Working on the lexicography of isiXhosa has led to the interesting experience of discovering that the description of the lexicon of isiXhosa poses innumerable challenges of both a semantic and a non-semantic nature. The problems encountered, some of which this article is an account of, include lack of understanding of the nature, depth and volume of work involved in compiling dictionaries, complexities idiosyncratic to the language itself, factors affecting consistency in methodology and other aspects, as well as extra-linguistic issues like orthography, finance, technology and relevant skills. Some of the problems rise from the very recognition of the fact that dictionaries play a significant role in "... eliminating obstacles in communication" (Alberts 1992: 1) and the consequent desire or ambition to produce as perfect a dictionary as possible. Keywords: isixhosa, trilingual dictionary, multi-volume dictionary, cultural context, addenda, inclusion, authenticity, accuracy, language change, self created terms, indeterminacy, alphabetization, naturality, orthography, computer lexicography, research, language representativeness, language planning


Wine proteins play an important role in a wine's quality as they affect taste, clarity, and stability. To enhance our understanding of the proteins in wine, nano-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/tandem mass spectrometry was used to profile soluble proteins in wine. Twenty proteins were identified from a Sauvignon Blanc wine including five proteins derived from the grape, 12 from yeast, two from bacteria, and one from fungi. The findings are somewhat peculiar at first glance, but reasonable explanations can account for the results. The grape proteins identified are less in number, which may be due to the availability of an incomplete database and possibly bentonite fining. The relatively large number of identified yeast proteins may be due to their complete protein database. The identified bacterial and fungal proteins could possibly be attributed to sources in the vineyard including natural infections and improper handling during harvest. The use of nano-HPLC/tandem mass spectrometry is an important tool for identifying wine proteins and understanding how they affect its characteristics.


We welcome Professor Elise Kosunen as new National Editor and Professor Markku Timonen as new Assisting National Editor for Finland. Elise has worked as a full-time GP for eleven years and held a teaching position at University of Tampere for 16 years. Her own research in recent years has had a special focus on sexual health and contraception. Markku is a general practitioner at Oulu Health Centre and professor of general practice at the University of Oulu. Important parts of his research have been on mental disease in primary health care and the relationship between mental and somatic conditions, e.g. diabetes.

Professor Irma Virjo, who has been a highly valued National Finnish editor for many years, and the assisting Finnish editor Heikki Luukinen have decided to stop. I wish to thank them both for their good (an unpaid) work for the Journal.

Professor Elise Kosunen

Professor Markku Timonen


Schema mappings are declarative specifications that describe the relationship between two database schemas. In recent years, there has been an extensive study of schema mappings and of their applications to several different data inter-operability tasks, including applications to data exchange and data integration. Schema mappings are expressed in some logical formalism that is typically a fragment of first-order logic or a fragment of second-order logic. These fragments are chosen because they possess certain desirable structural properties, such as existence of universal solutions or closure under target homomorphisms. In this paper, we turn the tables and focus on the following question: can we characterize the various schema-mapping languages in terms of structural properties possessed by the schema mappings specified in these languages? We obtain a number of characterizations of schema mappings specified by source-to-target (s-t) dependencies, including characterizations of schema mappings specified by LAV (local-as-view) s-t tgds, schema mappings specified by full s-t tgds, and schema mappings specified by arbitrary s-t tgds. These results shed light on schema-mapping languages from a new perspective and, more importantly, demarcate the properties of schema mappings that can be used to reason about them in data inter-operability applications.


The study investigated the influence of school inspection on changing teachers" practices in Babati District Council, Manyara Region, in Tanzania. The specific objectives of this study were; (i) to examine school inspectors views on the role of school inspection on teaching and learning in primary schools, ii) to explore the views of teachers on contribution of school inspections in improving teaching and learning process in primary schools, iii) to find out the frequency of school inspection in schools in relation with learners" performance and iv) to determine how best school inspections should be carried out as to have a positive effect on teaching and learning. A total of 71 respondents participated in the study including 57 classroom teachers, four ward education officers, nine school inspectors and one District Education Officer. The findings indicated that school inspection plays a potential role towards changing teachers" practices and that advice and feedback given through inspection reports were useful for making improvements in their work performance. The study further revealed that, school inspectors judged the performance of the schools basing on schemes of work; lesson plans and pupils" exercise books, whereas classroom observations were not effectively carried out. Since this study concentrated on the influence of primary school inspection on teaching and learning, it did not go further to investigate the extent to which the inspection findings and recommendations are implemented. Thus, it is recommended that there should be further research to examine the extent to which the district education officer makes use of school inspection reports and recommendations.


Magnetic induction heating is a promising heating approach for MEMS processes and devices. This study has discussed the scale effect of induction heating for thin-film microstructures through the analytical and experimental means. The results show that the rising temperature varies with the in-plane surface area of microstructure and the relative permeability of thin-film materials. Moreover, the shape of microstructure also leads to the different of rising temperature. In applications, localized heating and temperature regions can be simultaneously achieved on substrate by applying a external high frequency magnetic field.


Abstract Our aim was to examine the relation of serum osteocalcin (OCN) levels with the clinical, biochemical, and histological characteristics of patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We carried out a case-control study including 99 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and 75 age- and sex-matched controls. Concentrations of OCN were measured in aprotinin-treated serum samples using a solid-phase enzyme amplified sensitivity immunoassay. Serum OCN levels were significantly lower in patients with NAFLD than in healthy controls. In patients with NAFLD, serum OCN levels were inversely associated with ALT (r =−0.36, p < 0.001), AST (r =−0.39, p < 0.001), HOMA-IR (r =−0.30, p < 0.01) and the degree of hepatocyte ballooning (r =−0.20, p < 0.05). Serum OCN was the only independent predictor of the degree of hepatocyte ballooning in NAFLD patients (β =−0.24; t = −2.146, p < 0.05). Compared with controls, NAFLD patients have a decrease in serum OCN concentrations, which is significantly associated with serum transaminases and the extent of hepatocyte ballooning.


We introduce a monolithic cathode that self-regulates oxygen supply, ideally complementing the recently developed monolithic anode that self-pumps the fuel. Developed is a microstructured cathode that generates oxygen, consumes generated oxygen bubbles as needed, and stops the generation when not consumed, all in a self-regulating fashion. Cyclic voltammetry confirms that the cathode is capable of reducing oxygen even in the presence of simulating a mixed-reactant condition. Half-cell tests show reasonable current outputs, suggesting a complete (full) fuel cell of no moving parts is feasible.


We study the global attractor of semilinear parabolic equations of the form

$u_t=u_{x x}+f(u,u_x),\ x\in\mathbb{R}$/$\mathbb{Z}, \ t>0.$

Under suitable conditions on $f$, the equation generates a global semiflow on a suitable function space. The general theory of inertial manifolds does not apply to this equation due to lack of the so-called spectral gap condition. Using a totally different method, we show that the global attractor is the graph of a continuous mapping of finite dimension. We also show that this dimension is equal to $2[N$/$2]+1$, where $N$ is the maximal value of the generalized Morse index of equilibria and periodic solutions. Note that we do not make any assumption regarding the hyperbolicity of those solutions. We further prove that there exists no homoclinic orbit nor heteroclinic cycle.


A study of undergraduate student experience with class syllabi revealed several concerns for improvement in areas directly related to General Education and assessment strategies using electronic portfolios. We report several student interests and suggestions, including the need for consistent syllabi that contain information designed to promote success in classes. Students report that faculty members teaching General Education courses have not adequately engaged in helping them with electronic portfolio requirements. Results of this study suggest that better communication, through carefully constructed syllabi, is needed to connect students and instructors to the importance of General Education and the use of electronic portfolios for assessment and student documentation of learning.


The objective of this work is to explore the implementation of a low-cost real-time monitoring and control of water consumption together with a user feedback interface. Water usage information will be available in a cloud storage and can be accessed through a mobile application. The collected data allows access and supervision of both client- and water concessionaire. Project feasibility is analyzed in terms of hardware and software, as well as each element required for the design. The simulations were carried out with the purpose of verifying system operation, considering the following metrics: transmission rate, signal strength and transmission quality. After the simulations, the hardware and software were integrated, and the final result was presented through a mobile application. This work presents and applies a design and development methodology of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and Smart City in water-distribution systems.


According to Professor Vickers' own figures there should be just over 900 SHOs in the post at any one time. I f one assumes an average of as long as two years in this grade, at least 450 will leave each year. 200 of these, says Professor Vickers, will be promoted to the registrar grade, but what of the other 250? An unknown proportion of them would be juniors from other specialties doing an elective period in anaesthesia, for example GPs who are aiming for the parttime medical officer (clinical assistant) grade, and those who decide anaesthesia is 'not for me'. The rest, possibly the majority of the 250, will have wasted their time in anaesthesia-hardly a happy way to run a Health Service. It would appear more logical also to reduce SHO numbers, partially to prevent another frustrating bottleneck and partially to reduce pressure on the registrar grade, the grade to which most overseas graduates aspire before returning home with the FFARCS. The second point concerns how much room there will be for the overseas graduate. Professor Vickers says their number is immaterial in the context of the UK career structure. I do not believe such an isolated view can be valid. The Short Report clearly states its prime aim is to provide a more efficient consultant-based service. and not an expanded service. Therefore. the tax-payer would be fully justified in asking what the extra number of consultants will be doing with their time if not work which was o m done by juniors,


Adipose triacylglycerol lipase (ATGL) is a dynamic lipid droplet-associated protein involved in cellular lipolysis, which is conserved from bacteria to humans. Recent methods that measure the enzymatic activity of ATGL in vitro are established using lipid emulsions. However, the lipid emulsion platforms contain various membranous structures which reduce the accuracy of enzymatic activity determination. Therefore, a new platform and corresponding method are required for accurate measurement of ATGL enzymatic activity that represents cellular lipid and energy homeostasis. Adiposomes are artificial lipid nanostructures mimicking lipid droplets. Employing adiposome as a platform, we have developed an assay to measure the enzymatic activity of ATGL in vitro. Here, a detailed protocol is described to explain how to measure the activity of ATGL using adiposomes. This method successfully proves the concept of lipid droplet-mimetic lipase activity determining platform and provides a tool to identify the active sites of lipases.


