The International People's Tribunal addressed the many forms of violence during the period of the massacres of 1965–1966 in Indonesia. It was held in The Hague, The Netherlands, in November 2015, to commemorate fifty years since the killings began. The Tribunal, as a people's court, holds no jurisdiction and was an attempt to achieve symbolic justice for the crimes of 1965. This book offers new and previously unpublished insights into the types of crimes committed in the 1965 genocide and how these crimes were prosecuted at the International People's Tribunal for 1965. Divided thematically, each chapter analyses a different crime – enslavement, sexual violence, torture – perpetrated during the Indonesian killings. The contributions consider either general patterns across Indonesia or a particular region of the archipelago. The book reflects on how crimes were charged at the International People's Tribunal for 1965 and focuses on questions relating to the place of people's tribunals in truth-seeking and justice claims, and the prospective for transitional justice in contemporary Indonesia. Positioning the events in Indonesia in 1965 within the broader scope of comparative genocide studies, the book is an original and timely contribution to knowledge about the dynamics of the Indonesian killings. It will be of interest to academics in the field of Asian studies, in particular Southeast Asia, Genocide Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice and Transitional Justice Studies.


Major depression is nearly twice as prevalent in women compared to men. In bipolar disorder, depressive episodes have been reported to be more common amongst female patients. Furthermore, periods of depression often correlate with periods of hormonal fluctuations. A link between hormone signaling and these mood disorders has, therefore, been suggested to exist in many studies. Estrogen, one of the primary female sex hormones, mediates its effect mostly by binding to estrogen receptors (ERs). Nuclear ERs function as transcription factors and regulate gene transcription by binding to specific DNA sequences. A nucleotide change in the binding sequence might alter the binding efficiency, which could affect transcription levels of nearby genes. In order to investigate if variation in ER DNA-binding sequences may be involved in mood disorders, we conducted a genome-wide study of ER DNA-binding in patients diagnosed with major depression or bipolar disorder. Association studies were performed within each gender separately and the results were corrected for multiple testing by the Bonferroni method. In the female bipolar disorder material a significant association result was found for rs6023059 (corrected p-value = 0.023; odds ratio (OR) 0.681, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.570–0.814), a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) placed downstream of the gene coding for transglutaminase 2 (TGM2). Thus, females with a specific genotype at this SNP may be more vulnerable to fluctuating estrogen levels, which may then act as a triggering factor for bipolar disorder.


The impressions of 200 patients (both medical and surgical) and 200 nursing staff (registered, enrolled and trainee enrolled nurses) in relation to two bed-bathing methods were compared by means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Data regarding costs were obtained from appropriate cost centre managers. The results of the study found the soft towel bed-bathing method to be more cost effective and provide more patient and nurse satisfaction than the current bed-bathing method.


In this paper we propose the first machine teaching algorithm for multiple inverse reinforcement learners. Specifically, our contributions are: (i) we formally introduce the problem of teaching a sequential task to a heterogeneous group of learners; (ii) we identify conditions under which it is possible to conduct such teaching using the same demonstration for all learners; and (iii) we propose and evaluate a simple algorithm that computes a demonstration(s) ensuring that all agents in a heterogeneous class learn a task description that is compatible with the target task. Our analysis shows that, contrary to other teaching problems, teaching a heterogeneous class with a single demonstration may not be possible as the differences between agents increase. We also showcase the advantages of our proposed machine teaching approach against several possible alternatives.


The Acinetobacter baumannii global clone 1 (GC1) isolate AB307-0294, recovered in the USA in 1994, and the global clone 2 (GC2) isolate ACICU, isolated in 2005 in Italy, were among the first A. baumannii isolates to be completely sequenced. AB307-0294 is susceptible to most antibiotics and has been used in many genetic studies and ACICU belongs to a rare GC2 lineage. The complete genome sequences, originally determined using 454 pyrosequencing technology which is known to generate sequencing errors, were re-determined using Illumina MiSeq and MinION (ONT) technologies and a hybrid assembly generated using Unicycler. Comparison of the resulting new high-quality genomes to the earlier 454-sequenced version identified a large number of nucleotide differences affecting protein coding features, and allowed the sequence of the long and highly-repetitive bap and blp1 genes to be properly resolved for the first time in ACICU. Comparisons of the annotations of the original and revised genomes revealed a large number of differences in the protein coding features (CDSs), underlining the impact of sequence errors on protein sequence predictions and core gene determination. On average, 400 predicted CDSs were longer or shorter in the revised genomes and about 200 CDS features were no longer present. 3. Impact statement The genomes of the first 10 A. baumannii strains to be completely sequenced underpin a large amount of published genetic and genomic analysis. However, most of their genome sequences contain substantial numbers of errors as they were sequenced using 454 pyrosequencing, which is known to generate errors particularly in homopolymer regions; and employed manual PCR and capillary sequencing steps to bridge contig gaps and repetitive regions in order to finish the genomes. Assembly of the very large and internally repetitive gene for the biofilm-associated proteins Bap and BLP1 was a recurring problem. As these strains continue to be used for genetic studies and their genomes continue to be used as references in phylogenomics studies including core gene determination, there is value in improving the quality of their genome sequences. To this end, we re-sequenced two such strains that belong to the two major globally distributed clones of A. baumannii, using a combination of highly-accurate short-read and gap-spanning long-read technologies. Annotation of the revised genome sequences eliminated hundreds of incorrect CDS feature annotations and corrected hundreds more. Given that these revisions affected hundreds of non-existent or incorrect CDS features currently cluttering GenBank protein databases, it can be envisaged that similar revision of other early bacterial genomes that were sequenced using error-prone technologies will affect thousands of CDS currently listed in GenBank and other databases. These corrections will impact the quality of predicted protein sequence data stored in public databases. The revised genomes will also improve the accuracy of future genetic and comparative genomic analyses incorporating these clinically important strains. 4. Data summary The corrected complete genome sequence of A. baumannii AB307-0294 has been deposited in GenBank; GenBank accession number CP001172.2 (chromosome url - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/CP001172.2). The corrected complete genome sequence of ACICU has been deposited in GenBank under the GenBank accession numbers CP031380 (chromosome; url - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/CP031380), CP031381 (pACICU1; url - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/CP031381) and CP031382 (pACICU2; url - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/CP031382). The authors confirm all supporting data, code and protocols have been provided within the article or through supplementary data files.


Implementing the persistence layer is a task that the Object Relational Mapping (ORMs) tools have standardized through diverse frameworks and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). However, these ORMs and APIs have some inconveniences related to their configuration process and the time and effort it takes to learn them, amongst others. For example, every time a database is used, a configuration process is realized to map the database to obtain Plain Old Java Objects (POJOs) and Data Access Objects (DAOs). In order to overcome those disadvantages, this work contributes by proposing a reusable and extensible process that supports the automatic generation of POJOs and DAOs from database scheme metadata, through the specification of an Extended Backus–Naur Form (EBNF) grammar. A tool named GenPOJO was developed in order to test the process. Unlike the existing ORMs, the proposed process does not require the configuration steps for each database. In addition, GenPOJO does not require time to learn since the only input it receives is a file in XML (eXtensible Markup Language) format containing the database scheme metadata.


This is an improved rendering of the most important portion of the Prophet's utterances, and will be appreciated by all Old Testament students, notwithstanding some ambiguous renderings. A few notes would have added greatly to the value of the translation,, " which is part of a larger work," wherein, doubtless, the critical material needed to give the whole rendering its full value will be found. There is much to be done in this direction, and Mr. Shepherd is manifestly well qualified to do it.


OBJECTIVE
To describe school absences in adolescents with Juvenile Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome (JPFS) and examine the relationship between school absenteeism, pain, psychiatric symptoms, and maternal pain history.

METHODS
Adolescents with JPFS (N = 102; mean age 14.96 years) completed measures of pain and depressive symptoms, and completed a psychiatric interview. Parents provided information about the adolescents' school absences, type of schooling, and parental pain history. School attendance reports were obtained directly from schools.

RESULTS
Over 12% of adolescents with JPFS were homeschooled. Those enrolled in regular school missed 2.9 days per month on average, with one-third of participants missing more than 3 days per month. Pain and maternal pain history were not related to school absenteeism. However, depressive symptoms were significantly associated with school absences.

CONCLUSION
Many adolescents with JPFS experience difficulties with regular school attendance. Long-term risks associated with school absenteeism and the importance of addressing psychological factors are discussed.


Tsunamis, generated by falling rigid bodies, have been numerically simulated using the MPS model, in the vertical two dimensions. The numerical result for the water surface displacement of the first wave is in harmony with the corresponding experimental result obtained using the cylinders. A tsunami component traveling toward the shore and running up the slope can be confirmed in the present cases. The tsunami height, immediately after the large circles enter the water, does not depend much on the offshore still water depth, while the tsunami-height reduction is suppressed, when the offshore still water depth is shallower. Conversely, the tsunami height, immediately after the small circles enter the water, increases as the offshore still water depth is shallower. Both the tsunami height, immediately after the falling bodies enter the water, and the reduction rate of tsunami height, are larger for the large circles than for the small circles. In the cases where the falling rigid bodies include both the large and small circles, the reduction rate of the water level near the tsunami source is larger, when the large circles are stacked on the offshore side at the initial condition.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/BEUWDCV_T5k


Spare parts are key operational assets in order to minimise unexpected equipment downtimes that may significantly impact a company's results. The spare parts supply chain network supports the entire spare parts operations management and it is essential to achieve the planned goals. However, most of the traditional literature on spare parts management has not focused on the underlying supply chain network. Thus, this paper studies the integration of supply chain network design and control with traditional spare parts management. In particular, a generic network optimisation modelling structure is proposed, with simultaneous optimisation of warehouse locations and inventory control decisions, allowing minimising the total costs associated with the spare parts supply chain network. The generic model is specified based on three inventory control policies widely employed in the industry, which are suitable for managing a great variety of spare parts, i.e. (s, Q), (R, s, S) and (S-1, S). Furthermore, a solution approach is proposed based on Generalised Benders Decomposition. Finally, numerical results from a real-world application case in the process industry are shown and discussed.


