SUMMARY Cull cows account for a large part of beef consumption in France and are a significant proportion of farm income for dairy (0·10) and beef systems (up to 0·30). On-farm observations highlight considerable variations in cull cow phenotypes in terms of age, frame size, health, physiological status and body condition. Consequently, an important issue for producers of cull cows is the management of feed supply during the finishing period to obtain a satisfactory condition score and conformation prior to slaughter. New feeding recommendations for cull cows should consider live weight and live weight gain, age, frame size and body condition score (BCS) to estimate the energy requirements. A predictive model, called CompoCow, was developed for this purpose. The present paper describes the CompoCow model by summarizing developments from previous modelling approaches and outlining the assumptions and equations used in the model. CompoCow combines a growth model for the cow during its productive period (3–8 years old) and a model for the finishing period (in days) and was parameterized for Charolais, Limousine and Holstein breeds. Sensitivity analysis highlighted that the outputs of the model were mainly sensitive to initial body weight and expected body weight gain of the animal. The proportion of lipid in live weight gain was related to body weight, BCS and frame size of the animal. The model also accounts for the higher proportion of lipid in live weight gain in Holstein than in Charolais cows. The model was applied to data from Charolais cows. It showed that the proportion of variability explained by CompoCow for energy requirements was higher than the proportion obtained with previous INRA recommendations, 0·78 and 0·67, respectively. CompoCow does not rely on mechanistic relationships, but it appears robust as it accounts correctly for the effects of age and BCS on the requirements.


Abstract Cytokines and soluble adhesion molecules play an increasing role in laboratory medicine especially due to the increasing knowledge of the function of the immune system and the availability of cytokine assays on analyzers working in the "random-access" mode. This meeting report gives an insight of different applications for the measurements of these immunomediators. Examples from surgery, pediatrics, transplantation medicine and immunopharmacology show that these parameters could provide early and useful information for diagnosis, prognosis, therapeutic decision making and drug actions.


The thymol turbidity test (Macglan's test) and the determination of serum cholesterol are still performed routinely as liver function tests in many laboratories. In this report, we have employed quantitative methods in order to evaluate the real usefulness of these two parameters. In a first step, the value of the thymol test and of cholesterol determination for the discrimination of the 13 most frequent hepato-biliary diseases was studied by analysis of variance, and compared to that of the following tests : serum bilirubin, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, serum alkaline phosphatase serum protein electrophoresis and prothrombin time. It was found that of all these parameters, the thymol test and cholesterol measurement had the lowest discriminatory powers. In a second step, the consequences of the suppression of the two tests were examined by linear discrimination analysis, which was done for all the possible pairs of diseases. It appeared that in each case, the loss of information due to the elimination of the thymol test or of cholesterol determination was nil or negligible. We conclude therefore that the thymol turbidity test and determination of serum cholesterol should be abandoned as routine tests of liver function.


Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are the most important recently emerged group of food-borne pathogens. It can cause severe gastrointestinal disease, including fatal infections, and is being detected more frequently worldwide. In this study the Polymerase chain reaction technique (PCR) were used for detection of hemolysin toxin gene (hlyA) as virulence factor producing by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) isolated from diarrheic sheep. The PCR primers for hlyA gene were designed according to a program from NCBI-Genbank published sequence (Genbank code: X94129.1). Fifty fecal samples were collected from sheep suffering from diarrhea, (32) isolates (64%) of Escherichia coli were detected and diagnosed by routine laboratory tests. The results were shown only (13) positive isolates in PCR technique for detection of hemolysin toxin gene at (40.62%) which present as Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli out of (32) E. coli . In conclusion, hemolysin toxin gene (hlyA) is important virulence factor of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infected sheep and using PCR was appeared very sensitive and highly specific assay serve as suitable molecular diagnostic tool for detection Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli producing hemolysin toxin.


PURPOSE
Most surgeons examine the intravasal fluid at vasectomy reversal. Vasovasostomy is performed when sperm are identified in the intravasal fluid or when sperm are absent but the fluid is copious and clear. When sperm are absent and the intravasal fluid is not copious and clear, vasoepididymostomy is often performed. Frequently the intravasal fluid contains only fragments of sperm. This study examines patency rates after microsurgical vasovasostomy as a function of the quality of sperm in the intravasal fluid.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The records of patients who had undergone microsurgical vasovasostomy were reviewed. The intravasal fluid was examined and sperm quality was recorded as no sperm, sperm heads, sperm with short tails or whole sperm. Results of postoperative semen analyses were recorded. Patency rates and postoperative semen parameters were compared.

RESULTS
A total of 53 patients satisfied the entrance criteria. Ages ranged from 25 to 53 (mean age 39). Mean obstructive interval was 9.9 years (range 1 to 20). Overall patency was 98% (52 of 53 cases). Patency rates were 95% for the group with sperm heads and 100% for whole sperm, sperm with short tails and absent sperm groups. Patency rates did not vary significantly as a function of intravasal sperm quality.

CONCLUSIONS
Modern microsurgical techniques yield excellent patency rates. The presence of sperm parts compared to whole sperm does not adversely affect patency rates after vasovasostomy. Vasovasostomy should be performed if any sperm parts are identified in the intravasal fluid.


The dynamics of the Late Glacial have been demonstrated by numerous records from the Northern Hemisphere and far fewer from the Southern Hemisphere (SH). SH paleoclimate records reveal a general warming trend, interrupted by a deglaciation pause Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR; ∼14,700–13,000 cal BP). Here, we present decadal tree‐ring stable isotope chronologies (δ18O, δ13C) from New Zealand (NZ) subfossil kauri trees (n = 6) covering the post‐ACR millennium from 13,020 to 11,850 cal BP. We find a distinct, simultaneous downturn (∼12,625–12,375 cal BP) in all tree‐ring proxies paralleling regional tree growth declines, suggesting a widespread climate deterioration. This downturn was characterized by sustained high precipitation, low temperatures, and high relative humidity in NZ with incoming weather fronts from the South Ocean. Despite these promising results, questions remain about what drove the Kauri Downturn and how the hydroclimatic conditions were altered during this time period.


Author(s): Brown, Patrick H | Abstract: In many horticultural cropping systems, leaf sampling with comparison to established critical values (CV's) represents the primary tool for fertilizer decision-making. In the majority of crop production systems, however, the use of CV's is inadequate as a result of flaws in both practice and interpretation. Ideally, CV's will have been established by carefully controlled experiments in which the relationship between yield and nutrient concentration is closely followed. In the majority of crops, with the exception of the major staples and broad acre field crop, trials of this kind are very limited and hence the integrity of the CV's is questionable. The utility of the CV as a management tools is further compromised by the very significant difficulty in obtaining representative tissue samples as a result of within plant, spatial and temporal variability. Further, CV's established on the basis of the nutrient concentration at which a species' attains near full yield (physiological CV), provide only limited information on the response of a population of plants under field conditions. The important difference between a 'physiological' CV and a 'population' CV, is rarely considered in field practice. Managing a field so that the mean plant tissue concentration is at or just above the CV will result in up to 50% of individuals falling below critical value, while managing to ensure that 95% of all individuals exceed the critical value thus ensuring maximal field productivity, will result in over-fertilization of the majority of the field. While attempts to reduce the cost of sampling, to refine the speed or accuracy of monitoring techniques or to create fertilization practices based upon models of crop demand or nutrient budget, can all help improve efficiency incrementally, these approaches alone cannot substantially contribute to enhanced fertilizer use efficiency unless they are combined with attempts to quantify and manage field variability.


Patient: Female, 24 Final Diagnosis: Starvation ketoacidosis Symptoms: None Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Lumbar laminectomy Specialty: Orthopedics and Traumatology Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Besides providing anesthesia for surgery, the anesthesiologist's role is to optimize the patient for surgery and for post-surgical recovery. This involves timely identification and treatment of medical comorbidities and abnormal laboratory values that could complicate the patient's perioperative course. There are several potential causes of anion and non-anion gap metabolic acidosis in surgical patients, most of which could profoundly affect a patient's surgical outcome. Thus, the presence of an acute acid-base disturbance requires a thorough workup, the results of which will influence the patient's anesthetic management. Case Report: An otherwise-healthy 24-year-old female presented for elective spine surgery and was found to have metabolic acidosis, hypotension, and polyuria intraoperatively. Common causes of acute metabolic acidosis were investigated and systematically ruled out, including lactic acidosis, diabetic ketoacidosis, drug-induced ketoacidosis, ingestion of toxic alcohols (e.g., methanol, ethylene glycol), uremia, and acute renal failure. Laboratory workup was remarkable only for elevated serum and urinary ketone levels, believed to be secondary to starvation ketoacidosis. Due to the patient's unexplained acid-base disturbance, she was kept intubated postoperatively to allow for further workup and management. Conclusions: Starvation ketoacidosis is not widely recognized as a perioperative entity, and it is not well described in the medical literature. Lack of anesthesiologist awareness about this disorder may complicate the differential diagnosis for acute intraoperative metabolic acidosis and lead to a prolonged postoperative stay and an increase in hospital costs. The short- and long-term implications of perioperative ketoacidosis are not well defined and require further investigation.


