Cultural heritage is commonly protected internationally through a process of listing and gazettal. These properties which are listed cover a broad range of building types starting from the modest vernacular domestic housing to majestic government administration buildings. Countries with an established history of protecting cultural heritage in this manner provide criteria for listing which are accompanied by a set of guidelines to guide the assessment of cultural significance. These guidelines are necessary as although countries may appear to have similar criteria, their applications and interpretation are unique to each nation. In Malaysia, the criteria for listing National Heritage are provided under Section sixty-seven (67) of the National Heritage Act 2005. There are at present fifty-one (51) properties listed as National Heritage Buildings. The list comprises of many different of buildings types. Nevertheless, traditional Malay houses located in villages across the country and the ubiquitous traditional Chinese shophouse found at the core of Malaysia's historic town centres are currently not listed on the National Heritage list. In addition, although Malaysia has proceeded to list properties, the government has not produced a set of guidelines that will ensure cultural significance is identified and assessed in a proper manner.
Clear guidelines are necessary to mitigate potential disputes from owners when properties are selected for listing. Hence the objective of this research is to establish principles to guide assessment of cultural heritage for National Heritage listing for 7 out of the 9 criteria for National Heritage in the legislation. In addition, this research also seeks to establish principles to guide the assessment of the traditional Malay house and the traditional Chinese shophouse for National Heritage listing.
The research is carried out in 2 stages and applies a qualitative research approach. In the initial stage, draft principles for assessment are identified from text rich semi-structured in-depth interviews with eleven (11) purposefully selected Malaysian heritage managers. The opinion of two 2 groups of experts, one Malaysian and the other international are then subsequently sought to validate these draft principles. Cross-group analysis is carried out on the responses from these 2 groups of experts to triangulate the data. New findings arising out of the experts' groups were verified through established literature and World Heritage precedents.
A total of forty-five (45) principles were formulated to guide assessment of the cultural heritage. In addition, seventeen (17) principles are explicitly identified to assess traditional Malay houses and another nine (9) principles for traditional Chinese shophouses. These principles comprise of factors that are involved in the process of assessment such as indicators of significance, considerations, explanatory notes and eligibility or ineligibility considerations. The results also showed that the uses of several criteria are potentially connected in an assessment.
It is hoped that the development of these principles as a guide for assessment of cultural heritage for National Heritage listing will facilitate stakeholders involved in the related field both in Malaysia and the South-east Asian region.


A monocentric lens combined with a multi-scale form can achieve a large field of view while maintaining the resolution. This report describes an analytical model that is suitable for both Galilean- and Keplerian-type monocentric multi-scale (MMS) systems; this model also analyzes the correlation between the two types of systems. Moreover, the off-axis aberration associated with the analytical model was derived, on this basis, the Galilean- and Keplerian-type MMS systems were compared. It was concluded that the Galilean-type MMS system performs better with respect to aberration performance. This report provides a useful reference for further applications and developments of MC systems.


Colloquial Sinhala has focus concord constructions in which finite verbs with the suffix -e mark argument focus. In such constructions, the focal constituent is optionally marked via a focus particle, via movement to a postverbal (rather than preverbal) position, or via a combination of a focus particle and postverbal position. In this paper, I quantitatively analyze the preferred position of focal constituents marked by the three focus particles =yi, tamaa and tamai, as well as those not marked by any particle. Using data from a news website, I show that marking via a particle and the movement to the postverbal position are not randomly used. Rather, focal constituents marked by a focus particle are less likely to occur preverbally, while those not marked by a particle are more likely to occur postverbally. Moreover, among constituents marked by a focus particle, those marked by the particle =yi are more likely to occur postverbally. Based on these findings, I argue that the positional tendencies of focal constituents can be regarded as efficient marking patterns. When a constituent is marked by a focus particle, it is less likely to occur preverbally because the focal constituent is already explicit and the marking by the position would be redundant. The preference of =yi for the postverbal position does not seem to follow this general tendency until one takes into account that it requires less effort to produce =yi due to its phonological status. With this in mind, the distribution of constituents marked by =yi can also be regarded as an efficient pattern. The discussion in this paper contributes to both the typology of efficiency and the typology of optional focus marking.


Bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) or cloned BPV-1 DNA can transform susceptible rodent cells, and the viral DNA remains as a stable extrachromosomal plasmid in the transformed cells. The transforming region of the BPV-1 genome has previously been localized to a specific fragment comprising 69% of the genome, which also contains the elements sufficient for extrachromosomal plasmid maintenance. To define more precisely the viral DNA sequences which are involved in cellular transformation, we have tested the ability of defined deletion mutants of BPV-1 DNA to morphologically transform mouse C127 cells. Cells containing the mutated DNAs have been examined for anchorage independence and tumorigenicity in nude mice. Several distinct regions of the BPV-1 genome were found to influence expression of the viral transformation functions. A transcriptional regulatory region located in the noncoding region 5' to the early open reading frames is essential for transcriptional activity and transformation. A transcriptional enhancer element, located 3' to the polyadenylation site for the viral RNAs expressed in transformed cells, has previously been shown to be essential for transformation (Lusky et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 3:1108-1122, 1983). Deletion mutants affecting the E2 open reading frame, particularly the NH2 half, are significantly impaired in their ability to transform, suggesting that the E2 gene product is an important transforming protein of BPV-1. Mutants lacking the E6 and E7 open reading frames are still able to induce transformation but at a lowered efficiency, and the transformants have altered characteristics. Mutations localized within the E1 open reading frame do not significantly affect the transforming functions but result in the integration of the viral genome in the transformed cells, implicating the E1 gene product in stable plasmid replication and maintenance.