The authors describe 4 cases of Kennedy's medullo-spinal amyotrophy (BSA) which is a genetically determined disease with mutant gene inheritance by the recessive type with X chromosome cohesion. The disease largely shows up by the impairment of the nervous system in the form of BSA. However, the clinical picture is also marked by the derangement of the mesenchymal (Dupuytren's contracture) and endocrine systems (gynecomastia).


SUMMARY
The response of the roots of maize seedlings to physical impedance was studied in glass chambers that enabled oots to be grown either unimpeded or in loosely packed small glass spheres (ballotini) and flushed with humidified iir or other gas mixtures. Impedance decreased root length when measured after approximately 40 h by 30-60% and increased root diameter 10 cm behind the tip by a similar percentage. Fresh weight was reduced by up to 28-40% while ethylene evolution from roots was increased 2- to 2·5-fold. Supplying ethylene (5-13 μl 1-1) in the air flow to unimpeded roots simulated closely the effects of impedance.

The volatile inhibitor of ethylene action, 2,5-norbornadiene (approx. 900μl 1-1), overcame the effects of ethylene (5·4 μl 1-1) completely, but the growth of impeded roots was unchanged by norbornadiene. Similarly, aminoethoxyvinylglyeine ((0·5-0·75 mmol M-3) inhibited endogenous ethylene formation, but did not modify the growth responses of roots to impedance, even though ethylene production was suppressed to rates well below those of unimpeded roots. The concentration of abscisic acid was not affected by impedance.

It is concluded that despite a widespread view to the contrary, ethylene is not the cause of the morphological -esponse of roots to physical impedance. Abscisic acid is also unlikely to be involved.


The design of distributed mechanisms for interference management is one of the key challenges in emerging wireless small cell networks whose backhaul is capacity limited and heterogeneous (wired, wireless and a mix thereof). In this paper, a novel, backhaul-aware approach to interference management in wireless small cell networks is proposed. The proposed approach enables macrocell user equipments (MUEs) to optimize their uplink performance, by exploiting the presence of neighboring small cell base stations. The problem is formulated as a noncooperative game among the MUEs that seek to optimize their delay-rate tradeoff, given the conditions of both the radio access network and the - possibly heterogeneous - backhaul. To solve this game, a novel, distributed learning algorithm is proposed using which the MUEs autonomously choose their optimal uplink transmission strategies, given a limited amount of available information. The convergence of the proposed algorithm is shown and its properties are studied. Simulation results show that, under various types of backhauls, the proposed approach yields significant performance gains, in terms of both average throughput and delay for the MUEs, when compared to existing benchmark algorithms.


Introduction Moisture content of cereal grains is one of the most important characteristics for determining quality of grains. Objectives The electrical properties of Indian wheat with moisture content range of 14.3% to 29.38% were characterized to develop a moisture prediction model. Methods A specially designed coaxial cylindrical cell was used for the purpose and electrical properties characterization system was used to carry out measurements of these properties. The studies were conducted for frequency range of 100 kHz–10 MHz and a fixed frequency was selected based on best correlation basis. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to study the moisture dependence of various electrical properties such as Capacitance (C), Conductance (G), Impedance (Z), Theta (q) and Dissipation Factor (D) of Indian wheat. The various statistical studies were conducted using The Unscrambler Version X, a multivariate Statistical Analysis Software. Results It was observed that Conductance (G) and capacitance (C) show the maximum variation with moisture. Partial Least Square (PLS) Regression was then used to develop the moisture prediction model based on these two electrical properties. Conclusion The developed model is highly accurate with high correlation of 0.973.


BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis (TB) coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a substantial problem in South Africa. There has been a presumption that drug-resistant strains of TB are common in South Africa, but few studies have documented this impression.

METHODS
In Phidisa, a joint observational and randomized HIV treatment study for South African National Defence Force members and dependents, an initiative was launched to test subjects (by use of microbiologic TB test) who appeared to be at high risk. We report results for HIV-infected subjects.

RESULTS
TB was identified by culture in 116 (19.9%) of 584 patients selected for sputum examination on the basis of suggestive symptoms. Smear was an insensitive technique for confirming the diagnosis: only 33% of culture-positive patients were identified by smear, with a 0.2% false-positive rate. Of the 107 culture-positive individuals with susceptibility testing, 22 (20.6%) were identified to be multidrug resistant (MDR), and 4 (3.7%) were identified to be extensively drug resistant. Culture-positive cases with a history of TB treatment had more than twice the rate of MDR than those without (27.1% vs 11.9%; P = .05).

CONCLUSIONS
TB is common in this cohort of HIV-infected patients. Smear was not a sensitive technique for identifying culture-positive cases in this health system. Drug susceptibility testing is essential to proper patient management because MDR was present in 20.6% of culture-positive patients. Better management strategies are needed to reduce the development of MDR TB, because so many of these patients had received prior antituberculous therapy that was presumably not curative.


Pneumonia is a persistent and pervasive public health burden, often caused by diverse serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. We hypothesize that repeated respiratory infections establish capsule-independent adaptive immunity that protects against subsequent unrelated pneumococcal pneumonia. We have established a mouse model in which mice are infected with diverse pneumococci in the respiratory tract, given time to recover, and then challenged with a mismatched virulent serotype 3 (Sp3) in the lung, which they cannot typically eliminate. Prior exposures to unrelated pneumococci proved protective, with multi-log reductions in lung CFU in mice previously exposed to unrelated pneumococci, compared to vehicle controls. RNAseq analysis of lungs 24h after Sp3 infection revealed an enrichment of lymphocyte-related pathways due to prior pneumococcal exposures, including immunoglobulin and other B cell-related genes (suggesting a local production of antibodies) as well as T helper cell signatures (particularly relating to Th17 cells). Prior to final infection, there were no differences in numbers of B cells or T cells in the lung, and no inflammation in H&E sections. However, ex vivo stimulation of CD4+ T cells revealed such lungs to contain more IL-17A producers, suggesting resident memory. We conclude that serial respiratory infections establish lung resident memory Th17 and B cells that cooperate to protect against pneumonia.


During the course of a high proffle criminal prosecution, a police officer accuses the District Attorney of fabricating evidence. Days before a bond election, a teacher accuses school board members of misusing public funds. In cases like these, government employers often seek to discipline public employees for making controversial or imprudent statements about matters of public concern. In Pickering v Board of Education, the Supreme Court held that a public employee's true or negligently false statements about matters of public concern are protected by the Constitution unless the government employer's interest in efficiently performing its public duties outweigh the First Amendment interests in the employee's speech.' Many courts have construed this holding to require that the employee's speech be protected unless the employer establish actual harm resulting from the employee's statements.2 The Pickering Court, however, expressly declined to decide whether statements by public employees about matters of public concern are constitutionally protected when those statements are knowingly or recklessly false.' Since Pickering, the Supreme Court has on several occasions considered the First Amendment interests in the speech of public employees. Although it has refined other aspects of the Pickering analysis,4 the Court has not resolved the question of when, if


Soybeans have been a principal commodity crop in Arkansas for decades with approximately 3.2 million acres devoted to its' production. Soybeans grown in Arkansas and the U.S. are predominantly genetically engineered (GE) as weed control is easier and more economical using this practice. Edamame, green immature soybean harvested near the end of the pod filling stage, has experienced strong sales growth in the U.S. in recent years and Mulberry, Arkansas, is the headquarters of an edamame processing facility. Created in 2012, it is the first at the commercial scale and largest in the US. The technology is available to grow GE edamame, but anticipated consumer resistance to GE edamame has stopped the industry to date to plant and sell GE edamame. With recent discussion about food labeling legislation, requiring foods to display whether a product is GE, the potential opportunity exists to market GE edamame. This study assesses the consumers' maximum willingness to pay for GE edamame and explores product labeling effects on edamame using a non-hypothetical experimental auction as well as a sensory test to compare GE to conventional edamame using soybeans grown at the University of Arkansas's Fayetteville Agricultural Experiment Station.


Objectives This paper identifies the dilemmas experienced by government veterinarians during their investigations of farm animal welfare incidents that involve herd owner social, health, and/or psychological difficulties. The paper builds on exploratory qualitative research into the impact of these difficulties on farm animal welfare. Design The study used a qualitative research approach. Focus groups were conducted. Setting In Ireland, an Early Warning System (EWS), which brings together relevant agencies, is in place to identify and prevent farm animal welfare problems before they become critical. This study is concerned with the experiences of government veterinarians who respond to farm animal welfare incidents. Specific focus is on incidents that involve herd owner social/psychological/health-related difficulties. Participants In total, n=18 government veterinarians (representing 15 per cent of the population sample), all with a keen interest in farm animal welfare, participated. These were selected on the basis of their interest, experience, and involvement in farm animal welfare. One government veterinarian declined to participate. Four focus groups were conducted with government veterinarians. These took place in the south (S), south-west (SW), midlands (M), and north-west region of Ireland (NW). All 16 District Veterinary Offices (DVOs) were represented in the focus groups. Results The results reveal three professional dilemmas that exist for government veterinarians: (1) defining professional parameters; (2) determining the appropriate response; (3) involvement versus detachment. Participants reported not wanting any additional training. Instead, it was agreed that a formal bridge to social service providers who have the professional capability to respond appropriately and with confidence, was required. Conclusions Clearly defined guidelines are required for government veterinarians in their encounters with farm animal welfare incidents where there is a complex human component. A coordinated multiagency approach that is flexible enough to meet the needs of individual farm animal welfare cases is required.


