Childhood obesity is a global epidemic and a major public health challenge. There has been increasing evidence that intrauterine exposures, such as alcohol, smoking, and maternal nutritional status, may affect both the long and short term health consequences of the mother and offspring. Childhood adiposity may be affected by the mother's pre-pregnancy weight and her weight gain during pregnancy. Consequently, interventions may need to start before conception of the child to prevent childhood obesity. In 2009, the Institute of Medicine updated its gestational weight gain recommendations by incorporating rates of gestational weight gain in the second and third trimesters based on the mother's pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index. There is extensive research on the association between total gestational weight gain and short-term offspring adiposity. However, this review focuses on the association between trimester-specific gestational weight gain and childhood adiposity for singleton pregnancies with respect to the Institute of Medicine's newly defined weight gain recommendations as very few studies have examined the association between the gestational weight gain during each trimester and childhood adiposity. Identifying the trimester that is most associated with childhood adiposity may help in the development of targeted interventions, guide physician's nutritional and weight-gain recommendations for child-bearing mothers, and direct future research. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v34i1.8429 J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2014;34(1):48-53


The RISK (rapid ion solver for tokamaks) code for simulating the evolution of the distribution function of neutral beam injected ions (NBI) in tokamak plasmas is described. The code has been especially developed for use in integrated modelling frameworks. Within this context, a code needs to be modular, machine independent and fast. RISK fulfils all these conditions. The RISK code solves the bounce averaged Fokker–Planck equation for the species of the injected ions by expanding the distribution function in the eigenfunctions of the collisional pitch angle scattering operator. The velocity dependent coefficient functions are calculated with a finite element solver. Finite orbit width effects are handled by an ad hoc broadening algorithm of the NBI ionization source. In order to assess the validity of the approximations employed in RISK, a comparison with a full orbit following Monte Carlo code is presented. RISK is integrated into the CRONOS transport suite of codes (Artaud et al 2010 Nucl. Fusion 50 043001) and the European integrated modelling (EU-IM) framework (Falchetto et al 2014 Nucl. Fusion 54 043018). The RISK implementation in this platform is discussed and exemplified to show the strength of running simulation codes in a modular and machine independent environment for simulation of fusion plasmas.


This paper analyses the ideas and the work of Anisio Teixeira in the first years of the 1930s, focusing his conceptions concerning the value of Psychoanalysis for Educational Reform in Brazil. Whereas the ideas and practices Teixeira should be understood in the historical context in which they were developed, the work presents the history of the introduction of the psychoanalytic knowledge in the Brazilian Renovator Educational Movement, highlighting the relevance of hygienism in the dissemination of Freud's theses in education. The findings indicate that Teixeira interacted with the concepts of Psychoanalysis through the hygienist movement and the ideas of Arthur Ramos, considering the individual as being linked to the social environment.


The hybrid fiber coax (HFC) technology enables the conventional cable-television (CATV) network to provide subscribers with Internet access services. In this paper, we propose a newpreemptive priority scheme (PPS) for IEEE 802.14 hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks with the intelligent nodes(INs). The INs are placed between the headend controller and stations. By using INs, that stand for downstream subscribers to contend for the demand resources, the collision probability and the collision resolving peri od can be reduced [4]. In this paper, we further extend such network architecture to support multi-priority access. In each IN or individual station, the proposed PPS will prevent a higher priority request from colliding with requests of lower priority. Moreover, in PPS, the granted bandwidth for lower priority requests can be preempted by the waiting request with higher priority. This will speedup the channel capture by priority data. The efficiency of PPS is investigated by simulations. Simulation results show that by adopting INs with PPS to be an agent for subscribers can not only shorten the collision resolving period but also min imize the average request delay of priority data.


The thesis has been presented in two parts:- Part I. Many previous attempts have been made to measure the size of light scattering techniques. The principal difficulties encountered in this analysis are (1) the impossibility of measurement at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (C.M.C.) due to dissociation of the micelles, (2) the ionic nature of the micelles and (3) the possibility that the degree of aggregation of the micelles does not remain constant as the concentration is varied. Instead of applying present theory, which involves some uncertainties, the suggestion was made that it may be possible to modify the micelles in such a way as to eliminate some of the difficulties and allow for a more concise analysis. This could be achieved by utilizing unsaturated soaps such as sodium oleate CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7 COONa+, undecenyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (U.T.A.B.) CH2=CH(CH2)9N(CH3)3+Br and sodium undecenyl sulphate (S.U.S.) CH2=CH(CH2)9OSO3-Na+. By causing polymerisation of the double bonds of the molecules in each separate micelle a 'polymicelle' may be obtained. A solution containing such 'polymicelles' would escape difficulties (1) and (3) while case (2) could be overcome for the carboxylic soaps by acidification after polymerisation and extraction of the polycarboxylic acid by organic solvents in which light scattering measurements could also be performed. The possibility that polymicelles as envisaged above, could be formed with sodium oleate containing solubilized styrene is thwarted by the formation of a long chain polysoap, vastly different in size from the original micelle. The styranaoleate co-polymers (formed by irradiation with U.V. light and using azobisisobutyronitrile (A.B.I.N.) as initiator) have molecular weights dependent upon the styrehe concentration. The break in the Av's curves (denoting the C.M.C.) is eliminated with solutions of S.U.S. after irradiation and light scattering by the soap can be detected below the C.M.C. of the unirradiated soap. This indicates that there are few dissociable micelles left in solution. Measurements of (dn/dc)u electrolyte have been made and used in final analysis in preference to the (dn/dc)c electrolyte values employed by previous investigators in determining micellar weights in dilute salt solution. Evaluation of the refractive index increment at constant chemical potential of electrolyte involves dialysing soap solutions against respective salt solutions. This quantity cannot be determined for ordinary soaps as the micelles would simply dissociate and diffuse through the membrane. The polymicellar weight obtained for S.U.S., both measured directly and by exprapolation of the solubilized styrene measurements, are in the region of 13,500. The value obtained by conventional means is 30,800. The discrepancy between the two values can be accounted for by incomplete polymerisation of the micelles and the possibility that there is more than one polymerisation centre per micelle and termination is by disproportionation. With U.T.A.B. the polymicellar weight (12,750) is close to the apparent micellar weight of 13,300. This indicates that most, if not all, of the U.T.A.B. molecules within the micelles have polymerised together. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).


The underlying mechanism in projection radiography as well as in computed tomography (CT) is the accumulative attenuation of a pencil x-ray beam along a straight line. However, when a portion of photons is deviated from their original path by scattering, it is not valid to assume that these photons are the survival photons along the lines connecting the x-ray source and the individual locations where they are detected. Since these photons do not carry the correct spatial information, the final image is contaminated. Researchers are seeking techniques to reduce scattering, and hence, improve image quality, by scatter compensation. Previously, we presented a post-acquisition scatter compensation technique based on an underlying statistical model. We used the Poisson noise model, which assumed that the signals in the detector individually followed the Poisson process. Since most x-ray detectors are energy integrating rather than photon counting, the Poisson noise model can be improved by taking this property into account. In this study, we developed a Gaussian noise model by the matching-of-the-first-two-moments method. The Maximum Likelihood Estimator of the scatter-free image was derived via the expectation maximization (EM) technique. The maximum a posteriori estimate was also calculated. The Gaussian noise model was preliminarily evaluated on a full-field digital mammography system.


The effect of high P Brockman ore on the melt fluidity was investigated to make clear the mechanism for the deterioration of permeability of sinter bed during sintering.Blending high-P ore, characterized by the high porosity and fine size distribution, decreased melt fluidity by the absorption of melt into porous high P Brockman ore. As a result, the pressure drop of sinter bed increased during sintering by the suppression of pore growth, and the sinter productivity decreased.To improve the sinter productivity using high-P Brockman ore, JFE Steel has developed an advanced granulation process characterized by segregating high-P Brockman ore at the center of quasi-particle, which was coated by coke breeze and limestone. It is important to select the suitable coating thickness of dense hematite ore around porous iron ore for preventing from the melt absorption into iron ore. This process controls the excess melting reaction between iron ore and limestone, owing to the segregation of high-P ore within the quasi-particles.The commercial plant trials showed that the desirable melt fluidity, resulting from the segregation of high-P ore in a quasi-particle, enhanced the permeability of sinter bed at Fukuyama No. 4 Sinter Plant of JFE Steel. The application of new granulation process remarkably improved both the productivity and reducibility of sinter products, in spite of the recent inferior ore conditions.


During 2009, 49 states and Puerto Rico reported 6,690 rabid animals and 4 human rabies cases to the CDC, representing a 2.2% decrease from the 6,841 rabid animals and 2 human cases reported in 2008. Approximately 92% of reported rabid animals were wildlife. Relative contributions by the major animal groups were as follows: 2,327 (34.8%) raccoons, 1,625 (24.3%) bats, 1,603 (24.0%) skunks, 504 (75%) foxes, 300 (4.5%) cats, 81 (1.2%) dogs, and 74 (1.1%) cattle. Compared with 2008, numbers of rabid raccoons and bats that were reported decreased, whereas numbers of rabid skunks, foxes, cats, cattle, dogs, and horses that were reported increased. Fewer rabid raccoons, compared with 2008, were reported by 12 of the 20 eastern states where raccoon rabies is enzootic, and number of rabid raccoons decreased by 2.6% overall nationally. Despite a 10% decrease in the number of rabid bats that were reported and a decrease in the total number of bats submitted for testing, bats were the second most commonly submitted animal, behind cats, during 2009. The number of rabid skunks that were reported increased by 0.9% overall. The proportion of rabid skunks in which infection was attributed to the raccoon rabies virus variant decreased from 473% in 2008 to 40.9% in 2009, resulting in a 12.7% increase in the number of rabid skunks infected with a skunk rabies virus variant. The number of rabid foxes increased 11.0% overall from the previous year. Four cases of rabies involving humans were reported from Texas, Indiana, Virginia, and Michigan. The Texas case represented the first presumptive abortive human rabies case, with the patient recovering after the onset of symptoms without intensive care. The Indiana and Michigan cases were associated with bat rabies virus variants. The human rabies case in Virginia was associated with a canine rabies virus variant acquired during the patient's travel to India.