Research has shown that physical activity leads to greater psychological well-being for many young and middle-aged individuals. This paper reviews studies to determine whether there is also evidence for an association between physical activity and psychological well-being across the life span, or in the elderly. Several methodological problems related to exercise, ageing, and psychological well-being are explored. Although an association between exercise and mental well-being in the elderly is noted, there is little experimental evidence to support a conclusion that physical activity is causally related to enhanced psychological well-being in the elderly. Methodological problems, a paucity of well-controlled studies, and equivocal findings regarding the topic make it premature to conclude that physical activity leads to enhanced mental health in elderly persons.


In this study we present a novel method for building high quality tractography-based DWI brain templates. We use streamline normalisation to obtain the correct anatomical fibre orientation information in template space and then regenerate the diffusion signal using the COMMIT framework. The template fODF field and tractography reconstructions show good anatomical agreement with well known white matter structures. This framework could provide new templates, atlases and tools for normalisation of DWI data, and simplify the creation of realistic DWI phantoms.


Multi-camera on-site video technology and post-lesson video stimulated interviews were used in a purposefully inclusive research design to generate a complex data set amenable to parallel analyses from several complementary theoretical perspectives. The symposium reports the results of parallel analyses employing positioning theory, systemic functional linguistics, distributed cognition and representational analysis of the same nine-lesson sequence in a single science classroom during the teaching of a single topic: States of Matter. Without contesting the coherence and value of a well-constructed mono-theoretic research study, the argument is made that all such studies present an inevitably partial account of a setting as complex as the science classroom: privileging some aspects and ignoring others. In this symposium, the first presentation examined the rationale for multi-theoretic research designs, highlighting the dangers of the circular amplification of those constructs predetermined by the choice of theory and outlining the intended benefits of multi-theoretic designs that offer less partial accounts of classroom practice. The second and third presentations reported the results of analyses of the same lesson sequence on the topic "states of matter" using the analytical perspectives of positioning theory and systemic functional linguistics. The final presentation reported the comparative analysis of student learning of density over the same three lessons from distributed cognition and representational perspectives. The research design promoted a form of reciprocal interrogation, where the analyses provided insights into classroom practice and the comparison of the analyses facilitated the reflexive interrogation of the selected theories, while also optimally anticipating the subsequent synthesis of the interpretive accounts generated by each analysis of the same setting for the purpose of informing instructional advocacy.


A typical coordinate rotation computing sequence is shown in Table II . (Note that in this computation, the vector is rotated through the negative X axis.) Since the change of magnitude will be exactly known beforehand, it may be compensated for exactly either by scaling or by a magnitude-correction multiplication. I t may then be said that, except for the practical consideration of limiting the number of digits and the number of steps to some finite value, both algorithms produce an exact solution. In a practical computer, no approximations are necessary except round-off. In applying this computing technique to practical problems, the complete solution may be programmed by considering the computer as the digital equivalent of an analog resolver. If the analog-resolver solution flow for the particular problem is known, then the number of operations and the information-flow diagram can be obtained simply by substituting for each resolver, on a time-shared basis, a CORDIC operation. TABLE II


We investigated an effect of the direct impact of a constant magnetic field on wastewater properties modification. Wastewater from two sources (differing in physical and chemical properties) was used in the experiment. Analyses regarded the impact of a constant magnetic field on the properties of wastewater prepared from powdered milk and on the composition of sewage taken directly from municipal sewage system. The experiment was carried out in the laboratory scale with the use of the technological systems comprised of magnetic activators of liquids. An obvious and regular reduction was observed in COD (25- 55%), chlorides (25-40%), N-NH 4 (50-66%), P-PO 4 to the values of 3.37-6.00 mg/dm 3 , and a considerable increase of Fe concentration. The parameters of both magnetically-treated wastewater types were modified to a similar degree and displayed analogous modification tendencies.


Summary

Effects of storage period (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 months) of crab leg shell at room temperature on selected physicochemical and functional properties of E- and G-chitosans, respectively, prepared from entire (E) and ground (G) shells were evaluated. Increased storage period of crab shell generally increased degree of deacetylation (DD) and viscosity, but decreased DPPH radical scavenging activity of both chitosans. Water-binding (WBC) and fat-binding (FBC) capacities of E-chitosan were not affected by storage period of crab shell; however, those of G-chitosan significantly increased when crab shell was stored for more than 1 month. Dye-binding capacity (DBC) of both chitosans decreased when crab shell was stored for 1 month, but further decrease was not observed with increased storage period to 4 months. Prepared with 4-month stored crab shell, E-chitosan exhibited comparable viscosity, colour whiteness index, DPPH radical scavenging activity and DBC, but lower DD, WBC and FBC than G-chitosan.


DMD causes progressive lethal respiratory muscle weakness and the long-term effects of cortico-steroids on respiratory function is still under debate. We aim to investigate the effect of steroid therapy on a longitudinal study in our cohort of DMD patients. Since 2006, we have been monitoring the respiratory function in 95 DMD patients (age range: 6-24 years) who were evaluated once per year until the age of 10-11 years or until wheelchair bounding and then twice per year after wheelchair bounding or first signs of respiratory or cardiac impairment, making a total of 429 evaluations. During every visit, forced vital capacity, nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation and the supine abdominal percentage contribution to resting tidal volume (an index of the action of the diaphragm 1 ) were respectively measured with spirometry, pulse oximetry and opto-electronic plethysmography. 46 patients underwent continuous therapy with steroid for at least 2 years while 49 never assumed steroid or they did it for l 2 years and used as controls. No differences (p=0.12) were found in forced vital capacity, nocturnal saturation and action of the diaphragm between the 231 evaluations of the steroid group and the 198 evaluations of the controls (figure). The steroid therapy seems not to have ameliorative effects on the respiratory function decline in DMD patients. 1 Lo Mauro et al, Eur Respir J. 2010 May;35(5):1118-25


ASCIONE, F. J. (1976) Information sources-separating fact from fiction. Drug Therapy, 6, 43-45. RIVERS, N. & HORNER B. (1970). Possible lethal reaction between Nardil and dextromethorphan. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 103,85. SHAMSIE, S. J. & BARRIGA, C. (1971) The hazards of use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors in disturbed adolescents. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 104, 715. SINCLAIR, J. G. (1973) Dextromethorphan-monoamine oxidase inhibitor interaction in rabbits. Journal ofPharmacy and Pharmacology, 25, 803-808.


Abstract Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report outcomes of double outlet right ventricle biventricular repair at a single institution in developing countries and to investigate post-operatively determined risk factors for mortality and late intervention. Methods: Patients with double outlet right ventricle who underwent biventricular repair in our centre from January 2009 to December 2021 were included. Results: A total of 96 patients (male/female = 61/35) with biventricular repair were included. According to its specific anatomical type, the appropriate individual surgical plan was selected. Multivariate analysis indicated that prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time(OR = 1.044; p = 0.012) and pre-operative moderate or above pulmonary hypertension(OR = 24.558; p = 0.023) were independent risk factors for early mortality. Univariate analysis showed that different anatomical types and different surgical methods had similar late intervention and late mortality. Concomitant coarctation of the aorta(OR = 40; p = 0.020) and concomitant ventricular septal defect enlargement(OR = 26.667; p = 0.005) were independent risk factors for late intervention by multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Selection of appropriate surgical techniques based on different anatomical types often results in similar late outcomes. For patients with concomitant ventricular septal defect enlargement during the operation, it is necessary to fully expand and avoid damage to the conduction bundle. We should timely intervention in patients with coarctation of the aorta and pay attention to the occurrence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction during follow-up.


The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing health disparities. People of historically underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minority groups and people with lower incomes and educational attainments, experienced disproportionate premature mortality, access to healthcare, and vaccination acceptance and adoption. At the same time, the pandemic increased reliance on digital devices, offering a unique opportunity to leverage digital communication channels to address health inequities, particularly related to COVID-19 vaccination. We offer a real-world, systematic approach to designing personalized behavior change email and text messaging interventions that address individual barriers with evidence-based behavioral science inclusive of underserved populations. Integrating design processes such as the Double Diamond model with evidence-based behavioral science intervention development offers a unique opportunity to create equitable interventions. Further, leveraging behavior change artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities allows for both personalizing and automating that personalization to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccination at scale. The result is an intervention whose broad component library meets the needs of a diverse population and whose technology can deliver the right components for each individual.


Lactobacillus plantarum strain 423 was encapsulated in hollow poly(organosiloxane) microcapsules by templating water-in-oil Pickering emulsion droplets via the interfacial reaction of alkylchlorosilanes. The bacteria were suspended in growth medium or buffer to protect the cells against pH changes during the interfacial reactions with alkylchlorosilanes. The results of this work open up novel avenues for the encapsulation of microbial cells.