The highly reactive ε-NH2 group of the essential amin acid lysine interacts with food constituents, especiailly carbohydrates, to become chemically and nutritionally unavailable. Several assays have been developed to measure reactive (available) and unreactive (unavailable) lysine in proteins. These depend on reaction of chemically accessible ε-NH2 groups with (1) fluorodini trobenzene (FDNB); (2) trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS); (3) O-methylisourea (OMI); (4) conjugated vinyl compounds such as methyl acrylate (MA), methyl vinyl sulfone (MVS), ethyl vinyl sulfone (EVS), and phenyl vinyl sulfone (PVS); (5) S-ethyl trifluorothioacetate; (6) acid dyes; and (7) Ninhydrin. An ideal reagent for this purpose should selectively modify ε-NH2 groups under mild conditions to a derivative that is stable to protein acid hydrolysis and that can be assayed by standard amino acid analysis and spectroscopic techniques. Proposed and potential new methods for reactive lysine are critically discussed in terms of these requirements.


PURPOSE
Hospital bed utility and length of stay affect the health care budget and quality of patient care. Prior studies already show admission and operation on weekends have higher mortality rates compared with weekdays, which has been identified as the "weekend effect". However, discharges on weekends are also linked with quality of care, and have been evaluated in the recent decade with different dimensions. This meta-analysis aims to discuss weekend discharges associated with 30-day readmission, 30-day mortality, 30-day emergency department (ED) visits and 14-day follow up visits compared with weekday discharges.

DATA SOURCES
PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from January 2000 to November 2019.

STUDY SELECTION
PRISMA guidelines were followed. Only studies published in English were reviewed. The random effects model was applied to assess the effects of heterogeneity among the selected studies.

DATA EXTRACTION
None.

RESULTS OF DATA SYNTHESIS
There are 20 studies from seven countries, including 13 articles from America, in the present meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in odds ratio (OR) in 30-day readmission, 30-day mortality, 30-day ED visit, and 14-day follow up between weekday and weekend. However, the OR for 30-day readmission was significantly higher among patients in the United States, including studies with high heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION
In the United States, the 30-day readmission rate was higher in patients who had been discharged on the weekend compared with the weekday. However, interpretation should be cautious because of data limitation and high heterogeneity. Further intervention should be conducted to eliminate any health care inequality within the health care system and to improve the quality of patient care.


This paper presents an efficient video summarization technique with the focus of generating video summaries that are pleasant to watch. The validity of the technique was tested in the TRECVID 2008 evaluation event. The results show the effectiveness of this technique to produce pleasant video summaries in a short time.


This article highlights the theoretical importance of the intersection between philosophy and medicine in medieval Islamic times by bringing to light a yet unedited collection of treatises by Yaqūb b. Isāq al-Isrāīlī al-Maallī, a medieval physician who lived and practiced in Cairo and Damascus at the turn of the 13th century. It focuses first on one specific issue raised by Yaqūb in several treatises of this collection, namely the qualification of water by coldness rather than moisture, as stated by Aristotle in his treatise On Generation and Corruption II 3, and tries to uncover the reasons why Yaqūb relentlessly addressed this issue throughout 8 of the 9 treatises that were all devoted to the theory of the elements. We will see that behind it lied a very powerful answer to the Avicennian classification of medicine as a derivative science. What was at stake then was nothing less than the status of Islamic medicine and the question of its capacity to develop into an applied science, as advocated for instance by Yaqūb b. Isāq, despite the place which had been assigned to it by Avicenna, in the first book of the Canon, as a practical science, drawing its principles from the theoretical science of Physics but unable to reflect upon them. The article will conclude by confronting the social context of this collection of texts, by interrogating its relevance to the medical and philosophical circles of 13th century Cairo and Damascus, and by pushing the boundaries of that context into the wider and as of yet untapped literature which grew around Avicenna's Canon in the 13th century.


Ameloblastic fibroma is a relatively rare benign odontogenic tumor with two neoplastic components; both epithelial and ectomesenchymal. A 10-year-old girl was referred to a dentist for routine dental treatments for evaluation of the distance between mandibular right first permanent molar and mandibular right second deciduous molar and it was associated with an undesirable backward movement of erupted mandibular right first permanent molar and forward movement of mandibular right second deciduous molar. The lesion was enucleated and the material was sent for histopathologic examination. Microscopically, it was composed of neoplastic proliferation of odontogenic epithelium consisted of cords and islands in a cell-rich mesenchymal stroma, with histopathological diagnosis of ameloblastic fibroma. After 24 months of follow-up, no recurrence was observed and the mandibular right first molar was spontaneously aligned. Early diagnosis and proper management will prevent comprehensive orthodontic treatment.


A postal questionnaire about knowledge, beliefs, and experiences of bowel function was returned by 171 patients aged 55 years and over from a group general practice in London. Of the respondents, 10% reported no predictable frequency of movement, a higher proportion being women than men; 79% believed that a daily movement is important and 90% that 'regularity' is necessary for good health; 14% were dissatisfied with their bowel habits and 16% regularly self-treated; 95% gave reasonable definitions of 'regular' and 'diarrhoea'; a tenth were unsure about the definition of 'constipation'. Although 76% believed there were bowel symptoms which require immediate medical attention, 98% would in the first instance treat themselves for constipation, 90% for diarrhoea, and 25% for rectal bleeding. To reduce delay in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, it is suggested that consultations for disturbance of bowel function be encouraged among the middle-aged and the elderly. Doctors should examine such patients with the diagnosis of malignancy in mind.


While there are metals that are essential for our body, there are also metals that are harmful to our bio-system. Toxic metals such as lead, copper, cadmium, arsenic and mercury are emitted to the environment in numerous ways. This study is designed to collect and analyze water samples from natural, industrial, and residential sources in the Golden triangle area and assess the level of accumulation of heavy metals. The name of the process that we used is called "Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV)", where the working electrode is plated, conditioned and then placed in the water sample. The dissolved heavy metals then deposit around the electrode. A "Trace Detect nano-band Explorer-II" was used to measure the current needed to deposit each metal separately and it showed us the peak height of the current. Some tap water samples from houses in Beaumont were tested. Samples from 29 different locations in the Golden Triangle area were also collected, and anodic stripping voltammetry was used for each of the samples to measure the concentration of the heavy metals in them. We also used Peak-Fit program to estimate the concentrations of the metals that are in the sub-ppb levels.


This article presents the results of a study of sanitary epidemiological surveillance (SES) among preschool and school-age children conducted in the pilot districts of Osh, Naryn, Jalal-Abad and Batken regions of the Kyrgyz Republic (KR) in the period from 2015 to 2021 and describes the relevance of combined parasitic diseases, in particular helminthiasis, the problematic issues of epidemiological features of the combination of helminthiasis with a large range of parasitic diseases to assess the true picture of the prevalence of parasitic diseases in children. SES for parasitic diseases is a system for collecting biomaterials (stool) of children using preservatives and taking scrapings from the anus, laboratory analysis to determine the types of parasites and the dissemination of epidemiological information on the prevalence of parasitic diseases and children with mixed infestations, necessary for planning, implementing and monitoring preventive programs. 39398 children of school and preschool age up to 14 years were examined. Preschool children accounted for 36.3 % and schoolchildren below 14 years years old 63.6 % of the total number of surveyed. During the analyzed period, the total infection rate of children below 14 in the republic amounted to 10.9 % of the total number of examined, of which 5.7 % are girls and 5.2 % are boys. Key words: parasites, mixed invasion, intestinal parasitocenosis, mixed invasion, invasion, SES.


The objective of this work was to study the effect of octocrylene on Stylophora pistillata and to compare the metabolomic response of this coral species to that obtained with Pocillopora damicornis. When S. pistillata coral was exposed to octocrylene, it accumulated octocrylene derivatives similar to P. damicornis. Octocrylene-fatty acid conjugates were found, as well as octocrylene heterosides. Furthermore, the tissue concentrations of various acylcarnitines and three sphingoid bases increased significantly. This phenomenon was indicative of mitochondrial dysfunction and the induction of cellular senescence processes in exposed corals. Overall, the responses of the two corals to octocrylene pollution were consistent. The proven impact of octocrylene on a second coral species suggests that potential environmental octocrylene pollution could impact many reef-building species. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that octocrylene may be modified in vivo by many organisms and that levels of octocrylene contamination in the food chain have probably been underestimated until now.


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a rare autoimmune disorder in a physician's practice, commonly presenting in young females. It is rare for SLE to present at a late age. Though SLE is idiopathic, sometimes it can present as an adverse reaction to drugs. Quite a few drugs are implicated in this process. However, there are no reports of levetiracetam causing SLE. Here, we present a case of 62-year-old female presenting with SLE after consumption of levetiracetam for 1 year for her epilepsy. Erythematosus rash was her main symptom. This was associated with a strong positivity of antinuclear antibody. The symptoms remitted completely after the discontinuation of levetiracetam, suggesting them to be because of drug-induced lupus (DIL). DIL differs from SLE in being mild, affecting atypical age groups and resolving completely on withdrawal of the drug.


This study contributes to the nascent worlding of the study of normative power by undertaking a parallel assessment of Normative Power Europe (NPE) and Normative Power China (NPC). There seems to have been a qualitative change in the EU's and China's international standing. While in the immediate post-Cold War period the EU was asserting its ability to set the range of legitimate international behavior and China appeared to be a reactive adopter of such norms, in recent years China is positioned as a normative entrepreneur and the EU's ability has been challenged both in Europe and internationally. This study claims that such change in fortunes is not merely a result of recent developments, but pivots on the distinct repertoires of NPE and NPC – acquis communautaire for the EU and guanxi for China. The acquis communautaire suggests a "rulebased" framework for setting what passes for "normal" in global life, while guanxi offers a "relational" one. Such distinct points of departure have led to the evolution of distinct concepts and practices of normative power. The comparative study of NPE and NPC concludes by drawing attention to the nascent struggle for recognition of normative powers in global life.