Pollution generated by the misuse of large amounts of fruit and vegetable waste has become a major environmental and social problem for developing countries due to the absence of specialized collection centers for this type of waste. This research aims to generate electricity in an eco-friendly way using red dragon fruit (pitahaya) waste as the fuel in single-chamber microbial fuel cells on a laboratory scale using zinc and copper electrodes. It was possible to generate voltage and current peaks of 0.46 ± 0.03 V and 2.86 ± 0.07 mA, respectively, with an optimum operating pH of 4.22 ± 0.09 and an electrical conductivity of 175.86 ± 4.72 mS/cm at 8 °Brix until the tenth day of monitoring. An internal resistance of 75.58 ± 5.89 Ω was also calculated with a maximum power density of 304.33 ± 16.51 mW/cm2 at a current density of 5.06 A/cm2, while the FTIR spectra showed a decrease in the initial compounds and endings, especially at the 3331 cm−1 peaks of the O–H bonds. Finally, the yeast-like fungus Geotrichum candidum was molecularly identified (99.59%). This research will provide great opportunities for the generation of renewable energy using biomass as fuel through electronic devices with great potential to generate electricity.


Diseases of the skin and visible mucous membranes are important signs of HIV infection. Dermatitis and eczema present mostly as seborrheic dermatitis. Thirty-one % of asymptomatic patients in seropositive latency period and up to 83% of AIDS patients present with this common symptom of HIV infection. Up to now there is no clear answer about the importance of atopic manifestations in AIDS. In children with pediatric AIDS, atopic eczema has been described in up to 50% of cases. In adult patients however there are contradictory results about the frequency of atopic diseases.


Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii (an intracellular protozoan) causes toxoplasmosis in warm-blooded animals, including humans and dogs. The present study was carried out to investigate the seroprevalence of canine toxoplasmosis in the owned and stray populations of dogs in Faisalabad District, Punjab, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: Commercially available Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) kits were used for the screening of samples (139 stray and 150 owned), followed by confirmation through ELISA. For the statistical analyses, chi-square was used to correlate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis with various factors. Results: The overall prevalence of toxoplasmosis, determined by the LAT, was 22.5% and, by ELISA, was 21.8%. A nonsignificant association of toxoplasmosis was determined among owned and stray dogs. Among owned dog breeds, Bulldogs showed 28.30% prevalence, and among stray dogs, the highest prevalence was determined in Bhakarwal dogs (39.29%). Young and female dogs showed a slightly higher prevalence of toxoplasmosis than adults and males, respectively. Conclusions: The present study determined by LAT and ELISA in owned dogs showed the same results, while a little variation was found in the stray dogs. It is concluded that both owned and stray dogs are infected with toxoplasmosis in Faisalabad District, and based on this, it is recommended that province-wide epidemiological studies be carried out to examine the prevalence of Toxoplasma and develop policies in order to control toxoplasmosis.


The application of electric power in the steel industry introduced many radical changes and improvements in rolling-mill layout and practise. The electric drives, of capacities larger than encountered elsewhere, are usually designed to fit individual cases. Special machines or special combinations of them-are frequently used. Several representative cases are outlined, and some methods of solving the encountered problems are analyzed.


Quality of service is a major competitive advantage within the tourism industry and cruise liners are no exception. In recent years, the Asian-Pacific company Star Cruises has striven to strengthen and retain the loyalty of its customer base in an increasingly challenging market. This study aims to look at the interface between Star Cruises' service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction level by analyzing data on one of its ships, the Super Star Libra, with its homeport in Penang, Malaysia. An adapted version of the SERVQUAL model was used by the researchers to evaluate the quality of service and customer satisfaction aboard the Libra, as was a questionnaire, whose instruments were developed from past studies. 102 questionnaires were given out to and collected from passengers who had ridden aboard the Super Star Libra. Results indicated that service quality dimensions such as tangibility, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy had a significant bearing on customer satisfaction. The latter also helped determine which cruise customers would prefer to spend their vacations on in the future. The outcome of this research provides useful guidelines for cruises that intend to capitalize on the quality of their service to both maintain the satisfaction of their existing customers and attract more potential customers going forward.


This article describes a new angle-independent method suitable for three-dimensional (3-D) blood flow velocity measurement that tracks features of the ultrasonic speckle produced by a pulse echo system. In this method, a feature is identified and followed over time to detect motion. Other blood flow velocity measurement methods typically estimate velocity using one- (1-D) or two-dimensional (2-D) spatial and time information. Speckle decorrelation due to motion in the elevation dimension may hinder this estimate of the true 3-D blood flow velocity vector. Feature tracking is a 3-D method with the ability to measure the true blood velocity vector rather than a projection onto a line or plane. Off-line experiments using a tissue phantom and a real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging system have shown that the local maximum detected value of the speckle signal may be identified and tracked for measuring velocities typical of human blood flow. The limitations of feature tracking, including the uncertainty of the peak location and the duration of the local maxima are discussed. An analysis of the expected error using this method is given.


Objectives: The aim of this work was to assess the kidney function tests in Diabetes Mellitus patients under insulin doses in Arar regionIntroduction: Diabetes Mellitus (D.M) is a prevalent endocrinal disorder in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Present study is to highlight the effect of long lasting cases of controlled D.M on Kidney Functions in a local region. Diabetic renal disease in human often requires the better part of two decades to develop the signs and symptoms of advanced/clinical diabetic nephropathy with underlying extensive damage to the various segments of the nephron, thereby causing albuminuria, rising blood pressure, and a progressive decline of glomerular filtration.Materials and Methods: The serum biochemistry investigation for Glucose, Urea and Creatinine.1-Glucose: The fasting serum glucose level was obtained from the laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry using department Autoanalyser (Dimension model RXL MAX) of the Arar Central Hospital, Arar.2-Urea: Urea Kit (Randox) and a spectrophotometer were used to determine the serum urea concentration in the samples.3-Creatinine: Serum creatinine was measured by a Kit (Randox), using the compensated kinetic Jaffe assay.Results & Discussions: It is clear from the result that in almost all patients blood glucose is within normal range but their kidney function test i.e. urea and creatinine lies in high range. Measurements of Blood pressure (SBP &DBP) also found to be in normal range for all patients. So obtained results could be interpreted as: The patients are controlled diabetics under insulin therapy but with very high serum creatinine level indicating severely affected glomerular filtration rate.Conclusion: Based on this study it  could be concluded that long duration of diabetes mellitus can affect renal function through destructive effects on vascular bed of renal tissues as a part of general vascular and nervous pathological effects of diabetes mellitus. These patients are advised to go for dialysis regularly and should be under observation of well qualified Nephrologists.


The disposal of salt water produced with oil from the East Texas field has been successful in minimizing pollution of land areas and freshwater sources, and has also been effective in maintaining bottomhole pressure. To date, 4.5 billion bbl of salt water has been returned to the producing reservoirs at a cost to the operators of approximately 2.5¢/bbl. At Hastings field, in Brazoria and Galveston Counties, Texas, Amoco is successfully disposing of 50,000-60,000 bbl/day of salt water by injection into saltwater-bearing formations below freshwater sandstones and above the oil-producing zones. The project is a "closed system," whereby the salt water produced is allowed no contact with air; thus, corrosion attack on disposal facilities is reduced. To date, Amoco has injected approximately 500 million bbl of salt water.


The new generation of wireless communication systems involves several different technologies. The universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC) is one of these technologies. UFMC supports various numerology designs; however, the high peak to average power ratio (PAPR) is a major limitation faced by designers. Therefore, diverse approaches have been introduced, such as amplitude clipping, tone reservation, and active constellation extension, to mitigate the PAPR problem. These algorithms produce significant degradation in terms of bit error rate or power consumption. Another proposed solution is multiple signal representation schemes, which have promised to conserve bit error rate performance without power waste. Selected mapping is a multiple signal representation technique that reduces the PAPR without bit error degradation. This paper focuses on integrating the selected mapping method with the UFMC. Simulation results show that the integrated algorithm presents better PAPR performance: the PAPR was reduced by 2.1 dB and 1 dB for UFMC and CP-OFDM, respectively, without bit error rate degradation.


Few would argue with the theoretical underpinnings or the practical usefulness of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and similarly oriented psychological therapies in treating substance addictions. Yet British addiction services, with very few exceptions, have spectacularly failed in incorporating these interventions into routine care provision. This is because addiction psychiatry is without doubt the psychiatric subspecialty that is most susceptible to societal attitudes of the times, most vulnerable to political fads and funding uncertainties, and most prone to being the victim of a drive for 'cheap and cheerful' treatment provisionoften at the expense of quality. The result has been the gradual demise of psychological treatment provision for those with substance addiction. It is within this wider socio-politico-economic climate dominating the landscape of British addiction services that this book should be read. A particular strength of the book is the easily palatable and tasty mix of theory and practice; this is the result of a joint production by six psychologists with over 60 years' combined experience of working with people addicted to substances. None of the pitfalls of many multi-authored books are evident: chapters are neatly assembled, with no repetition; they fit together into a coherent whole; discussion flows sequentially and logically the book reads with no undue strain or effort. The inclusion of case vignettes, albeit limited to three, and easy-to-use appendices including work sheets, guidance notes, patient diaries and handouts, help this book live up to the promise of it being a practical treatment guide rather than a text. Reading this guide should equip the non-specialist with the basic knowledge required to use cognitive-behavioural principles in substance misuse treatment. For the already converted (but non-experts) this book should act as a refresher. But CBT enthusiasts risk disillusionment, as it offers not a lot that is new. To enhance topical relevance, authors explain how CBTstrategies can drive forward the recovery agendathe all-pervading, all-consuming current driver in addiction services. Being harsh, I ask whether, for a practical treatment guide, should there not have been more case vignettes, more therapy session transcripts as illustrative examples, some practical guidance on patient inclusion/exclusion criteria and outcome measures, and tips to handle commonly encountered challenges or 'blocks' in therapy? Although perhaps a case of 'old wine in a new bottle', this is a user-friendly treatment guide that is likely to appeal to a wide range of 'palates' and 'noses', except to CBT connoisseurs.