Neuromodulation is a ubiquitous feature of neural systems, allowing flexible, context specific control over network dynamics. Neuromodulation was first described in invertebrate motor systems and early work established a basic dichotomy for neuromodulation as having either an intrinsic origin (i.e., neurons that participate in network coding) or an extrinsic origin (i.e., neurons from independent networks). In this conceptual dichotomy, intrinsic sources of neuromodulation provide a "memory" by adjusting network dynamics based upon previous and ongoing activation of the network itself, while extrinsic neuromodulators provide the context of ongoing activity of other neural networks. Although this dichotomy has been thoroughly considered in motor systems, it has received far less attention in sensory systems. In this review, we discuss intrinsic and extrinsic modulation in the context of olfactory processing in invertebrate and vertebrate model systems. We begin by discussing presynaptic modulation of olfactory sensory neurons by local interneurons (LNs) as a mechanism for gain control based on ongoing network activation. We then discuss the cell-class specific effects of serotonergic centrifugal neurons on olfactory processing. Finally, we briefly discuss the integration of intrinsic and extrinsic neuromodulation (metamodulation) as an effective mechanism for exerting global control over olfactory network dynamics. The heterogeneous nature of neuromodulation is a recurring theme throughout this review as the effects of both intrinsic and extrinsic modulation are generally non-uniform.


Tremor is a rhythmical and involuntary oscillatory movement of a body part and it is one of the most common movement disorders. Orthotic devices have been under investigation as a noninvasive tremor suppression alternative to medication or surgery. The challenge in musculoskeletal tremor suppression is estimating and attenuating the tremor motion without impeding the patient's intentional motion. In this research a robust tremor suppression algorithm was derived for patients with pathological tremor in the upper limbs. First the motion in the tremor frequency range is estimated using a high-pass filter. Then, by applying the backstepping method the appropriate amount of torque is calculated to drive the output of the estimator toward zero. This is equivalent to an estimation of the tremor torque. It is shown that the arm/orthotic device control system is stable and the algorithm is robust despite inherent uncertainties in the open-loop human arm joint model. A human arm joint simulator, capable of emulating tremorous motion of a human arm joint was used to evaluate the proposed suppression algorithm experimentally for two types of tremor, Parkinson and essential. Experimental results show 30-42 dB (97.5-99.2%) suppression of tremor with minimal effect on the intentional motion.


Patient safety and reduction of postoperative complications are the top priorities for anaesthesiologists in everyday clinical practice. Therefore, preoperative assessment and optimization of patient specific risk factors are crucial for reduction of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Understanding the patient's medical history and clinical examination represent the two most important aspects of preoperative patient evaluation by the anaesthesiologist. In addition, there are several clinical scores to specify the patient's individual perioperative risk according to the existing comorbidities. These specific assessment tools are easily accessible and have proven effective in everyday clinical practice. Special attention should be paid to preoperative cardiac, respiratory and metabolic conditions. The combination of risk stratification and strategies to improve the patient's preoperative medical status are capable to reduce complications in the postoperative period.


This purpose of this research is to determine the effect of job embeddedness and job satisfaction on turnover intention sales staff  at PT. Bali Petshop & Grooming. Turnover intention is influenced by several factor , such as job embeddedness and job satisfaction. Data from 34 respondents obtained by census method and analyzed using multiple linear regression. Data was collected by questionarre, observation and interview. The results of this research shows that job embeddedness and job satisfaction negatively and significantly simultaneously or partially effect on turnover intention.


To THE EDITOR: I write in reference to Professor Norman Kutcher's article, "The Death of the Xiaoxian Empress," in JAS 56.3:708—25. 1 was on leave and away in Asia when this essay appeared and saw it only on my return this autumn. My concern is the mischaracterization of one of the central theses of my book, Monarchs and Ministers: The Grand Council in Mid-Ch'ing China, 1723—1820 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991, paperback 1994) near the beginning of Kutcher's article. Kutcher refers to a statement on my page 7 and states that in describing the Grand Council I say that it "was neither fully autonomous nor completely dominated by the emperor, but could seize 'the opportunities provided by both worlds'" (Kutcher quoting me, his p. 709). Kutcher then further summarizes my views: the "Grand Council's acquisition of the power to supervise document traffic and nearly all the myriad concerns of the highest and innermost levels of government tended to reduce the monarch's independence and, ultimately, his power" (Kutcher p. 709)So far so good. These statements are correct—with one exception I did say these things approximately as Kutcher renders them. The only difficulty with this description is that it omits my other points relevant to the issues he raises. Kutcher goes on to contrast my book with Philip Kuhn's Soulstealers: The Chinese Sorcery Scare of 1768 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1990), his desire being to prepare the ground for his own theory-confirming study of the emperor's use of arbitrary power to intervene in the bureaucracy at will. Kutcher finds Kuhn's understanding of imperial power more useful for his purposes: "By injecting his arbitrary power into the management of events, [the emperor] could undermine stodgy bureaucratic routine and thereby increase the level of personal control he exercised over his top officials," using "political campaigns to assert power" (Kutcher summarizing Kuhn, p. 709). But if Kutcher reads Monarchs and Ministers with care, he will find my expanded views about mid-Qing power that go far beyond what he has cited. On my page 7, for instance, in the very paragraph from which Kutcher quotes, I do allude to the possibility of autocratic imperial action, explaining that in spite of Grand Council growth, "the framework for autocracy continued in place." Again in the epilogue I make allowance for arbitrary imperial intervention, pointing out that the Qianlong emperor approved nearly all high-level policy deliberation memorials but nevertheless could intervene with independent action: "Occasionally [a rescript} was amended, but although outright rejection [of the ministers' recommendation] was always possible, this imperial action was rare . . . [The emperor] retained the power to intervene but rarely did so" (p. 276). In other words, my analysis did not rule out the use of arbitrary imperial power—to the contrary it embraced it—but at the same time my purpose was to describe government operations broadly, envisioning full imperial autonomy as a seldom-used but possible device. Kutcher simply ignores this part of my argument. Political campaigns did not happen all the time. Kutcher's and Kuhn's campaigns took place in 1748 and 1768, each lasting less than one year. But the government had to run continuously and take care of other matters as well. My book


In addition to attention to natural light as a renewable, costless and environment-friendly source of energy in the late 20th century, numerous studies have been conducted into the effect of natural light on human being's soul and body and all such studies reiterate the undeniable role of natural lighting on people's behavior, attitudes, and efficiency. However, in spite of the awareness of the effects of natural light on human beings as well as on the environment, source of lighting in most buildings is still limited to artificial lighting and most of the solutions used in the old architecture with regard to the use of natural lighting have been forgotten nowadays. This paper, based upon a holistic approach and a qualitative research method analyses a few traditional houses in Hot and Dry climate of Iran and showed how their builders by using architectural elements as well as different methods of space organization so to better use light to satisfy the physical and psychological needs of the inhabitants, including visual and heat comfort, health, introducing variety and increasing space quality. As we will see, this research describes the methods they tried to create a balance between physical and psychological needs of the inhabitants and to supply the required energy.


A guide to conducting research in the arts and humanities at Miami Dade College (MDC), including faculty resources, information about MDC's humanities collection, and links to Web-based resources.


In this study we aim to evaluate the effects of globalization with the precision and non-precision factors on non-oil export of Iran.The underlying objective of the paper is to provide support for a model that predicts these effects with the GMDH-neural network method as an instrument for complicated non- linear trends especially with the limited observations. We used International Trade Integration of Industry (IIT) as an index of globalization. The results indicate the globalization variables have much more effects on non-oil export in globalization process.


The aim of this study was to evaluate whether isoelectric focusing is a technique that is capable of quantifying a number of proteins simultaneously, in a single analysis of tracheobronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The aim included presentation of an animal model for such analysis after exposure to a pulmonary irritant. The studies were performed on tracheobroncoalveolar lavage fluid from rats. One-millimetre-thick agarose gels were used. The gel plates were stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R 250, which primarily stains proteins. Quantification of different protein bands was performed by laser scanning densitometry and computerized processing of the results. The effects of different steps in the analysis were examined. Recommendations for application of the method are proposed. An investigation was also made of the variance for the entire method, the variance attributable to isoelectric focusing and individual variation, for different protein bands. A light-microscopic examination for mechanical injury caused by tracheobronchoalveolar lavage was performed. The effects of perfusion of the pulmonary circulation with 0.9% sodium chloride solution during lavage was investigated. Application of the method in an experiment in which rats exposed to tobacco smoke were compared with rats not thus exposed showed that the method is powerful enough to show significances between these two groups. Corresponding results were obtained when rats, the pulmonary circulation of which was perfused as stated above, were compared with non-perfused rats. The experiments showed that isoelectric focusing combined with laser scanning as applied in this study, can be used for quantification of a system of proteins in tracheobronchoalveolar lavage fluid when different groups are to be compared.


Hypertension is a condition that involves multiple body organs and physiological systems. Maintaining blood pressure (BP) by using one class of drugs that affect one or two systems usually have inadequate response and result in a compensatory or counter- regulatory response from others to blunt the targeted effect of individual drug. For example, starting with diuretics result in initially decrease in intravascular volume, this trigger Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System which cause vaso constriction and salt retention. In most cases monotherapy failed to achieve the goal and results in various side effects because of high dosing of individual drug (2). Starting with low dose combination therapy of two or more drugs affecting multiple physiologic systems and having additive effects may result in better control of BP with less side effects (2, 6). It is also emphasized that available data show that combination therapy is more effective and has achieved targeted BP earlier then monotherapy (2, 7). It is concluded from the data that about 70-75% hypertensive patients require combination therapy.


Abstract Background: Cell-surface proteins have been widely used as diagnostic and prognostic markers in cancer research and as targets for the development of anticancer agents. So far, very few attempts have been made to characterize the surfaceome of patients with breast cancer, particularly in relation with the current molecular breast cancer (BRCA) classification. In this view, we developed a new computational method to infer cell-surface protein activities from transcriptomics data, termed 'SURFACER'. Methods: Gene expression data from GTEx were used to build a normal breast network model as input to infer differential cell-surface proteins activity in BRCA tissue samples retrieved from TCGA versus normal samples. Data were stratified according to the PAM50 transcriptional subtypes (Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2 and Basal), while unsupervised clustering techniques were applied to define BRCA subtypes according to cell-surface proteins activity. Results: Our approach led to the identification of 213 PAM50 subtypes-specific deregulated surface genes and the definition of five BRCA subtypes, whose prognostic value was assessed by survival analysis, identifying a cell-surface activity configuration at increased risk. The value of the SURFACER method in BRCA genotyping was tested by evaluating the performance of 11 different machine learning classification algorithms. Conclusions: BRCA patients can be stratified into five surface activity-specific groups having the potential to identify subtype-specific actionable targets to design tailored targeted therapies or for diagnostic purposes. SURFACER-defined subtypes show also a prognostic value, identifying surface-activity profiles at higher risk.