Specifically analyze the relation between skin test reactivity, venom-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody levels, and acuteness of scientific reaction in patients with insect venom allergy. According to the study 36 patients (including 15 females) who awarded the allergic reaction history to insect stings were analyzed. The mean age, according the reaction time was 33.4 ± 15.1 years (range, 4–76 years), similarly, the patients were asessed 43.6 ± 90 months (range, 1–300 months) after the reactions. The score of scientific reactions were scored according to acuteness, from 1 (cutaneous indicators only) to 3 (anaphylaxis with shock). These scores were compared to scores for skin test reactivity (0 to 5, indicating the log increase in sensitivity from 1 μg/mL to 0.0001 μg/mL) and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) "a radioallergosorbent test conducted through blood to perceive particular IgE antibodies and to analyze the substances is allergic or not" levels (0 to 4, indicating venom-specific IgE levels, from undetectable to > 17.5 kilo-units of antigen per liter [kUA/L]). There was no association observed between skin test reactivity (Spearman's coefficient = 0.15, p =.377) or RAST level (according to Spearman's coefficient = 0.32, p =.061) and the acuteness of reaction. Test of Skin and RAST scores both contrasted promptly from scientific acuteness (p < .05), but there was an important association between skin test reactivity and RAST score (p =.042). There was no association between skin test reactivity and time since reaction (Spearman's coefficient = 0.18, p =.294) nor between RAST and time since reaction (r = 0.1353, p = .438). Patients' elimination tested more than 12 months after their reaction still formed no association between skin test reactivity (p = .681) or RAST score (p =.183) and the acuteness of the scientific reaction. In venom-allergic patients (in difference to stated outputs in cases of inhalant IgE-mediated allergy), there seems to be no important association between the skin test degree reactivity and venom-specific IgE (determined by RAST) level and the acuteness of the scientific reaction.


Low temperature growth of poly-SiGe has been investigated by reactive thermal chemical vapor deposition technique, which is a newly developed technique for preparing polycrystalline materials with using redox reactions in a set of source materials, Si2H6 and GeF4.. In order to prepare high uniformity and reproducibility of Si-rich poly-SiGe, total pressure, gas flow ratio, and residence time are optimized at 450°C of substrate temperature. Through optimizing the conditions, poly-Si1−xGex (x<0.04) films have been prepared in the reproducibility more than 90% and uniformity more than 88%. Bottom gate type of n-channel thin film transistors has been fabricated in various grain size of poly-Si1−xGex on SiO2 (100nm)/Si substrates. 5-36 cm2/Vs of field effect mobility of thin film transistors (L/W = 50μm/50μm) have been achieved after hydrogenation, whose threshold voltage is around 2±0.5V, and on/off ratio is more than 104.


This paper is devoted to the analysis on the mistakes and errors in the writings of the Dutch students who learn Russian in Saint-Petersburg. I reviewed the errors and mistakes of the foreign students' Russian compositions from the orthographical, word-formational, lexicological and functional points of view. Their mistakes and errors come from the lack of knowlege of the Russian orthographic rules, the lack of word-formational knowledge about how to choose the right prefixes and suffxes, or the lexical gaps between their mother tongue and the Russian. From the fuctional point of view, however, the students were able to, despite the errors and mistakes, have themselves fully understood, saying what they thought, what they wanted to tell and how they feel about the nation, the languge and the the people.


The thermodynamic properties and state diagram of the thermally induced aggregation of myoglobin with 1,4-dioxane were determined by DSC, circular dichroism (CD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and density measurements. At a mole fraction (x) of 1,4-dioxane of around 0.10, myoglobin exhibitedα-helical aggregation at 25 °C, which transformed to spherical aggregation without thermal denaturation upon heating. The enthalpy change for the spherical aggregation was −565 kJ mol at x = 0.10, which was numerically greater than that for thermal denaturation of the native state, 428 kJ mol, indicating that the aggregate conformation involved many intermolecular interactions. At x = 0.125 – 0.25, the α-helix partially transformed to a β-sheet at 25 °C, which formed an amorphous aggregate upon heating. The thermal transition depends on the incubation time of the pre-transition state due to conformational changes in this state. The positive change in the partial specific volume of the aggregate indicates a large cavity volume and reduced hydration. On the other hand, the activation volume for the aggregation is negative, (−4.5 ± 1.3) × 10 cm mol, suggesting that the activated state has a structure with fewer cavities and/or is highly hydrated compared to the pre-transition state, probably due to partial unfolding.


