The semiconductor antiresonant Fabry–Perot saturable absorber (A-FPSA) has a bitemporal absorption response with a slow time component that is due to carrier recombination and a fast time component that is due to intraband thermalization. We demonstrate that the slow component provides the self-starting mechanism and without significant Kerr lens contribution the fast component is necessary for steady-state pulse formation in passively cw mode-locked solid-state lasers. The carrier lifetime of the bitemporal A-FPSA was varied by the molecular-beam-epitaxy growth temperature to characterize its influence on the self-starting and self-Q-switching dynamics of cw mode-locked Nd:YLF and Nd:YAG lasers. The A-FPSA carrier lifetime and the top reflector of the A-FPSA can be adjusted to optimize the self-starting performance and to prevent self-Q-switching of cw mode-locked solid-state lasers.


This article presents an overview of ten specific problems and considerations that are typically involved in designs of bibliometric indicators for national performance-based research funding systems (PRFS). While any such system must be understood and respected on the background of different national contexts, mutual learning across countries can inspire improvements. The paper is partly based on experiences from a Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on Performance Based Funding Systems which was organized by the European Commission in 2016–17and involved fourteen European countries, partly on experiences from advising a few other countries in developing such systems. A framework for understanding country differences in the design of PRFS is presented first, followed by a presentation of the five specific problems and considerations that are typically involved in designs of bibliometric indicators for such system. The article concludes with an overview of how Norway's PRFS has dealt with the same five problems. 1 ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1020-3189, Professor, Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, Norway. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. 110 PRZEGLĄD PRAWA KONSTYTUCYJNEGO 2020/3


Background: Cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase contains heme d1 as an essential cofactor. Results: P. aeruginosa lacking the NirN protein produces the heme d1 precursor dihydro-heme d1, which is converted by NirN to heme d1. Conclusion: NirN catalyzes the last step of heme d1 biosynthesis. Significance: The so far unknown function of NirN is revealed. Heme d1 plays an important role in denitrification as the essential cofactor of the cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase NirS. At present, the biosynthesis of heme d1 is only partially understood. The last step of heme d1 biosynthesis requires a so far unknown enzyme that catalyzes the introduction of a double bond into one of the propionate side chains of the tetrapyrrole yielding the corresponding acrylate side chain. In this study, we show that a Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 strain lacking the NirN protein does not produce heme d1. Instead, the NirS purified from this strain contains the heme d1 precursor dihydro-heme d1 lacking the acrylic double bond, as indicated by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and resonance Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the dihydro-heme d1 was extracted from purified NirS and characterized by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and finally identified by high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Moreover, we show that purified NirN from P. aeruginosa binds the dihydro-heme d1 and catalyzes the introduction of the acrylic double bond in vitro. Strikingly, NirN uses an electron bifurcation mechanism for the two-electron oxidation reaction, during which one electron ends up on its heme c cofactor and the second electron reduces the substrate/product from the ferric to the ferrous state. On the basis of our results, we propose novel roles for the proteins NirN and NirF during the biosynthesis of heme d1.


The investigation and laboratory analysis were carried out for apple quality of Fuji, Jonagold and Starkrimson grown in various ecological and climate regions of China. Multiple statistical analysis, linear program and computer technology were used to obtain the optimum values and scheme of major meteorological factors affecting the quality components of different apple varieties. The cluster analysis results showed that it was suitable for apple of Fuji, Jonagold and Starkrimson growing in the Loess Plateau and Longdong, Gansu Province. Bohaiwan bay regions were suitable for apple of Fuji and Jonagold and Southwestern mountainous region were suitable for apple Starkrimson. Advantage qualifications and limiting factors in each climate divisions were also pointed out.


In this paper, we argue that additional radios should be placed according to the distribution of traffic load in WMN. We show that the capacity of a WMN is constrained by the bottleneck collision domain; hence, placing an equal number of radios at all nodes is not necessary. Only collision domains that need to support higher traffic load should be given more bandwidth by setting up additional radios, so that interfering wireless links would operate on different channels, avoiding interference and enabling multiple parallel transmissions. Furthermore, we determine the upper bound on capacity improvements, and show that much less radios are required compared to conventional k-NIC architectures


Active filters have been considered as a potential candidate to reduce the harmonics. In this paper, a fuzzy logic-controlled shunt active power filter capable of reducing the total harmonic distortion is developed. The optimal controllers for the control of DC voltage response of condenser and the inverter current of shunt active filter are designed by an artificial intelligence technique. The instantaneous p-q theory is used for calculating the compensating current. Fuzzy-adaptive hysteresis band technique is adopted for the current control to derive the switching signals for the voltage source inverter. The fuzzy-adaptive hysteresis band current controller changes the hysteresis bandwidth according to the supply voltage and the slope of the reference compensator current wave. A fuzzy logic-based controller is developed to control the voltage of the DC capacitor. Simulation results obtained are presented and compared with the conventional controller. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed technique for harmonic reduction.


In this paper, the author examines the efficiency of risk weight add-ons introduced by the Bank of Russia depending on borrowers' debt burden in terms of discouraging high-risk unsecured rouble consumer lending and the effect of these add-ons on banks' capital adequacy. The analysis is based on open bank reporting data for the period from October 2019 through August 2020. We show that in this time frame, most banks increased their capital. At the same time, the results obtained do not enable us to confirm the hypothesis that this measure has a pronounced effect on the reduction of the risk profile of consumer loan portfolios. We demonstrate that one of the factors that influenced the efficiency of measures introduced by the regulator is the substantially higher profitability of retail lending as compared to corporate lending.


The patch-clamp technique was used to investigate the involvement of ion channels in the response of Leydig cells to gonadotropic hormones (viz. hCG). Recordings in the cell-attached configuration (pipette containing 140 mM KCl) showed unitary events with conductance of 187.9 +/- 5.2 pS (N = 24 patches) in about 70% of the cells. These channels were potassium selective and the open channel probability (Po) was always about 1% for displacement of potential from the resting value in the range of -20 to +60 mV. Treatment of the cells with hCG (2 ng/ml) led to a large increase in the frequency of openings, concomitant with a reduction in the mean closed time and there was essentially no effect on the mean open time of the channel. Dibutyryl cAMP (100 microM) produced an effect similar to that of hCG and both required external calcium for their action. No direct effect of either dibutyryl cAMP or hCG were observed in inside-out patches. Reversal potential measurements on excised inside-out patches demonstrated that the channels were highly potassium selective with unitary conductance of about 206.8 +/- 6.36 pS (mean +/- SEM of 6 measurements), and an estimated permeability of 3.6 x 10(-13) +/- 0.2 x 10(-13) cm3/s (mean +/- SEM for 6 measurements), in symmetrical 140 mM KCl. The activity of the channel in excised patches was very sensitive to the free-calcium concentration on the intracellular surface of the channel. Po evaluated at +60 mV increased from 3% at 10 nM to 47% at 100 nM free calcium. The Hill coefficient under these conditions was 1.1. These results demonstrate that Leydig cells have a Ca2(+)-activated K+ channel of large unitary conductance, which can be activated upon the binding of hCG to receptors in the cell membrane.


The activity of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) was measured in the placenta using radioenzymatic techniques and benzo(a)pyrene (BP) as substrate. The optimal assay conditions were defined, including cofactor dependence. The Km of BP to the enzyme was 2 microM and Vmax 0.02 nmol/min. When compared to the AHH activity at term (0.35 +/- 0.03; mean +/- SEM), 1st-trimester activity was significantly lower (0.18 +/- 0.05; p less than 0.05). However, in the rat liver the enzyme activity was even higher than that found at term. In order to determine whether the 1st-trimester placental AHH activity is sensitive to environmental exposures, explants were incubated with two classes of xenobiotics: carcinogens and chemoprotectors. The carcinogen BP at 50 microM caused a significant (2.7-fold; p less than 0.05) increase in the enzyme activity after an incubation period of 6 h. After an incubation period of 24 h, however, no effect was noted. In contrast, 50 microM 20-methylcholanthrene had no effect. The effect of chemoprotectors was also examined: at 25 microM, coumarin, 2-(3)-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-anisole, and 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol significantly increased 1.7, 1.7-, and 1.8-fold, respectively, the enzyme activity after an incubation period of 24 h (p less than 0.05). In conclusion, AHH in the 1st-trimester placenta is sensitive to environmental exposures and is induced in vitro by both carcinogen and chemoprotectors.


In this paper, the authors discuss the risks of lesions to the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve during surgical procedures on the thyroid gland. These lesions result in significant functional impairment consisting on the patients' impossibility of emitting high-pitched sounds, an easy tiredness in vocalizing, huskiness, or a combination of these symptoms. Recently, in effect, with the increasing use pre and postoperatively of newer diagnostic tools such as electromyography (EMG) of the cricothyroid muscle, a fairly high incidence of permanent or temporary, including single or bilateral lesions to this nerve was demonstrated. The necessity of using appropriate surgical techniques with the objective of avoiding or markedly reducing the incidence of lesions to the superior laryngeal nerve is discussed in detail by the authors.


In skeletal muscle calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), an internal organelle, in response to changes in the voltage across the transverse tubule (T-tubule) membrane, an external membrane system that is distinct from the SR but in close proximity to it. For T-tubule voltage changes within the physiological range, calcium release can be turned on or off on a time scale of milliseconds. The control of calcium release from the SR appears to involve at least three functional components: a voltage sensor in the T-tubule membrane, a calcium channel in the SR, and a mechanism for coupling the voltage sensor to the channel. Movement of charged or dipolar molecules within the T-tubule membrane is thought to serve as the voltage sensor. Such intramembrane charge movement (Q) can be monitored electrically and can be compared with the rate of calcium release from the SR. Calcium release is calculated from cytosolic calcium transients measured with a metallochromic indicator. Comparison of Q and the rate of release in the same isolated muscle fibre indicates that this rate is directly proportional to the amount of charge displaced in excess of a 'threshold' amount. The nature of the coupling mechanism between T-tubules and SR remains to be established but present observations impose some restrictions on possible mechanisms.


