In this article, we discuss the role of participatory video (PV) as a tool for developing community-level solutions to 'Antimicrobial Resistance' (AMR) in Nepal. In recent years, PV has become an ever more popular tool in development contexts for supporting communities in
 low and middle income countries to raise awareness of issues that they do not feel are adequately represented in mainstream media. One area of growing interest in this regard is public health. However, PV has not, to date, been used to address AMR, currently considered to be one of the biggest
 public health issues we face globally. Placing our project within the wider context of 'participatory documentary' practice, we examine the world-view presented in the films this project generated, a dimension of such projects that is, somewhat curiously perhaps, often overlooked,
 with commentators tending to focus on the process of delivering PV, rather than the final products made. Here we are particularly interested in questions of power and how a close reading of the texts produced highlights the complexity of the power relationships at work
 in these films, which, in turn, can allow us to reflect in new ways on the processes at work in the project.


Introduction: "the interests of the child" is a concept which has different content and tone in the theory of law and in the practice of its application. The legal experts offer an opinion of the substitution of the existing ambiguous term "children's interests" for the specific and more meaningful regulation of the rights of children. In this connection, the author of the work has set the goal to study the concept of "the interests of the child" as a legal category. Methods: a methodological basis for this study is a set of scientific methods, among which the main are the methods of system and comparative legal analysis, logical comparison, and matching. Results: the reasonable author's attitude to the problem of correlation of the concepts of "children's rights" and "the interests of the child" is based on the competent scientific environment' opinion of the legal status of minors. In the work the author investigates the concept of "the interests of the child" in terms of its consolidation in the Russian and international documents in the field of protection of children's rights. Conclusions: as a result of the study the author has found out the nature and characteristics of the interests of the child. It has been established that "the interest", as a legal category, represents the core of the legal regulation and determines its direction with well-defined objectives which can be achieved by means of one or another legal norm. There has been specified the significance of the Federal law "On Fundamental Guarantees of Rights of Children in the Russian Federation" as the document providing the main guarantees of the rights and legal interests of children, in order to create legal, social and economic conditions for their implementation.


Abstract We evaluated effects of small disturbances that kill parts of individual plants on plant survival by measuring tiller survival for the perennial bunchgrass, Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag ex Griffiths (blue grama). The importance of soil texture, grazing by cattle, disturbance type and severity were evaluated. Two disturbance types (covering or removing tillers) and three disturbance severities (50, 75 and 90% tiller mortality) were used to represent effects of natural disturbances in shortgrass communities (cattle fecal pats, nest sites of Western harvester ants, burrows of small animals). Tiller survival was not affected by soil texture or grazing intensity, but was affected by disturbance type and severity. Plants that were covered showed a 33% increase in tiller survival for all levels of disturbance severity from August (1991) to June (1992). No net change in tiller number was observed for removed or reference plants. Different responses between disturbance types were likely due to increases in root:shoot ratios of covered plants that increased tiller production as a result of increased soil water acquisition. The number of tillers produced was small, but statistically significant (average = 20 tillers/plant), which shows that B. gracilis plants do not produce independent tillers, but consist of integrated physiological units (IPUs). The lack of plant mortality, even with 90% tiller mortality, indicates that small disturbances must kill entire plants before gaps in resource space are produced to initiate gap dynamics that result in the recovery of an individual B. gracilis plant. Because recovery through seedling establishment by B. gracilis occurs infrequently, the ability of this species to survive after partial plant mortality is important to its continued dominance of shortgrass steppe communities in the presence of these small but frequent disturbances.


In recent years, the accumulation of toxic heavy metals in grown rice at contaminated soil has led to a major concern. Accordingly, the quantities of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Fe and Mn) were measured in soil, water and different parts of rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) cultivated (90, 6 and 41 samples, respectively) in Lenjan region. The studied area is located in Esfahan province and is exposed to various contaminants. The results showed that the concentrations of Cd in the water samples (0.005 mg/L) were less than the standard level (0.01 mg/L). However, its long term cumulative effects should be considered. The concentrations of Cu (23.4 mg/L), Fe (12708 mg/L) and Mn (108.9 mg/L) in roots of rice plant were higher than their standard limits (20, 450 and 100 mg/kg, respectively). Also, the concentrations of Cd in the root, straw and grain (1.6, 1.1 and 1.3 mg/kg, respectively) of rice were higher than the standard limit (0.3 mg/kg), so it is more important for consumers, particularly local residents, to pay special attention to that. Transfer factors (TF) of Cu and Mn ions in different parts of rice plants showed that they were probably controlled by external factors such as atmospheric deposition in the region, because their mobilities were relatively low in the plants. The accumulation of Cu was the highest in the aerial part of rice plants in Chamgordan region which could be due to short distance of the region from the foundry smokestacks. Therefore, in addition to the effect of soil properties, human activities have a significant impact on the concentrations of the studied metals, which should be considered to achieve sustainable agriculture in the area.


This article deals with institutional measures proposed in the concept of the public budgets reform presented by the Czech Ministry of finance in December 2002 and it analyses its capability to improve the budget performance of the Czech Republic. First the performance budgeting and preconditions for its functioning are characterized. In the second part the multi-annual expenditure framework is discussed including analysis of its role in the budgetary process. A simple model shows that introduction of various steps in the budgetary process can alter the final budget. This model has proven that the multi-annual expenditure framework can limit the impact of the fiscal illusion. In the last part a new budget calendar that includes the new measures is proposed.


Sexual development involves the successive and overlapping processes of sex determination, sexual differentiation, and ultimately sexual maturation, enabling animals to reproduce. This provides a mechanism for enriched genetic variation which enables populations to withstand ever-changing environments, selecting for adapted individuals and driving speciation. The molecular mechanisms of sexual development display a bewildering diversity, even in closely related taxa. Many sex determination mechanisms across animals include the key family of "doublesex- and male abnormal3-related transcription factors" (Dmrts). In a few exceptional species, a single Dmrt residing on a sex chromosome acts as the master sex regulator. In this study, we provide compelling evidence for this model of sex determination in the ornate spiny lobster Panulius ornatus, concurrent with recent reports in the eastern spiny lobster Sagmariasus verreauxi. Using a multi-tissue transcriptomic database established for P. ornatus, we screened for the key factors associated with sexual development (by homology search and using previous knowledge of these factors from related species), providing an in-depth understanding of sexual development in decapods. Further research has the potential to close significant gaps in our understanding of reproductive development in this ecologically and commercially significant order.


Author(s): Kemei, Moureen C | Advisor(s): Seshadri, Ram | Abstract: Spinels oxides are of great interest functionally as multiferroic, battery, and magnetic materials as well as fundamentally because they exhibit novel spin, structural, and orbital ground states. Competing interactions are at the heart of novel functional behavior in spinels. Here, we explore the intricate landscape of spin, lattice, and orbital interactions in magnetic spinels by employing variable-temperature high-resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction, total neutron scattering, magnetic susceptibility, dielectric, and heat capacity measurements. We show that the onset of long-range magnetic interactions often gives rise to lattice distortions. We present the complete crystallographic descriptions of the ground state structures of several spinels, thereby paving the way for accurate modeling and design of structure-property relationships in these materials. We also report the emergence of magnetodielectric coupling in the magnetostructural phases of some of the studied spinels. We begin by examining spin-lattice coupling in the Jahn-Teller active systems NiCr2O4 and CuCr2O4. Orbital ordering yields a cubic to tetragonal lattice distortion in these materials above their magnetic ordering temperatures, however, we find that magnetic ordering also drives structural distortions in these spinels through exchange striction. We provide the first orthorhombic structural descriptions of NiCr2O4 and CuCr2O4. Our observation of strong spin-lattice coupling in NiCr2O4 and CuCr2O4 inspired the study of magnetodielectric coupling in these spinels. Magnetocapacitance measurements of NiCr2O4 reveal multiferroic behavior and new magnetostructural distortions below the Neel temperature. This observation illustrates the sensitivity of dielectric measurements to magnetostructural transitions in spinel materials. Finally, in the examination of NiCr2O4 we show that magnetodielectric coupling is well described by Ginzburg-Landau theory. In addition to exchange striction, geometric frustration couples spin interactions to the lattice of the spinels MgCr2O4 and ZnCr2O4. Novel spin ground states that are important for memory and quantum computing applications are predicted to exist in these spinels. However, their structural and spin ground states are not well understood. We find that tetragonal and orthorhombic phases coexist in antiferromagnetic MgCr2O4 and ZnCr2O4. The structural deformations in these materials lift spin degeneracy by primarily distorting the pyrochlore Cr sublattice. In subsequent studies, we probe the effect of adding dilute spins on the non-magnetic cation sites of MgCr2O4 and ZnCr2O4. Substitution of Co2+ cations in Zn1-xCoxCr2O4 completely suppress the spin-Jahn-Teller distortion of ZnCr2O4 while, Cu2+ substitutions in Mg1-xCuxCr2O4 and Zn1-xCuxCr2O4 induce Jahn-Teller distortions at temperatures above their magnetic ordering temperatures. The Jahn-Teller distortions of Mg1-xCuxCr2O4 and Zn1-xCuxCr2O4 do not lift spin degeneracy, therefore magnetic ordering is still suppressed down to low temperatures. We show that only more than 20% magnetic A substituents can lift spin degeneracy in MgCr2O4 and ZnCr2O4.We have also examined the magnetostructural phase transition of the spinel Mn3O4. We show that Mn3O4 undergoes a magnetostructural phase transition from tetragonal I41/amd symmetry to a phase coexistence regime consisting of tetragonal I41/amd and orthorhombic Fddd symmetries. Phase coexistence in Mn3O4 is mediated by strain due to a significant lattice mismatch between the low temperature orthorhombic phase and the high temperature tetragonal phase. We propose that strain could be used to control the structure and properties of Mn3O4. Our investigations of spin-driven lattice distortions in spinel oxides illustrate that structural phase coexistence is prevalent for spinels with Neel temperatures below 50 K.


