The hoax phenomenon has developed in the history of society from the past to the present. This can be caused by various factors of interest, such as in the hadithul ifki incident which happened to the Prophet's wife, Siti Aisyah, who was accused of adultery by hypocrites to divide Muslims at that time. Today, hoaxes are so thick with people's lives because they are easily spread through various social media platforms. Even though the impact felt due to the spread of hoaxes cannot be underestimated. Therefore, in this study it is important to know how to develop society in responding to hoax news. There are two things to be examined, First, what is the Islamic view of hoaxes? Second, what is the solution in the Quran to build an anti-hoax society? The method used in this research is qualitative, the type is library research, and the approach used is normative and sociological theology. While the data collection technique used was heurestics with descriptive data analysis techniques. The purpose of this research is to find out the Qur'anic solution in building society so that it is not easily affected by hoax news. Considering the hoax phenomenon has an impact that is not only detrimental to individuals but also society and state life, every Muslim is obliged to perform tabayyun and maintain his mouth and hands.


In this paper, we present a novel approach for a region-based extension for a fully adaptive and fault-tolerant routing algorithm for Network-on-Chips (NoCs) called Force-Directed Wormhole Routing (FDWR) [T. Schonwald et al., 2007]. The proposed extension for the FDWR reduces the size of the routingtable of a switch and therefore the hardware costs. Despite the region-based extension the FDWR can be used for different NoC topologies like mesh, torus, and hypercube. The region-based extension is integrated into the Transaction Level Model (TLM) of the switch. We show how the proposed extension for the FDWR reduces the size of the routingtable. Simulation results depict that the traffic is distributed uniformly across the entire network despite the region-based extension. Furthermore, it is shown that in case of faulty switches the area around that switches is not overloaded and that the traffic is uniformly distributed across the entire network.


Self Help Groups (SHGs) are important vehicles through which members organized themselves for mutual benefits in several aspect such as social and economic. Women all over the world and particularly in developing countries find it as a vehicle for poverty reduction. This Study was conducted in Dodoma Municipality and involved 60 Women respondents involved in Self Help Groups. Data was obtained through different method such as Household Survey, focus Group Discussion (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews.  The study found that there are about three types of Self Help Groups in the study area and each serve different functions in solving social and economic condition of poor. Village Community Bank (VICOBA) provide loan to their members on agreed basis while ROSCA is a community revolving fund on which member contribute and share the money on agreed manner. On other hand Neighbor/Ethnic group mostly provide social support in case of social problem such as funeral arrangement, illness and any other agreed festival. In whatever case Self Help Groups have been the important mechanism through which poor find the way to improve their life socially and economically. The study recommends to government to support the groups in term of training and formalization of groups so that they can reap more benefits. Also men should be encouraged to participate in SHGs as they are important vehicle for poverty reduction not only for women but also to men Keywords : Self help groups, Social, Economic, Women


With the development of society, more and more emphasis put on community safety, Community Safety Manager plays an important positive role in maintaining social safety and stability and the promotion of social harmony. Therefore, How to implement the innovative model of community management system, strengthening grass-roots development and democratic self-government building and improve the city economic, political and cultural development needs of communities in public safety management level has become an urgent research issue. In this paper, development and application of safety management system in city communities at home and abroad are summed up, which is based on the city community through the work of safety management system characteristics analyzed, and the establishment of an intelligence-based decision-making process of city community safety management system.


Background: The present study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the protection of the supraclavicular nerve in the treatment of clavicle fracture using fracture reduction and percutaneous external locking plate fixation or open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF).Methods: A total of 27 patients suffered clavicle fracture and underwent fracture reduction and external or internal fixation with reserved clavicular epithelial nerve in our department from January 2015 to January 2020 were retrospectively collected, including 19 males and 8 females with a mean age of 42 years (range 21 to 57 years). Among them, 17 patients were treated with the fracture reduction and percutaneous external locking plate fixation, while the other 10 patients were treated with ORIF. The sensory function of the affected shoulder area and the superior lateral thoracic area after surgery was collected and analyzed, as well as the satisfaction rate after the fixation was removed.Results: All the 27 patients were successfully followed with a mean duration of 1.3 years (1 to 5.8 years). There were significant differences in sensory dysfunction in the shoulder area and superior lateral thoracic area, pricking in the operation area and neck and shoulder, tactile hyperalgesia, and local numbness between the two groups after surgery (P<0.05). All the fractures achieved bone union. The satisfaction rate in the percutaneous external locking plate fixation group was higher than that in the ORIF group after the fixation was removed (P<0.05).Conclusions: Percutaneous external locking plate fixation with reservation of the supraclavicular nerve in the treatment of clavicle fractures can reduce the incidence of postoperative paresthesia in the affected shoulder and superior lateral thoracic area, and improve the satisfaction rate of the surgical effect.


The Miocene ape (Sivapithecus) locality of Tapar in Kutch (Gujarat, India) has yielded a diverse rodent assemblage that includes: a new murine Progonomys prasadi sp. nov., a new gerbilline Myocricetodon gujaratensis sp. nov., a new rhizomyne Kanisamys kutchensis sp. nov. and a new sciurine Tamias gilaharee sp. nov., beside additional remains of Progonomys morganae, Dakkamys asiaticus, Prokanisamys sp., Sayimys sivalensis and Democricetodon fejfari. Morphometric and PAUP based phylogenetic analyses place Progonomys prasadi sp. nov. within the Progonomys lineage. The cladogram obtained for the Siwalik murines suggest that Progonomys was ancestral to all the modern and one extinct murine genera recovered from the Siwaliks. The advanced features of Myocricetodon gujaratensis sp. nov. indicate that it was an immigrant to the subcontinent in the late Miocene. The cladistic analysis performed on Kanisamys kutchensis sp. nov. shows that it shared several advanced characters with contemporaneous Kanisamys nagrii and Kanisamys sivalensis. Based on the biostratigraphical ranges of Siwalik rodents and the co-occurrence of advanced forms of new and already reported murines, a new gerbilline and a new sciurine, we propose an age of ∼10 Ma to the primate-bearing Tapar locality. Already reported stable isotope data on murines, and ecological preferences of modern counterparts of the fossil rodents and associated sharks and rays from Tapar locality, indicate that the Miocene ape Sivapithecus may have lived in a subtropical monsoonal forest close to the coast, very different from the present day arid conditions. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:12CE1B44-22A0-450F-9588-6C7F25242771


Dillard S. You're the flight surgeon: splenic infarct following altitude exposure with sickle cell trait. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2019; 90(1):63-64.


Building on recent criticisms of Romanization, this contribution formulates a systematic critique of the concept of Egyptianization and suggests a different theoretical approach to cultural process in New Kingdom Nubia that benefits from the insights of 'cultural entanglement'. This approach emphasizes multidirectional and interactive perspectives that allow for a variety of acculturative outcomes rather than one-sided assimilation. A useful epistemological framework for its application in archaeology is illustrated through two case studies, focusing respectively on representations of Egyptianized Nubians in Egyptian art and Lower Nubian burial customs. The outcomes of the case studies argue for a provocative re-reading of cultural process in New Kingdom Lower Nubia, and may help to clarify the general picture of Nubian history by explaining why and how Nubian traits re-appeared in the Napatan-Meroitic Kingdom of Kush. Finally, the article considers some broader methodological and theoretical issues relating to cultural mixture in the archaeological record.


Study Design. Systematic literature review of articles pertaining to quality of life (QOL) in neuromuscular scoliosis patients that underwent spinal fusion. Objective. To determine if QOL is improved by scoliosis surgery in neuromuscular patients. Summary of Background Data. The primary focus of most prior studies on neuromuscular scoliosis has been on the technical correction of spinal deformities, and not the child's postoperative performance and function in activities of daily living. Methods. Computer-based English literature search of Google and PubMed databases. Results. A total of 198 publications in the English literature between 1980 and 2006 were identified from a PubMed and Google Scholar search of QOL in neuromuscular scoliosis patients that underwent spinal fusion. Conclusion. Spinal fusion improves QOL in CP (Grade C recommendation). Spinal fusion improves QOL in muscular dystrophy (Grade C recommendation). Spinal fusion does not improve QOL in spina bifida (Grade C recommendation).


The digitization of our society changes the way we live, work, learn, communicate, and collaborate. This disruptive change interacts with all information processes and systems that are important business enablers for the context of digitization since years. Our aim is to support flexibility and agile transformations for both business domains and related information technology and enterprise systems through adaptation and evolution of digital enterprise architectures. The present research paper investigates collaborative decision mechanisms for adaptive digital enterprise architectures by extending original architecture reference models with state of art elements for agile architectural engineering for the digitization and collaborative architectural decision support.


This paper gives a short description of some features of longrunning transactions, as well as the language BPEL and its particular implementation of the compensation concept. Two examples are used to illustrate the application of BPEL's compensation construct. These examples, and reference to a structural operational semantics developed elsewhere, are used to help support an argument for the need of a more general implementation of compensation.


: Different signs of ergotism in livestock associated with animals consuming feed grains and pasture grasses infected by Clavicipitaceae (e.g. Balansia spp. and Acremonium spp.) have been considered. Endophyte-infected tall fescue causes the damage to livestock, and its toxicity and ryegrass in livestock are associated with ergopeptide alkaloid ergovaline and indole-isoprenoid lolitrems produced by A. coenophialum and A. lolii. The role of another compound attendant to endophyte-infected fescue such as peramine and loline alkaloid is discussed. Concentration of alkaloids depends upon the season and the period of growing plant-host. The advantages and the problems of endophyte-grass mutualistic symbiosis in pasture conditions are considered. The perspective of genetic manipulation of grass and fungus to produce endophyte-infected grasses with stress and insect deterences without affecting ruminant health.


SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 3, 2017 EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE: JUNE 2, 2017 Featuring the SIU-ICUD Joint Consultation on Bladder Cancer, the 3rd SIU Nurses' Educational Symposium, and the SIU Live Surgery GU-RECON Workshop


[ANGLES] Music genre classification is an important part in the domain of Music Information Retrieval that tries to find several algorithms and audio analysis to classify audio tracks in different music styles or musical genres, like classical, rock or electronic, among others. The benchmark collections used to make the training model for the classifier tend to be based on high-quality studio recordings. Nevertheless, sometimes we need to classify audio coming from several recording ways or from a non high-quality audio recording, so this fact could have a direct impact on the genre classification. In this document we present extensive studies focused on the impact of distorted audio on the music genre classification. We intend to find which are the most robust and the weakest attributes of several feature sets against a variety of distortions in controlled settings, as well as their effect on the resulting classification.


An electromagnetic pickup cartridge comprises a movably supported permanent magnet magnetized in the direction of the thickness thereof, a cantilever secured to the magnet with a stylus attached to the free end thereof, and a pair of magnetic flux sensors stationarily mounted above the permanent magnet at right angles to each other for sensing the angular displacement of the permanent magnet about different axes with respect to a neutral position.


Multi-layered zirconia (ZrO2 thin film on the Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate has been prepared as humidity sensing material by sol–gel method. Annealing temperature was 450 C. A TiO2 thin film was added in between ZrO2 film and the substrate for improving the adhesion. The films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. The impedance of the humidity sensor changes about four orders of magnitude within the relative humidity (RH) range of 11–98%, indicating a good sensitivity. The response time of the sensor was about 5 s. The humidity sensing mechanism was discussed by means of the complex impedance curves and an equivalent circuit of the sensor.


Clinical experiences and biological parameters with injections of no rethisterone enanthate (200 mg) given at intervals of 84 days in 10 women aged 20-38 years are reported. Total gonadotropin excretion was decreased in 9 patients and urinary pregnanediol decreased by 50% in all patients. Basal temperature levels remained about .5 degrees C higher for 4-6 weeks after injections. Endometrial biopsies revealed proliferation and secretion phases and slight evidence of an anti-estrogenic effect but atrophic or hyperplastic changes were not seen. The antiestrogenic effect was also observed in the vaginal epithelium. Other biological parameters were considered normal (plasma cortisol rise after ACTH oral glucose tolerance protein-bound iodine serum cholesterol and total lipids and liver tests). Side effects included cycle irregularities spotting breakthrough bleeding and weight changes of less than 3 kg. No pregnancies occurred.


In this study, the design, materials, process, assembly, and reliability of a six-side molded panel-level chip-scale package (PLCSP) are presented. Emphasis is placed on the fabrication of the redistribution layers (RDLs) of the PLCSP on a large temporary panel with multiple device wafers. Because all the printed circuited board (PCB) panels are in rectangular shape, some of the device wafers are diced into two or more pieces so the panel is fully utilized. Thus, it is very high throughput. Because all the processes/equipment are PCB processes/equipment (not semiconductor process/equipment), it is a very low-cost process. After the fabrication of RDLs, the wafers from the PCB panel were debonded. It is followed by solder ball mounting and fabricating the six-side molded PLCSP from the original device wafers with RDLs. The drop test and the results including failure analysis of the PLCSP are presented. Thermal cycling of the six-side molded PLCSP PCB assembly is performed by a nonlinear temperature- and time-dependent finite-element simulation.


Aim: To analyze all court lawsuits in Brazil in relation to civil liability involving radiographic and tomographic images up to February 2014. Methods: All Brazilian courts were surveyed for "civil liability," "error," "radiology," "radiography," and "tomography," returning 3923 second-instance lawsuits. Out of them were excluded labor legislation, health insurance coverage of radiological examinations, and criminal liability cases and 359 were selected. Compliance with expert reports, involvement of imaging exams, the defendant professional, the reasons of claims and convictions, and indemnity were evaluated. Results: Of the 359 selected lawsuits, physicians were defendants in 71%, radiologist physicians in 10.6% and dentists in 18.4%. The prevalence of physicians found liable was related to the lack or delay in requesting the imaging exams (49.6%), and among radiologist physicians, misdiagnosis (47.1%). Considering the dentists, imaging exams had mostly an indirect involvement, and failure of the proposed treatment (73.8%) was the most prevalent cause of dentists found liable; no radiologist was sued. Regarding indemnity, 50% of lawsuits resulted in compensation up to R$ 20,000 (US$ 8,583). Conclusions: Misdiagnosis was the main cause of claims and radiologists were found liable. The medical field showed the largest absolute number of claims and physicians were found liable, but the highest proportion was directed to dentists.


Plant biodiversity can enhance primary production in terrestrial ecosystems, but biodiversity effects are largely unstudied in the ocean. We conducted a series of field and mesocosm experiments to measure the relative effects of macroalgal identity and richness on primary productivity (net photosynthetic rate) and biomass accumulation in hard substratum subtidal communities in North Carolina, USA. Algal identity consistently and strongly affected production; species richness effects, although often significent, were subtle. Partitioning of the net biodiversity effect indicated that complementarity effects were always positive and species were usually more productive in mixtures than in monoculture. Surprisingly, slow growing species performed relatively better in the most diverse treatments than the most productive species, thus selection effects were consistently negative. Our results suggest that several basic mechanisms underlying terrestrial plant biodiversity effects also operate in algal-based marine ecosystems, and thus may be general.


There are various ways of measuring methylxanthines, including reverse phase HPLC,4 gas liquid chromatography, and high pressure cation exchange chromatography, but these methods require considerable expertise. Homogenous enzyme immunoassay is simpler but still requires specific machinery which must be carefully used to obtain reliable results.5 Theophylline stick assays are simple, reliable, and can be used by clinicians after limited training. An alternative theophylline stick assay requires the separation of plasma and a specific machine for measurement.6 This whole blood theophylline stick assay requires neither separation of plasma, nor expensive technology. It is particularly suitable for use outside normal working hours, casualty departments, and in small hospitals that do not have access to a therapeutic drug monitoring service. It is highly acceptable, particularly to children, as it requires only 12 ptl of whole blood obtained by finger prick. As with all stick assays, care must be taken to follow the correct procedure, or inaccuracies will result.


Normalization of signals is used as a means of dynamic range regulation in many applications, but the inherent nonlinear nature of normalization and its interaction with other commonly used tools of signal processing are often ignored. The author presents some of the issues involved in signal normalization and examines the role of normalization in the context of spectrum analysis. In particular, the question of the relative significance of spectral phase and magnitude is considered for normalized signals.<<ETX>>


Immunohistochemistry using antisera to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was performed to observe astrocytal changes in the white matter of myelin-deficient Jimpy mice. In wild-type controls, astrocytes stained with the GFAP immunoreaction appeared in the cerebellar medulla by postnatal day 3 and in the corpus callosum by postnatal day 6. The immunoreactivity gradually intensified with age to reach a peak of the GFAP level around postnatal day 12. With the progress of myelinogenesis, GFAP positive astrocytes decreased in number and became sparse in the white matter. On the other hand, the white matter of Jimpy mutant mice revealed intensified GFAP immunoreactivity, corresponding to a numerical increase in astrocytes and an enlargement of their cytoplasm. This condition continued from postnatal day 12 up to the end of life. Such astrocytes made up a dense framework with thickened processes in the non-myelinated white matter, where oligodendrocytes were few. Under the electron microscope, an accumulation of gliofilaments and glycogen particles was apparent in the enriched astrocytal cytoplasm. Immunostaining was observed not only on gliofilament bundles but also rough endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasmic matrix. The present results demonstrate that astrocytal hypertrophy and hyperplasia occur in the entire white matter of Jimpy mice.


The aim of this study was to measure the velocity and velocity profile of 0.3% Intralipid mixture in a 1.5-mm thick glass capillary using Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography (DOCT). First, while still empty, the dimensions of the capillary were measured. The outer diameter was 1.50 mm ± 0.01 mm while the lumen diameter was 1.01 ± 0.01 mm. Then, having filled the capillary with 0.3% solution, the lumen diameter was measured again. The mean refractive index of the solution was calculated and turned out to be 1.36 ± 0.01 mm. During the next stage, flow measurements were performed at an angle of 88° between the illuminating beam and the velocity vector of the fluid. The velocity profile, based on a set of 10 measurements, was calculated from the DOCT signal using a discrete Fourier transform in 32 sections of the capillary. The maximum velocity, located in the middle part of the capillary, was 0.256 ± 0.035 m/s. The results show that the flow velocity profile of 0.3% Intralipid solution can be obtained from a glass capillary.


Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of celebrity negative publicity on attitude towards brand, corporation, brand reputation and corporate reputation, both directly and through the moderating effects of social media involvement, brand commitment, identification and attribution (both types). Associative network theory has been used to explain these effects.

Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative survey of 550 respondents was carried out in London and surrounding areas. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data.

Findings
The findings suggest that celebrity negative publicity affects brand reputation and corporate reputation. Further, the moderating effects of social media involvement and brand commitment on attitude towards brand and corporation, identification on attitude towards brand, attribution types on attitude towards corporation were not found.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the effects of celebrity negative publicity on attitudes towards brand, attitude towards corporation, brand reputation and corporation reputation, directly, and through the moderating effects of attribution (both types), identification, commitment and social media. Findings from this study will minimise the gap in the literature on the topic and will help managers and policymakers to understand the effects of celebrity negative publicity in detail.


