The calcium and phosphorus play a crucial role in the bone health status of an individual. The quantitative ultra sound (QUS) bone densitometry measured at calcaneous bone is used to evaluate the bone strength based on WHO criteria of BMD T-score standard deviation against normal adult mean. Accordingly the women are divided into normal, osteopenic and osteoporotic women. The age-related changes are evaluated by four different age groups viz., 35-44, 45-54, 55-64 and 65-74 years. The results clearly indicated by reduction in serum calcium and phosphorus with progressive age and as the bone health regressed from normal to osteopenia and to osteoporosis. Intervention strategies in dietary modifications by including calcium rich foods might reduce the extent of bone loss and consequences of osteoporotic risk levels in aged and elderly women. Introduction The key to bone health lies in the body's calcium balance. Calcium plays a vital role in intracellular communications and other body processes which require regulation of the calcium in serum within narrow limits. The skeleton serves as a bank from which the blood can borrow and return calcium as needed. If the 'saving account' is not sufficient, then it will develop the fragile bones of osteoporosis. Maintaining serum calcium level through sufficient dietary intake could prevent or at least would slow down the consequence of bone loss associated with ageing process. [1] Calcium requirements for skeleton maintenance fluctuate throughout a women's life. During the teen years, calcium requirements are high because of the demands of a rapidly growing skeleton. Low calcium intake during that time may impede reaching peak bone mass, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis later in life. During woman's 20s, less calcium is required as bone turnover stabilizes (i.e., bone formation and resorption rates become balanced) and peak adult bone mass is achieved. Calcium requirements remain stable until menopause. When woman reaches menopause, the bone resorption rate increases, bone mass declines and associated with the fall in ovarian estrogen production. Calcium needs rise at that time because of a decrease in the efficiency of utilization of dietary calcium, which is also associated with the fall in ovarian estrogen production. [2] While calcium is the most prevalent element in bone, bone diseases (such as osteoporosis) are due to more than just a lack of calcium. Several other nutrients and minerals, including phosphorus are also critical for maintaining healthy bones. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for human and animal life. It is fundamental to growth, maintenance, and repair of all body tissues, and is necessary, along with calcium and magnesium for proper growth and formation of bones in infants and children. Sufficient phosphorus intake is important throughout life to ensure the proper balance of essential minerals in order to promote re-mineralization of bones and teeth to keep them in a healthy state. [3] Since these two are concerned with calcification of bone, they are often determined together. In addition to the part which it plays in the building of bones and teeth, the calcium present in the blood and other extracellular fluid is important for maintaining the correct conditions for normal nerve irritability and muscle contraction and plays a role in blood coagulation. Phosphorus is more widely distributed than calcium. Besides being present in bones and teeth, unlike calcium it is found in the cells and so is present in the soft tissues and in many important substances like nucleic acids, coenzymes etc and essential for acid-base regulation. Based on the need of the dual elements, calcium and phosphorus in the maintenance of appropriate bone health and bodily functions throughout human life, the current research is aimed at the estimation of serum calcium and phosphorus levels among urban women in relation to bone metabolic conditions, osteopenia and osteoporosis. Methodology The age-related changes are evaluated among urban women through assessment of alterations in serum calcium and phosphorus levels in relation to bone metabolic conditions of osteopenia and osteoporosis among four different age groups viz., younger (35-44 years), middle aged (45-54 years), aged (55-64 years) and elderly (65-74 years) women. The whole urban women study group comprised of 260 members with sub-sample sizes of 60 in younger, 80 in middle aged, 80 in aged and 40 in elderly aged women respectively. The osteoporotic condition is analyzed based on BMD T-score obtained from QUS bone densitometry. WHO classification of BMD T-score is followed to categorize the women into normal (BMD T-Score: >-1.0), Osteopenia (BMD T-Score:-1.0 to -2.5) and osteoporosis (<-2.5). [4] The serum calcium and phosphorus levels are estimated in the select women of four different age groups as per the standard procedures. [5] Results and discussion The mean serum calcium contents in relation to osteopenia and osteoporosis of four different age groups along with calculated t-values for the mean differences of serum calcium between normal Vs osteopenia, normal Vs osteoporosis and osteopenia Vs osteoporosis are denoted in table-1. The data from the table-1 indicated that the serum calcium levels analyzed in the urban women were within normal reference range of 9.0 to 11.0 mg/dl. However, in comparison to normal women of the four age groups, osteoporotic women had significantly low values (P < 0.01). The reduction in serum calcium content is also noticed in osteopenic women indicating that 'osteopenia' though an early symptom of osteoporosis based on BMD also associated with low levels. The declining levels towards osteopenia from normal seemed to be associated significant in middle (p<0.05) and


Abstract Introduction Disease assessment in Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia (WM) is dependent on percent involvement of B-cell neoplasm in bone marrow and immunoglobulin M (IgM) paraprotein in the serum. A subset of patients also demonstrate extramedullary involvement and is infrequently examined. Its role in diagnosis and prognosis of WM is poorly understood. In this study, we sought to understand the role of extramedullary disease (EMD) in patients with WM. Methods Database for patients seen at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was searched and 985 documented WM cases were identified between June 1994 and April 2013. Medical charts were reviewed for patients who had biopsy of one or more extramedullary sites during the course of disease. Involvement of lymph nodes, spleen and amyloid deposits were excluded. Results Among the 985 WM patients screened, 50 (5%) had evidence of extramedullary involvement during the course of disease. 28 (56%) were male and 22 (44%) were female, with median age of 57 years (min 37.8; max 71.1) at the time of diagnosis. At diagnosis, 11 (22%) patients were asymptomatic with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) or smoldering WM, 21 (42%) were low risk, 15 (30%) were intermediate risk, and 3 (6%) were high risk based on the Morel ISS-WM study (ISS-WM). Laboratory data included median beta-2 microglobulin of 3.7 g/dL (min 1.26; max 10.9), IgM of 3.3 g/dL (min 0.4; max 10.1), and percent bone marrow involvement of 37% (min 5%; max 90%). At the time of data collection, one patient was previously untreated, 14 (28%) had 1 line of therapy, 9 (18%) had 2 lines, 9 (18%) had 3 lines, 8 (16%) had 4 lines, and 9 (18%) had 5 or more lines of therapy. Among the 50 patients identified with EMD, 12 (24%) patients presented with involvement at diagnosis, while 38 (76%) developed EMD after receiving therapy. One patient had EMD at diagnosis, which continued post-diagnosis. 7 patients were identified with multiple sites of involvement during the course of disease. Overall, 60 extramedullary samples were noted with 47 (78%) occurring post-therapy. Extramedullary sites involved included: Pulmonary (n=14; 23%), Soft tissue (n=12; 20%), Cerebrospinal fluid (n=10; 17%), Renal (n=5; 8%), Bone (n=4; 7%), Peripheral blood (n=3; 5%), Neck mass (n=3; 5%), Skin (n=2; 3%), Breast (n=1; 2%), Conjunctiva (n=1; 2%), Liver (n=1; 2%), Gallbladder (n=1; 2%), Small Bowel (n=1; 2%), Prostate (n=1; 2%), and Colon (n=1; 2%). Immunophenotypic data was obtained for 58 of the 60 extramedullary samples and was analyzed by flow cytometry (n=24), immunohistochemistry (n=17), or both (n=17). All samples were of B-cell lineage (CD19+, CD20+). Monotypic surface immunoglobulin kappa or lambda light chain was analyzed in 49 samples, of which 43 were kappa (88%) and 6 were lambda (12%). In the group of 38 patients that presented with EMD post-therapy median time to EMD presentation from diagnosis was 75.7 months (min 1.5; max 213.7 or approximately 6 years) with a median of 2 lines of treatment (min 1; max 6). Therapies prior to EMD presentation in this group included rituximab based regimen in 31 of 38 cases (82%), cyclophosphamide based regimen in 15 cases (39%), fludarabine/cladribine based regimen in 12 cases (32%), and bortezomib based regimen in 11 cases (29%). Treatments for EMD in both groups included bendamustine based regimen resulting in minimal response (MR) or better in 8 of 9 cases (89%), rituximab based regimen resulting in MR or better in 24 of 30 cases (80%), cyclophosphamide based regimen resulting in MR or better in 11 of 14 cases (79%), and bortezomib based regimen resulting in MR or better in 6 of 8 cases (75%). At the time of data collection, 32 of 50 patients were alive (64%), 10 patients were lost to follow-up (20%), and 8 patients died due to progressive disease (16%). Conclusion This is the first description and analysis of the EMD in WM as a clinical entity and further studies in understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern EMD in WM should be examined. Disclosures: Treon: Millennium: Consultancy. Ghobrial: Onyx: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


In England, approximately 1 in 6 people have a common mental health condition, with certain groups experiencing worsening mental health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, improving mental health remains a key priority for policy makers and practitioners. Community-based interventions are increasingly used to improve health and reduce inequalities. Evaluation of such interventions is important to ensure they are effective and to maintain financial support for continued delivery. Hesitation to complete administratively demanding evaluative measures by service users, which may not be suited to evaluating low intensity activities, point to the need to identify acceptable, unobtrusive methods of data collection. This review focuses on identifying unobtrusive methods that have previously been used to examine service user's perceptions of community-based interventions and their effectiveness, and the acceptability of the methods. A review of peer reviewed, and grey literature was undertaken in July 2022. Literature was identified via six databases, Google searches, and by contacting experts. Literature was included if it described unobtrusive methods to gather service users' perceptions of an intervention and/or reported the acceptability of such methods. Literature was excluded if it described traditional methods to gather service users' perceptions of an intervention. Our search identified 930 citations from searching databases (n = 886), Google (n = 40), and from contacting 15 experts directly, and over 300 experts indirectly via three e-mail lists (n = 4). No literature met our inclusion criteria. We report an empty review. There is no peer reviewed or grey literature that describes unobtrusive methods of data collection for mental health and wellbeing focused community-based interventions, or their perceived acceptability. The findings from this review indicate the need to develop unobtrusive methods of data collection in the field of public mental health, suitable for low intensity activities, and examine the acceptability and feasibility of such methods.