The large production of wine and almonds leads to the generation of sub-products, such as winery wastewater (WW) and almond skin. WW is characterized by its high content of recalcitrant organic matter (biodegradability index < 0.30). Therefore, the aim of this work was to (1) apply the coagulation–flocculation–decantation (CFD) process with an organic coagulant based on almond skin extract (ASE), (2) treat the organic recalcitrant matter through sulfate radical advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) and (3) evaluate the efficiency of combined CFD with UV-A, UV-C and ultrasound (US) reactors. The CFD process was applied with variation in the ASE concentration vs. pH, with results showing a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 61.2% (0.5 g/L ASE, pH = 3.0). After CFD, the germination index (GI) of cucumber and corn seeds was ≥80%; thus, the sludge can be recycled as fertilizer. The SR-AOP initial conditions were achieved by the application of a Box–Behnken response surface methodology, which described the relationship between three independent variables (peroxymonosulfate (PMS) concentration, cobalt (Co2+) concentration and UV-A radiation intensity). Afterwards, the SR-AOPs were optimized by varying the pH, temperature, catalyst type and reagent addition manner. With the application of CFD as a pre-treatment followed by SR-AOP under optimal conditions (pH = 6.0, [PMS] = 5.88 mM, [Co2+] = 5 mM, T = 343 K, reaction time 240 min), the COD removal increased to 85.9, 82.6 and 80.2%, respectively, for UV-A, UV-C and US reactors. All treated wastewater met the Portuguese legislation for discharge in a municipal sewage network (COD ≤ 1000 mg O2/L). As a final remark, the combination of CFD with SR-AOPs is a sustainable, safe and clean strategy for WW treatment and subproduct valorization.


Discourse on the possibility and necessity of an African environmental ethics is widespread in contemporary African studies, albeit with new dimensions and emphasis. With the growing work of such scholars as S. Ogungbemi, A. Fadahunsi, G. Tangwa, P. Ojomo, C.J. Ekwealo, and W. Kelbessa, among others exploring (in different ways) the thesis of indigenous African environmental values and principles which are considered sacrosanct in the restoration of humans and the environment in Africa, it is less controversial whether or not there is awareness of environmental ethical thinking among Africans. Beyond this theoretical polemic, the present essay observes the paucity of environmental activism and movements in Nigeria, whose underlying principles and tenets are seen to be incongruent with the ostensible African environmental ethics and values. This lacuna, it is here argued, aligns with the failure to match theory with praxis in many African states—the problem of wrong prioritizing and a conceptually deficient framework for action. This essay accordingly questions some previous outlines of African ethical environmental theory, with a view to establishing a cogent hermeneutico-reconstructive theory of African environmental management, one that gives prominence to ethical theorizing without neglecting activism.


A classical application of the Car-Parrinello method in the computer simulation of ionic systems is demonstrated. The induction effects in the interionic interactions are included in addition to the short-range repulsion and dispersion effects described by effective pair potentials. By representing the induced dipoles as a pair of dynamically variable charges fixed on the ends of a rod and extending the Lagrangian accordingly, the self-consistent induced dipoles at each time step are generated from the values at the previous time step, without the need for explicit minimization. Coulomb-field-induced and overlap-induced polarization effects are included and these are parameterized by ab initio electronic structure calculations. For simple ionic systems it is shown that the neglect of the overlap-induced dipoles leads to a poor representation of real systems.


Fifteen commercial titania (titanium(iv) oxide; TiO(2)) powders were modified with gold by photodeposition to prepare photocatalysts that work under irradiation with light in the visible range (vis). The gold-modified titania (Au/TiO(2)) powders were characterized by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), scanning transmission microscopy (STEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). It was shown that all tested powders could absorb visible light with an absorption maximum at localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelengths (530-600 nm) and that the size and shape of gold nanoparticles determined the absorption ranges. The photocatalytic activity of Au/TiO(2) powders was examined both under ultraviolet and vis irradiation (mainly >450 nm) for acetic acid and 2-propanol photooxidation. It was found that the activity depended strongly on gold and titania properties, such as particle size and shape, surface area and crystalline form. Under vis irradiation, large rutile particles loaded with gold particles of a wide range of sizes showed the highest level of photocatalytic activity, possibly due to greater light absorption ability in a wide wavelength range resulting from transverse and longitudinal LSPR of rod-like gold particles. Action spectrum analyses showed that visible-light-induced oxidation of organic compounds by aerated gold-titania suspensions was initiated by excitation of LSPR absorption of gold. Although photocatalytic activity of nanosized gold particles under vis irradiation with a wavelength of ca. 430 nm and catalytic activity of gold-modified titania during dark reactions were also found, it was shown that the activities of Au/TiO(2) particles originated from activation of LSPR of gold by light of wavelength of 530-650 nm. Participation of molecular oxygen as an electron acceptor and titania as a conductor of electrons is suggested by comparing with results obtained under deaerated conditions and results obtained using a system containing gold-deposited silica instead of gold-titania, respectively. On the basis of these results, the mechanism of visible-light-induced oxidation of organic compounds on gold-titania is proposed.


BACKGROUND
The efficacy and safety between connective tissue graft (CTG) and acellular dermal matrix (ADM) remain inconsistent. Meta-analysis is a valuable approach to resolve inconsistencies across studies and provide a high level of evidence to comprehensively evaluate the effect and safety of ADM versus CTG for root coverage of Miller's Class I and II gingival recession. Our study was conducted to comprehensively analyze the efficacy and safety of ADM versus CTG for root coverage in patients with gingival recession.

METHODS
Articles on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the ADM with CTG for adult patients with the gingival recession in terms of percent root coverage (PRC), clinical attachment level (CAL), keratinized tissue (KT), probing depth (PD), recession width (RW), and recession depth (RD) were identified in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases until 15 May 2020. Weighted mean difference (WMD) was used as the statistic for measurement data and the effect sizes were expressed as 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS
A total of 24 RCTs were eligible for the final analysis. A total of 587 patients with 1,315 gingival recession sites were involved in the study. There were 724 loci in the ADM group and 591 loci in the CTG group. The patients who underwent ADM had a higher gain in CAL (WMD: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.47, P=0.026) but a smaller gain in KT width (WMD: -0.44, 95% CI: -0.63 to -0.25, P<0.001) than those who underwent CTG. No significant differences were found between the patients who underwent ADM and those who received CTG in PRC (WMD: -1.61, 95% CI: -3.49 to 0.28, P=0.094), PD (WMD: 0.07, 95% CI: -0.01 to 0.14, P=0.067), RW (WMD: 0.07, 95% CI: -0.10 to 0.23, P=0.437), and RD (WMD: 0.11, 95% CI: -0.10 to 0.31, P=0.294).

DISCUSSION
The ADM treatment for patients with gingival recession may be superior to CTG in gaining CAL, but CTG has a significant advantage over ADM for gaining KT width. ADM can be considered in the future as a treatment for root coverage in patients with gingival recession.


Unique Sink Orientations (USOs) of cubes can be used to capture the combinatorial structure of many essential algebraic and geometric problems. For various structural and algorithmic questions, including enumeration of USOs and algorithm analysis, it is crucial to have systematic constructions of USOs. While some construction methods for USOs already exist, each one of them has some significant downside. Most of the construction methods have limited expressivity -- USOs with some desired properties cannot be constructed. In contrast, the phase flips of Schurr can construct all USOs, but the operation is not well understood. We were inspired by techniques from cube tilings of space; we expand upon existing techniques in the area to develop generalized rewriting rules for USOs. These rewriting rules are a new construction framework which can be applied to all USOs. The rewriting rules can generate every USO using only USOs of lower dimension. The effect of any specific rewriting rule on an USO is simple to understand. A special case of our construction produces a new elementary transformation of USOs, which we call a partial swap. We further investigate the relationship between partial swaps and phase flips and generalize partial swaps to phase swaps.


The early development of the cranial nerves of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus L., was studied in em- bryos and early prolarvae by immunocytochemical techniques with the marker for post-mitotic neurons acetylated  - tubulin. The trigeminal and facial nerves were first observed in embryos 9 days post fertilisation. The glossopharyngeal and vagal nerves appeared later, which indicates a rostrocaudal gradient in differentiation of branchiomeric nerves. The anterior and posterior lateral line, octaval and hypoglossal nerves also appeared in early developmental stages, but the ocular motor nerves were not observed in prolarvae. The present results indicate that, in comparison with cranial nerves and ganglia organisation reported in larval and adult lampreys, organisational changes occur in the cranial nerves between the prolarval and larval stages. One important change is the disappearance of the pharyngeal branch of the facial nerve, which was not previously reported to be present in larval and adult lampreys, whereas it had been observed in earlier de- velopmental stages. Comparison of the present results with those from studies carried out in other vertebrate species, in- cluding the Japanese lamprey, suggests that the developmental pattern of the cranial nerves is conserved in agnathans and differs from that reported in other vertebrate groups. As maturation of lamprey eyes and extraocular muscles is completed at metamorphosis, there appears to be a correlation between the late development of eye-related cranial nerves in lampreys and the anatomical structures that they innervate.


