Background: Lipases secreted from various Rhizopus oryzae strains were previously expressed in Escherichia coli, Pichia pastoris, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and was shown to have distinct activities in response to different temperatures, metal ions, organic solvents, and specific substrates. However, until now, no other research biochemically characterized the functions of extracellular pro-lipase in a novel Rhizopus oryzae KU45. Objectives: Characterization of a novel extracellular lipase from fungus R. oryzae KU45 after heterologous expression in E. coli BL21 (DE3) strain. Materials and Methods: An extracellular lipase producing fungus was isolated from a soil sample and identified as a strain of R. oryzae by partial 18S rRNA gene sequencing. It was named as R. oryzae KU45. The lipase gene of KU45 was cloned into pET-28a expression vector and expressed in E. coli as inclusion bodies. The recombinant lipase was purified, refolded and characterized. Results: The lipase exhibited maximum activity at 45ºC, at slightly alkaline pH. It showed a broad substrate specificity acting on p-nitrophenyl esters with C8-C16 acyl groups as substrates and, many of the organic solvents and metal ions tested did not have any adverse effects on the enzyme activity. Conclusions: High stability, broad substrate specificity and activity at mesophilic temperatures in the presence of organic solvents, and metal ions make the extracellular lipase of KU45 a candidate for various biotechnological applications.


Background: Due to late diagnosis and resistance to chemotherapy, most patients with cholangiocarcinoma have an unfavorable prognosis. Despite the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) in clinical routine, differentiation between intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and secondary adenocarcinomas of the liver is frequently not clear, leading to false diagnosis and treatment decisions. Methods: Oligonucleotide microarrays (Affymetrix Hu133A©) were used for gene expression analysis of ICC (n = 11) and secondary adenocarcinomas (colorectal metastases; n = 6). By two-dimensional cluster analysis a specific gene expression profile of these tumors was established and confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and IHC. Results: A total of 338 genes were significantly dysregulated (gene expression/fc ≥2; dysregulation in ≥60%) in both tumor groups. Using two-dimensional cluster analysis a fast, clear, and reproducible differentiation between ICC and colorectal metastases was possible in all cases. As potential biomarkers for differentiation, twelve genes (ICC: KRT7, DBN1, LCTB, LIF, STK17A, PIGF; metastases: TDGF1, HOXA9, TFF3, MYB, ABP1, BCL11A) were detected and will be used for further investigations. Conclusions: A specific gene expression profile for discrimination of primary and secondary adenocarcinoma of the liver could be established. In addition, marker genes for both cancers and their potential use as discrimination markers in clinical routine were also described partially for the first time.


A charmed quark experiences drag and diffusion in the quark-gluon plasma, as well as strong interaction with the plasma surface. Our simulations indicate that charmed quarks created in heavy ion collisions will be trapped in the mixed phase and will come to equilibrium in it. Their momentum distribution will thus reflect the temperature at the confinement phase transition.


Structural health monitoring (SHM) has been extensively used in the railway industry, with applications ranging from railway infrastructures to carbody shells. An SHM method that dominates monitoring procedures is Acoustic Emissions (AE). The utilisation of the AE method could use a significantly large amount of data, collected and forwarded to terminal computers using wireless communications. Nowadays, the use of 5G is taking over traditional wireless such as Wi-Fi and 4G telecommunications. However, errors in the transmission due to noisy channels may be experienced. The SHM system may result in the wrong detection of a potential defect in a railway infrastructure with dangerous consequences, such as derailment. Hence, methods for adequately dealing with these errors need to be established, such as Forward Error Correction (FEC) codes. In this paper, we suggest the use of the wireless FEC codes applied to a number of deployed AE devices, in order to perform correction at the transmissions. We investigate the new POLAR codes and compare this method with the Reed-Solomon (RS) codes. We present simulations that the POLAR codes are more efficient with trials using the AFF3CT simulator.


Chapter 1: Introduction Marc R. Rosenblum, University of New Orleans Daniel J. Tichenor, University of Oregon The Origins and Causes of Migration Chapter 2: Space, Time, and Volition: Dimensions of Migration Theory Elizabeth Fussell, Washington State University Chapter 3: War, Natural Disasters and Forced Migration Susan Martin, Georgetown University Chapter 4: Beyond Transnationalism: An Alternative Perspective on Immigrants' Homeland Connections Roger Waldinger, University of California-Los Angeles Effects of Migration Chapter 5: Economic Effects of Migration: Receiving Countries Pia Orrenius, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Madeline Zavodny, Department of Economics, Agnes Scott College Chapter 6: Effects of Emigration: Sending Countries Devesh Kapur, University of Pennsylvania John McHale, Department of Economics, Queens University Chapter 7: Effects of Migration: Political Parties Terri Givens, University of Texas Chapter 8: Immigrant Participation Louis DeSipio, University of California-Irvine Chapter 9: The Social Effects of Immigration Nancy Foner, Hunter College Chapter 10: The Social Effects of Immigration Pnina Werbner, Keele University Explaining migration policy Chapter 11: Dimensions of Immigration Policy Marc Rosenblum, University of New Orleans Wayne Cornelius, University of California-San Diego Chapter 12: Explaining Migration Policy: Historical Perspective David Reimers, Department of History, New York University Chapter 13: Public opinion and populism Joel Fetzer, Pepperdine University Chapter 14: Interest groups and political institutions Gary P. Freeman, University of Texas Stuart M. Tendler, University of Texas Chapter 15: Migration and International Relations James F. Hollifield, Southern Methodist University The immigrant experience Chapter 16: Segmented Assimilation and the American Experience of Asian Immigrant Children Min Zhou, University of California-Los Angeles Chapter 17: Pathways of Incorporation for Immigrant Citizens in the United States: Perspectives on Historical Patterns Reed Ueda, Tufts University Chapter 18: Immigration Policy and Racial Classification in the U.S.: Implications for Group Identity and the Politics of Racial and Ethnic Consciousness Alexandra Filindra, Brown University Jane Junn, University of Southern California Chapter 19: Conceptualizing Transborder Communities Lynn Stephen, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon. Chapter 20: Gender, Family and Migration Caroline Brettell, Southern Methodist University Contemporary issues Chapter 21: Immigration, Crime, and Terrorism Rey Koslowski, State University of New York at Albany. Chapter 22: An Enduring Dilemma: Immigration and Organized Labor in Western Europe and the U.S. Janice Fine, Rutgers University Daniel J. Tichenor, University of Oregon Chapter 23: Regions and Regionalism Andrew Geddes, Department of Politics, Sheffield University Chapter 24: Migration and Citizenship: Normative Debates Rainer Baubock, European University Institute About the Contributors


Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in 58% of human pial arteries obtained during surgery showed no spontaneous contractions and displayed a stable resting membrane potential (MP) of -54.7 +/- 1.5 mV. Those that exhibited periodic spontaneous contractions associated with periodic depolarization and generation of spontaneous action potentials (APs) had a less negative MP of -43.1 +/- 0.5 mV (42%). Inhibition of calcium-activated potassium (KCa) channels in the silent arteries by charybdotoxin (CTX) and tetraethylammonium ions (TEA) induced dose-dependent depolarization, AP generation, and contraction. TEA and CTX enhanced the spontaneous depolarization and force in arteries that exhibited spontaneous activity. They also prolonged the spontaneous APs up to several times and increased their upstroke amplitude. Both TEA and CTX failed to produce significant depolarization in arteries treated with nifedipine. It is concluded that KCa channels are important regulators of human pial artery SMC resting MP and tone. They are also involved in the control of AP amplitude and duration and the associated contractions. These data suggest that alterations in the activity of SMC KCa channels could be responsible for the appearance of spontaneous activity in human pial arteries in vitro and that impaired function of these channels might be related to vasospastic phenomena in human cerebral circulation.


A non-equilibrium Green's function approach to collisional QED effects in a relativistic beam-plasma medium is presented. Taking into account off-shell parts of the electron correlation functions and vertex corrections to the self-energies, the Bremsstrahlung production rate is derived. The medium effects are included by the full dynamic structure factor of the bulk plasma. The ''golden rule'' result for the production rate with the Bethe-Heitler cross section is recovered for the model of static randomly distributed ions.


Modern data on genesis and functional role of sensations associated with respiration, were analysed. Regularities of human perception of the respiratory cycle's parameters have been cited. Respiratory discomfort occurring in an increased loading of the respiratory system, as well as an imperative respiration stimulus developing in a prolonged apnoe or obvious hypoventilation, are regarded as defensive responses to a threat to normal ventilation of the lungs. The central link in mechanisms of the respiratory sensory system seems to involve pulses from receptors of the respiratory muscles.


Introduction Controversy remains regarding the optimal treatment method and postoperative rehabilitation of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. In this study, pedobarographic assessments of surgical and conservative treatments were compared. Material and methods A prospective assessment was made of 16 patients (eight surgical, eight conservative) and eight healthy controls using a plantar pressure measurement system. Biomechanical gait parameters were obtained using the Footscan dynamic gait analysis system. Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U-tests were used for the evaluation of data. Results Nineteen males and five females were assessed, with an average age of 42.0±11.9 years. Follow-up was completed in 16 patients. No statistically significant difference was determined between the two treatment groups with regard to the gait analysis, but a difference was observed with the control group (P<0.001). All patients were able to resume their prior activities after 6 months and regained normal ranges of motion, with a high rate of satisfaction. Most of the patients (75%) were able to return to their pre-injury level of activities. Conclusion Satisfactory results were obtained through conservative treatment of acute ruptures of the Achilles tendon. No significant differences or complications were observed in the group managed conservatively versus the group treated surgically. Further studies including 3D gait analyses and tendon biomechanical research are required to further investigate this issue.