Prediabetes continues to be a national and worldwide health concern, affecting 84 million adults in the US. Early identification and intervention have been successful in delaying and/or preventing the progression to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To curb the increasing prevalence of T2DM, recognizing the importance of identifying and managing prediabetes is paramount.


Background/Aims: Among possible contributors to a progressive fall in renal perfusion and function with increasing age, some hypotheses have invoked the rise in blood pressure that occurs with age, and a high-protein diet typical of urban cultures. Kuna Amerinds residing in isolated islands off the Panamanian Coast have a very low protein intake and show no tendency for blood pressure to rise with age, thus providing an opportunity to test these hypotheses. Methods: We measured renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate (PAH and inulin clearance) in 16 Kuna Indians ranging in age from 18 to 86 years (51 ± 6 years) who have resided on Ailigandi, an isolated Panamanian island for all of their lives. Inulin and PAH were infused with a battery-driven pump for 60 min, and a metabolic clearance rate used to calculate inulin and PAH clearance. For comparison, we employed identical techniques in 29 residents of Boston, ranging in age from 19 to 79 years (52 ± 4 years), all normotensive and free of disease or medication use. Twenty-four were Caucasian. Results: The Bostonian controls showed the anticipated fall in PAH clearance with age (y = 806 – 4.9x; r = –0.82; f = 38.0; p < 0.0001). Our hypothesis was that the absence of a blood pressure rise with age and the low protein intake would flatten the slope relating renal perfusion to Kuna age. Our finding was a numerically steeper slope relating age and renal plasma flow in the Kuna (y = 936 – 6.48x; r = –0.81; p < 0.001). Filtration fraction rose with age in both populations, and again the rise was steeper in the Kuna. GFR in the Kuna, on the other hand, was very much higher at any age (139 ± 4 ml/min/1.73 m2) than in Bostonians (112 ± 3 ml/min/1.73 m2; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings are not in accord with the hypothesis that age-related changes in renal perfusion and glomerular filtration rate reflect an important contribution from blood pressure rise and a high protein intake, typical of modern, urban life.


Synchronization is an important component of a practical communication system. Furthermore, network entry including synchronization is important. Since the detection of primary synchronization signal (PSS) is the first step of network entry in long term evolution (LTE) systems, thus it may be a critical path for practical systems. Therefore, tradeoff between performance and low power consumption and low cost of PSS detection needs to be made carefully. This paper presents a new synchronization method for low power and low cost design. The approach of a 1-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with down-sampling is compared with that of a 10-bit ADC without down-sampling under multi-path fading conditions defined in LTE standard for user equipment (UE) performance test . The simulation results of PSS are obtained on several kinds of channels. The simulation results explicitly show that the performance of the method with down-sampling for 1-bit ADC does not degrade even if frequency offset exists. Based on the simulation results, different implementation architectures and their synthesis report and analysis are present. A low-power low-cost design with high performance to detect PSS is derived in this paper.


BACKGROUND
Forensic-correctional psychiatric services are an important component of the public mental health services that provide care to offenders with mental illness in the criminal justice system and conduct psycho-legal assessments. Although forensic-correctional psychiatric services have evolved in Abu Dhabi, more work is needed in providing adequate mental health care for offenders.

METHODS
This study provides a situational analysis of forensic-correctional psychiatric services in Abu Dhabi. We included a descriptive analysis of the data collected on service users admitted for psycho-legal assessments and treatment in the forensic-correctional units and those reviewed in the medical board units for issuing court reports. The study spanned the period between January 2019 to October 2020.

RESULTS
A total of 398 males were included in the study. The participants' mean age was 35.3 (SD 9.27) years and were predominantly single, unemployed and high school graduates. The most prevalent diagnosis was schizophrenia spectrum disorder, (n=129, 31.6%). The mean length of stay in the forensic-correctional unit was 11.07 days. As many as 82.4% of the participants were referred for evaluation. The most common type of crime was categorized as "abnormal behaviour" under the code of practice number 511 of the list of crimes as per the general prosecutor of the United Arab Emirates followed by violence.

CONCLUSION
Considering the level of demand for services and the limited number of forensic-correctional health professionals, there is a need for more resources to develop expertise, clinical services and infrastructures to expand the practice of forensic-correctional psychiatry. The creation of a universal database for all forensic-correctional psychiatric services is needed to better understand the unmet mental health needs. An additional investment of resources for research to inform mental health policy, laws and practice is indicated. Optimally, the lessons highlighted in this study can guide action plans for improving forensic-correctional mental health services in comparable settings.


The operation of public transport service in suburban developments, particularly new greenfield developments, can face considerable challenges. Suburban developments are often served primarily through bus transit, which struggles to balance a mass transit function against a social transit (e.g., local service) function. As a result, many suburban neighborhoods are served by infrequent, indirect services that appeal only to a captive transit ridership. This study explored the impact of a new bus service on a new development on the fringe of Melbourne, Australia: Selandra Rise in Clyde North. Three years after the development opened, a bus service was introduced to connect the development to the nearest town center and train station. Unlike many of the surrounding services, this bus service was deliberately planned to serve a mass transit function with direct, frequent service and relatively poor penetration into the suburb but high frequency. Two surveys were conducted to explore the use and the impact of the new bus service: a survey of Selandra Rise residents (including those who did not use the bus) and an on-bus survey of riders. The surveys showed that the bus serves a hybrid function as both mass transit and social transit. The implications of these findings for the planning of transit to new housing developments are discussed.


3 "Sale el tren de Santa Marta Cienaga se ve dormida de Rio Frio hasta Aracataca donde mi abuelo cultiva Fundacion ya esta de fiesta viene el tren pidiendo via las canciones vallenatas se oyen en la lejania. … … … … … … … … … … … … Pa mi abuelo fue el progreso y eso lo tenia contento viviendo las malas horas lo llamo los buenos tiempos". Carlos Vives, Los buenos tiempos In 1994, the seven departments of the Colombian Caribbean had a population of about 7.2 million, representing 21% of the country´s total. The region is at present the poorest in Colombia, with a per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of only 63.5% of the national average. The relative backwardness of the Colombian Caribbean is a twentieth century phenomenon. At the beginning of this century that was not the case. However, since then its economy has performed poorly. Unfortunately, we only have GDP statistics at the departmental level for the period 1950 to 1995. Thus, for the first fifty years of the century we do not have an adequate understanding of the evolution of Colombian regional incomes.(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


From civic choice to civic voice: the way to dissidence of the Russian poet Alexander Galich Lidia Rura, Ghent University College, Belgium. Becoming a dissident writer has never been a simple choice because it automatically resulted in persecution and severing the contact with the broad audience that is quite essential for an author. In the Russian literary landscape of the communist era circumstances driving someone to dissidence varied from personal situation like with Alexander Solzhenitsyn and family history in case of Bulat Okudzhava to pure principles and a well-considered civic choice like with Alexander Galich. This paper analyzes the reasons that drove a successful film producer and script writer to exchange his comfortable life for a dangerous existence of a dissident just because he decided to use his voice to cry out the pain of the oppressed millions. This step to dissidence, made for no obvious reason, enraged the regime and caused much misunderstanding among Galich's entourage. The topic was extremely important to Galich, who he tried to explain his actions in many ways, which is confirmed by the fact that the issue arises in every third poem he wrote. In order to try and understand author's civic choice several sources are treated in this paper. First of all, poems by Galich, in which he approaches the issue, which comprise the poems (i) pertaining to his own situation, (ii) those mentioning historical dissident figures, whose example served as an inspiration, (iii) those containing examples of fellow writers and (iv) those, where a matter of civic choice is a part of the general issues such as conscience and moral principles. Since a poet does not speak directly in his work but addresses the reader through a narrator, more non-literary material of biographical and autobiographical nature is analyzed too. The objective of the paper is to (i) explore the author's motivation, (ii) to give a hind-sight evaluation of the made step and (iii) analyze its historical impact.


Brachyopn conica Panzer is a name that appears commonly in works on European Syrphidae. The name is invalid and has been incorrectly applied to at least three different species. The valid name for this species is panzeri Goffe and applies to an as yet unrecognized species. The occurrence and solution of similar taxonomic and nomenclatural problems are discussed. A key to the Palaearctic species of Brachyopa is given. Brachyopa maculipennis Thompson, nov. nomen, is proposed for arcuata Panzer.


PURPOSE
The analgesic efficacy and safety of topical ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% ophthalmic solution (Acular) in photorefractive keratectomy was compared to its vehicle.

METHODS
Double-masked, multicenter, study of 200 patients dosed with 1 drop of study medication (ketorolac or vehicle) in the operated eye immediately after surgery (eye patched), with four-times daily dosing for the next 3 days starting 3 hours after surgery. Mepergan Fortis was available as an escape pain medication.