Abstract: CMF is a technique for simultaneously learning low-rank representations based on a collection of matrices with shared entities. A typical example is the joint modeling of user-item, item-property, and user-feature matrices in a recommender system. The key idea in CMF is that the embeddings are shared across the matrices, which enables transferring information between them. The existing solutions, however, break down when the individual matrices have low-rank structure not shared with others. In this work we present a novel CMF solution that allows each of the matrices to have a separate low-rank structure that is independent of the other matrices, as well as structures that are shared only by a subset of them. We compare MAP and variational Bayesian solutions based on alternating optimization algorithms and show that the model automatically infers the nature of each factor using group-wise sparsity. Our approach supports in a principled way continuous, binary and count observations and is efficient for sparse matrices involving missing data. We illustrate the solution on a number of examples, focusing in particular on an interesting use-case of augmented multi-view learning.


Introduction: In the occidental world, heart valve disease, mainly degenerative, is increasing with a higher rate of cardiac valve prosthesis implantation. Health literacy can impact health outcomes. The aim of this study was to understand in patients with cardiac valve prosthesis the patterns of knowledge regarding their own valve's pathology, related complications, and their current multidisciplinary medical surveillance.Methods: Cross-sectional study on a group of patients with cardiac valve prosthesis, consisting of a 13-question instrument application (demographic, medical surveillance, medical background, and prosthesis related complications).Results: Fifty two patients completed the questionnaire, 48% male, 67.2±12.3 years old. A percentage of 88% had a mechanical valve. A total of 63% reported caries and periodontal disease. A percentage 48% could not identify the reason for valve replacement and 19% could not identify the location for the prosthesis. The majority had regular cardiological surveillance. Nevertheless, anual dental surveillance was only present in 38% of the inquired patients. Finally, 70% of patients could not identify one single prosthesis related complication.Conclusion: Further studies, involving several centres in different regions of Portugal are needed to further understand or confirm the described situation. Patient's education is fundamental to improve health literacy with an impact on health outcomes.


Problem of formation Ukrainian students` civic consciousness is in the focus of research in philosophical and psychological and pedagogical sciences of Ukraine. United States of America is an example of the formation of civic consciousness in a democratic society. Education of citizenship of students on the basis of respect for the rights of every person, the recognition of the rule of law, conscious voluntary citizens to perform their duties and care for the common good is a key concept in US philosophy of higher education. This concept provides the priority of training students as responsible members of the democratic society to conscious activity for the benefit of the community. It is established that education Citizenship of student youth in the United States has a universal public nature. The state, higher education and social institutions are involved in this process environment (public organizations, mass media, institutions of the sphere culture, etc.). Students of higher educational institutions have been considered a resource for future social development in the United States of America that make a significant contribution to social transformation in society. Formation of students' civic consciousness upbrings certain personal qualities, skills and attitudes necessary for a citizen of a democratic society.


When atrial fibrillation (AF) complicates rheumatic heart disease, the risk of stroke is 17 times that of patients in sinus rhythm and full anticoagulation is mandatory. Non-rheumatic AF carries a lower risk--5% per annum, a 5-fold increase. Four major trials (SPAF, AFASAK, BAATAF, CAFA) have lately examined thromboembolic prophylaxis in this group of patients. These randomized prospective open studies showed a 56-86% reduction in stroke and systemic embolism in patients receiving full anticoagulation compared with placebo. In older people, the BAATAF trial of low-dose warfarin (INR = 1.5-2.7) showed an 86% reduction in stroke and a significant reduction in mortality. In all 4 studies the incidence of hemorrhagic complication was very low (0.5%). In SPAF trial, aspirin, 325 mg/day was found to be effective, but this was not the case in AFASAK, which used 75 mg/day and had an older population. In a double-blind randomized trial indobufene, 100 mg bid, was found effective in the 67% reduction of stroke, systemic and pulmonary embolism in patients with various cardiac diseases in AF or in sinus rhythm. Consequently, a reasonable policy would be to give full or low-dose anticoagulation to those patients with chronic AF who have structural heart disease or are over 65 years old; to consider low-dose anticoagulation or aspirin or indobufene in younger patients with chronic lone AF; and to give indobufene or aspirin or nothing to those with episodes of paroxysmal AF lasting hours only. In borderline cases, the use of transesophageal echocardiography to exclude left atrial thrombus and spontaneous echo contrast may aid decision-making.


This paper is a brief review of Rain AttenuationModelling and Mitigation in the Tropics. The fast depleting availability of the lower frequency bands like the Ku-band as a result of congestion by commercial satellite operations coupled with severe rain attenuations experienced at higher frequency bands (Ka and Q/V), particularly in the tropical regions which was caused by higher rainfall rates and bigger raindrop size, amongst others; it was pertinent that deliberate effforts be geared towards research along this direction. This became even more critical owing to a dearth database along the slant path in the tropical regions for use in rain propagation studies at microwave frequencies, especially at millimeter wave bands (where most signal depolarization and fading takes place). The results presented in this work are valuable for design and planning of the satellite link, particularly in the tropical regions.DAH, ITU-R and SAM model simulations along the slant-path were investigated using local rainfall data at 0.01% of the time, while making use of TRMM data from NigComSat-1 satellite to obtain the measured data for Lagos. Terrestrial attenuation data for 0.01% of the time for UTM were obtained from the UTM wireless communication center (WCC). The attenuation data were thereafter transformed to slant path using transformation technique proposed for Ku band byA. Y. Abdulrahman. Theattenuation exceeded for other percentages of the average year was obtained using statistical interpolation extrapolation method.It was observed that the proposed model predicts creditably well for the ka down link frequency band, by producing the best performance when compared with SAM, DAH and ITU-R models. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v2i6.1222