In Italy, advance health care directives are a subject of considerable debate in both legal theory and practice. This debate focuses in particular not only on the appropriateness of approving ad hoc statutory regulations but also on the extent to which similar advance indications of a person's wishes are applicable under the existing legal system, albeit in the absence of a law regulating them. The authors of this paper consider, in particular, guidelines relating to the possible use of the mechanism of support administration (amministrazione di sostegno) (Law No. 6/2004) as a procedure to be used for the legal recognition of advance health care directives, particularly in the light of the legal provision for the possible designation in advance of a support administrator by a beneficiary in anticipation of an eventual situation of incapacity. This underlines how the concept of health does not only exist in the abstract, but must be measured in relation to the particular patient in the particular situation and how beneficence and respect for autonomy are both essential elements in the choices aimed at promoting the health and the wellbeing of its citizens. Significance for public health The concept of health includes not only the physical, but also the psychosocial dimension in accordance with the will of people. The reference to the personal concept of quality of life, values, ethical and religious opinions of each subject are key components underlying the decision-making process concerning a given patient in a given clinical condition: the concept of health does not only exist in the abstract, but must be measured in relation to the specific patient in the specific situation. The authors analyse the Italian debate about the possible designation in advance of the support administrator on the part of the beneficiary in anticipation of a potential situation of incapacity, as a tool to enforce advance care directives, to show how beneficence and respect for autonomy are both essential elements in the choices of the legal system aimed at promoting the health and the wellbeing of its citizens.


Jerusalem artichoke (JA) is a fructan-accumulating crop that has gained popularity in recent years. The objective of the present study was to determine the dynamics of the JA-microbiome during storage. The microbial population on the surface of the JA tuber was determined by next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons. Subsequently, the changes in carbohydrate and degree of polymerization of fructan in tubers during storage were measured. Among different genotypes of JA varieties, intergeneric differences were observed in the diversity and abundance of bacterial communities distributed on the surface of tubers. Additionally, bacterial diversity was significantly higher in storage-tolerant varieties relative to the storage-intolerant varieties. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and the correlation matrix indicated a relationship between changes in the carbohydrates and microbial community succession during tuber storage. The tuber decay rate correlated positively with the degree of polymerization of fructan. Moreover, Dysgonomonas and Acinetobacter in perishable varieties correlated significantly with the decay rate. Therefore, the bacteria associated with the decay rate may be involved in the degradation of the degree of polymerization of fructan. Furthermore, Serratia showed a significant positive correlation with inulin during storage but a negative correlation with the decay rate, suggesting its antagonistic role against pathogenic bacteria on the surface of JA tubers. However, the above correlation was not observed in the storage-tolerant varieties. Functional annotation analysis revealed that storage-tolerant JA varieties maintain tuber quality through enrichment of biocontrol bacteria, including Flavobacterium, Sphingobacterium, and Staphylococcus to resist pathogens. These results suggested that crop genotype and the structural composition of carbohydrates may result in differential selective enrichment effects of microbial communities on the surface of JA varieties. In this study, the relationship between microbial community succession and changes in tuber carbohydrates during JA storage was revealed for the first time through the combination of high-throughput sequencing, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and high-performance ion-exchange chromatography (HPIC). Overall, the findings of this study are expected to provide new insights into the dynamics of microbial-crop interactions during storage.


The approach to inguinal hernia in the pediatric population has historically been via an open technique. Over the last decade there have been numerous reports and descriptions of laparoscopic techniques to repair inguinal hernias in this population. This article highlights different techniques and clearly outlines the currently utilized approach in our institutions.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of health maintenance organization (HMO) penetration on preventable hospitalizations.

DATA SOURCE
Hospital inpatient discharge abstracts for 932 urban counties in 22 states from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases (SID), hospital data from American Hospital Association (AHA) annual survey, and population characteristics and health care capacity data from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Area Resource File (ARF) for 1998.

METHODS
Preventable hospitalizations due to 14 ambulatory care sensitive conditions were identified using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Prevention Quality Indicators. Multiple regressions were used to determine the association between preventable hospitalizations and HMO penetration while controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health care capacity of the counties.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
A 10 percent increase in HMO penetration was associated with a 3.8 percent decrease in preventable hospitalizations (95 percent confidence interval, 2.0 percent-5.6 percent). Advanced age, female gender, poor health, poverty, more hospital beds, and fewer primary care physicians per capita were significantly associated with more preventable hospitalizations.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that HMO penetration has significant effects in reducing preventable hospitalizations due to some ambulatory care sensitive conditions.


In the present investigation hematite samples were reduced to magnetite by a mixture of H2 and H2O at 650, 700, and 750°C. These data have been analysed with the Johnson-Mehl equation and found to fit well in the nucleation and grain growth model. Activation energy values of the reaction were calculated by different methods and have been found to match closely.


This project has been fulfilled within the Erasmus program in collaboration with the School of Telecommunications and Spatial Engineering in Castelldefels and the Center of Resources and Aeronautical Maintenance. We have participated in the Project DR-400 whose objective is to build a replica of the cockpit of the recreational plane Robin DR400. Once it should be completed, its mission would be to serve as training material for the students. The project consists of two interconnected parts: · Transmission of the altitude data as registered from the model using the ARINC 429 syntax through a micro-controller and an oscilloscope. · Creation of a system for generating anemo-barometric pressures from a common syringe in order to replace the current test pack.


One of the most important tasks in urban remote sensing is the detection of impervious surfaces (IS), such as roofs and
roads. However, detection of IS in heterogeneous areas still remains one of the most challenging tasks. In this study, detection of concrete roof using an object-based approach was proposed. A new rule-based classification was developed to detect concrete roof tile. This proposed rule-based classification was applied to WorldView-2
image and results showed that the proposed rule has good potential to predict concrete roof material from WorldView-2 images, with 85% accuracy.


Endothelial cell dysfunction plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (AS), and endothelial autophagy has protective effects on the development of AS. Our previous study had shown that oxidized low-density lipoprotein/β2-glycoprotein I/anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibody (oxLDL/β2GPI/anti-β2GPI) complex could promote the expressions of inflammatory cytokines and enhance the adhesion of leukocytes to endothelial cells. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effects of oxLDL/β2GPI/anti-β2GPI complex on endothelial autophagy and explore the associated potential mechanisms. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and mouse brain endothelial cell line (bEnd.3) were used as models of the vascular endothelial cells. Autophagy was evaluated by examining the expressions of autophagic proteins using western blotting analysis, autophagosome accumulation using transmission electron microscopy, and RFP-GFP-LC3 adenoviral transfection and autophagic flux using lysosome inhibitor chloroquine. The expressions of phospho-PI3K, phospho-AKT, phospho-mTOR, and phospho-eNOS were determined by western blotting analysis. 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) and rapamycin were used to determine the role of autophagy in oxLDL/β2GPI/anti-β2GPI complex-induced endothelial cell dysfunction. We showed that oxLDL/β2GPI/anti-β2GPI complex suppressed the autophagy, evidenced by an increase in p62 protein, a decrease in LC3-II and Beclin1, and a reduction of autophagosome generation in endothelial cells. Moreover, inhibition of autophagy was associated with PI3K/AKT/mTOR and eNOS signaling pathways. Rapamycin attenuated oxLDL/β2GPI/anti-β2GPI complex-induced endothelial inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, whereas 3-MA alone induced the endothelial injury. Our results suggested that oxLDL/β2GPI/anti-β2GPI complex inhibited endothelial autophagy via PI3K/AKT/mTOR and eNOS signaling pathways and further contributed to endothelial cell dysfunction. Collectively, our findings provided a novel mechanism for vascular endothelial injury in AS patients with an antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) background.


BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increasingly observed and may be associated with the severity of rheumatoid arthritis. It is dominated by heart ischemic diseases related to atherosclerosis. Specific rheumatoid heart disease is commonly asymptomatic and found at autopsy or by echocardiography. Pericarditis is the commonest cardiac complication of RA. It is rarely clinically apparent and pericardial tamponade is exceptional.

CASE REPORT
Herein, we report an unusual case of a 53-year-old female patient with a six-year history of seropositive and erosive rheumatoid arthritis who had developed a pericarditis complicated with tamponade resolved by pericardiocenthesis and high dose systemic steroids. Histopathology showed chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Under 1mg/day of colchicine, there were no recurrences at 10 months.

CONCLUSION
Pericarditis is uncommon in rheumatoid arthritis. Forms with constriction or tamponade may have a fatal outcome. Pericardectomy usually recommended in constrictive forms, is sometimes indicated for tamponade. Some observations and randomised studies of idiopathic pericarditis suggest that colchicine may be interesting for the treatment and prevention of recurrences of rheumatoid arthritis-associated pericarditis.


This paper presents the design of the composite nonlinear feedback (CNF) control law for DC motor speed control. First, a linear feedback control law is designed such that the closed-loop system under this linear control law has small damping ratio. Then, a nonlinear feedback part is designed based on this linear feedback law. The nonlinear function of the nonlinear feedback part is tuned by formulating the parameter tuning problem into a minimization problem. The minimization problem is solved by Hooke-Jeeves algorithm. The well designed CNF control law results in a satisfied transient performance with small overshoot, and fast rising time and settling time.