Objective To detect and prevent urinary tract injuries in gynecological surgery. Methods A brief review of the literature about recognition and prevention of ureteral and bladder injuries. Results It is well known that factors as intra-operative bleeding, pelvic adhesions and infections, pelvic masses, endometriosis and obesity can make surgery difficult. For these reasons the study of the urinary tract and the use of ureteral catheters may be helpful when alterations of the urinary tract anatomy is suspected. However the surgeon should always operate under direct vision of the ureters with a judicious use of diathermy and taking care when separating bladder from the uterus where the blunt dissection is blind and dangerous. When there are some doubts about the integrity of ureters, the control with i.v. infusion of indigo-carmine or with ureteral catheters should be performed. The same applies for the bladder: the cystoscopy should be in the armamentarium of gynecological surgeons to control the ureteral efflux and the bladder integrity. To fill the bladder with methylene blue at the end of the surgery is also helpful in revealing, under the pressure, even very small lesions as well as partial thickness of the bladder that can cause a delayed fistula. Conclusions Surgeons' training is the most important factor in avoiding and detecting urinary tract injuries. This is important not only for the technique but also in the selection of patients, and then in planning the more appropriate pre-operative study and in recognizing the presence of injuries during surgery.


Artificial Immune Recognition System (AIRS) is an immune inspired classifier that competes with famous classifiers. One of the most important components of AIRS is resource competition. The goal of resource competition is the development of the fittest individuals. Resource competition phase removes weakest individuals and selects strongest (apparently better) individuals. However, with this type of selection, there is a high selective pressure with a loss of diversity. It may generate premature memory cells and decrease the accuracy of classifier. In a previous study, the Real World Tournament Selection (RWTS) method was incorporated into the resource competition phase of AIRS to prevent this problem. The new classifier, named RWTSAIRS, obtained higher accuracy than AIRS in standard datasets from UCI machine learning repository. Real-world data is not perfect and contains noise that may impact the models created from data and decision made based on data. In this study, the performance of RWTSAIRS is evaluated in noisy environments. For this purpose, class and attribute noise are injected into some datasets.


Synthetic chromogenic substrates were adapted to KEM-O-MAT 2HP for an automated monitoring of anticoagulant treatments, determination of factor X (S 2337) in oral anticoagulation, anti-Xa (Hepachrom) and anti-lla (S 2238) activities of heparin in prophylactic and curative heparin therapies. In all cases, these methods revealed high sensitivity, reproducibility, and a good correlation of their results with those of classical clotting assays. The present cost of synthetic substrates seriously limits the potential value of chromogenic assays for routine controls. However, the development of automated amidolytic techniques should provide an easier standardization in the laboratory control of anticoagulant treatments.


Abstract. We use the nonlinear property of silicon carbon (SiC) multilayer devices under UV irradiation to design an optical processor for indoor positioning. The transducer combines the simultaneous demultiplexing operation with photodetection and self-amplification. The proposed coding is based on SiC technology. Based on that, we present a way to achieve indoor localization using the parity bits and a navigation syndrome. A representation with a 4-bit original string color message and the transmitted 7-bit string, the encoding and decoding of accurate positional information processes, and the design of SiC navigation syndrome generators are discussed and tested. A visible multilateration method estimates the position of the device using the decoded information received from several noncollinear transmitters. The location and motion information is found by mapping position and estimates the location areas. Since the indoor position of the light-emitting diode light source is known from building floor plans and lighting plans, the corresponding indoor position and travel direction of a mobile device can be determined.


Tourism is one of the biggest and fastest growing industries in the world and its development is a major concern for developing countries. Its growth carries with it both negative and positive impacts on the local economy and the people of those countries where tourism is a significant sector. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the socio-economic influence of tourism businesses on the community of Nau-Aib in Okahandja, using Edward's (2005) socio-economic indicators. The results of a socio-economic impact assessment can inform a community about the wide scope of tourism impacts on their social and economic wellbeing. The study area of this research was Nau-Aib, one of the biggest locations in Okahandja. Face to face interviews were conducted with 40 respondents residing in Nau-Aib. Tourism businesses, such as the arts and crafts market in Okahandja, and hospitality businesses situated in the vicinity of Nau-Aib, were the focus for this study, as these businesses often engage in commercial activities that carry with them socio-economic impacts for adjacent communities. Okahandja's tourism sector generally employs local people. However, these jobs are mostly menial entry level jobs that pay employees modest salaries. Through its multiplier effect, the sector also encourages business growth in Nau-Aib, mainly in the informal sector, and induces improvements in public service utilities and infrastructural development at tourism significant areas to facilitate tourism activities.


Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is a fungus which easily deteriorates after harvest and hence, there is need to make it stable by reducing its moisture content to a lower level after harvest. In this study, fresh oyster mushrooms were dried using three modes of drying: sun at an average temperature of 32 oC, solar at an average temperature of 40 o C and tunnel dryer at 50 o C. Kinetics of moisture drying was modelled using Fick's second law of diffusion which is generally applicable to thin-layer drying of agricultural products. Six models namely Henderson and Pabis, Logarithms, Newton, Page, Two Terms and Midilli Kucuk were employed for the drying kinetics. Nonlinear regression analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS 16.0 version) to fit the experimental data. The reliability of the models was tested using some statistical criteria such as coefficient of determination (R2), reduced chi- square (χ2), Mean Bias Error (MBE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The model which had the best fit was chosen to represent the drying behaviour of oyster mushroom. The drying pattern was observed to be in the single falling rate period in the entire drying modes. The values of R2 ranged from 0. 0.933-0.988, χ2(2.4E-06-0.044), MBE (-7.6E-4-0.044) and RMSE (7.8E-4-0.201). Effective moisture diffusivity for samples dried in the sun, solar and tunnel were 1.19 E-11m2/s, 1.21 E-11m2/s and 1.59 E-11m2/s, respectively. Two Term model best described drying behavior of oyster mushroom during tunnel drying and the activation energy of the model was 64.9kJ/mol.


Sustainable hydrocolloid-based films containing natural antioxidants, caffeic and p-coumaric acids at different concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, 5%, and 10% w/w of polymers, were designed for packing fatty foods. Antioxidant activities and kinetics for all film formulations were assessed using radical scavenging activity (DPPH), reducing power, and iron chelating ability. Release kinetics of the antioxidants from the films into a food simulant (96% ethanol) were analyzed. The intermolecular interactions between antioxidants and polymers chains were assessed by Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and related to the film properties. Antioxidant activity of pure compounds (powder), showed that caffeic acid (IC50 = 4 μg/mL) had higher activity than p-coumaric acid (IC50 = 33 μg/mL). Films containing caffeic acid exhibited higher antioxidant activity, reducing power, and iron chelating ability than p-coumaric acid films. The antioxidant activity is concentration dependent. However, the percentage of release (PR) in ethanol (96%) is not influenced by the initial concentration. PR is 88% ± 9% and 82% ± 5%, respectively, for caffeic and p-coumaric acids. Determination of the partition ( Kp) and the apparent diffusion ( D) coefficients allowed better characterization of the release kinetic mechanisms. The partition coefficients of caffeic acid ( Kp = 454) and p-coumaric acid ( Kp = 480) are not influenced by the initial concentration. The diffusion coefficients ( D) of caffeic and p-coumaric acids were of same order, but they slightly increased with the antioxidant concentration and probably related to antioxidant activity. FTIR displayed that amide B and amide-III are involved in the interactions occurring between polymer chains and antioxidants. However, interactions are of only low energy and unable to significantly affect the structure of films and consequently the release kinetics.


The crystallographic, magnetic and transport properties of Sr1−xCaxRu0.5Mn0.5O3 were studied to reveal the effects of crystal symmetry on the magnetism and the transport properties of antiferromagnetic SrRu1−yMnyO3 (y > 0.2). The Ca-content dependences of the lattice constants and volume suggest that the mixed valence state of Mn3+, Mn4+, Ru4+, and Ru5+ ions in SrRu0.5Mn0.5O3 is held for Ca substitution. However, a structural transformation from tetragonal to orthorhombic symmetry occurs at a Ca content of x ∼ 0.2, and a ferromagnetic state appears simultaneously. The Weiss temperature of all samples has a positive value regardless of the magnetic state. The resistivity decreases as the Ca content increases, and the high temperature part of the resistivity could be fitted by using the variable range hopping (VRH) model. The localization length increases as soon as ferromagnetism appears. The Curie temperature seems to depend on the distance between transition metal ions. The antiferromagnetic state was explained by using the competition between a ferromagnetic interaction along the c-axis and an antiferromagnetic interaction in the ab-plane, and the orthorhombic ferromagnetic state was explained by using a three-dimensional ferromagnetic interaction between Mn ions.