With the increase of the use of Internet and wireless mobile devices, the digital information needs to be send and received efficiently in low bit rates in order to exploit the bandwidth. At low bit rates it is almost impossible to generate errors or artifacts in images. In order to solve that problem, researchers are trying to design and build lossy image coders which can preserve important features of images. With this approach the features of an image that are very important to perception and recognition are preserved even at low bit rates. In this paper a revision of some works that propose feature preserving image compression (FPIC) algorithms are presented. Finally a new methodology to obtain FPIC is presented


Background and aims This study aimed to determine the regulatory role of N-Acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, in IL-17-induced osteoclast differentiation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods After RA synovial fibroblasts were stimulated by IL-17, the expression and production of RANKL was determined by real-time PCR and ELISA. Human peripheral blood monocytes were cultured with M-CSF, IL-17, RANKL, and/or various concentrations of NAC, followed by counting of the cells for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity to determine osteoclast formation. Osteoclastogenesis was also determined after cocultures of IL-17-stimulated RA synovial fibroblasts, Th17 cells and various concentrations of NAC with monocytes. After human peripheral CD4+ T cells were cultured with NAC under Th17 condition, IL-17, IFN-g, IL-4, Foxp3, RANKL and IL-2 expression and production was determined by flow cytometry or ELISA. Results When RA synovial fibroblasts were stimulated by IL-17, IL-17 stimulated the production of RANKL, and NAC reduced the IL-17-induced RANKL production in a dose-dependent manner. NAC decreased IL-17-activated phosphorylation of mTOR, JNK and IkB. When human peripheral blood CD14+ monocytes were cultured with M-CSF and IL-17 or RANKL, osteoclasts were differentiated, and NAC reduced the osteoclastogenesis. After human peripheral CD4+ T cells were co-cultured with IL-17-pretreated RA synovial fibroblasts or Th17 cells, NAC reduced their osteoclastogenesis. Under Th17 polarising condition, NAC decreased Th17 cell differentiation and IL-17 and RANKL production. Conclusions NAC inhibits the IL-17-induced RANKL production in RA synovial fibroblasts and IL-17-induced osteoclast differentiation. NAC also reduced Th17 polarisation. NAC could be a supplementary therapeutic option for inflammatory and bony destructive processes in RA.


Nowadays, the detection of protein – protein interactions is performed mainly from experimental methods that are able to record thousands of them in a single experiment. In this contribution, we present methods that are used to assess the reliability of protein -protein interactions and construct reliable protein interaction graphs. Furthermore, we present the most popular algorithms that are used to detect protein complexes or discover the functionality of unknown proteins through clustering protein interaction graphs. Finally, the most popular visualization software tools are described.


Abstract:In this essay, the paradisal visions presented in John Donne's lyric "Twicknam Garden" and in the actual garden at Twickenham Park belonging to his patron Lucy, Countess of Bedford, find mutual illumination through my readings of the conventional European garden across periods and artistic media. Without evidence from the garden, readings of the poem reach a dead end in the exhausted tropes of Petrarchan love poetry. Without evidence from the poem, readings of the garden misidentify it as a baroque model of the Ptolemaic cosmos. Considering the two together, I offer a case study of horticultural ambitions under conditions of limited resources and reveal how the poem—by way of an imagined fountain absent from the garden itself—imports Parnassus into the paradisal space it constructs, an eroticized humanist vision of the medieval Garden of Love. Donne's lyric creates a refuge for poets from the limits of Petrarchism and patronage, while still playing the courtly game.


Initial acquisition of social skills by high school students with mild mental retardation was measured during the social skills training game Stacking the Deck. Generalization probes were conducted outside of the training setting (immediately preceding and following training, and 6 weeks posttraining). Due to the high degree of dissimilarity between stimuli in and outside of the training setting, we hypothesized that generalization of skills to nontraining environments would be minimal. Two replications of an initial single-case study were conducted. Students demonstrated acquisition of social skills across game conditions. Immediate generalization of trained social skills did not occur. A possible "deferred generalization" effect was evidenced at 6 weeks posttraining. Results were discussed with respect to the "integrity of common stimuli" and opportunities to respond.


Abstract The results of an isolated three-dimensional thunderstorm simulation are reported. An initial wind shear of 1.54 m sec−1 km−1 is specified in the x direction and symmetry is assumed in the y direction about the central x-z plane. An erect cloud develops from an initial 3.7 km radius impulse as the updraft core is fed from all directions by moist and warm low-level air. After some time rain begins to fall and a downdraft developes downshear of the updraft core cutting off the major low-level supply of warm and moist air. Subsequently, the updraft core begins to tilt downshear and the center of the lower part of the updraft core is shifted away from the central x–z plane. At middle cloud levels wind features reminiscent of flow about a cylinder are present. Both the hydrostatic and dynamic pressure appear to be important in decelerating flow upwind of the cloud. Comparison with a similar two-dimensional simulation indicates that the three-dimensional cloud develops faster, grows taller, lasts longe...


The abbreviatory compound is a very common type of word formation in Chinese. Like abbreviations or acronyms in other languages, Chinese abbreviatory compounds are the abbreviations or shortened forms of long words or phrases; unlike those abbreviations and acronyms in languages like English, they are compounds in Chinese, and they are not formed in the way of first letter concatenation like UNfor United Nations, or the cropping of long words like Mass. for Massachusetts. Chinese abbreviations are composed of the individual morpheme from the original form, and have essentially the same meaning ofthe original form but with shorter form, e.g.


The European Union (EU) has set itself ambitious objectives in order to transform its neighbourhood. It aims to induce domestic reforms in order to promote democracy, good governance and prosperity. Theoretical-oriented empirical analyses on the impact of the EU's attempts to trigger institutional, regulatory and normative changes in domestic policies remain scarce. It is necessary to increase our understanding of the EU's potential, limitations, and the conditions under which it may have an impact. This thesis contributes to closing this empirical and theoretical gap by examining the impact of the EU on Georgia, a country included in the Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). This evaluation is derived from original empirical research of four different modes of EU governance in the context of the ENP: Governance by conditionality (access to the single market regarding economic issues); intergovernmental governance (cooperation in foreign and security policies); external governance (energy security); and cooperative governance (Security Sector Reform). This thesis suggests that we can explain the responses to EU policies in neighbouring countries if we use a synthetic ideational/rationalist analytical framework which takes into account additional variables in the EU–neighbour relations in the domestic and regional context.
The findings indicate that the impact of the EU is slowly increasing, even in areas dominated by geopolitics such as energy security. Although the impact has been uneven at policy level, the EU has become an important external influence in Georgia. The thesis argues that, although important, EU incentives and geopolitical pressures are less decisive than the existing literature would predict. In contrast, the role of ideas in bilateral relations has had a crucial role across the case studies, showing in some instances the limitations of the alluring power of the EU as a 'normative power'. Thus, EU impact is based on the existence of a coherent institutional framework of relations; embedded in social, political and economic links that are locked into favourable path-dependence processes and where ideational convergence is present.


'Psychoanalysis and psychotherapy' considers the contribution of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy to the field of psychiatry. It discusses Sigmund Freud and the origins of psychoanalysis, including his technique of free association and his map of the mind comprising the id, the ego, and the superego. It also describes the more mystical theories of Carl-Gustav Jung, including his concept of the 'shadow self'. Different types of psychotherapies are outlined, including existential, psychodynamic, and behaviour therapies, which are used for phobias and obsessive compulsive disorders. Group therapy, counselling, family therapy, crisis intervention, self-help, and cognitive behaviour therapy are also discussed.


Sleep apnea is highly associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), and both diseases are highly prevalent in the United States. The mechanistic underpinnings that contribute to their association remain uncertain, but numerous possible mechanisms have been proposed, including dysfunction of the cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS). Studies have reported that apnea induces hyperactivity of the ANS, leading to increases in AF susceptibility. This review compiles the latest evidence on the role of the ANS in sleep-apnea-induced AF.