OBJECTIVE
The study evaluated the reproducibility of telecytology diagnosis of cervical smears on a randomly selected 50 cases under the conditions of Georgia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Fifty cervical smears (benign, 14; atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASCUS], 14; low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [LSIL], 10; high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [HSIL], 12) were selected. The digital images were captured at a maximum resolution of 2048 × 1536 pixels and transmitted by electronic mail. Diagnosis of glass slides and digital images was done independently in a double-blind manner by three cytologists, versus the diagnosis of digital images followed by diagnosis of glass slides 3 months later. The procedure was repeated after 3 months.

RESULTS
Diagnoses were recorded as benign, ASCUS, LSIL, and HSIL. Diagnostic accuracy and interobserver reproducibility were analyzed using an interclass correlation coefficient, which revealed good interobserver agreement for the first (0.82) and second (0.68) glass slide diagnoses and the first (0.80) and second (0.66) digital image diagnoses. The kappa values for interobserver variation between first and second glass slide diagnoses and first and second digital image diagnoses showed good to excellent agreement.

CONCLUSIONS
Digital images are suitable substitutes for glass slides; telecytology can be used as an alternative method for the cytologic diagnosis of cervical smears, particularly in quality assurance programs.


Dynamic surface tension measurements were used to track adsorption kinetics for dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC) or dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) from monodisperse vesicle dispersions to an air-water interface at elevated temperatures ≥30 °C. Effects of vesicle concentration, aqueous solubility of the lipids, and temperature T on the adsorption kinetics were determined, and the controlling transport pathway was identified. Adsorption dynamics were tracked for 0.1-10 mM DLPC at 30 and 38 °C and for 1-10 mM DMPC at 30, 50, and 58 °C. Experimental results were compared to theoretical predictions for a reaction-enhanced, molecular transport mechanism, which was previously shown to effectively predict DLPC adsorption kinetics at 22 °C. At higher temperatures, for DLPC concentrations ≥0.25 mM or DMPC concentrations ≥1 mM, a weak dependence of adsorption time on concentration was observed, again consistent with the reaction-enhanced molecular pathway. Molecular release rates from vesicles increased with increasing temperature or decreasing acyl chain length. At equivalent ratios T/Tm of the dispersion temperature to the lipid chain phase transition temperature Tm, measured adsorption times for DLPC were approximately 10-fold shorter than those for DMPC, suggesting that the fluidity of the acyl tails is not the only lipid property determining adsorption rates. Despite the significant difference in aqueous solubility and chain phase transition temperature between DLPC and DMPC, the results provide further evidence for an adsorption mechanism that is well described by diffusion of molecular lipid, with rates of molecular diffusion near the interface enhanced by release from nearby vesicles.


In 1987 we reviewed the literature on the concept of colonization resistance (CR) (12). In this concept, the indigenous anaerobic flora limits the concentration of potentially pathogenic (mostly aerobic) flora in the digestive tract. This implies that the risk of superinfections by aerobic flora would be eliminated by selecting those antimicrobial agents which spare the anaerobic flora. The concept of CR was based on experiments in animals and uncontrolled observations in patients. It was not validated conclusively. Since publication of our previous review (12), we have improved the design for studying the influence of antimicrobial agents on CR, especially by using human volunteers and analyzing the data in each volunteer separately with singlepatient statistics (57, 63). This methodology was applied in the study of several antimicrobial agents (57-61, 63, 64). The resulting data provide a better understanding of the impact of antimicrobial agents on the microbial flora of the bowel. At present, it seems to be the case that some former conclusions were made prematurely, especially those pertaining to the availability of antimicrobial agents that do not impair CR (12, 47). This review will be restricted to a discussion of CR of the bowel.


The social trend of decreasing homophobia and liberalising attitudes toward homosexuality is a contentious sociological issue. In a recent article in this journal, Diefendorf and Bridges contend that differences in findings of quantitative and qualitative research related to masculinities and homophobia demand new theories and methods to chart the enduring relationship between homophobia and masculinity. In this critical commentary, I demonstrate the flaws of the methodological framing and refute the characterization of qualitative literature provided. I argue that the theoretical errors in the original article are a result of inattention to social and historical context. Drawing attention to problematic citation practices, I call for critical approaches that recognize both positive social change and contexts where problematic dynamics persist.


A Prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in order to assess the prescription pattern in pregnancy women's. The stydy subjects were 200 pregnancy women from ante natal clinic at Coimbatore. Prescription pattern and qualification of antenatal care providers are assessed by using Instate Excel sheet. The main outcome measures were Calcium, Iron, and Folic acid are the main drug of choice .During pregnancy, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Self medication was more in higher socio economic and knowledge on contraceptive methods are less in rural population. Mean age of the group under the study was 28 years(range 25 to 30 years). The majority of Pregnancy women in Urban were house wife 56% (n=112) and no one is from Army, air force, Smoking and alcohol. Folic acid is mostly Prescribed in the Pregnancy prescriptions 21%(n=42) and Calcium and Iron were Prescribed in 21.5%(n=42) and 20%(n=40). The study resulted that Prescriber must encouraged to adhere to the standard guidelines like FDA- safety drugs for better ante- natal Care.


The structure and evolution of the Polish part of the Variscan Orogenic Belt is reviewed, based on published data and interpretations. The Sudetic segment of the Variscides, together with adjacent areas, experienced multi-stage accretion during successive collisional events that followed the closure of different segments of the Rheic Ocean. In SW Poland, Variscan tectono-stratigraphic units are tectonically juxtaposed and often bear record of contrasting exhumation/cooling paths, constrained by palaeontological and geochronological data. This points to the collage-type tectonics of this area. A three-partite subdivision of the Sudetes is proposed that reflects timing differences in deformation and exhumation of the respective segments. The Central, West and East Sudetes were deformed and amalgamated during the Middle/Late Devonian, at the turn from the Devonian to Carboniferous and during Early Carboniferous times, respectively. Problems in extending the classical tectono-stratigraphic zonation of the Variscides into the Sudetes are discussed and attributed to activity along Late Palaeozoic strike-slip faults and shear zones, disrupting and dispersing the initially more simply distributed tectono-stratigraphic units into the present-day structural mosaic. Relationships between the Variscan Externides and the foreland basin are explored. Sediments of the foreland basin locally onlap the external fold-and-thrust belt that had undergone an earliest Carboniferous partial tectono-thermal overprint. During the Late Carboniferous, the SW part of the foreland basin was heavily affected by thrusting and folding and incorporated into the Externides. During Westphalian C to Early Permian times, localized folding and thrusting affected the distal parts of the foreland basin, probably in response to dextral transpressional movements along NW-SE trending basement faults.


This document describes the ONC (Open Network Computing) Remote
Procedure Call (ONC RPC Version 2) protocol as it is currently
deployed and accepted. This document obsoletes [RFC1831].


The title compound (C2OH26O2) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n with a = 14.761(2), 6 = 8.292(1), c = 15.210(2) Å, /S= 102.40(1)°; Z = 4. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by least squares to a final R-value of 0.038 for 1211 observed reflections. The crystal structure is isomorphous with that of all-trans-retinal. The cyclohexenone ring shows a half-boat conformation. The connection of the cyclohexenone ring and the conjugated polyene chain via a formal single C-C bond is s-cis. The torsion angle C(5)-C(6)-C(7)-C(8) amounts to 56°. For the polyene side chain the typical curvature is evident. A comparison with analogous compounds shows that details in conformation, especially at the ring side-chain connection, are induced by crystal matrix. It seems that the differences in biological activity between retinal analogous compounds are not reflected by conformational differences of the free molecules


In the July issue of the Journal, the title of the paper by J. D. Pollock, L. Bernier, and J. S. Camardo (The Journal of Neuroscience, Volume 5, Number 7, 1985, pp. 1862–1871) was inadvertently printed incorrectly. The correct title is: "Serotonin and Cyclic Adenosine 3′:5′-Monophosphate Modulate the S Potassium Current in Tail Sensory Neurons in the Pleural Ganglion of Aplysia." We regret any misunderstanding that this error may have caused.


To compete with nowadays business is to implement technology and align it into their business strategy. One of technology that commonly implement is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). This research will examined what are critical success factor of ERP and the impact of their business outcomes. A framework model for ERP Implementation success is constructs from several research or previous study in Implementation ERP. This study will extends in the research field of successful implementation ERP and implication factor for business practice to have more knowledge in term of implementation ERP and their business strategy.


The current state of the art in production planning is still dominated by largely centralized solutions. More distributed approaches require a substantial increase in communication, and network load becomes an important factor. This paper presents a distributed plant automation approach based on mobile software agents and investigates the network load generated by the agents in terms of communication and migration. Particular emphasis is given to the impact of the planning horizon and prioritization, which leads to extensive rescheduling processes. It appears that scheduling approaches that plan several steps in advance need substantially more communication overhead, but can be made less susceptible to snowball effects associated with rescheduling.