For quite some time,the debate over "what is the essence of law"has been endless.Although for the last two decades,one or two theories on the subject have dominated the field of law,the occurrence of such a situation did not result from sufficient theoretical basis,but was mainly caused by the ideology and the way of reasoning.In this article,the author introduces,arranges and criticizes a few important theories on the essence of law.From a quite different perspective,he overviews the history of the philosophical discussion on the "essence"in the Western countries,and elucidates what connotation the essence of law should embody.The author also explores reversibly the history of the cognizance of the essence of law.He holds that the essence of law can never be taken a complete cognizance due to the limitations of the era of people's cognizance and the insinitelessness of man's cognizance itself.The author finally draws a conclusion that "whether there is such a thing as the essence of law,and if there is,what it should be"is beyond "the abstract reason',but rather it is an issue in the domain of faith.


Five recently sequenced hemagglutinin genes from Influenza A virus strains are studied for similarities in a hierarchical fashion. The sequences are compared for similarity, first on the level of sequence homology, and then on several progressively more general levels. Though the HA1 subsequences contain regions where homology drops to that of a Monte Carlo generated reference value, subsequent tests reveal great similarity due to constraints on the level of amino acid sequence. Other tests detect statistically significant differences between subtypes due to constraints acting below the level of amino acid sequence, such as the 2 degrees structure of the viral RNA, or involving translation of the mRNA. The general applicability of the hierarchical approach to sequence analysis is discussed.


A popular interpretation of linguistic theories has it that they should describe the brain at a high level of abstraction. One way this has been understood is as the requirement that the theory's derivational structure reflect (by being isomorphic to) relevant structural properties of the language user's brain. An important criticism of this idea, made originally by Crispin Wright against Gareth Evans in the 1980s, still has purchase, notwithstanding attempts to reply to it, notably by Martin Davies and, indirectly, Christopher Peacocke. Wright's objection seems to have been forgotten rather than seen off.


In this study, twenty four Xantholinus species are reported from Turkey. Amongst them, X. ( Calolinus ) bayrami sp. nov. from Konya province, X. ( Helicophallus ) ceviki sp. nov. from Ardahan and Erzurum provinces, and X. ( H. ) khachikovi sp. nov. from Mus province are described, and their diagnostic characters are illustrated. In addition, X. ( Heterolius ) fortepunctatus Motschulsky, 1860 is redescribed and illustrated. Numerous new and additional records of Xantholinus species from Turkey are presented. A distributional checklist of the thirty eight species of Xantholinus represented in Turkey is provided. The distributions of Turkish Helicophallus species are mapped.


Objective: Acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT) is a new psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The current study intended to compare severity of symptoms, worry and quality of life of GAD female patients between ABBT and control. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial. The sample included 18 women with GAD referred to psychiatrists in Isfahan, Iran. Patients were assigned in 2 groups randomly (ABBT and control group without any psychotherapy). Both groups received medication. The intervention in ABBT group was conducted based on Roemer & Orsillo's manual for Acceptance-based Behavior Therapy for GAD. 12 therapeutic sessions administered in Shariati psychiatric clinic of Isfahan. The instruments included the GAD-7 Inventory, Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and Short Form Health Survey -12 revised Version (SF-12V2). The data were analyzed using the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANCOVA). Results: Overall, clients receiving ABBT compared to control group reported a significantly decrease in severity of GAD symptoms, and improve in quality of life at post- treatment state. They reported decrease in severity of worry but it was not statistically significant compared to control group. Conclusion : ABBT was effective in alleviating symptoms of GAD.


The SPARC gene 5'flanking sequence has been shown to contain enhancer elements, but also negative control elements immediately upstream of the enhancer elements. Although these 5'enhancer elements are active in F9 and PYS-2 cells, their activities are nullified by the 5'repressor activity. In the present study we have identified within intron 1 between nucleotides (nt) +5000 and +5150 of the SPARC gene an enhancer element that bound to two transcription factors of 48 and 52 kDa and between nt +5000 and +5523 a DNase I hypersensitive site. Furthermore, a region containing the 3'intron 1 enhancer element, together with the 5'enhancer elements, neutralized the 5'repressor activity and stimulated efficient transcription. The resulting SPARC promoter activity is about equal in F9, differentiated F9 and PYS-2 cells. We consistently found that the rate of SPARC transcription is nearly the same in F9 and PYS-2 cells. Association of the 3'enhancer element in intron 1 with the DNase I hypersensitive site suggests that both play a role in regulating SPARC expression in vivo .


Shale gas – a chance or a threat?
The article discusses advantages and threats from the prospective of shale gas extraction in Poland. It lists conditions necessary for the creation of shale gas Eldorado. The author attempts to explain the main effects of shale gas extraction, refutes false assumptions and discusses controversy surrounding gas extraction. The article analyses how the process may influence Poland's national security and geopolitical situation in Central Europe. The author concludes with a statement that the shale gas extraction might open up great opportunities for Poland and the European Union if the initial assessments of shale gas resources in Poland have been confirmed.


Understanding the effects of electrical potential on nanoscale contacts is critically needed for design and development of nanodevices. In the present letter, we characterize the metallic nanopore structure of nickel using an atomic force microscope. The morphology, phase distribution, and tribological behavior were studied under an applied electrical potential. It was found that the increase in electrical potential resulted in reduction of friction and pull-off force (adhesion), which is attributed to the real contact area change. Results indicated that the nanoporous structured Ni enables the control of friction and adhesion, which is beneficial for the design of nanoelectromechanical systems.


Clonal growth of the perennial plant Ligularia virgaurea was studied in respect to varying nitrogen availability and habitat The results showed: 1) Spacer length was affected by resource levels and community characteristics. Increased nitrogen led to shortened spacer length, while spacer length was also shortened in the artificial community relative to the natural community (alpine meadow). This shows strong morphological plasticity in spacer of L. virgaurea in response to varying resource levels and habitat quality; 2) Branching intensity increased with resource levels, but there was no obvious difference between the natural and artificial communities. The formation and growth of ramets is affected by both the environmental resource condition and the growth condition of genets. 3) Branching angle of L. virgaurea was not affected by resource levels and habitat: its morphological plasticity was very low. 4) Under conditions of resource depletion or community crowding resource allocation to roots was high, further showing that resource allocation patterns are also affected by both environmental resource conditions and community structure.


We provide an elegant homological construction of the extended phase space for linear Yang-Mills theory on an oriented and time-oriented Lorentzian manifold M with a time-like boundary ∂M that was proposed by Donnelly and Freidel [JHEP 1609, 102 (2016)]. This explains and formalizes many of the rather ad hoc constructions for edge modes appearing in the theoretical physics literature.


The characteristics of spawning of the shi drum were observed by video recording systems in the culture tanks in summer of 2006. Spawning was observed only in the groups induced with GnRHa hormone consist of injection and implantation. The spawning patterns were recorded after 20-24 h. in the groups manipulated with hormone. The eggs were obtained after 70-72 h. in the injected group and after 89-90 h. in hormone implanted group. Mean diameter of the eggs was measured to be 767.5±1.0 μm in Group I (hormone injected) and 753.5±1.3 μm in Group II (hormone implanted). There were significant differences in the amounts of total eggs and fertilized eggs between the hormone induced groups (p


The spin-transfer torque domain wall (DW) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) enables spintronic logic circuits that can be directly cascaded without deleterious signal conversion circuitry and is one of the only spintronic devices for which cascading has been demonstrated experimentally. However, experimental progress has been impeded by a cumbersome modeling technique that requires a combination of micromagnetic and SPICE simulations. This paper, therefore, presents a SPICE-only device model that efficiently determines the DW motion resulting from spin accumulation and calculates the corresponding MTJ resistance. This model has been validated through comparison to the authoritative micromagnetic-based model, enabling reliable prediction of circuit behavior as a function of device parameters with a 10 000 $\times $ reduction in the simulation time. This model thus enables deeper device and circuit investigation, advancing the prospects for nonvolatile spintronic computing systems that overcome the von Neumann bottleneck.


The effectiveness of the aid programs in developing countries have been questioned by development scholars and researchers leading to debates on the plausibility of the view that grater aid is the panacea to third world development challenges.  While a few scholars have argued for the relevance of aid in the process of development, dissident economist such as Bauer and  Friedman have argued against the ineffectiveness of these development aid programs. In their opinion, what aid really translates to is "…an excellent method for transferring money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries" . The main trust of this paper therefore, is to critically analyze all contending debates and arguments on the subject of aid / grater aid debate, with the view to determining the plausibility of the greater aid argument via traditional methods of rational critical analysis in philosophy and the conceptual clarification of relevant literature and arguments in related library and archival materials. In adopting the two gap model and the poverty-trap model as major frameworks of analysis for the study, the paper identified reasons why there is still no consensus on whether greater aid can indeed fuel growth at the macroeconomic level. All models employed for studies on aid tend to turn out different results. The various methods used for their analysis were also found wanting when subjected to sensitivity tests. This study therefore recommends that contemporary researchers subscribe to current trends of research geared towards identifying country specific factors responsible for the success or failure of aid in promoting growth. Key w ords: Development Challenges, Greater Aid, Ineffectiveness, Macroeconomic Level, Poverty -Trap Model, Two-Gap Model,


The paper draws attention to the increased incidence of clinical depression reported during the climacteric period of the female life continuum. It seeks to identify factors which may be responsible for this phenomenon, drawing upon research and anecdotal evidence from both the biological and social sciences. With this aim, changes during the climacteric period for women are examined within a bio-psycho-social framework. Nursing care and treatment of those suffering depression within this stage of the middle years are discussed briefly and the influence of personal beliefs, held by both the patient and clinician, emphasized. The relevance and importance of these factors when employing the Roy Adaptation model in the care of such clients is also considered. In conclusion, the author stresses the need for a holistic approach and highlights the value of Roy's model in care provision for this patient group.


structure and characterisation in melodrama', The resource is primarily designed for New Zealand senior high school students, supponing both standalone media studies courses and media elements in the national English Curriculum. But it could also be used by Australian teachers, to explore both similarity and difference across the genre, and across the Tasman, The supplementary resources (teachers guide and video) provide additional perspectives and the entire resource compares very favourably with equivalent Australian rexrs, which have long been used by New Zealand teachers. Just as New Zealand viewers continue ro be exposed to the dubious pleasure of Home andAway, it's probably time to return a few favours to Australians.