RESULTS
Patients (102) in the ketorolac group reported significantly greater pain relief and less pain intensity than the vehicle group (98) at several time points (P < or = .039). Time to first use of escape medication was significantly longer in the ketorolac than the vehicle group (mean, 16.0 vs 5.5 hr; P =.001). Time to complete pain relief was significantly shorter in the ketorolac than the vehicle group (mean, 41.3 vs 50.3 hr; P =.022). Significantly fewer patients in the ketorolac group reported sleep difficulties, ocular discomfort, or other difficulties. Few adverse events were reported with ketorolac treatment (less than with vehicle), and there were no clinically significant changes in any of the safety variables monitored.

CONCLUSIONS
Ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% ophthalmic solution (Acular) is safe and significantly more effective than vehicle in alleviating pain following photorefractive keratectomy.


Objectives: To develop a bioactive membrane for guided bone regeneration (GBR), the biocompatibility and bone regenerating capacity of the cellulose membrane obtained from the Ascidians squirt skin were evaluated. Materials and methods: After processing the pure cellulose membrane from the squirt skin, the morphological study, amino acid analysis and the immunoreactivity of the cellulose membrane were tested. Total eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 weeks, weighing 250 to 300g) were divided into two control (n=8) and another two experimental groups (n=10). In the first experimental group (n=5), the cellulose membrane was applicated to the 8.0 ㎜ sized calvarial bone defect and the same sized defect was left without cellulose membrane in the first control group (n=4). In the another experimental group (n=5), the cellulose membrane was applicated to the same sized calvarial bone defect after femoral bone graft and the same sized defect with bone graft was left without cellulose membrane in the another control group (n=4). Each group was sacriticed after 6 weeks, the histological study with H&E and Masson trichrome stain was done, and immunohistochemical stainings of angiogenin and VEGF were also can-ied out. Results: The squirt skin cellulose showed the bio-inductive effect on the bone and mesenchymal tissues in the periosteum of rat calvarial bone. This phenomenon was found only in the inner surface of the cellulose membrane after 6 weeks contrast to the outer surface. Bone defect covered with the bioactive cellulose membrane showed significantly greater bone formation compared with control groups. Mesenchymal cells beneath the inner surface of the bioactive cellulose membrane were positive to the angiogenin and VEGF antibodies. Conclusion: We suppose that there still remains extremely little amount of peptide fragment derived from the basement membrane matrix proteins of squirt skin, which is a kind of anchoring protein composed of glycocalyx. This composition could prevent the adverse immunological hypersensitivity and also induce bioactive properties of cellulose membrane. These properties induced the effective angiogenesis with rapid osteogenesis beneath the inner surface of cellulose membrane, and so the possibilities of clinical application in dental field as a GBR material will be able to be suggested.


It is shown that restoration of plasma volume in 3-day-old pigs 6-12 hours after a 33% blood loss is a part of fluid elimination from the body as it occurs due to transfer of interstitial and, probably, intracellular liquid into the circulation and is accompanied by activation of diuresis. Activation of this process is not participated neither by hydrocortisone nor ACTH. Vasopressin and aldosterone have a negative effect on intravasation of interstitial fluid.


Azithromycin was compared with ciprofloxacin for the treatment of established intracellular infection with Salmonella typhimurium LT-2 in CF-1 mice. For studies of mortality, mice received five times the LD50 of organisms intraperitoneally and were given drugs intragastrically once daily for seven days. For studies of in-vivo antibacterial activity, splenic viable counts were measured in mice that had received 0.5 times the intraperitoneal LD50 and had been given drugs for three days. The MICs of azithromycin and ciprofloxacin, respectively, against LT-2 were 4.0 and 0.03 mg/L. The 50% protective doses of the drugs required to prevent mortality were azithromycin 24.7 mg/kg/day, and ciprofloxacin 30.2 mg/kg/day. Treatment with azithromycin and ciprofloxacin in doses of 25 and 100 mg/kg/day resulted in reduction of mean log10 cfu per spleen. Splenic concentrations of azithromycin up to 8 h after treatment exceeded its MIC against the LT-2 strain, whereas serum levels were less than the MIC. These results indicated that azithromycin given orally once daily was as effective as ciprofloxacin against established murine Salmonella infection and that the efficacy of azithromycin correlated with adequate tissue concentrations of antibiotic.


We propose a combinatorial solution for the problem of non-rigidly matching a 3D shape to 3D image data. To this end, we model the shape as a triangular mesh and allow each triangle of this mesh to be rigidly transformed to achieve a suitable matching to the image. By penalising the distance and the relative rotation between neighbouring triangles our matching compromises between the image and the shape information. In this paper, we resolve two major challenges: Firstly, we address the resulting large and NP-hard combinatorial problem with a suitable graph-theoretic approach. Secondly, we propose an efficient discretisation of the unbounded 6-dimensional Lie group SE(3). To our knowledge this is the first combinatorial formulation for non-rigid 3D shape-to-image matching. In contrast to existing local (gradient descent) optimisation methods, we obtain solutions that do not require a good initialisation and that are within a bound of the optimal solution. We evaluate the proposed combinatorial method on the two problems of non-rigid 3D shape-to-shape and non-rigid 3D shape-to-image registration and demonstrate that it provides promising results.


Introduction: With the initial traction and secondary hip spica conservative treatment of fracture shaft of femur in children is an established technique of management all over the world. Three-six weeks of traction followed by another 6-8weeks of immobilization in spica cast at home takes away precious school going time of the children and professional earning time of the parents in our part of the world. The situation compelled us to think and design an Orthosis that not only splints the fractured femur but also maintains the continuous traction and acceptable alignment right from the beginning and allows early mobilization thereby avoiding need of long hospital stay, immobilization on spica cast and abstinence from school. Methods: This Orthosis has been used successfully in 9 children with fractured shaft of femur, age ranged from 3 to 9 years with average age of 5 years. Initially the patients were put on skin traction. In the meantime, measurement of body parts was taken by an orthotist for fabrication of the brace, which was made available on second week. In presence of the orthotist the brace was applied and its fitting and pressure points were properly evaluated. The patients were discharged the next day and asked to follow up at 2,4,6,9 and 12 weeks with a roentgenogram at every visit. Patients were encouraged to bear weight with the affected limb with the brace on after achieving clinical union. Brace was removed after achieving radiological union. Results: One patient did not turn up for follow up after application of brace. So, out of the ten patients, nine were included in this study as they had follow up of at least 12 weeks. Seven cases were male and two female. The average age of the patients was 5 years (range 3 to 9 years). The follow up period ranged from 12 weeks to 3 years with average period of 9.3 months. Radiological union was seen to occur at 12th week in 7 patients and 9th week in 2 patients and the brace was discarded at that time. Fracture united in all patients without any obvious angular, rotational deformities and limb length discrepancy. Conclusion: Preliminary findings of this study showed the use of this Orthosis in the treatment of fracture shaft of femur in children has proved to be as good as the traditional method with distinct advantages of treating at home and early mobilization with the brace on. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2126/joim.v35i1.8892 Journal of Institute of Medicine, April, 2013; 35:18-22


In this letter, we investigate the verification of dissipativity properties for polynomial systems without an explicitly identified model but directly from noise-corrupted measurements. Contrary to most data-driven approaches for nonlinear systems, we determine dissipativity properties over all finite time horizons using noisy input-state data. To this end, we propose two noise characterizations to deduce two data-based set-membership representations of the ground-truth system. Each representation then serves as a framework to derive computationally tractable conditions to verify dissipativity properties with rigorous guarantees from noise-corrupted data using sum of squares (SOS) optimization.


Comparative measurements indicate that the phase velocity of low frequency waves in the ionospheric E-region is often lower than the drift speed of the electrons that drive the waves unstable. In order to understand these results, the linear instability theory is modified to conform with zero growth rate even above threshold. The result is that the waves travel at the ion-acoustic velocity with an amplitude stabilized at the observed level, and also that the electron gas is substantially heated by the wave.


Abstract One of the features of the internationalisation of higher education is the increasing use of the English language as a medium of instruction and research in higher education. This growing use of English spurs this article's attempt at systematically reviewing literature focusing on African higher education systems. The analysis of the selected literature focuses on assessing the main themes, theoretical assumptions and core findings. As a result, 30 articles accessed through continental and international research databases were included in the final analysis after a five-step selection process using relevant keywords related to the topic and the context of the study. The findings indicate that research on the English language in higher education in African contexts overwhelmingly focuses on the language as a medium of teaching and learning. The other aspects, such as the role that the language plays as a medium of research and archiving knowledge, seem to be overlooked. The findings of the majority of both empirical and review papers seem to present critical and, at times, unfavourable views on the role English plays in the specific contexts studied. In light of these findings, the recommendation is that the role of the English language as a medium of instruction should be expanded to cover issues related to research, publication and archiving knowledge. This indicates that the continent's higher education systems need more research on English language, which suggests that robust and pragmatic theoretical approaches might also be needed in future studies. A further observation is that the findings from the reviewed studies might be the result of using theories that are underpinned in traditions that are already critical of the use of the English language. Thus, more research attention could be given to strengthening the efficacy of using multiple theoretical perspectives to render the African contexts studied more intelligible.


In this paper, we present a new method for solving the Motion Retargeting Problem, by using an intermediate skeleton. This allows us to convert movements between hierarchically and geometrically different characters. An Inverse Kinematics engine is then used to enforce Cartesian constraints while staying as close as possible to the captured motion.


The paper studied on gas prediction problem. According to traditional prediction methods on coal mine safety being offline without dynamic prediction function and the shortcomings in the traditional online learning with least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM), this paper gave an improved online prediction algorithm of LS-SVM. This algorithm was used in gas prediction of some coal mine. By comparing with the actual data and other relative algorithms, the paper proved effect of the algorithm.


