Ever since our earth came into existence, natural processes have been shaping its climate swing it towards warming and cold episodes. Post 1970, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were found to be responsible for the recent warming of our climate. The ways how these natural and anthropogenic drivers drive our climate through positive and negative feedbacks is the key to a stable climate. Climate change is a reality that has happened in the past and is inevitable in the future, but its prediction in the short and longer term is crucial for sustaining life and our environment. Our understanding of climate change is based on geological proxies and observed data, which are ridden with uncertainties. The past climate was never in the balance, but improving our understanding of the aspects of climate feedbacks and their interaction with the earth system processes is the key to future climate.


During normal situations there is enough fresh water available for all functions in the Netherlands. But in times of droughts fresh water supply and water safety are at risk. For these periods of water scarcity, a sequence of priority on available fresh water distribution is present. However, experts consider that even these precautions are insufficient. It is expected that due to climate change droughts will increase and become more severe. But, economic and spatial development in the Netherlands are only possible when water safety and fresh water supply are safeguarded. The impact and consequences on society of failure of water functions caused by even these temporal water shortages can be high. Water stress has negative economic, environmental and social consequences, because fresh water is an important resource for drinking water production, electricity production, agriculture, industries, recreation and fishery. The Advisory Council for Transport, Public Works and Water Management advised the Dutch government that due to climate change a more proactive way of dealing with uncertainties is necessary for the future (Raad voor Verkeer en Waterstaat, 2009, p. 53). In sum, implementing adaptive management is necessary as future developments will probably lead to a higher negative impact of water scarcity situations as more fresh water is needed for social and economic development. Especially during these situations trade-offs between water uses have to be made. Therefor the following research question will be answered: How to analyse the Dutch socio-technical water system to design for a process to improve long term adaptive management of temporary water scarcity?. By answering this research question the following design objective be reached: A process design for long term adaptive management for situations of temporary water scarcity in the Dutch socio-technological water system. Because no standard blue print for process designs exist, a case study is used to develop a process design for dealing with long term adaptive management of water scarcity situations. The case of the Rhine-Estuary Drechtsteden has been selected, because of the complexity of this area. This area has been appointed by the Delta Commission as an area of special attention, because of future water challenges. Next to this there is also an institutional complexity with many different water users and water managers. For dealing with water scarcity in Rhine-Estuary Drechtsteden it recommended to implement the process design within the current policy cycles of water management. is a total overview of the process design. The process design is a total concept consisting of a mode of thinking, method of working, instruments and process rules. For presenting the process design the structure of Bekkering et al. (2007, pp. 94, 95) is adapted. The mode of thinking of this process design is based on the following concepts: Adaptive management (Folke, Hahn, Olsson, & Norberg, 2005; Mysiak, Henrikson, Sullivan, Bromley, & Pahl-Wostl, 2010; Pahl-Wostl, 2008; Raad voor Verkeer en Waterstaat, 2009), Process management (de Bruijn & ten Heuvelhof, 2008; de Bruijn et al., 2002) and Integrated Water Resource Management (Falkenmark & Rockstrom, 2004; GWP, 2000; Savenije & Van der Zaag, 2008; UN-Water, 2008). Adaptive Management and Integrated Water Resource Management are widely accepted in the field of water management. Although these concepts are widely accepted, the process of implementation lacks. The suggested method of working consists of the implementation of revision points in combination with social learning within the current policy cycle of the water management. Because the current synchronisation in time between the plans is maintained, it is possible to integrate these revision points in the current policy cycle. For this process design the instrument of mediated modelling workshops of Van den Belt (2004) is suggested as method of working for the implementation of social learning in decision making processes. The mediated modelling workshops are especially suitable, because it is applied within the field of environmental consensus building. Process rules are suggested based on De Bruijn et al. (de Bruijn et al., 2002). This process is designed for long term adaptive water management for dealing with temporal water scarcity for the case of Rhine-Estuary Drechtsteden. Aspects of this process design are more generally applicable for other cases of temporal resource scarcity. The set-up of this process design with the mode of thinking, method of working, instruments and process rules has given a good overview of the total concept of a process design. Therefore it is recommended to be used in designing processes.


Before the 1970s, the circuits used in electrosurgery units (ESUs) were referenced to ground. As a result, patients who came in contact with alternate paths to ground sometimes received burns. Examples of such alternate paths include current flow through metallic operating table frames, metallic frames under the instrument tables, intravenous poles, electrocardiogram probes, and towel clips. After isolation transformers were introduced in the 1970s, the ESU circuits became floating, with no direct path to ground. This significantly reduced the incidence of burns due to electrosurgery. This article evaluates the potential for alternate return site burns when using modern ESUs. A computer simulation and a laboratory test with a real ESU were performed. It is concluded that under specific circumstances a patient can be burned after 20 seconds of continuous ESU activation. These circumstances include (1) activation of the ESU without contact between the active electrode and the patient, (2) a small alternate return site contact area of 1 cm2, and (3) the use of a high-power, 200-W cut mode.


Living specimens of Megarhinus brevipalpis were transported from southern Natal to Johannesburg to establish an insectary-bred colony. The natural habitat of these predatory mosquitos consisted of small isolated patches of sub-tropical forest, in which the rainfall is 40–50 ins. (102–127 cm.) with a mean winter temperature of 64°F. (17·7°C.) and an annual range of 27°–33°F. (15°–18°C). The breeding places were leaf axils of Strelitzia nicolai (a plant resembling a wild banana), small rot holes in trees and larger ones in Strelitzia stumps. The larvae were collected from leaf axils with an apparatus consisting of a rubber bulb to which were attached lengths of glass and rubber tubing. The insectary was a room 9 ft.×8 ft. 6 ins. and 9 ft. high which was kept at tropical heat and humidity. Mating of the adults was observed, copulation being effected while at rest or in flight. Oviposition was usually accomplished in flight but also while at rest on the surface of the water. In the summer time two females, which were tested, laid about 85 eggs each during the month following emergence from the pupa, six or seven days elapsing after emergence before the first oviposition. In the middle of the winter, oviposition (with later generations) became very irregular in spite of the temperature and humidity remaining constant. The adults, which were comparable to those of the natural habitat, were fed on sugar solution, honey and fruit juice. One bred out as a gynandromorph. When given an abundant supply of larvae of laboratory bred Aedes aegypti , the life-cycle of M. brevipalpis was normally : egg (incubation), less than two days ; larva, 11–20 days (average 14·5 days) ; pupa, five days. This does not include a small number of exceptional cases in which the life as a fully grown larva was abnormally prolonged (in one case nearly four months) for reasons which are not absolutely clear. The larvae killed from 100 to 200 or more Aedes larvae during the normal larval life, but many of these were not eaten when the brevipalpis were in the late fourth instar. By a special technique they were also induced to eat dead tissues including minced pork brawn, minced maggots and minced flies. Except for the latter these were not satisfactory foods although there was slow development. Fourth-instar larvae were kept out of water for three to four weeks (without food), in a damp atmosphere, and afterwards when fed most of them developed normally, but pupation was sometimes suspended for a considerable time. They have been sent by post (out of water) in tubes with damp cotton wool and filter paper. The egg differed from that of other Megarhinus species in having a crown of projections at one end with a cup-like structure in the centre. The exochorion had roughly hexagonal cells but without numerous tubercles as in other species. First-instar larvae remained in the egg-shell after hatching when the eggs-were out of water but on a damp surface and in a saturated atmosphere. They survived like this for up to six days or about the same time as the larvae survived in tap water if there was no food. When liberated in water the head of the first-instar larva was comparatively small with the mouth parts folded in. Within two hours of liberation in water the head enlarged considerably and the mouth parts came into position ; the larva was then ready to catch its Culicine prey. When in water containing dead leaves, these larvae survived from a few days to over four weeks and some grew to the third instar without any Culicine food. Cannibalism was investigated. Fourth-instar larvae did not attack each other readily ; they devoured smaller larvae of their own species and small to medium size larvae resorted to cannibalism, particularly in the absence of Culicine prey. There was evidence that fourth-instar Aedes aegypti occasionally ate first-instar Megarhinus . The discussion traces attempts which have been made in certain Pacific islands, notably Hawaii and Fiji, to use Megarhines for biological control of disease-carrying mosquitos. M. brevipalpis has a shorter life-cycle than the species introduced into these islands and the conclusion reached is that laboratory breeding, to enable large numbers to be released in certain areas, would be a suitable adjunct to a programme of general control, in this part of the world. Airmail consignments of larvae are being sent to Hawaii with the object of starting a laboratory colony there.


The capacity of tumor cells to produce metastases is the main features of malignant tumors and the main causes of death for cancer. Squamous cell cancers comprise the most common types of human epithelial cancers. One subtype, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), is a particularly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis due to late diagnosis and metastasis. Here we find that in vivo, the α-catenin homologue — α-catulin, is highly expressed at the tumor invasion front and in the metastatic streams of cells in both malignant human HNSCCs and a mouse model of oral SCC. Knockdown of α-catulin in hHNSCC cell lines dramatically decrease the migratory and invasive potential of those cells in vitro and metastatic potential in xenotransplants in vivo. Analysis of tumors deficient in α-catulin showed that the tumor cells are unable to invade the surrounding stroma. Accordingly, transcriptional profiling of those tumors revealed that α-catulin ablation is accompanied by changes in genes involved in cell migration and invasion. In vitro an upregulation of α-catulin expression correlates with the transition of tumor cells from an epithelial to a mesenchymal morphology, as well as an upregulation of EMT markers vimentin and snail. Overall, these results strongly indicate that α-catulin contributes to the invasive behavior of metastatic cells, and may be used as a prognostic marker and future therapeutic target for cancer patients. Citation Format: Christine Cao, Yibu Chen, Rizwan Masood, Uttam Sinha, Agnieszka Kobielak. New role for α-catenin family member α-catulin in squamous cell carcinoma invasion and metastasis.. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Invasion and Metastasis; Jan 20-23, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B47.