: In 35 patients with chronic atherosclerotic ischemia of the lower extremities serotonin was applied in complex of treatment. Significant enhancement of volumetric blood flow, of the oxygen partial pressure and of rheovasographic index as well were noted. Clinically positive effect of the treatment was manifested by enhancement of the distance passed without pain, the extremity getting warmer and the pain cessation in rest.


In the article the theory of ANN has been introduced. At the same time some limitations of BP neural network have been analyzed and optimized methods have been supposed. a new method of using improved BP network is prensted to make a trainning program.The calculation show that the performance of the improved BP network in speed of convergence and stability of convergence is very good.And the method of arificial neural network is effective in solving the Constitutive Relationship of High Polymer .


Brain-computer interface (BCI) can make people control machines through electroencephalogram (EEG) which produced by brain activities. It provides a new communication method between human and environment and extents human's ability to control machines. One of the key points of BCI system is how to abstract and distinguish different EEG features. Therefore, EEG signal processing method is the focus of BCI. This article analyzed Wavelet Transform method and Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) method. The results indicate that both these two methods can abstract the main characters of the EEG. But HHT can more accurately express EEG distribution in time and frequency domain. That's because it can produce a self-adaptive basis according to the signal data and obtain local and instantaneous frequency of EEG.


CONTROL ID: 1488916 TITLE: Constraints on the recent rate of lunar regolith accumulation from Diviner observations ABSTRACT BODY: Many large craters on the lunar nearside show radar CPR signatures consistent with the presence of blocky ejecta blankets, to distances predicted to be covered by continuous ejecta. However, most of these surfaces show limited enhancements in both derived rock abundance and rock-free regolith temperatures calculated from Diviner nighttime infrared observations. This indicates that the surface rocks are covered by a layer of thermally insulating regolith material. By matching the results of one-dimensional thermal models to Diviner nighttime temperatures, we have constrained the thermophysical properties of the upper regolith, and the thickness of regolith overlying proximal ejecta. We find that for all of the regions surveyed (all in the nearside highlands), the nighttime cooling curves are best fit by a density profile that varies exponentially with depth, consistent with a linear mixture of rocks and regolith fines, with increasing rock content with depth. Our results show significant spatial variations in the density e-folding depth, H, among young crater ejecta regions, indicating differences in the thickness of accumulated regolith. However, away from young craters, the average regional "equilibrium" value of H (Heq) is remarkably consistent, and is on the order of 5 cm. As expected, near-rim ejecta associated with young craters show lower values of H, indicating a high rock content in the shallow subsurface; for older craters, the average value of H approaches the regional value of Heq. Calculated H values for young craters (Giordano Bruno, Moore F, Byrgius A, Necho, Tycho, Jackson, King, and Copernicus) show a clear correlation with published ages, providing the first observational constraint on the recent rate of lunar regolith accumulation. In addition, this result may help to resolve the apparent discrepancy between ages calculated from small crater counts on melt ponds versus counts on continuous ejecta (e.g., King crater; Ashley et al., 2011, LPSC 42, abstract 2437). This method could, in principle, be extended to other airless bodies (e.g., asteroids), which would in turn constrain the recent impactor flux.


OBJECTIVE
To explore differences between Blacks and Whites in perceived influences on weight-related behaviors among obese urban poor women.

METHODS
Participants (N = 27) received physician referrals to a weight loss program located in Federally Qualified Health Centers and either never attended or stopped attending. We conducted in-depth, in home interviews using a script informed by focus groups, pilot discussions, and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to learn about participants' weight loss attitudes, social forces and perceived behavioral control.

RESULTS
White women reported having more social support and social pressure for weight management activities. Black women reported eating for positive reasons whereas white women associated eating with negative emotions.

CONCLUSION
Social networks and emotions may be critical factors in weight management and lifestyle program participation.


Abstract: Organic waste and Food waste is a worldwide problem, is cost to be disposed and nothing is gained from it on the contrary, it causes the fission of harmful gas such as methane. Vegetable waste with high moisture content and readily biodegradable nature is causing major environmental problems due to improper waste management practices The Design and Fabrication of Compost Machine in India. So, composting could be considered the best alternative for the treatment of these organic fractions. Composting has proven to be a valid solution to this problem. The objectives of this project are to design a composting machine with certain parameters for the design, Process time, and easy, odourless and power saving. The designed food waste decomposition system is designed for rapid composting performance. It can be used for households, restaurants, hotels, schools, apartment buildings, communities, offices and cafeterias depending on the capacity of the machine. The system ploys high temperature to decompose food waste and organic matter. The prototype was able to decompose organic waste in a time frame of 38 to 50 hours with minimum harmful gases emissions and odours. Keywords: Vegetable waste, decomposition, recycling process, solid waste management.


The diffusion/relaxation behavior of polarized spins of pore filling fluid, as often probed by NMR relaxometry, is widely used to extract information on the pore-geometry. Such information is further interpreted as an indicator of the key transport property of the formation in the oil industry. As the importance of reservoirs with complex pore geometry grows, so does the need for deeper understanding of how these properties are inter-related. Numerical modeling of relevant physical processes using a known pore geometry promises to be an effective tool in such endeavor. Using a suite of numerical techniques based on random-walk (RW) and Lattice-Boltzmann (LB) algorithms, we compare sandstone and carbonate pore geometries in their impact on NMR and flow properties. For NMR relaxometry, both laboratory measurement and simulation were done on the same source to address some of the long-standing issues in its borehole applications. Through a series of "numerical experiments" in which the interfacial relaxation properties of the pore matrix is varied systematically, we study the effect of a variable surface relaxivity while fully incorporating the complexity of the pore geometry. From combined RW and LB simulations, we also obtain diffusion-convection propagator and compare the result with experimental and network-simulation counterparts.


Certain chemicals/materials that are contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) have been widely detected in water bodies and terrestrial systems worldwide while other CECs occur at undetectable concentrations. The primary sources of CECs in farmlands are agricultural inputs, such as wastewater, biosolids, sewage sludge, and agricultural mulching films. The percent increase in cropland area during 1950-2016 was 30 and the rise in land use for food crops during 1960-2018 was 100-500%, implying that there could be a significant CEC burden in farmlands in the future. In fact, the alarming concentrations (μg kg-1) of certain CECs such as PBDEs, PAEs, and PFOS that occur in farmlands are 383, 35 400 and 483, respectively. Also, metal nanoparticles are reported even at the mg kg-1 level. Chronic root accumulation followed by translocation of CECs into plants results in their detectable concentrations in the final plant produce. Thus, there is a continuous flow of CECs from farmlands to agricultural produce, causing a serious threat to the terrestrial food chain. Consequently, CECs find their way to the human body directly through CEC-laden plant produce or indirectly via the meat of grazing animals. Thus, human health could be at the most critical risk since several CECs have been shown to cause cancers, disruption of endocrine and cognitive systems, maternal-foetal transfer, neurotoxicity, and genotoxicity. Overall, this comprehensive review provides updated information on contamination of chemicals/materials of concern in farmlands globally, sources for their entry, uptake by crop plants, and their likely impact on the terrestrial food chain and human health.


Abstract
Persian walnut is one of the most important nut crops in Iran. Now the majority of orchards are seedling with a great diversity. For establishing uniform orchards and increasing the quantity and quality of yield, patch budding as the most suitable propagation methods, have still technical and practical problems in the country. In spite of high percent of primary success in patch budding but the final success is very low. In this study, the effects of Indole-3- butryic acid (IBA) and gibberellic acid (GA3) were evaluated on four cultivars and one genotype of walnut to increase bud growth and graft success. The results showed that there were significant differences among the different levels of both the hormone on increasing total success of budding, bud growth and decreasing dried and dormant buds. Mean comparisons showed that IBA 50 ppm with %56 in comparison with control with %26 had the highest effect on bud growth. Meanwhile the other hormone treatments increased the bud growth at least %20 comparing with control. Among the cultivars, the highest and lowest bud growth belonged to 'Chandler' (%58) and 'Z63' (26). The interaction between hormone treatments and cultivars on bud growth showed that 'Chandler' had the highest response to GA3 100ppm and IBA 50 ppm, 'Pedro' to IBA50, while for 'Z63' IBA 100 had the best effect. This study showed that suitable hormone treatment could overcome a part of problems relating to low level of graft success in walnut.