Neonicotinoids are known as effective pesticides against various insect species. They can harm useful insects including honeybees, with a relatively low threat to nontarget organisms and the environment. This paper presents combined methods to explore the insecticidal activity of neonicotinoids with diverse scaffolds, active against Aphis craccivora. Pharmacophore, molecular docking into the active site of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor homology model, and linear and non‐linear regression approaches were used to find new insecticide candidates. The potential toxic effects against honeybees were evaluated using the molecular docking in the active site of the new Aphis mellifera homology model. Four new untested compounds were assigned as insecticide candidates, active against Aphis craccivora with less potential toxic effects for honeybees. This approach may be an effective strategy to design environmentally friendly insecticides against the cowpea aphid.


The art of managing materials; logistics play a crucial role in efficiency and productivity of companies. It is very significant to determine most influential logistic factors since logistic costs account for 30% of total company costs. The factors affecting success of logistic enterprises such as cost, speed, reliability, customer satisfaction, distribution channel, company image, environmental friendliness and technological innovations are investigated and ranked in this study. Three different approaches based on Pythagorean Fuzzy sets, triangular fuzzy numbers and Analytic Hierarchy Process is offered for ranking these factors. Although it has been introduced to literature recently, the pythagorean fuzzy sets are widely employed in calculating uncertainty. The three most influential logistic factors are revealed as cost, speed and reliability, respectively by employing AHP, Fuzzy AHP and Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP, however factor weights are different. We think that the differences with in the AHP, F-AHP and PF-AHP results may stem from expressing evaluations in exact values, linguistic terms or in some cases it may be related to fulfilling the condition of membership and non-membership. Furthermore, top 10 logistic firms in Turkey are scored and ranked to these factors. Logistics, Pythagorean fuzzy sets, AHP, Fuzzy AHP, MCDM.


This study examines the mesenteric blood flow response to feeding of newborn piglets. Experiments were performed in 21 term piglets age 4 hours to 4 weeks anesthetized with 0.25-0.75% halothane in O2 (depending on age) paralyzed with decamethonium bromide and ventilated artificially to maintain normal arterial pH, pCO2, and hydrated by 5% dextrose in 1/3 physiologic saline. The superior mesenteric artery flow was measured by electromagnetic probes. Arterial pressure, electrocardiogram and rectal temperature were simultaneously recorded. The stomach was intubated through the esophagus. Feeding in 10 or 15 ml increments (total amounts 23-27 ml/kg) of water or modified cow's milk elicited a 30-35% increase in mean mesenteric flow from the control values ½-1 hour postprandially in 7 piglets, 15-30 days old. Piglets under 2 days old showed the following flow changes from control values: an immediate but unsustained increase (10-30%) with water feed (8 cases); 5-12% decrease with modified cow's milk (3 cases) and 10-16% increment with sow's milk (3 cases) ½-1 hour after feeding. It is suggested that superior mesenteric blood flow response to feeding is age related.


During the past two decades, parasitism by the German yellow jacket wasp, Paravespula germanica, on lactating dairy cattle has occurred in Israel during August to October annually, affecting up to 65% of cows in certain herds. The nibbled and exposed tissues of teats and sometimes udders become infested by bacteria, especially Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Actinomyces pyogenes, causing clinical and subclinical mastitis. Normally, German wasps are primarily insect predators, but the urbanization around many dairy farms has reduced open space and associated standard food sources, i.e. insects, plants and carcasses. This has resulted in P. germanica nesting more often on dairy farms. In some instances, when high densities of P. germanica correspond with scarcity of prey, a segment of the wasp population preys primarily on the older and heavier cows with weak defensive behaviour. The teat feeding colonies of P. germanica may have an advantage, in that they are less dependent on fluctuations in the number of prey insects.


Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are important global public health problems. Coinfection with HBV and HCV is not uncommon due to the shared route of parenteral transmission. The interaction between HBV and HCV in coinfected individuals is complex, and viral interference has been well described. Patients who are coinfected with HBV and HCV have faster rates of fibrosis progression, more severe liver disease, and are at markedly increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma as compared to those with HBV or HCV monoinfection. Therefore, treatment of HBV-HCV coinfection is important, but it is a challenging and evolving field. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) superinfection is associated with a high risk of liver failure and death in patients with underlying chronic liver disease, and all individuals with HBV-HCV coinfection should receive the HAV vaccine.


Why is it that there are so few cases about professional service firms (PSFs) given their increasing dominance in the knowledge-based era? The attempt to answer this question presupposes a willingness to differentiate between what strategy professors mean by strategy and what strategy consultants mean by strategy. This perspective essay argues that the development of strategy in the business academy and in strategy consultancies has happened on parallel tracks. There has not been as much interaction between these strategists as would be desirable, albeit with some exceptions. These exceptions happen when consultancies have been spun-offfrom the theoretical work of top academic strategists. However, since these theoretical exchanges are few and far between, academics have focused mainly on developing general frameworks while the consultants have concentrated on building specific forms of knowledge through intense tracking of industrial segments known as 'verticals', and in presenting theirfindings as granular insights. The role models of strategic cognition and the outlets where results of such studies are reported using these approaches also vary considerably. The revitalization of the case method in management education however demands not only the willingness to write more cases about professional service firms on the part of academics in business schools, but also the availability and the deployment of interdisciplinary approaches to the case method analogous to those that have 'defamiliarized'the case method in the U.S. law school system.


Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to atherosclerosis is a major cause of death in renal allograft recipients. Recently, C1q/TNF-α related protein-9 (CTRP9), which is a paralog of adiponectin (ADPN), has been suggested to be related to the prevention of atherosclerosis and the occurrence of CVD, but this relationship has not been confirmed in renal allograft recipients. Subjects and methods The relationships among the serum CTRP9 concentration, serum ADPN concentration, and vascular calcification were investigated in 50 kidney transplantation recipients at our hospital. Calcification of the abdominal aorta was evaluated according to the aortic calcification area index (ACAI) calculated from CT images. Changes in the serum CTRP9 and ADPN fractions and ACAI were examined for 8 years. In addition, the expression of CTRP9 and ADPN and their respective receptors AdipoR1 and R2 in muscular arteries of the kidney was examined by immunofluorescence. Results In renal allograft recipients, the serum CTRP9 concentration at the start of the observation was not significant correlated with eGFR or serum high-molecular-weight (HMW)-ADPN concentration (rS = -0.009, p = 0.950; rS = -0.226, p = 0.114, respectively). However, the change in the serum CTRP9 concentration was positively correlated with the change in the serum HMW-ADPN concentration (rS = 0.315, p = 0.026) and negatively correlated with the change in ACAI (rS = -0.367, p = 0.009). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the serum HMW-ADPN concentration was a significant positive factor for the change in the serum CTRP9 concentration. Moreover, for ACAI, an increase in the serum CTRP9 concentration was an improving factor, but aging was an exacerbating factor. Furthermore, colocalization of CTRP9 and AdipoR1 was noted in the luminal side of intra-renal arterial intima. Conclusion In renal allograft recipients, both CTRP9 and HMW-ADPN were suggested to prevent the progression of aortic calcification through AdipoR1.


As in the past, this fifth edition of one of the earliest clinical books on peripheral vascular disorders represents the combined effort of a large number of authors (41), all from various departments of the Mayo Clinic. The book consists of 35 chapters divided into five sections, and, in great part, the contents are authoritative, readable, thorough, and comprehensive in their presentation. According to the editors, the general organization and framework of the present volume closely follow those of the previous ones, a format that appears to be open to some criticism. For example, section 1 is devoted to basic considerations, and it still contains two chapters that are purely clinically oriented, one dealing with symptoms and signs of peripheral vascular disorders and the other with laboratory means of identifying their presence. The remaining three chapters are properly placed, since they concern themselves with such subjects as a detailed description


Synthetic chemistry plays a key role in the multidisciplinary development process of new small molecule pharmaceuticals. In this context, organic synthesis is not only the essential tool to find potential drug candidate molecules but is also in charge of the subsequent creation, exploration, and evaluation of short, efficient, safe, reproducible, scalable, ecological but still economical syntheses for the selected clinical candidates. This second activity generally named synthesis and process research or just process research is the indispensable link between discovery chemistry and technical development heading toward future large-scale industrial production. In addition to solving the gradually rising synthetic problems associated with the ever increasing structural complexity of new potential drug molecules, the resulting synthesis has to show technical potential and has, particularly, to take into account the basic requirements and limitations of a prospective technical process. In this chapter, the role and importance of synthesis and process research in the development process of new drugs from discovery chemistry (medicinal chemistry) synthesis up to the technical route will be outlined and exemplified with specific examples also taking into account large-scale production requirements. The chapter concentrates on the synthetic strategies and tactics applied to drug candidates in order to create efficient chemical syntheses with technical potential suitable for further technical optimization aiming at the large-scale industrial production of new pharmaceuticals. Owing to the permanently changing environment of the pharmaceutical industry and the tremendous advancements of science, neither general rules nor final or permanent principles and recipes for the successful transformation of a synthetic process from milligrams to tons or from discovery chemistry to production can be provided. Synthetic organic chemists know too well that molecules frequently behave incalculably, and that they are usually hard to control and therefore deserve individual treatment.