The purpose of this article is to consider the features of pedagogical support of the formation of moral awareness of students, its main components and principles, to describe the components of the professional culture of the teacher, to determine the pedagogical conditions of development of moral awareness of students on the basis of the realization of the principle of the educative training of modern specialists. Methods. Methods involve comparative analysis of literary sources, analysis of documents, systematization and generalization of theoretical material, logicaland-historical analysis, causal analysis, functional analysis, system-andstructural analysis. Results. It is shown that the global goal of modern high school is the formation of a constructive, creative personality, embodying a highly qualified specialist, a good family man, a conscious citizen and patriot of his/her homeland, responsible for its present and future. The importance of ideological and educational functions of the teacher significantly increases and is aimed at updating the ideological position of student, his professional, civic, and spiritual-and-moral formation. Moral development of personality is a process of the formation and changing of the individual as the subject of morality, involving the development of individual systems of moral values on the basis of the adoption of moral experience of mankind, which is the evidence of moral self-affirmation and personal integrity. Modern social-and-cultural conditions require updating the content, forms and methods of education in an establishment of higher education with the reorientation from the traditional educational work to personal-oriented educational process based on the use of active (interactive) pedagogical tools. An important requirement for effective organization of educational process of students is the realization of proved organizational and psycho-pedagogical conditions. Wellorganized process of education is an integral element of the education of the person as a whole and it contributes to the choice of the person's own life and development. The effectiveness of educational work depends largely on the level of preparedness of a pedagogue to a realization of the goals and objectives of education, possession of modern educational technologies of psycho-and-pedagogical interaction in the social-and-cultural educational environment, personal development in the conditions of information society. Scientific novelty. The paper gives valuable information on the concrete definition and systematization of the features of pedagogical support of the formation of moral awareness of students. Practical significance. Research materials can be used in the practice of curators, teachers, employees of the Department of ideological and educational work, workers, psycho-and-pedagogical service for the identification and correction of value orientations of the individual, for the creating the best conditions for their self-development and self-realization, for the creation of a favorable educational environment at the establishment of higher education.


Abstract The gene cro promotes lytic growth of phages through binding of Cro protein dimers to regulatory DNA sites. Most Cro proteins are one-to-one orthologs, yet their sequence, structure and binding site sequences are quite divergent across lambdoid phages. We report the cocrystal structure of bacteriophage N15 Cro with a symmetric consensus site. We contrast this complex with an orthologous structure from phage λ, which has a dissimilar binding site sequence and a Cro protein that is highly divergent in sequence, dimerization interface and protein fold. The N15 Cro complex has less DNA bending and smaller DNA-induced changes in protein structure. N15 Cro makes fewer direct contacts and hydrogen bonds to bases, relying mostly on water-mediated and Van der Waals contacts to recognize the sequence. The recognition helices of N15 Cro and λ Cro make mostly nonhomologous and nonanalogous contacts. Interface alignment scores show that half-site binding geometries of N15 Cro and λ Cro are less similar to each other than to distantly related CI repressors. Despite this divergence, the Cro family shows several code-like protein–DNA sequence covariations. In some cases, orthologous genes can achieve a similar biological function using very different specific molecular interactions.


Background/introduction With much speculation and anecdotal reports regarding the causal links between sexualised recreational drug use by MSM (commonly referred to as 'ChemSex') and HIV/HCV rates, there has been much demand from commissioners and researchers and practitioners to identify the extent of the problem. In 2014, one London GUM/HIV clinic launched the NHS' first targeted ChemSex clinic. This presentation includes robust data collected from 874 unique presentations in the first year of this landmark clinic. Aim(s)/objectives The objective was to satisfy the health sector's concerns about the extent of this much hyped syndemic, with qualitative and quantitative data as well as assess interventions and cohort engagement methods. Methods Targeted clinics and outreach services were established with skilled addiction staff and resourcing peer volunteers, collecting culturally and contextually appropriate behavioural trends and data. Results Data includes: Effectiveness of certain contextually-appropriate questions re ChemSex during GUM consultation. ARV non-adherence amongst high-risk ChemSex party-goers who favour condomless sex. Condom use (or otherwise) and number of partners broken down to include HIV+ve MSM not on treatment. HIV/HCV broken down to include sexual acquisition versus injecting drug use acquisition. HCV data broken down to include number of re-infections amongst HIV-ve non-injecting drug users. Discussion/conclusion This presentation includes the data, offers examples of how this model might be adapted in other services, and incorporates some training for attendees in how to overcome fears or ignorance regarding drug use risk assessments and consultations; it also includes film footage of role play exercises for skill-building purposes.


Signal extension methods have been extensively used when applying filter banks to finite length sequences. However, not every extension guarantees perfect reconstruction without considering extra subband samples, that is, in some cases the associated transform is expansionist. In this paper we introduce first the most general method for designing signal extensions which yield non-expansionist subband transforms. Secondly, all orthogonal extension methods are constructed. We conclude by analyzing some examples of the new boundary filters associated to the proposed extensions.


Frequency controlled Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) systems for Electric Vehicle (EV) battery charging applications often suffer from high power losses in partial-load, because the transmitter coil current is not significantly reduced at low output power. Therefore, in this paper a novel control method is presented that exhibits a substantially higher partial-load efficiency, while it also enables full control of the power semiconductor switching conditions. The power flow control is based on the dynamic regulation of the dc-link voltages on both sides of the resonant system with dc-dc-converters. Additionally, a tracking of the resonance with a current zero crossing detection circuit and a PLL makes the switched current an additional degree of freedom, that can be used, e.g., for the minimization of IGBT soft-switching losses due to stored-charge. All calculated results are supported by experimental measurements on an existing 5 kW/52mm air gap/210mm coil diameter prototype system with an efficiency of more than 96.5% at maximum power and above 96% down to 20% rated power.


Evidence is presented that the nuclear matrix is a cell-cycle-dependent site of increased intranuclear protein phosphorylation. The incorporation of radioactive phosphate (32P) is highest during the premitotic (G2) phase and 40-50% less in the postmitotic phase (G1). This is observed for both total matrix protein and for several individual polypeptides ranging in molecular mass from greater than 200 kDa to 19 kDa. The phenomenon can be demonstrated when the matrix is isolated from orthophosphate-labeled intact cells, as well as when the matrix is isolated and then incubated in vitro in a protein kinase reaction mixture. The ability of the isolated matrix to mimic the events in vivo indicates the presence of endogenous protein phosphokinase activity and physiological substrates in this isolated nuclear fraction. Further evidence for such mimicry was obtained when amino acid phosphorylation sites were determined. Phosphoserine is the most abundant phosphoamino acid in the matrix labelled both in vitro and in vivo, although phosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine are also present. On the basis of several pieces of data, the endogenous matrix activity appears to be due to multiple protein phosphokinases. Since the maximum phosphorylation coincides with premitosis, the phosphoproteins may play a role in mitotic events. These observations extend and expand the application of this fraction to the study of nuclear structure/function relationships, particularly at the time of mitosis.


Twenty-one children and adolescent patients, 2-19 years of age, on renal replacement therapy were immunised at monthly intervals with three doses of 20 micrograms hepatitis B vaccine (Heptavax B, Merck Sharp & Dohme). In the absence of seroconversion, vaccination was continued with monthly doses of 40 micrograms hepatitis B vaccine until antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen became positive. The rate of seroconversion increased from 33.3% (7 of 21) to 76.1% (16 of 21) and 85.6% (18 of 21) with three, four and five vaccine injections respectively. Three patients had no immune response despite six to seven vaccine dosages; they had previously received immunosuppressive therapy. Antibody titres measured 1 year after seroconversion were found to be within the protective range (85-2500 mIU/ml). These results show that the impaired immune response to hepatitis B vaccination in young dialysis patients can be overcome by increasing the number of injections and the dose of the vaccine. Protective antibody titres are maintained for at least 1 year after vaccination. Immunosuppressive therapy may interfere with the vaccine response.


Individuals with obesity can attain significant weight loss in a relatively short timeframe following bariatric surgery; however, new healthy behaviors must be sustained in perpetuity to maintain weight loss. This study investigates patients' views on the facilitators and barriers to long‐term weight loss maintenance following bariatric surgery. Systematic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases identified 403 studies with 15 fitting the study inclusion criteria. Included studies were independently appraised using Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). Data extraction and thematic synthesis generated three themes: changing food relationships, navigating inter‐ and intrapersonal influences, and caring health professionals. These appeared across six organizing sub‐themes: building new food relationships, creating healthy habits, relationships with others, internalized stressors, finding and defining success, and ongoing patient education. Patients experienced a variety of barriers and facilitators to weight loss maintenance, with some facilitators diminishing over time. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering patients' perspectives and individual contexts to assist them to negotiate and overcome challenges to long‐term weight loss maintenance post‐bariatric surgery.


A Southern Ocean elephant seal wears a sensor on its head as it sleeps on an island in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica in this handout photo taken February 27, 2012. Elephant seals wearing head sensors and swimming deep beneath Antarctic ice have helped scientists better understand how the ocean's coldest, deepest waters are formed, providing vital clues to understanding its role in the world's climate. The tagged seals, along with sophisticated satellite data and moorings in ocean canyons, all played a role in providing data from the extreme Antarctic environment, where observations are very rare and ships could not go, said researchers at the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystem CRC in Tasmania. The sensor weighs about 100 to 200 grams and has a small satellite relay which transmits data on a daily basis.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
Pancreatic cancer constitutes a difficult diagnostic and therapeutic problem. It remains the fourth cause of death among gastrointestinal malignancies. The present study aimed to investigate whether neopterin can be used as a significant marker in pancreatic cancer and to establish any possible relationships between serum neopterin levels and the differentiation between chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and acute pancreatitis.