Investigation of the effect of rootstock on apple bearing stability was performed at the Institute of Horticulture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry in 2014-2016. Apple cultivars 'Auksis' and 'Ligol' on M.26 semi-dwarf rootstock; M.9, B.396 and P 67 dwarf rootstocks; and P 22 super-dwarf rootstock were included in the trial. The orchard was planted in spring 2005. Fruit thinning was not performed up to 2014, in order to maintain the apparent effect of the rootstock. During this period the alternate bearing index (ABI) of 'Ligol' varied from 0.58 on B.396 rootstock up to 0.80 on M.9; and ABI of 'Auksis' varied from 0.70 on B.396 rootstock up to 0.78 on P 67. Starting from 2014 blossom thinning was initiated in order to stabilize tree bearing. Three crop levels were established expecting apple yield from 20 to 54 t ha(-1). More intensive accumulation of phytohormones at lower crop load levels was recorded. At the same time more intensive flowering inhibiting phytohormones along increasing crop load was established for both cultivars on all rootstocks. Positive effect of crop load adjustment was less obvious in the first year after the treatment but more expressed in the second year. Return bloom depended both on crop load in previous year and on rootstock. Experiment revealed differences between rootstock impact on apple bearing stability. Stable average yield of 'Auksis' is possible to maintain at 30 t ha(-1) level with all tested rootstocks. Stable average yield of 'Ligol' is possible to maintain at 35 t ha(-1) level on M.9 and B.396 rootstocks, but at more than 50 t ha(-1) level on P 67 rootstock only.


sis of Horner syndrome with the use of topical 5% or 10% cocaine has been the standard for years. Cocaine is a controlled substance that must be prepared by individual pharmacies for local use and has become more difficult to obtain in recent years. We have found the parents of children with anisocoria and possible Horner syndrome are often hesitant to allow the use of cocaine as a diagnostic tool when suggested. In healthy eyes, 1% apraclonidine produces little or no dilation of the pupils. However, a previous study showed that 1 hour after 1% apraclonidine was instilled in both eyes of 6 adult patients with Horner syndrome, a reversal of anisocoria occurred. This occurred whether the Horner syndrome was preganglionic or postganglionic. The mydriatic response observed in eyes affected with Horner syndrome is due to the denervation supersensitivity of the -1 receptors on the iris dilator muscle. Topical apraclonidine is readily available and has been used in the past to treat glaucoma with minimal adverse effects. To our knowledge, we report the first use of this agent in the pharmacologic diagnosis of pediatric Horner syndrome. We discussed 4 patients (cases 1-4) with Horner syndrome, all of whom experienced a reversal of anisocoria after receiving 1% apraclonidine. To contrast this, we discussed an additional 2 patients with anisocoria not related to Horner syndrome (cases 5 and 6), who experienced no change in pupil size. This reversal of anisocoria is easier to observe clinically than the asymmetric mydriasis cocaine produces. Based on the findings in our cases and the prior article with 6 adult patients with Horner syndrome, apraclonidine may play a role in the diagnosis of Horner syndrome. In fact, the diagnosis of neuroblastoma in case 4 may have been delayed if we had not tested the patient with 1% apraclonidine. If it could be shown that 0.5% apraclonidine is as effective in causing a reversal of anisocoria in Horner syndrome as 1% apraclonidine, it would be an even more attractive agent to use for this purpose. Adverse effects would be minimized, and 0.5% apraclonidine is more readily available. Although the previously published article using apraclonidine to diagnose adults with Horner syndrome had cases of preganglionic and postganglionic lesions, the number of patients was small. Sensitivity and specificity of this diagnostic test need to be investigated. Also, with all pharmacologic tests based on denervation hypersensitivity, a false-negative result may occur in the acute setting (where denervation hypersensitivity has not yet developed). Further studies are also necessary to evaluate the safety profile of the instillation of this agent in infants. Another -adrenergic receptor agonist used to lower intraocular pressure, 0.2% brimonidine tartrate, has caused apnea, bradycardia, hypotension, somnolence, and lethargy in children. One of the infants in our study who received 1 drop of 1% apraclonidine in both eyes was somewhat sleepier than usual that afternoon, but this resolved without adverse sequelae. The other patients did not experience any adverse effects.


Most of the Indian rural and sub urban roads are not ideal for driving due to faded lanes, irregular potholes ,improper and invisible road signs. This has led to many accidents causing loss of lives and severe damage to vehicles. Many techniques have been proposed in the past to detect these problems using image processing methods. But there has been little work specifically carried out for detecting such issues of Indian roads. To address this acute problem, the study is undertaken with the objectives like, to make a survey Indian roads, to suggest the method to detect lanes, potholes and road signs and their classification and to suggest automated driver guidance mechanism. Using Image Processing Based on Edge Detection and Hough Transform has been developed to aid a driver in the lane departure decision-making, to reduce a loss of concentration and to prevent an accident while driving. KeywordsImage Processing, Road Image Analysis, Hough Transform, Segmentation.


Packaging is one of the major domains in the food processing industry that reduces waste and enhances product shelf life. Recently, research and development have focused on bioplastics and bioresources to combat environmental issues caused by the alarming growth of single-use plastic waste food packaging. The demand for natural fibres has recently increased because of their low cost, biodegradability and eco-friendliness. This article reviewed recent developments in natural fibre-based food packaging materials. The first part discusses the introduction of natural fibres in food packaging, with a focus on fibre source, composition and selection parameters, while the second part investigates the physical and chemical ways to modify natural fibres. Several plant-derived fibre materials have been utilised in food packaging as reinforcements, fillers and packaging matrices. Recent investigations developed and modified natural fibre (physical and chemical treatments) into packaging using casting, melt mixing, hot pressing, compression moulding, injection moulding, etc. These techniques majorly improved the strength of bio-based packaging for commercialisation. This review also identified the main research bottlenecks and future study areas were suggested.


Background : Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) form part of the chromosomes of all pigs. Since they can be produced as infectious virion and infect human cells, safety issues on PERVs infection to human are still controversial and is one of main hurdles of xenotransplantation using pig cells or organs. It has been reported that the established porcine cell line, PK-15, produces PERVs and can infect the human cell lines. Therefore, clonal analysis on human cell line infected with PERV is a prerequisite to characterize the infectivity to human cells and to investigate the harmfulness of PERVs to human. Materials and Methods : For the characterization of PERV that originates from porcine cell line, PK-15, full length PERV cloning from genomic DNA of PK-15 was performed and partial sequences of both ends were achieved. Cell clones from human cell line, 293, persistently infected with PERVs from PK-15 were established by the method of limiting dilution. Nested PCR and direct sequencing of PCR products in each clone were carried out so as to confirm the PERV genomes in each clone. The growth rate of each clone was checked using cell counting and 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, the infectivity by reverse transcriptase (RT) assay, and genetic analysis by karyotyping. Results :A total of 12 genomic PERV clones could be retrieved; 1 with full length, 4 with defective forms, and others with irrelevant sequences. Intact PERV was thought to be able to infect 293 and the PERV-infected cell clones were selected by limiting dilution. PCR results confirmed that nine cell clones were infected with PERV, and sequence alignment data on PCR products of pol region from PK-15 and human cell clones with PERV showed very similar results. Cell counting and MTT assay for growth kinetics of each clone indicated that two clones showed reduced growth rate. However, it was difficult to verify the effect of PERV infection on the cell growth because of the presence of many genetic alterations in 293 parental cells. No RT activities were detected in the culture supernatant from PERV-infected 293 cell clones. Conclusion : The sequences of PERVs were detected in human cell clones after PERV infection, but PERV virions could not be detected from the culture supernatant by RT assay.


Extracted from text ... Conservation Biology by A.S. Pullin. University
Press, Cambridge. 2002. Pp. 340. Price
R375. ISBN 0521 644 82 8 (paperback), ISBN
0521 642 84 1 (hardback).
Conservation biology is a relatively new science
and has seen an increase in teaching and reading
material available on the subject. There are many
good books available within the field and this is
one of them. It does, however, stand out from the
rest of the crowd in a number of ways. The author,
Andrew S. Pullin, has worked in many areas of the
world on academic as well as the more practical
aspects of ..


A novel method to estimate the contact area and contact volume was developed with molding the tire footprint by liquid plaster and converting these molds to three-dimensional models using a 3D scanner. A 12.4-28, 6 ply tractor tire was operated under three levels of vertical load, three levels of inflation pressure and three levels of soil moisture content. To analyses the obtained data regression and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were used and the accuracy of predicted results were compared with measured data. A multi-layer perceptron feed-forward ANN with back propagation (BP) learning algorithm was employed. Two hidden layers were used in network architecture and the best number of neuron for each hidden layer was selected with attention to minimum RMSE criterion. The results showed that tire contact volume is a better parameter than tire contact area to predict rolling resistance. The comparison of the results of regression and ANN models to predict the contact area, contact volume and rolling resistance showed that ANN predictions had a closer agreement with the measured data than the regression model predictions.


The main difficulty in the treatment of cancer lies in the already known mechanism of resistance to conventional chemotherapy. It is mainly due to the expression of the multidrug transport systems known as ABC transporters, both in neoplastic cells and in excretory organs that reduce the chemotherapeutic concentration. The cancer cell proliferation by activation of growth factor receptors induces their intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity, and their intracellular signaling pathways involved in such activation. Tumor proliferation can respond to the direct action of growth factors on their respective receptors, or due to somatic mutations in different steps of their signaling pathway, in an independent manner of growth factor stimulus. Pharmacogenetics studies have been performed to identify these drivers' mutations and their detection enables targeted inhibitory therapies against their abnormal proteins. The design of new molecules capable of inhibiting these signals has opened a new line of treatment for each type of tumor, thereby enabling tumor growth control and giving rise to the precision medicine approach. It is possible that mutations of sensitive and resistant to these targeted therapies coexist in the same tumor, from the start of therapy or as a consequence of the first-line treatment. The mutations in circulating DNA in body fluids, which are detected and quantified by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction-assisted liquid biopsy, are the ideal biomarkers for the evaluation of pharmacological response, which is crucial for facilitating the change of therapeutic strategy involving second- or third-generation drugs. The quantification of these mutations can be used to assess minimal residual disease in the therapeutic follow-up of each case.