T-1220, sodium 6-[d-(-)-α-(4-ethyl-2,3-dioxo-1-piperazinylcarbonyl-amino)- α-phenylacetamido] penicillanate, is a new semisynthetic penicillin derivative that possesses a broad spectrum of in vitro antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. T-1220 is more effective than carbenicillin (CB-PC) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus species, and Serratia marcescens. Addition of human serum to culture media did not significantly alter the antibacterial activity of T-1220. Greater bactericidal activity toward various strains of gram-negative bacteria was demonstrated with T-1220 than with CB-PC. T-1220, like penicillin G, was hydrolyzed by penicillinase, but was sable to a type IV penicillinase produced by P. aeruginosa strains. In vivo antibacterial activities of T-1220, ampicillin (AB-PC), and CB-PC were compared, using systemic infections of mice with P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. The 50% effective doses (milligrams per kilogram) of T-1220 were consistently lower than those of AB-PC and CB-PC.


Purpose: This study was conducted to develop Web-based multimedia contents for supporting student nurses' clinical practice on critical care, and to evaluate learners' responses. Methods: Based on the steps of Assessment, Design, Development, Implementation, & Evaluation(ADDIE) model, a total of 13 self-directed learning modules including live lectures and real video clips were developed through faculty collaboration of nine nursing colleges in Gwangju and Chonnam province. The finally developed multimedia contents were published on the Web of the learning management system at a local e-learning center. Results: The Web contents were evaluated after self-learning by 81 junior college nursing students who were encouraged to study it at their own pace during their two-week clinical practice at a medical or surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital and two hospitals. The knowledge (t = -27.66, p < .001) and self-evaluated clinical performance level(t = 7.54, p < .001) were significantly increased after learning of the Web contents and clinical practice, and satisfaction level that measured post-test only was 4.0 out of 5 point. Conclusion: The use of Web contents for critical care need to be extended as a complimentary material in a class room lecture or clinical practice of students to increase their self-learning ability and understandings of clinical knowledge and situation.


AFTER MONTHS of talk about shortcomings in the way the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) goes about its job, Congress is finally moving toward developing comprehensive legislation that will, it is hoped, improve the agency's performance. Sen Nancy Kassebaum (R, Kan), chair of the Labor and Human Resources Committee, is holding congressional hearings on legislation she introduced in December. On the House side, Thomas J. Bliley, Jr (R, Va), chair of the Commerce Committee, has promised that he too will hold hearings on legislation that he proposes to introduce. Bliley has been a severe critic of the agency. Although not all will agree that Kassebaum's bill is the perfect solution to resolving the problems that many say plague the FDA and regardless of the outcome, her bill has substantially moved the debate about the agency's performance from charges and countercharges to a serious effort at reform. The US Congress has


In most cases, Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells of classical Hodgkin disease (HD) carry rearranged immunoglobulin (Ig) genes and thus derive from B cells. In rare cases, HRS cells originate from T cells. However, based on the unusual immunophenotype of HRS cells, often showing coexpression of markers typical for different hematopoietic lineages, and the regular detection of numerical chromosomal abnormalities, it has been speculated that HRS cells might represent cell fusions. Five cases of HD with 2 rearranged IgH alleles were analyzed for the presence of additional IgH alleles in germline configuration as a potential footprint of a cell fusion between a B and a non-B cell. Similarly, one case of T-cell-derived HD with biallelic T-cell receptor beta (TCRbeta) rearrangements was studied for the presence of unrearranged TCRbeta alleles. In none of the 6 cases was evidence for additional IgH (or TCRbeta) alleles obtained, strongly arguing against a role of cell fusion in HRS cell generation.


Numerical analysis of the partial admission turbine in the KARI turbopump has been performed. Flow field of the partial admission turbine is intrinsically unsteady and three dimensional. To avoid heavy computational efforts, the frozen rotor method is adopted in computation and compared with the mixing plane approach. The frozen rotor method can represent the variation of a flow field along the circumferential direction of rotor blades, which have the different relative positions to the nozzle with one another. It also illustrates the wake loss mechanism starting from the lip of a nozzle, which is not captured in the mixing plane method. The frozen rotor method has proven to be an efficient tool for the design of a partial admission turbine.


Nano structure of mixed (SnO2)1-x(ZnO)x thin films were prepared by spray pyrolysis technique at a substrate temperature of 400°C. The films deposited were 190 nm thickness. The XRD analysis for its structural characteristic has been performed. The average grain size was found to be between 21.27 and 15.80 nm.AFM Atomic Force microscope gives good information about the surface topography of the film.It is understood that the crystallinity of SnO2increases with increasing ZnO Vol.%.


A number of questions arise when choosing methods for experiments related to next-generation sequencing. On the one hand, while working with RNA extraction, added reagents and their residues can often inhibit sensitive chemicals with which the sequential synthesis is carried out for the sequencing. On the other hand, processing the same data using different software for the analysis can also impact on the sequencing results . This paper will present the step by step procedure for the preparation of samples taken from human biological fluids for subsequent sequencing of small RNAs, small noncoding RNAs in particular. Regarding the methods of extraction or isolation of RNAs, we found that low RNA yield can be improved significantly by following the isolation method for total RNA and its fractions included in Ambion's MirVana PARIS kit, but only if using a special approach and modifying the organic extraction step. Compared to others, the methods supplied with commercially available kits at the time of researching this paper require only one organic extraction. This simple but, as it turned out, very useful modification makes it possible to access previously unavailable material. Potential advantages of this modification include a more complete profiling of small non-coding RNAs and a broader access to small sample volumes, as a rule, access to human biological fluids which can be prepared for RNA sequencing on the Illumina platform.


There is considerable interest today in the use of blockchain technology to provide better visibility into shared information among a number of participants and systems arranged in a decentralized P2P topology. Several challenges in blockchain technology remain to be addressed, including the interoperability, survivability and manageability of blockchain systems. Crucial to answering these challenges is the need to understand aspects of the Internet architecture that has made it scalable, resilient and a commercial success as a global connectivity infrastructure. In this paper we discuss a design philosophy for interoperable blockchain systems, using the design philosophy of the Internet architecture as the basis to identify key design principles. We recast some of the challenges faced in the design of the Internet architecture to that of the design of an interoperable blockchain architecture. We emphasize interoperability as a crucial requirement for the survivability and manageability of blockchain systems. The goal is to define an interoperable blockchain architecture, in which common components of the blockchain architecture can begin to be standardized, leading to lowering of development costs, better reusability and higher degree of interoperability. 1 IEEE Trans. Engineering Management Special Issue: Blockchain Ecosystem (to appear)


Diarylselenides are a representative class of molecules in organoselenium compounds. We herein report a Rh-catalyzed direct diarylation of selenium with benzamide derivatives. The use of elemental selenium as the Se source is intriguing in terms of atom economy, cost, stability, and handling. A series of diarylselenides with amide moieties were readily accessible through directed C-H activation. The intermediacy of electrophilic Se(IV) species was indicated by control experiments.


: Spores prepared from different sporulating media containing varying amounts of Ca and dipicolinic acid (DPA), exhibited differential responses to germination in L-alanine (0.25 M). Ca-spores with moderately high Ca and DPA contents could be triggered to germination by L-alanine, whereas P-spores with low contents of Ca and DPA could not be germinated by L-alanine unless Ca2+ or DPA was exogenously added. The initiation of L-alanine induced germination by P-spores in the presence of 45CaCl2 was associated with a marked uptake of 45Ca2+. Experiments involving stepwise extraction of 45Ca from prelabelled spores indicated that a part of the spore calcium may be involved in L-alanine induced germination. Both Ca2+ and DPA seemed to have a stimulatory effect on the incorporation of 14C-L-alanine.


We examined the signaling mechanisms involved in the differentiation-inducing activity of lupeol toward B16 2F2 melanoma cells. alpha-Melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), forskolin and dibutyryl cAMP, which are believed to be cAMP-elevating agents and analogues, enhanced lupeol-induced B16 2F2 cell differentiation. However, H89, an inhibitor of protein kinase A, completely abolished B16-2F2 cell differentiation induced by lupeol. Furthermore, we studied the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in lupeol-induced B16 2F2 cell differentiation. U0126, an inhibitor of MAPK kinases, induced B16 2F2 cell differentiation and enhanced the cell differentiation induced by lupeol. However, SB203580, a selective inhibitor of p38 MAPK, completely blocked lupeol-induced B16 2F2 cell differentiation. Western blot analysis revealed that 10 microM lupeol transiently elevated the level of phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was detected on the addition of 1 microM lupeone, another lupane triterpene, but was not induced by 1 microM lupeol. These results suggested that lupeol induced B16 2F2 cell differentiation through activation of p38 MAPK, and that the structural differences at C-3 of lupane triterpenes played an important role in the activation of p38 MAPK.


The model of fractional-dimensional space is used to study dielectric function associated with electron interband transitions near a Van Hove critical point in anisotropic systems. Using fractional derivative spectra (FDS) method, it is found that in fractional-dimensional space only a minimum yields a symmetric Lorentzian line shape in FDS but a maximum does not.


Based on the Wang--Landau algorithm, the Monte Carlo method was used to study the magnetic structures of the ground state and the thermodynamic properties of the two-dimensional Potts model with the number of spin states q=4 on a triangular lattice, taking into account the exchange interactions of the first J1 and second J2 nearest neighbors. The studies were carried out for the value of the interaction of the second nearest neighbors in the range -2.0≤ J2≤0.0. The magnetic structures of the ground state are constructed in the interval considered. An energy analysis of the magnetic structures of the ground state has been carried out. A phase diagram of the dependence of the critical temperature on the value of J2 is constructed. It is shown that taking into account the interactions of the second nearest neighbors leads to the appearance of frustrations and violation of the magnetic ordering. Keywords: Frustrations, magnetic structures, Monte Carlo method, Potts model.