Conceptual design of a three-in-one (luminescence chromophore with electron and hole transports) system was demonstrated by a functionalized Ir(III) complex 3, in which 4,5-diazafluorene and bis(diphenylamino) serve as electron and hole transporting sites, respectively. The poor emission quantum yield of 3 was systematically examined via a series of photophysical studies in combination with theoretical approaches. The far lifting of the π-electron from -NPh2 renders virtually no 3MLCT contribution to the lowest transition in the triplet manifold as compared with that of the parent model 2 without amino substituents. With an empirical approach, we conclude that an energy gap law may account for the major deactivation process. A light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) device based on 3 shows peak EQE, peak current efficiency and peak power efficiency at 2.4 V of 0.020%, 0.013 cd A−1 and 0.017 lm/W, respectively. The low device efficiencies are in accordance with the low PL quantum yield, stemming from the ligand-centered radiationless deactivation. The conceptual design presented here should provide valuable information for future progress en route to an ideal three-in-one system suited for OLEDs.


Bezoars are concretions or hard masses of foreign matter that are found in the gastrointestinal tract. Recent reports have demonstrated the efficacy of Coca-Cola administration for the dissolution of phytobezors. Here we report on a 73-year-old man with a very large gastric persimmon diospyrobezoar, and this caused small intestinal obstruction after partial dissolution with oral and injected Coca-Cola.


Although effectiveness of and satisfaction with menstrual suppression were high in transgender and gender-diverse adolescents, there was no association between menstrual suppression and gender dysphoria, depression, or anxiety. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence, nature, and effectiveness of menstrual suppression in transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adolescents, and to explore whether there is an association between menstrual suppression and mental health in this population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed of TGD adolescents assigned female at birth attending their first appointment at a specialist pediatric gender service between February 2017 and December 2021. Demographic and mental health data were collected using a questionnaire at the time of first visit, and information regarding menstrual suppression at this time was retrieved from the medical record. RESULTS: A total of 530 TGD individuals were included; 131 (24.7%) were on menstrual suppression at their initial visit, mainly to help alleviate gender dysphoria. Combined oral contraceptive pills were the most common agent used (n=61, 46.6%), followed by norethindrone (n=39, 29.8%) and intramuscular medroxyprogesterone (n=19, 14.5%). Rates of effectiveness (in stopping menstruation) and patient satisfaction were high. Among the 399 individuals not on menstrual suppression, there was strong interest in starting this treatment. No differences in the risk of gender dysphoria, depression, or anxiety were observed between those who were receiving menstrual suppression and those who were not. CONCLUSION: Effectiveness of and satisfaction with menstrual suppression were high in TGD adolescents receiving this treatment. These findings support the routine exploration and management of menstrual health in TGD adolescents. However, menstrual suppression was not associated with any difference in gender dysphoria, depression, or anxiety symptoms in this cross-sectional study, and longitudinal studies are required to better investigate this.


Background: Adolescent mothers may find the transition to motherhood to be overwhelming when compared to adult mothers. The adaptiveness of mother and infant feeding behaviors may greatly influence the quality of adolescent mothers' feeding interactions when compared to adult mothers. Purpose: To examine the adaptiveness of early maternal and infant feeding behavior between adolescent mothers and adult mothers. Method: In this secondary analysis, six adolescent mothers (< 20 years old) and six adult mothers were videotaped while feeding. The mothers were observed 3 times: when the infants were in the hospital, 1 month old, and 4 months old. The videotapes were coded using four scales of the Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment (PCERA). The two maternal scales were Positive Affective Involvement and Sensitivity/Responsiveness (PAISR) and Regulation of Affect and Behavior (RAB). The two infant scales were Infant Positive Affect, Communication, and Social Skills (IPACS) and Infant Regulation of Affect and Behavior (IRAB). The dyads were videotaped just before hospital discharge and at one and four months corrected age. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to examine the difference in the PCERA between the two groups. Results: Adolescent mothers had a significantly lower score on the PAISR before hospital discharge (p-value 0.005) and at one month corrected age (p-value 0.008) than adult mothers. Adolescent mothers also had a significantly lower score on the RAB before hospital discharge, 1 and 4 months corrected age than adult mothers. There were no significant differences in IPACS and IRAB of infants of adolescent and adult mothers. Conclusion: Clinicians need to be aware of the differences in sensitivity that occur.


A parallel four-port tunable conductance-susceptance network model is proposed for use in tunable filtering networks, with emphasis on its modelling, sensitivity minimising and computer simulation. In contrast with the design of tunable transfer functions in the complex domain, we synthesise a four-port linear and controllable conductance network in the real domain, which is easier to implement with CMOS transconductance elements. The basic building blocks and general forms of the conductance matrix and structure for biquad filtering networks (BFN) are given. The redefined port parameters, equivalent port short-circuit resistance, equivalent port opencircuit resistance and equivalent transfer coefficients are given and used for the analysis of network sensitivity. Theoretical analysis and preliminary simulation results show that the minimum sensitivity condition can be obtained for BFN when the two time constants at two energystorage ports are equal. It also shows that the w and Q parameters in biquad filtering networks and the weights in some neural networks are tunable by changing the gate signals, and the input impedance of the network is very large as there is no backward-feed connection to input port. Because the construction is based on CMOS elements, the realisation can be readily integrated. This method can also be used to design a tunableweight network in some neural networks, since a transconductance element can be easily used as a weight between any two neurons.


Computed tomography (CT) provides accurate assessment of blunt liver injuries. This article reviews the indications, technique, diagnosis, and role of CT in the management of liver injuries following blunt abdominal trauma. The spectrum of liver injuries and its complications seen on CT have been described and illustrated.


Corpus stylistics is deemed promising in literary school as it fosters cautious optimism in using empirical evidence to support individualistic interpretations. Also, it is established that we are living in a digital era where texts are produced more in form of electronic text. This study aims to use corpus-based analyses to offer empirical data that reveals about language behavior of what literary critics have been studied in The Famous Five, one of the most popular series of children's literature in the world, with respect to literary themes and gender representation. The study uses two corpus analysis tools, Wmatrix and AntConc, to generate information such as key semantic fields (thematic categorizations), collocations and concordances. Using the corpus-based information, this paper concludes that The Famous Five comprises the essence of adventures and mysteries and that the story contains conventional stereotypes of male and female protagonists. Amongst the entire group, George, or Georgina, is the most intriguing character because she has been represented as an impatient and outspoken character, characterized by the lexical choices that the author has made. Keywords: corpus stylistics; gender representation; lexical representation


Differential motion thresholds were measured at eccentricities of 9° and 16.6° using computer-generated sinusoidal gratings. Three spatial frequencies (0.51, 0.25, and 0.13 cycles/deg) were examined at reference velocities of 2, 4, 8, 16, 52, and 48 deg/sec. Minimum differential velocity thresholds were between 20 and 30% of the reference velocities for the three spatial frequencies at both eccentricities Increasing eccentricity produced an increase in the velocity at which minimum velocity discrimination occurred. Temporal frequency tuning was between 4 and 8 Hz, regardless of eccentricity.


The growth in information technology will amost certainly continue in the 1990s. Rapid advances on many fronts will assure a wider penetration of computers and information systems globally. One area which has seriously lagged behind these developments is management's use of information technology for decision making. One of the key elements of decision support systems, the 'model base', has not kept pace with the other elements of the system. The main reasons for this deficiency is discussed and factors that contribute towards improved modelling are pointed out.


Abstract:Evaluation of information system success has been the focus of much research. However, most variables such as user satisfaction and system usage can only be measured after system implementation. To predict system success before actual implementation, behavioral theories indicate that it is necessary to evaluate behavioral intention or users' motivation to use the system. Expectancy theory is considered one of the most promising models of individual motivation. This study examines the use of expectancy theory in explaining the motivation to use an expert system. Data gathered from 95 M.B.A. students in a jUdgmental modeling exercise suggest that the model is a significant predictor of motivation. It also provides insight into the development of such systems. The successful use of this model further suggests that itis appropriate for evaluating and understanding individual motivation to use a system and, subsequently, system success.


A magnetic after-effect setup, based on an open magnetic circuit, is developed and presented. The magnetic after-effect experiment aims to determine the time and temperature dependence of the initial susceptibility, which is obtained by an AC measurement of the mutual inductance. After sample demagnetization, the change of the time dependent initial susceptibility is measured for particular ferromagnetic materials at a chosen temperature. The setup is applied for the investigation of relaxation processes of dislocations and carbon atoms in Fe-C, Fe-Cu and Fe-Cr alloys. Streszczenie. Przedstawiono uklad do badania lepkości magnetycznej w obwodach otwartych. Badano początkową susceptancje jako funkcje temperatury i czasu. Analizowano procesy relaksacyjne w stopach Fe-C, Fe-Cu i Fe-Cr. (System do badania procesow relaksacyjnych w stopach Fe-C, Fe-Cu i Fe-Cr)


Gout attacks resolve in 3 to 10 days without treatment. Treatment is mainly empirical. Paracetamol and application of ice can be tried. If they fail, the best options is a moderate dose of ibuprofen, and NSAID with well-documented adverse effects.