Study Design. A retrospective observational study. Objective. Our aim is to define the efficacy and safety of serial selective arterial embolization (SAE) in the treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs), to explore potential treatment alternatives, and to define a therapeutic algorithm. Summary of Background Data. ABC is a benign lesion with an unpredictable behavior. Its treatment is challenging especially in poorly accessible surgical areas, such as spine and pelvis. Currently, the first-line treatment of ABC is repeated SAE until healing. Other options have been used with variable success rates. Methods. From January 2004 to September 2015, 23 patients affected by ABC of the mobile spine have been treated with SAE and prospectively followed up by computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance imaging. Signs of neurological deficit, complications, healing of the lesion, and clinical outcomes were registered. Signs of healing are defined as peripheral sclerotic bone rim formation, decrease of the ABC mass, disappearance of the double content image, and bone formation inside the ABC mass, associated with remission of pain. Results. Twenty-three patients underwent SAE according to the protocol. Seventeen patients have healed. The number of procedures necessary to obtain healing (clinical and radiographic) varied from 1 to 10. No complication occurred during the procedure. Follow-up time ranged from 5 to 120 months after the last angiographic procedure. All 17 patients had complete relief of pain symptoms. Six patients did not respond to SAE, presenting a progressive clinical and radiographic worsening, and underwent other medical or minimally invasive treatments. Conclusion. Our study confirms the safety of SAE. The efficacy of the treatment was however lower than expected. SAE is indicated when pathological fracture or signs of cord damage are not detected. Infiltration with autologous bone marrow concentrate or administration of Denosumab is under investigation as alternative choices of treatment. Level of Evidence: 4


Semicontinuous flow centrifugation (SFC) was employed in canines to obtain adequate numbers of cells for autologous marrow repopulation following supralethal cyclophosphamide administration (100 mg per kg). Four cycles using a 225 ml bowl and 30 ml per minute flow rate were carried out for procurement. Collections averaged 8.4 +/- 0.4 x 10(9) (n = 30) leukocytes. Mononuclear cells (MNC) comprised 75 +/- 2% of the population and granulocyte colony-forming units (CFU-C) totaled 1.9 +/- 0.09 x 10(5) colonies per collection. Eighty-six percent of mononuclear cells were "T" cells in the 30 to 90 second fraction compared to 49% at 150 to 120 seconds. CFU-C fractionation revealed a peak at 30-210 seconds and a second peak at 120-210 seconds. Following programed freezing and rapid thawing 77.7 +/- 11.4% of CFU-C were recovered. Using a dose of 1 x10(9) MNC per kg for reinfusion, marrow repopulation and clinical recovery occurred in four out of four dogs. It was concluded that 1) SFC was effective for obtaining adequate numbers of peripheral blood stem cells for autologous marrow repopulation. 2) A rapid thawing and direct transfusion technique appears satisfactory for administration. 3) Some separation of "T", "B" and CFU-C peripheral blood components is possible by centrifugation.


A series of 15 Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terra XS images, which were acquired during a single growing season, were used to study the spatial and temporal relationships between topography, rainfall and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) of annuals in a semiarid environment. A digital elevation model was used to locate five physiographic units: interfluve, shoulder, backslope, foot slope, and channel, along the slope catena. ANPP values were then surrogated by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Four phenological phases were interpreted from the seasonal NDVI profiles: germination, green‐up, drying, and senescence. A significant difference between NDVI values of all physiographic units was found, mainly during the green‐up phase. NDVI values at peak season were characterized as typical of semiarid ecosystems, except those of the footslope and the channel, which were found to have meaningfully high NDVI values, due to run‐off distribution and a thick soil profile. The seasonal NDVI integral was related positively and linearly to model‐derived water availability values for all physiographic units and the NDVI was correlated to multiple‐timescale rainfall data and the length of dry spells. The 1‐month rainfall data were found to have the highest correlation with the NDVI, indicating lag and cumulative effects of rainfall on production. This implies that the time required for the plants to use the water for production is around a month. It is concluded that studies of ecosystem functioning and capabilities in semiarid environments should consider not only mean annual rainfall amounts, but also the temporal rainfall distribution, mainly on a monthly scale, and the effect of physiographic units. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The role of ATP in Plant Cell Death (PCD) where a cell through signaling or detection, starts Apoptosis (planned cell death) of the cell and signals to other cells to start Apoptosis as well. PCD with its signaling role in the extracellular matrix is a topic of study that many people have taken up and researched.  What effect ATP has on cell death and whether it can be triggered with ATP products, have been tested to see if they caused PCD. Also how ATP can affect the cell death it triggers and whether it can reverse this death with the use of FB1 which is a cell death pathway which is induced through mycotoxins.  This leads to more study in the field of PCD and its link to ATP as how ATP reverses the death caused by pathways like that of FB1 or how ATP could be applied to plants in the throes of PCD and how and when is the best chance of reversal. This leads to applications that would help growers and humanity based on these studies.


John Caius and Conrad Gessner were both medical men who practiced philology at a high level. Caius edited Greek medical texts. He became an expert at finding and collating manuscripts. Gessner edited Greek texts of many kinds. He set a new standard for systematic bibliography. Close friends, they collaborated energetically. Gessner stimulated Caius's interest in the relations of languages, and Caius supplied information and illustrations for Gessner's works on natural history. Their case seems to attest the unity of learning in the sixteenth century. Yet Gessner made clear that he saw direct observation, not philological research, as the chief source of knowledge about the natural world. And Caius, when studying animals, fish, and plants, relied on information provided by unlearned men whose empirical knowledge and tacit expertise he trusted. Both saw philology and natural history as different cultures of knowledge, which employed distinct practices—though the two men also held that the same person could inhabit, and shape, both cultures at the same time. Their case suggests that a binary division between forms of research was already emerging in the Renaissance—and that a given individual might toggle between these forms as subject matter demanded.


In resource-constrained environments, one can employ spatial multiplexing cameras to acquire a small number of measurements of a scene, and perform effective reconstruction or high-level inference using purely data-driven neural networks. However, once trained, the measurement matrix and the network are valid only for a single measurement rate (MR) chosen at training time. To overcome this drawback, we answer the following question: How can we jointly design the measurement operator and the reconstruction/inference network so that the system can operate over a \textit{range} of MRs? To this end, we present a novel training algorithm, for learning \textbf{\textit{rate-adaptive}} networks. Using standard datasets, we demonstrate that, when tested over a range of MRs, a rate-adaptive network can provide high quality reconstruction over a the entire range, resulting in up to about 15 dB improvement over previous methods, where the network is valid for only one MR. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach for sample-efficient object tracking where video frames are acquired at dynamically varying MRs. We also extend this algorithm to learn the measurement operator in conjunction with image recognition networks. Experiments on MNIST and CIFAR-10 confirm the applicability of our algorithm to different tasks.


The electrical conductivity associated with energy barriers in a polycrystalline semiconductor is derived, taking into account both tunnelling and thermionic emission. Numerical calculations are compared with conductivity data of polycrystalline CdS films, and the contribution of each transport mechanism is determined in a wide temperature interval.


Constitutional Economics – the analysis of constitutions drawing on the economic approach – has made important progress over the last two decades. The factors determining whether a constitution is complied with, however, have received only little attention. This is surprising, as a huge gap between constitutional text and constitutional reality seems to exist in many countries. In this paper, this gap is referred as the de jure/de facto gap. The paper discusses ways in which the gap can be researched systematically and surveys the scant available literature that has tried to do so thus far.


OBJECTIVES
This study describes the costs and outcomes of community-based tuberculin screening programs conducted between 1987 and 1991 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

METHODS
Follow-up information was abstracted from hospital records of all reactors detected in tuberculin screening of students in grades 6 and 10, of first-year health professional students, and of workers aged 18 to 25 in a number of workforces. Screening costs were estimated directly from survey records, and follow-up costs were estimated from the annual financial report of the Montreal Chest Hospital for 1989/90.

RESULTS
Of 7669 persons tested, 782 (10.2%) had positive results and 757 (9.9%) were referred to a clinic. Of those, 525 (6.8% of the original 7669) reported, 293 (3.8%) were prescribed therapy, and 154 (2.0%) were compliant. In Canadian dollars, screening cost $5.70 per person tested and $56 per tuberculin reactor detected, but follow-up of reactors accounted for 73% of the total program cost of $13,455 to $18,753 per case of tuberculosis prevented.

CONCLUSIONS
Because of high rates of patient and provider noncompliance, a tuberculin screening program was much less cost-effective than anticipated. Screening costs must be targeted to the highest risk populations, and compliance with recommendations for preventive therapy must be maximized.


Autonomic nervous function was evaluated by means of power spectral analysis of heart rate variability in hospitalized dipper (n = 31) and non-dipper (n = 31) essential hypertensive subjects. Twenty-four-hour blood pressure (BP) measurement was performed by the cuff-oscillometric method to evaluate the nocturnal decrease of BP. The non-dipper subjects were defined as those whose nocturnal decrease of systolic BP was < 10% of daytime BP. Power spectral analysis of RR interval was performed from Holter ECG every 10 minutes by the maximum entropy method to obtain the low-frequency band (LFB, 0.04 to 0.15 Hz), which is an index of both parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous activities, and the high frequency band (HFB, 0.15 to 0.4 Hz), which reflects parasympathetic nervous activity. LFB and HFB were averaged every hour to obtain hourly LFB and HFB values. Total LFB and total HFB were calculated as the mean values of 24 hourly averaged LFBs and HFBs. Both LFB and HFB were significantly lower in non-dipper hypertensives than in dipper subjects throughout the day. In dipper hypertensives, LFB showed a nocturnal decrease, whereas HFB was significantly increased during the nighttime. However, these diurnal changes in LFB and HFB were significantly blunted in non-dipper subjects. These findings indicate that non-dipper hypertensive subjects were characterized with a decreased physiological circadian fluctuation on autonomic functions compared with dipper subjects. This alteration in the autonomic nervous function may explain the non-dipper phenomenon in essential hypertension.


We obtain necessary conditions for a bounded function to be a Fourier multiplier of weak type , where or , provided that the Young function grows slower than as tends to infinity.