The blind source separation technology is applied to the digital audio watermarking scheme to extract the embedding watermark signal from the watermarked audio signal in the case of the host signal unknown.By taking the initial value of the chaotic sequence,the mask signals in the time and frequency domains of the host signal as the secret keys to produce the embedding watermark signal,the security in the watermark detection part can be ensured.The embedding watermark signal is adaptive to the host signal by using the mask effect of human auditory system(HAS),which can improve the robustness of the proposed method.Experimental results show that there is no audible distortion between the original audio signal and the watermarked audio signal.And through general signal processing operations such as low-pass filtering,re-sampling,adding noise,cropping and mp3 compression,the correlation value between the embedding watermark signal and the separated watermark signal possesses obvious characteristics of two-value distribution than that without masking operations.In particular,the exact synchronization can be implemented without embedding additional synchronous information into original audio signal.


Summary: Flagellate variants were selected from most of the nonmotile, gas-vacuolate strains of Ancylobacter aquaticus under study. The number and location of flagella on the cells were variable. Flagellins produced by five independently isolated strains of A. aquaticus were serologically related. Variants of strain M1 selected for their motility did not produce gas vesicles; however, gas-vacuolate, nonmotile clones arose in these motile variants at a frequency of about 10−2. Formation of flagella has also been found in 'Renobacter vacuolatum' and another heterotrophic gas-vacuolate bacterium that has not yet been identified.


Fission-fusion dynamics seem to reflect individual decisions as well as temporal and spatial variations in the organization of groups of the same species. To understand the group dynamics of the Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, at Pipa Bay, Brazil, we investigated the three dimensions of a fission-fusion social system: (1) variation in spatial cohesion, (2) variation in party size, and (3) variation in party composition. Sampling took place from December 2007 to February 2009 over 176 d and we analyzed the behavioral patterns of 658 groups. Within subgroups, animals remained cohesive, particularly in groups of adults and calves. Greater cohesion was also observed during resting and fission-fusion rates were higher during milling and feeding. Groups composed of adults and juveniles showed a higher dynamics index (group size variation as a function of time) than groups composed only of adults and the fission-fusion rate was higher during dry periods. Guiana dolphin groups frequently changed their group size and composition every 20 min on average. Taking these factors into consideration, we suggest that the Guiana dolphin demonstrates fission-fusion dynamics, a pattern of behavior similar to what has been observed in other coastal odontocete species, such as Tursiops spp. and Lagenorhynchus obscurus.


The interactions between mitochondria and nucleus substantially influence plant development, stress response and morphological features. The prominent example of a mitochondrial-nuclear interaction is cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), when plants produce aborted anthers or inviable pollen. The genes responsible for CMS are located in mitochondrial genome, but their expression is controlled by nuclear genes, called fertility restorers. Recent explosion of high-throughput sequencing methods enabled to study transcriptomic alterations in the level of non-coding RNAs under CMS biogenesis. We summarize current knowledge of the role of nucleus encoded regulatory non-coding RNAs (long non-coding RNA, microRNA as well as small interfering RNA) in CMS. We also focus on the emerging data of non-coding RNAs encoded by mitochondrial genome and their possible involvement in mitochondrial-nuclear interactions and CMS development.


CADTH recommends that Wakix not be reimbursed by public drug plans for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or cataplexy in adult patients with narcolepsy.
It is still not known whether Wakix offers any therapeutic benefit over other treatments used for EDS or cataplexy. Two double-blind, randomized, controlled, comparative studies failed to show that Wakix was at least as good as modafinil for treating EDS and did not show any clinical benefit of Wakix over modafinil. One study focused on cataplexy, but this study was versus placebo and results were inconsistent for cataplexy outcomes across the studies.
Based on the evidence, the expert committee could not conclude that Wakix met any of the needs that were identified as important to patients, including being more effective and reliable for controlling narcolepsy symptoms and to which patients would be less likely to develop tolerance.


Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have been used for decades in the military field, mainly for dangerous or tedious missions where it is preferable to send a vehicle equipped with sensors taking data automatically than to use conventional manned aircrafts. In recent years technology has advanced, the market has grown exponentially, prices have descended and the use of the systems is simpler, which has led to the incorporation of the UAS to the civilian world. UAS have proven useful in ecology related tasks, such as animals monitoring and habitats characterization and their potential for ecology has been pointed out, but to date, there are just a few studies addressing their use in conservation biology. This Ph.D. attempts to fill the gap of knowledge in the use of UAS in conservation biology. It describes for the first time the use of these systems in an immediately applicable way in impact assessment of infrastructures for wildlife and protection of endangered species. Furthermore, it presents UAS as a tool for obtaining high-resolution spatiotemporal information, which helps to understand habitat use in rapidly changing human dominated areas and demonstrates that these systems can provide information as valid as the obtained by conventional techniques on the spatial distribution of species in protected areas. The experiments performed in the frame of this Ph.D. indicate that UAS can provide useful information for conservation biology, such as high spatio-temporal resolution aerial images obtained by embarked cameras that allow to monitor the environment at the researcher?s desired frequency and revisiting sites to perform systematic studies. The results also revealed that UAS use in conservation biology presents some constraints, mainly related with the scope of the missions, the limiting costs of the systems, operating constrains associated to weather conditions, legal limitations and the need of specialized personnel for operating the systems, as well as some limitations of data analysis related with image analysis. Overall, given the novelty of the subject and the importance it is expected to have in the near future, I consider that providing information on the capabilities and limitations of these systems, based on solid experiments in conservation biology, is not only of scientific interest but combines environmental and industry interests, which brings added value and usefulness of this Ph.D. to society.


The micellar characteristics of an aqueous solution of the polyoxyethylene based alkyl aryl type non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) in the presence of several 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium (Cnmim+) based non-amphiphilic, amphiphilic and biamphiphilic ionic liquids (ILs) varying in the alkyl chain length of the cation (C4–C10) and different anions viz. chloride [Cl−], tetrafluoroborate [BF4−], trifluoromethanesulfonate [CF3SO3−], hexaflurophosphate [PF6−] and octylsuphate [C8SO4−] have been systematically investigated by cloud point (CP), viscosity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), fluorescence and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. These ILs interact with TX-100 micelles on account of their hydrophobicity; ILs with a hydrophilic counter ion (Cl−) favour demicellization, increase CP, decrease the solution viscosity and apparent hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) of micelle, whereas ILs with a hydrophobic counter ion (PF6−) increase the solution viscosity and exhibit micellar growth. SANS data on the size/shape of TX-100 micelles in the presence of different ILs are reported to provide information on microstructural changes in the micelles. The location of ILs, which has a dominating effect on the structure of the micelles, was evaluated using fluorescence and 1H NMR studies, and these results are discussed in terms of the insertion of the ILs in TX-100 micelles. IL molecules with long alkyl chains penetrate deeper in the TX-100 micelles. The present study provides useful information on tuning the solution characteristics of TX-100 in the presence of ILs that may have industrial applications.


This experimental investigation aimed to determine the influence of using different types of alcohol and gasoline blends such as ethanol butanol propanol on the performance of spark ignition engine. The experimental work studied the effect of various fuel blends such as ethanol – butanol/gasoline and propanol/gasoline with two rates of 15% and 20%, at different operating conditions (engine speed and loads), on engine performance emission characteristics. Laboratory experiments are carried out on a fourcylinder spark ignition (SI) engine. In this practical study, all considerations and precautions are taken into account to ensure the quality and accuracy of practical experiments and different measurements. The results show that the performance of the engine improved significantly in the case of ethanol/butanol-gasoline blends. The results also indicated that the engine emitted pollutants such as CO, hydrocarbon (HC) for alcohol fuel blends compared to base gasoline NOx emission increased for different fuel blends either ethanol/butanol-gasoline or propanol-gasoline fuel blend. Keywords—Gasoline engine performance, emissions, alcohol blends.


Variation in antipredation behavior should translate into variation in survival. Effective general defenses, such as predator avoidance, decrease the likelihood that an individual is attacked and should therefore reduce selection on behaviors that enhance probability of escape on attack. Escape behaviors become important if animals cannot avoid attack. We investigated the relative effects of avoidance and escape enhancing behaviors on the survival of juvenile redshanks, Tringa totanus, over 2 winters. We predicted that avoidance behavior should be the primary behavioral correlate of survival, but when forced, by starvation risk, into areas where risk of attack is much higher, behaviors that reduce risk of capture once attacked should also promote survival. We found that reducing exposure to attack was most important for increasing survival and that increased vigilance and foraging success rate only increased survival for individuals that spent more time in high-risk areas. Use of the high-risk area and survival varied between years, suggesting that variation in starvation risk (i.e., colder winters) may provide a mechanism for selection on "capture-reducing" antipredation behaviors to be maintained because predator avoidance, the most effective antipredation behavior, is not then possible. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.


Many people in the European Union fear that Eastern Enlargement will lead to major job losses. More recently, these fears about job losses have extended to high skill labor and IT jobs. The paper examines with new firm level data whether these fears are justified for the two neighboring countries of Eastern Enlargement: Austria and Germany. We find that Eastern Enlargement leads to surprisingly small job losses, because jobs in Eastern Europe do not compete with jobs in Austria and Germany. Low cost jobs of affiliates in Eastern Europe help Austrian and German firms to stay competitive in an increasingly competitive environment. However, we also find that multinational firms in Austria and Germany are outsourcing the most skill intensive activities to Eastern Europe, taking advantage of cheap abundant skilled labor in Eastern Europe. We find that the firms' outsourcing activities to Eastern Europe are a response to a human capital scarcity in Austria and Germany which became particularly severe in the 1990s. Corporations' outsourcing of skill intensive firm activity to Eastern Europe has helped to ease the human capital crisis in both countries. We find that high skilled jobs transferred to Eastern Europe account for 10 percent of Germany's and 48 percent of Austria's supply of university graduates in the 1990s. We then discuss what can be done to address the skill exodus to Eastern Europe. We show that R&D subsidies do not work in economies with a skill crisis and we suggest liberalizing the movement of high skill labor with Eastern Enlargement.