An auditory-based feature extraction algorithm is presented. We name the new features as cochlear filter cepstral coefficients (CFCCs) which are defined based on a recently developed auditory transform (AT) plus a set of modules to emulate the signal processing functions in the cochlea. The CFCC features are applied to a speaker identification task to address the acoustic mismatch problem between training and testing environments. Usually, the performance of acoustic models trained in clean speech drops significantly when tested in noisy speech. The CFCC features have shown strong robustness in this kind of situation. In our experiments, the CFCC features consistently perform better than the baseline MFCC features under all three mismatched testing conditions-white noise, car noise, and babble noise. For example, in clean conditions, both MFCC and CFCC features perform similarly, over 96%, but when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the input signal is 6 dB, the accuracy of the MFCC features drops to 41.2%, while the CFCC features still achieve an accuracy of 88.3%. The proposed CFCC features also compare favorably to perceptual linear predictive (PLP) and RASTA-PLP features. The CFCC features consistently perform much better than PLP. Under white noise, the CFCC features are significantly better than RASTA-PLP, while under car and babble noise, the CFCC features provide similar performances to RASTA-PLP.


Deterministic quantum interactions between single photons and single quantum emitters are a vital building block towards the distribution of quantum information between remote systems. Deterministic photon-atom state transfer has been demonstrated by using protocols that include active feedback or synchronized control pulses. Here we demonstrate a completely passive swap gate between the states of a single photon and a single atom. The underlying mechanism is single-photon Raman interaction (SPRINT) - an interference-based effect in which a photonic qubit deterministically controls the state of a material qubit encoded in the two ground states of a {\Lambda} system, and vice versa. Using a nanofiber-coupled microsphere resonator coupled to single Rb atoms we swap a photonic qubit into the atom and back, demonstrating nonclassical fidelities in both directions. Requiring no control fields or feedback protocol, the gate takes place automatically at the timescale of the atom's cavity- enhanced spontaneous emission time. Applicable to any waveguide-coupled {\Lambda} system, this scheme provides a versatile building block for the modular scaling up of quantum information processing systems.


Misinformation about abortion and pregnancy is common. Restrictions on abortion access at and beyond 20 weeks are frequently justified using the claim that a fetus can experience pain before the third trimester. The current medical consensus is that it is unlikely that fetal pain perception is possible before the 29th or 30th weeks of pregnancy.


Biomass is being researched as a possible alternative to fossil sources of energy, in order to avoid externalities from fossil fuel use that affect the environment and the economy. Some biomass-based energy production systems may produce unwanted externalities in their own right, such as increasing the production pressure on the agricultural land base, resulting in a rise in prices of food commodities. Using marginal land for biomass production has been suggested as a solution. However, the definition of what constitutes marginal land is poorly understood. This paper provides a theoretical foundation for identification of marginal lands, and analyzes recent literature to assess how current usage of the term marginal correspond to the theoretical framework. Then, the paper devises empirical models that test possible methods of identification of the extensive margin of agricultural land in 19 counties in the state of Michigan. The models find that dynamic variables such as price changes have a statistically significant effect on land use change into and out of cropland. Land quality and regional effects are also statistically significant.


Acquired melanocytic naevi (AMN) are a well-known risk factor for the development of melanoma. Whereas previous studies have reviewed AMN distributions on individual body sites, the clinical distribution of AMN on the adult trunk has not been thoroughly investigated. We studied 40 participants with 1,282 naevi >5 mm, of which 781 were located on the trunk. Remarkably, 70% of these truncal naevi were located on the back and we produced a continuous mathematical description of decreasing naevus frequency moving dorsolaterally from the back midline. Furthermore we found that for both sexes the mean naevus size was larger on the front as well as on the lower trunk. This distinct pattern, whilst probably being unwritten knowledge (in the dermatology domain), has not been discussed before.


In this paper, we introduce Adaptive Cluster Lasso(ACL) method for variable selection in high dimensional sparse regression models with strongly correlated variables. To handle correlated variables, the concept of clustering or grouping variables and then pursuing model fitting is widely accepted. When the dimension is very high, finding an appropriate group structure is as difficult as the original problem. The ACL is a three-stage procedure where, at the first stage, we use the Lasso(or its adaptive or thresholded version) to do initial selection, then we also include those variables which are not selected by the Lasso but are strongly correlated with the variables selected by the Lasso. At the second stage we cluster the variables based on the reduced set of predictors and in the third stage we perform sparse estimation such as Lasso on cluster representatives or the group Lasso based on the structures generated by clustering procedure. We show that our procedure is consistent and efficient in finding true underlying population group structure(under assumption of irrepresentable and beta-min conditions). We also study the group selection consistency of our method and we support the theory using simulated and pseudo-real dataset examples.


Euphemistic substitution occurs due to taboo issues and the most common taboo subjects are physiological actions or their results (motion, sexual intercourse etc) thus the basic function of euphemistic substitution is to soften an offensive, vulgar word. A euphemism is usually defined as a softer, a more neutral substitute for vulgar words, however, such a definition is narrow and not precise as it only indicates one feature of euphemism formation, i.e. correctness, tact. Ascribing euphemisms only to the field of tropes does not reflect their contemporary distribution. Now euphemisms are also used as a linguistic means to conceal facts and manipulate the audience. It is necessary to understand the contemporary usage of euphemisms by two perspectives, i.e. as (1) a neutral word or phrase that is used instead of a synonymous one which is impolite or politically incorrect; and also as (2) individual, occasional contextual substitutions aimed at misrepresenting or concealing facts, real meaffning etc. The new usage of euphemisms is especially relevant to advocate and consolidate new social or political doctrines, "to positively inform" about acts of war carried out by totalitarian regimes, etc. Researchers investigating euphemism usage sometimes do not even mention graphical euphemism formation or do not pay greater attention to it, although in electronic discourse this is a widespread phenomenon. In written language in order to achieve euphemistic effect, a word can be restructured or changed by using non-letter graphical symbols instead of letters, euphemised graphical equivalents can be created. Graphical euphemism formation in manipulative media is not common due to obviousness. Graphical euphemisms as substitutes for obscene vocabulary are most commonly used in internet forums, article comments, interactive chat rooms. When using a graphical euphemism, the automatic check programme does not recognise it as a swearword, a vulgar word and allows inserting such a message. The article distinguishes six types of graphical euphemism formation in electronic discourse: insertion of a letter, insertion of a space, insertion of a non-letter symbol, substitution of a letter with a non-letter symbol, omission of a word part (beginning, middle, ending) and encryption. Together with these types, the cases of occasional and mixed euphemism formation are discussed. The most common type is the omission of a word part (beginning, middle, ending), another common category is that of the substitution of a letter with a non-letter symbol. Less frequent is euphemism formation by inserting a letter, a space or some other non-letter symbol into a word, while the least frequent and unpopular are cases of encrypting a euphemised word. Received: 20.3.2012 Accepted: 20.5.2012


A generic architecture for evolutive supervision of robotized assembly tasks is presented. This architecture provides, at different levels of abstraction, functions for dispatching actions, monitoring their execution, and diagnosing and recovering from failures. Modeling execution failures through taxonomies and causal networks plays a central role in diagnosis and recovery. Through the use of machine learning techniques, the supervision architecture will be given capabilities for improving its performance over time. Particular attention is given to the inductive generation of structured classification knowledge for diagnosis. The applied methodologies, performed experiments and obtained results are described in detail.


Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease often accompanied by a series of complications, such as diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, and diabetic foot. The survival time of diabetics has been significantly prolonged due to advancements in medicine. However, the prolonged survival time for diabetics can increase the prevalence of diabetic central nervous system disease. Diabetic encephalopathy (DE) has become one of the main complications of the disease, and the main clinical manifestation of DE is cognitive dysfunction. However, the typical morphological and pathological characteristics of the brain in DE are rarely systematically reported. Thus, this phenomenon severely restricts the diagnosis and treatment of DE. This article presents a description of the pathology characteristics of DE, including atrophy of the brain (gray matter, white matter, and hippocampus), changes in cerebrovascular morphology and function, impairment of synaptic plasticity, and dysfunction of neuroglia. In addition, abnormalities in the glymphatic clearance system of the brain are closely related to the progression of DE. A review of typical brain morphological and pathological characteristics would aid in the diagnosis and treatment of DE.


We report a case of perioperative fracture-dislocation of the humeral head produced during the reaming for a resurfacing replacement hemiarthroplasty (RRH) in a 79-year old woman. This is a surgical complication not previously described in the literature for this type of prosthesis design. Resurfacing humeral head implant has been noted as a useful treatment for glenohumeral arthropathies, also in elderly people, with a very low incidence of complications. However, as we report, they are possible. It is advisable that conventional stemmed implants could be available when RRH is performed.


Molecular systems often remain trapped for long times around some local minimum of the potential energy function, before switching to another one – a behavior known as metastability. Simulating transition paths linking one metastable state to another one is difficult by direct numerical methods. In view of the promises of machine learning techniques, we explore in this work two approaches to more efficiently generate transition paths: sampling methods based on generative models such as variational autoencoders, and importance sampling methods based on reinforcement learning.