Countertrade (CT) is often treated as an inefficient and largely undesirable trading medium. The former Council for Mutual Economic Assistance countries were major exponents of CT both among themselves and also when dealing with Western nations. Following liberalization of "Eastern" politico‐economic systems, more orthodox commercial relationships are being established. This prompts the thesis that CT has been used by Western firms to gain a toe‐hold in difficult Eastern markets to be converted into a more secure relationship, such as a joint venture, when market circumstances become less harsh. Recent events have allowed testing of this hypothesis both by observing the behaviour of a small group of UK countertraders and also via a two‐stage study of Turkish companies. Although there is limited evidence that CT presages more formal modes of market servicing, concludes that CT will probably persist as long as access to hard currencies by Eastern organizations is limited, and so long as entrepreneurs with vision seek out new market opportunities.


Employees who are satisfied tends to be more productive, creative and committed. The job performance and job satisfaction of Extension Agents (EAs) in Rivers State Agricultural Development Projects (ADP) were investigated. The population of study included all 216 male and female EAs in the study area. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to selected 48EAs who comprised the sample for the study. Data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire. Relevant data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, percentages, pooled mean and ranking. Among others, it was found that about 90% of the EAs were male, more than 77% were aged 31-40 years, over 93% were married and about 91% were academically qualified. Majority of the respondents were living outside their circles whole 72%-93% of all the EAs were only able to achieved less than 34%of expected regular field visits, attendance to Block and Fortnightly Meetings, establishment of On Farm Research (OFR) and the number of Small Plot Adoption Techniques (SPATs). Although, majority of the respondents were satisfied with their job routines and relationships existing among farmers and other staff of the extension service, they were not satisfied with remuneration and allowances, opportunities for promotion and their general work environments. It was recommended that more EAs, especially females be recruited systematically until a 1:1 male: female EA ratio is achieved. The government should overhaul the current UAES which appears to have gone moribund. The need to review the salaries and allowances of EAs upward while upgrading general facilities for a more effective extension service was also recommended.


Background Approximately 20% of adults in the United States experience chronic pain. Integrative Medical Group Visit (IMGV) offers an innovative approach to chronic pain management through training in mindfulness, nutrition, and other mind-body techniques combined with peer support. To date, there are no studies on IMGV implementation, despite its promise as a feasible non-pharmacological intervention for chronic pain management. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of implementing IMGV and assessing its effectiveness for chronic pain. Methods Implementation Mapping was used to develop and evaluate implementation strategies for IMGV. Strategies included disseminating educational materials, conducting ongoing training, and conducting educational meetings. IMGV was delivered by three healthcare providers: an allopathic physician, registered yoga teacher, and naturopathic physician. The effectiveness of IMGV on patient health outcomes was assessed through qualitative interviews and a Patient-Reported Outcomes Scale (PROMIS-29). Provider perspectives of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility were assessed through periodic reflections (group interviews reflecting on the process of implementation) and field notes. Paired t-tests were used to assess changes between scores at baseline and post intervention. Qualitative data were coded by three experienced qualitative researchers using thematic content analysis. Results Of the initial 16 patients enrolled in research, 12 completed at least two sessions of the IMGV. Other than fatigue, there was no statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-scores. Patients reported high satisfaction with IMGV, noting the development of new skills for self-care and the supportive community of peers. Themes from patient interviews and periodic reflections included the feasibility of virtual delivery, patient perspectives on acceptability, provider perspectives of feasibility and acceptability, ease of recruitment, complexity of referral and scheduling process, balancing medical check-in with group engagement, and nursing staff availability. Conclusions IMGV was feasible, acceptable, and effective from the perspectives of patients and providers. Although statistically significant differences were not observed for most PROMIS measures, qualitative results suggested that participants experienced increased social support and increased pain coping skills. Providers found implementation strategies effective, except for engaging nurses, due to staff being overwhelmed from the pandemic. Lessons learned from this pilot study can inform future research on implementation of IMGV.


This paper addresses the problem that, the discretization of stabilizing the continuous bilateral teleoperation controllers for digital implementation may lead to instable teleoperation or poor performance. With this problem, a discrete approach for the novel proxy teleoperation control scheme under time-varying delays is considered in the paper. The principle results involve sufficient conditions in terms of discrete Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals (LKF) and $H_{\infty}$ control theory, which are resolved by Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI). The simulations of different working conditions are performed to verify the effectiveness of discretization for the continuous bilateral teleoperation system.


1. Bothryoxysta curvata, Kieff., Charips victrix, Hartig, and Alloxysta erythrothorax , Westw., are hyperparasites of aphides through Aphidius (Braconidae). 2. Reproduction may be either sexual or parthenogenetic. 3. The egg is laid in the haemocoele of the host larva before the death of the aphid, and post-ombryonic development is internal. 4. A trophic membrane of hypertrophied cells is formed round the embryo. 5. The larva is, at first, hypermetamorphic ; and exhibits greater development of the chitinous cuticle than is usual in ondoparasites ; but in the succeeding stages it approximates more closely to the general hymenopterous type. 6. The development of the Aphidius is arrested at a certain point, and metamorphosis does not take place. 7. The Cynipid, when ready to pupate, makes its way out of the Aphidius, whose remains it devours, and undergoes metamorphosis within the cocoon previously woven by the latter in the skin of the aphid. 8. These forms differ in certain particulars from the entomophagous Cynipidae previously described, and the chief differences are discussed. 9. Comparison is also made of the larvae of other Hymenoptera Parasitica, particularly of Perilampus. 10. Certain problems of metabolism are pointed out, and it is suggested that respiration may be partly rectal. 11. These Cynipidae are economically injurious as they check the Aphidius in its destruction of plant-lice; but there is high mortality among the larvae owing to secondary parasitization of the Braconid by other hyperparasites.


Cell growth and division are stochastic processes that exhibit significant amount of cell-to-cell variation and randomness. In order to connect single cell division dynamics with overall cell population, stochastic population models are needed. We summarize the basic concepts, computational approaches and discuss simple applications of this modeling approach to understanding cancer cell population growth as well as population fluctuations in experiments.


Stafne's bone cavity is a rare, asymptomatic, unilateral oval shaped radiolucent defect in the posterior region of the mandible below the inferior alveolar canal. The prevalence ranges from 0.10% to 0.48% and more common in males. It is mostly an incidental finding on panoramic radiograph. This radiolucency is considered to be a deformity of the medial cortex. This article presents five rare cases of Stafne's bone cavity which were referred for opinion or wrongly diagnosed by practicing health professionals as jaw tumour leading to psychological distress in these patients. This article also focuses on reviewing the published literature, differential diagnosis along with use of various diagnostic imaging resources for this bone defect and to add five new Indian cases to the literature.


Pain is a very serious problem associated with many types of health conditions. Unfortunately, patients suffering from intense pain often give up or cut down on taking analgesics because of side effects of such treatment. New generation drugs create an opportunity for supporting therapies effectively. Persistent constipation is one of the more acute side effects of administration of opioids. This article gives an extensive coverage of the PAMORA group of drugs that eliminate opioid-induced constipation. It also proposes future directions for contemporary studies on the subject and other feasible therapeutic applications for this group of medicines. The molecule developed under the POIG.01.04.00-14-213/12 project "New intestinal drug for control of side effects of opioid therapies" is one of the prospects. [The project] researched structures based on opioid peptide analogs behaving like opioid antagonists vs. intestinal μ receptors. In addition, [the structures] feature properties that can be used in oncological therapies because they inhibit growth of malignant cells. The structures are being tested on animal models.


The degree of geometrical imperfections existing in the plate panels of six in situ steel box girder bridges located throughout Canada is reported. The purpose of a continuing investigation is to establish the extent to which strength and performance of Canadian box girders in multispan bridges are sensitive to imperfections. The 95% fractiles obtained from the imperfection measurements of webs and bottom flanges are shown to vary considerably from one bridge to another but, in general, tend to decrease with increasing plate thickness. Key words: bridges (box girder), field measurements, geometric imperfections, plate panels, structural steel.


Principles and Techniques of Contemporary Taxonomy-Donald L.J. Quicke 2013-03-13 Taxonomy is an ever-changing, controversial and exCitmg field of biology. It has not remained motionless since the days of its founding fathers in the last century, but, just as with other fields of endeavour, it continues to advance in leaps and bounds, both in procedure and in philosophy. These changes are not only of interest to other taxonomists, but have far reaching implications for much of the rest of biology, and they have the potential to reshape a great deal of current biological thought, because taxonomy underpins much of biological methodology. It is not only important that an ethologist. physiologist. biochemist or ecologist can obtain information about the identities of the species which they are investigating; biology is also uniquely dependent on the comparative method and on the need to generalize. Both of these necessitate knowledge of the evolutionary relationships between organisms. and it is the science of taxonomy that can develop testable phylogenetic hypotheses and ultimately provide the best estimates of evolutionary history and relationships.


