive promoter activities were detected at nt -120 5'-flanking translation initiation site and TNFalpha enhanced ST3Gal I gene expression through NFkappaB binding sites in HT-29 cells. Combination of stimulation with TNFalpha and NFkappaB knockdown with siRNA is useful for determination of NFkappaB dependent transcriptional regulation.


Health visitors in Scotland gift 'play@home', a book-based early intervention programme, to parents as part of the universal health visiting service. The provision of health improvement information to parents is recognised as a core function of health visiting and yet evidence shows that not every family receives the play@home resources. This paper discusses the perceived facilitators and barriers to implementing this programme through exploring the views of ten health visitors and four health visiting managers in two health board areas in Scotland. The findings conclude that increasingly vulnerable families, supported by fewer qualified health visitors, present challenges to the health visiting service. The play@home programme is valued by health visitors as a flexible tool with which to engage with families. Collaborative working with other services enhances provision and play@home does become embedded in practice over time. Strategic policy links to raise the profile of play@home are improving.


Abstract
Opioid free anesthesia (OFA) is gaining popularity as an anesthetic technique to enhance surgical recovery and reduce opioid consumption within the postoperative period. For many decades and continuing today, opioids are administered throughout the perioperative period. Opioid use has dramatically risen and opioid overdose has earned the leading cause of unintentional death in the United States.1Opioids contain many unfavorable side effects such as the potential for abuse or misuse, nausea, vomiting, constipation, ileus, pruritus, altered mental status, urinary retention, respiratory complications, and increased length of hospital stay.1,2Anesthesia professionals play a role in patient's exposure to opioids, as many patients' first exposure to opioids may be during the perioperative period.1An OFA technique was selected for this gender reassignment case to ensure a shorter surgical recovery while avoiding the undesirable side effects of opioids. OFA is a multimodal anesthesia technique including hypnotics, NMDA antagonists, local anesthetics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and alpha-2 agonists.4
Keywords
Opioid free anesthesia, opioid crisis, gender reassignment, gender dysphoria


The advancement of computer technology and expansion of the Internet has an increasing impact on writing instruction. The modes of peer feedback have shifted from traditional peer feedback to online peer feedback. This study investigated the effects of peer feedback activity through blogs on students' writing ability and examined their attitudes towards peer feedback activity. The research was conducted using a single group pretest-posttest design. Blog, the website, was used as a medium for peer feedback activity. Participants were 34 second-year students who studied EN 013 course (English for Expressing Ideas) in the first semester of the academic year 2012 at Bangkok University. Two writings tests and a questionnaire were used as instruments for data collection to acquire information. The results revealed that students' writing scores on the pretest and posttest were significantly different. It can be concluded that peer feedback activity through blogs had a significant role to play in improving students' writing skill. The students also expressed positive attitudes towards the value of peer feedback activity.


The legal debate about patient autonomy focuses mainly on mental capacity and provision of information. The influence of the family on the decisions of the competent adult patient has scarcely been discussed in English medical law. Dominated by the bioethical principle of individual autonomy, the law concentrates on the patient and takes an exclusionary stand regarding relatives. Hence, the aim of this article is to examine the attitude of English law towards the involvement of relatives when patients make decisions, and to investigate the views and experiences of patients and their relatives in reality. To fulfil this aim, a qualitative study was carried out in six NHS trusts in England. The study was based on in-depth interviews conducted with patients who suffer from long-term illnesses, and their relatives. In the interviews, patients stated that the relatives assisted them in making informed decisions about treatment. Patients said that relatives had an influence on the decision-making process and on the decision itself, but also reported that ultimately relatives left the final decision to the patient. The findings reflect a relational approach to patient autonomy. When making decisions about treatment, patients needed to know that their relatives would support them no matter what they decided. However, exceptional cases which demonstrated substantial familial influence suggest that the law should secure the patient's interest in making their own decisions. In light of these findings, it is argued that the current exclusionary attitude expressed in English medical law towards the role of relatives should be changed.


Localization of a mobile robot with any structure, work space and task is one of the most fundamental issues in the field of robotics and the prerequisite for moving any mobile robot that has always been a challenge for researchers. In this paper, the Dempster-Shafer and Kalman filter methods are used as the two main tools for the integration and processing of sensor data in robot localization to achieve the best estimate of positioning according to the unsteady environmental conditions and a framework for GPS and IMU sensor data fusion through the Dempster-Shafer method. Also, by providing a new method, the initial weighing on each of these GPS sensors and wheel encoders is done based on the reliability of each one. The methods were compared with the simulation model and the best method was chosen in each situation. In addition to obtaining the geometric equations governing the robot, a PID controller was used for the kinematic control of the robot and implemented in the MATLAB Simulink. Also, using the two MAD and MSE criteria, the localization error was compared in both K.F. and D.S. methods. In normal Gaussian noise, the K.F. with a mean error of 2.59% performed better than the D.S. method with a 3.12% error. However, in terms of non-Gaussian noise exposure, which we are faced with in real condition, K.F. information was associated with a moderate error of 1.4, while the D.S. behavior in the face of these conditions was not significantly changed.


We report a case of isolated medial cuneiform fracture in a 53-year-old gentleman. He presented with left foot dorsum pain after blunt injury to the foot. Plain X-ray showed widening between the medial and middle cuneiforms. Computerized tomography (CT) showed displaced intra-articular fracture of medial cuneiform. The fracture was anatomically reduced and internally fixed. Implants were removed at 3 months' after operation. He regained full range of movement of the foot and ankle at 6 months.