Background : Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a most common complication and  cause of death in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Arrhythmias are complications that are frequently observed in patients attending to hemodialysis varies between 17 to 76%. Increased QT intervals dispersion is predisposing to ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Objective : The main objective of the study is to detect the cardiac disarrhythmia with patients at post-hemodialysis  and  to assess the effect of hemodialysis (HD) on corrected QT (QTc) intervals and their dispersions (QTd) in chronic hemodialyzed patients. Methods: A descriptive study a purposive (non-probability) sample of (60) patients were undergoing hemodialysis was carried out at Kirkuk general hospital/ dialysis center, from December 2013 to 28 March  2014.  The study sample consisted of 60 patients undergoing hemodialysis (61.7% males and 38.3% females), whose mean age was 66.79±13.16 years. All of them underwent  electrocardiograms  performed after one dialysis session. On a second phase, ECG was performed pre –post  hemodialysis .12-leads standard ECG were recorded using a Mortara instrument 1246, (USA) electrocardiograph at paper speed of 25 mm/s and 10 mm/mV, and a blood specimen was drawn to measure plasma electrolytes pre –post a single hemodialysis session. Results were tested for normality and expressed as mean ± SD,. Comparisons were made using t test or Mann-Whitney test (electrolyte values). Results :Post-dialysis arrhythmia showed 20(33.3%) of participants are suffer from Sinus bradycardia and 15 (25%) of them are suffer from irregularity with possible premature atrial  contraction. The mean of pre and post dialysis R-R intervals was (780.11±90.75 ms pre-HD vs. 811.16±81.45 post-HD, respectively (p>0.05). The mean of corrected QT cmax intervals increased significantly from 383.11±11.95 msec pre-HD vs. 422.16±18.70  msec post-HD, (p<0.05). The mean of QTc dispersion increases from 47.56±9.85 ms pre-HD to 59.25±11.93 ms post-HD (p<0.05) respectively. The changes in serum potassium and calcium levels were related with QT interval prolongation. a statistical  high  significant difference of  serum Changes ( (Potassium, Calcium, and Urea) at pre-post hemodialysis  with mean± SD (5.09±0.70 vs 3.96±0.54 , 7.34±0.90 vs 7.72±0.60 , 59.88±9.50 vs 21.97±4.81 ) respectively . Conclusions : This study showed that QTc max and QT dispersion, markers of risk for arrhythmias and sudden death, are elevated in hemodialysis patients, and rise pos-dialysis.QTc interval and dispersion increase in HD patients. Keywords: Chronic renal disease, Hemodialysis, QT interval, Arrhythmia


We evaluated a peptide-based immunotherapy termed SynerGel: an injectable, biomaterial-based platform for intratumoral drug delivery. A drug-mimicking peptide hydrogel named L-NIL-MDP was loaded with an antitumor cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) immunotherapy agonist. The biomaterial combines inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibition with controlled delivery of CDNs, demonstrating between 4- and 20-fold slower drug release than commercially available hydrogels. SynerGel allowed for immune-mediated elimination of established treatment-resistant oral tumors in a murine model, with a median survival of 67.5 days compared with 44 days in no-treatment control. This report details findings for a promising therapy showing improved efficacy over previous hydrogel systems.


The authors report a case of acute pancreatitis, complicated by pancreatic-peritoneal fistula and ascites in 26 year old man, with a history of excessive alcoholic intake. Biochemical investigation of ascitic and pleural fluids, which revealed markedly elevated activity of pancreatic enzymes and protein indicated their pancreatic origin. After 25 days of treatment with somatostatin and parenteral nutrition, the condition of the patient improved and he was dismissed home.


The study determined the influence of gender and location on students' conceptions of heat energy in senior secondary school physics. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted ex-post facto research design. 6,270 senior secondary school two (SSS2) physics students in all the government owned educational secondary schools in Onitsha Education Zone of Anambra State, Nigeria; during 2018/2019 academic session comprised the population. The sample size of 357 senior secondary two (SS2) students drawn from the population was used for the study. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used in composing the sample. Heat Energy Conception Test (HECT) with 16 theory items was adapted by the researchers to measure students' conception of heat energy. The instrument was validated by three experts from the Department of Science Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The internal consistency index of the instrument was calculated to be 0.747 using Cronbach Alpha formula (α). Frequency and percentage was used to answer all the research questions. Chi-square was used in testing the two null hypotheses of the study. The study revealed that gender and location has no significant influence on students' conceptions of heat energy in senior secondary school physics. In light of the findings, recommendations were made by the researchers.


A study was conducted to clarify the mechanism of donor specific immunological unresponsiveness in renal transplant recipients with a well functioning kidney, since this might provide a clue to the nature of donor specific immunosuppression. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were obtained from three renal transplant recipients, the donors (mother), the fathers and healthy volunteers as 3rd party and used in the present study. PBL from one of the three renal transplant recipients, which were donor specific unresponsive in MLR (Mixed Lymphocyte Reaction) and CML (Cell Mediated Lympholysis), suppressed the MLR, CML and synthesis of IL-2 from 3rd party PBL in a double chamber assay only when stimulated by the donor PBL. This suppression was abolished by the treatment with CD3 or CD8 antibodies and complement. RT-PCR was performed to investigate the suppressive effect of the recipient's PBL on IL-2 mRNA expression. In the double chamber MLR, expression of IL-2 mRNA by the PBL from 3rd party was also suppressed only when the recipient's PBL were stimulated by the donor PBL. These results indicate that one of the mechanisms responsible for donor specific immunological unresponsiveness is the presence of donor specific suppressor T cells in recipient's PBL and that these cells project suppressive effect on lymphocytes by producing a humoral suppressive factor(s) that suppress the expression of the IL-2 mRNA only when stimulated by donor PBL.


Political claims about the real world are abundant in video games, and the medium persuades uniquely through procedural rhetoric, the rules of behavior contained in computational code. The transnational scope of the video game industry makes it productive ground for interrogating how a game's persuasion might influence international audiences with nationally situated politics. The 2012 third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line, produced by the German studio Yager Development, depicts the international concern of a fictional conflict in the Middle East and the atrocities of failed military intervention. The game's core procedural rhetoric, which tasks players to push ahead at all costs, cautions an international audience about the futility of deploying military power abroad, a warning that mirrors particularly German political anxieties. The game's depiction of extreme violence—and the player's participation in it—raises further questions about the cultural status of the medium in the country and abroad.


This paper describes a drum space allocation and accessing strategy called "folding", whereby effective drum storage capacity can be traded off for reduced drum page fetch time. A model for the "folded drum" is developed and an expression is derived for the mean page fetch time of the drum as a function of the degree of folding. In a hypothetical three-level memory system of primary (directly addressable), drum, and tertiary (usually disk) memories, the tradeoffs among drum storage capacity, drum page fetch time, and page fetch traffic to tertiary memory are explored. An expression is derived for the mean page fetch time of the combined drum-tertiary memory system as a function of the degree o~ folding. Measurements of the MULTICS three-level memory system are presented as examples of improving multi-level memory performance through drum folding. A methodology is suggested for choosing the degree of folding most appropriate to a particular memory configuration.


Giardia sp. trophozoites were isolated directly from the small intestines of rats and permitted to attach to polystyrene Petri dishes incubated at 37 C. Attached trophozoites were treated in vitro with various agents which inhibit cell motility (cytochalasin-B, low Ca++, colchicine) and metabolism (iodoacetic acid, 2,4-dinitrophenol) and chemotherapeutic agents (quinacrine-HCl, metronidazole). Trophozoite attachment was sensitive to cytochalasin-B, low Ca++, iodoacetate, and quinacrine-HCl. Contractile proteins (actin, myosin) have been demonstrated previously in the periphery of the ventral disc. The effect of cytochalasin-B and low Ca++ concentrations on trophozoite attachment is consistent with the suggested role of contractile proteins in the mechanism of attachment. The effect of iodoacetate suggests that energy for attachment is derived from glycolysis. The effect of quinacrine-HCl on attachment was rapid (less than 10 min with 10.0 micrograms/ml). Its mode of action on attachment is not understood.


Alterations in intracellular signalling pathways such as the mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are key common mechanisms of tumour development and progression. As such, there has been intense research into developing drugs that can inhibit or attenuate intracellular signalling. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition that the cell already has innate negative regulatory proteins that achieve this in normal homeostasis. These regulators provide a feedback inhibitory mechanism that controls the intensity and duration of activated signalling by exogenous stimuli. Members of this group include Raf kinase inhibitor protein 1, the MAPK phosphatases, the SPROUTY and SPRED families and similar expression to FGF. A number of studies have now demonstrated significant alterations in expression of negative regulators in malignant tissue in different cancer types. In functional studies, manipulated expression of these regulators has been shown to significantly influence tumour cell behaviour and phenotype. Here, we summarise the evidence for the functional expression of negative signalling regulators in tumour growth and progression and discuss their potential role as cancer biomarkers and targets for novel drug therapy.


| In "Animal Spirits" looks in some depth at several of Williams's poems about dogs or cats written over the course of his career, from "Sub Terra" (1917); "Poem (As the cat)" (from the 1930s); the dogs of Paterson; and "To a Dog Injured in the Street," which exemplifies the elegiac poetics and representational paradoxes of Williams's late triadic style. Cats for Williams exemplify energy in precise control, its perfection in form—and that was his lifelong quest. Dogs, on the other paw, embodied for Williams the boundary-breaking force of uncorraled creativity breaking form. Both spirits, figured as animals, were totems central to Williams's understanding of the human creative act, and these twin aspects of Williams's method have proven profoundly inspirational to later writers. This article concludes with a brief consideration of the final poem Williams wrote, "Stormy," a tribute to the Williams's dog; in many ways it sums up the goal of his life's work. The article ties that to A. R. Ammons's poem "WCW," also from the 1960s, which features an irrepressible dog as part of Ammons's homage.


The effect of low-temperature annealing on light emitting properties of na- Si/SiOx porous column-like nanocomposite films has been studied. Influence of type of chemically active gas or inert ambient on PL characteristics is shown. Existence of meta- stable defects in such structures is shown. A temperature interval for healing the meta- stable defects is defined. Mechanisms to reduce a non-radiative recombination channel depending on the gas ambient are proposed.