The spin-exchange frequency shift due to cold collisions between ground-state atoms appears to be the systematic effect which could limit the accuracy of a laser-cooled cesium fountain operating as a frequency standard. We have investigated this shift for atoms distributed among all the Zeeman substates of either the F = 4 or F = 3 hyperfine level of the 6S1/2 ground state of cesium and for the case where most of the atoms are prepared in F = 3, MF = 0 sublevel. The measured relative frequency shifts are respectively − 1.0·10−21, − 0.6·10−21 and − 2.0·10−21 (at/cm3)−1. These results agree with the measurements performed by Gibble and Chu at higher atom densities with atoms prepared in F = 3, MF = 0 sublevel. However, the precision of our frequency measurements is much better and is only limited at 2·10−15 by the H-maser used as a reference oscillator. Finally, we show that the relative frequency shift due to cold collisions can be reduced to 10−15, while preserving a short-term frequency stability of about 10−13τ−1/2.


Hotel services are one of the supporting facilities for promoting Indonesian tourism. Hotel activities are renting rooms, selling food, drinks and providing commercial visitor services. These supporting facilities are intended to increase the attractiveness of guests, so that guests are expected to feel at home and have a long stay at the hotel. The purpose of this study is to determine the income, operating costs of the room to the profit of the departmental room at Hotel Mustika Tuban. This research uses descriptive qualitative research method to get a picture of the situation in the field through observation, interviews, documentation, and literature review. Based on the results of the calculation of the allocation of operating expenses (operating expenses) in the room department, a departmental income statement can be prepared for each type of room, so that the proportion of operating expenses and departmental income of each room type can also be calculated in each period. Based on the above, the researcher concluded that the revenue of the room department is strongly influenced by the rate of occupation, considering that the proportion of operating expenses is very low. Apart from these costs, there are still many undistributes expenses that leave the owner's profit. Most of these costs are fixed. Therefore, the importance of a more intensive and creative marketing program to attract guests, given the large number of accommodation capacities and an increase in the volume of occupancy rates.


Australia is a country rich in religious diversity. While constitutionally speaking Australia is a secular society, waves of immigration over its short history have had a great impact on its religious and cultural make-up. The Encyclopedia of Religion in Australia is the first major work of reference to describe the beliefs, practices and organisation of religion in Australia. It examines religion in several different ways: historical development, belief systems and controversies, as well as the social role each faith plays in modern Australian society. This comprehensive volume includes entries on Indigenous spirituality, Scientology, Hillsong and Atheism, and features all of the major religions. Richly illustrated, it includes a section dedicated to current debates and issues in modern-day Australia, such as the place of religion in politics, fundamentalism, religious education and social cohesion.


The purpose of this paper is to present the methods and results of our assessment of students' scientific writing. This study was conducted in an introductory oceanography course in a large public university that used an interactive CD-ROM, "Our Dynamic Planet." The CD-ROM provided students with geological data including earthquake locations and depths, volcanic locations, topographic elevations, heat flow distributions, and the relative age of islands which they may use to build their arguments regarding plate tectonics. We examined 24 student papers from this course and analyzed the quality of their written arguments by using two methods: (1) a grading rubric and (2) an argumentation analysis model. Quantitative analysis comparing the assessments made by these two methods produced disparate results. Through the presentation of samples of student writing, we demonstrate the application of the argumentation model. Finally, we discuss ways of using argumentation to help students understand how to tie data to theoretical assertions and to provide ways for students and teachers to assess the uses of evidence in scientific writing.


OBJECTIVE
Carrying out an objective assessment of the quality of performance of the technique of prosthetics with stump pin tabs of the upper and lower molars.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective assessment of the quality of dental preparation and modeling of root pin inlays was carried out by analyzing CBCT studies using the RadiAnt program. Measurements were carried out and 80 CBCT studies of patients who had tabs in their molars performed in various clinics of the city of Moscow were studied.

RESULTS
Restoration of defects in the hard tissues of teeth with cast root pin tabs has specific features related to the anatomy of the roots and the distribution of the chewing load. An analysis of the practical implementation of the prosthetics technique and the compliance of the quality of the tabs with the requirements of clinical recommendations showed that they are performed only in 47.5% of cases with respect to modeling the length of the pin part of the tabs (relative to the length of the tooth root), in 40.0% of studies - on the quality of root canal filling; in 36.3% - on the residual thickness of the walls of the tooth root. The requirements for the ratio of the foliar and pin parts of the tabs were not met in any of the cases. In the case of tab modeling, the requirements for maintaining a safe zone in the area of root furcation and tooth tissue thickness of at least 1.0 mm were met only in 36.25 (32.50±3.75)% of cases.

CONCLUSION
Improving the quality of prosthetics using tabs lies not only in the plane of a more responsible approach to determining indications for this type of prosthetics, performing techniques and algorithms, using modern tools, but also in the field of working out the methodology for manufacturing tabs in multi-root teeth taking into account the anatomy of the roots of chewing teeth, the distribution of chewing pressure and the number of pin parts of tabs.


Spatially-explicit state-and-transition simulation models of land use and land cover (LULC) increase our ability to assess regional landscape characteristics and associated carbon dynamics across multiple scenarios. By characterizing appropriate spatial attributes such as forest age and land-use distribution, a state-and-transition model can more effectively simulate the pattern and spread of LULC changes. This manuscript describes the methods and input parameters of the Land Use and Carbon Scenario Simulator (LUCAS), a customized state-and-transition simulation model utilized to assess the relative impacts of LULC on carbon stocks for the conterminous U.S. The methods and input parameters are spatially explicit and describe initial conditions (strata, state classes and forest age), spatial multipliers, and carbon stock density. Initial conditions were derived from harmonization of multi-temporal data characterizing changes in land use as well as land cover. Harmonization combines numerous national-level datasets through a cell-based data fusion process to generate maps of primary LULC categories. Forest age was parameterized using data from the North American Carbon Program and spatially-explicit maps showing the locations of past disturbances (i.e. wildfire and harvest). Spatial multipliers were developed to spatially constrain the location of future LULC transitions. Based on distance-decay theory, maps were generated to guide the placement of changes related to forest harvest, agricultural intensification/extensification, and urbanization. We analyze the spatially-explicit input parameters with a sensitivity analysis, by showing how LUCAS responds to variations in the model input. This manuscript uses Mediterranean California as a regional subset to highlight local to regional aspects of land change, which demonstrates the utility of LUCAS at many scales and applications.


We study the information transfer and entanglement transfer in a system consisting of single trapped ions in cavities by the three-mode cross-Kerr-like interaction among the cavity field (photons), the centre-of-mass motion (phonons) and the internal state of the trapped ion in the Lamb–Dicke and large detuning regime.


Knowledge about existing disease pattern and health seeking behaviour is essential to provide need-based healthcare delivery and to make the healthcare system more pro-poor. A community-based cross sectional study was conducted among 493 systematically selected households to determine the prevailing disease pattern and health seeking behaviour in rural Bangladesh. More than half of the respondents gave history of illness of family members during the preceding 15 days. Fever, gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases were the most reported complaints. Overall, there were no discernible differences in the likelihood of seeking traditional or any kind of care considering socio-demographic variables and prevailing disease types. Occupation of household head as day labour or in agriculture and suffering from gastrointestinal diseases positively predicted use of para-professionals. Use of un-qualified allopaths was negatively predicted by the male gender or literacy of the household head and presence of gastrointestinal, respiratory and other types of diseases and positively predicted by occupation of the household head in agricultural field or as day labour. Use of qualified allopaths was positively predicted by respiratory, skin/eye/ENT and other types of diseases and also by standard of living and relationship of the respondents with household head and negatively predicted by agricultural or day labour work of the household head. Existence of several distinct therapeutic systems in a single cultural setting was found in the study area. It is important to develop a need based healthcare delivery system and actions should be taken to improve overall scenario of health system of rural Bangladesh.


Background: Tumor tissue (T) mutational analysis represents the standard for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC); however, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detected by liquid biopsy in plasma (PL) can better represent tumor heterogeneity. Methods: mCRC patients undergoing standard first-line chemotherapy with known T-KRAS/NRAS/BRAF status were enrolled in the present prospective study. PL mutations were assessed within 2 weeks before chemotherapy start with real time PCR and correlated with T status and Progression free survival (PFS). Clinical and biochemical variables including also total number of tumor lesions (TNL) and the sum of maximum diameter (SMD) of all lesions were assessed as potential predictors of T/PL discordance. RESULTS: Among 45 enrolled patients, all BRAF mutations were concordant between T and PL and there were 20% of patients RAS discordant: 9% wild type in T and mutated in PL and 11% mutated in T and wild type in PL. T mutations were significantly associated to median PFS (mPFS of 4.5, 8.3 and 22.9 months for T-BRAF mutated, T-RAS mutated, and T-wild type patients, respectively, p for trend 0.00014). PL mutations further refined prognosis: RAS wild type in T and mutated in PL had significantly shorter PFS than concordant RAS wild type in T and PL: mPFS 9.6 vs. 23.3 months, respectively, p = 0.02. Patients RAS mutated in T and wild type in PL had longer PFS than concordant RAS mutated in T and PL: 24.4 vs. 7.8 months, respectively, p = 0.008. At a multivariate cox regression analysis for PFS, PL mutations were independent prognostic factor superior to T analysis (HR 0.13, p = 0.0008). At multivariate logistic regression analysis TNL and SMD were significant predictors of discordant cases. Conclusions: PL mutational analysis allows a better prognostication than T analysis alone and could help in mCRC treatment management.