We address the problem of the existence of thermal rectification in inhomogeneous (in particular, graded) chains. Searching for analytical results, we investigate the symmetry properties of the thermal conductivity of the quantum inhomogeneous harmonic chain of oscillators with self-consistent reservoirs, an analytically treatable effective anharmonic model (the inner reservoirs mimic the anharmonic on-site potentials). Considering the linear response regime, i.e., for the system submitted to a small gradient of temperature, we show that, even with quantum effects in the conductivity, there is no thermal rectification. Moreover, as a secondary result, we analyze an old expression derived for the thermal conductivity of pure harmonic chains (i.e., a chain with baths at the boundaries only), and prove that there is no thermal rectification in such inhomogeneous systems, as suggested by numerical simulations in previous works.


Substandard and falsified medicines pose significant risks to global health, including increased deaths, prolonged treatments, and growing drug resistance. Antimalarials are one of the most common medications to be of poor quality in low- and middle-income countries. We assessed the health and economic impact of substandard and falsified antimalarials for children less than 5 years of age in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has one of the world's highest malaria mortality rates. We developed an agent-based model to simulate patient care-seeking behavior and medicine supply chain processes to examine the impact of antimalarial quality in Kinshasa province and Katanga region. We simulated the impact of potential interventions to improve medicinal quality, reduce stockouts, or educate caregivers. We estimated that substandard and falsified antimalarials are responsible for $20.9 million (35% of $59.6 million; 95% CI: $20.7-$21.2 million) in malaria costs in Kinshasa province and $130 million (43% of $301 million; $129-$131 million) in malaria costs in the Katanga region annually. If drug resistance to artemisinin were to develop, total annual costs of malaria could increase by $17.9 million (30%; $17.7-$18.0 million) and $73 million (24%; $72.2-$72.8 million) in Kinshasa and Katanga, respectively. Replacing substandard and falsified antimalarials with good quality medicines had a larger impact than interventions that prevented stockouts or educated caregivers. The results highlight the importance of improving access to good quality antimalarials to reduce the burden of malaria and mitigate the development of antimalarial resistance.


ICESat‐2 science requirements are dependent on the accurate real‐time pointing control (i.e., geolocation control) and postprocessed geolocation knowledge of the laser altimeter surface returns. Prelaunch pointing alignment errors and postlaunch pointing alignment variation result in large geolocation errors that must be calibrated on orbit. In addition, the changing sun‐orbit geometry causes thermal‐mechanical forced laser frame alignment variations at the orbit period and trends from days, weeks, and months. Early mission analysis computed precise postlaunch laser beam alignment calibration. The alignment calibration was uploaded to the spacecraft and enabled the pointing control performance to achieve 4.4 ± 6.0 m, a significant improvement over the 45 m (1 σ) mission requirement. Laser frame alignment calibrations are used to reduce the alignment bias and time variation, as well as the orbital variation contributions to geolocation knowledge error from 6 to 1.7 m (1 σ). Relative beam alignment of the six beams is calibrated and shown to contribute between 0.5 ± 0.1 m and 2.4 ± 0.2 m of remaining geolocation knowledge error. Independent geolocation assessment based on comparison to high‐resolution digital elevation models agrees well with the calibration geolocation error estimates. The analysis demonstrates the ICESat‐2 mission is performing far better than its geolocation knowledge requirement of 6.5 m (1 σ) after the laser frame alignment bias variation and orbital variation calibrations have been applied. Remaining geolocation error is beam dependent and ranges from 2.5 m for beam 6 to 4.4 m for beam 2 (mean + 1 σ).


An essential component of present light amplifying screens is a layer of inorganic, luminescent material. The ability of this layer to derive energy from an electric field to which it is subjected and convert this energy into visible light (i.e., electroluminescence) is fundamental to, but not alone sufficient for the realization of solid-state light amplification. What must be included is some means whereby the luminescent response to the field can be strongly controlled by incident radiation. In one case this has been obtained through the discovery of a phosphor film with the necessary properties, and in another by the utilization of a photoconducting material in contact with an electro-luminescent layer. In the latter case the photoconductor is the radiation-sensitive element, which serves to modify the potential across the luminescent component. The main characteristics of these light amplifying screens will be described, with particular emphasis on the interpretation of the phenomenon observed with the single phosphor film. The behavior, as it is relevant to their possible use in radiation detection will be discussed.


Human beings devote 50% of the brain to process visual content [1]. In today's world, the information
has many dimensions. But, the traditional display systems cater only to 2 dimensions (2D). There
is plenty of data that needs to be seen in three dimensions (3D), that includes research and industry.
However, until today, 3D is viewed in 2 dimensions as slices of the third dimension or a single view
in 3D, inviting the diligence of the viewer to take part. The stereoscopic displays which require
glasses to be worn cause discomfort in viewing for a long time or for some content that moves faster
on the screen. This is because the existing 3D displays are not true 3D. For a complete or true
3D display system, it should be able to display multiple views in 3 dimensions simultaneously. In
autostereoscopic displays, wearables are not required and viewer can see multiple 3D views but the
content is not smooth. Multiple views require multiple locations and viewer can observe jumps
between scenes. A true 3D display should function like a window to the real world. Even the
slightest movement in the viewer's position should produce di_erent content as in the real world.
In other words, it should replicate the light _eld emitted by the real scene. Few companies like
Hologra_ka and Zecotek developed true 3D displays. The problem with Hologra_ka's Holovizio
display is that it uses many projectors and it is bulky. They consume lot of power. Zecotek uses
time multiplexing scheme. Therefore, it needs the movement of parts mechanically and at a faster
pace. These mechanical parts can wear in the long run. So with these drawbacks it is un_t to end
consumers.
In this thesis, a way to achieve true 3D displays is explored. In the process, the human visual
system (HVS) is studied, i.e. the depth cues that are required for a display to render to, the cues an
HVS uses to perceive 3D. A new solution is proposed to make the bulky screen at and compact,
without any mechanical movements involved, without any wearables, less power consumption and
to render all the depth cues. This new proposal takes the motivation from the photonics, phase
gradient metasurface, etc. The use of nano structures makes the screen appear at. Guiding the
light wave through the nanostructure is challenge as the nanostructures that make the metasurface
are sub-wavelength. A display unit in 3D display should emit light rays in di_erent directions with
di_erent intensities in a controlled way. Nano pillars are used to design phase gradient metasurfaces
which bend the light in di_erent directions with di_erent intensities. Nano pillars are used to are
used to design the phase gradient metasurface. The dimensions, radius and height, of them are
comparable to wavelength of light. Mainly The concept of e_ective refractive index of nanopillars is
used to design phase gradient metasurface.


Objectives It has been reported that the origin site of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias from left or right outflow tract (L/RVOT) can be judged from the transition of R/S on precordial lead of surface ECG, but its value still need to be confirmed in more studies. This study reports the relationship between surface ECG and the origin of the premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) or ventricular tachycardia (VT) in a large series. Methods The ECG characteristics in 207 consecutive patients who underwent radio frequency catheter ablation of LVOT or RVOT origin of VT/PVCs were analysised respectively. All the patients had no significant structural heart diseases. Results The number of patients whose transition of R/S on precordial leads was before lead V2, in lead V3 and after lead V4 were 18 (47.6 ± 8.8 years old on the average), 75 (45.5 ± 13.1years), and 114 ((42.25 ± 13.69), respectively. In the 18 cases of R/S wave transition before lead V2, LVOT origin was defined in all the patients, with the specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 72.00%. In the 75 cases of R/S wave transition in lead V3, the lead V2 R/S transition during sinus rhythm was earlier than that during PVCs or VT in 66 patients, and RVOT origin was determined in all of them. In the other 9 patients with lead V3 R/S transition, 7 of them had a LVOT origin with a later R/S transition in lead V2 during sinus rhythm other than during PVCs or VT. Therefore, in patients with lead V3 R/S transition, if lead V2 R/S transition during sinus rhythm was later than that during PVCs or VT, the specificity and the sensitivity of LVOT origin were 97.06% and 100% separately. In the 114 cases of R/S transition after (≤) lead V4, RVOT origin was defined in all the patients, with the specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 62.63%. Conclusions There is a high specificity of identifying the origin of ventricular arrhythmias from LVOT by R/S transition before lead V2, a high specificity and sensitivity of identifying origin from RVOT by R/S transition after lead V4. The specificity and sensitivity are high to define the PVCs or VT origin from LVOT or RVOT by measuring the R/S ratio on lead V2 between sinus rhythm and PVCs.


Flexible sensors based on conductive hydrogels show great potential in wearable displays and smart devices. However, a water-based hydrogel inevitably freezes or loses its conductivity under extremely cold temperatures, leading to inadequate fulfillment of sensor performance. Herein, a well-designed strategy is proposed for fabricating a low-temperature-tolerant water-based hydrogel for sensor applications. By immersing a multi-crosslinking graphene(GO)/polyacrylic acid (PAA)-Fe3+ hydrogel into a KCl solution, an ion-enhanced conductive (GO/PAA/KCl) hydrogel is obtained with excellent conductivity (24.4 S m-1 at 20 °C; 16.2 S m-1 at -20 °C; 0.8 S m-1 at -80 °C) and outstanding antifreezing properties. The conductive hydrogel also possesses good mechanical properties with a fracture stress of 2.65 MPa and an elongation at break of 1511% and maintains its flexibility even at -35 °C. Then, a strain sensor is assembled to monitor the human motion at 20 °C and the movement of a wooden mannequin at -20 °C. Under both conditions, the sensor presents high sensitivity (GF = 8.66 at 20 °C, 7.93 at -20 °C) and good durability (300 cycles under 100% strain). Consequently, the anti-freezing ion-enhanced hydrogel will meet the needs of flexible sensors designed for intelligent robots, health monitoring, etc., which have to work in cold regions or extreme climates.