Recently, mortality associated with hepatic resection suffered a considerably reduction. To determine the prognostic factors of mortality after hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma, a retrospective study of 69 cases operated between 1990 and 2008 was under taken. Patients mean age was 61,8 years-old and 93% were male. Chronic liver disease was present in 73% of cases. Mean Charlson's Index and M.E.L.D. were 4,5 and 9,7, respectively. Fifty percent of the tumors were in stage I of T.N.M. classification, 27% in II and 23% in III. Thirty three resections were major (48%) and nine iterative (13%). Mortality and morbidity rates were 7,2% and 47,8%, respectively. In univariate analysis, mortality was significantly related with age (72,6±6,9 vs 60,9±10,9; p=0,022), Beclere Index,T.N.M. and Okuda staging systems. The other analyzed variables weren't statistically relevant, including Charlson's Index, M.E.L.D., hepatic fibrosis and steatosis, type of operation (major or minor, iterative or primary), transfusions, Pringle maneuver and others. Patients with age equal or superior to 70 years-old had higher mortality rates (21,1 vs 2%; p=0,006; odds ratio=10,5; accuracy=77%) and age revealed to be the only independent predictive factor in multivariate analysis. The probability of operative death increase with age between 0,05% (≤ 50 years old), 2,9% (51-69) and 20,2% (≥ 70). The present series suggests that age represent a relevant factor in preoperative evaluation of patients candidate to hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma. Keywords: Postoperative mortality, hepatic resection, hepatocellular carcinoma


I argue that none of the main accounts of autonomy in the literature can explain the fact that people who undergo a certain subtle but powerful kind of indoctrination are not autonomous or self-governing in reflectively acquiring and endorsing the views, values, goals, and practical commitments that they are successfully indoctrinated to adopt. I suggest that, assuming there are historical conditions on autonomous reasoning and reflective endorsement, there is a condition that specifically concerns emotions: the person's emotional state and dispositions, and her web of emotional dependencies. I explain what we know so far about the kind of indoctrination on which I focus, and I motivate the claim that people who are successfully indoctrinated in this way are not self-governed in reflectively acquiring and endorsing even the first views and values that they adopt as a result of indoctrination. I argue that this heteronomy is not explained by any of the accounts that postulate historical conditions on autonomy: neither by classical accounts such as Rousseau's and Piaget's, nor by so-called historical accounts in the contemporary literature, nor by relational accounts. I argue that an accurate account of autonomy must include an emotional condition on autonomous reasoning and reflective endorsement that goes beyond the emotional conditions postulated or implied by historical accounts, and I offer a tentative sketch of this condition.


We present the first comprehensive observations of turbulence properties within high speed reconnection jet in the plasma sheet with moderate guide field. The power spectral density index is about −1.73 in the inertial range, and follows the value of −2.86 in the ion dissipation range. The turbulence is strongly anisotropic in the wave‐vector space with the major power having its wave‐vector highly oblique to the ambient magnetic field, suggesting that the turbulence is quasi‐2D. The measured "dispersion relations" obtained using the k‐filtering technique are compared with theory and are found to be consistent with the Alfvén‐Whistler mode. In addition, both Probability Distribution Functions and flatness results show that the turbulence in the reconnection jet is intermittent (multifractal) at scales less than the proton gyroradius/inertial lengths. The estimated electric field provided by anomalous resistivity caused by turbulence is about 3 mV/m, which is close to the typical reconnection electric field in the magnetotail.


We prove a non-existence theorem for smooth, supersymmetric, warped AdS6 solutions with connected, compact without boundary internal space in D = 11 and (massive) IIA supergravities. In IIB supergravity we show that if such AdS6 solutions exist, then the NSNS and RR 3-form fluxes must be linearly independent and certain spinor bi-linears must be appropriately restricted. Moreover we demonstrate that the internal space admits an so(3) action which leaves all the fields invariant and for smooth solutions the principal orbits must have co-dimension two. We also describe the topology and geometry of internal spaces that admit such a so(3) action and show that there are no solutions for which the internal space has topology F × S2, where F is an oriented surface.


Sending 1500 Valentine cards to the vice chancellor of Nottingham University was one of the publicity ploys adopted by the university's health practice, students' union, and students' welfare body when they began to lobby for a sexual health promotion officer. If 95% of your 34 000 patients are in the age range 18-30, sexual health is clearly a major issue.

The university health service also ran nurse led screening clinics for sexually transmitted diseases. It raised the profile of the clinics through evening "road shows" where asymptomatic screening was offered in halls of residence and where students could register for free condoms. It had "pee in the pot" days as part of chlamydia screening, and it ran a "sexual health awareness and guidance week," with the memorable acronym of SHAG week.

The team from the university health service, which is based at the Cripps Health Centre, Nottingham, is one of four groups that have been shortlisted for the BMJ Group's Primary Care Team of the Year award, which is being offered this year for the first time. When the BMJ Group Awards were first launched last year, there was neither a primary care nor a secondary …


It is known that different factors affects the individual's perception of body image. In the specific case of adolescents fashion models, it can be considered that their body are their main worry. In this context, the present study aims to investigate psychological aspects related to the perception of body image of adolescents who work as professional fashion models. It presents two case studies analyzed in a psychoanalytical perspective. Data were collected by the application of the test FID (Drawing of the Human Figure), Machover, and a semi-directed individual interview with two adolescents, 16 years old, that work in a fashion model's agency in the ABC area, in São Paulo. Data analysis revealed conflicting feelings related to their bodies, as self-depreciation, insecurity and difficulties in social contact. It can also be observed a state of ego weakness and different strategies to deal with adolescent's sexual conflicts.


Ice skating is a prominent winter sport, and ice rinks provide an excellent place for socio-family relation enhancement, which means that sports are indeed a great tool to enhance parents' and children's bond. Most ice rinks were built indoors in Southeast Asia since the climate is not suitable for outdoor-built facilities. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic raised a new challenge for this sport's development. This study aims to determine whether an outdoor ice rink can be built in a tropical climate that also serves as a place for socio-family relationships to blossom. The method utilized is a research-based design where observational data from several ice rinks was interpreted into the notion of a healthy sports facility that is a synthetic ice rink with its technical advantages and unique atmosphere, setting an example of thoughtful design in correlation to a sport's development. This innovative design concept offers a new attraction as open-air rinks add to the scenery, are energy-efficient, and are cost-effective since their maintenance is cheaper than mechanical, indoor ice rinks.
Keywords: ice rink, socio-family relations


In this paper, the class of Lamé Lorenz curves is studied. This family has the advantage of modeling inequality with a single parameter. The family has a double motivation: it can be obtain from an economic model and from simple transformations of classical Lorenz curves. The underlying cumulative distribution functions have a simple closed form, and correspond to the Singh-Maddala and Dagum distributions, which are well known in the economic literature. The Lorenz order is studied and several inequality and polarization measures are obtained, including Gini, Donaldson-Weymark-Kakwani, Pietra and Wolfson indices. Some extensions of the Lamé family are obtained. Fitting and estimation methods under two different data configuration are proposed. Empirical applications with real data are given. Finally, some relationships with other curves are included.


Generally, the AC electrified railway systems have the power quality problems that are induced from the harmonic currents and the reactive power. This paper presents a single-phase hybrid active filter adopting a SRF(synchronous-reference-frame) control for improving power quality in the AC electrified railway systems. The single-phase hybrid active filter can compensate the harmonic currents and the reactive power through the proposed SRF control algorithm. The proposed control algorithm can extract the third and fifth harmonics through the MSRF(multiple-synchronous-reference-frames) which is used to apply the three-phase systems. Therefore, the hybrid active filter can compensates only the high-frequency harmonic currents whereas the passive filter compensates the low-frequency harmonic currents. Also, the proposed SRF control algorithm can compensate the reactive power by the closed-loop control. The Validity and the effectiveness of the proposed SRF control method for the hybrid active filter are illustrated through the simulation results.


This paper provides novel evidence suggesting that securities class action lawsuits, a central pillar of the U.S. litigation and corporate governance system, can constitute an obstacle to valuable corporate innovation. We first establish that valuable innovation output makes firms particularly vulnerable to costly low-quality class action litigation. Exploiting judge turnover in federal courts, we then show that changes in class action litigation risk affect the value and number of patents filed, suggesting firms take into account that risk in their innovation decisions. A new perspective we provide is that innovation success, not only innovation failure, can increase firms' securities class action litigation risk. This paper was accepted by Victoria Ivashina, finance.