Objectives Previous studies reported that the association between physical activity, measured with a wrist-worn accelerometer, and ambulatory blood pressure is rather weak and that the inter-individual variation in the degree of association is high. The aim of the present study was to quantify the responses of ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) to physical activity, and to determine the effect of age, gender, body mass index, mean BP and HR level and the use of antihypertensive medication on these responses. Patients and methods Twenty-seven subjects (24 hypertensive) underwent 24-h ambulatory monitoring of BP, HR and physical activity. Physical activity was measured with four accelerometers mounted on the trunk and legs. The daytime BP and HR responses to physical activity and the possible modulating effects of the various subject characteristics on these responses were estimated with Random Regression Models. Results Increasing physical activity from a very low level (e.g. watching television) to a moderate level (e.g. shopping) caused an average response of systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 11.6 mmHg, of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 7.0 mmHg and of HR of 16.1 beats/min. The SBP response to activity was about 2 mmHg larger for the overweight subjects than for subjects with normal weight, and the SBP, DBP and HR responses increased about 0.8 mmHg, 0.6 mmHg and 0.7 beats/min, respectively, with every 10 years increase in age. The between-subjects variances in estimated responses were low and were almost completely explained by differences in overweight and age between subjects. The average within-subject variances, however, were high. Conclusions Normal daily physical activity explains only a small part of the BP and HR variability. The BP and HR responses to activity are modestly affected by age. Overweight has a small effect on the SBP response to activity.


A flood is an event of an increase in water volume above the standard limit due to increased rainfall, rising sea levels, storms, and others that result in submerging an area. Floods are disasters that can cause damage and loss of property, disrupt community activities and even cause loss of life. The central defiance to rescue flood victims is choosing a safe route for flood victims to reach the evacuation site. To be able to choose a safe route for flood victims, a flood evacuation simulation is made.  Flood evacuation simulation is part of the game that has been created and aims to provide education about the weight of the obstacle that needs to be considered in selecting routes for flood victims. In this flood evacuation simulation, each road has obstacles. The method proposed for choosing safe routes for flood victims is the Fuzzy-based Analytical Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP). The calculation of road route weight using the Fuzzy AHP method will produce the weight for each route. The smallest weight route shows the priority route and the safe route for flood victims to pass. In this case, the Fuzzy AHP method's calculation produces the lowest weight of 0.02347, which is achieved by route 5, the route passing through S-a-b-d-D. This route is a priority route that is safe for flood victims to pass through.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Thuja occidentalis tincture and Thuja occidental is tablets in the treatment of warts. The study design was double-blind, a sample group of thirty patients was selected, and then randomised into two groups by an independent pharmacist. The first group of fifteen patients were administered Thuja occidentalis 9CH tablets, which were taken twice daily.The second group of fifteen patients were administered Thuja occidentalis 9CH tablets, which were taken twice daily as well as Thuja occidental is tincture, which was applied twice daily to the warts. On initial consultation, a colour photograph of the wart was taken. Every three weeks thereafter a questionnaire was completed by the patients on their perception of the treatment and colour photographs were again taken to evaluate whether, changes in the surface areas had occurred. The surface areas of the warts, as seen on the colour photographs, were measured using a scanner. The trial was conducted over a three month period. In order to investigate the correlation between treatment and clinical manifestations of the warts, the two groups were compared using the paired T test.The tablet group (p=O.008) and the tablet and tincture group (p=O.022), indicating there is no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The unpaired T test (p=O.078), also showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups.


As part of the seventh framework program, the IMPRESS project focuses on the development of a technological injection molding platform for the serial production of plastic components with incorporated micro-or nano-scale functional features. The platform is based on the acquisition of up-to-date, highly advanced facilities/information based on three main modules, each being a tool box made up of several building blocks. One of the blocks is the CO2 cleaning technology for cleaning micro-/nano-structured inserts. Requirements regarding cleaning processes for such injection-molding tools, i.e. ensuring the reliable and gentle removal of particulate and filmy contamination in the micro-and nanometer range, are fulfilled using the CO2 snow cleaning method. The development of an innovative CO2 nozzle technology combined with a highly-clean compact media supply unit for the cleaning gases enables automated, robot-controlled cleaning directly in the opened mold. Depending on cleaning requirements, this means that injection-molding inserts no longer have to be removed with the result that cleaning times are shortened and recontamination risks after cleaning minimized.


A new method for speech signal reconstruction is proposed by performing a nonlinear Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA). By the use of kernel functions, one can efficiently compute principal components in high-dimensional feature spaces, and reconstruct vectors mapping from input space by those dominant principal components. As the reconstructed vectors is expressed in high dimensional feature space and they could not exist pre-image in input space. For finding pre-image, we use iteration method to approximate the pre-image. The experimental results using KPCA in data reconstruction and de-noising in speech signal show that it had many potential advantages comparing with PCA.


Abstract:
In the past decades, groundwater over-exploitation has increased the vulnerability of users, social inequalities and environmental degradation. In this context, the DIALAQ project aimed to experiment and disseminate a participatory approach intended to strengthen stakeholders' capacity to implement more sustainable agricultural and groundwater management. DIALAQ's network encompasses 8 regions in 4 countries (India, Morocco, France and the United States) including groups of farmers, administration's representatives, NGOs, elected representatives and researchers from several disciplines. A seed funding enabled cooperation between academics and non-academic partners that led to the consolidation of the network and enabled the design of the project. Firstly, a focused review of literature on participatory foresight exercises in the field of groundwater management is presented. Secondly, the challenges and pathways taken in designing the research is described. This process resulted in a common methodological and ethical framework presented in conclusion.


Leaders in the fields of public health and health education/health promotion have been advocating for required credentialing for almost two decades. Recently, some have questioned whether increasing the number of certified professionals could help better differentiate properly trained health educators and public health professionals from others seeking to fill jobs in this professional area. The purpose of this article is to determine how the CHES/MCHES (Certified Health Education Specialist/Master Certified Health Education Specialist) and CPH (Certified in Public Health) credentials are regarded and promoted within the field of health education/health promotion. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed to determine program directors' (N = 90) views of credentialing issues. The health belief model and the transtheoretical model were used to determine perceived barriers, benefits, and self-efficacy with regard to promoting credentialing and readiness to require the CHES or CPH exam as part of the undergraduate curriculum. Ninety undergraduate programs completed the survey with the majority reporting that they do not require credentialing of faculty and students as part of their program of study. More than 70% of respondents, however, indicated that they thought credentialing in the fields of public health and health education/health promotion is an important issue. Most program directors indicated there is value in having students credentialed in health education or public health, yet few programs required the CHES or CPH exam as part of their curriculum or exit assessment. There are opportunities to use credentialing both in assessing program curriculum alignment with competencies and student mastery of said competencies.


The largest minority group in the United States may soon become the Hispanic population, which currently is estimated to comprise about 12 million persons. People of Mexican ancestry make up about 60% of this group, and no major US city has a greater proportion of persons of Mexican origin than San Antonio, Tex. Recognizing this, investigators at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, are conducting what they say is "one of the first comprehensive studies of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular risk factors to include a broad cross section of this Mexican origin population." Michael P. Stern, MD, director of the study, says the major objective is to learn how socioeconomic, cultural, life-style, and genetic factors affect disease patterns in Mexican- and Anglo-Americans there. The study began in September 1979, and Stern says that preliminary data from the first 251 persons examined indicate that Anglo-Americans


This paper focuses on optimal analog mappings for zero-delay, distributed source-channel coding. The objective is to obtain the optimal vector trans- formations that map between m-dimensional source spaces and k-dimensional channel spaces, subject to a prescribed power constraint and assuming the mean square error distortion measure. Closed-form necessary conditions for optimality of encoding and decoding mappings are derived. An iterative de- sign algorithm is proposed, which updates encoder and decoder mappings by sequentially enforcing the complementary optimality conditions at each itera- tion. The obtained encoding functions are shown to be a continuous relative of, and in fact subsume as a special case, the Wyner-Ziv mappings encountered in digital distributed source coding systems, by mapping multiple source intervals to the same channel interval. Example mappings and performance results are presented for Gaussian sources and channels.


Memes are a popular form of communicating trends and ideas in social media and on the internet in general, combining the modalities of images and text. They can express humor and sarcasm but can also have offensive content. Analyzing and classifying memes automatically is challenging since their interpretation relies on the understanding of visual elements, language, and background knowledge. Thus, it is important to meaningfully represent these sources and the interaction between them in order to classify a meme as a whole. In this work, we propose to use scene graphs, that express images in terms of objects and their visual relations, and knowledge graphs as structured representations for meme classification with a Transformer-based architecture. We compare our approach with ImgBERT, a multimodal model that uses only learned (instead of structured) representations of the meme, and observe consistent improvements. We further provide a dataset with human graph annotations that we compare to automatically generated graphs and entity linking. Analysis shows that automatic methods link more entities than human annotators and that automatically generated graphs are better suited for hatefulness classification in memes.