Keywords: Cultivars, Hormone, Juglans regia L., Patch budding, Vegetative propagation


Repetitive monosynaptic activation of motoneurones has been set up by maximum repetitive stimulation of the group I afferent fibres of the nerves to various muscles. By studying the effects produced by stimuli of varying strengths and also by comparing the responses of flexor and extensor motoneurones, it has been possible to allow for complications arising from concomitant stimulation of group II and III fibres in these nerves. Motoneurone responses have been recorded either as impulses discharged along the ventral root or as synaptic potentials electrotonically transmitted thereto. The repetitive synaptic potential conforms to a standard pattern for both flexor and extensor motoneurones. With frequencies over 100/sec. there is a brief initial phase of summation, then decline to a plateau at about the height of the initial single potential. On cessation of stimulation there is an immediate decline to a positive after-potential which bears a close resemblance to that observed after repetitive stimulation of peripheral nerve. The repetitive potential is compounded of 'diphasic' potentials generated by each successive volley, an initial negative synaptic potential and a later positive after-potential. At high frequencies of stimulation the successive potentials show an initial rapid decline in size to a low value, e. g. to 50% at 400/sec., which is only in part attributable to a decline in the size of the volleys entering the spinal cord. Focal recording has permitted simultaneous comparison of these two declines. The excitability of the motoneurones during and after repetitive activation was tested heterosynaptically. During the synaptic potential plateau the excitability is raised, with periodic variations in phase with the successive volleys, while depression is observed during the positive after-potential. With extensor muscles the reflex discharge of impulses conforms in general with the repetitive synaptic potential curve, the initial summation giving monosynaptic reflex discharges to the first two or three volleys at high frequency. It is probable that a motoneurone fires only once in this initial burst. Subsequently, the combination of autogenetic inhibitory action of group II fibres (which may however be negligible), diminished synaptic excitatory action, and depressant action of the accumulated positive after-potentials (subsynaptic depression) may prevent all further discharge. Alternatively, after a brief quiescent interval, a small irregular discharge may be set up monosynaptically by subsequent volleys. With low frequencies of stimulation the second and subsequent volleys may all evoke reflex discharges, but they are always smaller than the initial discharge. Repetitive activation of flexor moto-neurones differs from extensors in that the autogenetic excitatory action of group II afferent fibres makes both the initial and later bursts of reflex discharge larger and more sustained.


Although previous studies have examined the impact of long working hours on mental health in China, they have not addressed the initial value and reverse causality issues. To bridge this gap in the literature, I conducted a dynamic longitudinal analysis to investigate the association between long working hours and the risk of mental illness nationwide. Using three-wave longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies conducted in 2014, 2016, and 2018, I adopted dynamic regression models with lagged long working hours variables to examine their association with the risk of mental illness. The results indicate that long working hours have positive and significant (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) associations with the risk of mental illness (OR: 1.12~1.22). The effect is more significant for women, white-collar workers, and employees in micro-firms, compared with their counterparts (i.e., men, pink- and blue-collar workers, employees of large firms, and self-employed individuals). The results provide empirical evidence of the effects of long working hours on mental health in China, confirming the need to enforce the regulations regarding standard working hours and monitor regulatory compliance by companies, as these factors are expected to improve mental health.


Abstract Migrating irregularly, without access to support, may increase female asylum-seekers' vulnerability to sexual violence. In this study, the authors applied a public health lens to explore the risk for sexual violence experienced by female asylum-seekers en route from Eritrea to Israel. The study team conducted 13 in-depth interviews and 8 focus groups with Eritreans in Israel between April and September of 2013. Participants in the study described their experiences occurring in three segments. The combination of irregular movement through dangerous, difficult and often isolated terrain, dependence on human smugglers, and vulnerability to traffickers led to the systematization and normalization of sexual violence en route. Such factors heighten vulnerability to sexual violence among these Eritrean women asylum-seekers, as well as others who find themselves in similar circumstances.


Background and aims Approximately 21% of patients admitted to trauma centres with chest trauma present MRF.1 Severe pain associated can lead to hypoventilation and respiratory complications in 31% of cases.2 3 Epidural and multimodal analgesia versus opioids are recommended in pain management.2 Opioids present significant side effects. We hypothesized that SABP 4 5 could provide safe and effective analgesia, extended by addiction of dexamethasone to local anaesthetic solution, and reduce respiratory complications, enhancing recovery of a better mechanical lung function. Methods 4 patients (BMI 30±3, age 60±18) admitted to ED for politrauma with lateral and posterior MRF (6±2) and severe pain (NRS>5), impairing maximal inspiration and coughing, were treated with multimodal analgesia+ SAPB (ethics committee approval obtained). We injected 0,25%-levobupivacaine 30 ml and dexamethasone (8 mg) towards the serratus plane on the midaxillary line at 5th rib level with ultrasound guidance. We registered RR, PaO2/FiO2 and NRS at rest (NRSr), during maximal inspiration (NRSi) and coughing (NRSc) before SABP (T0), after 15 minutes (T1) and after 4h (T2). At T0 and T2 we performed diaphragmatic ultrasound (diaphragm thickening ratio%, DTRr and DTRi). Results All patients had benefits: NRSr, NRSi and NRSc strongly decreased at T1; benefits were maintained at T2 (Graph 1). Both DTRr and DTRi improved at T2 (Graph 2). Respiratory rate fell from 32±5 to 18±3 at T1, PaO2/FiO2 remained ≥270; deeper breathing allowed 20% reduction in FiO2. No patient asked for rescue analgesia. Analgesia duration was 43±6h. No patient had respiratory complication requiring mechanical ventilation. Abstract ESRA19-0397 Figure 2 Abstract ESRA19-0397 Figure 3 Conclusions Both clinical and instrumental patterns suggest that SAPB is safe and provides effective opioid-sparing analgesia in MRF. It improves diaphragm function and could reduce respiratory complications.


ABSTRACT Plague hospitals played a key role in the provision of poor relief in late medieval and early modern France. As the poor came to be identified as the principal carriers of plague, they were singled out for attention and special measures were imposed upon them – controls that were justified by the claim that they were being taken in the wider interests of public health. Yet plague hospitals were not just institutions for the confinement of the poor. Municipal councils developed these institutions as places where the poor could gain access to medical treatment and care. This article shows that plague hospitals played a formative role in the grand renfermement of the poor in seventeenth-century France. As places where the poor were confined and received care, it became natural for such hospitals to be used to house the poor outside of plague times. This article argues that municipal governments rather than the crown took the lead in the provision of welfare to the poor before the mid-seventeenth century, following which both the systems used to combat plague and wider poor relief schemes came increasingly under royal control.


Laboratory investigations revealed hemoglobin 14.6 g/dL, total leukocyte count 12X109/L, and platelet count 290X109/L. C-reactive protein (CRP) was negative. During the hospital stay, the infant had repeated generalized and focal clonic seizures during documented hypoglycemic episodes requiring glucose infusion rate (GIR) up to 14 mg/kg/min. There was no ketosis, hyperammonemia, or lactic acidosis. Serum insulin level estimated in a critical sample (blood glucose=22 mg/dL) was 6μL/mL with normal serum cortisol levels. Serum fatty acids and C-peptide levels were not estimated. CT abdomen and MRI brain were normal. A trial of diazoxide for 7 days (up to 20 mg/kg/day) with hydochlorothiazide (10 mg/kg/day) and add-on subcutaneous octreotide (up to 40μg/kg) were ineffective. In view of failure of medical line of management, surgical intervention was performed on day-28.


Formulation of the problem. Air pollution is one of the biggest modern ecological problem, which aggravates with process of urbanization, industrial development, increasing number of vehicles, etc. So that, the article is devoted to the study the of air pollution in the largest cities of the Volyn region: Lutsk, Kowel, Novovolynsk and Volodymyr-Volynskyi. The purpose of the article is to estimate state and quality of the air in the largest cities of the Volyn region, discover the main sources of air pollution, characterize the effects of pollution on people health and environment, propose measures for solving this problem.

Review of previous publications and studies. State of the air pollution in the urban areas of the Volyn region became the subject of scientific interest of many scientists. Hulai L. D., Karaim O. A. and Syniuk, A. Yu. researched ecological state of air basin and structure of sources of air pollution in the Novovolynsk City. Panasiuk M. V. and Hulai L. D. analyzed air quality in the Kovel district and Kovel City. Problems of air pollution were investigated in the studies of Kiptenko Ye. M., Kozlenko T. V. and Molchak Ya. O., Fesiuk V. O., Kartava O. F. Moreover, Poruchynska, I. V. in her publication explored ways of reducing air pollution by vehicle in the Volyn region.

Methods. The most common methods in the research were analysis and synthesis, correlations and regressions, generalization and comparison. Moreover, to study the quality of air basin in the largest urban area – Lutsk City, the authors calculated index of air pollution.

Results. The study defined that the main source of air pollution in the urban systems are automobiles, which produce into the atmosphere 85-95 % of all emissions. Furthermore, stationary sources such as industrial enterprises and utility companies also pollute air basin of cities with hazardous substances. However, the amount of pollutants from these sources in the Lutsk City and Volodymyr-Volynskyi City slowly decreases. The authors researched that the air basin in Lutsk City is exposed to the greatest anthropogenic loading. According to the calculation of the air pollution index, city's air basin belongs to the quality class «polluted air». Consequences of air pollution are quite different and have impact on environment and economic complex. Besides, poor air quality can cause different diseases. To solve this problem the authors propose to reconstruct and modernize enterprises' treatment systems, to increase the number of environmental friendly public transport, to increase the areas with greenery, to introduce green logistics in transportation. The authors concluded that air basin in the most urbanized areas of the Volyn region is quite polluted, which caused by using vehicles and functioning of manufacture. So that, it is suggested measures to reduce the amount of emission from different source of pollution.