To the Editor. —Since the advent of the first commercially available glare tester in 1983, the market has expanded significantly. The instrument designers are to be commended for attempting to quantify the disparity between indoor vision assessed in a darkened refracting lane and functional outdoor vision; however, it is clear that the entire field of glare testing in patients with cataracts is in a state of evolution. Currently, there are no standards for glare type, illuminance, or target configuration. Accurate documentation of functional visual loss is essential, but existing studies (often conducted by the glare test inventor) that have sought to weigh the relative sensitivity of various instruments may not have been conclusive. There are several important methodological factors to consider when conducting glare studies. Study Population. —Studies should include only patients with cataracts who have reasonable visual acuity (better than 20/50). Patients with dense cataracts, and thus further


Abstract This research is concerned with the comparative analysis of competitive trade within the cluster market economies of the European Union. The aim of this paper is to carry out trade analysis within the competing countries in the European market from 2009 to 2018 which represents the period after the global crisis of 2008 and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic of 2019 for the purpose of determining the extent of competitive trade within the European economies. The chosen metric is Béla Balassa's Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index used for determining various countries' comparative advantage or disadvantage in trade. The findings show that the countries with RCA > 1 thrive economically in comparison to other competing lower economies. And the fact that the European Union economy thrives on mechanized trade other than agricultural products irrespective of the competitive market. This study is a significant contribution towards improving the Ricardian model of comparative advantage on trade within a cluster market in the European economies.


Sexuality is a continuing human concern, regardless of a person's age. Even as normal and pathologic changes affect their sexual health, older adults have an ongoing interest in sexual activity, which holds many benefits for them. Nurses have a role in assessing sexual health and in developing plans for managing sexual problems. Watch a free video demonstrating the best practices for assessing sexual health in older adults at http://links.lww.com/A276.


The influence of the molecular force field upon the transport properties of ethylene is studied by molecular dynamics simulations, addressing both the bulk fluid and the confined phases within pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes. Five different molecular models with different degrees of coarse-graining were selected, spanning from a simple isotropic Lennard–Jones sphere to a fully detailed all-atom description. The fluid was probed for its self-diffusion coefficient under isochoric (0.026 ≤ ρ (mol L−1) ≤ 15.751) and isothermal (220 ≤ T (K) ≤ 340) conditions, both in the sub- and supercritical regions (Tbulkc = 282.4 K). Although the particular details of each potential model are seen to be nearly irrelevant to the bulk fluid dynamics, they are crucial to correctly describe the inhomogeneous system. The most important aspects affecting fluid transport are the existence/absence of explicit electrostatic contributions and the molecular shape. The effect of temperature on the confined fluid self-diffusion is described by the Arrhenius law, D = Aexp(−Ea/RT), and the nonlinear density dependencies of the activation energy (Ea/R) and pre-exponential factor (A) have been fitted here to empirical equations. In spite of the quasi one-dimensional confining nature of SWCNTs, the isothermal results (T = 300 K) obtained for the bulk and confined systems collapse onto a unique master curve, D = D0ρλ, suggesting that the self-diffusion coefficient of a confined fluid can be estimated from its molecular density, an easily accessible property.


This paper analyses a scenario where a Device-To-Device (D2D) pair coexists with an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based incumbent network. D2D transmitter communicates in parts of spectrum left free by cellular users, while respecting a given spectral mask. The D2D pair is misaligned in time and frequency with the cellular users. Furthermore, the D2D pair utilizes alternative waveforms to OFDM proposed for 5G. In this study, we show that it is not worth synchronising the D2D pair in time with respect to the cellular users. Indeed, the interference injected into the incumbent network has small variations with respect to time misalignment. We provide interference tables that encompass both time and frequency misalignment. We use them to analyse the maximum rate achievable by the D2D pair when it uses different waveforms. Then, we present numerical results showing what waveform should be utilized by the D2D pair according to the time-frequency resources that are not used by the incumbent network. Our results show that the delay induced by linearly convolved waveforms make them hardly applicable to short time windows, but that they dominate OFDM for long transmissions, mainly in the case where cellular users are very sensitive to interference.


Under the above title, the following letter was published in the Washington Post and Times Herald of April 1, 1955, and it was also published (under the title "Classroom Freedom") in the Christian Science Monitor of April 7, 1955. We are, of course, deeply gratified by this forthright defense of academic freedom by ten of the country's most distinguished scholars and teachers. We urge MR readers in colleges and universities to publicize this letter as widely as possible and to stimulate others to a similar active defense of academic and intellectual freedom in their own communities. The signers of the letter are professors at Columbia and Harvard as follows: Columbia —John L. Childs, education; Henry S. Commager, American history; Walter Gellhorn, law; Robert K. Merton, sociology; Ernest J. Simmons, Slavic languages. Harvard —Paul H. Buck, American history (formerly Provost of the University); Seymour E. Harris, economics; Mark DeWolfe Howe, law; Edward S. Mason, economics; Perry G. E. Miller, American history and literature. -THE EDITORS This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


The Genetic and phenotypic characterization of the Central AfricanBlackbelly sheep was carried outfrom April 1st to November 30th2019. A total 288adults sheep were sampled in order to assess the genetic diversity of the Blackbelly population in 3 Central Africa countries (Cameroun, Congo Brazzaville and Gabon).A total of twenty-two (22) body measurements were collected with the aid of metric tools(i.e.,headlength, head width, hornlength, ear length, neck length, neck circumference, total body length, trunk length, height at withers, height at back, height at rump, chest circumference, chest depth, chest width, rump width, rump length, front leg length, rear leg length, tail length, canon bone circumference, nipple length and body weight). The latter was used to calculate twelve (12)indices (sub-sternal gracility, ear-length, format, compactness, massiveness, chest,slenderness, frame, body, dactylo-thoracic, caudal and ear) in a bid to appreciate the functional relationship between measurements. Phenotypic dimorphism (P ≤ 0.05) has been observed between the Blackbelly sheep of different countries, with the highest and heaviest animals coming from Congo (HW= 62.217 ± 5.288 and BW = 27.44 ± 6.08kg), the longest from Gabon (TBL = 84.69 ± 8.70) and the largest (CW=15.01± 2.531 and RW=14.716 a± 2.351) from Cameroon. A perfect correlation was recorded between BW and TC. Principal Component Analysis reveals that six main components explain 73.1% of the observed variability in the body measurements of Blackbelly sheep population of Central Africa. The first two components which have eigenvalues greater than 3 and explain 25.44% (CP1) and 17.41% (CP2) of the variability in body measurements, can be considered for an improvement and selection program. Hence, the height at back and thethoracic circumference appear to be the most interesting measurements to beconsidered for the selection and conservation of the Blackbelly sheep.


In this paper we prove that the shift map defined on the moduli space of twisted pentagram spirals of type ( N , 1 ) ?> possesses a non-standard Lax representation with an associated monodromy whose conjugation class is preserved by the map. We prove this by finding a coordinate system in the moduli space of twisted spirals, writing the map in terms of the coordinates and associating a natural parameter-free non-standard Lax representation. We then show that the map is invariant under the action of a one-parameter group on the moduli space of twisted ( N , 1 ) ?> spirals, which allows us to construct the Lax pair. We also show that the monodromy defines an associated Riemann surface that is preserved by the map. We use this fact to generate invariants of the shift map.


There are considerable advantages to instrument based treatments for stuttering, because they have potential to maximize the involvement of the client in the treatment process. The present report is an attempted replication of one of three such treatments that are currently available: computerized EMG feedback. Participants were 12 children and adolescents in a similar age range to the Craig et al. (1996) nonrandomized, controlled trial. Two experienced clinicians and two student clinicians presented the treatment as outlined in the Craig (1998) manual, using the requisite EMG equipment, for 6 h per day over five consecutive days. Subjects showed a reduction of 48.9% of their stuttering during reading conditions after the treatment and a reduction of 36.7% of stuttering after the treatment during conversation. During the post-treatment period participants were speaking at a mean of 111 syllables per minute, which is around half the expected speech rate for Australians in this age group. It is concluded that the EMG procedure certainly warrants consideration as a complement to other stuttering treatments, but that further work is needed to establish its value as a stand-alone treatment.


Transdermal drug delivery offers several advantages, including avoidance of erratic absorption, absence of gastric irritation, painlessness, noninvasiveness, as well as improvement in patient compliance. With this mode of drug administration, there is no pre-systemic metabolism and it is possible to increase drug bioavailability and half-life. However, only a few molecules can be delivered across the skin in therapeutic quantities. This is because of the hindrance provided by the stratum corneum. Several techniques have been developed and used over the last few decades for transdermal drug delivery enhancement. These include sonophoresis, iontophoresis, microneedles, and electroporation. Electroporation, which refers to the temporary perturbation of the skin following the application of high voltage electric pulses, has been used to increase transcutaneous flux values by several research groups. In this review, transdermal electroporation is discussed and the use of the technique for percutaneous transport of low and high molecular weight compounds described. This review also examines our current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of electroporation and safety concerns arising from the use of this transdermal drug delivery technique. Safety considerations are especially important because electroporation utilizes high voltage pulses which may have deleterious effects in some cases.


Water quality characteristics, benthic macro-invertebrates and microbial communities of three first order streams in South West Nigeria were investigated to assess the effects of refined petroleum five months after spillage. All physical and chemical conditions except temperature and pH were significantly different (P<0.01) at the upstream control stations and impacted stations reflecting the perturbational stress. The benthic macro-invertebrate fauna were dominated by arthropods, but the faunal spectrum was dissimilar at all the stations studied. Sampling stations at the epicentre of the spill showed considerable reduction in faunal compositions and relative abundance. Generally, the microbial density and diversity were highest in both soil and water samples from impacted sites than in control sites. There was a significantly higher proportion (P < 0.05) of hydrocarbon utilizers in soil than in water samples in all stations except in samples from stations (P<0.05).