A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 1998 with the an objective to identify the awareness and practice of family planning among women living around Jimma Town. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to a total of 863 women in reproductive age. Besides, a total of 11 Focus Group Discussion (FGD) sessions were held with a total of 101 women in eight panels. Findings showed that 41.7% of women respondents have heard about family planning, the main source being husbands and health facilities. The majority (93.8%) believed that "it is God that decides when to become pregnant and the number of children to bear". Current use of contraceptive among married women was found to be only 7.0% of which 65.0% use the pill. Age and educational status were found to have significant association with contraceptive non-use. Unlike many studies that concluded men's disapproval as reason for not using family planning services, it was found that men rather were sources of family planning information and the finding from FGD did also show that husbands remain neutral about their wives use of contraceptive. FGD outcomes are in congruence with survey results. God was found to be an ultimate decision-maker concerning their reproductive matters. Besides, it did clearly come out that discussants felt that they lacked sufficient information about family planning. It was concluded from this study that even in areas closer to major urban towns, awareness of women about reproductive services like family planning is far below from what is expected. Thus, it calls for enhancing collaborative effort to reach the wider majority of women.
(Ethiopian Journal of Health Development, 2000, 14(2): 117-126)


The aim of the research work presented is to show a system that may facilitate speech training for hearing impaired people. The system engineered combines both acoustic and visual vowel data acquisition and analysis modules. The acoustic feature extraction involves mel-cepstral analysis. The Active Shape Model method is used for extracting visual speech features from the shape and movement of the lips. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are utilized as the classifier, feature vectors extracted combine both modalities of the human speech. The system is validated with the recordings of speakers that were not used for the lip model creating and for the ANN training. Additional experiments with the degraded acoustic information are carried out in order to test the system robustness against various distortions affecting speech utterances.


This CFD benchmark activity for a box fan has been conducted through the Industrial Committee for Supercomputing Promotion (ICSCP) and the Fan Noise Prediction Working Group from the "Promotion of Practical Use of HPC in Turbomachinery" Subcommittee established in the Turbomachinery Society of Japan. In this benchmark activity, various CFD software has been used.
 In this study, ANSYS CFX 18.2 is used and the difference in results are investigated by changing the turbulence model and the mesh model. The results between the k-epsilon model and the Shear Stress Transport (SST) model show a reverse trend. That is to say, the k-epsilon model overestimates the pressure difference at the high flow range and the SST model underestimates it at the low flow range compared with the experimental result. In order to improve these numerical results, CFD analysis is conducted by changing mesh models. The number of the blade surface mesh, and the initial height, height ratio, and number of prism layers are changed, but there is no improvement through these approaches. In this paper, CFD verification and validation are conducted for the box fan.


The article conciders a description of a system of magnetically coupled inductances using signal graphs. Equivalent transformations of the signal graph allowed to present it in the form when the nodal signals of currents and voltages are expressed through three parameters: inductance of the primary winding and coupling and transformation factors. Mathematical dependencies for the leakage inductance and the relationship between the primary side leakage inductance and the secondary side inductance are obtained. An analysis of these relationships shows that with a decrease in the coupling factor, the fraction of the reduced leakage inductance of the secondary winding increases nonlinearly, and a uniform distribution of the leakage inductance between the primary and secondary sides is possible only for coupling factor, which is close to unity. On the basis of the carried out research, the possibility of neglecting the mutual influence of three-phase transformer windings located on different it's rods. References figures 8.


The aim of this study was to gain more insight into the development of complications in childhood uveitis and to evaluate the treatment options for these mostly sight-threatening conditions with emphasis on juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis. The second aim was to investigate which cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of pediatric uveitis by analyzing the presence of immune mediators in the aqueous humor of children suffering from this disease. To pursue the aim of this thesis we performed several retrospective studies and two clinical laboratory investigations (multiplex immunoassay). The conclusion to our investigation in this thesis is that of all children with uveitis, those with JIA are at greatest risk of developing secondary glaucoma. When glaucoma surgery is required, we found that the implantation of an Ahmed glaucoma valve is more successful than trabeculectomy in pseudophakic or aphakic eyes of children with JIA-associated uveitis but in phakic eyes trabeculectomy postpones the need for a glaucoma drainage implant by several years. Our next conclusion is that the presence of posterior synechiae at the time of diagnosis of uveitis is the major cause of the development of cataract and conversely, treatment with methotrexate early in the course of uveitis delays the need for cataract surgery in children with JIA-associated uveitis. If cataract surgery is required, the implantation of an intraocular lens in children with JIA-associated uveitis is not associated with an increased risk of the development of long-term ocular complications such as ocular hypertension, secondary glaucoma, cystoid macular edema and optic disc swelling, but led to a good visual outcome. Finally, we conclude that multiple intraocular cytokines, chemokines and soluble adhesion molecules in the aqueous humor are involved in the pathogenesis of pediatric uveitis. These mediators are present in all different uveitis entities without clear predominance of a Th1- or Th2-associated cytokine profile. Furthermore, higher concentrations of several pro-inflammatory immune mediators are present in the aqueous humor of children and adolescents with uveitis than in adults, with the exception of IL-6.


This paper describes a two-stage statistical approach supporting content-based search in image databases. The first stage performs correspondence analysis, a factor analysis method transforming image attributes into a reduced-size, uncorrelated factor space. The second stage performs ascendant hierarchical classification, an iterative clustering method which constructs a hierarchical index structure for the images of the database. Experimental results supporting the applicability of both techniques to data sets of heterogeneous images are reported.


A study on the anthropometric indices of 3835 singleton newborn babies was conducted over a four months period at Sree Avittom Thirunal Hospital, Trivandrum. Of these, 1921 (50.1%) were male babies and 1914 (49.9%) were female babies. The majority of infants (43%) were born to the middle socio-economic groups and the mean birth weight of babies was high among the high-income groups. Five hundred and ninety six (15.5%) babies weighed less than 2500 g; of these 121 (20.2%) were preterm and 477 (79.8%) were full term. The prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) was high (22.0%) among the mothers aged between 15 and 19 years. There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) in the mean birth weight (BW) of term male and female babies but there was no significant differences in their body length, head circumference and cord length. The mean ponderal index of term newborn babies was 2.3 g/cm3. The mean placental weight of LBW term and preterm babies was less than that of the corresponding normal weight babies. The birth weight of babies was directly proportional to their placental weight.


If the demand for credit by the poor changes little when interest rates increase, lenders can raise fees to cost-covering levels without losing customers. This claim is at the core of sustainable microfinance strategies that aim to provide banking services to the poor while eschewing long-term subsidies, but, so far, there is little direct evidence of this. This paper uses data from SafeSave, a credit cooperative in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, to examine how sensitive borrowers are to increases in the interest rate on loans. Using unanticipated between-branch variation in the interest rate we estimate interest elasticities of loan demand ranging from -0.73 to -1.04. Less wealthy accountholders are more sensitive to the interest rate than (relatively) wealthier borrowers (an elasticity of -0.86 compared to -0.26), and consequently the bank's portfolio shifts away from its poorest borrowers when it increases the interest rate.


The wavefunctions of the A 1 and E states of the ideal divacancy in GaAs, GaP are calculated using the basic equations given in ref. [1] and the tight-binding Hamiltonian given by P. Vogl et al. It is shown that the largest part of the wavefunctions of divacancy states is on the three nearest Ga atoms of the As or P vacancy, the rest part of the wavefunction decreases slowly and non-monotonically as the distance from the defect increases.


ABSTRACT There is considerable debate about whether early vocalizations mimic the target language and whether prosody signals emergent intentional communication. A longitudinal corpus of four Catalan-babbling infants was analyzed to investigate whether children use different prosodic patterns to distinguish communicative from investigative vocalizations and to express intentionality. A total of 2,701 vocalizations from 0;7 to 0;11 were coded acoustically (by marking pitch range and duration), gesturally, and pragmatically (by marking communicative status and specific pragmatic function). The results showed that communicative vocalizations were shorter and had a wider pitch range than investigative vocalizations and that these patterns in communicative vocalizations depended on the intention of the vocalizations: requests and expressions of discontent displayed wider pitch range and longer duration than responses or statements. These results support the hypothesis that babbling children can successfully use a set of prosodic patterns to signal intentional speech.