Scientific novelty and practical significance. The main preconditions and trends of modern changes in air quality of the largest cities in the Volyn region was researched for the first time. Furthermore, the authors identified the main sources of air pollution, which have affected the quality of urban air basins during recent years. In addition, index of air pollution in the Lutsk City was calculated for the period 2015-2020. The article proposes measures to improve air quality and reduce emissions from stationary and mobile sources of pollution.


In this study many yeasts produced heat-stable immunogenic extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). These antigens could be easily detected by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or by sandwich ELISA. The antigens of most ascomycetous yeast species tested were almost all species-specific, but those of some basidiomycetous species gave cross reactions with many yeast species, ascomycetes included. Antigens related or similar to those produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae were detected in culture liquids of 11 strains of the latter, of Kluyveromyces marxianus, of Zygosaccharomyces florentinus and in several samples of beer and wine, but not in culture liquids of 63 other ascomycetous yeast species, 5 Saccharomyces species included. The EPS ELISA of Saccharomyces exiguus gave positive reactions with culture liquids of Candida milleri, C. tropicalis, Hanseniaspora vineae, S. dairensis, S. exiguus, S. unisporus and Saccharomycodes ludwigii. The EPS ELISA of Hansenula wickerhamii gave positive reactions with H. henricii, H. wickerhamii and Pichia pinus, thus showing the relationship of these two genera. The EPS ELISA of Geotrichum candidum appeared to be genus-specific like that of filamentous moulds. In addition to several G. candidum strains, G. fermentans, G. klebahnii responded positively, as well as Candida blankii and C. hydrocarbofumarica. The EPS ELISA of Stephanoascus ciferrii was very specific. Except for 10 strains of this species, only Trichosporon terrestre gave a strong positive reaction in the competitive ELISA.


The autonomous landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is still an open problem. Previous work focused on the use of hand-crafted geometric features and sensor-data fusion for identifying a fiducial marker and guide the UAV toward it. In this article we propose a method based on deep reinforcement learning that only requires low-resolution images coming from a down looking camera in order to drive the vehicle. The proposed approach is based on a hierarchy of Deep Q-Networks (DQNs) that are used as high-end control policy for the navigation in different phases. We implemented various technical solutions, such as the combination of vanilla and double DQNs trained using a form of prioritized buffer replay that separates experiences in multiple containers. The optimal control policy is learned without any human supervision, providing the agent with a sparse reward feedback indicating the success or failure of the landing. The results show that the quadrotor can autonomously land on a large variety of simulated environments and with relevant noise, proving that the underline DQNs are able to generalise effectively on unseen scenarios. Furthermore, it was proved that in some conditions the network outperformed human pilots.


This paper tries to open scientific debate about the Environmental protec-tion and the position of the people in these degradation processes con-firming their role of victims. Using the findings from various studies and theoretical debates on this issue the authors are trying to established ground system theory about these issues. In this regard results from pilot survey that was completed in 2012 also is going to be presented related to Environmental protection on a number of questions such as awareness of respondents about victimization etc. This survey was conducted among students of the Faculty of Security Skopje. Theoretical method is used in terms of interpretation of the status of the victims using acquired knowledge, method of analysis and synthesis, method of content analysis and descriptive statistics are the methods used in this paper. The research has shown that awareness of crime against the environment is very low and requires all the tools of contemporary society for bringing this aware-ness to implement the measures of protection against environmental de-struction and reducing the extent of victimization in this regard. Reasona-bly, the small sample (75 respondents) gives limited and not representa-tive data related to the process of victimization from this type of crime. For example many other categories of people on variety of bases are not included, such as: age and education. This research was important pilot research and in the future should be performed at national and regional level. In the future countries from the region should join in order to estab-lish a common methodology for future study of the degree of victimization related to the environment in order to provide a possible comparison. Also related to this topic we found that theory bases are deficient. The views of students in practical terms certainly follows that it is necessary to develop "more aggressive methods" related to the implementation of the Environmental content in the Secondary education.


No laws or official guidelines govern medical assistance for dying in Japan. However, over the past several years, cases of assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia, rarely disclosed until recently, have occurred in close succession. Inspired by these events, ethical, legal, and social debates on a patient's right to die have arisen in Japan, as it has in many other countries. Several surveys of Japanese people's attitudes towards voluntary assisted dying suggest that a certain number of Japanese prefer active euthanasia. Against this background, it is important to discuss voluntary assisted dying cases in Japan and the Japanese views on them and to consider their implications. We review three recent Japanese voluntary assisted dying cases and discuss the various objections to voluntary assisted dying that have been published in response to these in various media outlets. Our counterarguments include the double suffering of people who are unable to give up their desire to die, individuality of death, variability of culture, problem of being an annoyance to (burden on) others, a slippery slope argument supporting voluntary assisted dying, and unfair claims about responsibility and excessive burden on people who are unable to give up their desire to die. We also point out the psychocultural and social problems in Japanese society that these objections reflect, and argue that voluntary assisted dying can be ethically acceptable under certain conditions. We conclude that Japanese society must change in order to enable those who sincerely wish to die to do so in a better way.


A wearable device for the acquisition, processing and storage of the signal from needle-type glucose sensors has been designed and developed as part of a project aimed at developing a portable artificial pancreas. The device is essential to assess the operational characteristics of miniaturized sensors in vivo. It can be connected to sensors operating at a constant potential of 0.65 Volts, and generating currents in the order of 10–9 Amp. It is screened and equipped with filters that permit data recording and processing even in the presence of electrical noise. It can operate with sensors with different characteristics (1–200 nA full scale). The device has been designed to be worn by patients, so its weight and size have been kept to a minimum (250 g; 8.5 × 14.5 × 3.5 cm). It is powered by rechargeable Ni/Cd batteries allowing continuous operation for 72 h. The electronics consists of an analog card with operational amplifiers, and a digital one with a microprocessor (Intel 80C196, MCS-96 class, with internal 16-bit CPU supporting programs written in either C or Assembler language), a 32 Kb EPROM, and an 8 Kb RAM where the data are stored. The microprocessor can run either at 5 or 10 Mhz and features on-chip peripherals: an analog/digital (AID) converter, a serial port (used to transfer data to a Personal Computer at the end of the 72 h), input-output (I/O) units at high-speed, and two timers. The device is programmed and prepared to operate by means of a second hand-held unit equipped with an LCD display and a 16-key numeric pad. The hand-held unit is easily connected to the wearable one to calibrate the sensor, display alarms and system fault messages.


This document is intended to help library web developers decide how to label key resources and services in such a way that most users can understand them well enough to make productive choices. It compiles data from usability studies evaluating terminology on library websites, and suggests test methods and best practices for reducing cognitive barriers caused by terminology, and provides an extensive list of resources.


The water-level tasks were invented by Piaget to diagnose the level of mental development of spatial abilities, especially behavior of liquids. It has become usual practice to dichotomise water-level responses by the subjects into right vs wrong using a certain tolerance limit (departure from the horizontal measured in degrees) and to fit a mixture of binomials to the raw scores resulting from a series of water-level tasks. The present study questions this procedure. Based on a series of 12 water-level tasks (round bottles at 12 different angles of orientation) presented to 431 subjects, both children and adults, females and males, the following results were obtained. First, considering the task difficulties (proportions of correct answers) and the scores, the effect of age was significant, but that for sex was not. Second, a mixture of binomials were shown to be inappropriate due to their ignoring the heterogeneity of the task difficulties, whereas latent class models, due to their taking this heterogeneity as well as that of the subjects into account, were successful in rendering a complete and well-rounded description of the data as observed for the eight water-level tasks showing bottles with orientations corresponding to 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11 o'clock. Third, the Rasch model was valid as justification for the simple interpretation that subjects and tasks have a unidimensional scale in common with each other and that the raw score is the sufficient statistic for the subjects' performance. Fourth, employing the linear logistic test model, the task difficulty parameters according to the Rasch model could be attributed to a single parameter associated with the angle of inclination of the bottle. In all, the results do not give a final answer to the question of whether the concept of types (classes) or that of a continuous trait is the better of the two, but they do give rise to some warnings against the use of a mixture of binomials for modeling data on water-level tasks.


Compared to current planting practices using naked lettuce seed, precision planting coated lettuce seed can result in substantially reduced thinning costs, increases in number of marketable lettuce heads per acre, and higher average head weight. The use of coated seed, however, requires more attention to seedbed preparation, planting depths, irrigation schedules, and stand maintenance. Hill dropping naked seed does not appear to offer advantages over conventional planting practices except in a slight reduction of seed cost per acre.


The Brexit Blog Corpus (bbc) is a collection of texts extracted from political blogs, which, in a recent study, was annotated according to a cognitive–functional stance framework by two independent annotators (Annotator A and B) using semantic criteria ( Simaki et al., 2017 ). The goal was to label the stance or stances taken based on the overall meaning of a set of utterances. The annotators were not instructed to identify the lexical forms that were used to express the stances. In this study, we make use of those stance-labelled utterances as a springboard to approach stance-taking in text from the opposite point of view, namely from how stance is realised through language. Our aim is to provide a description of the specific lexical elements used to express six stance categories (i.e., contrariety, hypotheticality, necessity, prediction, source of knowledge and uncertainty). To this end, we followed a two-step experimental procedure. First, we performed a quantitative analysis of the stance-labelled utterances in order to identify the lexical realisations of each stance category. Second, we carried out a meta-annotation of the data. Annotator B was instructed to single out the actual lexical forms of the constructions that triggered his semantic stance category decisions. This meta-annotation procedure made it possible for us to sift out the most salient lexical realisations of the constructions of each of the six category types on the basis of the qualitative assessments made by Annotator B. We then compared the results of the quantitative and the qualitative approaches, and we present a list of shared stance expressions for each stance category type.