Mutualism between plants and animals demonstrates that grazing has positive impacts on plant growth. Animal saliva plays an important role in plant–herbivore interactions, and various salivary components work for the beneficial relationship. This study was performed to compare responses of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev. (Poaceae) to sheep saliva and two salivary components. One randomized block designed experiment was conducted in 2007 with six treatments: control, clipping with water, with saliva, with epidermal growth factor (EGF), with thiamine and with mixture of EGF and thiamine. There were significant differences between treatments on biomass, buds and tillers of L. chinensis. Compared with control plants, there was no compensatory response in clipped plants due to the limited number of available meristems in late-growing season. Plants in clipping with saliva had more biomass and buds than those in clipping with water or salivary components. Clipping with salivary components had no stimulatory effects on plant growth, relative to clipping with water. The results showed that herbivore saliva had greater impacts than salivary components, and there was no additive effect between salivary components on plant growth. This study demonstrated the complexity in saliva components, which offer saliva with the capacity to play an important role in plant–herbivore interactions.


– The smolt run of anadromous brown trout (Sulmo trutta) in a Norwegian river was studied for three consecutive years. The main run occurred in a period of 7–10 days in the middle or second half of May. Support was found for the hypothesis that high water discharge and temperature triggered the run. Few smolts descended when the discharge was low (<50 m3· s−1) and the water temperature was below 4°C. The maximum number were caught when the discharge was moderate (70–150 m3· s−1) and the water temperature high (68°C). The relative importance of these factors varied from year to year. The first-year discharge explained 38% of the variation in the number of smolts migrating. Discharge and temperature together explained 61% in 1992 and 28% in the second and third year, respectively.


Summary  Hyperkeratotic type tinea pedis is a refractory type of superficial dermatomycosis. Treatment for hyperkeratotic type tinea pedis is mainly with oral antimycotics, such as griseofulvin, and healing is generally considered to be difficult with only topical antimycotics. In this randomized comparative study, the usefulness of a topical application of 1% lanoconazole cream (Astat®) monotherapy (group I) was compared with that of combination therapy with 1% lanoconazole cream and 10% urea ointment (Pastaron®) (group II) in a series of patients with hyperkeratotic type tinea pedis. The clinical improvement rates (percentage of 'marked improvement' plus 'moderate improvement') was 70.0% in group I and 95.7% in group II. The fungal eradication rate was 5.0% in group I and 43.5% in group II after 4 weeks of treatment, and was 70.0% and 95.7% after 12 weeks of treatment, respectively. The usefulness rate (percentage of 'very useful' plus 'useful') was 70% in group I and 95.7% in group II. Both lanoconazole monotherapy and the combination therapy with 10% urea ointment were highly effective and safe. Both treatments should be recommended for patients with hyperkeratotic type tinea pedis for whom an oral treatment is not appropriate or for whom a sufficient improvement with oral medications cannot be expected.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Child undernutrition remains an area of public health concern across the globe, particularly in developing countries like India. Previous studies have focused on the association of maternal nutrition with premature pregnancy and birthweight of child, with few establishing the intergenerational effect but limited to select populations and geography.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN
This study used data from 35,452 children aged under 5 years and their biological mother from nationally representative Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) in India. The outcome variables were anthropometric indices: height-for-age, weightfor- height, and weight-for-age. The exposure variables were maternal height and body mass index (BMI). Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the association between maternal height and BMI with child undernutrition.

RESULTS
Out of total number of mothers, 11.1% were short in stature and 28% were underweight. Of total number of children, 33.9%, 17.3% and 32.7% were stunted, wasted, and underweight respectively. Children born to mother with short stature were more likely to be stunted (OR=1.73, 95% CI 1.59-1.89), wasted (OR=1.26, 95% CI 1.12-1.41) and underweight (OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.50-1.79). Similarly, children with underweight mother were more likely to be stunted (OR=1.63, 95% CI 1.53-1.73), wasted (OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.52-1.77) and underweight (OR=2.14, 95% CI 2.01-2.27).

CONCLUSIONS
The study shows a strong association between maternal and child undernutrition demonstrating intergenerational linkage between the two. The national programme needs to focus on holistic and comprehensive nutrition strategy with targeted interventions to improve both maternal and child health.


The project explores the relationship between religious and profane space, between church and community house. It questions in which way these themes belong togheter and how they can be articulated. A church lies in a field. It consists of a large gable roof with spaces inside. The main space is asymmetrical, the roof merges with the floor on one side, on the other a wall divides it from smaller spaces that are open to the field. By the altar the wall ends, creating an opening where the field reaches into the space. A community house lies on a quiet street next to an old farm. It is an extension of the street, a cave dug into a sloping field. Retaining walls follow the terrain towards a posterior core hiding all service space. Towards the street a glass facade shows the activities within to passers by.


--- COPY INFORMATION --- Print copies available from Library, Online version available from this link: http://www.anzca.edu.au/resources/college-publications > http://www.anzca.edu.au/documents/blue-book-2019.pdf --- TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY --- The Vortex Approach to airway management/ Nicholas Chrimes Managing airway trauma: Applying logic and structure to the anaesthetic decision-making process/ Adam Rehak Unanticipated difficult airway events: A systematic analysis of the current evidence and mappingof the issues involved using a Bowtie diagram/ Yasmin Endlich, Martin Culwick Flexible bougies, introducers and bronchoscopes – Key adjuvants in the Age of Videolaryngoscopes/ John Cormack, Wallace Grimmett, David Shan Hyperbaric medicine/ Bridget Devaney Perioperative management of heart transplantation/ Sean Edwards, Sara Jane Allen Preventing vascular damage during central venous catheter insertion via the internal jugular vein / Jennifer Bath, Andrew Deacon, Alister Jones Keep calm and know sepsis/ Linden Martyr, Sam Cook, Siva Senthuran Midodrine and its potential role in postoperative hypotension/ Verna M Aykanat, Ian O Fleming, Tomas B Corcoran It's about bloody time! The massive transfusion protocol in trauma/ Sinead O'Keeffe, Ray Paramalingam, Christine Grobler Differentiation of preoperative anaemia/ Hafiza Misran, Hamish Mace, Shane Gangatharan, Kylie Symons An update on the management of patients with rib fractures/ Andrew Lumley, Sean Chan, Andrew Deacon Parallel processing pathways for regional anaesthesia: An introduction to block rooms/ Brigid Brown, Tim Donaldson Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block/ Alex Grosso, Gilberto Arenas, Kate Drummond, Sam Whitehouse The "opioid crisis"/ Stephan A Schug Opioid harm reduction strategies – stemming the tide/ Michael H Toon The changing face of complex regional pain syndrome treatment/ Marc Russo, Peter Georgius, Danielle Santarelli Postoperative delirium/ Kate O'Hare, Silke Brinkmann, Dale Currigan The psychedelic renaissance: Ethnopharmacology, neuroscience and clinical efficacy/ John Akers High hopes for dope: What role does medicinal cannabis play in current clinical practice?/ Nilru Vitharana, Jane Standen Anaesthetic implications of restless legs syndrome: A review/ Nicole Somi, Elizabeth Merenda, Thomas Bruessel Obesity and anaesthesia/ Peter Baumgartner Euglycaemic diabetic ketoacidosis associated with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors:New drugs bring new problems/ Venkatesan Thiruvenkatarajan, Emily Jane Meyer, Nagesh Nanjappa, John Currie,Roelof M Van Wijk, David Jesudason Anaesthesia and immune modulation/ Michelle Roets, Melinda Dean, Jaisil EJ Punnasseril, Kerstin Wyssusek,Andre van Zundert, David Sturgess Role of simulation in obstetric anaesthesia training/ Rebecca A Szabo, Kara Allen, Olivia J Millay Prehabilitatio/ Diyana Ishak, Prabir Patel Reifying race in medicine/ Alan McLintic Human factors in anaesthesia: Beyond non-technical skills/ Stuart Marshall Feasibility of an open access collaborative anaesthesia knowledge base/ Ryan Juniper, Agnieszka Ganska A resilience engineering approach to out-of-hours healthcare: The SAFE initiative / Tim Bowles, Deepan Krishnasivam, Katherine Birkett


Two sources of data (a blind register and the records of a glaucoma clinic) were used to study the age, sex, and ethnic characteristics of sufferers of glaucomatous blindness in the Negev region of Israel. Glaucoma was found to be the cause of blindness relatively infrequently (10% of eyes) among the registered blind population. The rate of blindness from glaucoma in the population was 0.38/1000. Glaucomatous blindness affected more males than females and more individuals of Eastern and Western origin. A steep gradient of increasing number of blind with advancing age was found in both sexes and both ethnic groups, but the gradient was steeper in males and females of Eastern origin. These findings are consistent with the pattern expected of a developing country and represent the first descriptive profile of the pattern of personal characteristics of sufferers from glaucomatous blindness in this region. The ethnic pattern resembles what is known about the natural history of glaucoma in pigmented and nonpigmented races.