Sporadic recruitment appears to be the impetus for the irruptive population patterns observed along the western edge of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) range. We investigated hen survival, nest selection strategies, and reproductive success of sympatric northern bobwhites and scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) in west Texas. Radio-marked bobwhites, along with a smaller sample of sympatric scaled quail, were monitored during the spring and summer of 1994 and 1995. Predation was the major source of mortality, with mammals and raptors responsible for about 60 and 30 percent of the mortalities observed, respectively. We used TrailMaster camera systems to document the presence and behavior of various nest predators. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) appear to be the dominant nest predator in this area, accounting for over 80 percent of the nests destroyed. Photographic surveillance of artificial nests provides some clues for making objective assessments of predators involved in nest depredations. The amount and kinds of egg shell evidence at a nest site varied with egg size (chicken vs quail). We found egg shell evidence at 83 percent of nests using chicken eggs, but only at 3 percent of nests using quail eggs. We predict that snakes are overrated in their importance as a nest predator, when such diagnoses are based solely on the absence of physical evidence (i.e., no egg shells). Our results suggest that pricklypear (Opuntia spp.) was a key nesting microhabitat. Overall, 12 of 21 bobwhite and 8 of 12 scaled quail nests were located in pricklypear. Subsequent investigations revealed that nests situated in pricklypear were afforded higher survival, especially in more arid sites with less traditional nesting cover (e.g., Schizachyrium scoparium). Initial results with intensive, short-term mammal removal suggest that nest survival can be increased for about $0.35 per hectare. Citation: Rollins, D., F. Hernandez, P.L. Carter, and S.A. Slater. 2000. Predators and prickly paradigms: nesting ecology of bobwhites and scaled quail in West Texas. Page 95 in L.A. Brennan, W.E. Palmer, L.W. Burger, Jr., and T.L. Pruden (eds.). Quail IV: Proceedings of the Fourth National Quail Symposium. Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL. 95 1 Rollins et al.: Predators and Prickly Paradigms: Nesting Ecology of Bobwhites and


When we are hungry and smell delicious food, things start to happen in our bodies—our mouths water, our stomachs release digestive juices, hormones, and more… all before we even taste the food. How does this happen? Our brains can predict the future. Not through magic, but by learning from past experiences. Our brains are constantly making predictions about the world around us—that is what allows us to catch a ball, ride a bike, and estimate how fast a car is coming so we can safely cross the road. Our brains also make predictions about things inside our bodies. In this article, I will describe how the brain uses information from past experiences to predict what the body will need in the future. These predictions are closely related to the way we experience emotions and feelings, so understanding them may help us better understand and treat various mental health conditions.


The small heat shock protein of 27 KDa (HSP27) encoded by the HSPB1 gene, is a molecular chaperone with anti-aggregation property, it participates in sequestering damaged proteins, and is involved in the proteasomal degradation of certain proteins under stress conditions. Besides its role in stressed condition, HSP27 plays crucial roles within the cell under unstressed conditions and it provides cytoskeletal structural stability and exerts important anti-apoptotic function by binding apoptotic proteins. Clinically, Hsp27 is highly expressed in many cancers including breast, ovarian and prostate carcinomas and is associated with aggressive tumor behaviour, metastasis, poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapeutics. Using LV driven expression of HSP27 specific shRNA, HSP27 suppression in three gastric cancer cell lines (GTL-16, MKN-45 and EBC-1) showing addiction to MET because of MET gene amplification was able to induce cell death. Moreover, HSP27 silencing synergized in inducing apoptosis with the MET inhibitor JNJ-38877605, which alone was only able to induce cell cycle blockade. Similarly, (H3255) lung carcinoma and (DiFi) colorectal carcinoma cell lines which carry EGFR amplification and are susceptible to EGFR inhibition were exquisitely susceptible to HSP27 silencing, that induced cell death. HSP27 silenced in twenty human colorectal (CRC) cell lines with either wt KRAS or harbouring KRAS mutations (SW620, LS513, LS1034) or BRAF mutations (OXCO-1, COLO741, COLO-201, COLO-205), Among them the LS513 and LS1034 cells and the COLO-201 and COLO-205, addicted to KRAS and BRAF, respectively, came out to be also addicted to HSP27, as they undergo apoptosis by HSP27 silencing. Taken together, these data suggest that cells addicted to oncogene over-activation require HSP27 for survival and that HSP27 interferes with the effectiveness of targeted agents. Due to its involvement in cancer development, the inhibition of HSP27 has been proposed as a potential cancer treatment strategy. Antisense and peptide aptamer strategies have shown that targeting HSP27 increases cancer cell death in vitro and in vivo in preclinical models. More important, an antisense drug inhibiting HSP27 is available for human therapy and is ongoing Phase II clinical trials. Therefore, HSP27 knockdown in combination with targeted therapies can be envisaged as a viable therapeutic approach for clinical application.

Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C131.

Citation Format: Johndavid Konda, Martina Olivero, Daniele Musiani, Simona Lamba, Alberto Bardelli, Federica Di Nicolantonio, Maria Flavia Di Renzo. HSP27 is necessary in cells showing oncogene hyper-activation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C131.


Abstract Following Cass Sunstein's popular treatment of the concept, echo chambers are often defined as environments which exclude contrary opinions through omission. C. Thi Nguyen contests the popular usage and defines echo chambers in terms of in-group trust and out-group distrust. In this paper, I argue for a more comprehensive treatment. While both exclusion by omission and out-group distrust help sustain echo chambers, neither defines the phenomenon. I develop a social network model of echo chambers which focuses on the role of belief-reinforcing echoes. First, I argue that the model allows us to incorporate Nguyen's main point about distrust without construing other commentators as deeply mistaken about the nature of echo chambers. Second, I use the model to develop an account of collaborative resistance and use it to clarify the role echo chambers play in spreading misinformation.


The effectiveness of elaborate visual cueing and reduced step size (i.e., increasing the number of visual cues) in facilitating student achievement on different instructional tasks was examined. The hypothesis proposed that instructional treatments utilizing reduced step size and elaborate visual cueing alone and in combination would be superior to treatments using larger step size and simple visual cueing. Parts of Dwyer's instructional materials were modified and used with varying degrees of visual cueing. Simple ,visual cues employed were static position indicators. Dynamic-process farrows, motion indicators, and shading were used as elaborate cues. 'Immediate and delayed posttests we're administered to 92 university students in four treatment groups, following self-paced interaction with assigned instruction presentations. Results showed that visual step size affected achievement on certain criterion tasks. Selective reduction of visual step size had an overall facilitative effect on immediate learning and on the individual drawing task, but effect was maintained only on the drawing test. Instructional treatments differing only in degree of visual cueing used were equally effective. No advantage was gained in visualized instruction by using elaborate visual cueing. Ten references are listed with this research report._(LMM) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CY CENTER (ERIC/ r This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. r-4 Minor changes have been made to improve pr\ reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official NIE (NI position or policy. THE EFFECT OF VARIED VISUAL CUEING STRATEGIES IN FACILITATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES


Staining of brain tissue with phosphotungstic acid was used to assay interneuronal contacts in the molecular layer of the cerebral cortex of rats with a history of clinical death because of hemorrhage and asphyxia. Common regularities of reconstruction of neocortical architectonics during the resuscitation period were defined. Marked reduction in the number of synapses was discovered in the neocortex. The main form of destruction of the contacts was the light type of destruction. Hypertrophy of the remaining synapses occurs in the early periods. The processes of neosynaptogenesis get activated on day 7. Both the types of structural recovery of the synaptic pool (hypertrophy and neoformation of the contacts) were fairly marked in the long-term period.


Objective: Dosimetry information was collected to identify trends in radiation exposure among selected occupational workers and types of radioactive material uses. Mifthods: Eighteen months of quarterly exposures were summarized. Clinical nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs), PET NMTs and radiopharmacists were evaluated. Further studies were based on the method of product usage and radiopharmacy unit dose users versus generator system users. Results: The average annual whole-body exposures are summarized as: nuclear medicine technologists 1.8 mSv (180 mrem); PET technologists 4.1 mSv (410 mrem); and radiopharmacists 1.8 mSv (180 mrem). Extremity to wholebody ratios were calculated at 5:1, 4:1 and 81:1, respectively. Methods of product use showed lower exposures among technologists with radiopharmacy use. Conclusion: The radiation exposures evaluated for this select group of occupational workers are comparable to data available in recently published materials. Extremity to wholebody ratios may be useful as a tool for comparison to similar radiation safety programs in nuclear medicine and PET.


Abstract Nutrient recycling occurs in hydrologically isolated cryoconite holes on the glaciers of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Biogeochemical processes enrich the cryoconite holes with solute and nutrients compared to the source sediment and glacier ice. The position of the glacier within the landscape affects the physical and biogeochemical character of the cryoconite holes, with those found in more biologically productive areas of the valley having higher concentrations of C., N, and P and higher pH. Comprehensive assessment of the quality and quantity of bioavailable C, N, and P shows that the cryoconite holes represent a significant store of nutrient in this depauperate landscape, since the total mass of C and N is similar to that found in the ephemeral streams. The dissolved nutrients within the holes, and a significant proportion of the particulate store, are released to the valley ecosystem via the network of ephemeral streams and perennially ice-covered lakes as a result of hydrological connection with the supraglacial drainage system. In most cases, cryoconite holes are flushed every several years, but during warm periods which occur with near decadal frequency, all holes connect and flush their contents off the glaciers. Simple mass balance modeling shows that an increase in primary productivity observed in Lake Fryxell that followed such a melt event in 2001/2002 can be explained by an influx of nutrients (specifically N) generated in the cryoconite holes. These features are hence an integral part of the Dry Valley ecosystem and should be considered in models of downstream biological processes.


Abstract Background: Major dietary pattern changes are leading causes of obesity in the present day. Aim: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between obesity and eating habits and nutritional knowledge among population of Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, India. After establishing the correlation, an attempt was also made to develop a healthy product (snack). Method: Information on eating habits and knowledge concerning nutrition was obtained by utilizing a standardized self-administered questionnaire. It was a survey design. The questionnaire comprised of 16 questions and it was given to 100 consumers. Analysis: Version 20.0 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Program was utilized in all the statistical analysis undertaken in this study in order to verify associations between obesity and sociodemographic variables, eating habits and nutritional knowledge. Results: Obesity was found to be associated with limited nutrition knowledge and unhealthy eating habits. Conclusion: A correlation was established between dietary pattern and obesity and also a healthy anti-obesity snack was developed and standardized. Keywords: healthy food, nutrition knowledge, nutritional transition, obesity, overweight, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Cite this Article Silpa Somavarapu, A. Jagadeeswari . A Study on Correlation Between Dietary Habits and Obesity and Development of a Healthy Product . Research & Reviews: Journal of Food Science and Technology . 2019; 8(3): 32 49 p.