METHODOLOGY
The research was done on a group of 65 patients with a diagnosed pancreatic tumor and on a group of 21 patients with a diagnosed acute pancreatitis. Serum neopterin concentration was determined in all patients on the first day of hospitalization.

RESULTS
Based on intraoperative and postoperative histopathological findings, pancreatic cancer was diagnosed in 42 patients and chronic pancreatitis in 23 patients. Neopterin concentrations in pancreatic cancer patients, chronic pancreatitis patients, and acute pancreatitis patients were 13.01-29.64 nmol/L (mean 18.16), 0.95-11.81 nmol/L (mean 6.52), and 9.64-25.0 nmol/L (mean 13.61), respectively. Mean neopterin levels in pancreatic cancer and acute pancreatitis patients were higher than the accepted norm (norm<10 nmol/L). Serum neopterin concentrations in patients with chronic pancreatitis remained within the norm.

CONCLUSIONS
In our opinion, neopterin might be a promising factor of differentiation between pancreatic tumors. However, the use of neopterin as a nonspecific tumor marker requires further studies.


BACKGROUND
Chewing is composed of structures that must be balanced to achieve optimal function and bite force is one of the components of this function.

AIM
To analyze the bite force of candidates for bariatric surgeries.

METHOD
Was used surface electromyography Miotool 200/400 (Miotec® , Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil) coupled to bite load cell, SDS1000 sensor, to record the maximum force reading during the execution of the bite. The device was integrated with software Miograph 2.0. Inclusion criteria were: morbidly obese patients regardless of gender, age 20-40 years, no absences and/or important dental changes and candidates for gastroplasty. Were studied the bites in left and right lateral position and their intensity measured in kilogram force (kgf). The exclusion criterion was that of patients who had facial deformities and/or occlusal position preventing any collection.

RESULTS
Were analyzed 39 patients (59 % women), mean age 27.1 (+/-5.7). They had anterior bite force in average 9.1 kgf (min 1.3 and max 22.9 kgf - +/-5.2 ); left side with average 16.3 kgf (min 1.5 and max 55.6 kgf - +/-11.9); right side with average of 14.0 kgf (min 2.3 and max 45.3 kgf - +/-9.4 ).

CONCLUSION
The bite force was inferior to those described for the general population and the gender did not have any influence on it.


RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The focus on the diagnosis is a pivotal aspect of medical practice since antiquity. Diagnostic taxonomy helped to categorize ailments to improve medical care, and in its social sense resulted in validation of the sick role for some, but marginalization or stigmatization for others. In the medical industrial complex, diagnostic taxonomy structured health care financing, management and practitioner remuneration. However, with increasing demands from multiple agencies, there are increasing unintended and unwarranted consequences of our current taxonomies and diagnostic processes resulting from the conglomeration of underpinning concepts, theories, information and motivations.

RESULTS
We argue that the increasing focus on the diagnosis resulted in excessive compartmentalization - 'partialism' - of medical practice, diminishing medical care and being naively simplistic in light of the emerging understanding of the interconnected nature of the diseasome. The human is a complex organic system of interconnecting dynamics and feedback loops responding to internal and external forces including genetic, epigenetic and environmental attractors, rather than the sum of multiple discrete organs which can develop isolated diseases or multiple morbidities. Solutions to these unintended consequences of many contemporary health system processes involve revisiting the nature of diagnostic taxonomies and the processes of their construction. A dynamic taxonomic framework would shift to more relevant attractors at personal, clinical and health system levels recognizing the non-linear nature of health and disease. Human health at an individual, group and population level is the ability to adapt to internal and external stressors with resilience throughout the life course, yet diagnostic taxonomies are increasingly constructed around fixed anchors.

CONCLUSIONS
Understanding diagnosis as dissecting, pigeonholing or bean counting (learning by dividing) is no longer useful, the challenge for the future is to understand the big picture (learning by connecting). Diagnostic categorization needs to embrace a meta-learning approach open to human variability.


In response to Dr. Pescovitz's letter, I would certainly agree that a high gastro jejunostomy often functions poorly. My objections to the procedure suggested by Dr. Pescovitz are the possibility of a su ture line leak in a completely obstructed stomach and the development of a peptic ulcer, since the antrum is retained. How ever, these complications have ap parently not occurred in Dr. Pescovitz's cases. This, I believe, attests to his sound judgment in selecting the proper cases—those without complete obstruc tion and with gastric cancer so advanced that the period of time between the oper ative procedure and death is not long enough to allow for the development of an ulcer. Under these circumstances, I would agree that Dr. Pescovitz's proce dure is preferable to the gastrojejunos tomy and appreciate his calling it to our attention. I would like to emphasize that both Dr. Pescovitz and our group are refer ring only to the obstructing carcinomas of the stomach that are not resectable. The best palliation is resection of the cancer when feasible. J. Shelton Horsley, III, M.D. Department of Surgery University of Virginia Medical Center Charlottesville, Virginia To the Editor:


The structures, magnetism and ion transport properties of the ternary nitrides Li(3-x-y)M(x)N (M = Co, Ni, Cu; y= lithium vacancy) were examined by powder X-ray diffraction, solid-state NMR and SQUID magnetometry. Doping levels are achieved up to x approximately = 0.4 for M = Cu and Co, but much higher substitution levels (x approximately =1) are obtained in the Li-Ni-N system. Transition metals substitute for Li at the Li(1) interplanar site and the ensuing lithium vacancies are disordered within the [Li(2)N] planes. High substitution levels in the Li-Ni-N system lead to the formation of ordered phases. Diffusion parameters, including activation energies, correlation times and diffusion coefficients, were obtained from variable-temperature solid-state NMR measurements in several ternary compounds. SQUID magnetometry shows significant variations of the electronic properties with dopant and x. The properties of the ternary nitrides can be rationalised in terms of the identity of the dopant and the structural modifications arising from the substitution process.


The energetics of cavity formation in proteins is evaluated with two different approaches and results are analyzed and compared to experimental data. In the first approach, free energy of cavity formation is extracted by RMS fitting from the distribution of numbers of cavities, N, with different volumes, Vcav' in 80 high‐resolution protein structures. It is assumed that the distribution of number of cavities according to their volume follows the Boltzmann law, NVcav = exp[(‐α.Vcav b)/kT], or its simplified form. Specific energy cost of cavity formation, α, extracted by RMS fitting from these distributions is compared to α values extracted from experimental free energies of cavity formation in T4 lysozyme fitted to similar expressions. It is found that fitting of both sets of data leads to similar magnitudes and uncertainties in the calculated free energy values. It is shown that Boltzmann‐like distribution of cavities can be derived for a simple model of an equilibrium interconversion between mutants in an extracellular system. We, however, suggest that a partitioning into cavity‐dependent and cavity‐independent terms may lose meaning when one attempts to describe mutation effects on protein stability in terms of specific free energy contributions. As an alternative approach, a direct molecular mechanics evaluation is attempted of T4 lysozyme destabilization by five single cavity‐creating mutations. The calculations are based on the approach used in calculations of the energetics of packing defects in crystals. For all mutations calculated destabilizations agree with the corresponding experimental values within +0.6 kcal/mol. A computational relaxation of the mutant was most difficult to achieve for the mutation producing the smallest cavity. However, calculations do not always reproduce crystallographically observed contraction/expansion of cavities. It is suggested that this may be related to usually observed large RMS differences (>1 Å) between crystallographic and energy‐minimized protein structures, and thus correct energetics might be easier to calculate than the correct geometry.


Spontaneous perforation of the sigmoid colon or rectum is defined as a sudden colonic perforation in the absence of any known diseases like tumors, diverticulosis or external injury. It is a very uncommon finding, and if neglected, results in severe peritonitis, sepsis and high mortality. Colonic perforation treatment is also under review due to morbidity of colostomy and its closure later on for the patient. Spontaneous colonic perforation is more common in extremes of ages but no age is exempted from it.


This paper presents an integrated resilience-based modeling approach for assessing the resilience of coupled networked lifeline systems considering as input-spaces their capacity, fragility, and response actions, including those informed by engineering and community-based policy. We develop a time-dependent resilience concept for systems under seismic hazards, which rests upon a flow-based core for assessing performance while considering interdependencies among them. This approach relies on robust mathematical optimization techniques for studying distributed systems and their ability to allocate limited resources in time during the recovery process. The proposed approach not only outperforms typical connectivity based assessments with a better physical approximation of lifelines, but also is proven practical computationally as it enables sensitivity assessments to redundancy, robustness, and resourcefulness in the context of interdependent lifelines geared towards improving resilience. For lifeline benchmark models we found that provisioning a minimum size of restoration can increase timedependent resilience as much as 25% for relatively fragile systems.


This paper describes and presents results from static wind tunnel tests conducted on a
60° delta wing at a root chord Reynolds number of 2.7 x 10[sup]6. In these tests, the wing
was instrumented with 192 miniature pressure transducers which, in conjunction with
a powerful multi-channel data-logging system, allowed the distribution of timevarying
surface pressures to be measured at high temporal resolution. Analysis
indicates that the distribution of root-mean-square pressure on the leeward surface of
the wing can provide considerable insight into the behaviour of both the primary and
secondary vortex structures. In addition, it has been established that the frequency
content of pressure signals measured in the vicinity of these vortex structures is
sensitive to the vortex state. It is suggested that these data features can be directly
attributed to previously observed behavioural characteristics of the vortex breakdown
process.