A growing body of evidence suggests that internet-based cognitive behavioural treatments (ICBT) are effective to treat social anxiety disorder (SAD). Whereas the efficacy of clinician-guided ICBT has been established, ICBT in a group format has not yet been systematically investigated. This three-arm RCT compared the efficacy of clinician-guided group ICBT (GT) with clinician guided individual ICBT (IT) and a waitlist (WL). A total of 149 individuals meeting the diagnostic criteria for SAD were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Primary endpoints were self-report measures of SAD and diagnostic status taken at baseline, after the twelve-week intervention and at six-month follow-up. Secondary endpoints were symptoms of depression, interpersonal problems and general symptomatology. At post-treatment, both active conditions showed superior outcome regarding SAD symptoms (GT vs. WL: d = 0.84–0.74; IT vs. WL: d = 0.94–1.22). The two active conditions did not differ significantly in symptom reduction (d=0.12– 0.26, all ps>0.63), diagnostic response rate or attrition. Treatment gains were maintained at follow-up. The group format reduced weekly therapist time per participant by 71% (IT: 17 min, GT: 5 min). Findings indicate that a clinician-guided group format is a promising approach in treating SAD. Keywords: Internet treatment, ICBT, social anxiety disorder, guided self-help, group therapy, peer support, RCT INDIVIDUAL VS. GROUP ICBT FOR SAD 3 A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved? A three-arm randomized controlled trial comparing internet-based individual versus group treatment for social anxiety disorder The field of internet-based cognitive behavioural treatments (ICBT)1 for mental health problems has grown rapidly during the last decade. Most of the growing body of evidence comes from studies evaluating guided ICBT, in which the presentation of a web-based self-help program is combined with minimal but regular therapist contact via secured e-mail (Berger & Andersson, 2009). The efficacy of this treatment format has been demonstrated for a variety of mental disorders in a number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses (e.g. Hedman, Ljotsson, & Lindefors, 2012). Studies directly comparing internet interventions with face-to-face therapy report similar outcomes across various mental disorders (e.g., anxiety disorders, depression) and health concerns associated with bodily symptoms (e.g. tinnitus, sexual dysfunction; Andersson, Cuijpers, Carlbring, Riper, and Hedman, 2014). Moreover, long-term followup studies show lasting effects over as much as five years (e.g. Hedman, Furmark, et al., 2011). Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the clinical fields where research on ICBT has been most extensive during the last decade and it is likely that SAD is the disorder for which this type of treatment has the strongest empirical support (Boettcher, Carlbring, Renneberg, & Berger, 2013; Hedman, Botella, & Berger, 2016). SAD is characterized by a marked and persistent fear of being scrutinized and negatively judged by others in social or performance situations (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). SAD is the third most common mental disorder with an estimated lifetime 1 Abbreviations: ICBT: Internet-based cognitive behavioural treatment; SAD: social anxiety disorder; IT: clinician-guided individual treatment; GT: clinician-guided group treatment; WL: wait-list; SPS: Social Phobia Scale; SIAS: Social Interaction Anxiety Scale; GSI: Global Severity Index (Brief Symptom Inventory); BDI-II: Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition; IIP: Inventory of Interpersonal Problems; SF-12PH: Short Form Health Survey physical health subscale; SF-12MH: Short Form Health Survey mental health subscale INDIVIDUAL VS. GROUP ICBT FOR SAD 4 prevalence of 12.1% in western countries (Kessler, et al., 2005). If untreated, SAD typically follows a chronic, unremitting course leading to highly disabling impairments in vocational and social functioning (Fehm, Pelissolo, Furmark, & Wittchen, 2005; Stein & Kean, 2000; Yonkers, Dyck, & Keller, 2001). Although effective treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are available (Acarturk, Cuijpers, Van Straten, & de Graaf, 2009; Mayo-Wilson, et al., 2014), far from all individuals suffering from SAD seek and eventually find help. Only about 20-40% of those with SAD consult a mental health specialist (Gross, et al., 2005). An even lower proportion receives "adequate" treatment defined as antidepressant medication or CBT (Shafran et al., 2009). The low treatment seeking rates are partly due to reasons common to other mental disorders including barriers to treatment seeking such as geographical location, lack of trained therapists, stigma of mental illness, costs of treatment, and lack of awareness about treatment options and effectiveness (Andrade et al., 2014). However, the disorder's specific fear of social situations offers a further explanation for why it takes individuals with SAD up to 20 years to consult a professional (Keller, 2003). For instance, Olfson and colleagues (2000) found that a considerable number of individuals with SAD avoid seeking treatment because of their fear of what others (including the therapist) might think of them. Since socially anxious individuals experience more control and less threat of negative evaluation in online interactions (Lee & Stapinski, 2012), ICBT may lower the threshold to actively seek help and thus may facilitate treatment seeking especially for SAD patients. Evidence for the efficacy of guided ICBT for SAD has been provided by at least six independent research groups in Sweden (Andersson, et al., 2006; Andersson, Carlbring, & Furmark 2012; Carlbring, et al., 2007), Australia (e.g. Titov, Andrews, Schwencke, Drobny, & Einstein, 2008; Titov, Gibson, Andrews, & McEvoy, 2009), Switzerland (e.g. INDIVIDUAL VS. GROUP ICBT FOR SAD 5 Berger, et al., 2011; Berger, Hohl, & Caspar, 2009), Spain (Botella, et al., 2010), Norway (Nordmo et al., 2015) and Romania (Tulbure et al., 2015). In a meta-analysis the overall effect size of ICBT for SAD compared to control conditions was large (g=0.92, 95% CI 0.74-1.09; Andrews, et al., 2010), and trials directly comparing guided ICBT for SAD with face-to-face therapy revealed that both conditions led to large and similar clinical improvements (Andrews, Davies, & Titov, 2011; Botella, et al., 2010; Hedman, Andersson, Ljotsson, Andersson, Rück, Mörtberg, et al., 2011). Furthermore, effects tend to be stable over long-term follow-up (e.g. Hedman, Furmark, et al., 2011) and studies examining the effectiveness of ICBT for SAD delivered in regular clinical services show that the effects found in efficacy trials can be replicated in routine clinical practice (Andrews, et al., 2011; Aydos, Titov, & Andrews, 2009; El Alaoui, et al., 2015; Hedman, Andersson, Ljotsson, Andersson, Rück, & Lindefors, 2011). Despite these promising results, there is still room for improving the efficacy of ICBT for SAD since a considerable number of patients do not recover from treatment, a finding which is also reported in studies on face-to-face therapy for SAD (Otto et al., 2000). More specifically, the number of participants fulfilling the criterion of clinically significant change (Jacobson & Truax, 1991) at the end of treatment ranges between 3656% across studies on ICBT for SAD (Boettcher, et al., 2013). An important line of research on ICBT has focused on the degree of support and guidance required during the self-help treatments in order to be effective. Several metaanalyses show a superiority of guided versus unguided ICBT in terms of efficacy, adherence to treatment and dropout rates (Baumeister, Reichler, Munzinger, & Lin, 2014; Richards & Richardson, 2012; Spek, et al., 2007). With regard to SAD, however, good outcomes have also been reported for unguided treatments in trials in which a clinical diagnosis had been established (Berger, Caspar, et al., 2011; Furmark, et al., INDIVIDUAL VS. GROUP ICBT FOR SAD 6 2009; Titov, Andrews, Choi, Schwencke, & Johnston, 2009). Most of the studies on unguided ICBT for SAD have included integrated moderated or unmoderated discussion forums (Berger, Caspar, et al., 2011; Furmark, et al., 2009; Titov, Andrews, Schwencke, et al., 2009). These forums are usually conceptualized and used as an addition, complementing the main treatment components such as the self-help program and therapist guidance. Whereas previous studies such as Titov (2009) did include access to an open forum, to the best of our knowledge this is the first study that directly compared a web-based treatment with a discussion forum to the same web-based treatment without a discussion forum. The use of an online discussion forum alone, without self-help guide, does not seem to lead to substantial changes in social anxiety (Andersson, Carlbring, & Furmark, 2012). However, there is some initial evidence across studies that additional peer support might increase the benefits of internet treatments for SAD. For instance, Furmark et al. (2009) found comparable effects for an internet-based guided self-help treatment for SAD and the same self-help guide delivered as bibliotherapy with no therapist support but with access to an online discussion forum. Furthermore, Titov and colleagues (2009) could increase the effects of unguided ICBT for SAD by adding a clinician-moderated online discussion forum. One of the experiences with such integrated discussion forums is that many participants value the possibility to share information and experiences with other participants as a helpful element of the treatment package (Berger & Caspar, 2008). A qualitative analysis of the content of the discussions in the integrated forums showed that therapeutic mechanisms of change may come into play that are known from research on group psychotherapies (e.g. normalization, altruism, instillation of hope, interpersonal learning, imitative


Binocular magnifiers worn with a head band are routinely made to be worn without glasses or with single-vision glasses. These magnifiers are easily adjusted upward. However, it is impossible to adjust them downward over glasses beyond a certain point. The user thus at times may have to tilt his head awkwardly down and his eyes up. He cannot get the magnifiers down far enough to use with bifocal glasses. In order to overcome this difficulty a "Twin Loupe" * (in this instance, a bifocal pair, 3 X magnification above and 1¾ X below) was modified as follows (Figure). With a metal saw the aluminum portion of the magnifier was divided horizontally into two halves. The anterior section was dropped straight down approximately 1⅛ in. The two halves were bolted together in the new position with one piece of flat connecting metal on each side. The new magnifiers can easily be moved


Background: It has been postulated that Multiple sclerosis (MS) stems from a narrowing in the veins that drain blood from the brain, known medically as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI. It has been proposed that balloon angioplasty should alleviate the symptoms of MS. This procedure is also known as The "Liberation Procedure". Accordingly, a clinical study was undertaken to determine the effects of dexmedetomidine in patients undergoing the liberation procedure. Aims: To assess the effectiveness of dexmedetomidine in providing adequate sedation and pain relief for patients undergoing the liberation procedure. Settings and design: A prospective, nonrandomized observational study of 60 consecutive adult patients undergoing the liberation procedure under monitored anesthesia care (MAC) who will receive dexmedetomidine as an anesthetic agent. Methods: A total of 60 adult patients were enrolled in the study. Dexmedetomidine was administered to all patients in a loading dose of 1 mcg/kg, which was followed by a maintenance dose of 0.2–0.5 mcg/kg/h. The evaluation of quality of sedation was based on Ramsay Sedation and the quality of analgesia was assessed using the visual analog scale. The following parameters were measured continuously: heart rate, mean arterial pressure and hemoglobin oxygen saturation. Patients were asked to answer the question, "How would you rate your experience with the sedation you have received during surgery?" using a seven-point Likert-like verbal rating scale. Statistical analysis: Repeated measurements were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA for HR and BP. Results: Most of our patients were satisfied with their sedation. In most of the patients, MAP and HR dropped after the bolus dose of dexmedetomidine, and the drop was statistically significant. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine can be used as a sole sedative agent in patients undergoing the liberation procedure.


The definition, causes and some pathophysiological aspects of acute respiratory failure are discussed and a systematic clinical workup for these patients is proposed. The clinical and functional parameters for intubation and artifical ventilation are described. Finally, some special problems of therapy in some diseases leading to acute respiratory failure are mentioned. The basic disease not only indicates the criteria for intubation but also determines modifications in ventilatory support.


BACKGROUND
The subjective postural vertical (SPV) is affected by training that requires participants to maintain balance; training to achieve sitting balance may also help SPV recovery and activities of daily living (ADLs).

OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the medium-term effects of balance training on the postural vertical (PV) and ADLs in patients with stroke.

METHODS
Thirty-three patients with stroke were enrolled in this randomized crossover trial. The outcomes were SPV, SPV with eyes opened (SPV-EO), and the Functional Independent Measure (FIM) after the 14-day intervention of experimental or control training. Experimental training consisted of a maximum lateral truncal tilt to the paretic side at 0.25 Hz with or without a 10° wedge, repeated 60 times. Repeated-measures two-way analysis of variance was performed with two factors: intervention and the intervention period.