Based on a single well-preserved specimen from Eocene Baltic amber, a new tenebrionid beetle Neomida groehni Nabozhenko et Bukejs sp. nov. (Diaperinae: Diaperini) is described and illustrated using phase-contrast X-ray microtomography. This oldest representative of the genus differs from all known extant and extinct congeners by the dorsally very weakly convex pronotum with undulate lateral margins (while other Neomida have a pronotum that is strongly convex along its transverse axis, with evenly rounded lateral margins); distinct, right posterior angles of pronotum; and elevated sutural area of the elytra.


In this work, we report the synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation of a multifunctional hybrid biocompatible nanoplatform consisting of a biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) matrix functionalized with a polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan mixed surface layer, and co-loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and the anticancer drug cisplatin. In this manner, problems associated with cisplatin low aqueous solubility are precluded as well as a sustained controlled release of the drug is obtained. The hybrid nanoplatforms displayed slightly positive charges and spherical shapes, with an average diameter of ca 100 nm and very low polydispersity. This size range makes these particles suitable a priori to avoid extensive macrophage recognition whilst ensures exploitation of passive targeting in tumoral cells by the enhanced permeation and retention effect and successful interaction with cell surfaces. SPIONs and drug loading extents were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The presence of the magnetic nanoparticle in the hybrid platform should enable their intended use as T2 imaging contrast agents as denoted from magnetic imaging measurements in vitro. Furthermore, in vitro release profiles of cisplatin from nanoplatform showed an initial burst release of about 16% in the first 6 h, followed by a sustained release over 10 days ensuring a slow delivery of the drug in the site of action to enhance chemotherapeutic activity. This was confirmed by in vitro cytotoxicity assays denoting that the chemotherapeutic effect of cisplatin on both cervical HeLa and breast MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines is largely improved when encapsulated in the nanoplatform. Thus, the present characterization and in vitro biological evaluation data indicate that this nanoplatform can be considered as a promising theragnostic nanoplatform for combined imaging and therapy of several tumors. Moreover, its design using different biocompatible materials approved by regulatory agencies might open further expectatives to clinical translation once performing additional in vivo experiments currently on development.


Small GTP-binding genes play an essential regulatory role in a multitude of cellular processes such as vesicle-mediated intracellular trafficking, signal transduction, cytoskeletal organization, and cell division in plants and animals. Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus are important model plants for studying legume-specific biological processes such as nodulation. The publicly available online resources for these plants from websites such as http://www.ncbi.nih.gov, http://www.medicago.org, http://www.tigr.org, and related sites were searched to collect nucleotide sequences that encode GTP-binding protein homologues. A total of 460 small GTPase sequences from several legume species including Medicago and Lotus, Arabidopsis, human, and yeast were phyletically analysed to shed light on the evolution and functional characteristics of legume-specific homologues. One of the main emphases of this study was the elucidation of the possible involvement of some members of small GTPase homologues in the establishment and maintenance of symbiotic associations in root nodules of legumes. A high frequency of vesicle-mediated trafficking in nodules led to the idea of a probable subfunctionalization of some members of this family in legumes. As a result of the analyses, a group of 10 small GTPases that are likely to be mainly expressed in nodules was determined. The sequences determined as a result of this study could be used in more detailed molecular genetic analyses such as creation of RNA inteference silencing mutants for further clarification of the role of GTPases in nodulation. This study will also assist in furthering our understanding of the evolutionary history of small GTPases in legume species.


The gut microbiota has a great impact on the host immune systems. Recent evidence suggests that the maternal gut microbiota affects the immune systems of offspring. Metabolites produced by the gut microbiota play crucial roles in the immune system. Previous studies have also revealed that metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands are involved in host health and diseases. Great progress has been made in understanding the roles of diet-derived SCFAs in the offspring's immune system. The findings to date raise the possibility that maternal dietary soluble fiber intake may play a role in the development of the offspring's systemic immune response. In this review, we summarize the present knowledge and discuss future therapeutic possibilities for using dietary soluble fiber intake against inflammatory diseases.


A single s.c. injection of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC, 1 g/kg) induced not only gastric but also duodenal mucosal damage in rats. DDC induced marked decreases in gastric acid output, gastro-duodenal mucosal blood flow and transmucosal potential difference prior to the development of mucosal lesions. Superoxide dismutase activity in the gastro-duodenal mucosa was also inhibited, while catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities gradually increased after the administration of DDC. These results suggest that a decrease in mucosal defensive mechanisms plays an important role in the development of DDC-induced gastro-duodenal mucosal damage and that oxygen-derived free radicals may also participate in the development of this mucosal damage.


Cubital tunnel syndrome is the second most commonly encountered compression neuropathy of the upper limb. Multiple techniques for surgical management have been proposed but no universally accepted algorithm for management exists. Six cadaveric upper limbs underwent ulnar nerve decompression and anterior transposition into subcutaneous and then submuscular positions. After marking nerves with tungsten, radiological examination of nerve motion was performed and nerve angulations were measured in the region of the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) origin. Comparison of ulnar nerves in each position revealed statistically significant greater angulation after subcutaneous transposition than after submuscular transposition with the elbow held in full flexion. This point of angulation may act as a secondary point of compression or as a focus for neuritis and scar formation. This finding can contribute to the understanding of why differing outcomes may be observed after different forms of anterior transposition.


The mechanisms of dissemination of arthropod-borne human and animal pathogens are of considerable interest to the epidemiologist, veterinarian and biologist. Birds which are hosts to such pathogens and their arthropod vectors could transport them over long distances during their spring and autumn migratory flights.In April 1961, birds migrating from Africa to Europe were collected in south-western Spain and examined for ectoparasites and antibodies to arboviruses. Fully engorged larvae of two species of trombiculid mites unknown in Europe (genera Neoschoengastia and Blankaartia) but found in Africa were collected from two of the migrating birds (redstart and little bittern), suggesting that the birds were carrying the mites from Africa to Europe.Trombiculid mites are the proven vectors of scrub typhus; they have also been implicated in the transmission of human haemorrhagic nephroso-nephritis. The finding of the mite larvae on migrating birds is therefore of some epidemiological interest and underlines the importance of obtaining more data on the dispersal of trombiculids by migrating birds.


Rotordynamic data are presented for a rocker-pivot tilting-pad bearing in a load-between-pad (LBP) configuration for unit loads over the range [345, 3101 kPa] and speeds over the range [4k to 13k rpm]. The bearing was direct lubricated through a leading-edge groove with the following specifications: 5 pads, .282 preload, 60% offset, 57.87° pad arc angle, 101.587 mm (3.9995 in) rotor diameter, .1575 mm (.0062 in) diametral clearance, 60.325 mm (2.375 in) pad length. Dynamic tests were performed over a range of frequencies to investigate frequency effects on the dynamic-stiffness coefficients. Under most test conditions, the direct real parts of the dynamic stiffnesses could be approximated as quadratic functions of the excitation frequency and accounted for with the addition of an added mass matrix to the conventional [K][C] matrix model to produce a frequency-independent [K][C][M] model. Measured added mass terms in the loaded direction approached 60 kg. At low speeds, "hardening" direct dynamic stiffness coefficients that increased with increasing frequency were obtained that produced negative added-mass terms. No frequency dependency was obtained for the direct damping coefficients. The dynamic experimental results were compared to predictions from a bulk-flow CFD analysis. The static load direction in the tests was y. The direct stiffness coefficients Kxx and Kyy were slightly over predicted. Measured direct damping coefficients Cxx and Cyy were insensitive to changes in either load or speed in contrast to predictions of marked Cyy sensitivity for changes in the load. Only at the highest test speed of 13000 rpm were the direct damping coefficients adequately predicted. Measurable cross-coupled stiffness coefficients were obtained for the bearings with Kxy and Kyx being approximately equal in magnitude but opposite in sign — clearly destabilizing. However, the whirl frequency ratio was found to be zero at all test conditions indicating infinite stability for the bearing.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


In this paper, for the purpose of model reduction the analytical expressions of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modes are derived for the heat equation with boundary control. The autocorrelation function of the latter is viewed as the kernel of a self adjoint compact operator, and the POD modes and corresponding eigenvalues are computed by solving homogeneous integral equations of the second kind. The computed POD modes are compared to the modes obtained from snapshots. The explicit computation of the POD modes and eigenvalues allow the computation of different n-widths approximations for the heat equation, including the linear, Kolmogorov, Gelfand, and Bernstein n-widths.


As renewable energy depends on meteorological shocks and is non-controllable, the overall energy production becomes riskier with the rising renewable share. Although this has led to a renewed interest in storage technologies, not much consideration has been given to energy storage due to precautionary motives. In our study, we look at to what extent a convex marginal utility (prudence) and a convex marginal cost (frugality) can spur precautionary energy storage. We set up a simple theoretical model of energy consumption and production with intermittent renewable sources, dispatchable systems, and energy storage. First, we characterize the optimum and demonstrate how prudence and frugality can lead to higher levels of energy storage. By applying our findings to perfectly competitive markets, we further show that prudence and frugality increase the market energy price through higher demand for energy storage and decrease price volatility. Our analysis can have implications for inventory decisions in various other industries where firms face capacity constraints and are exposed to production risks.