Background and Aim of the Work: Qatar Biobank (QBB) is actively acquiring data on the range of short- and long-term health impacts associated with COVID-19. This is performed through the COVID-19 biorepository National project. In this report, we describe the most common indications for the referral to Qatar's healthcare system of COVID-19 biorepository participants in comparison with the Qatar Biobank (QBB) general population study. Methods: Patients with a laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, who were Qatar residents that could communicate in Arabic, English, Hindi and Urdu were eligible to participate in the COVID-19 biorepository project. Biological samples of Consented participants were collected on a weekly basis until recovery, and then monthly for a year. Participants were also offered a bone density scan three months after recovery and non-contrast MRI brain and whole-body scan six months after recovery. Number of participants requiring referral for medical follow up after recovery for any abnormal clinically significant findings were recorded and statistically compared to general population referred participants. Results: The majority of referrals for the general population study was for osteopenia versus diabetes for the COVID-19 biorepository project Conclusion: Descriptive analysis of the referral data of the COVID-19 participants and QBB general population (not previously affected by the virus) shows a clear difference between the two populations' reasons for referrals. Diabetes for COVID 19 recovered participants versus osteopenia for general population. (www.actabiomedica.it)


In this paper, we consider sampling theory for irregular sampling sets of minimal density which are structured. An efficient method for the reconstruction of band-limited discrete signals from sampling sets which are unions of shifted lattices is developed. These sets are not necessarily periodic. A signal can be reconstructed from its samples provided the sampling set and the spectrum of the signal satisfy certain compatibility conditions. While explicit reconstruction formulas for unions of sampling lattices are possible, it is more convenient to use a recursive algorithm. A numerical example utilizing nonperiodic sampling sets implemented in MATLAB is given. The theory and the related algorithm has been applied to speech and image processing examples.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based devices and their applications have received more and more attention, and several biomolecules have been found to be encapsulated into the inner space of the CNTs spontaneously. In this work, the molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that a collagen-like peptide with a hydrophobic center and hydrophilic surfaces could be inserted into CNTs spontaneously but slowly. Then the dynamic mechanism of the encapsulation process was investigated by a series of steered molecular dynamics simulations. The van der Waals interaction between the peptide and the carbon nanotubes was proved to be a positive factor for this insertion process, whereas the major resistance of this process is attributed to the repelling of the trapped water molecules and the breaking of the hydrogen-bond networks of water molecules around the peptide. Because of the synthetical effect of these interactions, there is an optimal tube size corresponding to effective encapsulation of the protein into the CNTs for a given kind of protein molecule.


Wireless wearable sweat analysis devices can monitor biomarkers at the molecular level continuously and in situ, which is highly desired for personalized health care. The miniaturization, integration, and wireless operation of sweat sensors improve the comfort and convenience while also bringing forward new challenges for power supply technology. Herein, a wireless self‐powered wearable sweat analysis system (SWSAS) is designed that effectively converts the mechanical energy of human motion into electricity through hybrid nanogenerator modules (HNGMs). The HNGM shows stable output characteristics at low frequency with a current of 15 mA and a voltage of 60 V. Through real‐time on‐body sweat analysis powered by HNGM, the SWSAS is demonstrated to selectively monitor biomarkers (Na+ and K+) in sweat and wirelessly transmit the sensing data to the user interface via Bluetooth.


2703 The liver, as the major detoxification organ in the body, is exposed to a wide variety of toxic agents, many of which damage the DNA and result in increased levels of the tumor suppressor protein p53. We previously showed that p53 inhibited the transcriptional activation function of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) protein, a nuclear receptor known to be critical for liver development and differentiation. Here, we show that p53 also down regulates expression of the HNF4α gene. Overexpression of wild type p53 down-regulated endogenous levels of both HNF4α protein and mRNA in Hep3B cells. This decrease was also observed when HepG2 cells were exposed to UV radiation or an anticancer drug doxorubicin that increased endogenous p53 protein levels. Luciferase assays showed that exogenously expressed p53 but not a mutant p53 defective in DNA binding down-regulated HNF4α proximal P1 promoter activity. GST pull-down and Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays showed an interaction between p53 and HNF6α, a positive regulator of HNF4α. In vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) showed that the amount of p53 bound to the HNF4α P1 promoter increased after doxorubicin treatment, while there was no substantial change in the amount of HNF6α bound. These results indicated that there are multiple mechanisms by which p53 can repress HNF4α P1 promoter, at least one of which involves inhibition of transcriptional activation activity of HNF6α. Our observations suggest that p53 represses HNF4α expression in response to cellular stress. This mechanism may serve to down-regulate the expression of HNF4α dependent liver luxury genes to conserve cellular resources for damage repair.


Summary
Vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), like soybean oil (SO), are known for lowering the risk of consumers for contracting cardiovascular disease as well as improving cognitive health. However, they are more susceptible to lipid oxidation than recently introduced high-oleic cultivars like high-oleic sunflower oil (HOSFO). Thus, the objective of this study was to increase the stability of PUFA oils to maintain the aforementioned health benefits by supplementing them with industrially relevant antioxidant compounds that prevent or delay oxidation during food production and storage. Herein, a variety of synthetic and natural antioxidants tested alone or in mixtures was screened to bring the stability of SO closer to that of HOSFO. Oils were stored under accelerated conditions (35 °C) in the dark for 28 weeks, and the evolution of primary (hydroperoxides) and secondary (hexanal) lipid oxidation products was monitored. Oxidative stability index data showed that addition of 300 ppm of ascorbyl palmitate (AP) stabilised SO to the greatest magnitude. Further, a combination of AP (300 ppm) and M-TOC (1000 ppm) was able to limit hydroperoxide and hexanal formation in SO at 35 °C for 12 weeks. It was demonstrated that assessing multiple quality parameters for lipid stability are a necessary undertaking.


The effect of voluntary wheel-running on insulin resistance was studied in high-fat-fed rats. A sequential hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp procedure was employed (insulin infusion rates: 3 and 30 mU/kg BW/min) in 14 high-fat-fed rats and 7 chow-fed rats under the awake condition. The high-fat-fed rats were further divided into a sedentary (n=7) and a voluntary wheel-running (n=7) groups. Blood glucose was clamped at the fasting level in each rat. Plasma insulin levels during the 3- and 30-mU/kg BW/min insulin infusions were 40-50 and 450-550 microU/ml, respectively. At both 3 and 30 mU/kg BW/min insulin infusions, high-fat-feeding showed a significant decrease in glucose infusion rate (GIR), compared with the chow-fed rats. However, decreased GIRs were restored by the 4-wk wheel-running and reached similar levels as the chow-fed rats. Therefore, it could be concluded that voluntary wheel-running prevents insulin resistance induced by high-fat feeding.


A computer-aided subsurface mapping program of the middle Miocene section (-9,500 to -15,000 ft) was attempted for a 160-sq mi tract in the structurally "low" part of the famous "Five Islands" trend of Louisiana. Seven resistivity features were picked from most of 136 electric logs and were correlated and used to make one isopach map, and conventional (manually contoured) structural maps of 4 zones. The same data were then employed to generate computer maps by 2 different approaches: weighted-moving-average (contour maps) and least-square-fits of polynomial surfaces up to the fifth order (trend maps). Numerous computer maps were generated on the high-speed printer and plotter, including structural maps, isopach maps, trend maps, and various residual maps. However, all of them do not appear to convey geologic sense, and some, particularly high-order trend maps, may be of little use. The degree of similarity the computer maps bear with the manual maps varies widely with the map type and technique used. The contour-type maps may best serve as "quick-look" maps, bringing out the major structural elements and guiding the choice of horizons for hand contouring. Others, such as the isopach maps, yield the growth-fault effect and can guide later interpretations. The polynomial surface maps depict regional trends which can be used to make predictions away from known areas, to suggest "highs" and "lows" of significance, and to display meaningful thickness variations. The residual maps show promise of distinguishing structural traps, the locale of growth faulting, and typical tectonic and sedimentational patterns. Computer maps do not supplant manually contoured maps. Some of them, if used early in a mapping program, could aid in picking horizons for hand contouring and could be used as a guide for contouring. Others should be used to suggest corrections in the structure, and still others as guides to the final interpretation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1900------------


SODIX is a method for the localization of sound sources including the quantification of their directivities. Other source localization methods commonly assume point monopole sources with uniform directivity. The performance of SODIX is compared in this paper with previously published results [9] of conventional delay-and-sum beamforming and the advanced deconvolution methods DAMAS, DAMAS2, CLEAN-SC, TIDY, and LPD by using the same set of array data. The results show that the resolution of SODIX is only slightly inferior to those of the best advanced beamforming methods.


The variability of daily stool energy losses was examined in six healthy adult women over a complete menstrual cycle. On average, stool energy was 0.74 +/- 0.15 kJ/d (mean +/- SD) for the group. For a given individual, daily stool energy varied up to twofold. The variability for rolling averages of daily fecal energy losses over 3-, 5-, and 7-d periods showed no significant differences between collection periods of 3 and 5 d and 5 and 7 d. There was a close linear relationship between the energy content of the stool and either the wet or dry weight of stool (range 17-460 g wet wt). In metabolic studies of healthy women representative values for daily losses of energy in stool can be obtained from a 3-d collection. The energy content of wet stool was approximately 7 kJ/g. Under field conditions, weighing the stool provides a simple, useful method of assessing fecal energy losses.


Faster methods for the detection of foodborne microbial pathogens are needed. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can amplify specific segments of DNA and is used to detect and identify bacterial genes responsible for causing diseases in humans. The major features and requirements for the PCR are described along with a number of important variations. A considerable number of PCR-based assays have been developed, but they have been applied most often to clinical and environmental samples and more rarely for the detection of foodborne microorganisms. Much of the difficulty in implementing PCR for the analysis of food samples lies in the problems encountered during the preparation of template DNAs from food matrices; a variety of approaches and considerations are examined. PCR methods developed for the detection and identification of particular bacteria, viruses, and parasites found in foods are described and discussed, and the major features of these reactions are summarized.