Abstract Recent research has provided evidence of the potential benefits of using both synchronous and asynchronous online conversations in face-to-face, mixed-mode, and online classes. However, research has also suggested that these benefits are not inherent just by adopting online discussions into classroom work. In this paper, we draw from a larger literature review to discuss both the positive and negative aspects of electronic conversations. We then present research that showcases the possibilities of online conversations in teacher education methodology classrooms. We conclude with a second research study that addresses the notion of student uptake, highlighting implications for teacher educators who want to successfully implement discussion forums in their curricula.


A single phase extraction procedure employing 8% (v/v) n-butanol at room temperature extracted over 90% of alkaline phosphatase activity and over 60% of 5'-nucleotidase activity from bovine milk fat globule membranes (MFGM). For 5'-nucleotidase, higher n-butanol concentrations lead to loss of activity, while lower concentrations were ineffective in extracting the enzyme. When extractions were performed at 0 degrees C, similar yields were obtained for alkaline phosphatase extraction with 8% (v/v) n-butanol, but 5'-nucleotidase extraction required 10% (v/v) n-butanol for similar yields. However, 5'-nucleotidase was less susceptible to denaturation during extraction at 0 degrees C. The Km values and substrate specificities for both alkaline phosphatase and 5'-nucleotidase were unchanged by extraction with 8% (v/v) n-butanol. The 8% (v/v) n-butanol extraction procedure provides a 3-fold purification step, and an enzyme preparation suitable for further purification.


A survey on 87 dogs necropsied in the Townsville region revealed 34 (39%) were infected with Dirofilaria immitis. Infected dogs had an average of 6.1 adult worms in the heart and associated blood vessels. The VetRED assay detected 23 of the 34 infected dogs (sensitivity 65%) and the Og4C3 ELISA detected 27 (sensitivity 80%). Sensitivity of the VetRED and Og4C3 ELISA increased to 88 and 94% respectively in dogs with three or more worms. Both tests detected correctly all uninfected dogs. Despite the higher accuracy of the Og4C3 ELISA, compared to the VetRED assay, it is unlikely to be used widely as a field test for heartworm unless it can be modified from its present plate ELISA format which takes 4 hours, into one which is more rapid and convenient. However, as a reference ELISA, it may well be worthwhile in situations which require considerable accuracy for detecting D. immitis infection.


Standards for Health Services in Jails, by National Commission on Correctional Health Care, 81 pp, $15, Chicago, National Commission on Correctional Health Care, 1986. At a time when, by popular demand, the prison population has grown logarithmically, concurrent with an equal and opposite resistance to funding public institutions, it is mandatory in the name of a just society that standards be established for health services in penal institutions. In 1979, the American Medical Association developed such standards, which have been utilized by many county and state medical associations to upgrade medical care in prisons and jails and to assist their compliance with court orders. Standards for Health Services in Prisons and Standards for Health Services in Jails are a revision of the initial 1979 document. The two volumes represent a broad spectrum of professional input and consensus, not only of physicians and dentists but of other health disciplines, including the


Handsfree interfaces provide a nice solution to add-on devices in car platforms. However, the amount of acoustic disturbances existing in automotive environments usually prevents satisfactory results. In most of the cases, noise reduction techniques involving a voice activity detector (VAD) are required. Through this paper, a robust microphone array processing technique for speech detection under the influence of noise and reverberation in an automobile environment is proposed. This method applies a simple two-microphone First Order Differential Microphone in order to estimate the power spectral density of the background perturbations embedded in speech signals. Afterwards, specialized order-statistics filters (OSFs) are applied in order to obtain a consistent speech/non speech decision. The paper also includes a performance evaluation of the algorithm using Aurora3 database recordings. According to our simulation results, the proposed algorithm shows a significantly better performance than standard VADs such as G.729B or ARM and, a slight advantage over other reported methods.


Bukit Siguntang Forest, an urban forest on a hill filled by trees that are believed to be a tomb complex of Malay kings. As an ecosystem, Bukit Siguntang Forest also consists of various understorey. Because of the tourist location, the understorey of Bukit Siguntang Forest tends to be easier to encounter cleaning which is considered as weed and disturbs beauty. The study purpose was to explore the aesthetic potential of the understorey vegetation of Bukit Siguntang Forest. The study method used vegetation analysis with the plot measuring 2m x 2m, which was followed by species identification. The results showed that the understorey identified as dominating species with aesthetic potential were Asystasia gangetica , Bidens pilosa , Borreria laevis , Drymaria cordata , and Mimosa pudica . The understorey which is included in herbs and shrubs had beautiful flowers, unique leaf shapes, and attractive colors. These plants provide the beauty of their parts so that they can be applied to form a flower bed, green coverage and refreshing scenery. However, the growth of understorey also needs to be controlled. That is because understorey can grow rapidly, so that will be growing too densely and messy planting mode. Keywords: aesthetic function, Bukit Siguntang, tourism, understorey vegetation.


Most cases of cancer are sporadic, whereas 5-10% are hereditary and about 20-30% of cancers tend to cluster in families. Families and individuals who are suspected of suffering from hereditary cancer need to undergo a process known as genetic counseling, which is of considerable importance in the prevention and early detection of malignant tumours. The most common hereditary cancer syndromes are: hereditary breast- ovarian cancer syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis and Lynch syndrome. Genetic diagnosis allows clinicians to estimate the risks of developing different cancers in order to make decisions over surveillance and prophylactic surgery to reduce these risks. The ultimate goal is to reduce cancer mortality through early diagnosis and prevention.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different types and concentrations of chemical catalysts on the efficiency of 35% hydrogen peroxide gel on dental bleaching. Enamel-dentin disks were obtained from bovine incisors and the initial color was assessed. The groups were divided according to the type and concentration of catalyst added to an experimental gel: ferrous sulphate (FS) (0.001, 0.002 and 0.003%); ferrous gluconate (Fg) (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03%); ferric chloride (FC) (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03%); manganese gluconate (MG) (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03%); and manganese chloride (MC) (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03%). The positive control (PC) group received the bleaching gel without any catalyst, while in the negative control (NC) the specimens remained in artificial saliva. Three applications of the bleaching gels were performed for 10 minutes each, repeated after 7 days. Color assessments were performed 7 days after the first session and 7 days after the second. The specimens were stored in artificial saliva and assessed again after 1 year. The data were analyzed by parametric analysis of variance and Tukey's test. Some of the chemical catalysts tested were effective in reducing the yellowish color of the samples in relation to the positive control group after 1 and 2 applications and diminished the color relapse over time. After 1 year, the FS was the most effective catalyst tested. We concluded that some chemical catalysts increased the efficiency of dental bleaching.


Prediction, including intra prediction and inter prediction, is the most critical issue in H.264 decoding in terms of processing cycles and computation complexity. These two predictions demand a huge number of memory accesses and the total decoding cycles. In this paper, an efficient hardware architecture for real-time implementation of intra and inter predictions algorithm used in H.264 video coding standard is adopted. Compared with conventional architecture, the predict efficiency is enhanced. Under different prediction modes, our design is able to decode each macroblock (MB) within 500 cycles. The Verilog RTL of intra prediction is verified to work at 103 MHz and the inter prediction is verified to work at 81 MHz in a Xilinx II FPGA.


Abstract Separate field trials were conducted in 2007 and 2008 to investigate the effects of increasing densities of common ragweed or common cocklebur on total yield and forage nutritive values in tall fescue pastures. Common ragweed densities ranged from 0 to 188 plants m−2, and common cocklebur densities ranged from 0 to 134 plants m−2. Total biomass yields (weeds plus tall fescue) were determined in response to each weed density and species; pure samples of tall fescue, common ragweed, or common cocklebur were also hand collected from each plot at the time of the total biomass harvest. Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to predict crude protein (CP) concentration and in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) of the total harvested biomass, pure tall fescue, and pure weed species in each plot. Results indicate that biomass yields may increase by as much as 5 kg ha−1 with each additional common ragweed plant m−2 within a tall fescue stand. Additionally, CP concentration of the total harvested biomass, pure weed species, and tall fescue decreased by 0.2 to 0.4 g kg−1 with each additional increase in common ragweed or common cocklebur plant per m−2. As weed densities increased, IVTD of pure tall fescue samples increased only minimally (0.04%), regardless of the weed species. An increase in common ragweed density also resulted in the CP concentration of pure samples of common ragweed to decrease by 0.2 g kg−1 for each additional plant per m2 and by 0.4 g kg−1 for each additional common cocklebur per m2. Overall, results from these experiments indicate that plant biomass yield and nutritive values of the total harvested biomass are only marginally influenced by increasing common ragweed or common cocklebur densities. Nomenclature: Common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia (L.); common cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium (L.); tall fescue, Festuca arundinacea Schreb


Japanese species of the genus Georissus are revised. Seven species, including two new, G. (Neogeorissus) takahashii sp. nov. and G. (Ne.) satoi sp. nov. are recognized. Georissus (Neogeorissus) sakaii Satô, 1972 and G. (Ne.) katsuoi Nakane, 1995 are synonymized with G. (Ne.) japonicus Satô, 1972. Based on the type series and additional specimens, three subgenera and seven species are (re)described with SEM micrographs of the external morphology and figures of male and female genitalia. The terminology of some structures of the head and the pronotum are redefined for convenience of taxonomy. A key to the Japanese species is also given.


This paper examines empirically the effects of distortionary taxation on labor supply using a general equilibrium framework. The long-term relations predicted by the model are derived and tested using data from Canada, United States, Germany, and Japan. In all these countries, labor-tax changes are found to be persistent and to have played an important role in the observed downward trend in hours worked.