The application of a deconvolution imaging condition in wave-equation shot-profile migration is important to provide illumination compensation and amplitude recovery. Particularly if the aim is to successfully recover a measure of the medium reflectivity, an imaging condition that destroys amplitudes is unacceptable. We study a set of imaging conditions with illumination compensation. The imaging conditions are evaluated by the quality of the output amplitudes and artifacts produced. In numerical experiments using a vertically inhomogeneous velocity model, the best of all imaging conditions we tested is the one that divides the crosscorrelation of upgoing and downgoing wavefields by the autocorrelation of the downgoing wavefield, also known as the illumination map. In an application to Marmousi data, unconditional division by autocorrelation turned out to be unstable. Effective stabilization was achieved by smoothing the illumination map.


Traffic grooming continues to be a rich area of research in WDM optical networks. In this paper, we identify four kinds of path level traffic aggregation/grooming strategies - point to point (P2P), point to multi-point (P2MP), multi-point to point (MP2P), and multi-point to multi-point (MP2MP). We develop an auxiliary graph based approach as a generic network dimensioning solution for these architectures. Using our model, we compare the performance of various architectures employing path level aggregation in both single hop and multi-hop scenarios. For the studied scenarios, we observe the following - (1) MP2MP outperforms other architectures by multiple orders of magnitude in single hop networks, (2) P2P performs the best in multi-hop transceiver constrained scenarios, and (3) P2MP performs the best in multi-hop wavelength constrained scenarios.


The lipocalin superfamily of proteins functions in the binding and transport of a variety of important hydrophobic molecules. Tear lipocalin is a promiscuous lipid binding member of the family and serves as a paradigm to study the molecular determinants of ligand binding. Conserved regions in the lipocalins, such as the G strand and the F‐G loop, may play an important role in ligand binding and delivery. We studied structural changes in the G strand of holo‐ and apo‐tear lipocalin using spectroscopic methods including circular dichroism analysis and site‐directed tryptophan fluorescence. Apo‐tear lipocalin shows the same general structural characteristics as holo‐tear lipocalin including alternating periodicity of a β‐strand, orientation of amino acid residues 105, 103, 101, and 99 facing the cavity, and progressive depth in the cavity from residues 105 to 99. For amino acid residues facing the internal aspect of cavity, the presence of a ligand is associated with blue shifted spectra. The collisional rate constants indicate that these residues are not less exposed to solvent in holo‐tear lipocalin than in apo‐tear lipocalin. Rather the spectral blue shifts may be accounted for by a ligand induced rigidity in holo‐TL. Amino acid residues 94 and 95 are consistent with positions in the F‐G loop and show greater exposure to solvent in the holo‐ than the apo‐proteins. These findings are consistent with the general hypothesis that the F‐G loop in the holo‐proteins of the lipocalin family is available for receptor interactions and delivery of ligands to specific targets. Site‐directed tryptophan fluorescence was used in combination with a nitroxide spin labeled fatty acid analog to elucidate dynamic ligand interactions with specific amino acid residues. Collisional quenching constants of the nitroxide spin label provide evidence that at least three amino acids of the G strand residues interact with the ligand. Stern‐Volmer plots are inconsistent with a ligand that is held in a static position in the calyx, but rather suggest that the ligand is in motion. The combination of site‐directed tryptophan fluorescence with quenching by nitroxide labeled species has broad applicability in probing specific interactions in the solution structure of proteins and provides dynamic information that is not attainable by X‐ray crystallography.


We present a mixed integer linear programming approach to orthogonally block two-level, multilevel, and mixed-level orthogonal designs. The approach involves an exact optimization technique which guarantees an optimal solution. It can be applied to many problems where combinatorial methods for blocking orthogonal designs cannot be used. By means of 54-run and 64-run examples, we demonstrate that our approach outperforms two benchmark techniques in terms of the number of estimable two-factor interaction contrasts and in terms of the D-efficiency for models with main effects and some two-factor interaction contrasts. We demonstrate the generic nature of our approach by applying it to the most challenging instances in a catalog of all orthogonal designs of strength 3 with up to 81 runs as well as a small catalog of strength-4 designs. The approach can also be applied to strength-2 designs, but, for these cases, alternative methods described in the literature may perform equally well. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


Direct observations of the Hubble rate, from cosmic chronometers and the radial baryon acoustic oscillation scale, can outperform supernovae observations in understanding the expansion history, because supernovae observations need to be differentiated to extract H(z). We use existing H(z) data and smooth the data using a new Gaussian processes package, GaPP, from which we can also estimate derivatives. The obtained Hubble rate and its derivatives are used to reconstruct the equation of state of dark energy and to perform consistency tests of the ΛCDM model, some of which are newly devised here. Current data are consistent with the concordance model, but are rather sparse. Future observations will provide a dramatic improvement in our ability to constrain or refute the concordance model of cosmology. We produce simulated data to illustrate how effective H(z) data will be in combination with Gaussian processes.


Serotyping of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus by direct immunofluorescence and a capsule swelling reaction is described. One hundred isolates, including 12 from an outbreak in a neonatal department, were studied. Ninety five per cent of the isolates were typable by immunofluorescence and could be divided into 30 separate types, but 42.1% of typable strains, including 11 from the outbreak, were of one type. Typing results by the capsular swelling reaction generally followed those of immunofluorescence methods.


We present spectral analysis of early observations of the Type IIn supernova 1998S using the general non-local thermodynamic equilibrium atmosphere code PHOENIX. We model both the underlying supernova spectrum and the overlying circumstellar interaction region and produce spectra in good agreement with observations. The early spectra are well fitted by lines produced primarily in the circumstellar region itself, and later spectra are due primarily to the supernova ejecta. Intermediate spectra are affected by both regions. A mass-loss rate of order ~ 0.0001-0.001 M☉ yr-1 is inferred for a wind speed of 100-1000 km s-1. We discuss how future self-consistent models will better clarify the underlying progenitor structure.


Abstract : Research on the implications of using electro-optical techniques for gross ocean surface surveillance from astronautic systems has been carried out. The ranges of radiating temperatures to be expected of typical surface ships and the ocean background have been established. The signal available for detection per degree of temperature contrast between typical surface ships and the ocean was established for orbit altitudes of from one hundred to four hundred nautical miles. In turn, the temperature contrast between typical surface ships and the ocean required to achieve detection was established as a function of scan angle for a specified optical system using a long wavelength detector and operating at 200 nautical mile altitude. Correspondence was maintained between the irradiance at the collector and the scan angle to allow for the effects of atmospheric transmission and range changes. Included in the overall study were a review of current ocean surveillance methods and an estimate of current and future ocean traffic. Some characteristics of clouds as a background constituent were established. Consideration was also given to the problems of tracking, recognition, classification, resolution requirements and man's role in a satellite.


In this paper, we study large population multiagent reinforcement learning (RL) in the context of discretetime linear-quadratic mean-field games (LQ-MFGs). Our setting differs from most existing work on RL for MFGs, in that we consider a non-stationary MFG over an infinite horizon. We propose an actor-critic algorithm to iteratively compute the mean-field equilibrium (MFE) of the LQ-MFG. There are two primary challenges: i) the non-stationarity of the MFG induces a linear-quadratic tracking problem, which requires solving a backwards-in-time (non-causal) equation that cannot be solved by standard (causal) RL algorithms; ii) Many RL algorithms assume that the states are sampled from the stationary distribution of a Markov chain (MC), that is, the chain is already mixed, an assumption that is not satisfied for real data sources. We first identify that the mean-field trajectory follows linear dynamics, allowing the problem to be reformulated as a linear quadratic Gaussian problem. Under this reformulation, we propose an actor-critic algorithm that allows samples to be drawn from an unmixed MC. Finite-sample convergence guarantees for the algorithm are then provided. To characterize the performance of our algorithm in multi-agent RL, we have developed an error bound with respect to the Nash equilibrium of the finite- population game.


We present Gemini-N GMOS and CFHT MOS spectroscopy of Wolf-Rayet candidates in the Local Group dwarf galaxy IC 10 that were previously identified by Massey et al. and Royer et al. From the present spectroscopic survey, the WC/WN ratio for IC 10 remains unusually high, given its low metallicity, although none of the WC9 stars suspected from narrow-band imaging are confirmed. Our spectroscopy confirms 9 newly discovered Wolf-Rayet candidates from Royer et al., whilst spectral types of 14 Wolf-Rayet stars previously observed by Massey & Armandroff are refined here. In total, there are 26 spectroscopically confirmed Wolf-Rayet stars in IC 10. All but one of the fourteen WC stars are WC4-6 stars, the exception being # 10 from Massey et al., a broad-lined, apparently single WC7 star. There are a total of eleven WN stars, which are predominantly early WN3-4 stars, but include a rare WN10 star, # 8 from Royer et al. # 5 from Massey et al. is newly identified as a transition WN/C star. Consequently, the WC/WN ratio for IC10 is 14/11similar to1.3, unusually high for a metal-poor galaxy. Re-evaluating recent photometric data of Massey & Holmes, we suggest that the true WC/WN ratio may not be as low as similar to0.3. Finally, we present ground-based finding charts for all confirmed WR stars, plus HST/WFPC2 charts for twelve cases.


Evolution of antibiotic resistance (AR) is increasingly perceived as a major clinical problem. The use of bactericidal antibiotics may protect against this, to some extent, by eradication of the pathogen, but the borders between cidal and inhibitory activity in the patient are often blurred. In addition, there are clinical reasons why eradication of the pathogen may not always be desirable. Antibiotic dosing schedules are currently driven by the perception that T >MIC and AUIC are the main predictors of outcome for time-dependent and concentration-dependent antibiotics, respectively. In the context of protecting against development of resistance in the pathogen however, peak antibiotic concentration and the concept of mutant prevention concentrations may be more important. The role of post-antibiotic and sub-MIC effects is more conjectural. Considerations of mechanisms of resistance and their relationship to antibiotic dosing schedules will also be highlighted. Lastly, the relevance of all this to the development of resistance in the normal bacterial flora will be discussed.