This study reports static and dynamic aeroelastic analyses of an aircraft wing in an incompressible flow. A swept thin-walled composite beam with a biconvex cross-section is used as the structural model that incorporates a number of non-classical effects such as material anisotropy, transverse shear deformation and warping restraint. A symmetric lay-up configuration i.e. circumferentially asymmetric stiffness (CAS) is further adapted to this model to generate the coupled motion of flap-wise bending-torsion-transverse shear. For this beam model, the unsteady aerodynamic loads are expressed using Wagners function in the time-domain as well as using Theodorsen function in the frequency-domain. The divergence and the flutter speeds are evaluated for several ply angles and the aeroelastic response of an aircraft wing exposed to gust load is examined. The effects of transverse shear, fiber-orientation and sweep angle on the aeroelastic instabilities and the aeroelastic response of the beam are further discussed.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Traditional breeding has been used to develop grain sorghum germplasm that is tolerant to acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicides (Inzen Technology, DuPont). Inzen sorghum carries a double mutation in the ALS gene (Val560Ile and Trp574Leu), which confers high level of tolerance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Overreliance on ALS-inhibiting herbicides for weed control during the 1990s resulted in the evolution of ALS inhibitor—resistant shattercane populations in Nebraska. According to a survey conducted in 2013, ALS inhibitor—resistant weedy Sorghum populations persist in Nebraska. The objectives of this research were to determine whether the ALS mutations present in Inzen sorghum were present in the ALS inhibitor—resistant shattercane and johnsongrass populations detected in Nebraska and northern Kansas, and whether these populations evolved ALS resistance independently. Primers specific to the Val560 and Trp574 region of the ALS gene were used to screen the populations with PCR. The Trp574Leu mutation was present in one ALS inhibitor—resistant johnsongrass population. The Val560Ile was detected in three ALS inhibitor—resistant shattercane, one susceptible shattercane, one ALS inhibitor—resistant johnsongrass, and one susceptible johnsongrass population. Moreover, Val560Ile was present in resistant and/or susceptible individuals within johnsongrass and shattercane populations that were segregating for ALS resistance, indicating that by itself the Val560Ile mutation does not confer resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. None of the populations presented both mutations simultaneously, as does Inzen sorghum. A shattercane population containing the Ser653Thr mutation was also detected. This research indicates that the ALS mutations present in Inzen sorghum already exist individually in weedy sorghum populations. Moreover, our results present strong evidence that ALS resistance in these populations evolved independently. Thus, widespread overreliance on ALS-inhibiting herbicides prior to adoption of glyphosate-tolerant crops in the 1990s exerted sufficient selective pressure on shattercane and johnsongrass populations for resistance to evolve multiple times in the Midwest. Finally, a survey of the 5′ portion of the ALS gene in more diverse wild and weedy Sorghum species was hampered by limited coverage in genomic resequencing surveys, suggesting that refined PCR-based methods will be needed to assess SNP variation in this gene region, which includes the Ala122, Pro197, and Ala205 codons known to confer ALS resistance in other species. Nomenclature: Acetolactate synthase (ALS) -inhibiting herbicides, johnsongrass, Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. SORHA, shattercane, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. drummondii (Nees ex Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse SORVLJ, sorghum, Sorfhum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. Bicolor SORVU


A ferrodistortive phase transition is analyzed for a quantum particles in a simple quartic potential. The interactions are taken into account by the mean-field approximation. A quantum thermodynamic treatment gives analytic expressions for the static susceptibility, the specific heat and the soft mode frequency. The Rhodes–Wohlfarth ratio is a measure whether the system is order–disorder or displacive, however, the border is fuzzy depending on the interaction strength. The quantum effect is discussed when the transition takes place at low temperature. Whether the atomic density is a single or multiple peak distributions seems to be a definite criterion for the character of the structural phase transition.


Since archaeology is fundamentally the study of the human past, which is what the word "archaeology" connotes according to its Greek etymology, it is part of the humanities. However, archaeologists work in teams with scientists and employ quantitative techniques and comparative methods of the social sciences; archaeologists are thus an academic hybrid and are pleased to live in the interstices of many disciplines. In this article we review the history of archaeology in the humanities and explore some new directions in archaeological research. We discuss the enduring questions of origins of the antiquity of humanity, religion and art, the first agricultural villages, and the earliest cities, states, and civilizations. We also consider new agendas in archaeology: historical archaeology, landscapes in the past and present, material studies of the present, and how archaeologists are engaged in modern politics.


Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. While colonoscopy is an effective screening technique, navigating an endoscope through the colon to detect polyps is challenging. A 3D map of the observed surfaces could enhance the identification of unscreened colon tissue and serve as a training platform. However, reconstructing the colon from video footage remains unsolved due to numerous factors such as self-occlusion, reflective surfaces, lack of texture, and tissue deformation that limit feature-based methods. Learning-based approaches hold promise as robust alternatives, but necessitate extensive datasets. By establishing a benchmark, the 2022 EndoVis sub-challenge SimCol3D aimed to facilitate data-driven depth and pose prediction during colonoscopy. The challenge was hosted as part of MICCAI 2022 in Singapore. Six teams from around the world and representatives from academia and industry participated in the three sub-challenges: synthetic depth prediction, synthetic pose prediction, and real pose prediction. This paper describes the challenge, the submitted methods, and their results. We show that depth prediction in virtual colonoscopy is robustly solvable, while pose estimation remains an open research question.


The atrio-His bundle tracts are very rare; only two have been found in 687 hearts studied histologically. These tracts have a similar appearance to those of the atrioventricular bundle and form a complete bypass of the atrioventricular node. In their presence the electrocardiogram may show a short or normal PR interval. They may be responsible for some cases of very rapid ventricular response to supraventricular arrhythmias.


Halal and haram is a mater which is most emphasized in Islam.It covers all the things in the lives of Muslims. Halal and haram problems are often associated with aspects of nutrition.The concept of halal and haram is emphasized in the context of nutrition because it can affect one's personal life and characteristic of a Muslim. From
the point of consumerism, the question of halal and haram of food is always an issue.Abuse cases such as the halal logo, fraud and falsification of ingredient that do not comply with the content standards of halal are widely reported. Accordingly, it is desirable for consumers, especially Muslim consumers, to be accorded with legal defenses'.Base on this basis, this research is conducted to evaluate the concept of "halalan toyyiban" and aspect of consumer protection through legal mechanisms.This study is centered on four objectives: (1) to review the existing legislation relating to aspects of halal in food industry, (2) to examine the meaning and definition of halal within the context of the food production, (3) to explain consumer rights in aspect of legislation in order to ensure the safety and their protection in relation to the issue of halal food, and (4) to provide appropriate recommendations for improvement in
relation to consumer protection in the context of halal food. Through the form of socio-legal studies, the researchers used two main approaches, namely descriptive, and analytical and critical thinking.Both methods are used to examine halal concept according to shariah, and explain the provisions of law relating to consumers.Apart
from data collection through literature, interviews were also held with the parties
involved with consumerism and the halal enforcement such as KPDNKK and JAKIM. Further, the analysis of the data was conducted using legal methods and content analysis.The study found that the legislation relating to halal as a whole is
good, especially after the amendment of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011, which through it produced another two halal-related subsidiaries. However, in terms of consumerism, halal-related protection is provided separately by several different
legislations as well as by the various enforcement agencies.In this regard, the researchers suggest, among others, drafting a single comprehensive special act to regulate the matters related to the halal aspect.


Introduction Overactive bladder (OAB) is a prevalent condition that has a significant impact on quality of life. The usual treatment approach is both behavioral and pharmacological. The first-line pharmacological treatment commonly utilizes anticholinergic agents, which may be limited by their tolerability, efficacy, and long-term compliance. Developments in elucidating the pathophysiology of OAB and alternative targets for pharmacological therapy have led to newer agents being developed to manage this condition. These agents include mirabegron and botulinum toxin, which have alternate mechanism of action and avoid the anticholinergic side effects. Objectives To provide an update for clinicians managing OAB with an overview of the existing and newer medical options for OAB, including pharmacology, efficacy, side-effect profile, tolerability, and impact on patient quality of life. Methods PubMed and Medline were searched for randomized controlled drug trials in adults with OAB, meta-analyses of medical therapy for OAB, and individual drug names, including the keywords efficacy, tolerability, quality of life, and compliance. Nonhuman studies, pediatric trials, and those involving patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction (with the exception of studies involving botulinum toxin A) were excluded. Results There is level 1, Grade A evidence to support the efficacy of anticholinergic drugs, botulinum toxin, and mirabegron for OAB. Long-term compliance with anticholinergic medications is limited. The mechanism of action, effectiveness, and side effects of these drugs are discussed, and where the data are available compared with other OAB medications. Conclusion Most of the anticholinergic agents have comparative efficacies and core side-effect profiles, with individual variations relating to their muscarinic receptor selectivity, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism. Newer agents, with alternative sites of action, such as mirabegron and botulinum toxin, provide additional treatment options for patients intolerant to or inadequately treated with anticholinergics.


A field experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of norm-based persuasive messages for increasing response rates in online survey research. Participants in an interdisciplinary conference were asked to complete two successive postconference surveys and randomly assigned to one of two groups at each time point. The experimental group received a message asking them to complete an online survey that highlighted a descriptive social norm indicating typical response rates among attendees of prior similar conferences. The control group received a generic request to complete the online survey without any norm-based appeals. As expected, participants receiving a message highlighting the descriptive social norm, when asked to complete an online survey were more likely to comply with the request as compared to those who received the generic message without normative information. Participants receiving a double dose of the descriptive norm treatment at both time points were more likely to complete the second online survey than those who did not receive the descriptive norm intervention at either time point. Implications for future research on evaluation are discussed.