This study investigates surf zone wave heating due to the dissipation of breaking wave energy by using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method. We evaluate the surf zone wave heating by examining the increase of internal energy of the system, which is computed based on the conservation of energy. The equivalent temperature profile is calculated based on a simple conversion relationship between energy and temperature. We first examine the surf zone wave heating based on long-crested wave breaking over a planar beach, and we consider spilling breaker and weakly plunging breaker. Numerical results show that breaking of water waves in the surf zone increases the internal energy of water body. Furthermore, the dissipation of incident wave energy is fully converted into the internal energy in a thermally isolated system, confirming the energy conservation of the present numerical approach. It is further found that the long-crested wave breaking generates undertow, which transports the generated wave heating from the surf zone to deep waters. We further carry out numerical experiments to examine surf zone wave heating due to short-crested wave breaking over a beach. The internal energy generation mainly follows the isolated wave breakers, and there is a 3D pattern of wave heating due to the complicated wave breaking process and current system. In general, the magnitude of the generated internal energy or temperature by dissipation of breaking wave energy in the surf zone is relatively small. The present study shows that the generated water temperature is in the order of 10^-3 Kelvin for wave breaking over a typical coastal beach.


The discrete unit commitment problem with min‐stop ramping constraints optimizes the daily production of thermal power plants, subject to an operational reactivity of thermal units in a 30‐minute delay. Previously, mixed integer programming (MIP) formulations aimed at an exact optimization approach. This paper derives matheuristics to face the short time limit imposed by the operational constraints. Continuous relaxations guide the search for feasible solutions exploiting tailored variable fixing strategies. Parallel matheuristics are derived considering complementary strategies in parallel. Tests were performed on more than 600 real‐life instances. Our parallel matheuristic provides high‐quality solutions and outperforms the MIP approach in the time limits imposed by the industrial application. This paper illustrates a special interest for matheuristics in industrial highly constrained problems: many tailored neighborhood searches can be derived from an MIP formulation, and their combination in a parallel scheme improves the solution quality as well as the consistency of the heuristic.


Because of unique factors related to physiological changes and altered metabolism in advanced age, special attention is needed concerning chronic pain, opioid use, and opioid use disorder among older adults. Clinicians need to follow the most updated clinical guidelines regarding opioid prescribing. Routine screening and awareness are the keys to identifying opioid use disorder. Comprehensive assessments often require both pain assessment (including functional status) and substance use assessment, including the use of urine toxicological testing and structured, validated screening tools and instruments. Comprehensive, interdisciplinary efforts are critical in managing the care of older adults with chronic pain and opioid use disorder. A collaborative approach that includes substance abuse treatment and pain management (including pain subspecialty care) is often recommended. Medications for opioid use disorder have been extensively studied and have the most convincing evidence to date, and psychosocial treatments may be beneficial in some circumstances.


In this report, the JPMorgan Chase Institute assembled a de-identified data asset of over 250,000 Chase customers between 2013 and 2015 in order to study how consumers' expenses vary over time and how their financial behavior changes when faced with extraordinary medical payments. We organize our results into five findings. First, we find that expenses fluctuated by nearly $1,300 or 29 percent on a month-to-month basis for median-income households. Second, expense volatility was high across the income and age spectrum. While older families typically had less volatile incomes, they exhibited a larger range of income and expense volatility. Third, almost four in ten families per year — particularly middle-income and older families — made an extraordinary payment of over $1,500 related to medical services, auto repair, or taxes. Fourth, extraordinary medical payments were more likely to occur in months with higher income and specifically during tax season. Finally, prior to a major medical payment, families garnered substantial liquid assets but did not recover financially within 12 months after the payment. These findings highlight the critical role liquid assets play in managing expense spikes and the need for policies and solutions to promote emergency savings.


The relationship between trade defi cit and fi scal defi cit has remained an important topic in the last decades. The literature reveals many attempts to investigate the relationship between the two defi cits, while terminologies like Keynesian Proposition, Ricardian Equivalence, and Targeting Current Account Defi cit are used for the relationship between the two defi cits. The literature also highlights the possibility of unidirectional or bidirectional causality between these defi cits for different countries and different time spans. These four possibilities have inspired us to investigate these possibilities in the light of many control variables like unemployment, urbanization, money supply, foreign direct investment, and economic development in the case of Pakistan. The fi ndings of the study reveal that fi scal defi cit signifi cantly accelerates trade defi cit into both long term and short term; hence, it supports the Keynesian Proposition in Pakistan, while a bidirectional causality between fi scal defi cit and trade defi cit into both long term and short term was also observed. Moreover, the mean and variance of error term were also found to be structurally stable which confi rms the absence of structural break for the selected period in Pakistan. In the end, based on these fi ndings, this study has concluded that two possibilities prevail out of four on the relationship between fi scal and trade defi cits. The twin defi cit is relevant and it does prevail in a transition economy like Pakistan.


Molecules with identical graph connectivity can exhibit different physical and biological properties if they exhibit stereochemistry-a spatial structural characteristic. However, modern neural architectures designed for learning structure-property relationships from molecular structures treat molecules as graph-structured data and therefore are invariant to stereochemistry. Here, we develop two custom aggregation functions for message passing neural networks to learn properties of molecules with tetrahedral chirality, one common form of stereochemistry. We evaluate performance on synthetic data as well as a newly-proposed protein-ligand docking dataset with relevance to drug discovery. Results show modest improvements over a baseline sum aggregator, highlighting opportunities for further architecture development.


......................................... Received: 23/05/18 Accepted: 08/07/18 Abstract One of the unusual characteristics of cutaneous melanoma is its ability to metastasize in the small intestine. It is often diagnosed during autopsies of cutaneous melanoma patients. Metastatic deposits have been found in 50% to 60% of these autopsies, but less than 2% to 4% of patients diagnosed with melanoma have gastrointestinal metastasis during the course of the disease. Between 4% and 9% of gastrointestinal melanoma cases have unknown primary tumors. Rapid identification and resection of melanoma in the digestive tract could improve the patient survival rate and prevent complications such as intestinal obstructions from occurring. We present a rare clinical case of gastrointestinal melanoma of unknown primary origin. The patient had a clinical picture of nausea, hyporexia, epigastralgia, fatigue, paresthesias in the right dorsal region and had lost nine kilograms in three weeks. An abdominal CT scan showed three predominantly isodense liver lesions in the parenchyma, with some areas of lower density located in segments 2,5,7 and 8 of the liver. These were biopsied. Upper digestive tract endoscopy took biopsy samples of two hyperpigmented lesions in the second portion of the duodenum. Histopathological examination showed malignant melanoma. All typical locations of primary melanoma were excluded during the diagnostic procedure.


Today, access to sustainable environment for more presence of humans in open space
should improve the quality of open spaces and human thermal comfort. Hence, the courtyard as an open
space is an important element in solar radiation absorption and providing thermal comfort. The aim of this
paper is to investigate the climatic performance of traditional courtyard houses, according to shading and
sunlit in two cities with different climates: Kashan city (hot-arid climate) and Ardabil city (cold climate).
In order to carry out this research, firstly ten types of traditional houses in Kashan and Ardabil were
chosen. , thereafter, the shadow and sunlit in almost all floors and walls of courtyards were calculated and
analyzed in June and December using Ecotect software simulations. In order to assess the compatibility
level of the selected historical samples of each city with the region's climate, the average of a composite
indexes (shading-sunlit index of walls and floor) of the selected houses in two cities have been compared.
The average shading-sunlit index for the houses in Kashan is 0.43 and for the selected houses in Ardabil
is 0.40; meaning that in both cities, the houses are relatively compatible with the region's climate and the
cases in Kashan city show more compatible to some extent. Also the results of studies demonstrate that in
case studies in both cities, the amount of shaded surfaces have appropriate climate compatibility in warm
months; while, in terms of sunlit, they do not have an appropriate climate compatibility in cold months.


A critical issue in developing Web Service-based business applications is the realization of business-level security requirements with system-level security mechanisms using the WS-∗ standards. Current practice has primarily relied on the engineer's experience and lacks consistency and methodological support. This paper introduces an approach to Web Services security engineering called SOABSE, which systematically models, designs and implements security for a WS-based application from a given set of business-oriented security requirements. It includes 1) a stepwise process that systematically transforms business-level security requirements into system-level WS-∗ security policies, and relies on 2) a security realization model that maps business-level security objectives to WS-∗ security realization mechanisms and 3) a security deployment model that sets out the security-oriented Web Service deployment information. A prototype tool supporting the approach is also introduced.


Compared with a pulse-width modulated voltage-mode controlled switching converter, a constant on-time (COT) controlled switching converter has extensive industry application due to its fast transient response. However, the conventional COT controlled switching converter has poor output-regulation accuracy. A new control method that provides both fast transient response and high output-regulation accuracy for switching converters, called dual COT control, is proposed. The analysis results are verified by circuit simulation.


Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of oral hydration volume to weight ratio (OHV/W) on contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) among patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 754 patients with STEMI undergoing PCI were selected. Each patient was encouraged to drink as much water as possible 24 h after PCI. Total volume intake was recorded for all patients. The ratio of OHV/W was calculated. The occurrence of CI-AKI was defined as ≥0.5 mg/dL absolute or ≥25% relative increase in serum creatinine within 48–72 h following PCI. Logistic regression analysis and generalized additive model were performed to evaluate the relationship between OHV/W and CI-AKI. Results: There was a nonlinear relationship between OHV/W and CI-AKI with an inflection point of 15.69 mL/kg. On the right side of the inflection point (OHV/W ≥15.69 mL/kg), a negative relationship was detected between OHV/W and CI-AKI (HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82∼0.98, p = 0.0126). However, no relationship was observed between OHV/W and CI-AKI on the left of inflection point (HR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.95∼1.49, p = 0.1302). Subgroup analysis showed that significant interactions were observed only for gender difference (p for interaction = 0.0155), male patients had a significantly lower risk of CI-AKI (HR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75∼0.93, p = 0.0012). Conclusion: OHV/W ≥15.6 mL/kg for 24 h post-procedure may be an effective preventive strategy of CI-AKI. In addition, male patients may particularly benefit from OHV to prevent CI-AKI.