This article is focused on studying the effect of the reprocessing cycles on the mechanical, thermal, and aesthetic properties of a biocomposite. This process is based on starch thermoplastic polymer (TPS) filled with 20 wt% almond shell powder (ASP) and epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) as a compatibilizing additive. To do so, the biocomposite was prepared in a twin-screw extruder, molded by injection, and characterized in terms of its mechanical, thermal, and visual properties (according to CieLab) and the melt flow index (MFI). The analyses carried out were tensile, flexural, Charpy impact tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effects of the reprocessing were also studied for the biodegradable unfilled TPS polymer. The results showed that TPS and TPS/ASP biocomposite suffer changes progressively on the properties studied after each reprocessing cycle. Furthermore, it was observed that the addition of ASP intensified these effects regarding TPS. However, in spite of the progressive degradation in both cases, it is technically feasible to reprocess the material at least three times without needing to incorporate virgin material.


Background B-cell–activating factor (BAFF; also known as B lymphocyte stimulator or BLyS) is a prominent factor in the selection and survival of B cells. BAFF has been demonstrated to be elevated in the blood of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and is implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease. We have shown that BAFF gene expression level (mRNA) in whole blood associates with same day disease activity and predicts future activity in SLE patients. The concentration of the BAFF protein in serum has also been used as a marker of disease activity. In this study, we investigated the utility of BAFF mRNA versus protein level as a predictor of future global disease activity in SLE patients. Methods 292 patients (59% Caucasian, 34% African-American, 92% female, mean age 46 ± 12 years) were enrolled in a prospective observational study. At baseline, BAFF gene expression level was measured in peripheral blood RNA (PAXgene) using quantitative PCR. Serum BAFF (protein) levels were measured using the Rules Based Medicine platform. The number of visits per patient over the following year ranged from 1–9. Six patients had 1 visit, 46 patients had 2–3 visits, 159 patients had 4 visits, and 81 patients had more than 4 visits. P-values were calculated using generalised estimating equations as implemented in SAS 9.2. P-values were then adjusted for ethnicity. Results By two separate measures, PGA (physician global assessment) and SLEDAI, higher levels of measured BAFF mRNA were associated with higher levels of disease activity. The association with SLEDAI was stronger. Multiple measures of disease activity including proteinuria, anti-dsDNA antibodies and hypocomplementemia were also associated with higher levels of BAFF mRNA. This same association was NOT seen with the serum BAFF protein. Higher levels of BAFF protein were only associated with elevated anti-dsDNA antibodies, not global measures of disease activity. Conclusion BAFF mRNA at the baseline visit was strongly associated with global disease activity, urine protein/creatinine ≥0.5, serologies, and ESR over the next year. In contrast, BAFF protein level in the blood at baseline only correlated with anti-dsDNA over the next year. This study supports the use of BAFF mRNA level in peripheral blood rather than protein as a predictive biomarker of disease activity in SLE patients.


Events or domestic foreign policies can influence investors' decisions in the capital market. The existence of these events certainly contain an information that can be interpreted by investors to conduct transactions on the capital market. The tax amnesty policy of Indonesia is assumed to have information content capable of responding to capital market actors. The reaction of capital market actors can be measured by the abnormal return and increased trading volume of activity. So it is necessary to do research on the reaction of the capital market to the tax amnesty policy of Indonesia on LQ45 stock index. The population in this study were 45 companies included in LQ45 during the study period taken by purposive sampling technique. This study uses the method of event study analysis with 11-day period of research on t-5 to t + 5 t0 as event date in all tax amnesty policy periods during that period, period I (July 1, 2016-30 September 2016), period II (October 1, 2016 -31 December 2016) and the third period (January 1, 2017- March 31, 2017). Technique of research analysis using test wilcoxon signed rank test. The result of the research is that there is no difference of average abnormal return and trading volume activity obtained by investor at the time before and after the announcement period I tax amnesty. Period II indicates that there is no difference in average abnormal return but trading volume activity shows negative and significant difference before and after the announcement of II tax amnesty period. In the third period of tax amnesty policy shows that there is a difference in average abnormal return is positive but trading volume activity does not show significant difference at the time before and after the announcement period III tax amnesty. The results explained that the tax amnesty information was not responded by investors in the first period of tax amnesty policy. Period II tax amnesty policy indicates a negative difference due to the hardbrexit issue affecting Asian exchanges including Indonesia. Investors tend to be waiting for the success of tax amnesty which in the third period there is a reaction indicating a positive abnormal return. Based on the repatriated funds collected, investors are more interested in investing in the banking sector than the LQ45 index sector. As a suggestion, there will be better if investors analyze issues such as tax amnesty issues that are assumed to be a positive issue. Because not all information circulating in line with the reality that exist in the market, this is done so that investors get the maximum return or free from risk.