In this work, a constrained adaptive filtering strategy based on conjugate gradient (CG) and set-membership techniques is presented for adaptive beamforming. A constraint on the magnitude of the array output is imposed to derive an adaptive algorithm that performs data-selective updates when calculating the beamformer's parameters. A linearly constrained minimum variance optimisation problem is consider with the bounded constraint based on this strategy and propose a CG-type algorithm for implementation. The proposed algorithm has data-selective updates, a variable forgetting factor and performs one iteration per update to reduce the computational complexity. The updated parameters construct a space of feasible solutions that enforce the constraints. The authors also introduce two time-varying bounding schemes to measure the quality of the parameters that could be included in the parameter space. A comprehensive complexity and performance analysis between the proposed and existing algorithms are provided. Simulations are performed to show the enhanced convergence and tracking performance of the proposed algorithm as compared with existing techniques.


This paper presents an operational concept for Air Traffic Management, and in particular arrival management, in which aircraft are permitted to operate in a manner consistent with current optimal aircraft operating techniques. The proposed concept allows aircraft to descend in the fuel efficient path managed mode and with arrival time not actively controlled. It will be demonstrated how the associated uncertainty in the time dimension of the trajectory can be managed through the application of multiple metering points strategically chosen along the trajectory. The proposed concept does not make assumptions on aircraft equipage (e.g. time of arrival control), but aims at handling mixed-equipage scenarios that most likely will remain far into the next decade and arguably beyond.


Summary Inhibitors of protein synthesis decrease protein synthesis in isolated rat adrenal cells to a greater extent than they decrease adenosine-3′,5′-cyclic phosphate (cyclic AMP)-stimulated steroidogenesis. At low concentrations of the inhibitors, varying degrees of recovery of the rate of steroidogenesis occurs with increasing time of incubation. As the concentration is increased, the time required to achieve any recovery of the rate of steroidogenesis increases and the extent of recovery decreases. The recovery also depends on the amount of cyclic AMP present. During the process of recovery the inhibition of protein synthesis continues in a linear manner. An explanation consistent with these data involves a rapidly turning-over protein, the concentration of which is independent of the level of cyclic AMP present. However, the extent of transformation of this protein to an active form depends on the concentration of cyclic AMP.


Chemistry![Figure][1]

CREDIT: © SCIENCEPHOTOS/ALAMY

Few marriages of analytical methods have been as successful as that of chromatography and mass spectrometry; together they can tease out the chemical composition of extraordinarily complex mixtures. A typical apparatus incorporates a gas or liquid chromatograph, in which analytes travel through a separation column, and a downstream detector where their masses are measured. An early, no-frills variant of chromatography involved spotting samples on paper, an inexpensive and highly portable support medium. Wang et al. now show that this simple material can also be used as an ionization platform for introducing samples into mass spectrometers. Samples such as blood are spotted on the paper, which is then cut to a sharp triangular point. The paper is wet with a methanol-water solution, and a high positive bias (4.5 kV) is applied to the paper relative to the nearby inlet of a tandem mass spectrometry under ambient conditions; the precise mechanism for ion release remains somewhat unclear. The authors demonstrate the detection of drugs such as Gleevec in blood, as well as picogram quantities of cocaine swabbed from a surface. Chromatographic methods can also be used to separate components in a sample along the paper, which can then be cut into separate pieces for further analysis.

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 49 , 10.1002/anie.200906314 (2010).

 [1]: pending:yes


Live influenza virus vaccination has potential advantages and disadvantages compared with killed virus vaccine given by intramuscular injection.Attempts have been made to achieve complete attenuation of influenza A2 and B strains by up to 30 serial passages in the allantoic cavity of eggs at 33 degrees C. No attenuation occurred. The method of passing viruses in the presence of an increasing concentration of horse serum, thus selecting inhibitor-resistant variants, has also been tested. It was shown that serial passage induced an increasing degree of inhibitor resistance in the virus and an increasing degree of attenuation when tested in volunteers. This was observed with both an Asian strain and a Hong Kong strain. The Hong Kong virus was also passed serially at 25 degrees C in eggs but did not seem much further attenuated as a result; however, a virus strain supplied by H. F. Maassab with a much higher degree of adaptation to low temperature is being tested.Partly or completely attenuated strains have been used to induce or detect protection. Influenza B strains gave partial protection after 1 dose and almost complete protection after 2 doses and protection persisted for 7 months. A comparative study showed that there was protection after vaccination with killed virus by the parenteral route, and with live virus by the nasal route.


Purpose: Respiratory gated radiotherapy changes radiation delivery compared to conformal radiotherapy (CRT) in two ways: the beam is periodically turned on and off and treatment time is increased. IMRT also changes radiation delivery in two ways: only part of the tumor is irradiated at any given time and the treatment time is increased. The aim of this research was to experimentally and theoretically investigate the temporal effects of respiratory gated and IMRTtreatment delivery on in vitro survival. Method and Materials: Four radiation delivery methods were investigated: CRT, IMRT, gated CRT and gated IMRT.Experiments were designed to isolate the effects of periodic irradiation (gating), partial tumor irradiation (IMRT) and extended treatment time (gating and IMRT). For the experimental studies V79 Chinese hamster cells were irradiated to 2Gy with four delivery methods and a clonogenic assay performed. The theoretical calculations used the incomplete repair model. The biological parameters of the model were taken from a previous publication studying V79 cells; the remaining parameters of the model were determined from the biological experiments.Results:Treatment times ranged from 1.67 (CRT) to 15minutes (gated IMRT). Survival fraction (SF) calculations ranged from 68.2% for CRT to 68.7% for gated IMRT. For the same treatment time (5minutes), gated delivery alone and IMRT delivery alone both had calculated SF of 68.3%. The experimental values ranged from 65.7(±1.0)% to 67.3(±1.3)% indicating no significant differenced between the experimental observations and theoretical calculations. Conclusion: Of the three temporal effects of radiation delivery caused by gating and IMRT, extended treatment time was the dominant effect compared with periodic irradiation (gating) and partial tumor irradiation (IMRT). Care should be taken clinically to ensure that the use of gated IMRT does not significantly increase treatment times by evaluating appropriate duty cycles for respiratory gating and the complexity of IMRT delivery.


ABSTRACT Previous studies have shown that Streptococcus pneumoniae exists in both middle ear effusions and the upper respiratory region from children with otitis media with effusion (OME), but it remains unclear whether these strains represent genetically identical clones. Therefore, it cannot be determined whether these bacteria originate from a common source. To determine the presence of pneumococci at different anatomical locations of OME patients, conventional culture and PCR techniques were used. To analyze the possible genetic relatedness between pneumococci from different anatomical sites, molecular typing by amplified fragment length polymorphism was utilized. The percentage of middle ear effusions of OME patients that are positive for pneumococci after PCR analysis (13%) was higher than after conventional culture (5%). Molecular fingerprints from pneumococci derived from two different anatomic sites within patients were very similar in 80% of OME patients and in 90% of acute otitis medium patients, indicating their genetic relatedness. Biofilm formation or pneumococcal L-forms probably play a role in OME, since culture-negative effusions prove to contain pneumococcal DNA. Bacteria involved in this process most likely originate from the nasopharynx since they show a close genetic relatedness with their nasopharyngeal counterparts.


As technology continues to grow rapidly, there is an explosive development in digital tools and million pieces of information. Digital literacy, a new concept of literacy has offered to process the information in meaningful ways. Educators have struggled to integrate digital literacy to raise students' literacy skill across languages. Thus, there is an increasing expectation and demand for English teachers to present digital literacy in the classroom. A major study has studied the implementation of digital literacy in an urban school with high-advanced technology facility. Therefore, an effort to investigate the practice of digital literacy in suburban school is pressingly needed. The study was conducted to reach four aims: (1) to investigate the implementation of digital literacy in SMP Muhammadiyah 1 Temanggung; (2) to identify teachers' attitude in practicing digital literacy, (3) to explore the challenges, and (4) how to cope with them.
This article involved two EFL teachers who were regarded as millennial teachers and capable to utilize technology. A qualitative research was used to explore the real practice of digital literacy. The excerpt were obtained through a semi structured interview and classroom observation.
The result indicated that computer and smartphone were used as digital devices. In practicing them, teachers showed positive attitudes by considering the syllabus as a core, understanding a teacher's position, developing effective learning, using multiple literacy and enhancing the four language skills. Meanwhile lack of technology, students' background, lack of time and limited budgeting are considered as obstacles in implementing digital literacy. Thus, as a strategy, teacher set an early preparation and backing up plan to cope with these challenges. Finally, this article has implications to improve the technological facility, technological pedagogy among teachers, and suggest the policy makers to give more consideration toward digital literacy.


Parents and family doctors were questioned about the management of 150 infants with acute illness before their admission to hospital. When 108 of the children were first assessed the family doctor did not consider that admission was necessary, but follow-up was arranged in only 14 of these cases. Thus in 94 cases the initiative for recall was left to the parents, who in 44 cases already wanted their child to be admitted. Forty-eight infants were referred because the doctors thought that the parents could not cope. The parents of 31 of the children delayed in seeking help. As over half the children were ill for more than three days before they were admitted to hospital, regular follow-up could have been arranged. Doctors should normally retain the initiative for this rather than leave it to the parents' discretion.


The Society 5.0 is a concept that defines that technology and humans will coexist to improve the quality of human life sustainably. Therefore, the development of information and communications technology (ICT) has had a drastic impact on society and industry. Digital transformation generates new values and is a pillar of industrial policy in many countries around the world. state this is something innovative applied in the city of Surabaya as something smart city concept. Smart City Surabaya realized by providing fast and efficient public services which are realized through the implementation of e-government. The implementation of e-government carried out by the City of Surabaya as a form of local government innovation in the form of Surabaya Single Window (SSW). Surabaya city to implement this SSW service in every Kelurahan. The analysis method used is descriptive qualitative by using secondary data. The analysis result shows that the use of technological innovation in the service process improves the effectiveness, efficiency, and openness of the service process, especially in the permission only needs 14-30 days.