University-Industry collaboration plays an important role with the development of technology. The education condition is one of the most import affection for the foundation of the collaboration. In this paper 100 students from Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in UMP were investigated with 15 questionnaires for the case study. All the students were also interview base on the education condition in UMP. The results were used to investigate the opportunity of founding the collaboration between UMP and industries. The result showed that the education condition in UMP was quite good, most of the students give position recommends. This is the basis for the university-industry collaboration. It will be helpful for the foundation of collaboration in the future. Key words: Education; UMP; Collaboration; Industry


Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most common diagnoses in hospitalized patients. The stimulus that initiates the acute inflammatory process in AMI has not been identified. Conventional risk factors account only for approximately half of the patients with clinically apparent atherosclerosis which can leads to AMI. Recently a potential link between infectious agents and atherosclerosis has been suggested Objective: To find a possible association between Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) infection and AMI. Method: We studied the prevalence of antiH. pylori antibodies in 94 patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of AMI and a similar number of healthy individuals who were age and sex matched. This was done using ELISA technique. Results: Overall prevalence of anti-H. pyroli antibodies in patients with AMI was 82.9% whereas the prevalence in the control group was 78.7% . This difference yielded an odd ratio of 1.317. Chi square test shows that this difference was insignificant statistically (p-value 0.458) Conclusion: We feel that our results do not support the hypothesis which stated that chronic infection with H. pylori is a major risk factor for AMI.


INFLUENCE OF HEAT TREATMENT AND MODIFIED ATMOSPHERES PACKAGING ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF DATE DEGLET NOUR DURING STORAGE IN COLD. A compared study of the simple and combined action of processing and storage has been carried on the date variety Deglet Nour. The samples were heat treated and/or packed in polyethylene film for modified atmospheres then stored in cold (10°C) and ambiant temperature (22°C)for 05 months. Results showed that the content in water is similar to the content of water in the half-soft date varieties. Either packed or unpacked refrigerated shares preserve their moisture, while shares stored at room temperature have dried. In control samples, a progressive diminution of the pH values has been observed during the storage. On the other hand, cold and heat treatment stabilizes the pH and the acidity. The content in total sugars decreases strongly during the storage, particularly at ambiant temperature. The cold slows considerably this trend and a greater stability is recorded in heat treated - packed shares. The content in reducing sugars is more stable in shares heat treated- chilled or heat treated -packed comparatively to the controls that present fluctuations. These variations are confirmed by the evolution of the saccharose rate inversion. The positive effect of the heat treatment appears clearly when it is associated with the cold and packaging. The phenolic compounds decrease with storage particularly for heat treated samples, while the weakest contents are noted in packed shares. In conclusion, the combined heat treatment - cold - modified atmospheres seems to insure the best behavior of the date that preserves perfectly its initial characteristics of fresh fruit and an excellent market quality.


Personal characteristics of management represent one of the factors affecting the company performance and reporting. Effects of management characteristics on different issues have been discussed in many researches. The characteristics are further affected by various factors. As management characteristics, CEO tenure can be associated with various consequences. One of the potential effects of personal characteristics of management is its impact on investment sensitivity to cash flow which is addressed in the present research where the subject is investigated during 2009-2013 period. The result shows that a significant association between CEO tenure and investment sensitivity to cash flow was not confirmed.


According to the Motivated Information Processing in Groups (MIP-G) model, groups should perform ambiguous (non-ambiguous) tasks better when they have high (low) epistemic motivation and concomitant tendencies to engage in systematic (heuristic) information processing and exchange. The authors tested this prediction in an experiment with four-person groups performing a complex and dynamic decision making task. Group confidence was measured after extensive training and prior to actual group decision-making. Task ambiguity was manipulated. Results showed that when task ambiguity was low, group confidence indeed benefits decision quality and group performance. But when task ambiguity was high, group confidence hurt decision quality and group performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.


The Human Vaccines Project is a bold new initiative, with the goal of solving the principal scientific problem impeding vaccine development for infectious diseases and cancers: the generation of specific, broad, potent and durable immune responses in humans. In the July 2014 workshop, 20 leaders from the public and private sectors came together to give input on strategic business issues for the creation of the Human Vaccines Project. Participants recommended the Project to be established as a nonprofit public–private partnership, structured as a global R&D consortium closely engaged with industrial partners, and located/affiliated with one or more major academic centers conducting vaccine R&D. If successful, participants concluded that the Project could greatly accelerate the development of new and improved vaccines, with the potential to transform disease prevention in the 21st century.


The fungus Austropuccinia psidii infects young tissues of Eucalyptus plants until they are two years old in the nursery and field, causing Myrtaceae rust. The characteristics making older eucalypt leaves resistant to A. psidii and the reason for the low levels of this pathogen in older plants need evaluations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological differences between Eucalyptus grandis leaves of different growth stages and two plant ages to propose a visual phenological scale to classify E. grandis leaves according to their maturation stages and to evaluate the time of leaf maturation for young and adult plants. A scale, based on a morphological differentiation for E. grandis leaves, was made. The color, shape and size distinguished the leaves of the first five leaf pairs. Anatomical analysis showed a higher percentage of reinforced tissue, such as sclerenchyma-like tissue and collenchyma, greater leaf blade thickness, absence of lower palisade parenchyma in the mature leaves and a higher number of cavities with essential oils than in younger ones. Changes in anatomical characteristics that could reduce the susceptibility of older E. grandis leaves to A. psidii coincide with the time of developing leaf resistance. Reduced infection of this pathogen in older plants appears to be associated with a more rapid maturation of their leaf tissues.


A stability-indicating RP-TLC/Densitometry method for analysis of Raloxifene hydrochloride both in bulk material and in tablets was developed and validated. Densitometric analysis of Raloxifene hydrochloride was carried out at 311 nm on TLC aluminium plates precoated with silica gel 60RP-18 F254S as the stationary phase and methanol : water : ammonia (95 : 05 : 0.1 v/v) as mobile phase. Raloxifene hydrochloride was well resolved at Rf 0.55 ± 0.02. The linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear relationship with r2 = 0.9969 ± 0.0015 with respect to peak area in the concentration range 100–600 ng per band. The mean value ± SD of slope and intercept was found to be 15.05 ± 0.44 and 201.9 ± 29.58 with respect to peak area. The limits of detection and quantification were 9.27 ng and 27.10 ng, respectively. Raloxifene hydrochloride was subjected to acid and alkali hydrolysis, oxidation, dry heat, and photodegradation. The drug underwent degradation under basic and oxidation conditions. This indicates that the drug is susceptible to alkali hydrolysis and oxidation. The proposed developed RPTLC/Densitometry method can be applied for identification and quantitative determination of Raloxifene hydrochloride in bulk material and tablets.


Background Previous reports have established an association between impaired clearance of macromolecular waste from the brain parenchyma and a variety of brain insults for which chronic neuroinflammation is a common pathological feature. Here we investigate whether chronic neuroinflammation is sufficient to impair macromolecular waste clearance from the rat brain. Methods Using a rodent model of chronic neuroinflammation induced by a single high-dose injection of lipopolysaccharide, the clearance kinetics of two fluorophore-conjugated dextran tracers were assayed at 8-weeks post-induction. The expression and distribution of amyloid β and aquaporin-4 proteins within selected brain regions were assayed at 36-weeks post-induction, following open-field, novel object recognition, and contextual fear conditioning assays. Results Chronic neuroinflammation significantly impaired the clearance kinetics of both dextran tracers and resulted in significantly elevated levels of amyloid β within the hippocampus. Aquaporin-4 density on astrocytic endfeet processes was also reduced within multiple brain regions. These pathologies were associated with significantly enhanced contextual fear memory. Conclusion Our results suggest that chronic neuroinflammation is sufficient to compromise the clearance of macromolecular waste from the brain parenchyma and may be the root cause of impaired waste clearance associated with a variety of brain pathologies.


Complex projectiles—propulsion via mechanical aid—are considered an important technological innovation, with possible relevance for the successful Out-of-Africa dispersal of our species. Conclusive evidence for the beginning of this technology, however, is lacking from the early Late Pleistocene (ca. 130 to 70 thousand years ago; ka). Given the extremely limited applicability of relatively robust methods for validating stone-tipped projectile use, such as through fracture propagation velocity, converging lines of circumstantial evidence remain the best way to examine early complex projectiles. We assess here suggestions for an early Late Pleistocene origin of complex projectiles in Africa. Results from both previous and present independent approaches suggest a trajectory in which complex projectiles were likely adopted during the early Late Pleistocene in eastern Africa. At Aduma (Middle Awash, Ethiopia), morphometric, hafting, and impact damage patterns in several lithic point assemblages suggest a shift from simple spear technologies (thrusting and/or hand-cast) to complex projectiles. Broadly dated to 80–100 ka, lithic points from later phases of the Aduma succession represent a particularly strong candidate for projectile armatures most comparable to ethnographically known spearthrower darts, lending support for previous suggestions and warranting further investigations.


Androstenedione, 4-androstenediol, 5-androstenediol, 19-norandrostenediol and 19-norandrostenedione are commonly referred to as "Andro" prohormones. Over the last few years, supplementation using these prohormones has been aggressively marketed to the general public. Supplement manufacturers often claim that Andro use improves serum testosterone concentrations, increases muscular strength and muscle mass, helps to reduce body fatness, enhances mood, and improves sexual performance. However, to date, most studies contradict these claims. In contrast, several studies using oral Andro related prohormones show that Andro use can abnormally elevate estrogen related hormones as well as alterations in hormonal markers (i.e., abnormal elevations in serum estrogen) thought to increase a person's risk for developing prostate or pancreatic cancers. In addition, most studies also indicate that significant declines in high-density lipoproteins occur leading to an increased cardiovascular disease risk. Thus, to date, the current research base suggests that Andro prohormone use does not support manufacturer claims. But it does suggest there should be strong concerns regarding long-term oral Andro prohormone use, especially regarding its effects on blood lipids and estrogen hormone profiles.