BACKGROUND: Determining the prescription of fractures is important when conducting a forensic medical examination of victims, accused persons, etc. This allows the expert to immediately determine the causal relationship of the skeletal injury found in the sub-expert with the events described in the decision on the forensic medical examination, especially in cases when the conducted examination according to medical documents may be concealed or distorted of the incidental circumstances; thus the investigating authorities need to decide on the case and establish the truth. Often, medical documents, especially in cases of a single request for medical help, do not contain enough information about the clinical picture of the fracture, with limited or missing descriptions of the local status. In such cases, one of the most important sources of information for the expert is radiography data (radiographs in electronic form or on X-ray film and computed tomograms), which the study allows the expert to conclude the mechanism of injury and the prescription of fractures. The study of literary sources on this topic did not reveal the exact criteria for determining the prescription of fractures based on the study of the X-ray examination results in the forensic aspect. CASE PRESENTATION: The description of a case from practice was provided. In our practice, a case with fractures that did not correspond to the events of the described incident in the resolution as found by the sub-expert, and these fractures were not regarded by the surgeon as "old" and unrelated to the specified circumstances of the case. The presented radiograph examination allowed the forensic medical expert to determine the time frame of the detected fractures and establish the absence of a causal relationship of this injury with the events specified in the resolution. CONCLUSION: The analysis of this expert case allows us to conclude the importance of examining the radiography data by the forensic medical expert to determine the description of fractures. SIGNIFICANCE FOR FORENSIC MEDICINE: The presented case from the practice demonstrates the need for a critical approach of the forensic expert, both to the presented medical data and the information contained in the materials of the preliminary examination or criminal case, as well as the importance of an independent study of the X-ray examination results of the subject.


The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a membrane-bounded organelle whose membrane comprises a network of tubules and sheets. The formation of these characteristic shapes and maintenance of their continuity through homotypic membrane fusion appears to be critical for the proper functioning of the ER. The atlastins (ATLs), a family of ER-localized dynamin-like GTPases, have been identified as fusogens of the ER membranes in metazoans. Mutations of the ATL proteins in mammalian cells cause morphological defects in the ER, and purified Drosophila ATL mediates membrane fusion in vitro. Plant cells do not possess ATL, but a family of similar GTPases, named root hair defective 3 (RHD3), are likely the functional orthologs of ATLs. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of how RHD3 proteins play a role in homotypic ER fusion. We also discuss the possible physiological significance of forming a tubular ER network in plant cells.


SUMMARY This cross-sectional prevalence study investigates meningococcal carriage for the first time in a Southeast Asian population. Posterior pharyngeal swabs were collected between August 2013 and March 2014 from 937 healthy Filipinos aged 5–24 years attending school or university in Manila. Of these, 35 were found to be carriers giving an overall carriage prevalence of 3·7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 2·6–5·2]. Carriage was associated with age (P < 0·001) and was highest (9·0%, 95% CI 5·5–13·8) in subjects aged 10–14 years, but was comparatively low (<3%) in all other age groups considered. This suggests that an immunization programme in the Philippines designed to reduce carriage acquisition and induce herd immunity may require a vaccine dose before the age of 10 years. Serogroup B was most commonly carried (65·7%, 95% CI 47·8–80·9), with a small number of carriers for serogroups C, Y and W also present. Two individuals (5·7%, 95% CI 0·7–19·2) who were simultaneously carrying multiple serogroups were identified. This exploratory study provides valuable insight into the asymptomatic carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in a healthy subset of the Filipino population and illustrates the importance of generating local carriage data.


Over the years many methods have been developed and used for measuring permittivity and permeability of materials. The most widely used methods are: 1) free-space techniques; 2) cavity perturbation techniques; and 3) transmission line of waveguide methods. Each technique has its own advantages and limitations. The free-space methods are employed when the material is available in a big sheet form. These measurements are less accurate because of unwanted reflections from surrounding objects, difficulty in launching a plane wave in a limited space, and unwanted diffraction from the edges of the sample. The resonant cavity measurement or cavity perturbation techniques are more accurate. Recently "epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) meta materials have received much attention for several interesting phenomena like super-coupling, transparency and cloaking devices and pattern reshaping at microwave and optical frequencies. The rapid growth and excitement of ENZ materials was due to their ability to achieve very long wavelength in zero permittivity material, allowing propagation in a static-like manner. This paper presents the evaluation of complex dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability of materials using planar ENZ tunnel structure with substrate integrated waveguide technology. The changes in resonance frequency and quality factor are related to the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability properties of the sample through Cavity Perturbation Technique. ENZ tunnel structure has very high sensitivity, which yields more accurate results when compared to other techniques, such as perturbation of conventional cavities. Design, optimization, and simulation of the ENZ tunnel structure at microwave frequencies is presented. Simulations are performed on various dielectric and magnetic samples using the cavity perturbation technique of the ENZ tunnel structure and validated with measured data.