1Public Health Department, "Federico II" University of Naples, Naples, Italy; 2Health Management, Local Health Authority (ASL) Caserta, Caserta, Italy Introduction Cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology were identified in the city of Wuhan, the most populated city in central China, late in December 2019. On January 7, 2020, the virus responsible for this condition was defined as Coronavirus 2 Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2); on February 11, the World Health Organization announced that the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus was called COVID-19. COVID-19 is a potentially fatal disease whose spread has reached epidemiological criteria to be declared a pandemic, having infected, according to WHO Coronavirus Disease Situation Reports, over 100,000 people in more than 101 countries. This new public health emergency is challenging the economy, the medical field and public health infrastructures. Health-care systems worldwide have had to adapt their processes to face this new situation and attempt to provide a global response, and countries that have already experienced the emergency have a lot to teach. According to the "Situation Update Worldwide" Report of the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC), Italy was one of the first countries to be affected, with 3896 confirmed cases and 148 deaths as of March 5, 2020. Considering the number of people affected, that human-to-human transmission is the main route, through droplets, and that treatment protocols and a vaccine are still being developed, the spread of the infection can be limited only by quarantine protocols. Therefore, on March 8, the Italian Government implemented extraordinary measures, such as the restriction of free movement of people and social activities, to limit the viral transmission. The decision was crucial albeit insufficient. The Italian National Health System, one of the globally best organized health-care systems, has had to reorganize its health-care procedures. Hospital facilities effectively responded to the demands of infected patients: by March 30, as many as 27,795 symptomatic people were hospitalized in Italy, among whom were 3,981 patients in intensive care units. At the same time, there was need to ensure provision of health care to patients not infected by COVID-19 but presenting other diseases requiring health-care services that could not be postponed. The Federico II University Hospital in Naples was able to reach that target by establishing a Crisis Management Unit, made up of the following experts: (i) The Correspondence: Emma Montella Public Health Department, "Federico II" University of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples 80131, Italy Tel +393332253185 Email email@example.com


The base of management takes different forms depending of its cultural origin. Management or technique that is appropriate in one culture may not be suitable for another. Organizations and institutions located in certain places predominantly represent specific aspects of the cultural environment of that particular location. From this point of view the western culture, which justifies western model of management is therefore susceptible to becoming ineffective. It has become clear that ruling systems in countries, such as UK, Germany, and Sweden are not the same and common generalizations have no profound proof. In the same way "Middle-Eastern" or "Asian" types of management generalization similarly aren't justifiable. For international managers, the main aspects, which have to be revised are values deeply instilled in those societies in concern. Culture expresses meanings that people use to personify various aspects of life, their attitudes and role in life.


Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)-related immune factors are considered as an important cause of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory treatments are believed to effectively improve adverse pregnancy outcomes by affecting the abnormal autoimmune response of the maternal-fetal interface. The aim of this study was to observe the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of anticoagulant regimens and anti-inflammatory plus anticoagulation regimens for APS-related RSA. Methods: APS-related RSA cases from September 2011 to September 2016 at Peking University Third Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were assigned to study group (anti-inflammation plus anticoagulation) and control group (simple anticoagulation). The incidence of repeat abortion, the incidence of placental dysfunction, the gestational weeks of pregnancy, and the mean weight of the fetus were observed. Results: The pregnancy and neonatal outcome indicators of the repeat pregnancy loss rate (11.11% vs. 22.70%), placental dysfunction-related diseases (6.35% vs. 15.60%), the mean birth weight of infants born after 24 weeks gestation (3152.41 ± 844.67 g vs. 2765.76 ± 816.40 g), full-term delivery weight (3456.28 ± 419.79 g vs. 3076.18 ± 518.79 g), the proportions of low birth weight infants (12.70% vs. 21.98%), and small for gestational age (6.35% vs. 14.18%) differed significantly between the study and control groups (all P < 0.05). The incidence of preterm delivery, term delivery, and stillbirth was not significantly different between the two groups, and there was no significant difference between the study and control groups in gestational age at birth (37.6 ± 3.3 weeks vs. 36.9 ± 3.2 weeks; P > 0.05). Conclusion: The anti-inflammatory and anticoagulation regimen is more effective than the simple anticoagulation regimen in the treatment of APS recurrent abortion.


Operations in Antarctica are very much at the mercy of the weather.
From early explorations using skis and dogs sleds, through to modern
large scale operations involving shipping, tractor trains, helicopters
and large fixed wing aircraft, operating from modern facilities, all
have been sidelined when the Antarctic atmosphere has become hostile.
Since the earliest days of exploration, weather in Antarctica has
been a critical issue in operations, and a focus of observational research.
However, in comparison to mid and low latitude regions of
the globe our knowledge of high southern latitude meteorology remains
relatively poor. The dearth of conventional surface and upper
air observations has limited observational studies and numerical modelling
over the Antarctic region has not seen the same level of focus as
modelling work over the more highly populated areas of the globe. Increasingly,
operations are becoming more costly with the introduction
of sophisticated scientific instrumentation and the use of larger aircraft,
so timely and accurate forecasts are becoming more important.
In order to decrease the time spent at sea by scientific and operational
staff on crossing the Southern Ocean, the Australian Government has
been studying the viability of operating an inter-continental air link
between Australia and the Australian bases in East Antarctica. Such
an operation is critically dependent on accurate medium to short term
weather forecasts, both for on route weather, and most importantly
for terminal area weather in Antarctica. Traditionally, only global
numerical model output has been available to assist the forecaster in
preparing the aviation forecasts. However, the temporal and spatial
resolution of these models have been relatively poor, given only limited support to forecasting operations.
The focus of this thesis was an analysis of the feasibility of employing
a limited area grid point numerical model to operational weather
forecasting in East Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean,
and using the model to investigate the dynamics associated with critical
weather events experienced at Australian stations in East Antarctica.


Objective To evaluate the efficacy of a strict glycaemic control protocol using a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in infants at high risk of dysglycaemia with the aim of reducing the number of dysglycaemic episodes. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Neonatal intensive care unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome. Patients All infants <1500 g fed on parental nutrition (PN) since birth were eligible. A total of 63 infants were eligible and 48 were randomised. Intervention All participants wore a CGM sensor and were randomised in two arms with alarms set at different cut-off values (2.61–10 mmol/L (47–180 mg/dL) vs 3.44–7.78 mmol/L (62–140 mg/dL)), representing the operative threshold requiring modulation of glucose infusion rate according to an innovative protocol. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the number of severe dysglycaemic episodes (<2.61 mmol/L (47 mg/dL) or >10 mmol/L (180 mg/dL)) in the intervention group versus the control group, during the monitoring time. Results We enrolled 47 infants, with similar characteristics between the two arms. The number of dysglycaemic episodes and of infants with at least one episode of dysglycaemia was significantly lower in the intervention group (strict group): respectively, 1 (IQR 0–2) vs 3 (IQR 1–7); (p=0.005) and 12 (52%) vs 20 (83%); p=0.047. Infants managed using the strict protocol had a higher probability of having normal glycaemic values: relative risk 2.87 (95% CI 1.1 to 7.3). They spent more time in euglycaemia: 100% (IQR 97–100) vs 98% (IQR 94–99), p=0.036. The number needed to treat to avoid dysglycaemia episodes is 3.2 (95% CI 1.8 to 16.6). Conclusion We provide evidence that CGM, combined with a protocol for adjusting glucose infusion, can effectively reduce the episodes of dysglycaemia and increase the percentage of time spent in euglycaemia in very low birthweight infants receiving PN in the first week of life.


Over-parameterized neural language models (LMs) can memorize and recite long sequences of training data. While such memorization is normally associated with undesired properties such as overfitting and information leaking, our work casts memorization as an unexplored capability of LMs. We propose the first symmetric encryption algorithm with autoregressive language models (SELM). We show that autoregressive LMs can encode arbitrary data into a compact real-valued vector (i.e., encryption) and then losslessly decode the vector to the original message (i.e., decryption) via random subspace optimization and greedy decoding. While SELM is not amenable to conventional cryptanalysis, we investigate its security through a novel empirical variant of the classic IND-CPA (indistinguishability under chosen-plaintext attack) game and show promising results on security. Our code and datasets are available at https://github.com/OSU-NLP-Group/SELM.


BACKGROUND:Suction-generated expiratory ventilation assistance (EVA) has been proposed as a way to facilitate bidirectional ventilation through a small-bore transtracheal cannula (TC). In this study, we investigated the efficiency of ventilation with EVA for restoring oxygenation and ventilation in a pig model of acute hypoxia. METHODS:Six pigs (61–76 kg) were anesthetized and ventilated (intermittent positive pressure ventilation) via a cuffed endotracheal tube (ETT). Monitoring lines were placed, and a 75-mm long, 2-mm inner diameter TC was inserted. After the baseline recordings, the ventilator was disconnected. After 2 minutes of apnea, reoxygenation with EVA was initiated through the TC and continued for 15 minutes with the ETT occluded. In the second part of the study, the experiment was repeated with the ETT either partially obstructed or left open. Airway pressures and hemodynamic data were recorded, and arterial blood gases were measured. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS:With a completely or partially obstructed upper airway, ventilation with EVA restored oxygenation to baseline levels in all animals within 20 seconds. In a completely obstructed airway, PaCO2 remained stable for 15 minutes. At lesser degrees of airway obstruction, the time to reoxygenation was delayed. Efficacy probably was limited when the airway was completely unobstructed, with 2 of 6 animals having a PaO2 <85 mm Hg even after 15 minutes of ventilation with EVA and a mean PaCO2 increased up to 90 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS:In severe hypoxic pigs, ventilation with EVA restored oxygenation quickly in case of a completely or partially obstructed upper airway. Reoxygenation and ventilation were less efficient when the upper airway was completely unobstructed.