The production of Conilon in organic systems has increased in the state of Espirito Santo, however, information on the impact of management on soil chemical characteristics are few and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of organic management fertilization on chemical properties of soil in agroecossystem conilon. On a farm in the municipality of Linhares, state of Espirito Santo, was mounted experiment in randomized complete block design with factorial distribution 2 x 2 x 5, with three replications, with factors: two organic compounds, presence and absence of legumes and five proportions of each compound (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) in replacement of mineral fertilization recommended. Each replication consisted of a plot of 30 plants of coffee, with 12 working stations. The compounds were: compound 1, prepared with elephant grass and straw-de-cafe in the ratio 1:1 (v: v) and compound 2, prepared with elephant grass thatched-of-coffee and bed-ofchicken in the ratio 2:1:1 (v: v: v). The legume used was the bean-to-pig, sown between the rows of coffee trees. With the use of 100% of compound 1 and compound 2, the pH reached values of 6.5 and 6.3 respectively compared to pH 4.8 obtained with the mineral fertilizer. he means for the sum of bases (SB) followed the behavior of the exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg and K) of the soil that is linearly increased (p <0.10) with increasing proportions of the compounds. The fertilization with organic compounds is an alternative to improve soil fertility in agroecosystems of conilon.


THIS report, preliminary in nature, concerns itself with the effect of laser on the exposed surface of in vivo carcinoma in man. LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It represents a technological advance in instrumentation by which atoms are stimulated to emit light in same phase and direction at a given frequency. This yields a unidirectional, coherent, intense, monochromatic beam of high energy content. When a solid-state system is used, a pulsed, high-peak power output is achieved which can be focused through a lens to an impact site, to produce a maximum in power density. Thus, the ruby laser used in this study was emitting light at a wave length of 6,943 Angstroms with the delivery of 1 to 3 joules of energy in a pulse duration of 0.0005 seconds. By calculation, this is a rated power output of 2,000 to 6,000 w.


Ponds are diverse habitats that make major contributions to regional biodiversity, yet have received relatively little attention compared to other freshwater environments. This study investigated the physico-chemical characteristics and ecology of a nationally important concentration of temporary upland ponds in Radnorshire, Wales in both spatial and temporal dimensions (up to 80 ponds over 18 months). Plant and macroinvertebrate communities were typical of oligotrophic, acidic ponds and appeared to vary along gradients of pH and hydroperiod, whilst including several nationally rare/threatened taxa. A national classification based on the biological community of temporary ponds grouped Radnorshire ponds with a few others in western Britain. Ponds were generally small, shallow and acidic with low concentrations of nutrients and dissolved minerals. Water chemistry was associated with concentration by evaporation and dilution by rainwater, whilst the overall hydrology of ponds was successfully modelled using local meteorological data. Over the course of the study, large increases in macroinvertebrate abundance were observed, but assemblage composition and richness were broadly constant. Seasonality in the abundance of individual macroinvertebrate taxa was evident and suggested that autumn was the optimum time for invertebrate sampling in terms of abundance and diversity. Nearly 40% of the variation among ponds in macroinvertebrate and plant communities was explained by a combination of a species-area effect and differences in pH: no effect of pond isolation was detected within the context of the study region. A cumulative species-area analysis found that a group of small ponds support higher biodiversity than a single large pond of the same area, highlighting the importance of considering beta diversity. Taken together, the findings of this PhD project justify the designation of Radnorshire as an Important Area for Ponds: the ponds form a distinct 'pondscape' of >80 waterbodies, with a highly dynamic environment and biota, and which provide a major habitat resource for rare species in the UK.


In this paper, a coupled resonator waveguide diplexer operating in frequency range 11.5-14 GHz is presented. The diplexer structure consists of a waveguide E-plane T-junction and two waveguide cavity filters whose center frequency are 12.375 GHz and 13.125 GHz. The simulation results show that over the operating band of the two filters the return loss is better than -18 dB and the the insertion loss is lower than 0.05 dB. the out-band rejection is higher than 30 dB at the suppression frequency band of 11.75 GHz to 12 GHz and 13.5 GHz to 13.75 GHz.


In this paper we evaluate INTERSPEECH 2009 Emotion Recognition Challenge results. The challenge presents the problem of accurate classification of natural and emotionally rich FAU Aibo recordings into five and two emotion classes. We evaluate prosody related, spectral and HMM-based features with Gaussian mixture model (GMM) classifiers to attack this problem. Spectral features consist of mel-scale cepstral coefficients (MFCC), line spectral frequency (LSF) features and their derivatives, whereas prosody-related features consist of pitch, first derivative of pitch and intensity. We employ unsupervised training of HMM structures with prosody related temporal features to define HMM-based features. We also investigate data fusion of different features and decision fusion of different classifiers to improve emotion recognition results. Our two-stage decision fusion method achieves 41.59 % and 67.90 % recall rate for the five and two-class problems, respectively and takes second and fourth place among the overall challenge results .


Abstract Purpose: This study aims to elucidate the radiological outcome after Cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screw fixation and whether dual-threaded (DT) screws should be used in the fusion surgery. Methods: 159 patients with degenerative lumbar disorder who had undergone midline lumbar inter-body fusion surgery by CBT screw-fixation technique (2014 to 2018). Patient subgroups were based on single-threaded (ST) or DT screw, fixation length, as well as whether fixation involved to sacrum level (S1). Serial dynamic plain films were reviewed and an appearance of a halo phenomenon between screw–bone interfaces was identified as a case of screw loosening. Results: 29 patients (39.7%) in ST group and 10 patients (11.6%) in DT group demonstrated a halo phenomenon (p < 0.0001 ****). After subgrouping with fixation length, the incidence rates of a halo phenomenon in each group were 11.1%:3% (ST-1L vs. DT-1L), 37%:13.8% (ST-2L vs. DT-2L), and 84.2%:23.5% (ST-3L vs. DT-3L). Among the 85 patients with a fixation involved in S1, 26 patients (52%) with single-threaded screw (STS group) and 8 patients (22.8%) with dual-threaded screw (DTS group) demonstrated a halo appearance (p = 0.0078 **). After subgrouping the fixation level, the incidence of a halo appearance in each group was 25%:0% (STS-1L vs. DTS-1L), 40.9%:26.3% (STS-2L vs. DTS-2L), and 87.5%: 30% (STS-3L vs. DTS-3L). Conclusion: Both fixation length and whether fixation involved to S1 contribute to the incidence of screw loosening, the data supports clinical evidence that DT screws had greater fixation strength with an increased fixative stability and lower incidence of screw loosening in CBT screw fixation compared with ST screws. Level of evidence: 2.


The low-fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharide and polyol (FODMAP) diet is a 2-phased intervention, with strict reduction of all slowly absorbed or indigestible short-chain carbohydrates (ie, FODMAPs) followed by reintroduction of specific FODMAPs according to tolerance. The efficacy of the elimination phase of the FODMAP diet is well established, but the success of maintaining this diet has been shown in only a few observational studies. How the efficacy of the low-FODMAP diet compares with that of other therapies has received limited attention, but recent studies have shown this diet to be comparable or superior to diets that address eating style and choice of food as well as to gut hypnotherapy. There has been no comparison between the low-FODMAP diet and the gluten-free diet, which moderately reduces FODMAP intake. Mechanistically, dietary FODMAPs have very limited effects on the consistency of bowel actions but seem to suppress the release of histamine. Neither symptom pattern nor breath hydrogen testing for fructose or polyol malabsorption is a useful predictor of efficacy, but analysis of gut microbiota has potential. As a restrictive diet, the low-FODMAP diet carries risks of nutritional inadequacy and of fostering disordered eating, which has received little attention. Strict FODMAP restriction induces a potentially unfavorable gut microbiota, although the impact of this consequence upon health is unknown. This observation puts additional impetus on the reintroduction of FODMAPs according to tolerance during the maintenance phase of the diet. Studies of the low-FODMAP diet in children are few but do suggest benefit. However, such a strategy should be implemented with care due to the psychological and nutritional risks of a restrictive diet. Clinical wisdom is required in utilizing the low-FODMAP diet.


Background Pain relief is associated to biological, sociocultural and psychological factors. Supporters of preparation for childbirth claim that the main causes of pain result from the triad fear, tension and pain. Objectives To determine if mothers using the psychoprophylactic method of childbirth perceive less pain than those not prepared, and analyse the influence of age and self-concept in the perception of pain in labour. Methods This was a comparative, cross-sectional study with a sample of 103 mothers (50 prepared, 53 unprepared). The data collection instruments include a questionnaire with a socio demographic and obstetric characterization and scale of self-concept of Vaz Serra. Pain was assessed with a numerical scale, on three occasions (beginning of labour, active phase and postpartum). Results The unprepared mothers perceive more pain in early labour and active phase. The prepared mothers reveal more pain in the immediate postpartum, with statistically significant differences in the onset and active phase of labour. The age of the prepared mothers does not influence the perception of pain at the beginning of labour and in the immediate postpartum; in the unprepared mothers it does not influence the active and post-partum phases. In prepared parturients, increase in self-concept decreases the perception of pain, while unprepared mothers do not reveal statistically significant differences. Conclusions As a preparation for childbirth decreases the perception of pain, we recommend this method to be implemented in services monitoring the health of pregnant women.