The cardenolide thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) and gasliquid chromatographic (GLC) patterns from leaf and root culture extracts were similar to those obtained from the plant. Leaf cultures at 8 and 12 wk-old contained more primary cardiac glycosides (Lanatoside A, B, C), than 4 wk-old leaf cultures. As high as 44 mg% dry wt. of digoxin, as determined by RIA, was present in 12 wk-old leaf cultures. The concentration of digoxin increased in both leaf and root cultures when treated with either gibberellic acid (GA) or mefluidide, and leaf organ cultures elongated with GA treatment.


Cystic nephroma is a rare kidney neoplasm belonging to the entity of cystic tumours. It is a slow-growing tumour, which develops insidiously, sometimes reaching a considerable size. The diagnosis is more often accidental (except for mass syndrome in children). It is a benign tumour that may be treated by partial sparing nephrectomy. Malignant degeneration is few and far between. However, no medical examination can confirm the diagnosis before surgery. On medical imaging, the tumour enhances after contrast injection and there will always be a doubt about the benignity. Furthermore, percutaneous biopsy of the mass is not contributory to the diagnosis. This means that it is not easy to propose a conservative surgical treatment, even though this remains the best way to deal with such a tumour.


This experiment was conducted to investigate growth and flowering characteristics of Celosia argentea native to Korea treated by pinching and growth retardants, diniconazole, hexaconazole and daminozide. The more increased from one to three times of pinching, the more decreased in plant height and internode length but increased number of spadix and lateral branch. Spray application of diniconazole and daminozide decreased plant height, internode length and leaflength, but increased number of spadix, number of leaves and number of lateral branch.


Recently, the ride-sharing services have become very popular in urban transport. In particular, the rise of dynamic ride sharing startups have challenged to the traditional taxicab services. Although those dynamic developments within urban transport systems have made ride share services substitute for cab services, it has been controversial in the political sphere. Some researchers and policy makers argue that ride-share will lead to the death of public transportation, if government does not intervene in this area. However, market developments suggest the opposite. While competition between those urban transport modes has led to the dramatic decline in taxi fares, consumer welfare and economic efficiency have improved. Examining the rise of ride sharing and its effect on the traditional taxicab market, this chapter concludes that ride share services introduces a unique opportunity for the users of urban transport, but not threat. However, a mixed regulatory structure including deregulation and regulation policies is needed to improve market welfare in both markets. While economic regulations such as fare controls and entry restrictions are not necessary for both ride shares and taxicabs, social regulations are still crucial to improve the satisfaction of users of rideshare and taxicab services in terms of the quality of service.


Medical knowledge, skills, and social requirements for patient care are quickly changing, thus, doctors are anticipated to be life-long learners to provide effective care for the patients. This paper addresses instructional issues how to prepare medical students to be self-directed learners and how to improve medical school and postgraduate training curricula. Now the big question is self-directed learning (SDL) an agent in cultivating lifelong learning skills for medical students as claimed by educational experts? This will be the focus of my critical reflection on lifelong learning.


This thesis consists of two volumes submitted towards the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Volume I comprises three research chapters. The first presents a metasynthesis of fifteen studies of women's experiences of depression. Eight themes and an underlying concept, 'The Conflicted Self, reflect the complexity of depression for women. The second is an empirical research project which explored women's experiences of relationships during recovery from depression. Analysis identified the women were integrated within relationships which could negatively and positively impact upon their depression and recovery. The third is a public dissemination document of these chapters. Volume II comprises five clinical practice reports. The first presents two formulations of James, a 26 year-old man experiencing a number of difficulties related to underlying low self-esteem. The second presents an audit of the care provided by a mental health service to people with psychosis. The third presents a single-case experimental design of Jasminder, a 10 year-old non-verbal girl with ASD displaying self-injurious behaviour. The fourth presents a case study of Emily, a 16 year-old girl experiencing anxiety, low mood, self- harm, and OCD. The fifth presents an abstract of an oral presentation of Jane, a 28 year-old woman experiencing difficulties related to underlying emotional instability.


To better characterize the cytotoxic lymphocytes present in the lung of patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), we studied cells recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of 5 subjects with farmer's lung disease. Specifically, this cytotoxic activity was evaluated: (1) in resting conditions and after boosting with interleukin-2 (IL-2) against NK-sensitive, NK-insensitive target cell lines, and against specific antigen-sensitized (Micropolyspora faenl) autologous monocytes; (2) after removal of NK-related populations; (3) in blocking experiments with CD3 and CD2 monoclonal antibodies. It has been demonstrated that lung lymphocytes from patients with HP in resting conditions are able to lyse both NK-susceptible and NK-resistant targets and that IL-2 is able to induce BAL cells to generate lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity. Neither resting nor activated HP lung lymphocytes were capable of specific lysis of autologous monocytes previously sensitized with specific antigen. Removal of HNK-1+ or CD16+ cells reduces, but does not completely eliminate the cytotoxic function, whereas blocking with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody almost completely abolishes the cytotoxicity. All these data taken together suggest that different types of cytotoxic cells are recovered from the BAL of patients with HP, i.e., NK cells and non-MHC-restricted cytotoxic lymphocytes, including LAK cells.


Electronic collaboration has grown significantly in the last decade, with applications in many different areas such as shopping, trading, and logistics. Often electronic collaboration is based on automated business processes managed by different companies and connected through the Internet. Such a business process is normally deployed on a process engine, which is a piece of software that is able to execute the business process with the help of infrastructure services (operating system, database, network service, etc.).
With the possibility of system crashes and network failures, the design of robust interactions for collaborative processes is a challenge. System crashes and network failures are common events, which may happen in various information systems, e.g., servers, desktops, mobile devices. Business processes use messages to synchronize their state. If a process changes its state, it sends a message to its peer processes in the collaboration to inform them about this change. System crashes and network failures may result in loss of messages. In this case, the state change is performed by some but not all processes, resulting in global state/behavior inconsistencies and possibly deadlocks.
In general, a state inconsistency is not automatically detected and recovered by the process engine. Recovery in this case often has to be performed manually after checking execution traces, which is potentially slow, error prone and expensive. Existing solutions either shift the burden to business process developers or require additional infrastructure services support. For example, fault handling approaches require that the developers are aware of possible failures and their recovery strategies. Transaction approaches require a coordinator and coordination protocols deployed in the infrastructure layer.
Our idea to solve this problem is to replace each original process by a robust counterpart, which is obtained from the original process through an automatic transformation, before deployment on the process engine. The robust process is deployed with the same infrastructure services and automatically recovers from message loss and state inconsistencies caused by system crashes and network failures. In other words, the robust processes are transparent to developers while leaving the infrastructure unmodified.
We assume a synchronous interaction scenario for collaborative processes. With this scenario, an initiator sends a request message to a responder, and waits for a response message, while a responder receives the request message, applies some state change and sends the response messages. With our proposed transformation we obtain robust processes, where each process in the responder role caches the response message if its state has changed by the previously received request message. The possible state inconsistencies are recognized by using timers and information provided by the infrastructure, and resolved by using cached state and by retrying failed interactions. We also considered more complex interaction scenarios with multiple initiator and responder instances (1-n, n-1 and n-n client-server configurations).
We have provided a formal proof of the correctness of our transformation solution. We have also done a performance analysis and determined the overhead of the generated (robust) processes compared to the original processes. Since this overhead is low compared to the performance differences that exist as a consequence of using different process engines, we argue that the generated robust processes have applicability in real life business environments.
By doing this work, we have learnt the possible failure situations that affect the global state/behavior of collaborative business processes. Furthermore, we have defined transformations for deriving robust processes that are capable of surviving the identified failures.


In this paper we consider deterministic limits of molecular stochastic systems with finite and infinite degrees of freedom. The method to obtain the deterministic vector field is based on the continuum limit of such microscopic systems which has been derived in [11]. With the aid of the theory we finally develop a new approach for molecular systems that describe typical enzyme kinetics or other interactions between molecular machines like genetic elements and smaller communicating molecules. In contrast to the literature on enzyme kinetics the resulting deterministic functional responses are not derived by time-scale arguments on the macroscopic level, but are a result of time scaling transition rates on the discrete microscopic level. We present several examples of common functional responses found in the literature, like Michaelis-Menten and Hill equation. We finally give examples of more complex but typical macro-molecular machinery.


BACKGROUND
The determination of the minimal effective concentration (MEC) of echinocandins against Aspergillus species is subjective, time consuming and has been associated with very major errors.

METHODS
The MECs/MICs of 40 WT [10 each of Aspergillus fumigatus species complex (SC), Aspergillus flavus SC, Aspergillus terreus SC and Aspergillus niger SC] and 4 non-WT A. fumigatus isolates were determined with EUCAST E.Def 9.3.1 read microscopically, macroscopically, spectrophotometrically and colorimetrically in three centres. The optimal conditions for spectrophotometric (single- versus multi-point readings) and colorimetric (XTT/menadione concentration and stability, incubation time) methods were evaluated in preliminary studies using different cut-offs for the determination of macroscopic, spectrophotometric and colorimetric MIC endpoints compared with the microscopically determined MEC. Inter-centre and inter-method essential (within one 2-fold dilution) agreement (EA) and categorical agreement (CA) were determined.