The purpose of this essay is to identify, within the framework of violence and gender inequality, the changes that occurred in the local sports contexts according to the female players who belonged to the women's soccer team of Magdalena 2014; through interviews and visits to sports scenery.
A discussion related to football dynamics is presented as a representation of modernity, taking into account that this sport gathers many of these premises. Consequently, we analyze how the characteristics of the city of Santa Marta, Colombia (whether; symbolic and cultural brands, institutionalization, linguistic variation, among others) shape the forms of violence and gender inequality.


Background It is unclear whether there is a clinical benefit to adding hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings to total knee implants, especially with the tibial component, where failure of the implant more often occurs. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify all prospective randomized trials for determining whether the overall clinical results (as a function of durability, function, and adverse events) favored HA-coated tibial components. Methods A comprehensive literature search was performed for the years 1990 to September 16, 2010. We restricted our search to randomized controlled trials involving participants receiving either an HA-coated tibia or other forms of tibial fixation. The primary outcome measures evaluated were durability, function, and acute adverse events. Results Data from 926 evaluable primary total knee implants in 14 studies were analyzed. Using an RSA definition for durability, HA-coated tibial components (porous or press-fit) without screw fixation were less likely to be unstable at 2 years than porous and cemented metal-backed tibial components (RR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.34–0.98; p = 0.04, I2 = 39%, M-H random effects model). There was no significant difference in durability, as measured from revision and evaluated at 2 and 8–10 years, between groups. Also, functional status using different validated measures showed no significant difference at 2 and 5 years, no matter what measure was used. Lastly, there was no significant difference in adverse events. Limitations included small numbers of evaluable patients (≤ 50) in 7 of the 14 trials identified, and a lack of "hard" evidence of durability with need for replacement (i.e. frank failure, pain, or loss of functionality). Interpretation In patients > 65 years of age, an HA-coated tibial implant may provide better durability than other forms of tibial fixation. Larger trials should be undertaken comparing the long-term durability, function, and adverse events of HA-coated implants with those of other porous-coated tibial implants in younger, more active OA patients.


Chromosomes occupy specific nonrandom domains in the interphase nucleus of eukaryotic cells. We have used a Chinese hamster-human somatic cell hybrid line containing a single human X chromosome to study the interphase distribution of the Xp telomere using fluorescent in situ hybridization and optical sectioning. A derivative cell line in which the X chromosome has been broken at Xq22-24 and healed by the addition of cloned human telomeric sequences was also studied to determine if introduction of these sequences at a previously interstitial site changed its location in interphase. The endogenous Xp telomere occupies a specific, nonrandom, internal domain. Introduction of a telomere at a previously interstitial site did not alter the interphase nuclear location of that site. The results suggest that nonrandom interphase location of telomeres may not be determined solely by the DNA sequence of the telomere.


This book highlights the triumph of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry over the past decade and provides insight into new and expanding technologies through a comprehensive range of short chapters that enable the reader to gauge their current status and how they may progress over the next decade. This book serves as a platform to consolidate current strengths of the technology and highlight new frontiers in tandem MS/MS that are likely to eventually supersede MALDI-TOF MS. Chapters discuss: Challenges of Identifying Mycobacterium to the Species level Identification of Bacteroides and Other Clinically Relevant Anaerobes Identification of Species in Mixed Microbial Populations Detection of Resistance Mechanisms Proteomics as a biomarker discovery and validation platform Determination of Antimicrobial Resistance using Tandem Mass Spectrometry


Wall Shear Stress in Simplified and Scanned Avian Respiratory Systems Michael Sterling Farnsworth Department of Mechanical Engineering, BYU Master of Science Birds uniquely produce sound through a vocal organ known as a syrinx. The presence of wall shear stress acting on the airway cells of any organism will affect how airway cells develop and multiply. Unique features of avian airway geometry and breathing pattern might have contributed to the development of the syrinx. This thesis examines wall shear stress in the trachea and first bronchi of avian geometries using computational fluid dynamics. The computational fluid dynamic simulations underwent gridand time-independence studies and were validated using particle image velocimetry. Parameters such as bird size, bronchial branching angle, and breathing waveform were examined to determine conditions that contributed to higher wall shear stress. Both simplified and CT scan-derived respiratory geometries were examined. Maximum wall shear stress for the simplified geometries was found to be highest during the inspiratory phase of breathing and was highest near the pessulus. Maximum wall shear stress in the CT scan-derived geometries was less phase-dependent and was highest near constrictions in the airway. Comparison between scanned and simplified geometry simulations revealed significant differences in wall shear stress magnitudes and flow features. If wall shear stress is found to be important in the development of the syrinx or the advantage of a syrinx, the thesis results are anticipated to aid in characterizing conditions that would have contributed to the development of the syrinx or advantages of syringeal vocal fold position over tracheal vocal fold position.


Traditionally, scheduling policies have been optimized to perform well on metrics, such as throughput, delay, and fairness. In the context of shared event schedulers, where a common processor is shared among multiple users, one also has to consider the privacy offered by the scheduling policy. The privacy offered by a scheduling policy measures how much information about the usage pattern of one user of the system can be learned by another as a consequence of sharing the scheduler. We introduced an estimation error-based metric to quantify this privacy. We showed that the most commonly deployed scheduling policy, the first-come-first-served offers very little privacy to its users. We also proposed a parametric nonwork conserving policy, which traded off delay for improved privacy. In this paper, we ask the question, is a tradeoff between delay and privacy fundamental to the design to scheduling policies? In particular, is there a work conserving, possibly randomized, and scheduling policy that scores high on the privacy metric? Answering the first question, we show that there does exist a fundamental limit on the privacy performance of a work-conserving scheduling policy. We quantify this limit. Furthermore, answering the second question, we demonstrate that the round-robin scheduling policy (deterministic policy) is privacy optimal within the class of work-conserving policies.


Background The involvement of acromioclavicular joint (ACL) can be one of the causes of shoulder pain. Sonography studies carefully ACL and easily detects alterations of that joint.1 In particular ultrasonographic analysis makes it possible to reveal the presence of effusion and to show irregularities of the joint margins. By performing an adduction stress test clinical examination can reveal the presence of pain at the ACL.2 Objectives The aim of the present study was to examine sonographically the involvement of ACL in patients with painful shoulder and to compare the results with those obtained by clinical examination of ACL (adduction stress test). Methods 425 patients with shoulder pain were studied. They were 282 female and 143 male; their mean age was 57.9 years (range 18–90). In 103 cases bilateral involvement was present; for this reason 528 shoulders were studied totally. Moreover both the shoulders of 198 healthy control subjects were examined. They were 109 female and 89 male and their mean age was 56.3 years (range 19–69). Sonography of ACL was performed using a 7.5 MHz linear transducer. In all cases ACL was examined by longitudinal scanning of the joint, with the shoulder in neutral position. Effusion was revealed when the capsule stood convex to the articular space with simultaneous appearance of hypoechoic area within the joint.1 Irregularities of the joint margins were considered present when the bone surface of the clavicle and of acromion appeared discontinuous. An adduction stress test was performed holding the arm with the elbow and shoulder extended and then passively adducting across behind the back.2 Differences were analysed by Chi Square test. Results Sonography of ACL showed involvement of that joint in 270 cases (51.1%; p < 0.0000). In particular effusion was present in 142 joints (26.9%) and it was slight in 94 cases (66.2%), moderate in 46 (32.4%) and marked in 2 (1.4%). Irregularities of the bone surface were found in 161 cases (30.5%; p < 0.0000). In 109 joints only effusion was present, in 128 only irregularities were found, in 33 both of the alterations were revealed. In healthy control subjects effusion was present in only 2 cases (0.5%), irregularities were found in 9 shoulders (1.7%). The adduction stress test was positive in 43 joints (8.1%; p < 0.0001). In particular it was positive in 34 cases with sonographic finding of effusion, in 8 ACL with sonographic evidence of both effusion and irregularities and in 1 joint with sonographic demonstration of irregularities. Moreover, considering only the cases with joint effusion the test was positive in all the 2 cases with marked effusion, in 33 out of the 46 with moderate effusion and in only 1 out of the 94 with slight effusion. Conclusion Sonographic study appeared to be more sensitive than clinical examination. Moreover ultrasonographic technique made it possible to identify the type of alteration showing whether it was due to the presence of inflammation (effusion) or to degenerative process (irregularities) within the joint. Sonographic demonstration of alterations of ACL in a great percentage of cases of shoulder pain evidences the importance of this joint in the shoulder girdle pathology.


When trying to assess our contemporary predicament, the once controversial G-word may be about to be replaced by another elusive concept: Mediatization. The second or third phase of the digital revolution, with its explosion of so-called social media, has made it adamantly clear to us how all sectors of culture and society are saturated with, and increasingly influenced by, mediated communication. Not only politics and the public sphere, but our private lives and everyday experiences are today inseparably entangled with the media. This is not a "new" phenomenon. It can be traced back all the way to Aristotle's Poetics, or at least to Marshall McLuhan's media theory and catchy but obscure conception of the medium as the message… But whereas mediatization used to be largely confined to the global North, or the so-called developed world, and hence not a concern for the traditional field of Communication for Development, it is now truly a global phenomenon, as demonstrated by the ongoing so-called Arabic Spring. Today's media environments, in which "old" and "new" media converge in ever changing forms, are both radically transforming the arenas of public opinion and agency – redefining the very concept of a public sphere – and yielding new forms of expression that transgress former genre and media boundaries. The popular political mobilization in the Arab world was largely enhanced by social media, and even if labels such as the Twitter or Facebook revolution are rightfully refuted, the ongoing spring, which in some places may have turned to summer, and in others to autumn, is a clear-cut example of the rising communication power. But so are the recent riots in London, by young men in hoods, seemingly without other purpose than the hell of it, and in any case spurring diametrically different reactions in the Western media. Lately, we have also seen another manifestation of what might be called the dark side of mediatization: The concoction of anonymous hate-speech, racism and xenophobia on certain websites that fuels aggressive right-wing fundamentalism all over Europe, and instigated a Norwegian self-appointed Crusader to commit mass murder on politically active teenagers. Agency in the Mediatized World is the over-arching theme of the first Orecomm Festival, to take place on both sides of the Oresund strait (in Malmo, Sweden, and Copenhagen and Roskilde, Denmark) over five full days between September 9 and 13. The Festival will bring together Master and PhD students from four universities in the region physically (and virtually from all over the world) as a manifestation of the quite impressive body of knowledge that ComDev students have accumulated over the last decade. In the spirit of the Orecomm Festival, this issue of Glocal Times is dedicated entirely to articles by recent graduates from the Malmo ComDev Master. Meanwhile, the webmag is on the verge of becoming an Open Journal and changing both appearance and functionality, with a special double issue in collaboration with Nordicom Review in the making. Stay tuned for more on that.