The i-Smart 30 PRO electrolyte analyzer is an electrochemical analyzer used to measure the concentrations of sodium, potassium and chlorides in various biological fluids. The aim of this study was to assess the analytical quality of the electrolyte analyzer i-Smart 30 PRO and validate its use for electrolytes testings at the Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry and Toxicology, National Teaching Hospital Hubert Koutoukou MAGA. Samples received routinely for sodium, potassium and chlorides testings were runned on the electrolyte analyzers i-Smart 30 PRO and ILyte used as the gold standard. The sodium, potassium and chlorides serum concentrations were biased with significant differences. However more than 95% of the testings results were within the 95% limits of agreement. The i-Smart 30 PRO electrolyte analyzer could validly replace the ILyte analyzer for the measurements of these electrolytes concentrations in serum.


Dermatophytoses is a fungal infection responsible for cutaneous mycoses caused by dermatophytes, a classification of filamentous fungi and queratinofílicos, able to degrade keratin present in skin, nails and hair. This is a public health problem that affects 20 to 25% of the world's population. The infections caused by dermatophytes reach mainly developing countries, hot and humid climate, factors that promote your spread. The principal genera of dermatophytes: Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. For the treatment of dermatophytoses antifungal medications are used and the irrational use of these drugs has contributed to the increase of the resistance against the dermatophytes. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the resistance profile of fungi causing dermatophytoses in the face of the main antifungals and to highlight the importance of adequate treatment. We performed a review of the scientific literature was conducted based on the databases Bireme, PubMed, Scielo, Google Scholar, Science Research and ResearchGate, considering articles published between 2014 and 2019. Were used as key words: tinea, dermatophytes, dermatophytoses, national and international. We found 127 articles, after reading the titles, abstracts and texts, articles that did not refer to the chosen theme were excluded. The resistance rates of these fungi to commonly used antifungals are increasing and measures such as avoiding misuse, without medical guidance, the use of inadequate doses and stopping treatment before cure, can contribute to the reduction of these numbers. In addition, we highlight the need for studies that can contribute to the development of new therapeutic options and to the orientation of the importance of rational use of antifungals.


We address the problem of including Coulomb distortion effects in inclusive quasielastic (e,e') reactions using an improved version of the effective momentum approximation. Arguments are given that a simple modification of the effective momentum approximation, which is no longer applicable in its original form in the case of highly charged nuclei, leads to very good results. A comparison of the improved effective momentum method with exact calculations is given. A critical remark concerns recent experiments with inclusive quasielastic positron scattering.


The Acoustics Branch is responsible for reducing noise levels for jet and fan components on aircraft engines. To do this, data must be measured and calibrated accurately to ensure validity of test results. This noise reduction is accomplished by modifications to hardware such as jet nozzles, and by the use of other experimental hardware such as fluidic chevrons, elliptic cores, and fluidic shields. To insure validity of data calibration, a variety of software is used. This software adjusts the sound amplitude and frequency to be consistent with data taken on another day. Both the software and the hardware help make noise reduction possible. work properly. These software programs were designed to make corrections for atmosphere, shear, attenuation, electronic, and background noise. All data can be converted to a one-foot lossless condition, using the proper software corrections, making a reading independent of weather and distance. Also, data can be transformed from model scale to full scale for noise predictions of a real flight. Other programs included calculations of Over All Sound Pressure Level (OASPL), Effective Perceived Noise Level (EPNL). OASPL is the integration of sound with respect to frequency, and EPNL is weighted for a human s response to different sound frequencies and integrated with respect to time. With the proper software correction, data taken in the NATR are useful in determining ways to reduce noise. display any difference between two or more data files. Using this program and graphs of the data, the actual and predicted data can be compared. This software was tested on data collected at the Aero Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL) using a variety of window types and overlaps. Similarly, short scripts were written to test each individual program in the software suite for verification. Each graph displays both the original points and the adjusted points connected with lines. During this summer, data points were taken during a live experiment at the AAPL to measure Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig (NATR) background noise levels. Six condenser microphones were placed in strategic locations around the dome and the inlet tunnel to measure different noise sources. From the control room the jet was monitored with the help of video cameras and other sensors. The data points were recorded, reduced, and plotted, and will be used to plan future modifications to the NATR. The primary goal to create data reduction test programs and provide verification was completed. As a result of the internship, I learned C/C++, UNIX/LINUX, Excel, and acoustic data processing methods. I also recorded data at the AAPL, then processed and plotted it. These data would be useful to compare against existing data. In addition, I adjusted software to work on the Mac OSX platform. And I used the available training resources.


OBJECTIVE To understand the components of the crude antigens of Echinococcus multilocularis protoscoleces. METHODS Isoelectric focusing was carried out to fractionate the protein components of E. multilocularis protoscoleces. The individual fractions were collected and subjected to SDS-PAGE, the gels were analyzed by a gel analysis system. RESULTS The pI values of individual fractions varied from 4.0 to 8.5, while the molecule weights of main protein bands were 72/73, 62/63, 42/44, 35/36, 34 and 21/22 kDa. CONCLUSION An alternative separation method of crude antigens of Echinococcus multilocularis was established.


In both the US and Japan in recent decades, multiethnicity has become an increasingly significant phenomenon for Japanese/Americans. Though relative minorities in the past, mixed individuals have become an emerging demographic as successive generations of individuals of Japanese and non-Japanese ancestry have transgressed social barriers, ethnic racial boundaries and national divides, blending diverse ancestries and cultures into unique syntheses. While individuals may be independently optimistic about this burgeoning diversity, others have resisted, at times violently. Multiethnic and multiracial Japanese/Americans have historically faced prejudice and discrimination on the basis of their fraught racial positionality. Despite improvements, this thesis argues that racial violence continues to tacitly resonate in the present, thus refuting the notion that the US has become a post racial society. This project analyzes past and contemporary systems in both the US and Japan in order to identify and critically analyze structures of racial power which circumscribe mixed experiences.


Ti2448 (Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn wt.%) is a metastable  type titanium alloy developed recently for biomedical applications. The alloy possesses good biomechanical compatibility with human bone, in terms of high strength and an elastic modulus approaching that of the hard tissue of human body, as well as biochemical compatibility since it contains only nontoxic alloying elements. Bone plates manufactured from the Ti2448 alloy has undergone clinical trials and an application for product permission has been submitted to FDA of China. We review briefly the methodology of alloy design and peculiar properties including pronounced nonlinear elasticity and localized plastic deformation. Variations of mechanical properties with processing scheme will be presented. The positive effects of improved elastic matching between implant and bone on healing fractured bone are demonstrated by new bone formation at intramedullary nails implanted in New Zealand white rabbits and bone plates implanted in Beagle dogs.


Pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy can present earlier in gestation than traditionally defined peripartum cardiomyopathy. Management and optimal delivery timing for these patients are not well defined. We present the case of a 30-year-old primigravid at 26 weeks who presented with new onset ventricular tachycardia, biventricular cardiac failure, and severe mitral regurgitation. She was medically stabilized for two weeks prior to delivery with modest improvement in her condition. Due to concern for life-threatening cardiac failure and pulmonary edema at the time of delivery, a percutaneous left ventricular assist device was inserted immediately prior to cesarean delivery. She remained on mechanical circulatory support for 36 h. We discuss considerations regarding use of a percutaneous left ventricular assist device as a novel therapy to support the hemodynamic changes following delivery in parturients with decompensated heart failure.


Aim:To determine household's practices in utilization of home treatment for childhood malaria and explore their implications for improving prompt appropriate care in communities.
Methods: Questionnaires were administered to women from randomly selected households with previous month history of childhood malaria in four villages. Focus groups discussions were also held with groups of men and women in each village.
Results: A total of 28/94(29.8%) of the households had drugs in their homes at the time the child had "malaria" and 40 (42.6%) had to buy the drugs from outside. However, 26 (27.7%) first took the child to a health facility for treatment. Only 53.2% cases were confirmed to be malaria, but 47.8% of the treatments given contained anti-malaria and 31.2% drugs like antibiotics.
Conclusion: Home treatment can lead to inappropriate drug consumption. It is necessary to compare the cost-effectiveness of alternative means of bringing treatment nearer the home and community –based health workers can help to surmount the problems with home treatment.
Keywords:Malaria, Home treatment, Community–based, Appropriate treatment.
(J College Med: 2003 8(1): 20-22)


Neutrophils represent the most abundant cell type in peripheral blood and exhibit a remarkably brief (6–8 h) half‐life in circulation. The fundamental role of these professional phagocytes has been established in acute inflammation, based on their potential to both initiate and receive inflammatory signals. Furthermore, neutrophils also take part in maintaining chronic inflammatory processes, such as in various autoimmune diseases. Here, we demonstrate that human autologous apoptotic neutrophils are readily engulfed by immature monocyte‐derived dendritic cells (moDCs) with similar efficiency as allogeneic apoptotic neutrophils [Majai G et al. (2010) J Leukoc Biol 88, 981–991]. Interestingly, in contrast to the allogeneic system, exposure of moDCs to autologous apoptotic neutrophils inhibits LPS + IFN‐γ‐induced production of inflammatory cytokines in a phagocytosis‐independent manner. Autologous apoptotic neutrophil‐primed DCs are able to modulate T‐cell responses by inducing the generation of IFN‐γ‐secreting cells while hampering that of IL‐17A‐producing cells. Our observations indicate that capture of autologous apoptotic neutrophils by immature DCs may impede further neutrophil‐mediated phagocytosis and tissue damage, and allow increased clearance of dying cells by macrophages.