We develop a model that shows that an overconfident manager, who sometimes makes value-destroying investments, has a higher likelihood than a rational manager of being deliberately promoted to CEO under "value-maximizing" corporate governance. Moreover, a risk-averse CEO's overconfidence enhances firm value up to a point, but the effect is "nonmonotonic" and differs from that of lower risk aversion. Overconfident CEOs also underinvest in information production. The board fires both excessively diffident and excessively overconfident CEOs. Finally, Sarbanes-Oxley is predicted to improve the precision of information provided to investors, but to reduce project investment. Copyright (c) 2008 The American Finance Association.


1997 was the warmest year of this century, based on land and ocean surface temperature data, according to a team of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

The record-breaking warm conditions of 1997 continue a pattern of very warm global temperatures, the team says. Including 1997, the 10 warmest years over land all have occurred since 1981, with the five warmest years occurring since 1990.


Active learning has been demonstrated to be a useful tool to reduce human labeling effort for many multimedia applications. However, most of the previous work on multimedia active learning has gloss the multi-modality problem very much. From several experimental results, multi-modality fusion plays an important role to boost performance of multimedia classification. In this paper, we present a multi-modality active learning approach which enhances the process of active learning approach from single-modality to multi-modality. The experimental results on the TRECVID 2004 semantic feature extraction task show that the proposed active learning approach works more effectively than single-modality approach and also demonstrate a significantly reduced amount of labeled data.


The development of the scientific concept of the economic category "logistics of trade services" dictates the need for the formation of logistics systems of trade services, which should be based on two dominant components this is the territorial component and the integral. The need to include a territorial component is explained by the fact that retail trade and public catering, working for a specific consumer, gravitate towards the places where their client is located. The second component, an integrated logistics tool, provides for a significant change in the objective function and the criteria for the optimality of logistics activities, which makes it possible to achieve maximum competitive advantages to ensure the implementation of development strategies of the trading industry as a whole. In times of progressive digital transformation and constant change, a continuous reorientation of stationary retail is indispensable in order to be successful in the future. The practical recommendations for action provide a guideline for the transformation of stationary retailing based on digital change processes. Various factors are taken into account, which is identified as critical success factors for stationary retail. These include a reorientation of the business model, the introduction of new digital technologies and data protection. In general, stationary retail must rethink the business model holistically and be open to radical innovations in order to be successful in the long term.


Abstract There has been recent interest in determining the upper limits to the feasibility of weed eradication. Although a number of disparate factors determine the success of an eradication program, ultimately eradication feasibility must be viewed in the context of the amount of investment that can be made. The latter should reflect the hazard posed by an invasion, with greater investment justified by greater threats. In simplest terms, the effort (and hence investment) to achieve weed eradication comprises the detection effort required to delimit an invasion plus the search and control effort required to prevent reproduction until extirpation occurs over the entire infested area. The difficulty of estimating the required investment at the commencement of a weed eradication program (as well as during periodic reviews) is a serious problem. Bioeconomics show promise in determining the optimal approach to managing weed invasions, notwithstanding ongoing difficulties in estimating the costs and benefits of eradication and alternative invasion management strategies. A flexible approach to the management of weed invasions is needed, allowing for the adoption of another strategy when it becomes clear that the probability of eradication is low, owing to resourcing or intractable technical issues. Whether the considerable progress that has been achieved towards eradication of the once massive witchweed invasion can be duplicated for other weeds of agricultural systems will depend to a large extent upon investment (> $250 million over 50 yr in this instance). Weeds of natural ecosystems seem destined to remain more difficult eradication targets for a variety of reasons, including higher impedance to eradication, more difficulty in valuing the benefits arising from eradication, and possibly less willingness to pay from society at large. Nomenclature: Witchweed, Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze.


This lead article considers the legacy of the National Labor Relations Board during the Bush II Presidential administration. Finding that the nomination process evolved into a partisan platform, the author traces Board's decisions through this period and suggests that the Board failed to implement the animating purpose of the National Labor Relations Act. Finally, the author suggests strategies to revitalize the Board starting with the appointments of neutral non-partisan administrators, decisionmakers and staff members. Training must be for the purpose of decisionmaking for the purpose of promoting the public interest in ways that are meaningful for all stakeholders including workers, businesses and the general public. Noting that the National Labor Relations Act has not been amended in 50 years during which time the labor markets have dramatically changed, the author encourages amendments to the National Labor Relations Act to formalize these goals.


Troponin T and I are sensitive and specific markers of myocardial necrosis. They are used for the routine diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. In critically ill patients they are basic diagnostic tool for diagnosis of myocardial necrosis due to myocardial ischemia. Moreover, the increase of troponin I and T is related with adverse outcome in many subgroups of critically ill patients. The new, high sensitivity tests which have been developed recently allow earlier and more accurate diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. The use of the new tests has not been studied in critically ill patients, but they will probably replace the old tests and will be used on the routine basis.


Proposed emissions reduction targets as well as the scarcity of fossil fuel resources necessitate the transition of the current energy system towards a renewable-based supply. Regarding this as an international trend, it is relevant to study this issue on the world-wide scale. This study focuses on the development of a simulation technique based on linear optimization to study the impacts of large-scale integration of intermittent renewable energy sources into the electricity supply system at world-wide scale. The model has been examined versus actual data and calibrated through an iterative process. The model is then applied to study the economical and environmental impacts of wind power on the electricity generation system. Regarding the dependencies of the resulting effects on the design of the base electricity system, penetration share of wind power as well as exogenous parameters, sensitivity analyses on these factors have been performed. The influential role of international exchange as a solution option for large-scale integration of wind power is studied further.


The in-vitro activity of ofloxacin, a new quinolone derivative, was evaluated in 273 bacterial strains isolated from urine. The results showed a remarkable activity against most Gram-negative bacteria and, in particular, against Enterobacter aerogenes, which is very difficult to eradicate even with third-generation cephalosporins.


Abstract Long-term sustainability of intensively managed forests depends on historical management and inherent soil productivity. However, long-term effects of prescribed fire and herbicide on forest floor and soil C and N pools are poorly understood, whereas benefits to biodiversity are well supported. Therefore, we investigated forest floor and mineral soil C and N responses to factorial combinations of mid-rotation dormant season prescribed fire and imazapyr herbicide (Arsenal®) in intensively managed mid-rotation pine (Pinus species) stands in east-central Mississippi. We used a randomized complete block design of six pine stands, each containing four 10-ha treatment plots receiving one of three treatments (herbicide only, prescribed fire only, both herbicide and fire) and a control at random. We applied herbicide via skidder in fall 1999 and prescribed fires using drip torches in winter, 2000, 2003, and 2006. During winter 2009, we sampled substrate using soil cores, a hammer core, and a fixed-area sampling frame for forest floor samples. Prescribed fire, with or without herbicide, reduced forest floor total N. However, C:N was only greater in burn + herbicide plots than controls, with independent treatments intermediate to treatment extremes. Considering the minimal effects of fire and herbicide use on soil nutrients and observed biodiversity benefits from these practices, prescribed fire with or without imazapyr herbicide does not seem to negatively impact long-term sustainability within similar managed pine landscapes of the southeastern United States.


This article describes a career development programme in Norway, which might be compared to the Professional Doctorate programmes worldwide. This particular programme supports teachers who intend to apply for 'alternative' associate professorships (so-called forstelektor in Norwegian). Such positions are equivalent to those that are awarded to candidates with PhDs or equivalent, but their profile is somewhat different. Candidates to such alternative positions need to provide evidence of their capacity to develop teaching and learning in higher education in an innovative way, in particular as far as preparing students for professional practice is concerned. In this article a short description of the two paths is provided, and the particular characteristics of the 'alternative path' are outlined. 'A description of the dilemmas and challenges of having two parallel career paths that are meant to be 'equal in status but different in form' is followed by a discussion of the possibilities of formalising this path as a Professional Doctorate .


Wavelenght–Dispersive X-Ray Flourescence Accuration. X-Fuorescence spectrometry is a method, which is increasingly applied in the geochemical analysis. X-Fuorescence spectrometry is classified under two categories – WDXRF (wavelenght – dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer) and EDXRF (energy-dispersive X – ray fluorescence spectrometer). WDXRF can be configured as a sequential spectrometer , a simultaneous spectrometer or a hibrid instrument, which combines the advantages of the simultaneous and sequential spectrometers into one instrument. Each instrument is different in some characteristics, and each has applications for which it is specifically suited. In this investigation sequential spectrometer PW 1450 was used to analyze the major, minor and trace elements in the samples. The standards used in calibrating the PW 1450 for the analysis of all samples are materials of known composition (30 internatioanal standards and 66 standards from Institut fur Mineralogie der Uni. Koln, Germany). Interelement and matrix effects are treated by matrix matching of samples and standards, dilution, preconcentration of the element of interest, and mathematic corrections during data analysis. The examination of two samples and the statistic description using standard deviation and coefficient of variant show that the XFA is accurate enaugh for many elements, especially for the major elements, but for Mg, Ca, K, Na, P, S, Co, Rb, Zn, Ni, Ba, Pb in comparison with Atomic Absorpsion Spectrometry (AAS), Flame Emission Spectrometer (FES), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) and photometer it is less sensitive. It is posible to devaluate the errors by using coefficient of variant and standard deviation.