This paper proposes a novel single-stage high-power-factor high-efficiency electronic ballast with symmetrical topology for fluorescent lamps. The circuit topology is originated from the integration of two half-wave rectifiers with buck-boost power-factor-correction (PFC) converters and a half-bridge series-resonant parallel-loaded inverter. A high power factor at the input line is assured by operating the buck-boost converters in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). With symmetrical operation and carefully designed circuit parameters, zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) on the active power switches of the inverter can be retained to achieve high circuit efficiency. The design equations are derived from the analyzed results based on fundamental approximation, and then an easy-to-use design tool is provided accordingly under considerations of filament heating and ignition. A prototype circuit designed for two T9-40W rapid-start fluorescent lamps is built and tested to verify the analytical predictions. Satisfactory performances are obtained from the experimental results.


Determining the fetal number to avoid pregnant sheep management, feeding, and delivery issues is of vital importance. This study aimed to determine the levels of pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) and pregnancy-specific protein B (PSPB), which are pregnancy proteins, to accurately predict singleton and twin pregnancies in Awassi sheep. A total of 40 Awassi sheep were used for the study. According to the number of offspring, pregnant ewes were separated into two groups. The study's first group (Group 1) included singleton pregnant ewe (n=20), while the second group (Group 2) included twin pregnant ewe (n=20). Blood samples were collected from the ewes of both study groups at 30th, 45th, 60th, 75th and 90th day of gestation, which were used for PAG and PSBP evaluation along with ultrasonographic examination. Independent samples t-test and repeated measurements ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The correlations between the measures were calculated using Pearson correlation coefficients. Accordingly, a statistically significant difference was observed between single and twin pregnant sheep for all PAG and PSBP measurements at days 30-45-60-75 and 90 (p<0.05). In singleton and twin pregnant ewes, there was a statistically significant difference in PAG and PSBP measurements (p<0.05). In singleton pregnant ewes, a significant positive correlation was found between PAG30 and PSPB30 values (p<0.05), while a significant negative correlation was found between paired measures of PAG45-PSPB90, PAG60-PSPB90, and PAG75-PSPB90 (p<0.05). In conclusion, significant differences in pregnancy protein levels were found in singleton and twin pregnant ewes. It was deduced that knowledge of this difference might give sheep breeders an idea about management factors.


This paper investigates Japanese trade to see whether
the J/S-curve phenomenon between net exports and the terms of trade is observed
in the data from 1980Q1 to 2008Q3. Based on the results of a VAR stability
test, the aggregate trade data are endogenously split into three sub-period
data sets, with the J/S-curve present in the last two. The J/S-curve may stem
from the increasing share of China and the oil-exporting countries in Japanese
trade. In fact, the J/S-curve is observed in the bilateral trade data with those
countries but not in the data with Korea or the United States.


It is shown that a therapeutically significant amount of heat can be generated by magnetic hysteresis in small ferromagnetic particles using high field strengths and low frequencies. Since Physt is proportional to frequency, use of a low-frequency magnetic field results in reduced heat output. However, in general the hysteresis area increases non-linearly with the amplitude of the applied field and so, if the correct choice of ferromagnetic material is made, such an increase can be sufficient to compensate for the frequency-related reduction in Physt. A large amount of work is still required to quantify the biological constraints placed on the various operational parameters to define the direction that further optimizations and refinements should take.


Hydroelectric generation is the largest contemporary source of commercially viable renewable energy produced on a large scale. Most of the Australian hydro generating plants are 40 to 60 years old and approaching their ldquohalf liferdquo refurbishment. Uprating of existing generously sized generators is, in most cases, possible and is the easiest and cheapest way of obtaining extra generating capacity without embarking on a costly and uncertain environmental approval process. Full replacement of the stator core is often part of the hydro generator upgrade scope. This is sometimes dictated by the deteriorated state of the original stator core, but more often the benefit is derived from advances in magnetic core steel technology where reductions in core losses permit achievement of required stator assembly temperature rises at an upgraded output, and often result in increased generating plant efficiency. The reduction in core losses may often be a deciding factor when considering feasibility and the possible extent of the hydro generator uprate. In one case with upgrade work on a 50 MVA hydro generator, which included replacement of the stator core, the author has achieved a reduction in core losses from 290 kW down to 160 kW. This resulted in a reduction of stator assembly temperature rise and improved machine efficiency. The two papers on hydro generator stator cores present a synthesis of knowledge derived from the author's many years of experience in refurbishing and upgrading hydro generators.


We present a new extensible and divisible taxonomy for open set sound scene analysis. This new model allows complex scene analysis with tangible descriptors and perception labels. Its novel structure is a cluster graph such that each cluster (or subset) can stand alone for targeted analyses such as office sound event detection, whilst maintaining integrity over the whole graph (superset) of labels. The key design benefit is its extensibility as new labels are needed during new data capture. Furthermore, datasets which use the same taxonomy are easily augmented, saving future data collection effort. We balance the details needed for complex scene analysis with avoiding 'the taxonomy of everything' with our framework to ensure no duplicity in the superset of labels and demonstrate this with DCASE challenge classifications.


This paper describes a robust automatic speech recognition (ASR) system with less computation. Acoustic models of a hidden Markov model (HMM)-based classifier include various types of hidden factors such as speaker-specific characteristics, coarticulation, and an acoustic environment, etc. If there exists a canonicalization process that can recover the degraded margin of acoustic likelihoods between correct phonemes and other ones caused by hidden factors, the robustness of ASR systems can be improved. In this paper, we introduce a canonicalization method that is composed of multiple distinctive phonetic feature (DPF) extractors corresponding to each hidden factor canonicalization, and a DPF selector which selects an optimum DPF vector as an input of the HMM-based classifier. The proposed method resolves gender factors and speaker variability, and eliminates noise factors by applying the canonicalzation based on the DPF extractors and two-stage Wiener filtering. In the experiment on AURORA2J, the proposed method provides higher word accuracy under clean training and significant improvement of word accuracy in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) under multi-condition training compared to a standard ASR system with mel frequency ceptral coeffient (MFCC) parameters. Moreover, the proposed method requires a reduced, two-fifth, Gaussian mixture components and less memory to achieve accurate ASR. key words: automatic speech recognition, feature extraction, canonicalization, distinctive phonetic feature, hidden factor


This study investigated the effects of Akebia quinata (AQ) leaf and fruit extract on acute alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity in AML12 cells. Different concentrations of AQ extracts (250 and 2500 μg/mL) were used to treat the AML12 cells with or without ethanol for 24 h for inducing acute alcohol cytotoxicity. AQ extract-treated AML12 cells showed enhanced expression of GSH-synthesizing enzymes and suppressed expression of oxidative stress makers such as NOX4, and decreased expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, inflammatory marker, in acute alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, it was observed that 100 mM ethanol treatment of AML12 cells resulted in global change of mRNA expression in microarray, but AQ leaf extract treatment reversed the global change of mRNA expression pattern into normal condition. In conclusion, AQ extract or functional component from AQ can be useful therapeutic agent in acute alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation responses.


Nebivolol Hydrochloride (NEB) is a lipophilic molecule with low solubility in GI fluid, and high metabolism which leads to its low oral bioavailability 12%. The aim of the present investigation was to develop immediate release self emulsifying tablet (IR-SET) as solid SMEDDS to enhance the solubility and permeability of the drug. Solubility study, pseudo-ternary phase diagrams and 3 2 factorial design were used to select the components of the system and optimize the composition of liquid SMEDDS. Optimal L-SMEDDS contains Kollisolv GTA, Tween 80 and Propylene glycol as oil, surfactant and co-surfactant, respectively in the ratio of 20:26.66:53.34 % w/w, formulates L-SMEDDS with droplet size (55.98 nm), PDI (0.37), emulsification time (16±1.52 sec) and drug content (97.43±0.30 %).  The liquid SMEDDS were adsorbed onto Neusilin US2 by adsorbtion technique to form S-SMEDDS. DSC and SEM studies suggested that NEB in the S-SMEDDS may be present in the molecular dispersed state and was sufficiently adsorbed onto solid carrier, respectively. S-SMEDDS was compressed into IR-SET by direct compression method and composition of IR-SET was optimized using 3 2 factorial design. Optimal IR-SET showed disintegration time (92 + 0.57 sec), droplet size (68.57 nm), PDI (0.34) and drug content (96.33±0.15 %). In vitro dissolution studies and ex vivo diffusion studies in rat stomach suggested that SMEDDS played an important role in solubility and permeability enhancing effect. Accelerated stability studies indicated that formulation were stable. Our results illustrated the increase in solubility and permeability of drug from IR-SET.


A white and gold painted stool from Tudor Place, an historic house museum in Georgetown, is the most clearly identifiable object in the group of "Green Drawing Room" furniture that George Washington purchased for his presidential home. It is a remarkable document of those original furnishings. Since the stool is well-described in presidential papers, it also documents the state of the furniture arts at a very specific point in time. This paper will pres ent an overview of investigative research carried out at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education. Elements of construction and restoration will be discussed: the woods, the upholstery materials, the paint history. Evidence of the earlier materials discovered is evaluated with descriptive documents from the first President's letters and account books.