Starting from the chemical structure of the recent FDA-approved anti-HIV drug Amprenavir (Agenerase), a potent HIV-protease inhibitor, we have designed new series of Amprenavir bioisoteres in which the methylene group of the benzyl group was replaced by a sulfur atom. This structural modification has required an original multistep synthesis. Unfortunately, introduction of the sulfur atom abolished or drastically decreased both inhibitory activity on recombinant HIV protease and HIV infection protection on MT4 cell cultures.


In this present study, heat transfer performance of a shell and tube heat exchanger used molten salt is analyzed by a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) programing. The model is prepared regard as a literature study that includes experimental results for validation. ANSYS 14.5 numerical package software is used in the solution of cases. The special heat transfer fluid, molten salt is used as fluid material that has been used between 360 ̊C – 400 ̊C and 0,48 – 1,87 m3/h. The numerical results are compared with experimental results in literature and a good conformity has been achieved with considering limited numerical errors. In this study may be used in future studies developed numerical CFD models.


Despite various policy initiatives, a substantial number of children in the United States remain uninsured, have problems with access to health care, or are in fair or poor health. These difficulties are not evenly distributed across the population. Hispanic children, those whose parents have little education, and those who live in families without an employed parent are at disproportionately high risk of encountering these problems. Although multivariate analyses would be required to disentangle the complex relationships among these factors, these descriptive data reveal the segments of the population to which new health-related programs, such as CHIP-funded state plans, might most productively be directed. Issues concerning children's health are likely to remain on the national policy agenda for some time to come. Because MEPS is a continuing data collection effort, it will enable researchers and policymakers to follow trends in these issues over time. For example, MEPS data will support evaluations at the national level to determine whether children who lack health insurance or a usual source of care will actually face fewer barriers after CHIP-funded programs are implemented. This paper provides a baseline against which to evaluate the impact of CHIP and other policy changes on the health and well-being of America's children.


We present the final results from our deep Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging study of the host galaxies of radio-quiet quasars (RQQs), radio-loud quasars (RLQs) and radio galaxies (RGs). We describe and analyse new Wide Field & Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) R-band observations for 14 objects, which when combined with the first tranche of HST imaging reported in McLure et al., provide a complete and consistent set of deep, red, line-free images for statistically matched samples of 13 RQQs, 10 RLQs and 10 RGs in the redshift band 0.1 < z < 0.25. We also report the results of new deep VLA imaging that has yielded a 5-GHz detection of all but one of the 33 active galactic nuclei (AGN) in our sample.

Careful modelling of our images, aided by a high dynamic-range point spread function, has allowed us to determine accurately the morphology, luminosity, scalelength and axial ratio of every host galaxy in our sample. Armed with this information we have undertaken a detailed comparison of the properties of the hosts of these three types of powerful AGN, both internally and with the galaxy population in general.

We find that spheroidal hosts become more prevalent with increasing nuclear luminosity such that, for nuclear luminosities MV < −23.5, the hosts of both radio-loud and radio-quiet AGN are virtually all massive ellipticals. Moreover, we demonstrate that the basic properties of these hosts are indistinguishable from those of quiescent, evolved, low-redshift ellipticals of comparable mass. This result rules out the possibility that radio-loudness is determined by host-galaxy morphology, and also sets severe constraints on evolutionary schemes that attempt to link low-z ultraluminous infrared galaxies with RQQs.

Instead, we show that our results are as expected given the relationship between black hole and spheroid mass established for nearby galaxies, and apply this relation to estimate the mass of the black hole in each object. The results agree remarkably well with completely independent estimates based on nuclear emission-line widths; all the quasars in our sample have Mbh > 5 × 108 M⊙, while the radio-loud objects are confined to Mbh > 109 M⊙. This apparent mass-threshold difference, which provides a natural explanation for why RQQs outnumber RLQs by a factor of 10, appears to reflect the existence of a minimum and a maximum level of black hole radio output, which is a strong function of black hole mass (∝M2−2.5bh). Finally, we use our results to estimate the fraction of massive spheroids/black holes that produce quasar-level activity. This fraction is ≃0.1 per cent at the present day, rising to >10 per cent at z≃ 2–3.


Cell surface sialic acid levels were compared for monocytes and macrophages obtained from normal volunteers and breast cancer patients. Equal quantities of sialic acid were found on the monoscytes obtained from normal volunteers and breast cancer patients. Approximately 60% more cell surface sialic acid was found on the macrophages from breast cancer patients than was found on the macrophages from normal volunteers. In order to determine whether cell surface sialic acid had any effect on macrophage‐mediated cytotoxicity, macrophages were pretreated with neuraminidase (NANAse) prior to co‐cultivation with tumor cells. The normal macrophages, after neuraminidase treatment, no longer retained their ability to kill tumor cells. However, when macrophages from breast cancer patients were treated with NANAse, no difference was observed in the ability of untreated and NANAse treated macrophages to kill tumor cells.


We present a new incremental knowledge acquisition approach that incrementally improves the performance of a probabilistic search algorithm. The approach addresses the known difficulty of tuning probabilistic search algorithms, such as genetic algorithms or simulated annealing, for a given search problem by the introduction of domain knowledge. We show that our approach is effective for developing heuristic algorithms for difficult combinatorial problems by solving benchmarks from the industrially relevant domain of VLSI detailed routing.

In this paper we present advanced techniques for improving our knowledge acquisition approach. We also present a novel method that uses domain knowledge for the prioritisation of mutation operators, increasing the GA's efficiency noticeably.


The aim of this study was to find out if the use of the concepts 'terrorism' and 'organized crime' has changed after the event on 11 September, 2001 when terrorists attacked World Trade Center and Pentagon. In this study I make use of discourse theory in a way which is inspired by the writings of Winther Jorgensen and Phillips. Knowledge acquired through this research has been primarily generated from two Swedish Government Official Reports concerning questions arising from introducing secret police surveillance. In these reports, there are many opinions from authorities whom have given their thoughts on introducing new ways of policing which are very interesting to analyze. The results shows that the ways the concepts have been used have changed after the terrorists attacks. The same holds true for how the authorities describe their will to combat crime. Terrorism has been described as something that pose a near none existent problem before the terrorist attack, afterwards it is described as a risk that poses a major threat to the whole society. The organized crime has been described as something which has been going from a relatively controllable problem to one that undermines the judicial system and the democratic state.


The authors have analyzed 148 cases with submandibular gland tumors treated surgically in ENT Department of County Hospital Nr 1 in Rzeszów from 1974 to 1994. Inflammatory tumors occurred in 123 (83%) patients, in this number non-specific inflammation caused by calculi occurred in 120 (97.5%) patients and specific inflammations (tuberculosis) in 3 (2.5%) ones. Neoplastic tumors occurred in 14 (56.0%) patients and non-malignant in 11 (44.0%) patients. Among malignant tumors adenoid cystic carcinoma occurs most frequently (8 cases, 57%), whereas among non-malignant ones pleomorphic adenoma is most frequent (10 cases, 91%).


Harlequin ichthyosis (HI) is the most severe and devastating form of the autosomal recessive congenital ichthyoses (ARCIs). Mutations in the ABCA12 gene result in disruption of intercellular lipid deposition in the stratum corneum and a major skin barrier defect. Patients present at birth, often premature, with cutaneous thick, yellow, hyperkeratotic plates with deep erythematous fissures, causing a typical facial appearance. Harlequin ichthyosis has often been considered to be fatal, and management tends to be palliative, but follow‐up of 45 affected infants has shown that with good neonatal care and early introduction of oral retinoids, survival rates are improving. Because ABCA12 mutations have been identified, known carriers are able to undergo preventative preimplantation and prenatal genetic testing. Experimental studies have shown recovery of lipid secretion in lamellar granules using corrective gene therapy. Further research is needed to develop alternative therapies to retinoids in HI.


The Biomek 4000 Laboratory Automation Workstation has been used to demonstrate highly reproducible real-time amplification (CV<2%) after automated reaction setup. In addition, the Agencourt AMPure XP reagent system has been automated on the Biomek 4000 Workstation to provide rapid amplicon purification (two 96-well plates in less than 90 minutes) with yield and purity equivalent to manual purification. Both procedures were demonstrated to be free of cross-contamination.


Effective feedback can enhance student learning, but limited evidence exists on whether nursing students actually use and learn from written feedback. This descriptive survey explored nursing students' perceptions regarding the amount and type of written feedback required to enhance their learning. In stage one, 362 students completed a 28-item questionnaire regarding feedback experiences and preferences; in stage two, 227 students selected a preferred feedback option for a final topic assignment. Findings revealed that many of the students wished to be engaged with the feedback process and believed effective written feedback can and does enhance their learning. However many students also reported learning barriers-including absent, inadequate, ambiguous, inconsistent, and ineffective feedback-indicating a significant disconnect between desired and actual feedback. Recommendations include a greater focus on engaging nursing students in the feedback process and evaluating the effectiveness of written feedback for individual students.