RESULTS
Both macroscopic and spectrophotometric endpoint readings showed poor inter-centre EA (53%-66%) and low CA (41%-88%) in distinguishing WT from non-WT A. fumigatus SC isolates, while significant differences compared with the microscopic MECs were observed for all echinocandins (EA 6%-54%). For the colorimetric method, the optimal conditions were 400 mg/L XTT/6.25 μΜ menadione, incubation for 1-2 h until the drug-free control reached an absorbance at 450/630 nm of >0.8 and use of 50% inhibition of XTT conversion as a cut-off for all species and echinocandins. All non-WT isolates had high XTT MICs >1 mg/L, whereas the overall inter-centre EA and CA were 72%-89% and 100%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
The XTT colorimetric assay improved the antifungal susceptibility testing of echinocandins against Aspergillus spp., reliably detecting non-WT isolates.


Background Most older people after a hip fracture injury never return to their prefracture status, and some are admitted to residential aged care facilities. Advancement of digital technology has helped in optimizing health care including self-management and telerehabilitation. Objective This study aims to understand the perspectives of older patients with hip fracture and their family members and residential aged caregivers on the feasibility of developing a model of care using a personalized digital health hub. Methods We conducted a mixed methods study in South Australia involving patients aged 50 years and older, their family members, and residential aged caregivers. Quantitative data analysis included basic demographic characteristics, and access to digital devices was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Spearman rank-order correlation was used to examine correlations between the perceived role of a personalized digital health hub in improving health and the likelihood of subsequent use. Findings from qualitative analysis were interpreted using constructs of capability, opportunity, and motivation to help understand the factors influencing the likelihood of potential personalized digital health hub use. Results This study recruited 100 participants—55 patients, 13 family members, and 32 residential aged caregivers. The mean age of the patients was 76.4 (SD 8.4, range 54-88) years, and 60% (33/55) of the patients were female. Approximately 50% (34/68) of the patients and their family members had access to digital devices, despite less than one-third using computers as part of their occupation. Approximately 72% (72/100) of the respondents thought that personalized digital health hub could improve health outcomes in patients. However, a moderate negative correlation existed with increasing age and likelihood of personalized digital health hub use (Spearman ρ=–0.50; P<.001), and the perceived role of the personalized digital health hub in improving health had a strong positive correlation with the likelihood of personalized digital health hub use by self (Spearman ρ=0.71; P<.001) and by society, including friends and family members (Spearman ρ=0.75; P<.001). Most patients (54/55, 98%) believed they had a family member, friend, or caregiver who would be able to help them use a personalized digital health hub. Qualitative analysis explored capability by understanding aspects of existing knowledge, including willingness to advance digital navigation skills. Access could be improved through supporting opportunities, and factors influencing intrinsic motivation were considered crucial for designing a personalized digital health hub–enabled model of care. Conclusions This study emphasized the complex relationship between capabilities, motivation, and opportunities for patients, their family members, and formal caregivers as a patient networked unit. The next stage of research will continue to involve a cocreation approach followed by iterative processes and understand the factors influencing the development and successful integration of complex digital health care interventions in real-world scenarios.


The Southern Ocean features ventilation pathways that transport surface waters into the subsurface thermocline on time scales from decades to centuries, sequestering anomalies of heat and carbon away from the atmosphere and thereby regulating the rate of surface warming. Despite its importance for climate sensitivity, the factors that control the distribution of heat along these pathways are not well understood. In this study, we use an observationally constrained, physically consistent global ocean model to examine the sensitivity of heat distribution in the recently ventilated subsurface Pacific (RVP) sector of the Southern Ocean to changes in ocean temperature and salinity. First, we define the RVP using numerical passive tracer release experiments that highlight the ventilation pathways. Next, we use an ensemble of adjoint sensitivity experiments to quantify the sensitivity of the RVP heat content to changes in ocean temperature and salinity. In terms of sensitivities to surface ocean properties, we find that RVP heat content is most sensitive to anomalies along the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), upstream of the subduction hotspots. In terms of sensitivities to subsurface ocean properties, we find that RVP heat content is most sensitive to basin-scale changes in the subtropical Pacific Ocean, around the same latitudes as the RVP. Despite the localized nature of mode water subduction hotspots, changes in basin-scale density gradients are an important controlling factor on heat distribution in the southeast Pacific.


Carbon-coated α-MnO2 nanowires (C-MnO2 NWs) were prepared from α-MnO2 NWs by a two-step sucrose coating and pyrolysis method. This method resulted in the formation of a thin, porous, low mass-percentage amorphous carbon coating (<5 nm, ≤1.2 wt % C) on the nanowire with an increase in single-nanowire electronic conductivity of roughly 5 orders of magnitude (α-MnO2, 3.2 × 10-6 S cm-1; C-MnO2, 0.52 S cm-1) and an increase in surface Mn3+ (average oxidation state: α-MnO2, 3.88; C-MnO2, 3.66) while suppressing a phase change to Mn3O4 at high temperature. The enhanced physical and electronic properties of the C-MnO2 NWs-enriched surface Mn3+ and high conductivity-are manifested in the electrocatalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), where a 13-fold increase in specific activity (α-MnO2, 0.13 A m-2; C-MnO2, 1.70 A m-2) and 6-fold decrease in charge transfer resistance (α-MnO2, 6.2 kΩ; C-MnO2, 0.9 kΩ) were observed relative to the precursor α-MnO2 NWs. The C-MnO2 NWs, composed of ∼99 wt % MnO2 and ∼1 wt % carbon coating, also demonstrated an ORR onset potential within 20 mV of commercial 20% Pt/C and a chronoamperometric current/stability equal to or greater than 20% Pt/C at high overpotential (0.4 V vs RHE) and high temperature (60 °C) with no additional conductive carbon.


Potassium titanyl phosphate crystals in both x-cut and z-cut were irradiated with 185 MeV Au ions. The morphology of the resulting ion tracks was investigated using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). SAXS measurements indicate the presence of cylindrical ion tracks with abrupt boundaries and a density contrast of 1 ± 0.5% compared to the surrounding matrix, consistent with amorphous tracks. The track radius depends on the crystalline orientation, with 6.0 ± 0.1 nm measured for ion tracks along the x -axis and 6.3 ± 0.1 nm for those along the z -axis. TEM images in both cross-section and plan-view show amorphous ion tracks with radii comparable to those determined from SAXS analysis. The protruding hillocks covering the sample surface detected by AFM are consistent with a lower density of the amorphous material within the ion tracks compared to the surrounding matrix. Simulations using an inelastic thermal-spike model indicate that differences in the thermal conductivity along the z — and x -axis can partially explain the different track radii along these directions.


This essay investigates the analytical potential of time in relation to the nonfiction moving image. Time is important because it drives understandings of environmental change (perceptions of past, present and future), and it is tied to the fundamental expectation of documentary – that it will speak to the reality of historical events (recent or distant). In seeking an approach to the moving image that might better harness the ecological work of documentary across different contexts, we propose a theory of the multi-scalar that is explicitly concerned with time and duration and has the capacity to function as a critical tool that might reveal the uneven realisation of scale across cultures and film modes. We explore how established knowledge in political ecology might dovetail with the expression of time in documentary (including the representation of history). We pose two examples. The first explores the natural history documentary, in particular, the time lapse representation of plant life and how it might offer alternative nonhuman temporalities. The second study explores an episode of an Australian television series, First Footprints (2013), which presents a history of Indigenous occupation of the continent, ranging across a 50,000 year time span, offering a way to consider colonial conceptualisations of time


BACKGROUND
Circulating cell-free DNA methylation testing in blood has recently received regulatory approval for screening of colorectal cancer. Its application in other clinical settings, including staging, prognosis, prediction, and recurrence monitoring is highly promising, and of particular interest in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) that represent a heterogeneous group of cancers with unsatisfactory treatment guidelines.

METHODS
Short stature homeobox 2 (SHOX2) and septin 9 (SEPT9) DNA methylation in plasma from 649 prospectively enrolled patients (training study: 284 HNSCC/122 control patients; testing study: 141 HNSCC/102 control patients) was quantified before treatment and longitudinally during surveillance.

RESULTS
In the training study, 59% of HNSCC patients were methylation-positive at 96% specificity. Methylation levels correlated with tumor and nodal category (P < 0.001). Initially increased methylation levels were associated with a higher risk of death [SEPT9: hazard ratio (HR) = 5.27, P = 0.001; SHOX2: HR = 2.32, P = 0.024]. Disease recurrence/metastases were detected in 47% of patients up to 377 days earlier compared to current clinical practice. The onset of second cancers was detected up to 343 days earlier. In the testing study, sensitivity (52%), specificity (95%), prediction of overall survival (SEPT9: HR = 2.78, P = 0.022; SHOX2: HR = 2.50, P = 0.026), and correlation with tumor and nodal category (P <0.001) were successfully validated.

CONCLUSIONS
Methylation testing in plasma is a powerful diagnostic tool for molecular disease staging, risk stratification, and disease monitoring. Patients with initially high biomarker levels might benefit from intensified treatment and posttherapeutic surveillance. The early detection of a recurrent/metastatic disease or a second malignancy could lead to an earlier consecutive treatment, thereby improving patients' outcomes.


Three new species of harvestmen are described based on morphology. Taito mayoruna spec. nov. from Jenaro Herrera province, Loreto, Peru is differentiated from other species of Taito Kury Barros, 2014 by features such as anal operculum armed, and femur IV with two retro-distal spines. Taito curupira spec. nov. from Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil is recognized by an H-shaped color pattern, femur IV curved dorsally and armed with medial prolateral and retrolateral tubercles. A third species herein described, Eulibitia chacuamarei spec. nov., from Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia is distinguished by the absence of a ladder mask and by the presence of blunt tubercles on areas I, III and the posterior margin. Penial morphology is described, and SEM micrographs are included.