Background In South Africa it is estimated that 7.9 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is associated with an increased risk of kidney disease. For people living with HIV (PLWH) who develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), access to renal replacement therapy can be difficult. Kidney transplantation is a cost-effective option, with improved overall survival and better quality of life. In Johannesburg, the eligibility criteria for kidney transplantation include a sustained CD4+ T-cell count of > 200 cells/μL and suppressed HIV replication. Objective To investigate the influence of haemodialysis on the lymphocyte subsets in PLWH with ESKD. In addition, all available %CD4+ T-cell counts, absolute CD4+ T-cell counts and viral load measurements were collected to assess the longitudinal trends of these measurements in PLWH with ESKD. Methods This was a cross-sectional study comparing two groups. The HIV-infected study participants (n = 17) and HIV-uninfected controls (n = 17) were recruited from renal dialysis centres in Johannesburg from 2017 to 2018. Demographic data and social data were collected from all the study participants (n = 17). Blood samples were collected from all the study participants (before and after a haemodialysis session), and the lymphocyte subsets were then measured. The available longitudinal data for the serial CD4+ T-cell counts and HIV viral loads were collected (n = 14). Results Our cohort showed a statistically significant increase in the post-dialysis percentage of CD4+ T cells (5%, p < 0.001) and the absolute CD4+ T-cell counts (21 cells/µL, p < 0.03). The longitudinal trend analysis for the percentage of CD4+ T cells revealed a significant increase in five participants (36%), and a single patient (7%) had a significant decrease in the longitudinal trend analysis for the absolute CD4+ T-cell counts. The longitudinal trend analysis for HIV viral load revealed the majority of our participants were not virologically suppressed. Conclusion This study showed that haemodialysis does not have an immediate negative impact on CD4+ T-cell count, suggesting that immunologic recovery is not impeded by treatment of the underlying ESKD.


Namibia's nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) including those providing vital HIV and AIDS services face a sharp reduction in external donor funding due to the country's recent reclassification as an upper middle-income country. This decline may prompt NGOs to seek out alternative revenue streams to maintain health gains achieved over the past decade and Namibia's growing for-profit private sector is a potential source of such revenue. The United States Agency for International Development in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Social Services asked the Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) project to explore commercialization prospects for Namibian NGOs. The SHOPS team interviewed more than 50 stakeholders to gain a better understanding of corporate demand for health and wellness services in Namibia explored the current supply of health services provided by NGOs and identified potential opportunities for NGOs to deliver commercial health services to Namibian firms and their employees. This report presents commercial opportunities for donor-funded Namibian NGOs and reflects on the possibilities and limitations of commercialization as a strategy to promote the sustainability of NGOs.


In developing countries, the effect of globalization on the pharmaceutical sector has resulted in a decrease in exportation and domestic production, accompanied by an increase in importation of pharmaceuticals and a rise in prices and expenditures. As an example of a developing country, Turkey has been facing the long-standing and increasing pressure of global regulations placed on its pharmaceutical sector. This has led to an increasing dependency on multinational companies and a gradual deterioration of an already weakened domestic pharmaceutical sector. This case study of Turkey offers points to consider in the world of increasing globalization, as it offers lessons on ways of examining the effects of globalization on the pharmaceutical industry of developing countries.


PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of two voice intervention approaches for hypophonia secondary to Parkinson's disease (PD) on self-reported measures of physical demand, mental demand, and vocal performance.

METHOD
Thirty-four persons with hypophonia secondary to PD were assigned to one of three groups: Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) LOUD (n = 12), SpeechVive (n = 12), and nontreatment clinical control (n = 10). The LSVT LOUD and the SpeechVive participants received 8 weeks of voice intervention following the standardized protocol previously described for each approach. To confirm the effectiveness of each voice intervention, sound pressure level (dB SPL) data were analyzed for the experimental and control participants for a monologue sample obtained pretreatment, midtreatment, and posttreatment. During the voice intervention period, the LSVT LOUD and the SpeechVive participants were instructed to complete a modified version of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index rating scale to indicate the mental and physical demand required to complete the intervention activities, and to indicate how well they performed in completing the assigned vocal tasks.

RESULTS
The LSVT LOUD and the SpeechVive participants demonstrated a significant posttreatment increase in SPL (dB), in comparison to the clinical controls, thus confirming a positive intervention effect. The LSVT LOUD participants reported significantly higher ratings of physical and mental demand over the course of treatment, in comparison to the SpeechVive participants.

CONCLUSION
Consideration of the mental and physical demand associated with two voice intervention approaches, commonly used for PD, may help to foster improved therapeutic compliance and treatment outcomes.


Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is a T=1 non-enveloped icosahedral virus that has a major impact on the swine industry as an agent of porcine circovirus associate disease. PCV2 capsid protein sequences have been employed by others to provide a temporal description of the emerging genotypes. PCV2a is believed to be the earliest genotype and responsible for giving rise to PCV2b, which gives rise to PCV2d. The underlying mechanism responsible for the emerging genotypes is not understood. To determine if a change in the PCV2d capsid accompanies the emergence of this genotype, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy image reconstruction of PCV2d VLP at 3.3 Å resolution and compared it to the previously reported PCV2a and PCV2b structures. Differences between the CD and GH loops identify structural changes that accompany the emergence of PCV2b from PCV2a, and PCV2d from PCV2b. We also model additional amino acids for the N-terminus near the icosahedral 3-fold axes of symmetry and a tetranucleotide between the 5- and 2-fold axes of symmetry. To interpret the sequence diversity that defines the PCV2 genotypes on a structural platform we have performed structure-based sequence comparison. Our analysis demonstrates that each genotype possesses a unique set of amino acids located on the surface of the capsid that experience a high degree of substitution. These substitutions may be a response to the PCV2 vaccination program. The structural difference between PCV2a, b and d genotypes indicate that it is important to determine the PCV2 capsid structure as the virus evolves into different genotypes. Importance PCV2 is a significant epidemic agricultural pathogen that is the causative agent of a variety of swine illnesses. PCV2 infections have significant economic impact in the swine industry and must be controlled by vaccination. Outbreaks in farms vaccinated for PCV2 suggest that improvements to the current vaccination programs are needed. Better understanding of the assembly, structure, replication and evolution of these viruses is necessary for production of improved vaccines. The ability of PCV2 to rapidly shift genotypes suggests that expression systems capable of rapidly producing large quantities of virus-like particles should be pursued. To these ends we have established a mammalian cell-based virus-like particle expression system and performed high resolution structural studies of a new PCV2 genotype. Differences between the structure of this genotype and earlier genotypes demonstrate that it is important to study the PCV2 structure as it shifts genotypes.


The significant scattering of the parameters of different leukocyte forms with its range exceeding the technique error has been revealed in the process of preoperative dynamic examination of 826 patients preparing for primary total hip arthroplasty and 482 ones – for revision hip arthroplasty. The blood tests of seven practically normal volunteers performed during 30 consecutive days demonstrated the same range of scattering, as well as a fluctuating character of changes in the parameters studied. The levels of total leukocyte content, stab and segmented neutrophils and lymphocytes in peripheral blood fluctuated at hemicircaseptanic intervals, and the level of monocytes – at circaseptanic intervals. The fluctuations occurred around the trend, the value of which changed with circadiseptanic and close to circavigintanic periods. The data suggest these biorhythms to be the cause of the scattering observed.


Juggling, a motor activity from the field of psychomotricity, is an activity with several positive impacts on functions of men, such as movement coordination, concentration, rhythmical skills, attention, spatial orientation, social interaction, etc. We have chosen a group of adolescents with syndromes of ADHD, hyperactivity and behaviour and learning disorders for our research experiment. We applied juggling and psychomotor activities in order to develop the above mentioned functions and to point out the importance of the alternative motor activities that focus on the experience and joy of movement, in contrast to activities emphasising only the physical condition improvement.


In this article we present EANT, "Evolutionary Acquisition of Neural Topologies", a method that creates neural networks (NNs) by evolutionary reinforcement learning. The structure of NNs is developed using mutation operators, starting from a minimal structure. Their parameters are optimised using CMA-ES. EANT can create NNs that are very specialised; they achieve a very good performance while being relatively small. This can be seen in experiments where our method competes with a different one, called NEAT, "NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies", to create networks that control a robot in a visual servoing scenario.


Evidences over the past few decades show that significant changes in climate are taking place all over the world as a result of enhanced human activities in deforestation, emission of various greenhouse gases, and indiscriminate use of fossil fuels. Global atmospheric concentration of C02 has increased from pre-industrial level of 280 parts per million (ppm) to 400 ppm in 2014. Global projections indicate higher temperature of 1.5 to 4.5°C by the year 2050, as a result of enhanced greenhouse gases. Climate change predictions for India indicate that warming is likely to be above the global mean and fewer very cold days are very likely. Frequency of intense rainfall events and winds associated with tropical cyclones are likely to increase. The global average surface temperature in 2015 broke all previous records by a strikingly wide margin, at 0.76 ± 0.1°C above the 1961-1990 average. For the first time on record, temperatures in 2015 were about 1°C above the pre-industrial era, according to a consolidated analysis from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO, 2016). Under the threat of increased greenhouse gases and resultant higher temperatures and uncertainty in rainfall regimes, there is a critical need to communicate climate change scenarios, adaptation and mitigation strategies to all stakeholders particularly farmers and agricultural extension personnel to enhance resilience and also to reduce greenhouse gas emissions…


In order to evaluate some of the central effects of an organophosphorus pesticide--chlorphenvinphos (CVP), the time course of changes in the activity of blood cholinesterase (ChE), body temperature and hippocampal EEG were compared in rabbits after acute i.p. exposure. The pesticide was administered twice at an interval of 80-90 days. The Deichmann-LeBlanc scheme of dosing (one animal/one dose) was adopted starting with 22 mg/kg. CVP resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in plasma and erythrocyte ChE activity, a decrease in body temperature ranging from 0.7 degrees to 3.5 degrees C, and in an increase in content of the immobility-related, rhythmic slow activity (I-RSA) in the hippocampal EEG. Changes in body temperature appeared at lower doses than those in the hippocampal EEG. Contrary to the changes in ChE activity, which lasted 4-30 days, those in body temperature and in hippocampal EEG disappeared within 24 hours after the injection. CVP administered at the same dose 80-90 days after the first injection, resulted again in an inhibition of ChE activity, but the effect on the hippocampal EEG was less clear, and that on body temperature was variable; no effect, an increase or a decrease appeared. The data suggest that: i) body temperature is a more sensitive index of a central action of CVP administered for the first time than the hippocampal EEG; ii) the brain cholinergic mechanisms are relatively resistant to the acute action of the OP and undergo fast adaptive changes; iii) even single exposure to CVP may produce some long-lasting functional changes in the brain of some subjects, which has been proven by the changed response to the second exposure.