The record of the Millennium Development Goals broadly reflects the trade-offs of disease-specific financing: substantial progress in particular areas, facilitated by time-bound targets that are easy to measure and communicate, which shifted attention and resources away from other areas, masked inequalities and exacerbated fragmentation. In many ways, the Sustainable Development Goals reflect a profound shift towards a more holistic, system-wide approach. To inform responses to this shift, this article builds upon existing work on aggregate trends in donor financing, bringing together what have largely been disparate analyses of sector-wide and disease-specific financing approaches. Looking across the last 26 years, the article examines how international donors have allocated development assistance for health (DAH) between these two approaches and how attempts to bridge them have fared in practice. Since 1990, DAH has overwhelmingly favoured disease-specific earmarks over health sector support, with the latter peaking in 1998. Attempts to integrate system strengthening elements into disease-specific funding mechanisms have varied by disease, and more integrated funding platforms have failed to gain traction. Health sector support largely remains an unfulfilled promise: proportionately low amounts (albeit absolute increases) which have been inconsistently allocated, and the overall approach inconsistently applied in practice. Thus, the expansive orientation of the Sustainable Development Goals runs counter to trends over the last several decades. Financing proposals and efforts to adapt global health institutions must acknowledge and account for the persistent challenges in the financing and implementation of integrated, cross-sector policies. National and subnational experimentation may offer alternatives within and beyond the health sector.


The influence of ultraviolet (UV) on delayed fluorescence in the millisecond range ( msec-DF) acridin orange (AO) was studied in the yeast cells. Cells subjected to UV affect were changing shapes of kinetic curve msec-DF and the peak was observed before stationary phase. Suggested that the changing msec-DF AO on the cells after UV affecting related with forming free radicals.


OBJECTIVES
Flexibility in self-regulation has emerged as an important component of mental health. Previous findings found that deficits in two components of regulatory flexibility were linked cross-sectionally to psychosis-proneness. We aimed to replicate and extend these findings longitudinally.

METHODS
We measured psychosis-proneness and components of emotion regulation flexibility (i.e. context sensitivity, repertoire and feedback) at two time points with three months in between.

RESULTS
Two flexibility components predicted psychotic-like experiences. The ability to detect the absence of contextual cues was implicated in both positive and negative dimensions but through opposite pathways. Expressive suppression ability-a subcomponent of repertoire-predicted positive symptoms. None of the flexibility components predicted distress related to the symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
The current study provides further evidence on the implication of emotion regulation flexibility in the longer-term maintenance of psychotic-like experiences. Future studies can advance this work further by evaluating possible bidirectional relationships between psychotic-like experiences and deficits in emotion regulation flexibility.


An active-matrix organic light emitting diode (OLED) display employing a hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin-film transistor prefers a cathode-contact structure to an anode-contact structure. A new normal top-emitting OLED employing cathode-contact structure is proposed. To implement normal OLED structure, the cathode layer on top is separated as sub-pixels by a negative photoresist separator. The current of the cathode-contact structure is maintained 20% higher after 20 h than that of the anode-contact structure during the accelerated life test.


The Problem. The worship services at San Diego Fil-Am were traditionally led by the older generations where most of the time the younger generations felt neglected to and left out in the planning and from experiencing a life-transforming worship. For some time, the younger generations sought opportunities to be involved in worship but the traditional practice of worship did not favor it. Advocates for children and young people in the congregation urge separate worship services for the youth and young adults but this is strongly opposed by the majority of leaders and senior members, many of whom hold leadership positions on the Church Board. This situation has affected the interest, the attendance, and the participation of the youth and young adults in worship. The Method. This project dissertation presents a survey of biblical foundation for a corporate cross-generational life transforming worship as well as guidelines and suggestions for developing a cross-generational, intergenerational, or multi-generational (CIM) model of worship with intentional involvement, training and equipping of the younger generations. It integrates methods and principles from current literature on CIM worship relevant to planning, implementing, and evaluating a CIM life-transforming worship at the San Diego Fil-Am SDA Church. Results. There were six people from younger generations trained and equipped as worship leaders. The involvement of the younger generations in planning and leading worship greatly contributed to a higher percentage of the younger members leading, noticeably the young adults, in worship. The worship attendance among the younger generations has increased. The more inspiring result of this process was manifested in the church members' becoming more prayerful, more engaged in the ministry, more caring and loving to one another, more focused and alive in worship, and in serving others. The CGLTW was considered a process, a life-transforming experience, not only for the older and younger worship leaders, but for all generations in the congregation. Conclusions. The priority of this project is to develop younger generations in worship leadership, equipping them to assist or lead in improving worship services by designing, implementing, and evaluating life-transforming worship services that involves all the generations (all age groups) in the congregation. By giving the younger generations the opportunities to be involved they truly felt that they belong, their relationship to the church community was strengthened and their worship experience became life-transforming.


ABSTRACT Independence is widely regarded as one of the key principles of effective auditing. This article explores the understanding of the nature of auditor independence at the level of practice in the public sector using the case study of Indonesia's Supreme Audit Institution (Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan-Republik Indonesia – BPK-RI). The research uses a case study methodology involving in-depth interviews with a stratified sample comprised of four groups of BPK-RI auditors. The results confirm that independence is perceived by all respondents as a fundamental auditor value. Independence was found to be a multifaceted concept which was perceived by respondents to have personal, professional and organisational aspects. However, depending on one's location in the organisational hierarchy there are different emphases about the relative importance of the different aspects of auditor independence.


In the article, we describe a clinical case of syringomyelia associated with an Arnold-Chiari type 1 malformation, evaluate the efficacy of syringosubarachnoid shunting, and analyze the literature data of domestic and international researchers involved in investigation and treatment of the pathology. Application of syringosubarachnoid shunting in the described case resulted in a clinical improvement in the form of regression of paresis and hypoesthesia, which demonstrated the efficacy of the shunting technique for correction of the syringomyelia symptoms.


Agritourism as a type of niche tourism is a complex and softly defined phaenomenon. The demands for fast and integrated decision regarding agritourism and its interconnections with environment, economy (investments, traffic) and social factors (tourists) is urgent. Many different methodologies and methods master softly structured questions and dilemmas with global and local properties. Here we present methods of systems thinking and system dynamics, which were first brought into force in the educational and training area in the form of different computer simulations and later as tools for decision-making and organisational re-engineering. We develop system dynamics models in order to present accuracy of methodology. These models are essentially simple and can serve only as describers of the activity of basic mutual influences among variables. We will pay the attention to the methodology for parameter model values determination and the so-called mental model. This one is the basis of causal connections among model variables. At the end, we restore a connection between qualitative and quantitative models in frame of system dynamics.


Five different types of feeders were designed and tested on goats to find out their effectiveness in reducing feed wastage and cost fabrication. Experiment was conducted at Agriculture Research Station (ARS)-Bandipur for two years. Tested feeders were hexagonal, rectangular, hay rack, chain barrel and conventional wooden Tatnu. Feeders were fabricated using iron bars and woods. They were tested with the adult goats for feed wastage and feed contamination. Experimental feeds were fodders twigs (Tanki), forage (Stylo, Napier), crop residue (straw from black bean) and commercial concentrate. Chain barrel type of feeder was also tested at farmer's field at Baradi. Rectangular feeders have significantly lower (P<0.01) feed wastage (6.61% for fodders) compared to other tested feeders. The fabrication cost was NRs 3200, 1700, 700, 900, and 150 for hexagonal, rectangular; hay rack, chain barrel and conventional wooden Tatnu respectively. The rectangular feeder is suitable for goats feeding in Tarai and in the hills of Nepal. It has provision for feeding fodders, grasses, crop residues and concentrates together at the same time. Chain barrel type had comparatively higher wastage (10.7% for fodder) than the rectangular but was preferred by the farmers due to its low fabricating cost, portable in size, small space required and easy to handle. Therefore, the rectangular feeder is recommended for middle level farmers and chain barrel for small farmers who rear few goats. Key words: Contamination; cost effective; feed saving; small farmer; stall-feed; suitable feeders DOI: 10.3126/narj.v6i0.3368 Nepal Agriculture Research Journal Vol.6 2005 pp.78-83


Wake-Up Stroke (WUS) is defined as a stroke with the unclear onset of symptoms and subsequent neurological deficits which perceived upon awakening. WUS patients are often excluded from acute fibrinolytic and reperfusion therapy due to the unknown exact time of symptoms onset. This study aimed to evaluate patients with and without WUS characteristics and associated risk factors at two tertiary hospitals. First, we prospectively evaluated consecutive patients with stroke symptoms and determined stroke sub groups by using Computed Tomography (CT) scan. Next, demographic and clinical characteristics including past medical and drug consumption history as well as cardiac function index (ejection fraction), LDL (mg/dl) level and hematologic parameters: hemoglobin (Hb); hematocrit (Hct); platelet (Plt) were assessed. Results: 510 patients (56.1% men and 43.9% women) with averaged age of 70 and 72 years were studied, respectively. Of 510 patients, 405 (79.4%) had non-WUS stroke (known-onset stroke) and 105 (20.6%) had WUS strokes (unknown-onset stroke). The WUS occurrence most likely was observed in ischemic stroke compared to hemorrhagic one. No significant differences were found between patients from both groups regarding stroke risk factors. However, hypertension and family history were more common in patients with WUS (p>0.05). Moreover, individuals with a previous cerebrovascular accident in WUS group were almost similar to non-WUS counterparts. No differences also detected in case of hematologic characteristics, heart function index and LDL levels between study groups (p>0.05). Together, wake-up stroke occurs in approximately 20% of stroke subjects. In this study, patients with WUS had more hypertension and family history.