A malicious firmware update may prove devastating to the embedded devices both that make up the Internet of Things (IoT) and alsothat typically lack the same security verifications now applied to full operating systems. This work converts the binary headers of 40,000 firmware examples from bytes into 1024-pixel thumbnail images to train a deep neural network. The aim is to distinguish benign and malicious variants using modern deep learning methods without needing detailed functional or forensic analysis tools. One outcome of this image conversion enables contact with the vast machine learning literature already applied to handle digit recognition (MNIST). Another result indicates that greater than 90% accurate classifications prove possible using image-based convolutional neural networks (CNN) when combined with transfer learning methods. The envisioned CNN application would intercept firmware updates before their distribution to IoT networks and score their likelihood of containing malicious variants.


To investigate the nanomechanics of the erythrocyte membrane we developed a hybrid model that couples the actin-spectrin network to the lipid bilayer. This model features a Fourier space Brownian dynamics model of the bilayer, a Brownian dynamics model of the actin protofilament, and a modified wormlike-chain model of the spectrin (including a cable-dynamics model to predict the oscillation in tension). This model enables us to predict the nanomechanics of single or multiple units of the protein network, the lipid bilayer, and the effect of their interactions. The present work is focused on the attitude of the actin protofilament at the equilibrium states coupled with the elevations of the lipid bilayer through their primary linkage at the suspension complex in deformations. Two different actin-spectrin junctions are considered at the junctional complex. With a point-attachment junction, large pitch angles and bifurcation of yaw angles are predicted. Thermal fluctuations at bifurcation may lead to mode-switching, which may affect the network and the physiological performance of the membrane. In contrast, with a wrap-around junction, pitch angles remain small, and the occurrence of bifurcation is greatly reduced. These simulations suggest the importance of three-dimensional molecular junctions and the lipid bilayer/protein network coupling on cell membrane mechanics.


We carried out a study with 91 nurses, trying to find out about the feelings of these professionals regarding their satisfaction at work. We used the Work Satisfaction Assessment Questionnaire (WSAQ), drawn up and validated by Siqueira (1978) and adapted with the analysis of seven factors: General Satisfaction; Physical and Psychological Stress; "Status" of the Job; Location of the Company; Compensating Benefits; Recognition and Personal Development. Data showed nurses satisfied with their work, in its intrinsic aspects (Accomplishment, Recognition and Autonomy). The psychiatric nurses were the most mature, most experienced, showing a higher satisfaction level, whereas the pediatric nurses were the youngest, most inexperienced and presenting the highest level of dissatisfaction at work.


Transparent thin films of silica‐containing organic copolymers have been obtained by combining organic photopolymerisation and the sol‐gel method. The samples have been characterized via IR spectroscopy, N2‐adsorption (77 K), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The viscoelastic nature of the materials have been investigated via the DMTA technique by applying stress to the samples and monitoring their responses. Textural properties such as: specific surface areas (SBET), pore volume (Vp), average pore sizes (Rp) and micropore volumes (VDR) have been obtained. The complete adsorption‐desorption isotherms and pore size distributions have been analyzed following the Dollimore‐Heal method.


To evaluate the understandability and the validity of information included in package inserts of the 20 main oral contraceptive (OC) preparations sold in Italy, we systematically tabulated the indications, contraindications and side‐effects listed in their patient information leaflets. OC information leaflets included, in their vast majority, only contraception as indication, with no mention of endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, or other menstrual cycle disorders, which are potential indications for OC use. In contrast, information leaflets included an extremely detailed, but largely acritical, list of contraindications and side‐effects, in the absence of any quantitative indication on their frequency and importance. These include, among others, depressive symptoms, visual impairments, or endometrial hyperplasia, which is indeed an indication for combined OC use. Such acritical and poorly explained information on potential, but often unproven, side‐effects may cause confusion and lead to withdrawal from OC use for some women, in the absence of any real contraindication. In contrast, some real contraindications or serious side‐effects, including cervical neoplasia, hepatomas, liver cancer or myocardial infarction, were not reported in OC leaflets. The incomplete data, and particularly the absence of quantitative information on OC leaflets, may cause negative attitudes of women towards their use, decreased compliance, and, however indirectly, be a determinant of the low prevalence of OC use among Italian women.


Silica-based materials find applications as excipients and, particularly for those of mesoporous nature, as drug delivery agents for pharmaceutical formulations. Their performance can be crucially affected by water moisture, as it can modify the behavior of these formulations, by limiting their shelf life. Here we describe the role of water microsolvation on the features of ibuprofen adsorbed on a model of amorphous silica surface by means of density functional theory (DFT) simulations. Starting from the results of the simulation of ibuprofen in interaction with a dry hydrophobic amorphous silica surface, a limited number of water molecules has been added to study the configurational landscape of the microsolvated system. Structural and energetics properties, as well as the role of dispersive forces, have been investigated. Our simulations have revealed that the silica surface exhibits a higher affinity for water than for ibuprofen, even if several structures coexist at room temperature, with an active competition of ibuprofen and water for the exposed surface silanols. Dispersive interactions play a key role in this system, as pure DFT fails to correctly describe its potential energy surface. Indeed, van der Waals forces are the leading contribution to adsorption, independently of whether the drug is hydrogen-bonded directly to the surface or via water molecules.


Aim To determine undergraduate medical students' teaching preferences and expectations for Culinary Medicine (CM) learning with a view to informing development of a CM course at a UK medical school. Setting A single, urban UK medical school. Participants 180 undergraduate medical students. Study design A cross-sectional questionnaire study collecting quantitative and qualitative (free-text) data. Methods and outcome measures An online questionnaire consisting of 16 questions of various styles (Likert-type, multiple choice and free-text). Quantitative analysis of multiple choice and Likert-type scale questions was conducted. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyse the free-text responses and identify themes. Results Three core themes related to students' understanding of CM were identified: (1) 'CM Learning': students' perceived relevance of CM knowledge, perceived relevance of CM to healthcare and their expectations for teaching; (2) 'The Relationship between Food and Health': links between diet, social factors and health; and (3) 'Evidence-based Medicine': students' perceptions about scientific principles underlying CM. Quantitative analysis revealed that, although 83% of students felt that learning CM is important for their future clinical practice, 56% felt unable to take a dietary history. 73% of students were dissatisfied with the quality, and 78% were dissatisfied with the quantity, of existing medical school teaching understood to be relevant to CM. Topics that students would like to be taught on a CM course included weight management and portion control. Students felt that problem-based style learning would be the most appropriate method for delivering CM teaching. Conclusions This study revealed that medical students felt their dietary counsulting skills could be improved with further clinically relevant teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Students' preferences for CM learning have been taken into consideration in the development of a CM course for fifth-year undergraduate students at a UK medical school, which is delivered during their General Practice placement.


This project is explaining a laboratory development of a solid free drilling fluid formula that could be potentially used in tight gas reservoirs. The configuration of the weak gel fluid WGL-1, which is resistant to high temperature and high salt, was tested, and concluded that its gelling properties, salt and temperature resistance, and environmental protection were all in line with industry requirements. The final drilling fluid formula was developed as: water + (0.3% ~ 0.5%) NaOH + 5% KCl + 2% WGL-1 + 5% NaCl + (1.0% ~ 2.0%) HBFR Anti-high temperature fluid loss agent + 2% Polyol + (1.5% ~ 2.0%) SDL-1 Lubricant + 0.4% A4O1. The performance of the liquid was tested for temperature resistance, inhibition, gas formation protection effect, plugging performance, and static settlement stability. It was concluded that the temperature resistance performance is satisfied at 150°C, and the cuttings recovery rate is as high as 96.78%. It has good performance in inhibiting water dispersion and swelling of cuttings. The permeability recovery value reaches 88.9%, which meets the requirements of gas formation protection. The SSSI value shows that its settlement stability is good; under high temperature and high pressure, its sealing performance is good. This drilling fluid system has achieved the expected results and laid a foundation for further promoting the development of solid-free drilling fluid systems. The future development direction of solid-free drilling fluids is pointed out, to the improvement of properties to be applied in high temperature environment and have high salt resistance capacity.