RESULTS
There was no interaction between the control condition and the PV, but there was interaction between the intervention period and using a wedge for SPV variability errors. FIM showed an interaction between the intervention period and the use of a wedge.

CONCLUSIONS
Balance training while sitting with a wedge significantly improved the SPV and FIM. This improved cognition and perception, which facilitate difficult dynamic tasks in ADLs.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the effect of combination of stereotactic lesion and multiple subpial transsection (MST) in treatment of bitemporal lobe epilepsy (BTLE).

METHODS
Independent epileptogenic foci were found in bilateral temporal lobes by video-electroencephalogram, computed tomogrphy, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, magnetoencephalography, neuropsychology and intraoperative electrocoticography, and depth EEG in 12 patients with intractable epilepsy. Then the BTLE patients were treated with stereotactic amygdalohippocampotomy (SAHT) and MST respectively according to the sites of the. epileptogenic foci: in the amygdalohippocampus complex or temporal neocortex. Followed-up was conducted for 6 - 32 months.

RESULTS
The curative effects of the 12 patients according to Engel's standard were grade I in 5 cases, grade II in 3 case, grade III in 3 cases, and grade IV in 1 case. No permanent complication was found.

CONCLUSION
Combination of SAHT and MST procedures is safe and effective in treatment of bitemporal lobe epilepsy.


*† The direct-evaporation magnesium Hall thruster exhibits thermal runaway when operated in voltage-limited mode. This paper reports on a method of controlling runaway mass flow by manipulating the pre-set current and voltage limits of the anode power supply. By choosing proper voltage and current limits, voltage-limited operation was achieved for periods of greater than 9 minutes without any active control scheme. Natural cyclic transitions into and out of voltage-limited mode with a period of a few minutes were observed and are attributed to a time delay between onset of power increase and temperature rise in the propellant. By adjusting the current and voltage limits, both the amplitude and the frequency of the cyclic oscillations were reduced such that the thruster was semi-stable. From this semi-stable operating, point minor adjustments in the current to the electromagnets allowed true stabilization of the thruster discharge. Using this control scheme voltage-limited operation at 225 V and 5 A was sustained for more than two hours. Thrust data showed a peak thrust of 33 mN with a peak specific impulse of 2760 seconds, with a nominal efficiency of 31%. Relatively low efficiency is attribute non-optimum magnetic field and low flow rates.


Abstract The current international framework that purports to regulate the spread of communicable disease in the context of maritime traffic is a fragmented, internally inconsistent, and inadequately enforced patchwork of treaties (including the International Health Regulations (2005)) and customary international law. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the current framework and revealed it to be inadequate to deal with a major global health emergency. States have imposed or failed to impose varying control measures, the effects of which have been witnessed on board passenger vessels around the world. The cruise industry, in particular, has a significant global economic impact; therefore, appropriate, enforceable international regulation is necessary to ensure the adequate control of future communicable disease outbreaks.


From a series of 1265 individuals with different craniosynostoses hospitalized between 1976 and 1993, 260 probands with nonsyndromic unilateral (181) or bilateral (79) coronal synostosis were analysed. The prevalence of craniosynostoses was estimated as 1 in 2100 children. In the group of coronal synostosis, family history was obtained on 192 probands in 180 pedigrees. The male:female ratio was 1:2. The average paternal age was 32.7 +/- 6.4 years, which is significantly higher than normal. In 26 of the 180 pedigrees, a high degree of familial aggregation was observed, giving a 14.4% figure of familial cases. The bicoronal synostoses were significantly more often familial than the unicoronal synostoses. Segregation analysis of these families leads to the conclusion that coronal synostosis is transmitted as a dominant disorder with 0.60 penetrance and 61% of sporadic cases.


Abstract A model named NBM was developed to judge quantitatively the risks of soil nutrient extraction due to timber harvesting in Switzerland. The model can be used for forest enterprises as well as for larger regions. It assesses nutrient extraction at the level of the single stand as part of a scenario analysis. The extraction of nine nutrients as a result of harvesting is quantified under conditions with different silvicultural and bucking methods. The results are then compared to the soil potentials and changes in these potentials. The simulation results are assessed with respect to sustainability. Two criteria are used to evaluate the long-term risk of nutrient deficiency. The validity of the model in a practical context is limited as more soil informations would be needed. The paper describes structure and functions of the model, its computational implementation, and the results obtained from its first application in the forest enterprise of Bremgarten, Wohlen, Waltenschwil. It ends with a critical...


Nursery personnel certification programs are designed to advance professionalism throughout the nursery and garden center industry. Certified nursery personnel may be perceived more favorably by their employers, peers, and, most important, by the public they serve. Certification programs currently are conducted in 39 states. Many state nursery or related organizations also offer landscape certification programs; however, such programs are not addressed here.


In this work, Joy Crumly aims to ask what Christian love is in the light of what Henry Drummond has written about it based on his interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13, and whether or not humans are capable of absolute Christian love. This question is answered by saying that love is made of nine parts, highlighted by Drummond and through understanding that absolute love is not something that humans are capable of. It is however, something that Christians should always aim for in their attempts to grow in the image and likeness of God. Joy comes to this conclusion because she feels that only God is capable of limitless love as He is the only thing which is limitless. Human beings are innately flawed and sinful so cannot love absolutely. They should constantly try though because it is their duty as Christians.


Concentrated-mass (CM) cantilevers previously proposed by the author have features significantly effective for atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM), in which sample stiffness can be detected at nano scale by a vibrating tip. CM cantilevers improve the sensitivity of the detection and simplify the dynamics then lead to success in evaluations of the elastic modulus. The present study proposed a new type of CM cantilevers based on analyses of the vibrational dynamics taking account of previously ignored factors including the lateral contact stiffness and the inertia moment of a particle attached as a CM. A rod-like particle was attached on a tip in the new type to enhance the inertia moment in addition to the translational inertia. The first two modes behaved like one-freedom models, namely translational (vertical) and rotational (lateral) motions of the attached mass and the tip. Experiments on a sapphire wafer verified that the vertical and lateral stiffness can be simultaneously evaluated without mutual interference.


A case of a left coronary artery fistula to the left ventricle successfully by surgery treated is reported. The medical literature was reviewed, and it is concluded that because of the surgical low mortality rate, all cases of coronary fistula, diagnosed by angiography and cardiac catheterization, ought to be submitted to surgical treatment.


Psychometric testing is a key issue in neuropsychological toxicology assessment. Evaluation of methods for assessing general intellectual impairment is necessary as conventional neurology has been shown to be insensitive to the neurotoxic effects of solvents and metals. This study presents an analysis of a psychometric test battery from an investigation of psycho-organic syndrome in a historical cohort of 96 metal degreasers with long-term exposure to solvents, particularly trichloroethylene. The neuropsychological test battery was a combination of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Luria, and tests developed in Scandinavia. Linear regression analysis showed a significant dose-response relation between increasing cumulative solvent exposure and impaired psychometric test performance in 9 out of 15 tests. Multivariate analysis, however, suggests that much of the variance was due to confounding variables, especially age, and to a lesser degree, primary intellectual function and word blindness. After control for confounding factors the strongest association with solvent exposure occurred for the following three tests: acoustic-motor function, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), and the visual gestalt test.


Empirical analyses on urban/regional amenity began in the 1980s. These economic researches measured the "quality of life index" (QOLI) of cities and regions. The endogenous variables, rent, wage and population, were explained by social and economical attributes as well as some amenity attributes of regions. Simultaneous equation models were estimated and regional levels of amenity were evaluated from the estimated coefficients.In the literature regarding amenity evaluation, interregional spatial interactions and interregional spatial effects have not been sufficiently considered, however. With progress of the motorization, and expansion of the high-speed public transportation network, interregional commuting and consumer activity between areas became common. Existing researches on the measurement of regional amenities are insufficient from this viewpoint. We will be able to evaluate the regional quality of life more precisely if we employ a model in which spatial influences between regions are considered. One of the techniques for modeling such influences is spatial autoregressive models. The technology has been well established in recent decades.There has been some research regarding amenity evaluation which considers interregional spatial influences using a simplified single equation model. We cannot ignore interdependencies between endogenous variables, however. We think that a simultaneous equation system should be adopted.In this paper, we formulate econometric analyses using simultaneous spatial autoregressive models. We combine simultaneous equation systems for the endogenous variables, and consider spatial influences using a spatial autoregressive model. In this research, we use data regarding cities and regions in Japan. The amenity variables, which we evaluate, concern living, education, safety, industrial accumulation, air pollution, and natural conditions.


A single case where persistent and pervasive ruminations were treated by intensive audiotaped exposure to the ruminations themselves is reported. Exposure at two levels produced significant effects in an interrupted time series analysis of daily frequency, and the patient was rumination free at the end of treatment and at 6 months follow-up.


Most residents in Connecticut have consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living. Yet each year there are households that experience limited access to food due to a lack of money or other resources. Between 2008 and 2010, 12.7 percent of residents in Connecticut were living in food insecure households (38% of which were living in 'households with very low food insecurity'). Approximately one in seven CT households reported there had been times in the past year when they did not have enough money to buy food that they needed. Although it is extremely difficult to pinpoint where these food insecure households are located, one can look at certain town-level variables of food insecurity and draw comparisons on a town by town basis. For example, what towns have a population mix that are generally considered more likely to be food insecure? Are there some towns where proximity and thus geographic access to retail food is a particular challenge? Are food assistance eligible households accessing public programs to improve their food budgets? This report provides a picture of how towns in Connecticut compare to each other under three separate conditions: • What is the likelihood that a resident in a particular town is food insecure? • What is the geographic proximity from town population centers to food retailers? • How well are town residents being served through public food assistance services and public bus transportation?