As a part of our ongoing Volume-limited A-Star (VAST) adaptive optics survey, we have obtained observations of 26 binary systems with projected separations <100 AU, 13 of which have sufficient historical measurements to allow for refinem ent of their orbital elements. For each system with an estimated orbit, the dynamical system mass obtained was compared with the system mass estimated from mass-magnitude relations. Discrepancies between the dynamical and theoretical system mass can be explained by the presence of a previously unresolved spectroscopic component, or by a non-solar metallicity of the system. Using this approach to infer the presence of additional companions, a lower limit to the fraction of binaries, triples, and quadruples can be estimated as 39, 46, and 15 per cent, for systems with at least one companion within 100 AU. The fraction of multiple systems with three or more components shows a relative increase compared to the fraction for Solar-type primaries resolved in previous volume-limited surveys. The observations have also revealed a pair of potentially young (<100 Myr) M-dwarf companions, which would make an ideal benchmark for the theoretical models during the pre-Main Sequence contraction phase for M-dwarfs. In addition to those systems with orbit fits, we report 13 systems for which furthe r orbital monitoring observations are required, 11 of which are newly resolved as a part of the VAST survey.


Investigation of host-parasite interactions typically reveals a negative impact of parasitism on the host species. In contrast, mounting evidence indicates that bot fly (Cuterebra sp.) infestation enhances the survival of white-footed mice ( Peromyscus leu- copus). We propose that life history trade-offs, namely, between reproduction and survival, can explain this counterintuitive observation. By using an extensive data set spanning a decade, 12 sites in two states, and over 30 000 mouse captures, we offer a new perspective on the effects of bot fly parasitism on white-footed mice. Analysis of persistence time corroborated earlier studies that showed significantly higher survival rates of infested mice. Although a higher proportion of infested than uninfested females were in breeding condition, secondary reproductive success appeared to be negatively impacted by parasitism via de- clines in the number of litters and the total number of offspring produced by infested females. Population growth rates were negatively correlated with infestation prevalence, further indicating a negative effect of parasitism. Based on the negative impact of parasitism on reproduction, we propose that enhanced survival of infested mice can be explained by the diversion of resources from reproduction to body maintenance. Parasite-induced life history shifts in which mice decrease current reproduction to promote future reproduction, such as increasing the age at maturity, may also contribute to the decline in population growth rate observed in years of high infestation prevalence.


It is widely appreciated that 3D structures may be computed from multiple 2D images of the same scene given point correspondences between images. Of greater interest, however, is the generation of surfaces that give a compact representation of the geometric model. Assuming we are dealing with smooth surfaces, we show that B-spline is a good choice for this purpose and we describe how to construct it by approximating the 3D data points. The crucial step is the parameterization of the 3D points in a 2D domain. By studying the geometric constraints of multiple views, we show that the original images can be used for parameterization. The implications of the B-spline surfaces for improving the quality of texture mapping is discussed.


Abstract Objectives: To present retrospective experience in Meyer-Cotton grade 3 tracheal stenosis of 17 patients treated by T-tube, considering the characteristics of the treated stenosis, surgical procedures performed, and post-operative outcomes and complications. Methods: All demographic and clinical data were collected retrospectively. Chest and neck computed tomography scans were performed to assess the stenosis, including length, location, and glottic involvement. The stenotic area was evaluated endoscopically according to an adapted Meyer and Cotton grading scale. Results: The aetiology of the tracheal stenosis was intubation-related in all cases. The duration of intubation ranged between 1 hour to 40 days. According to the Myers-Cotton classification, all patients were at stage 3. Mean length of the stenosis was 26.58 ± 12.02 (range =15–70) mm. Mean follow-up for the study group was 60.16 ± 34.10 (range =18–137) months. Two patients died during follow-up, one due to stroke, one due to chronic lymphocytic leukemia; no deaths were attributable to TS. The remaining 15 patients could be evaluated up to the present time. Post-operative decannulation was achieved in three of 15 patients (20%), and decannulation was not achieved in 12 of 15 patients (80%). Conclusion: T-tube is not an effective treatment of tracheal stenosis.


The ' Super H-Mode ' regime is predicted to enable pedestal height and fusion performance substantially higher than standard H-Mode operation. This regime exists due to a bifurcation of the pedestal pressure, as a function of density, that is predicted by the EPED model to occur in strongly shaped plasmas above a critical pedestal density. Experiments on Alcator C-Mod and DIII-D have achieved access to the Super H-Mode (and Near Super H) regime, and obtained very high pedestal pressure, including the highest achieved on a tokamak ( p ped ~ 80 kPa) in C-Mod experiments operating near the ITER magnetic ield. DIII-D Super H experiments have demonstrated strong performance, including the highest stored energy in the present coniguration of DIII-D ( W ~ 2.2 – 3.2 MJ), while utilizing only about half of the available heating power ( P heat ~ 7 – 12 MW). These DIII-D experiments have obtained the highest value of peak fusion gain, Q DT,equiv ~ 0.5, achieved on a medium scale ( R < 2 m) tokamak. Sustained high performance operation ( β N ~ 2.9, H 98 ~ 1.6) has been achieved utilizing n = 3 magnetic perturbations for density and impurity control. Pedestal and global coninement has been maintained in the presence of deuterium and nitrogen gas pufing, which enables a more radiative divertor condition. A pair of simple performance metrics is developed to assess and compare regimes. Super H-Mode access is predicted for ITER and expected, based on both theoretical prediction and observed normalized performance, to allow ITER to achieve its goals ( Q = 10) at I p < 15 MA, and to potentially enable more compact, cost effective pilot plant and reactor designs.


Via a facile ultrasound synthesis from nickel acetate and sodium hydroxide with ionic liquids as the solvent and template it is possible to obtain nano-β-Ni(OH)2 of various dimensionalities depending on the reaction conditions with the ionic liquid (IL) being the most important factor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging showed β-Ni(OH)2 to form as nanosheets, nanorods and nanospheres depending on the IL. ILs with strong to moderate hydrogen bonding capability like [C3mimOH][Tf2N] (1-(3-hydroxypropyl)-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonylamide)), [C4mim][Tf2N] (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonylamide)) and [Edimim][Tf2N] (1-ethyl-2,3-diemethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonylamide)) lead to the formation of nanosheets whilst [Py4][Tf2N] (butyl-pyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonylamide)) leads to nanoparticles and [N1888][Tf2N] (methyltrioctylammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonylamide)) to nanorods. Subsequent calcination of the materials at elevated temperatures (285–425 °C) leads to the conversion of β-Ni(OH)2 to NiO under preservation of the nanostructure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), TG-DTA, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to observe the morphology, crystallinity, and chemical composition in more detail. Mesoporous NiO nanosheets obtained in [C4mim][Tf2N] possess an exceptionally high surface area of 141.28 m2 g−1 and a pore volume of 0.2 cm3 g−1 at 285 °C. As a result of calcination at 425 °C the surface area decreased to 92.84 m2 g−1, but the pore volume increased to 0.48 cm3 g−1. In addition, the product has an extraordinarily high saturation magnetization of 1.38 emu g−1, a coercivity of 117 Oe and an excellent specific capacitance of 199.4 F g−1 which renders the material highly interesting for application in supercapacitors.


This chapter examines the liberalist approach to the theory and practice of international politics. It begins with an overview of liberalism and liberal internationalism's main characteristics, including how they overlap with, yet significantly depart from, the realist perspective. It then considers the major liberalist schools of thought, namely: commercial or economic liberalism, human rights liberalism, international organization or institutions liberalism, and democratic liberalism. The chapter explores how contemporary liberal internationalism is losing significant power and appeal because the major Western states of the world system are experiencing serious international and domestic difficulties. It closes by indicating that the Western liberal internationalist order will likely lose a sizable portion of its long standing international dominance, resulting in a more widely spread global security management arrangement among a larger number of major states.


In this paper, we propose an efficient and effective three-dimensional design space exploration method for mapping a DSP system in synchronous data flow graph format onto an RTL or lower level hardware description using constraint programming. The three dimensions are 1) schedule level parallelism (The parallelism of the executions for one DSP function, fully parallel, semi-parallel or fully serial), 2) function level parallelism (how many function implementations are used to implement each of the DSP functions), and 3) arithmetic level parallelism (how the function implementations are implemented). The design space exploration problem is formulated as a constraints satisfaction optimization problem and solved by the constraint programming solver in Google's or-tools. The proposed method is compared against two state-of-the-art commercial HLS tools for four realistic examples and one synthetic example. The metrics compared are runtime, accuracy and quality of results in terms of resource usage. We show on average, the proposed method is 85.22% faster compared to HLS tools, 4.3% more accurate and 8.27% better in quality of results. For the latter we have conservatively assumed the same function execution parallelism.