Read before the Section of Practice of Medicine of the American Medical Association at Washington, May 8, 1884. The object of this paper is to urge the necessity of having a reliable faradic battery ready to work, at a moment's notice, in every practitioner's office; and to exhibit here a new improvement, which promises the completion of this desideratum. The faradic current of electricity acts chiefly "mechanical." From reports of clinical cases, it seems that it has other qualities, which at present are not sufficiently defined, but unquestionably the principal action is "mechanical." It is a mistaken idea, which some entertain, that a faradic battery has some galvanic action, because one part of such a battery consists of one or two cells. The patient never gets an effect from these cells, as they act solely as a motor power to the induction coil; and never can give galvanism. The faradic


Purpose

Although intellectual disability (ID) and criminal offending have long been associated, the nature of this link is obfuscated by reliance on historically unrigorous means of assessing ID and fractionating social cognitive skills. The purpose of this paper is to review and report current findings and set an agenda for future research in social perception, social inference and social problem solving in ID violent offenders.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature is reviewed on comorbidity of criminal offending and ID, and on social cognitive impairment and ID offending. In an exploratory case-control series comprising six violent offenders with ID and five similarly able controls, emotion recognition and social inference are assessed by the Awareness of Social Inference Test and social problem-solving ability and style by an adapted Social Problem-Solving Inventory.

Findings

Violent offenders recognised all emotions except "anxious". Further, while offenders could interpret and integrate wider contextual cues, absent such cues offenders were less able to use paralinguistic cues (e.g. emotional tone) to infer speakers' feelings. Offenders in this sample exceeded controls' social problem-solving scores.

Originality/value

This paper confirms that ID offenders, like neurotypical offenders, display specific deficits in emotion recognition – particularly fear recognition – but suggests that in ID offenders impairments of affect perception are not necessarily accompanied by impaired social problem solving. The implication for therapeutic practice is that ID offenders might be most effectively rehabilitated by targeting simpler, low-level cognitive processes, such as fear perception, rather than adapting treatment strategies from mainstream offenders.


Abstract: Circular RNAs have shown regulatory functions in atherosclerosis (AS) progression. Here, we explored the role and working mechanism of circ_0000345 in the AS cell model in vitro. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was applied to measure the enrichment of circ_0000345, microRNA-129-5p (miR-129-5p), and ten-eleven translocation-2 (TET2) messenger RNA. Cell Counting Kit 8 assay was used to analyze cell viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Flow cytometry was conducted to assess cell apoptosis and cell cycle progression. The target relationship between miR-129-5p and circ_0000345 or TET2 was verified by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. The Western blot assay was used to analyze the protein level of TET2. Circ_0000345 abundance was reduced in serum samples of AS patients and AS cell model compared with their matching counterparts. Circ_0000345 overexpression promoted cell viability and cell cycle progression and hampered cell apoptosis in HUVECs induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein. MiR-129-5p was a target of circ_0000345 and circ_0000345 attenuated ox-LDL-induced damage in HUVECs through sponging miR-129-5p. MiR-129-5p bound to the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of TET2, and miR-129-5p functioned in ox-LDL-induced HUVECs by targeting TET2. Circ_0000345 enhanced TET2 messenger RNA and protein expression through sponging miR-129-5p in HUVECs. Circ_0000345 attenuated ox-LDL-mediated injury in HUVECs through targeting miR-129-5p/TET2 axis. Increasing the levels of circ_0000345 and TET2 might be a novel insight into AS treatment.


The combustion of 2,4,4-trimethyl-1-pentene (diisobutylene, C8H16), which is a biofuel and a component of surrogate fuels, is examined in this work. Carbon monoxide time-histories and ignition delay times are collected behind reflected shock waves utilizing a shock tube and mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy. Measurements were obtained near 10 atm pressure during stoichiometric oxidation of 0.15%C8H16/O2/Ar. Simulated results from chemical kinetic models are provided, and sensitivity analyses are used to discuss differences between models for both ignition delay times and carbon monoxide formation. In addition, laminar burning speeds are obtained at 1 atm, 428 K, and equivalence ratios, phi, between 0.91-1.52 inside a spherical chamber facility. Measured burning speeds are found to be less than that of ethanol over the equivalence ratio span. Flame speed measurements are compared to predictions of chemical kinetic mechanisms and are in agreement for the richest conditions; however, at lean conditions, the model predicts a far slower-burning speed. The maximum burning speed occurs at an equivalence ratio of 1.08 with a magnitude of 0.70 m/s. Current work provides the crucial experimental data needed for assessing the feasibility of this biofuel and for the development of future combustion chemical kinetics models.


Optical responses in an excitonic insulating (EI) system with strong electron correlation are studied. We adopt the two-orbital Hubbard model with a finite energy difference between the two orbitals where the spin state degree of freedom exists. This model is analyzed by the variational cluster approach. In order to include the local electron correlation effect, the vertex correction is taken into account in the formulation of the optical conductivity spectra. We calculate a finite-temperature phase diagram, in which an EI phase appears between a low-spin band insulating state and a high-spin Mott insulating state. Characteristic components of the optical conductivity spectra consisting of a sharp peak and continuum appear in the EI phase. Integrated intensity almost follows the order parameter of the EI state, suggesting that this component is available to identify the EI phases and transitions.


Three new species of serpulids from Brazil are described herein, two of which were described, but not named, by Zibrowius are here considered as new species and given specific names. Vermiliopsis zibrowii sp. nov. is characterized by an operculum with a single endplate or several septa progressively nearer to each other towards the tip and which are separated by conspicuous ribs. Pseudovermilia harryi sp. nov. has an operculum with several septa separated by short ribs and its tube is different from similar congeners. Filogranula revizee sp. nov. has an operculum with a sunken funnel and, frequently, a slender, distally sharp spine. Comparisons between these three species and related species are provided


Maghemite nanoparticles (γ-Fe2O3 NPs) were synthesized using Massart procedure. The formation reaction were optimized by varying the concentration of ferric nitrate solution (Fe(NO3)3) (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0 M). All samples were characterized by means of x-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Alternating Gradient Magnetometer (AGM). The smallest size of the NPs were chosen to be deposited on Silicon (100) substrate by spin coating technique. Annealing process of the samples were performed in Argon ambient at different temperatures (600, 700, 800 and 900°) for 20 min. Metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors were then fabricated by depositing Aluminium as the gate electrode. The effect of the annealing process on the structural and electrical properties of γ-Fe2O3 NPs thin film were investigated. The structural properties of the deposited thin film were evaluated by XRD analysis, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Raman Analysis. On the other hand, the electrical properties was conducted by current-voltage analysis. It was revealed that the difference in the annealing temperature affect the grain size, surface roughness, distribution of the nanoparticles as well as the electrical performance of the samples where low annealing temperature (600 °C) gives low leakage current while high annealing temperature (900 °C) gives high electrical breakdown.


The strength of excitatory synaptic transmission depends partly on the number of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) at the postsynaptic surface and, thus, can be modulated by membrane trafficking events. These processes are critical for some forms of synaptic plasticity, such as long-term potentiation and long-term depression (LTD). In the case of LTD, AMPARs are internalized and dephosphorylated in response to NMDA receptor activation. However, the fate of the internalized receptors upon LTD induction and its relevance for synaptic function is still a matter of debate. Here we examined the functional contribution of receptor recycling versus degradation for LTD in rat hippocampal slices, and their correlation with receptor dephosphorylation. We observed that GluA1 undergoes sequential dephosphorylation and degradation in lysosomes after LTD induction. However, this degradation does not have functional consequences for the regulation of synaptic strength, and therefore, for the expression of LTD. In contrast, the partition of internalized AMPARs between Rab7-dependent trafficking (toward lysosomes) or Rab11-dependent endosomes (recycling back toward synapses) is the key factor determining the extent of synaptic depression upon LTD induction. This sorting decision is related to the phosphorylation status of GluA1 Ser845, the dephosphorylated receptors being those preferentially targeted for lysosomal degradation. Altogether, these new data contribute to clarify the fate of AMPARs during LTD and emphasize the importance of membrane sorting decisions to determine the outcome of synaptic plasticity.


Background: Many patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) test positive for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD).These individuals have been referred to as having latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) or type 1.5 diabetes. LADA refers to a specific type of diabetes affecting adult patients, characterized by presence of islet auto-antibodies, insulin independence at the time of diagnosis and characterized by slower beta cell destruction. The aim of this study was to indentify GAD positivity in a selected group of Bangladeshi T2DM patients and compare the clinical characteristics of GAD positive and negative subjects.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 at BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka. Recently diagnosed drug-naive patients with T2DM were evaluated. Considering inclusion and exclusion criteria 100 subjects were screened. These patients allowed for the assessment of GAD positivity along with anthropometric and biochemical characteristics.
Results: A total of 100 newly diagnosed (within 6 months) T2DM patients in age group 30-70 years were selected for this study. Of them men and women were 59.6% and 40.4% respectively. The GAD antibody positive was found to be 10%. There was no significant difference in respect of age, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL and blood pressure between GAD positive and GAD negative subjects.
Conclusion: The presence of GAD positivity was 10% among adult patients with newly diagnosed T2DM which wasvery high in Bangladeshi population. Further long term prospective studies need to be essential to identify the actual situation of GAD positive subjects and to determine their clinical course and optimal treatment regimens.
Birdem Med J 2019; 9(3): 213-217


SYNOPSIS The Leyton Obsessional Inventory gives both an indication of the range of obsessional symptoms present and the degree of resistance and interference associated with each symptom. A new method is described in which the covariation of resistance and interference is represented in the form of a matrix. The results, using this method, can give a unique picture of the quality of the patient's symptoms from the clinical standpoint and provide useful guidelines for treatment and follow up. Automatic data-processing is offered for the convenience of clinicians and researchers wishing to utilize the test in this form.


The technology, which is implemented with cross platform tools, is proposed for modeling of gesture units (fingerspelling alphabet) of sign language, animation between states of gesture units with a combination of gestures (words). Implemented technology simulates sequence of gestures using virtual spatial hand model and performs recognition of dactyl items from camera input. With the cross platform means technology achieves the ability to run on multiple platforms without re-implementing for each platform.