In recent tokamak experiments several types of high-performance plasmas were obtained. One is the H (high)-mode triggered by the L (low) to H (high) transition. In this case the transport barrier is generated at the edge region. The obtained high confinement plasmas are characterized by gyro-Bohm-type transport from the scaling law. Another is the negative (central) shear or (enhanced) reverse shear mode with the transport barrier at the inner region close to the minimum point of the safety factor profile. With the internal transport barrier (ITB) the turbulent transport is suppressed significantly; however, the scaling study is primitive for the core plasma. To understand the negative shear configuration with the transport barrier, the high- plasmas are useful, since the ion thermal transport is improved without the reversal of magnetic shear. One key ingredient to obtain the above high-performance plasmas is the velocity shear which may suppress the turbulence and associated anomalous transport in general. Shafranov shift is also favourable. However, it is a difficult task to predict by what degree the anomalous transport is suppressed, particularly compared to L-mode plasmas. Some theoretical efforts into the understanding of high-performance plasmas are discussed.


TORTUOSITY with kinking of the carotid artery has been a known anatomic curiosity for many years. It first assumed clinical importance when injury to the tortuous segment during tonsillectomy resulted in massive hemorrhage. 1 Preoperative palpation of the tonsillar fossa for arterial pulsation was recommended to prevent this catastrophic complication. Quattelbaum et al 2 reported transient hemiparesis in three patients who experienced intermittent internal carotid artery obstruction when the head was turned in such a way as to cause kinking of the vessel. The purpose of this paper is to present a patient who experienced recurrent transient blindness in the right eye due to tortuosity and kinking of the right common carotid artery following turning the head toward the side of the lesion. This visual disturbance is thought to be the first such reported due to this type of vascular obstruction. Report of a Case A 73-year-old white woman experienced


This paper examines the use of adaptive priority marking for providing soft bandwidth guarantees in a differentiated-services Internet. In contrast to other proposals for achieving the same objective, the proposed scheme does not require resource reservation for individual connections and can be supported with minimal changes to the network infrastructure. It uses modest support from the network in the form of priority handling for appropriately marked packets, and relies on intelligent transmission control mechanisms at the edges of the network to achieve the desired throughput levels. This paper describes the control mechanisms and evaluates their behavior in various network environments. These mechanisms are show in to have several salient features which make them suitable for deployment in an evolving Internet.


The research aimed to identify senior lecturers' experiences with online teaching during ERT (Emergency Remote Teaching). The ominous Covid-19 forced tertiary education institutions in Indonesia to employ ERT, both synchronous and asynchronous online teaching, from March 2020. Not all existing lecturers were professionally ready for this change, specifically senior lecturers who had been teaching for more than 25 years. These senior lecturers entered into unfamiliar territory as they had been experiencing the drastic transition to ERT. This transition could be viewed as a learning process as they went through certain learning mechanisms. The qualitative method was used to examine the learning mechanisms of senior lecturers who have been teaching during this ERT. This method was appropriate, as it allowed an understanding of lecturers' experience in their professional growth. This case study examined five senior lecturers who have been teaching English as a Foreign Language at the university level for more than 25 years. Data analysis followed the procedures developed by Braun and Clarke. The research finds that each lecturer experiences learning mechanisms, including identification, coordination, reflection, and transformation. During the identification, they learn to understand the needs to adapt, adopt, and change. They also experience different kinds of unfamiliar events that have to be faced. They adapt to the unfamiliar situation during the phase of coordination through reading, joining webinars (web seminars), and mentoring during the coordination. Each of them reflects on the process of shifting boundaries of their competencies or knowledge from previously teaching offline to online. The last learning mechanism is the transformation that leads to profound changes after experiencing disruptions in the current workflow. Those multiple disruptions shape them in facing ERT.


Building Information Modelling (BIM) aims to promote collaboration between project partners by providing a single model with the required relevant information. BIM data is meant to be provided to multiple domain-specific applications in an effective manner. We consider two data formats used to facilitate this interoperability: (i) gbXML format, developed by Green Building Studio and (ii) IFC format, developed by buildingSMART. Both of these formats can be used to provide geometry information and other data to Building Performance Simulation (BPS) applications. However, gbXML and IFC have unique data structures, which has consequences for how the original geometrical and spatial data from the BIM model is translated. In this context, the present contribution aims to assess and compare the usage of IFC and gbXML data formats in separate workflows, thereby observing consistency of building data and efficiency of the process. First, the main differences and specifics of the two formats are investigated and several case models are developed. Using a BIM authoring tool both formats are then tested in a typical workflow including the use of a BPS tool. To explore the implications of the quality of the BIM model, a second workflow (with the same case models) was set up in a different BIM authoring tool. These workflows and their outcome with regard to BPS were analyzed and the capabilities and differences of the two formats were studied in detail. The results of this study show that both data formats are capable of extracting and transferring geometrical information from BIM models. However, the successful transfer of this information is strongly related to the quality of the BIM representation. Demonstrative simulation runs show that incorrect BIM-based building geometry data can produce misleading results. Moreover, the overall approach to using gbXML and IFC to perform BPS is currently rather cumbersome and difficult to validate.