The Freight Efficiency and Competitiveness Study provides a comprehensive look at the freight delivery supply chain of major industries in the Central Puget Sound region. The study pinpoints areas of inefficiency in the freight delivery system and provides data to support the creation of a strategic investment plan for Washington State's freight transportation system. The report is organized into four sections, (1) Introduction and Executive Summary; (2) Overview of Target Supply Chains; (3) Issues, Constraints and Potential Remedies Based on Freight Interviews; (4) Constraints, Opportunities and Recommendations. The research and analysis for this project included in depth interviews with key freight personnel in Washington State, industry research, and market analysis. These methods allowed a better understanding of the freight and supply chain issues of each industry. From this, the study was able to identify and quantify bottlenecks and deficiencies in the existing transportation system.


When presented with the same sensory stimuli and performing the same task, people do not always make the same response. Such behavioral variability can have different causes, including sensory noise, decision noise, and guessing. In addition, recent work has proposed that the precision of sensory encoding is itself variable, both driven by the stimulus (heteroskedasticity) and independent of the stimulus. We analyzed data of 3 published and 8 new visual decision-making tasks with a single relevant feature, orientation. In modeling each experiment, we considered four factors: guessing (lapses), decision noise, orientation-dependent variable precision (oblique effect), and orientation-independent variable precision (inspired by visual working memory models). Modern computational power allows us to test all combinations of these factors; in a given model, each factor could be present or absent. To quantify the importance of each factor in explaining the data, we introduce three metrics: factor knock-in, factor knock-out and factor posterior probability. Across all experiments, we found strong evidence for guessing and for orientation-dependent variable precision. We found evidence for decision noise in only one experiment, and for orientation-independent variable precision only when distractors are variable across trials. On a methodological note, the factor importance metrics can be applied widely in factorial model comparison.


This paper presents a full duplex active RF identification system with arbitrary values for any of the two frequencies in the different radio links. First, the antennas proposed in this paper are based on linearly polarized self-diplexed patch antennas working in a full-duplex way at 2.45 GHz for the reader-transponder (or tag) link and at a lower variable frequency (1.7 GHz) for the transponder-reader link reducing the propagation losses for the most critical link. Secondly, in order to reduce the multipath losses, antennas with circular polarizations for the reader and linear polarization for the transponder have been designed for the corresponding radio links. Patch antennas partially filled with metamaterial cells have offered the possibility of achieving multifrequency performance with two dipolar radiation modes, one due to the patch and the other to the metamaterial cells. This fact makes it possible to obtain high isolation levels between different ports. In addition, the inclusion of coupled or slot lines to feed the antenna has increased this isolation level. Finally, the diplexing level has been increased by including some filtering lines with metamaterial particles at the input of the feeding line. This approach avoids using an external filter or diplexer.


BACKGROUND Postoperative pulmonary hypertension in children after congenital heart surgery is a risk factor for death and is associated with severe acute changes in both pulmonary vascular resistance and lung mechanics. OBJECTIVE To examine the impact of changes in pulmonary blood flow on lung mechanics in preoperative children with congenital heart disease, in order to assess the cause–effect relation of pulmonary vascular–bronchial interactions. DESIGN Prospective, cross sectional study. SETTING Cardiac catheterisation laboratory, general anaesthesia with mechanical ventilation. INTERVENTIONS Variation of pulmonary blood flow (Qp) by either balloon occlusion of an atrial septal defect before interventional closure, or by complete occlusion of the pulmonary artery during balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty for pulmonary valve stenosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Ventilatory tidal volume (Vt), dynamic respiratory system compliance (Cdyn), respiratory system resistance (Rrs). RESULTS 28 occlusions were examined in nine patients with atrial septal defect (median age 9.5 years) and 22 in eight patients with pulmonary stenosis (median age 1.2 years). Normalisation of Qp during balloon occlusion of atrial septal defect caused no significant change in airway pressures and Rrs, but there was a small decrease in Vt (mean (SD): 9.61 (0.85) to 9.52 (0.97) ml/kg; p < 0.05) and Cdyn (0.64 (0.11) to 0.59 (0.10) ml/cm H2O*kg; p < 0.01). These changes were more pronounced when there was complete cessation of Qp during balloon valvuloplasty in pulmonary stenosis, with a fall in Vt (9.71 (2.95) to 9.32 (2.84) ml/kg; p < 0.05) and Cdyn (0.72 (0.29) to 0.64 (0.26) ml/cm H2O*kg; p < 0.001), and there was also an increase in Rrs (25.1 (1.7) to 28.8 (1.6) cm H2O/litre*s; p < 0.01). All these changes exceeded the variability of the baseline measurements more than threefold. CONCLUSIONS Acute changes in pulmonary blood flow are associated with simultaneous changes in lung mechanics. While these changes are small they may represent a valid model to explain the pathophysiological impact of spontaneous changes in pulmonary blood flow in clinically more critical situations in children with congenital heart disease.


Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) hosted a workshop entitled "Impact of Sustainable Buildings in Arid Environment on the Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality," held in Doha, Qatar, on May 17–19, 2022, co-funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), and co-organized by City College of New York (CCNY). The workshop provided a premier interdisciplinary platform for local researchers and enablers to engage and exchange knowledge and experiences with international leading practitioners and subject matter experts in the fields of sustainable buildings, indoor and outdoor air quality, and the urban heat island phenomena. A diverse number of regional partners and stakeholders were represented. The workshop benefitted from a pool of invited international subject experts from various universities and entities. The outcome-driven workshop included breakout sessions where participants actively engaged in brainstorming discussions guided by facilitators. The discussions focused on driving impact in Qatar and beyond by examining the current research landscape and identifying collaborative opportunities. The short-term and long-term outcomes of potential initiatives and project proposals are outlined in this summary. An example of a short-term outcome is the proposed collaborative project to investigate the impact of almost doubling the state of Qatar's population (over 1.5 million fans are expected to visit the country during the World Cup causing a shock to the system) on vital elements in the city, such as mobility, telecommunication services, and the local environment. In addition, multiple potential research proposals with international collaborations were proposed. A special issue on the subject in the Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities was recommended as an immediate actionable outcome.


Translation and Interpreting Studies (TIS) usually investigates translation and interpreting by adults who perform either as professionals or amateurs. However, under the current migration reality, there are many children and teenagers who act as translators and interpreters for their parents and (extended) families or communities, without any training or acknowledgement. To distinguish them from professional, adult translators and interpreters they are called Child Language Brokers. This article seeks to shed some light on their reality, which has received little, if any, attention from scholars in the translation, interpreting and interculturality fields. After a general overview of the existing literature, the design and results of a study conducted in Barcelona (Spain) in 2019 and 2020 are reported. The aim of the study is to describe the existing reality with a view to contributing to mapping the actual situation of child language brokering around the world.


B91 Although cyclooxygenase-2(Cox-2) is known as one of the critical factor in carcinomas of various organs, the importance of Cox-2 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma has not been fully discovered yet. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of selective cox-2 inhibitor, celecoxib in 6 oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines with respect to cytotoxicity test, in vitro invasion,MMP-2 expression,tumorigenesis assay and anti-carcinogenesis assay in animal model
 Administration of celecoxib demonstrated the concentration dependent cytotoxicity and anti-invasive potential in 3 cell lines. There was no significant difference in the expression of MMP-2. In hamster model, celecoxib treated group showed delayed oral carcinogenesis but complete prevention was not observed. Celexocib showed no inhibitory effect on the tumorigenesis in nude mouse. In immunohistochemical study, the expression of VEGF was significantly reduced in hamster buccal pouch specimen.
 From these results, it can be postulated that cox-2 inhibition by celecoxib has the possibility of chemopreventive effect which may come from reducing the angiogenesis and this can be a clue for highlighting celecoxib as one of treatment options of oral squamous cell carcinoma.


OBJECTIVES
The Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) is a validated tool measuring Health Related Quality of Life among patients with cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to validate a Sinhala version of the CLDQ (sCLDQ) and to test its correlation with the degree of liver dysfunction in a cohort of Sri Lankan patients with cirrhosis.

METHODS
A standard translation method was used. Pilot testing was done with relevant cultural and language adaptations. The final version and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) validated Sinhala version were administered to patients with chronic lever disease (CLD). sCLDQ was re-administered 4 weeks later to test internal consistency and reliability. The validaty and reliability were assessed by Cronabach's alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Pearson's correlation coefficient. ANOVA and Pearson's correlation were used to assess correlation with the degree of liver dysfunction.

RESULTS
Validation was done with 214 participants [mean age 55.6 years (SD 10.4) male 77.6%]. Cronabach's alpha was 0.926. Intra-class correlations varied from 0.431 to 0.912 and all were significant (p< 0.001). Retesting was done on a sub-sample of 18 participants. Test-retest correlation was 0.695 (p = 0.008). WHO-BREF was administered to a sub-sample of 48 subjects. There was a significant correlation (Pearson's r=0.391; p=0.004) between sCLDQ and WHOQOL BREF. sCLDQ was significantly associated with MELD (r=-0.13; p=0.038), MELD sodium (r=-0.223; p=0.002), serum bilirubin (r=-0.124; p=0.036), serum sodium (r=0.172; p=0.009), serum albumin (r=0.201; p=0.003) and Child grade (f=3.687; p=0.027).

CONCLUSIONS
CLDQ is a reliable and valid tool to assess quality of life of Sri Lankan patients with cirrhosis and correlates well with known indices of disease severity.