This study aims to find the effect of interaction of paclobutrazol and type Legowo Row Planting in paddy fields that use SRI cultivation method to increase rice yield, and can determine the best combination of effective and can be applied in paddy fields to increase production. The research was conducted in the Village of Sulu, Tatapaan Sub-district, South Minahasa Regency. This study uses a field experiment with split plot design in groups of two factors. As the first factor is the type of Legowo Row Planting 2: 1 and 4: 1. The second factor is the provision of paclobutrazol by spraying the plants with a dose of: 0 ppm and 600 ppm. Paclobutrazol will be given only once, that when plants in active vegetative growth period (about 30 days old plants after transplanting). Data analysis was used Two-Factor Interactions calculation. The interaction of two factors occured, if the effect of a factor changes when the change level of other factors change. The results indicated that the existence of interaction between treatment paclobutrazol and Legowo row that high interaction in the inhibition of the vegetative growth of rice crops varieties Serayu, middle interactions on the rate of plant growth, middle interactions in the treatment of paclobutrazol and Legowo row to increase the content of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in the leaves, the influence of high interaction of the number of productive tillers, high interaction on panicle length, high interaction to the increased weight of 1,000 grains, high interaction of the increase in the weight of dry unhusked rice per plot, and the lack of interaction to increase the number of grains per panicle. Paclobutrazol 600 ppm treatment gave a positive response on Legowo row 2: 1 for the inhibition of vegetative growth of crops to prevent crop is too high and not easily fall, increased chlorophyll a, increasing the weight of 1,000 grains and increased the weight of milled rice per plot. Paclobutrazol 600 ppm treatment gave a positive response on Legowo row 4: 1 to increase the pace of growth, increased chlorophyll b, an increase in the number of productive tiller and panicle length.


This study provides evidence of the role of both legal and extra‐legal institutions in limiting the income management induced by the detachment of control rights from the cash flow rights of ultimate owners. The tests use a unique, comprehensive data set for firm‐level control and ownership structures from 9 East Asian and 13 Western European countries. Univariate regressions show that income management that is induced by the wedge between control rights and cash flow rights is significantly limited in countries with high statutory protection of minority rights (proxied by legal tradition, minority rights protection, the efficiency of the judicial system, or disclosure standards) and effective extra‐legal institutions (proxied by the effectiveness of competition laws, diffusion of the press, and tax compliance). Furthermore, multiple regression results show that a common law tradition and an efficient judicial system subsume the effects of the other legal institutions, and that a high rate of tax compliance subsumes the effects of the other extra‐legal institutions in curbing insider income management. It is surprising that a high rate of tax compliance ultimately has a greater effect than legal tradition and the efficiency of the judicial system. Although this finding is unexpected, given prior evidence on the dominant roles of legal institutions in macroeconomic issues and corporate policies, it is consistent with the recent argument that effective tax enforcement is like a public good in that it can reduce insiders' private control benefits. An implication of this finding is that closer attention to extra‐legal institutions has the potential to enhance our understanding of the institutional reforms needed to limit insider private control benefits.


Whether breast milk influences later neurodevelopment has been explored in non-randomised studies, potentially confounded by social and demographic differences between feed groups. Here in a strictly randomised prospective multicentre trial, Bayley psychomotor and mental development indices (PDI and MDI) were assessed at 18 months postterm in survivors of 502 preterm infants assigned to receive, during their early weeks, mature donor breast milk or a preterm formula. These diets were compared as sole enteral feeds or as supplements to the mother's expressed breast milk. No differences in outcome at 18 months were seen between the two diet groups despite the low nutrient content of donor milk in relation to the preterm formula and to the estimated needs of preterm infants. These results contrast with those reported from our parallel two centre study that compared infants randomly assigned a standard term formula or the preterm formula during their early weeks; those fed standard formula, now regarded as nutritionally insufficient for preterm infants, were substantially disadvantaged in PDI and MDI at 18 months post-term. It is shown here that infants from that study fed solely on standard formula had significantly lower developmental scores at 18 months than those fed on donor breast milk in the present study; yet the standard formula had a higher nutrient content than the donor milk. Thus, donor milk feeding was associated with advantages for later development that may have offset any potentially deleterious effects of its low nutrient content for preterm infants. As these outcome advantages were not confounded by the social and educational biases usually associated with mothers' choice to breast feed, our data add significant support to the view that breast milk promotes neurodevelopment.


Differentiation of human cytotrophoblasts to syncytiotrophoblast and the associated induction of aromatase/hCYP19 gene expression are dependent upon a critical O(2) tension; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain undefined. In this study, we provide compelling evidence that expression of the orphan nuclear receptor, estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ), is also O(2) dependent, induced during human syncytiotrophoblast differentiation, and plays an obligatory role in the induction of placenta-specific hCYP19I.1 gene expression. Treatment with the selective ERRγ agonist, DY131, or overexpression of ERRγ, stimulated hCYP19 expression in syncytiotrophoblast. Overexpression of ERRγ prevented effects of hypoxia to repress hCYP19 gene expression in cultured trophoblasts. Conversely, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of endogenous ERRγ in primary trophoblasts markedly inhibited hCYP19 expression. Promoter and site-directed mutagenesis studies in transfected placental cells identified a nuclear receptor element within placenta-specific hCYP19 promoter I.1 required for ERRγ-stimulated activity. Recruitment of endogenous ERRγ to the nuclear receptor element region in hCYP19 promoter during trophoblast differentiation, assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation, was prevented by hypoxia. Deferoxamine-induced hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) levels decreased ERRγ expression, whereas knockdown of endogenous HIF-1α prevented ERRγ suppression by hypoxia. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis of trophoblasts cultured in hypoxia revealed recruitment of HIF-1α to one of two putative hypoxia response elements in the ERRγ promoter, providing in vivo evidence of a direct HIF-1α involvement in ERRγ expression. Collectively, these novel findings identify ERRγ as an O(2)-dependent transcription factor and HIF-1α target gene that serves a critical role in the induction of hCYP19 expression during human trophoblast differentiation.


This study examined U.S. Army soldiers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding personal protection measures (PPMs) to prevent arthropod-related diseases and nuisance bites. Soldiers attending 1 of 13 U.S. Army training courses either completed a written questionnaire (N = 1,007) or participated in a group interview (N = 65). Respondents primarily used repellents to prevent nuisance insect bites (55%) rather than to prevent disease (38.7%). Less than one-third correctly identified the military-issue repellents to be used on skin (31.7%) or clothing (26.1%). More than half (57.6%) thought that commercial products were better than military-issue repellents, but most (74.2%) reported that they did not have enough or any information about the U.S. military's system of PPMs. Soldiers have poor knowledge of U.S. military doctrine regarding PPMs and still prefer to use commercial products. A focused strategy to ensure the appropriate use of PPMs by service members should be developed, implemented, and evaluated.


In population of outbred white rats there are individuals predisposed and unpredisposed to development of nonadaptive reactions of inhibitory type during elaboration of unilateral avoidance reflex in conditions of time deficit. Animals with weak adaptive processes are characterized by lowered levels of dopamine and dioxyphenilacetic acid in the striatum, of dopamine in Substantia nigra, of homovanillic acid in the n. accumbens and olfactory tubercle and of GABA--in the striatum, in comparison with the animals which did not show behavioural pathology.


This paper studies the implications of cross-border financial integration for financial stability when banks' loan portfolios adjust endogenously. Banks can be subject to sectoral and aggregate domestic shocks. After integration they can share these risks in a complete interbank market. When banks have a comparative advantage in providing credit to certain industries, financial integration may induce banks to specialize in lending. An enhanced concentration in lending does not necessarily increase risk, because a well-functioning interbank market allows to achieve the necessary diversification. This greater need for risk sharing, though, increases the risk of cross-border contagion and the likelihood of widespread banking crises. However, even though integration increases the risk of contagion it improves welfare if it permits banks to realize specialization benefits.


Lebourges-Dhaussy, A., Coetzee, J., Hutchings, L., Roudaut, G., and Nieuwenhuys, C. 2009. Zooplankton spatial distribution along the South African coast studied by multifrequency acoustics, and its relationships with environmental parameters and anchovy distribution. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1055-1062.The Central Agulhas Bank (CAB) is an important component of the southern Benguela ecosystem. Despite relatively low primary production, secondary production supports large populations of mid-trophic-level pelagic fish. Exhaustive sampling of the Agulhas Bank ecosystem was performed during a routine acoustic biomass survey in November 2006. A TAPS-6 was deployed with near-simultaneous, plankton-net sampling. Concurrent collections of fish-school and environmental data permitted a detailed study of the water column. Zooplankton was classified by equivalent spherical diameter (ESD; mm): 0.0-0.35 (Class I), 0.35-0.8 (Class II), 0.8-2 (Class III), and >2.0 mm (Class IV). Clear relationships with environmental parameters were only evident at night on the CAB (west of 23°E) for Classes II and III. Class III exhibited pronounced diel vertical migrations, whereas Class I exhibited a reverse pattern. Also observed were the effects of anchovy predation on small zooplankton aggregated in areas of high chlorophyll a.