Conformal field theory (CFT) with the central charge c=1 is important both in the field theory and in the condensed matter physics, since it has the continuous internal symmetry (U(1) or SU(2)) and a marginal operator, and it is an effective theory of many 1D quantum spin and 1D electron systems. So it is valuable to understand how the c=1 CFT models become unstable. In this paper we discuss an instability of the c=1 CFT, that is, the transition to the ferromagnetic state. For the U(1) CFT case, we find that the spin wave velocity v and the critical dimension K behave v,1/K ∝ √ �c − � under reasonable assumptions.


Individual differences in exposure and response to stress in a sample of 56 divorced mothers were examined. Compared with normative data, the sample reported significantly more negative life events, more psychiatric symptoms, and poorer social adjustment. Social support and income emerged as the mediating factors most strongly associated with adjustment outcome.


Background: Environmental pollution is the presence of a pollutant in the environment: air, water and soil, which

may be lethal or toxic and will cause harmful to living things in the polluted environment. Thus removal of these

toxic heavy metals from waste water is of crucial importance to protect the human population and the environment.

The aim of the present study was to determine the capability of decreasing high concentrations of lead and mercury,

in a laboratory experiment using Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 which was obtained from National Public

Health Laboratory or The Stack Medical Laboratories.

Method and results: P.aeruginosa was cultivated in Peptone water and incubated for 48 hours. Different

concentrations of heavy metal (Pb2+, Hg2+) were made in 30 ml of distill water, 5 ml of cultivated peptone water was

added to each concentrations of heavy metals separately, incubated for 7 days at 37°C. Colorimetric method was

done using �?�?max (520-540) nm to detect the absorbance of heavy metal (Pb2+, Hg2+) respectively. Absorbance was

read before and after cultivation. The results of absorbance before cultivation were recorded. In the table for Pb2+,

and for Hg2+, the absorbance of Pb2+ after cultivation were revealed reduction which indicates removal of Pb2+ from

solution and also absorbance of Hg2+ was decreased as result of removal Hg2+ from solution. The mean and Std.

Deviation of concentration of (Pb2+, Hg2+) after cultivation were calculated by using SPSS. The results generally

showed that Pb2+ and Hg levels were diminished in all the samples due to P. aeruginosa cultivation.

Conclusion and recommendation: It was concluded that P. aeruginosa assisted in removing harmful pollutants (lead

and mercury) from water by uptake and accumulation of heavy metal from the water sample. It is recommended that

further studies should be carried out to get rid of bacteria.


Abstract : This article consists of two parts. In the first part, the crack propagation theories for brittle and quasi-brittle solids fracturing under a single application of the external loads are considered. The emphasis has been on the dynamic aspects of the fracture phenomenon and the related quantitative theories. Thus, the problem is discussed only from the viewpoint of continuum mechanics and classical thermodynamics. Two theoretical approaches are presented in detail. These are the dynamic crack propagation theory based on the concept of modulus of cohesion proposed by Barenblatt and various forms of the energy balance theory based essentially on the ideas proposed by Griffith. A detailed analysis of the energy balance around the periphery of the crack is given and it is shown that the energy available at the crack periphery to create new fracture surfaces is equivalent to the crack closure energy, which is different from the released strain energy if the inertia effects are not negligible. The results are applied to plane extensional and anti-plane shear problems. The techniques used in and the results obtained from the available experimental studies are then discussed.


We report on a powerful 4.6 µm light emitting diode (LED), operating at room temperature, suitable for carbon monoxide gas detection. The source is based on a InAs0.55Sb0.15P0.30 /InAs0.89Sb0.11/InAs0.55Sb0.15P0.30 symmetrical double heterostructure with large band offsets. To improve performance, the InAs0.89Sb0.11 ternary material in the active region was purified by using rare-earth ion gettering during liquid phase epitaxial growth. A pulsed optical output power in excess of 1 mW at room temperature has been measured, making these emitters suitable for use in cost-effective instruments for the environmental monitoring of carbon monoxide. The Auger coefficient of the InAs0.89Sb0.11 active region material was evaluated by analysis of the temperature quenching of the LED output power measured at constant current. It was found to be C0 = 1.5 × 10-26 cm6 s-1 with an activation energy of E = 31 meV, which is in good agreement with previous findings in the literature.


Top-down protein mass spectrometry can provide unique insights into protein sequence and structure, including precise proteoform identification and study of protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions. In contrast with the commonly applied bottom-up approach, top-down approaches do not include digestion of the protein of interest into small peptides, but instead rely on the ionization and subsequent fragmentation of intact proteins. As such, it is fundamentally the only way to fully characterize the composition of a proteoform. Here, we provide an overview of how a top-down protein mass spectrometry experiment is performed and point out recent applications from the literature to the reader. While some parts of the top-down workflow are broadly applicable, different research questions are best addressed with specific experimental designs. The most important divide is between studies that prioritize sequence information (i.e., proteoform identification) versus structural information (e.g., conformational studies, or mapping protein-protein or protein-ligand interactions). Another important consideration is whether to work under native or denaturing solution conditions, and the overall complexity of the sample also needs to be taken into account, as it determines whether (chromatographic) separation is required prior to MS analysis. In this review, we aim to provide enough information to support both newcomers and more experienced readers in the decision process of how to answer a potential research question most efficiently and to provide an overview of the methods that exist to answer these questions.


This study addresses the important and recurring question of whether playing video games is detrimental to the socio-economic development of a person. It does this by using novel data from the Taking Part Survey in England to establish whether games playing is associated with particular socio-economic characteristics and/or other forms of cultural participation. The results do not indicate any obviously negative effects of video games playing: those who play are typically better educated and wealthier, and games players are also more likely than non-games players to participate in other forms of culture, especially through active participation. These findings are reinforced when comparing the characteristics of individuals who did and did not play video games when younger.


Background Ferroptosis is a nonapoptotic form of programmed cell death, which may be related to the occurrence and development of sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/acute lung injury (ALI). Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a kind of macromolecule transmembrane glycoprotein. Previous studies have shown that MUC1 could relieve ALI in sepsis and predict whether sepsis patients would develop into ARDS. However, the role of MUC1 in the ferroptosis of sepsis-induced ALI/ARDS remains unclear. Materials and Methods Sera samples from 50 patients with sepsis/septic shock were used to detect iron metabolism-related markers. Western blot and qRT-PCR were conducted to detect the expression levels of ferroptosis-related genes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to evaluate inflammatory factors. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to assess morphological changes of cells. Results The results showed that the iron metabolism-related indicators in sepsis-induced ARDS patients changed significantly, suggesting the iron metabolism disorder. The expression levels of ferroptosis-related genes in lung tissues of sepsis had marked changes, and the lipid peroxidation levels increased, while Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) could reverse the above results, which confirmed the occurrence of ferroptosis. In terms of mechanism studies, inhibition of MUC1 dimerization could increase the expression level of Keap1, reduce the phosphorylation level of GSK3β, inhibit the entry of Nrf2 into the nucleus, further inhibit the expression level of GPX4, enhance the lipid peroxidation level of lung tissues, trigger ferroptosis, and aggravate lung injury. Besides, inhibiting MUC1 reversed the alleviating effect of vitamin E on ALI caused by sepsis, increased the aggregation of inflammatory cells in lung tissues, and aggravated alveolar injury and edema. Conclusions Our study was the first to explore the changes of iron metabolism indicators in ALI/ARDS of sepsis, clarify the important role of ferroptosis in ALI/ARDS induced by sepsis, and reveal the effects and specific mechanisms of MUC1 in regulating ferroptosis, as well as the sensitization on vitamin E.


Forest regrowth occupies an extensive and increasing area in the Amazon basin, but accurate assessment of the impact of regrowth on carbon and nutrient cycles has been hampered by a paucity of available allometric equations. We develop pooled and species-specific equations for total aboveground biomass for a study site in the eastern Amazon that had been abandoned for 15 years. Field work was conducted using randomized branch sampling, a rapid technique that has seen little use in tropical forests. High consistency of sample paths in randomized branch sampling, as measured by the standard error of individual paths (14%), suggests the method may provide substantial efficiencies when compared to traditional procedures. The best fitting equations in this study used the traditional form Y=a×DBH b , where Y is biomass, DBH is diameter at breast height, and a and b are both species-specific parameters. Species-specific equations of the form Y=a(BA×H), where Y is biomass, BA is tree basal area, H is tree height, and a is a species-specific parameter, fit almost as well. Comparison with previously published equations indicated errors from -33% to +29% would have occurred using off-site relationships. We also present equations for stemwood, twigs, and foliage as biomass components.


Life‐history traits within ecological communities can be influenced by regional environmental conditions (external filters) and community‐wide density‐dependent processes (internal filters). While traits in a regional context may converge to a narrow range of values because of environmental filtering, species belonging to a guild may present contrasting traits as a means of niche differentiation, allowing coexistence whilst exploiting the same resources.
 To disentangle the role of external and internal filters on phenotypic diversity within ecological communities, we examined the patterns of life‐history trait variation within a guild of insect parasitoids during two successive years across three contrasted regions in relation to several ecological factors.
 By combining a mean‐field approach and an analysis of phenotypic variance across organizational levels (from individual to guild), we showed that the patterns of life‐history trait variation across regions are consistent with local adaptation or adaptive phenotypic plasticity while the patterns of phenotypic variation within regions suggested how coexistence modulates life‐history traits expression through niche differentiation.
 Within a given region, phenotypic pattern of parasitoid life‐history traits may also arise from bottom‐up effects of trophic webs: insect host species could also control parasitoid life‐history traits in nature. Our results also showed that parasitoid life‐history traits presented contrasting variation patterns according to the sampling year, suggesting temporal variations in evolutionary and ecological dynamics of parasitoid species.
 The application of such trait‐based studies to insect parasitoids has the potential to provide further insight on how agricultural environments contribute to differential diversification among natural enemies guilds, highlighting the main role of agricultural landscape management for organisms'responses.