Occupational asthma continues to be one of the most common occupational lung diseases in industrialized areas. Primary and secondary preventive measures have been well described, but there are relatively few studies to support the effectiveness of such measures, although the benefits of tertiary measures such as early recognition and removal from further exposure to a causative sensitizing agent are well recognized. In Ontario, a combined approach of preventive measures has shown effectiveness in allergy and asthma from occupational exposure to natural rubber latex. In addition, a program to reduce exposure to diisocyanates and introduce medical surveillance was associated with earlier diagnosis and fewer cases in a compensation population. However there remain barriers to the early diagnosis of occupational asthma in Ontario, especially in workers of lower education and lower income. In addition, there is recognized need for further physician education to allow early suspicion and diagnosis of occupational asthma.


AIM
To compare the effect on total cholesterol and LDL and HDL cholesterol of oral dydrogesterone and medroxyprogesterone administration combined with continuous transdermal supplementation of 17beta-estradiol in postmenopausal women. MATERIAL & METHODS. The prospective study was carried out in 59 healthy postmenopausal women (mean age 54.5 +/- 3.34 years). They were randomized and treated either with continuous transdermal hormonal therapy (HT) (Group A; n=25; 17beta-estradiol at a dose of 0.05 mg/24 hours combined with oral dydrogesterone at a daily dose of 5 mg or group B, n=24; 17beta-estradiol at a dose of 0.05 mg/24 hours combined with oral medroxyprogesterone at a daily dose of 5 mg) or observed as a control group C (n=10). Basal plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol as well as basal estrogen and FSH levels were measured before HT and after 6 and 12 months of treatment. At the same time intervals, all the studied parameters were measured for group C.

RESULTS
After 6 months of continuous transdermal supplementation of 17beta-estradiol with oral dydrogesterone the plasma level of total cholesterol decreased (6.23 +/- 1.02 mmol/l vs 5.65 +/- 0.96 mmol/l; p < 0.05). The effect was also maintained after 12 months of HT (5.46 +/- 1.0 mmol/l). The plasma level of LDL-cholesterol was also decreased after 6 months of HT (3.87 +/- 0.83 mmol/ I vs 3.42 +/- 0.58 mmol/l; p < 0.05). The effect was also maintained after 12 months of HT (3.48 +/- 0.73 mmol/l). HDL-cholesterol plasma level was increased after 6 months of HT (1.52 +/- 0.45 mmol/l vs 1.76 +/- 0.45 mmol/l; p < 0.05) and was maintained after 12 months. The beneficial changes of plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in group B did not reach the statistical significance. The lipid and lipoproteins mean plasma levels remained unchanged in the control group during 12 months of observation.

CONCLUSION
Adding dydrogestrone or medroxyprogesterone to the continuous transdermal supplementation of 17beta-estradiol did not deteriorate the modificable atherosclerotic risk factors.


Prepared for a CERI (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation) Strategic Education Governance Learning Seminar, this working paper analyses an ongoing reform in Austria to change the traditional sector-specific "supervision" of different school types to a system of quality management of all schools in the region and to introduce a new external school evaluation body. The paper identifies four pertinent areas for lasting success of the reform: a new focus on quality management and monitoring; a restructuring of existing sector-specific school supervision bodies; creating a shared vision of quality and educational goals; and ensuring reliable and useful knowledge. Employing a complexity perspective to governance, the paper highlights that long-term sustainability of the reform requires a compelling narrative clarifying how school supervision supports education improvement and how supervision fits into wider education policy. The analysis further underlines the principle of co-creation in developing quality frameworks and establishing the methodology for the new external school evaluation body; and also for school leaders and school supervisors to drive the development of their new professional identities. Finally, to provide useful knowledge for schools and the system, the new external evaluation body should focus on the improvement of teaching and learning.


Technology for measuring and identifying the positions and distributions of radioactive substances is important for decommissioning work sites at nuclear power stations. A three-dimensional (3D) image reconstruction method that locates radioactive substances by integrating structure-from-motion (SfM) with a Compton camera (a type of gamma-ray imager) has been developed. From the photographs captured while freely moving in an experimental environment, a 3D structural model of the experimental environment was created. By projecting the radioactive substance image acquired by the Compton camera on the 3D structural model, the positions of the radioactive substance were visualized in 3D space. In a demonstration study, the 137Cs-radiation source was successfully visualized in the experimental environment captured by the freely moving cameras. In addition, how the imaging accuracy is affected by uncertainty in the self-localization of the Compton camera processed by SfM, and by positional uncertainty in the gamma-ray incidence determined by the sensors of the Compton camera was investigated. The created map depicts the positions of radioactive substances inside radiation work environments, such as decommissioning work sites at nuclear power stations.