Trieloff et al. ( 1 998) reported a newly determined 40ArPAr age of 70.3 f 2.2 Ma (2u) for melt rocks of the -65 km diameter Kara impact structure. They concluded that this age is incompatable with a relationship between Kara and the CampanianMaastrichtian boundary. In making this comparison, however, they used an age of 73 Ma for the boundary, citing Koeberl et al. (1990) who used the boundary age from the compilation by Harland et al. (1982). Since that time, the accepted age of the Campanianhlaastrichtian boundary has been revised, and the latest geological time scale (Gradstein et al., 1995) gives 71.3 2 0.5 Ma (2a) for that boundary. Thus, the latest age determination for Kara overlaps (within the 2u error) the currently accepted date of the CampanianMaastrichtian boundary. The CampanianNaastrichtian boundary represents only a minor global extinction of marine genera, -8% according to Sepkoski (1999, which translates into -20% of species using the rarefaction curve of Raup (1979). Although the creation of an -65 km diameter crater is expected to have had some global environmental effects, these would have been well below the thresholds of global darkness and ejecta-triggered fires as predicted for the more severe effects of the much larger K/T impact at Chicxulub (Toon et al., 1997). In fact, the lower error bound of the "kill curve" relationship between impacts and extinctions proposed by Raup (1991) would put a 65 km crater at a species extinction level of -20%, which is in agreement with a possible connection between Kara and the changes that mark the Campaniadvfaastrichtian turnover. We also note that the inclusion of Kara and the CampanianMaastrichtian boundary extends the significant correlation found by Stothers (1993) between well-dated impact craters and stage boundaries during the Cenozoic (the last 65 Ma).


This paper proposes an enhanced opportunistic beamforming scheme with power allocation search algorithms over finite feedback channels for a broadcast channel. Instead of continually varying the power allocation for multiple beams based on instantaneous channel state information (CSI) feedback, the proposed scheme determines power allocation in advance solely based on channel statistics and the number of mobile stations (MSs). This scheme maintains power allocation throughout multiple training and data transmission periods as long as channel statistics and the number of MSs are unchanged. As a result, the proposed scheme reduces the complexity for searching power allocation, and becomes robust over finite feedback channels. Computer simulations show that the proposed power allocation search algorithms efficiently find the near optimal power allocation with low complexity. The simulations also show that, although the proposed scheme predetermines power allocation solely based on channel statistics and the number of MSs, it outperforms the opportunistic beamforming scheme using instantaneous CSI feedback with finite feedback rates.


Background
Complete esophageal obstruction (CEO) is a rare condition of which treatment options are challenging. Surgery is the main treatment with high morbidity and mortality rates. Magnetic compression anastomosis (MCA) is a novel technique developed to restore lumen patency in gastrointestinal and biliary tracts. However, MCA experience is limited in respect of esophageal strictures.

Case Report
We present a 26-year-old patient having CEO. Magnets are inserted endoscopically to both sides of the obstructed area via oral and retrograde (through the gastrostomy tract) route. On day 8, magnets stuck together and were removed endoscopically through the oral route. Subsequently, sessions of balloon dilatations and triamcinolone injection were performed. The patient's complaint of aphagia resolved after the treatment process.

Conclusion
In conclusion, MCA is an alternative technique that can be used to restore lumen patency in esophageal strictures and also avoids complications of surgical interventions.


: The sedimentary arrangement generated by overland flows remains an open question, particularly due to the sediment concentration variations of this flow. We create a laboratory experiment to answer a question: what type of facies and structures can low concentration overland flows (≈ 3 vol%) gene rate in a steep-planar hillslope context with a gently sloped sand accommodation area? Our experiment revealed that nonconfined low concentrated flows were supercritical and turbulent at steep slope. On the sedimentation plain, flows exhibited progressive deceleration implying three flow stages (arrival-flow, intermediate-flow and waning-water flow). In the first stages, flows remained supercritical and turbulent, and in the last stage, they became subcritical and turbulent. Parting lineation was the predominant surface feature for the three flow stages, followed by tool marks, rills and coarse aggregate accumulation. The recurrence of flows implicated in parting lineation reworking, scour-and-fill, and horizontal airscape structures. The arrival-flow stage developed erosive depression, in which sediments were incorporated into the flow. These flow characteristics and sedimentary structures can occur in the real world and are related to overland flow recurrence.


A quarter of the thyroid gland obtained at post-mortem examination from a group of elderly inpatients were nodular. There was a significant preponderance of women with goitre, but no relationship to age. The incidence of hyperthyroidism was increased in patients with nodular glands. There was no correlation between the weight of the thyroid gland, the age of the patient and the free-thyroxine index. Histological examination of macroscopically normal glands showed tiny follicles, microscopic colloid nodules and fibrosis. Nodular glands had the features of long-standing colloid nodular goitre. Focal lymphocytic thyroiditis was observed in a fifth of the glands. Microscopic evidence of altered function was common but could not always be correlated with the results of the thyroid function studies.


High-resolution mid-infrared observations of astrospheres show that many of them have filamentary (cirrus-like) structure. Using numerical models of dust dynamics in astrospheres, we suggest that their filamentary structure might be related to specific spatial distribution of the interstellar dust around the stars, caused by a gyrorotation of charged dust grains in the interstellar magnetic filed. Our numerical model describes the dust dynamics in astrospheres under an influence of the Lorentz force and assumption of a constant dust charge. Calculations are performed for the dust grains with different sizes separately. It is shown that non-monotonic spatial dust distribution (viewed as filaments) appears for dust grains with the period of gyromotion comparable with the characteristic time scale of the dust motion in the astrosphere. Numerical modelling demonstrates that number of filaments depends on charge-to-mass ratio of dust.


The sonographic and computed tomographic (CT) findings in three cases of retroperitoneal fibrosis are illustrated. Its clinical, laboratory, and conventional radiographic findings are often nonspecific. The sonographic findings consist of an extensive retroperitoneal, extrarenal, anechoic, well marginated, and irregularly contoured mass. Computed tomography depicts a paraspinal, extrarenal, and well marginated lesion that is isodense with the surrounding muscles. Through other abnormalities present similar sonographic and CT findings, the differential diagnosis is limited so that correlation of the clinical and radiographic changes allows a preoperative diagnosis with high confidence.


The oxidation resistance of TiAl-alloys can be improved by several orders of magnitude by treating the surface of the materials with small amounts of halogens especially Cl and F. The oxidation mechanism changes due to the so called halogen effect. The formation of a fast growing mixed oxide scale on untreated alloys is suppressed, instead a thin protective alumina scale is formed on samples after optimum treatment. The different methods only influence the surface region of the components so that the bulk properties are not affected. Recent results achieved with complex TiAl-samples showed the potential that the fluorine effect could be used for TiAl-components in several high temperature applications e.g. jet engines. TiAl-specimens were treated with fluorine and chlorine in several ways and their performance during high temperature oxidation tests in air was investigated. Results of isothermal and thermocyclic oxidation tests are presented. The long term stability of the fluorine effect lasted for at least one year under thermocyclic exposure at 900°C in laboratory air. The results are discussed in terms of later use of the fluorine effect for technical applications.


A study on seasonal population dynamics of rodents was carried out on Mount Chilalo from August, 2007 to April, 2008. Six habitats, namely grassland, bush land, montane forest, Erica forest, Afroalpine forest and moor land were identified to carry out live and snap trapping during wet and dry seasons in randomly selected grids. Seasonal species distribution, relative abundance and habitat association, weight, sex, age and reproductive status of rodents were studied. From 1,756 individuals captured, 985 (56.1%) and 771 (43.9%) were live trapped during wet and dry seasons, respectively. Species composition for live trapped individuals during wet and dry seasons was 9 and 10, respectively. These are: Arvicanthis abyssinicus , A. blicki , Lophuromys flavopunctatus , L. melanonyx , Mastomys natalensis , Mus mahomet , Otomys typus , Stenocephalemys albipes , S. albocaudata and S. griseicauda . Mus mahomet was trapped only during the dry season. There was no significant seasonal variation in the capture of young and sub-adult, while it is significant among adults with highest during wet season. Although more males than females were trapped during wet season, the sex ratio was not significantly different. The number of reproductively active males and females were higher during the wet than the dry season. The highest trap success (47.1%) was recorded during wet season. Biomass ranged from 9,231 g/ha (moor land habitat) to 55,507 g/ha (grassland habitat). From snap trapped rodents, pregnant females of A. dembeensis , R. rattus and M. mahomet were not obtained. Maximum number of embryo counted was 15 for M. natalensis and the least (2) was for O. typus .


We review the regular tilings of d-sphere, Euclidean d-space, hyperbolic d-space and Coxeter's regular hyperbolic honeycombs (with infinite or star-shaped cells or vertex figures) with respect of possible embedding, isometric up to a scale, of their skeletons into a m-cube or m-dimensional cubic lattice. In section 2 the last remaining 2-dimensional case is decided: for any odd m>6, star-honeycombs {m, m/2} are embeddable while {m/2, m} are not (unique case of non-embedding for dimension 2). As a spherical analogue of those honeycombs, we enumerate, in section 3, 36 Riemann surfaces representing all nine regular polyhedra on the sphere. In section 4, non-embeddability of all remaining star-honeycombs (on 3-sphere and hyperbolic 4-space) is proved. In the last section 5, all cases of embedding for dimension d>2 are identified. Besides hyper-simplices and hyper-octahedra, they are exactly those with bipartite skeleton: hyper-cubes, cubic lattices and 8, 2, 1 tilings of hyperbolic 3-, 4-, 5-space (only two, {435} and {4335}, of those 11 are compact).


Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are caused by fungi, bacteria, parasites or viruses and are transmitted from one person to another through having intercourse. Lack of knowledge will cause teenagers to have sex unsafely. Teenagers need to be taught about reproductive health because STIs are common and there is little knowledge about STIs. This study aimed to find out the effectiveness of a virtual peer educator training program about STIs in teenagers. This was a quantitative quasiexperimental study. There were 38 participants who were aged 15-18 years old and were recruited through convenience sampling. The data were collected by using two questionnaires: one about the awareness of STIs (Cronbach's alpha = 0.795) and one about the attitudes towards STIs (Cronbach's alpha = 0.709). The data were analyzed by using paired t-tests. This study showed that the training program was effective in enhancing teenagers' awareness and attitude about STIs. Educating teenagers about reproductive health is important to make they know about STIs, themselves and their surroundings.
Keywords: virtual, peer educator, training, STI, youth