In this paper, an MoOx film is deposited on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate as a buffer layer to improve the surface roughness of the flexible PET substrate. With an optimized MoOx thickness of 100 nm, the surface roughness of the PET substrate can be reduced to a very small value of 0.273 nm (much less than 0.585 nm of the pure PET). Flexible white top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (TEOLEDs) with red and blue dual phosphorescent emitting layers are constructed based on a low-reflectivity Sm/Ag semi-transparent cathode. The flexible white emission exhibits the best luminance and current injection characteristics with the 100-nm-thick MoOx buffer layer and this result indicates that a smooth substrate is beneficial to the enhancement of device electrical and electroluminescence performances. However, the white TEOLED with a 50-nm-thick MoOx buffer layer exhibits a maximum current efficiency of 4.64 cd/A and a power efficiency of 1.9 lm/W, slightly higher than those with a 100-nm MoOx buffer layer, which is mainly due to an obvious intensity enhancement but limited current increases in 50-nm MoOx-based white TEOLED. The change amplitudes of the Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates are less than (0.016, 0.005) for all devices in a wide luminance range over 100 cd/m2, indicating an excellent color stability in our white flexible TEOLEDs. Additionally, the flexible white TEOLED with an MoOx buffer layer shows excellent flexibility to withstand more than 500 bending times under a curvature radius of approximately 9 mm. Research demonstrates that it is mainly attributed to the high surface energy of the MoOx buffer layer, which is conducible to the improvement of the surface adhesion to the PET substrate and the Ag anode.


Background TNF and IL-17 independently contribute to the pathophysiology of RA, synergistically inducing inflammatory mediators and joint destruction. Selective dual neutralization of TNF and IL-17 confers superior protection vs inhibition of either alone in mouse RA models. ABT-122 is a novel dual variable domain immunoglobulin (DVD-Ig™) targeting both human TNF and IL-17A and hypothesized to provide greater clinical responses in RA patients (pts). Objectives Investigate safety, tolerability, and exploratory pharmacodynamics of multiple doses of ABT-122 in pts with stable RA Methods Two phase 1, placebo (PBO)-controlled, multiple-dose studies randomized 43 pts with stable RA receiving stable methotrexate (7.5–25 mg/wk). Pts received subcutaneous PBO, ABT-122 1 mg/kg every other wk (4 doses), or ABT-122 0.5, 1.5, or 3 mg/kg weekly (8 doses), and were evaluated through 45 d after last dose. Serum for inflammation markers and chemokines, based on preclinical studies with dual TNF and IL-17 neutralization, was collected at baseline (BL) through d 92 and analyzed by multiplex assays. Results No clinically significant safety findings were observed. Rates of treatment-emergent AEs were similar in the ABT-122 and PBO groups, with no evidence of a dose response. There were no AE or serious AE trends, systemic hypersensitivity reactions, or dose-limiting toxicities with ABT-122. Infections were reported, as expected in RA, with no apparent patterns related to etiology, type, or dose with ABT-122 vs PBO, and no pt discontinued the study owing to infection. There were no clinically significant laboratory, vital sign, or ECG abnormalities. CXCL9 and CXCL10 decreased within 3 d of ABT-122 administration (−25% and −30% vs BL, respectively) relative to PBO. Maximal decreases occurred by d 15 (−60% and −45% for CXCL9 and CXCL10, respectively) and persisted through 14 d after last dose. CCL23 decreased following ABT-122, with maximal decreases (−30%) at d 64, and continued through d 92. Consistent with TNF inhibition, soluble E-selectin decreased following ABT-122, persisting through d 92 for the 3 mg/kg group. Conclusions ABT-122 demonstrated a well-tolerated safety profile in RA pts through 8 wk of dosing up to 3 mg/kg, consistent with the prior first-in-human study in healthy subjects. Because CXCL9, CXCL10, and CCL23 are involved in lymphocyte and myeloid cell recruitment into inflamed tissues, decreases in these chemokines indicate that ABT-122 rapidly modulates potential pathophysiologic pathways in RA pts, with evidence for persistent effects after cessation of dosing. These results suggest that dual neutralization of TNF and IL-17 may provide an opportunity to control inflammation and its clinical manifestations in RA and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Acknowledgement The design, study conduct, analysis, and financial support of the clinical trials were provided by AbbVie. AbbVie participated in the interpretation of data, review, and approval of the content. All authors had access to all relevant data. Katherine Groschwitz and John Fincke of Complete Publication Solutions, LLC, provided medical writing support. ABT-122 is an investigational product. Disclosure of Interest R. Fleischmann Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Consultant for: AbbVie, F. Wagner: None declared, A. Kivitz Grant/research support from: AbbVie, H. Mansikka Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, N. Khan Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, J. Liu Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, F. Hong Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, M. Ruzek Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, R. Padley Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie


There is usually little information available on how well hypertensive individuals are managed at the community level. This survey measured the frequency of hypertension in a medium-sized Brazilian city by studying a cluster sample of 1657 adults aged 20-69 years. The 328 hypertensives (19.8%) answered a questionnaire on the knowledge and management of their condition. Two-thirds were aware of their status and more than half were on antihypertensive medication, but only one-third had their blood pressure under control. Physicians failed to advise a large proportion of their patients about the need to lose weight, take exercise, and quit smoking. Although laboratory tests were carried out in most patients, fundoscopy and chest X-rays were performed in fewer than 50%. Continued care by the same physician was the only factor significantly associated with compensated high blood pressure (relative risk for not having continued care = 1.35; 95% CI = 1.02-1.71). High levels of absenteeism, reduction of the work load, and early retirement were found among the individuals with high blood pressure.


The purpose of this study was to see how the role of internal audit on women's microfinance at PNM Mekaar in fraud detection and prevention. The research used a qualitative approach, making direct observations, conducting interviews and collecting data in the form of documents carried out by internal audits. Where the company's internal audit is active on the financing of women's micro groups in the prevention of fraud with evidence in the 2017 examination which revealed that during the examination of 4 groups there was no fraud, including delinquency in payment of insurance claims, customers who died had not received complete insurance documents, the use of bailout funds by one of the customers, monitoring activities are not in accordance with the control provisions which must be done once a month and billing statements for three customers who have paid three times but are not recorded by the head office system.


Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) O. Kuntze, Amaranthaceae is a Brazilian perennial herb employed as analgesic and antiinflammatory in the traditional medicine. This work has analysed the morpho-anatomy of the leaf and stem, in order to supply knowledge to the medicinal plant identification. The botanical material was fixed, freehand sectioned and stained according to usual microtechniques. The leaves are simple, entire, decussate, oval-lanceolate and purple, presenting uniseriate epidermis, pluricellular non-glandular trichomes coated by papillose cuticle, anomocytic and diacytic stomata on both surfaces; the mesophyll is dorsiventral, with collateral vascular bundles and druses. The stem, in secondary growth, has the dermal system similar to the leaf; the angular collenchyma alternates with the chlorenchyma; it occurs druses and a cambial variant, consisting of concentrical arcs of extra-cambia outside the first cambium and aligned vascular bundles in the pith. *Correspondence:


There are several evolutionary views of rape, each of which leads to different predictions. Rape can be viewed as itself adaptive or the by-product of other characteristics that are. If adaptive, it can be regarded as conditional in that it either applies only to certain individuals, or to certain circumstances. Evolutionary views of rape are often criticized because they are viewed as being counter to the feminist position that rape is motivated by power. Although this criticism often confuses ultimate and proximate explanations, there is one division between the evolutionary and feminist positions that cannot be bridged, its ultimate origin. Animal behaviour research indicates that forced copulations do occur widely in the natural world, and therefore predate the patriarchal power that is the presumed origin of rape in feminist theories.


This paper presents a new method to compute the head pose in monocular images by comparing the positions of specific facial features with the positions of these facial features in multiple instances of a prior 3D face model. Given an image containing a face, we locate facial features such as nose, eyes, and mouth. Then these 2D feature locations are used as references in the comparison with the corresponding feature locations in multiple instances of our 3D face model, projected on the 2D image space. To estimate the depth of these feature points, we use the 3D spatial constraints imposed by our face model (e.g. eyes are at a certain depth with respect to the nose, and so on). The head pose is estimated by minimizing the comparison error between the face feature locations in the image and in a given instance of the face model. Our preliminary experimental results are encouraging, and suggest that our approach potentially can provide accurate results.


Faced with health-policy changes, increased competition, and limited funding, hospices must either find more efficient ways to provide end-of-life care or risk organizational demise. Increasingly, hospices are re-evaluating their organizations to stretch resources and remain viable. Prevalent restructuring options for addressing environmental pressures are integration, alliance, and collaboration with other organizations. This study examines the restructuring phenomenon by evaluating trends among nonprofit hospices in six states. The study identifies demographic characteristics predictive of organizational decisions to join forces, and it examines the dominant political and economic reasons that propel or impede restructuring decisions. In addition, the study evaluates the results of restructuring actions.