Abstract Background The standard method of diagnosing HIV in infants and children less than 18 months is with a nucleic acid amplification test reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test (NAT RT‐PCR) detecting viral ribonucleic acid (RNA). Laboratory testing using the RT‐PCR platform for HIV infection is limited by poor access, logistical support, and delays in relaying test results and initiating therapy in low‐resource settings. The use of rapid diagnostic tests at or near the point‐of‐care (POC) can increase access to early diagnosis of HIV infection in infants and children less than 18 months of age and timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Objectives To summarize the diagnostic accuracy of point‐of‐care nucleic acid‐based testing (POC NAT) to detect HIV‐1/HIV‐2 infection in infants and children aged 18 months or less exposed to HIV infection. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (until 2 February 2021), MEDLINE and Embase (until 1 February 2021), and LILACS and Web of Science (until 2 February 2021) with no language or publication status restriction. We also searched conference websites and clinical trial registries, tracked reference lists of included studies and relevant systematic reviews, and consulted experts for potentially eligible studies. Selection criteria We defined POC tests as rapid diagnostic tests conducted at or near the patient site. We included any primary study that compared the results of a POC NAT to a reference standard of laboratory NAT RT‐PCR or total nucleic acid testing to detect the presence or absence of HIV infection denoted by HIV viral nucleic acids in infants and children aged 18 months or less who were exposed to HIV‐1/HIV‐2 infection. We included cross‐sectional, prospective, and retrospective study designs and those that provided sufficient data to create the 2 × 2 table to calculate sensitivity and specificity. We excluded diagnostic case control studies with healthy controls. Data collection and analysis We extracted information on study characteristics using a pretested standardized data extraction form. We used the QUADAS‐2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) tool to assess the risk of bias and applicability concerns of the included studies. Two review authors independently selected and assessed the included studies, resolving any disagreements by consensus. The unit of analysis was the participant. We first conducted preliminary exploratory analyses by plotting estimates of sensitivity and specificity from each study on forest plots and in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) space. For the overall meta‐analyses, we pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity using the bivariate meta‐analysis model at a common threshold (presence or absence of infection). Main results We identified a total of 12 studies (15 evaluations, 15,120 participants). All studies were conducted in sub‐Saharan Africa. The ages of included infants and children in the evaluations were as follows: at birth (n = 6), ≤ 12 months (n = 3), ≤ 18 months (n = 5), and ≤ 24 months (n = 1). Ten evaluations were field evaluations of the POC NAT test at the point of care, and five were laboratory evaluations of the POC NAT tests.The POC NAT tests evaluated included Alere q HIV‐1/2 Detect qualitative test (recently renamed m‐PIMA q HIV‐1/2 Detect qualitative test) (n = 6), Xpert HIV‐1 qualitative test (n = 6), and SAMBA HIV‐1 qualitative test (n = 3). POC NAT pooled sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval (CI)) against laboratory reference standard tests were 98.6% (96.1 to 99.5) (15 evaluations, 1728 participants) and 99.9% (99.7 to 99.9) (15 evaluations, 13,392 participants) in infants and children ≤ 18 months. Risk of bias in the included studies was mostly low or unclear due to poor reporting. Five evaluations had some concerns for applicability for the index test, as they were POC tests evaluated in a laboratory setting, but there was no difference detected between settings in sensitivity (−1.3% (95% CI −4.1 to 1.5)); and specificity results were similar. Authors' conclusions For the diagnosis of HIV‐1/HIV‐2 infection, we found the sensitivity and specificity of POC NAT tests to be high in infants and children aged 18 months or less who were exposed to HIV infection.


Discourse of the implementation of character values on the National Educational System is not a new agenda. The implementation has motivated by the national awareness about the importance of character building toward the young generation as the guarantees for nation strength. The aim is to improve students' potency and build them to be piety to Allah SWT, to have good personality, to be healthy, intellectual, smart, and creative, be autonomous, and become democratic citizen, responsible, in accordance with the message on the law of National Education system. It is indicated that the first value should be implemented is universal truth without formulating the source. Literature works is one of sources which full of moral teaching and can be analyzed to find out the truth, and transferred to the students. The values of educational character on literature work can be implemented to students through emotional analysis. Abu al-'AtA¢hiyah poems is one of literary works which full of moral teaching and can be analyzed and implemented on education, both formal and non-formal schools.


Species-specific and gender-specific polypeptides of Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma japonicum, and Schistosoma mansoni have been identified. Proteins of these schistosomes were metabolically labeled in vitro with 35S-methionine and their total proteins, concanavalin-A binding glycoproteins, released (shed or secreted) proteins, and released glycoproteins compared by two-dimensional polyacrylamide electrophoresis. Many of the released proteins were glycosylated, and most of the synthesized glycoproteins were released. The most striking gender-specific and species-specific differences were observed in the released glycoproteins. These results provide a basis for investigating the molecular evolution of schistosomes, the occurrence of dioecy in the schistosomatidae , and for the development of improved serodiagnostic reagents.


Cavell's conviction that there is an American transcendentalist underwriting of the philosophical return to the ordinary appears in his writings only after the completion, in 1979, of The Claim of Reason, and I suspect there is a story to tell about how the completion of that book, the writing of its inimitable Part IV, prepared the ground for that conviction. For the moment, I leave the telling of that story to others. In this paper I simply want to understand what Cavell might have meant by the claim to a transcendentalist underwriting of the ordinary, and in addition, to suggest that this underwriting could be even further secured by including what Whitman calls "the merge" and "the outlet." This paper is therefore a contribution to determining Whitman's position in Cavell's writing, both why Whitman's voice is so rarely invoked, and how Whitman's voice might have supplemented that of Emerson and of Thoreau. My suggestion is that Whitman's merge underwrites the underwriting.


Green chemistry occupies a research frontier that is the subject of much current research activity. Although it is not a new branch of chemistry, it demands distinctive thought processes about existing and new chemistry tools, as well as knowledge and creative design of those chemical principles that can contribute toward societal growth whilst protecting the environment and human health. To achieve these ends, it is necessary to create more awareness in the lay public, and to ensure that teachers and students at all levels of education become familiar with the basic concepts and their beneficial outcomes. In this respect, developing countries still have much to do in order to achieve higher levels of awareness of and participation in a greener vision. The IUPAC-sponsored Second International Symposium on Green/Sustainable Chemistry, held in Delhi on 10-13 January 2006, contributed successfully to promoting international awareness of green chemistry. Almost 550 delegates attended from 22 countries and participated in deliberations on recent advances in the trend toward more environmentally friendly practice of chemistry. In addition to a program of 8 plenary lectures and three-way parallel sessions for 31 main and 44 invited lectures by eminent scientists, upcoming doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows gave 33 oral presentations on their contributions to future developments in green chemistry. The poster presentations showcased up-to-date research on a range of topics including synthesis of bioactive compounds, green edges of physical chemistry including computational methods, and the use of biomaterials, nanotechnology, biomimetic processes, microwave technology, and ionic liquids, amongst others. The subject of methodological industrialization attracted much interest and served as a source of information and inspiration to representatives from no less than 28 chemical and pharmaceutical companies. The Symposium has contributed to the growing recognition that government, industry, and the academic sector need to cooperate closely, in order to achieve and promote the cause of green chemistry and its beneficial consequences throughout the world. The challenge for the chemistry community is to recognize the need and pursue research that engages environmentally friendly challenges and outcomes. Chemistry provides many of the tools that enable us to understand and influence the environment, and has the potential to be a decisive factor in securing an environmentally acceptable future for humankind. At the practical level, each advance through development of a safe process or a safe product contributes to that future. Much has already been achieved, but a great deal more remains to be done. The publication of this collection of papers, based upon a selection of lectures of the Symposium, provides an overview of some of the chemistry through which clean, eco-friendly, and less wasteful manufacturing processes for sustainable development is increasingly being realized. The International Organizing Committee contributed to shaping the program for this important event in the international calendar of green chemistry activities. Thanks are due to the Local Organizing Committee for the efficiency and excellence of the arrangements and for the gracious hospitality extended to all participants. On behalf of the organizers, I am grateful to those who contributed their research work to this issue and for the support from Dr. John W. Jost, IUPAC Executive Director. M. Kidwai Symposium Chairman


We report on experiments with conical refraction of laser beams possessing a high beam propagation parameter M. With beam propagation parameter values M=3 and M=5, unusual Lloyd's distributions with correspondingly three and five dark rings were observed. In order to explain this phenomenon, we extend the dual-cone model of the conical refraction that describes it as a product of interference of two cones that converge and diverge behind the exit facet of the crystal. In the extended model, these converging/diverging cones are represented as the cone-shaped quasi-Gaussian beams possessing the M parameter of an original beam. In this formalism, a beam-waist of these cone-shaped beams is proportional to the M value and defines the area of their interference which is a width of the Lloyd's ring. Therefore, the number of dark rings in the Lloyd distribution is defined by the M value and can be much greater than unity. The results of the numerical simulations within the extended dual-cone model are in excellent agreement with the experiment.


BACKGROUND
Understanding the patterns in determinants of survival becomes increasingly important as the population ages. Dementia is known to shorten survival as is impaired cognition. Whether this is a continuous phenomenon and independent of other explanatory variables is less clear.

OBJECTIVES
To examine a population-based dataset in which a measure of cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]), self-reported physical health and lifestyle variables were measured at outset, with monitoring for mortality thereafter.

METHODS
The five identical sites of the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS) were analysed, with populations in rural Cambridgeshire, Gwynedd, Newcastle, Nottingham and Oxford. Survival curves were modelled and stratified analyses carried out, with physical disease, sociodemographic variables and lifestyle variables as covariates.

RESULTS
There was a strong and consistent reduction in survival probability for each decrement in MMSE. Adjustment for known confounders did not alter this pattern. Social class and education in particular had no additional effect. Self-reported health was the only other associated variable.

CONCLUSION
Cognitive function appears to be a marker of capacity for survival in the UK. Terminal decline can account for some of this. Actuarial survival provided here can give carers and service providers an idea of prognosis at given ages and levels of cognition, and provide baseline data for those planning interventions in similar groups.


Solutions of unified theory equations of gravity and electromagnetism satisfy Einstein-Maxwellequation. Hence, solutions of the unified theory is Reissner-Nordstrom solution in vacuum. We found inrevised Einstein gravity tensor equation, the condition is satisfied by 2-order contravariant metric tensor twotimes product, the constant matrix.