This paper aims at presenting in some depth the Leurre.com project and its data collection infrastructure. Launched in 2003 by the Institut Eurecom, this project is based on a worldwide distributed system of honeypots running in more than 30 different countries. The main objective of the project is to get a more realistic picture of certain classes of threats happening on the Internet, by collecting unbiased quantitative data in a long-term perspective. In the first phase of the project, the data collection infrastructure relied solely on low-interaction sensors based on Honeyd to collect unsolicited traffic on the Internet. Recently, a second phase of the project was started with the deployment of medium-interaction honeypots based on the ScriptGen technology, in order to enrich the network conversations with the attackers. All network traces captured on the platforms are automatically uploaded into a centralized database accessible by the partners via a convenient interface. The collected traffic is also enriched with a set of contextual information (e.g. geographical localization and reverse DNS lookups). This paper presents this complex data collection infrastructure, and offers some insight into the structure of the central data repository. The data access interface has been developed to facilitate the analysis of today's Internet threats, for example by means of data mining tools. Some concrete examples are presented to illustrate the richness and the power of this data access interface. By doing so, we hope to encourage other researchers to share with us their knowledge and data sets, to complement or enhance our ongoing analysis efforts, with the ultimate goal of better understanding Internet threats.


The long-term prognosis for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains poor despite the availability of several cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens. The use of targeted therapies, particularly those against the key mediator of angiogenesis vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has the potential to improve outcomes for NSCLC patients. Bevacizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti-VEGF antibody, is the most clinically advanced antiangiogenic agent in NSCLC. In a phase III study, bevacizumab showed significantly improved overall and progression-free survival when used in combination with standard first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. Bevacizumab was generally well tolerated in patients with NSCLC; however, tumor-related bleeding adverse events have been noted in some patients, predominantly those with squamous cell histology or centrally located tumors. Several small-molecule VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors have also shown promise in phase I and II trials in NSCLC. This review summarizes the most important findings of angiogenesis inhibitors in NSCLC and discusses the potential for the use of these novel agents in different settings of NSCLC.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess the proximal and distal outcomes of a career development training programme for refugees that was developed based on the Hope-Action Theory (HAT). Adopting an experimental design, proximal outcomes such as self-efficacy, hope-action competencies, job search clarity, and career adaptability were assessed three times; and distal outcomes including employment status, job-seeking activities, career growth, hopeful career state, work engagement, and job satisfaction were assessed once at nine months. We used a two-way mixed effects analysis of covariance and a serial mediation analysis. The programme was effective in developing hope-action competencies, general self-efficacy, and job search clarity. The experimental group participants exhibited higher hopeful career state and work engagement. A serial mediation model of the HAT-based intervention predicting job satisfaction was found. Limitations and future directions are discussed.


Purpose of review Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are a rare and heterogeneous group of neoplasia. Presentation of these tumors can vary widely. Current treatment modalities range from potentially curative surgical interventions in localized disease to the use of varied hormonal analogues, cytotoxic agents and targeted therapy for the management of locally advanced and metastatic disease. With such a wide variety of therapeutic modalities, clinicians are faced with the task of building an effective and comprehensive treatment strategy for their patients. Recent findings Targeted therapy for pNET is limited to sunitinib and everolimus. There have been a number of important studies assessing the efficacy of other targeted agents, in addition to the conjugation of these agents in the management of advanced pNET. This review will stand to highlight currently available targeted therapies for the treatment of advanced pNET. Summary The use of targeted agents in the management of advanced pNET has significant potential to change the current standard of care. In addition to the use of long-acting somatostatin analogues, targeting the mammalian target of rapamycin and vascular endothelial growth factor pathways can be well tolerated and may lead to long periods of disease control in a wide variety of neuroendocrine tumors involving the pancreas.


1. Paper presented at the National Conference/Workshop and Sixth Annual Seminar in Special Education, Fred and Eleanor Schonell Educational Research Centre, University of Queensland, May 1975.


We reported previously that K+ channel blockers induce diuresis and natriuresis in conscious and anesthetized rats. Free-water clearance studies suggested that K+ channel blockers inhibit NaCl reabsorption in the thick ascending limb (TAL) by blocking K+ recycling through a low-conductance, usually open, apical ATP-sensitive K+ channel. In the present study, we measured the effect of U-37883A (15 mg/kg, i.v.) on Na+ reabsorption in rats preconditioned to alter ADH levels. In water-loaded animals with suppressed ADH levels, U-37883A was 50% less natriuretic than in saline-loaded rats. Infusion of ADH to water-loaded rats restored the natriuretic response to a level comparable to saline-loaded rats. Loss of natriuretic efficacy was not secondary to changes in GFR or renal perfusion pressure since GFRs did not vary before or after drug administration in any of the respective groups. Decreases in blood pressure were not significantly different in saline-loaded, water-loaded and water-loaded/ADH rats. The natriuretic response of U-37883A as varied by ADH levels may be the first observation, in vivo, to support the observation that the cotransporter in TAL can exist in two modes as previously observed in vitro by Hebert and colleagues.


Damascius, the last of the Successors of the Platonic School at Athens in the 6th c. A.D. is usually demoted to the endnotes of Greek philosophy and Neo-Platonism. One of the reasons is Proclus' overwhelming influence on those who followed him, especially at Athens. However, the main reason is that we simply do not possess a complete edition of his works and translations of them. We have L. G. Westerink's edition and English translation of Commentaries on Plato's Phaedo and on Philebus, but not of Damascius' magnum opus, the Treatise on the Prime Principles. Not until now. J. Combes and L. G. Westerink provide us with an excellent text and French translation which is up to the high standards we have come to expect from the C.N.R.S. and Association Bude. It is not difficult to appreciate its uniqueness: the last edition was in 1889. The Treatise on the Prime Principles is a detailed analysis of the queries on the One and the Procession which gives rise to the Many. It is very similar to an associated text, a Commentary on the Parmenides, indeed many consider them to be the same book. C. and W., however, regard them as separate: the Treatise is a research work, not a Commentary. Nevertheless, the subjectmatter is identical, and C. gives an account of the Neo-Platonic exegesis with a useful diagram on the arrangement of the 'hypotheses' and the Neo-Platonic hypostases (lvi-lxxii). This is the first volume of three. Subtitled De Vineffable et de Vun, it concentrates on the text relating to the First Principle. Damascius examines all the contradictions which ultimately lead to the notion of an Unknowable, Ineffable, Transcendental One, for only such an Absolute can reconcile the contrarieties in the Many. This agnostic conclusion has been described as the final exhaustion of Greek thought. However, this is far from the truth: firstly, the work as a whole is a model of incisive thinking, and secondly, its conclusion is but the ultimate rational verdict on the nature of God and the origin of the Universe. Besides, this was substantially the position adopted by many Christian theologians, later. In the process Damascius examines also the aporetic approach, multiplicity and unity in relation to duality, the Three ways of Return and the grades of reality, reasoning by Analogy, Matter and Forms. C. provides a comprehensive introduction to Damascius' life and times and his writings. The text is complemented with 44 pages of extensive notes on technical terms and concepts. Particularly noteworthy are those on dva\vovT€s T€ KGLI ava\vdfi*voi, TO dXijOws t/»euSos, vovs avdirrroOTaTOS and diSios. There is no index in this volume, it will appear in the final one. Recent news is that the MS. of the 2nd volume, Triade et Unifie, is with the publishers and the 3rd, Procession et Unifie, is in the pipeline.


A low-IF/zero-IF reconfigurable analog baseband IC embodying an automatic I/Q imbalance cancellation scheme is reported. The chip, which comprises a down-conversion mixer, an analog baseband filter, and a programmable gain amplifier, achieves a high image rejection of 55 dB without any calibration. It operates over a wide radio frequency range of 0.4-2.4 GHz, and has a cut-off frequency range of 0.3-30 MHz in zero-intermediate frequency (IF) mode and an IF range of 0.2-6 MHz in low-IF mode. The circuit in the receiver chain draws only 4.5-6.2 mA, and the clock generator including LO buffers draws 1.8-6.3 mA from a 1.2-V supply. The chip, implemented in 90-nm CMOS technology, occupies an area of 1.1 .


The stems of Allium monanthum were extracted, and the major essential oil composition and larvicidal effects were studied. The analyses were conducted by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy revealed that the essential oils of A. monanthum stems. The A. monanthum essential oil yield was 4.25%, and gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy analysis revealed that its major constituents were dimethyl trisulfide (23.21%), dimethyl tetrasulfide (11.24%) and methlyl propyl trisulfide (8.21%). The essential oil had a significant toxic effect against early fourth-stage larvae of Aedes aegypti L with an LC50 value of 23.14 ppm and an LC90 value of 36.31 ppm. Also, dimethyl trisulfide (≥95.0%), dimethyl tetrasulfide (≥95.0%) and methlyl propyl trisulfide (≥95.0%) were tested against the F21 laboratory strain of A. aegypti. Methlyl propyl trisulfide (≥95.0%) has good activity with an LC50 value of 19.38 ppm. Also, the above indicates that other major compounds may play a more important role in the toxicity of essential oil.