A sensitivity-enhanced distributed hydrostatic pressure sensor based on Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDA) technique is theoretically proposed and experimentally demonstrated, where double-layer polymer coatings are used on the single-mode fibers (SMF) to enhance the hydrostatic pressure sensitivity. The pressure-induced strain model of multilayer coated fibers based on Lame formula is established to analyze the enhancement mechanism of pressure sensitivity of Brillouin frequency shift (BFS). Simulation results show that BFS pressure sensitivity can be enhanced by increasing the outer coating radius or by decreasing the outer coating Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. Four types of optical fibers are designed including single-coated and double-coated fibers to verify theoretical results, where the outer coating radius of double-coated fibers are 450, 1000, and 1500 μm, respectively. Experimental results show that the BFS pressure sensitivity are −0.75 MHz/MPa, −1.65 MHz/MPa, −2.66 MHz/MPa and −3.61 MHz/MPa in the range of 0–30 MPa after temperature compensation for above four kinds of fibers, respectively. The maximum pressure sensitivity is measured about five times higher than single-coated SMF, and the maximum measurement error of pressure sensing system is less than 0.09 MPa with a spatial resolution of 1.5 m.


Changing patterns of maternal employment, coupled with stronger work requirements for welfare recipients, are increasing the demand for child care. For many families, the cost of child care creates a financial burden; for mothers with low incomes and those who are former welfare recipients, these costs may be an insurmountable barrier to employment or economic self-sufficiency. Despite increased public spending in this area, the receipt of any child care subsidy appears to be a relatively rare and uncertain event. In this study, we use data from a sample of low-income single mothers (current and recent welfare recipients in California) to estimate the probability of their receiving child care subsidies and the effect of this probability on labor market activity.


Genetic polymorphism in chemokine receptors and coreceptor genes influences susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and disease progression. The mutated Stromal Derived Factor-1 3A`/3A` (SDF-1 3'A) competes with the virus for the coreceptor site Cystein-X-cystein receptor 4 (CXCR4) on the CD4+ T-cells therefore down-regulating evolution of non-syncytial to syncytial induction during HIV-1 progression. Two hundred whole blood samples were collected from eight provinces of Kenya and analysed at the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi. Detection of SDF-1 gene polymorphism was done by extraction of proviral DNA from whole blood and the SDF-1 target gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction using gene-specific primers. The different SDF-1 gene polymorphisms were detected by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and gel electrophoresis. Chi-square test was used to test for the significance in the distributions of these polymorphism. The relationship between the frequency of SDF-1 mutation and HIV prevalence was analysed using Pearson's product moment of correlation coefficient (r). This study showed the presence of the stromal derived factor-1 polymorphism in Kenyan population with an average of 6.6% for the double mutant, 20.7% for heterozygous and 73.7% for the wild type. There was no correlation between the HIV-1 prevalence and the SDF-1 distribution in Kenya. These results will form a foundation for further research in Kenya given that double mutants had been found to resist HIV-1 infection or show good response to anti-retroviral drugs. The researchers can therefore incorporate genetics in the treatment of HIV-1.


As the flow becomes rarefied it has been seen that predictions of continuum formulations, such as the Navier–Stokes equations, become inaccurate. These inaccuracies stem from the linear approximations to the stress and heat flux in the viscous flux terms in the Navier–Stokes equations. Hence, it has long been conjectured that the inclusion of higher-order terms in the constitutive relations for the stress and heat flux may improve the predictive capabilities of such continuum formulations. Following this approach, second-order systems of hydrodynamic equations, such as the Burnett and Woods equations, were applied to the shock structure problem. While it was observed that these equations afforded a better description of the shock structure on coarse grids, they were prone to small wavelength instabilities when the grids were refined. The cause of this instability was subsequently traced to the fact that these equations can potentially violate the second law of thermodynamics when the local Knudsen number exceeds a critical limit. This leads to the fundamental question: is entropy consistency achievable in a system of second-order hydrodynamic equations? To answer this question, a novel set of equations, known as the BGK-Burnett equations, is constructed by taking moments of the Boltzmann equation for the second-order distribution function. The formulation of second-order hydrodynamic equations by moment methods is beset by three hurdles: (i) the highly nonlinear collision integral in the Boltzmann equation needs to be evaluated, (ii) the second-order distribution function does not satisfy the moment closure criterion and (iii) identification of the approximations to the material derivatives in the second-order distribution function that will correctly account for the difference in time scales between the first- and second-order fluxes. The first three terms of the Chapman–Enskog expansion, that defines the second-order distribution function, and the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook model of the collision integral, form the basis of the BGK-Burnett equations. The entropy-consistent behaviour of the equations depend on the moment closure coefficients and the approximations to the material derivatives in the second-order fluxes. The requirement of moment closure alone, however, results in non-unique closure coefficients and a family of BGK-Burnett equations, from which an entropy-consistent set must be identified. From this family, two sets of BGK-Burnett equations have been considered, and this paper presents the details of the formulation of these two sets of equations, the identification of entropy-consistent approximations to the material derivatives by a novel entropy consistent relaxation technique, and shock structure computations in a monatomic hard sphere gas for a range of Mach numbers.


Unpartitioned dissimilarity indices such as the Sørensen index (βsor) tend to categorize areas according to species number. The use of turnover indices, such as the Simpson index (βsimp), may lead to the loss of important information represented by the nestedness component (βnest). Recent studies have suggested the importance of integrating nestedness and turnover information. We evaluated this proposition by comparing biogeographical patterns obtained by unpartitioned (βsor) and partitioned indices (βsimp and βnest) on presence data of western Mediterranean butterflies.


An incidence of hemolytic-uraemic syndrome as a cause of the acute renal failure in childhood, its early survival rate and long-term sequela quences were compared in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s in the same geographical area. 196 children with HUS were treated between 1972-1999. 94% had a typical D+ HUS. The majority were of patients severely ill with 87% requiring peritoneal dialysis of an average 14 days duration. The children were grouped into three 9-year periods for comparison (1972-1980, 1981-1989, 1990-1999). 105 patients were followed for 2-27 years (mean 1 years). An incidence of HUS as a cause of ARF in childhood ranged from 58% and 50% in the 1970s and 1980s to 30% in the past decade. With time survival rate has improved dramatically over the years from 80% and 75% to 97% in the 1990s. Deo spite better short term outcome the late consequences of HUS are serious. The longer the follow-up, the greater percentage of patients with severe outcome. At last follow-up only 32% children showed full recovery. 33% are on renal replacement therapy or have impaired renal function. The severity of the initial lesions to the kidney measured by the duration of anuria is a marker of poor late prognosis. With improving early outcome the clinical significance of HUS is focusing on its severe long-term consequences.


The temperature of magma is an important parameter to understand the activity of volcanos in consideration of minimize the volcano hazard. Recently, real time thermal remote sensing (such as camera IR or different instruments install on satellite) is largely used for the temperature measurements. This technology is based on measuring the infrared (IR) emitted flux of the body. However, these techniques have large uncertainties of ± 100 • C [1]. Our study is aimed at gaining new information on the radiative heat transfer of rocks, in order to improve the accuracy of magmatic temperature determination through laboratory optic measurements. Samples from two phonolite volcanos (Erebus and Teide) have been selected for the measurements, their chemistry composition are very similar (except the percentage of FeO*, 3 wt% for Teide sample and 5 wt% for Erebus sample). We used high potential IR emissivity apparatus [2] allowing a direct non-contact in situ IR emittance measurements as a function of high temperature and in a wide spectral range. The Erebus and Teide samples were measured from room temperature up to 2000K with a CO 2 laser, both on heating and cooling; spectra were collected from 400 to 8000 cm-1. Our results reveal that thermal emissivity of magmatic rock is affected by changes in composition and thermal history. The Teide sample has no significant evolution of emissivity during heating. However, the Erebus sample shows an important emissivity changes (level of 50% difference between high and low emissivity) with the temperature, pointing clearly that the emissivity is not a constant value and it can be very variable during heating and cooling. Two cooling rates are applied on the sample during the test, fast cooling refers to volcanic bomb, and slow cooling is associate to lava flow. Erebus sample shows different emissivity with different rate of cooling. The emissivity measurements show also the important role of the iron on the spectral response of the phonolite composition. Starting from 5 % the iron-based clusters are formed and change drastically radiative properties of the sample. Finally, our results allowed to discuss the accuracy of Erebus lava lack temperature presented in literature.


Lavandula multifida (fernleaf lavender) grows in confined regions of Portugal. This species is known for its interesting chemical profile, rich in phenolic compounds, and significant antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, making it an interesting plant for industrial exploitation and justifying alternative propagation methods. Therefore, the present study aims the development of an efficient protocol for large scale propagation of this species, assuring plant uniformity and aiming a sustainable industrial exploitation with preservation of natural resources. In vitro cultures were established on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) with different concentrations of benzyladenine (BA) and zeatin (ZEA). Best multiplication rates (6.14 shoots per explant) were achieved using MS supplemented with 1.0 mg/L ZEA and rooting occurred spontaneously on the propagation medium avoiding additional rooting steps. Moreover, plants flowered during the acclimatization phase, confirming a more rapid in vitro development and shorter breeding cycle. This is a very interesting aspect for essential oil extraction. Trichome morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy and the secretion analyzed through histochemical tests. Trichomes of micropropagated plantlets were identical to those of field-growing plants, and essential oil production was observed at early stages of development. The present study confirms that micropropagation under controlled conditions could be an interesting alternative for field production of L. multifida, since higher amounts of plants can be obtained in less time with guarantee of genetic stability and phytossanitary quality, very important features regarding essential oil production and commercialization.