ABSTRACT Water charities and the UN development goals consider access to clean water and sanitation as transformative: improving personal dignity, quality of life and economic opportunities for individuals and the economic resilience of communities to climate stress. Can the provision of services also mitigate the conflict potential arising from climate change? If so, how broad must access be to become effective? We test how household access to improved water, sanitation, and electricity affects the probability of local conflict in nine drought-prone African countries. We use annual PRIO-GRID cells as the unit of analysis and model the probability of a grid-cell experiencing fatal armed conflict during local or proximate drought conditions. DHS data are used to calculate the percentage of households with access to specific services. We show that even relatively modest investments in reliable sanitation and water infrastructures enhance communities' ability to avoid getting drawn into violent conflict in response to rainfall shocks.


A Negro kindred which demonstrated an unusual racial incidence of hereditary nephritis, also exhibited a number of other relatively uncommon features. Three members of the kindred had cataracts; all three had nephritis, one died of renal failure, and two had deafness. Two members, 15 and 16 years old, had large urinary excretion of protein satisfying the criteria of the nephrotic syndrome, and both had eighth nerve involvement. A 17-year-old girl died of renal failure, and a 4-month-old boy has an abnormal urine sediment.


This article suggests an online-based remote fault current mode discrimination method in order to identify the causes of the power line faults with various causes. For that, it refers to existing cause identification methods and categorizes modes by fault causes based on statistical techniques beforehand and performs the pre-treatment process of fault currents by each cause acquired from the fault recorder into a phase space in order to extract the characteristics of fault currents by each cause. After that, for the fault mode categorization, it discriminates modes by each cause using data by each cause as leaning data through utilizing RBF network. And then it tests the validity of the suggested method as applying it to the data of the actual fault currents acquired from the fault recorder in the electric power transmission center.


When the ultimate textbook of geology is written, several thematic maps of the world will be cited as conclusive evidence of global tectonics. Examples would be the map of global seismicity that shows just how neatly the vast majority of earthquakes are confined to the plate margins [Simkin et al., 1989] and the map showing the ocean floor topography that has been created, mostly during the last 150 Ma of Earth's history [Smith and Sandwell, 1997]. Visionaries worked out the principles of plate tectonics on much more limited datasets, but extending the principles to understanding the geology of the most remote corners of the globe—and seeing world geology as a true global entity—demands global maps.

The magnetic "stripes" of the ocean floor and their symmetry around spreading-axes can be demonstrated on a few profiles but, so far, only for the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans have complete magnetic anomaly maps been published [Verhoef et al., 1996]. The much more complex geology of the remaining 90% of Earth's history is preserved in the continents and uniquely revealed—even below extensive areas of younger cover—by continental magnetic anomaly maps. A magnetic anomaly map of the whole world would be a map of some significance alongside these others.


Biped robots have better mobility than conventional wheeled robots. The bio-inspired method based on a central pattern generator (CPG) can be used to control biped robot walking in a manner like human beings. However, to achieve stable locomotion, it is difficult to modulate the parameters for the neural networks to coordinate every degree of freedom of the walking robot. The zero moment point (ZMP) method is very popular for the stability control of biped robot walking. However, the reference trajectories have low energy efficiency, lack naturalness and need significant offline calculation. This paper presents a new method for biped real-time walking generation using a hybrid CPG-ZMP control algorithm. The method can realize a stable walking pattern by combining the ZMP criterion with rhythmic motion control. The CPG component is designed to generate the desired motion for each robot joint, which is modulated by phase resetting according to foot contact information. By introducing the ZMP location, the activity of the CPG output signal is adjusted to coordinate the limbs' motion and allow the robot to maintain balance during the process of locomotion. The numerical simulation results show that, compared with the CPG method, the new hybrid CPG-ZMP algorithm can enhance the robustness of the CPG parameters and improve the stability of the robot. In addition, the proposed algorithm is more energy efficient than the ZMP method. The results also demonstrate that the control system can generate an adaptive walking pattern through interactions between the robot, the CPG and the environment.


We present a case of a nail gun injury penetrating the right maxillary sinus and frontal lobe with complaints of headache and right eye blindness. After surgical removal and treatment, there were no neurological deficits aside from the persistence of right eye blindness that the patient initially presented with. Our report describes the patient's clinical course, the multidisciplinary medical and surgical management, along with the clinical workup and important mental health considerations for patients presenting with intracranial nail gun injuries.


1. The thermoregulatory response of the galago, the baboon and the chimpanzee were studied on exposure to dry bulb temperatures of up to 40 degrees C in a temperature controlled room. 2. Heat exposure caused an elevation in the respiratory frequency of all three species. The increase in the galago was significantly greater than that in the baboon and the chimpanzee. 3. Heat exposure also caused an increase in the cutaneous moisture loss of the baboon and the chimpanzee but not in the galago. 4. Rectal temperatures always rose on heat exposure but the animals never become hypethermic. 5. Sweat gland activity in the baboon and the chimpanzee was stimulated by the administration of acetylcholine and was blocked by the administration of atropine. Sympathetic and parasympathetic drugs had no stimulatory effect on the sueat glands of the galago. 6. Local, infra‐red heating of the skin of the galago and the baboon did not stimulate any sweat gland activity. 7. The sweat glands in the galago and the baboon were found to be epitrichial. 8. These findings are discussed in relation to the habitat of each species. They are also compared to thermoregulation in other primate species, especially in relation to the unique nature of thermoregulation in man.


Human KIT has several variants as the result of alternative mRNA splicing. Two major isoforms differ by the presence or absence of four amino acids (GNNK) at the juxta-membrane region of the extracellular domain. Somatic gain of function mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of c-kit, most notably KITD816V, are detected in the majority of adult patients with systemic mastocytosis. We hypothesized that the expression pattern of GNNK variants may differ with disease severity, and transcripts containing the KITD816V mutation may segregate preferentially to one GNNK variant. A quantitative real-time PCR assay to assess GNNK- and GNNK+ transcripts was developed. We analyzed the ratio of GNNK- to GNNK+ transcripts in bone marrow mononuclear cells from 25 mastocytosis patients and 16 healthy controls. The GNNK- variant was more abundant in both patient and control samples. In advanced forms of mastocytosis, we observed a significant lower GNNK-/+ ratio compared to indolent systemic mastocytosis (p=0.0005). The KITD816V mutation was detected in both variants from KITD816V positive patients (n=21) and the KITD816V GNNK-/+ ratio was significantly higher than the total KIT GNNK-/+ ratio. Altogether, a relative increase in the GNNK+ variant was observed in advanced disease, and KITD816V specific transcripts displayed a relative GNNK- predominance. These data suggest that the determination of the GNNK-/+ ratio may be used to help determine disease prognosis.


Automation of heavy construction machinery needs sensors that can detect each position under severe construction fields. Motivated by this need a hydraulic cylinder equipped with Hall sensors of Ga-As type has been developed. However, this sensor device has some problems associated with incorrect detection of positions owing to the existence of some magnetic slope and electric noises. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a digital stroke sensing cylinder enhanced by digital signal processing. An apparatus of two hydraulic systems coupled with each other is installed in an experimental setup to evaluate the performance of the developed digital stroke sensing cylinder. In order to control the position of a cylinder rod, a PWM method is used. Evaluation of the performance is carried out under artificial disturbances such as an impulse, addition of some magnetic slope, and additional noises.


As the American Psychoanalytic Association faces mounting external pressures that threaten its very survival, its leadership and members appear increasingly preoccupied with issues of internal governance and training standards. This inward gazing, though in keeping with analysts' personality and occupational traits, serves to obscure and defend against the anxieties associated with threats from the surround. Such maladaptive defensive activity contributes to organizational stagnation, dysfunctional conservatism, and a "fear of trying." Suggestions to combat this self-defeating behavior are offered.


Quality face to face communication between health providers and clients lead to information transfer that affects compliance, adherence, clinical outcomes and satisfaction. Safe motherhood plus emotional and psychological support may be enhanced through effective communication during ante-natal care. Several researchers have shown that communication breakdown may affect client satisfaction. Whereas, true progress has been made globally in terms of increasing access and use of ante-natal care services, little has been done to determine the satisfaction of women with the communication skills of the health care providers. The objective of the study was to determine extent of clients satisfaction with communication skills of health providers at ante-natal clinic of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital . Eldoret, Kenya. This was a descriptive study design which utilised interviewer administered questionnaires and observation checklist to collect data through systematic sampling of the clients. Emergency clients or those who required admission were excluded from the study. A total of 384clients were interviewed. Data analysis was done using Excel and SPSS computer packages which generated frequencies, percentages, chi-square and correlations. Therefore, satisfaction levels were presented in tables,figures and narrative. The study found that 70% of the clients were satisfied with the existing communication skills except 30% who were dissatisfied due to various reasons. Giving clients enough time to express themselves, greeting and introducing oneself to the clients by name were statistically significant. The client socio-economic factors were however, statistically insignificant to satisfaction for all cadres of healthcare workers (P values; 0.119, 0.556, 0.910 and 0.963) for doctors, nurses, record clerks and lab technicians respectively. Engagement, Education and Empathic and facilitation skills were statistically significant and yielded satisfaction. It may be concluded that majority of the clients (70%) were satisfied with communication skills of the health care providers, However, a significant number (30%) were not satisfied due to communication breakdown. It is recommended that the Hospital should plan and implement continuing education seminars to improve communication skills of Health care providers in order to enhance client satisfaction. Further research should be done covering the hospital and all staff who interact with clients in order to determine the extent of the problem.. The findings of this study would be useful to the Health service managers in improving communication between health care providers and clients in order to enhance satisfaction.