Due to the prolonged use of wind turbines they must be characterized by high reliability. This can be achieved through a rigorous design, appropriate simulation and testing, and proper construction. The reliability prediction and analysis of these systems will lead to identifying the critical components, increasing the operating time, minimizing failure rate, and minimizing maintenance costs. To estimate the produced energy by the wind turbine, an evaluation approach based on the Monte Carlo simulation model is developed which enables us to estimate the probability of minimum and maximum parameters. In our simulation process we used triangular distributions. The analysis of simulation results has been focused on the interpretation of the relative frequency histograms and cumulative distribution curve (ogive diagram), which indicates the probability of obtaining the daily or annual energy output depending on wind speed. The experimental researches consist in estimation of the reliability and unreliability functions and hazard rate of the helical vertical axis wind turbine designed and patented to climatic conditions for Romanian regions. Also, the variation of power produced for different wind speeds, the Weibull distribution of wind probability, and the power generated were determined. The analysis of experimental results indicates that this type of wind turbine is efficient at low wind speed.


The fall of state socialism brought major social and political changes in all the countries that belonged to the Eastern Bloc. The most significant demographic transformations during the transition period were the decreasing fertility rates, the decline in marriages, the rise in cohabitation and the shift from traditional birth control methods towards effective contraception. This thesis tries to determine if there is any relationship between women's propensity to use modern contraception and their partnership status in Romania and Poland in 2005. Various demographic and socio-economic controls are used in order to determine the outcome. The study also tries to establish in which country does union status have a greater impact on the use of birth control. It does so by using GGS cross-sectional micro-data from 2005. The main methodological approach consists of logistic regression models that test the likelihood of using modern contraception. The findings show that both demographic and socioeconomic factors together with partnership status are significant predictors of modern contraceptive use both in Poland and Romania. The results of the interaction effect between country and union status indicate a higher propensity to use modern birth control among Romanian cohabiting women rather than among Polish women.


Performance management is an essential factor for the continued success of any organisation. A good individual performance leads to good organisational performance and success, or vice-versa it could lead to unfavourable stress and tension for employees and poor performance of the organisation. In the hotel industry particularly, positive personality traits in general managers (GMs) and assistant general managers (asst. GMs) performance can improve the performance of employees and hotel. Therefore, investigating the relationship between personality traits and individual performance is highly concern of current researches. This study aims to investigate the relationships between GM and asst. GM of the hotel industry in Malaysia by conducting interviews on personality traits and individual performance. Among five personality traits, which are openness to experience, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism, the findings revealed that conscientiousness and agreeableness are the most significant ones in GM and asst. GM performance. The study also discusses further on the individual performance of GM and asst. GM as well as the personality traits characteristics.


In general when considering cache coherence, write back schemes are the default. These schemes invalidate all other copies of a data block during a write. In this paper we propose several hybrid schemes that will switch between updating and invalidating on processor writes at runtime, depending on program conditions. We created our own cache simulator on which we could implement our schemes, and generated data sets from both commercial benchmarks and through artificial methods to run on the simulator. We analyze the results of running the benchmarks with various schemes, and suggest further research that can be done in this area.


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After I qualified in 1947 and had done my two house jobs I was called for national service, being previously deferred while at medical school. I was posted to Bovington Camp in Dorset, and so started two years of medical stagnation. After the hectic year in hospital it was a great comedown to be treating minor ailments of fit young men, half of them anxious to avoid guard duties.

Each month the War Office sent us a questionnaire asking about the numbers of infectious diseases and deaths, the condition of the swimming pool, morale, and so on. The last question asked about research, and every month we answered "None."

> The plates were covered and overflowing with fungus growths of all shades and shapes

One of our main duties was to examine soldiers returning from the Far East and certify them fit before they were demobbed. Most were indeed fit, except that they all had athlete's foot. One week we were sent an advertisement for Asterol cream that claimed a revolution in the treatment of …


AbstractConstruction work and machines required to build lunar facilities including an oxygen plant were specified, and power requirements for the construction and operation of these facilities were estimated based on a proposed evolutional scenario. Individual components of lunar facilities such as habitat/laboratory modules, corridor modules, and connection/evacuation modules were designed, and specifications of lunar construction machines were determined. A realistic oxygen plant was also designed by referring to the experimental and analytical results of hydrogen reduction of ilmenite processes. The energy required for soil work is estimated to exceed the energy for a construction facility, and the covering of facilities with regolith is expected to be the most energy-consuming work. Estimated power demands for construction in the evolutional Phases 1, 2, and 3 were 75, 75, and 155 kW, whereas those for operation of the oxygen plant were 2.3, 31, and 761 kW, respectively.


PURPOSE
The purposes of this randomized controlled trial were to: (1) test motivational interviewing (MI) to prevent early childhood caries; and (2) use Poisson regression for data analysis.

METHODS
A total of 240 South Asian children 6 to 18 months old were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the MI or control condition. Children had a dental exam, and their mothers completed pretested instruments at baseline and 1 and 2 years postintervention. Other covariates that might explain outcomes over and above treatment differences were modeled using Poisson regression. Hazard ratios were produced.

RESULTS
Analyses included all participants whenever possible. Poisson regression supported a protective effect of MI (hazard ratio [HR]=0.54 (95%CI=035-0.84)-that is, the M/ group had about a 46% lower rate of dmfs at 2 years than did control children. Similar treatment effect estimates were obtained from models that included, as alternative outcomes, ds, dms, and dmfs, including "white spot lesions." Exploratory analyses revealed that rates of dmfs were higher in children whose mothers had: (1) prechewed their food; (2) been raised in a rural environment; and (3) a higher family income (P<.05).

CONCLUSIONS
A motivational interviewing-style intervention shows promise to promote preventive behaviors in mothers of young children at high risk for caries.


The molecular structure of (-)-4-[-2-hydroxy-3-(N-isopropylamino)- propoxyimino]-cis-carane (C16H30O2N2.HCl), a recently synthesized potent local anaesthetic, including the absolute configuration at 4 chirality centres was determined using X-ray diffraction method. The substance crystallizes in diastereoisomeric form in lowest symmetry (triclinic P1 space group). Determined intermolecular close contacts between chlorine atoms and nitrogen and hydroxyl oxygen are the main determinants of crystal packing. In the crystalline state nitrogen of the isopropylamine group has quaternary coordination. The influence of the title compound on blood platelets aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate was studied. The results of parallel tests conducted for lidocaine and bupivacaine show that the antiaggregating activity of the title compound is much stronger. This property could be attributed to the monoterpene part of its molecule, in analogy to the observed cyclic adenosine monophosphate inhibitory action of forskolin (diterpene).


The cumulant generating function of time-averaged current is studied from an operational viewpoint. Specifically, for interacting Brownian particles under nonequilibrium conditions, we show that the first derivative of the cumulant generating function is equal to the expectation value of the current in a modified system with an extra force added, where the modified system is characterized by a variational principle. The formula reminds us of Einstein's fluctuation theory in equilibrium statistical mechanics. Furthermore, since the formula leads to the fluctuation-dissipation relation when the linear response regime is focused on, it is regarded as an extension of the linear response theory to that valid beyond the linear response regime. The formula is also related to previously known theories such as the Donsker-Varadhan theory, the additivity principle, and the least dissipation principle, but it is not derived from them. Examples of its application are presented for a driven Brownian particle on a ring subject to a periodic potential.


The bonnacon, an animal described in the medieval bestiary, when pursued by hunters, squirts a cloud of boiling dung at them, wounding both dogs and men. Another bestiary animal, the onager, also used its dung in a deceptive way to avoid pursuit. These defensive tactics can be related to similar tactics reported in medieval sources for two birds, the grey heron ( Ardea cinerea) and the little bustard ( Tetrax tetrax) when attacked by hunters' falcons. Was the fabled defensive behaviour of the bonnacon transferred to a completely different species when passing through the medium of experti, huntsmen, foresters and falconers, where the actions of animals were observed but not correctly interpreted as to cause and effect? This paper traces the bonnacon in late medieval history and studies the apparent portability of its defensive behaviour among different species.


Ireland has approx 470,000 people with asthma. Healthcare professionals ask patients 9How are you?9, and 9Are you taking your medication?9 but are these questions enough? We wondered how patients actually 9live9 with asthma, and invited them to tell us in their own words. Adult members of the Society were invited to participate in focus groups to discuss their condition and any issues they felt were impacting on their quality of life. Conversation was 9open9 with participants guiding the discussion. Locations facilitated those participating. 31 participated (21 female), aged 22-76yrs (mean age 43) in 8 venues. We found asthma had a significant impact on quality of life because of symptoms suffered, amount of medication required and the constant fear of exposure to triggers or events. The unrelenting pressure of managing their asthma took a toll on the participants, as they felt that their lifestyle had changed dramatically and they had lost some or all control over their health and well-being. Many reported high levels of anxiety, and many turned to alternative medicine to regain a sense of control. Many were frustrated that, despite following instructions from their doctor, they did not feel better. Symptoms were frequent and could be overwhelming when trying to manage their daily lives. Some felt lucky to be alive because of how little they understood their condition, but others felt that they had good control and had few symptoms. Control of symptoms was not the only emphasis on how health and wellbeing was perceived by participants, suggesting that measuring quality of life in functional status or levels of control and compliance, although useful, may not capture individuals true perception of their own lives.