Abstract Education is an important ingredient for advancement in the knowledge-based economy of the contemporary world. Teachers therefore form the vehicle for provision and dissemination of relevant knowledge, skills and values for socio-economic development. In every career professionals are assured of moving through the ranks so long as they do their work well and meet certain laid down criteria but in practice this is not the case with most school teachers in South Africa. Although the Employment of Educators Act mentions the promotion of teachers in practice it is almost non-existent. A teacher may teach and remain on post level one for the entire teaching life. The assumption is that this situation might lead to frustration and disillusion among teachers. Teachers may leave or underperform due to lack of job satisfaction. This paper is the result of an empirical investigation on job satisfaction among South African school teachers. The assumptions of the researchers were validated by an empirical study of the problem in the Dr. Ruth Mompati Education District [North West Province]. The major findings of the study include a lack of equal opportunities for all teachers, poor conditions of service, increased workload of teachers, lack of discipline among learners and increasing violence against teachers, and the apparent eroding of the authority of the teacher.


In the United Kingdom, human trafficking and, more recently, modern slavery has been pushed up the political and policy agenda. At the same time, partnership working has been promoted at international and national levels in order to encourage a more holistic response to trafficking. This article examines the nature of the evidence collected to monitor and evaluate the activities and outcomes of organisations involved in a number of human trafficking partnerships in England and Wales. Underpinning this analysis is the '4 Ps' approach to tackling human trafficking: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnership. Based on interviews with a variety of actors working in different partner bodies, limitations of evidence in relation to both monitoring activities as well as evaluating outcomes emerged. These relate to inadequate data collection, lack of robust methods of data collection, untested assumptions, the complexity of gathering evidence which reflect human welfare oriented goals, and the sharing of evidence between partner organisations. A key finding is that current data and methods of data collection are inadequate for the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of anti-trafficking initiatives and partnerships. Another key finding is the way in which partnerships challenged received outcomes and expanded their focus beyond victims of trafficking or criminal justice goals. Finally, I explore whether criminal justice outcomes can be leveraged to foster deterrence, by interrogating what evidence might be needed.


Partially crystalline glasses are predominantly used as solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) sealants due to their superior long term durability. However, cracks caused by thermal cycling still remain a substantial bottleneck in developing durable SOFC sealants inasmuch as, in contrast to crystal free glasses, large crystal volume fractions can retard healing. Hence, the basic understanding of crack healing in glassy crystalline materials and the effects of micro structure are important for finding optimum micro structures for both, durability and crack healing.

For studying these effects, several model glass matrix composites (GMC), for which simultaneous crystal growth and crack healing can be excluded, have been synthesized. Sodium calcium silicate glass – zirconia GMC turned out to provide sufficiently homogeneous, dense and durable model GMC for our studies. The microstructure of this GMC shows large crystal free glassy regions embedded in network of finely dispersed ZrO2 nanoscale crystals. Whereas the glassy regions allow easy local crack healing, the network of dispersed crystals increases the effective viscosity on a global scale. This effect substantially retards crack broadening during later healing stages, which often ends up in large pores. Therefore, this type of microstructure seems to be an interesting candidate for crack healing optimized sealants.


Electron-impact rotational excitation of HCl is studied theoretically. Vibrationally elastic cross sections are also calculated for the collision system. The calculation is based on the fixed-nuclei approximation with an ab initio electrostatic potential. The effects of electron exchange and target polarization are taken into account approximately. To avoid the divergence due to dipole interaction, a closure formula for the scattering amplitude is introduced. The differential cross sections for the rotational transitions (where j is the rotational quantum number) are obtained at the electron energies 3-50 eV. The integral elastic and the momentum-transfer cross sections are also obtained. The resulting cross sections are generally in good agreement with experimental data in so far as the latter are available.


Linkages exhibit numerous applications especially in modelling robot arms. Until now, NPComplete and PSPACE-Hard problems have been introduced within the linkage context. The main subject of this paper is to introduce a new NP-Hard problem regarding movement of open chain linkages. The objective of this problem is to minimize the moving components of the linkage and their related movement impact, in a way that the end effector is ultimately placed at the target point. For this purpose, first, the problem is formalized and its NP-Hard condition is proved using reduction of sum of subset problem. A greedy algorithm with the time complexity of and space complexity of is proposed for solving the problem, and computation results from implementing the algorithm are compared with the optimized results. This comparison demonstrates the efficiency and capability of the proposed algorithm.


Objective: Mental health is one of the most important issues in adolescents' life. Adolescents' health is highly important, because of their role in the future. This study was conducted using multilevel analysis to investigate the risk factors at student and school levels. Method : This was a cross sectional study for which 1740 students and 53 schools were selected between February and March 2018 in Qazvin, Iran. Multistage stratified cluster sampling was used for data collection. Mental health problems were measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Emotional symptom, conduct problem, hyperactivity, peer relationship problem, and prosocial behavior were the subscales. This study used multilevel analysis to determine the association between each of the questionnaire scales and students and schools variables. Results: The prevalence of the mental health problems was 16.2%. Conduct problem was more prevalent than others (21.1%). Overall, the score of mental health problems was significantly lower in boys' schools, in adolescents with physical activity, and in families with high socioeconomic status. Hyperactivity and emotional symptoms were significantly higher in girls' schools. While prosocial behavior and peer relationship problems were significantly higher in boys' schools. The association between variables and the scales of mental health problems was different.Conclusion: Results indicated desirable physical activity and socioeconomic status are effective components in the adolescents' mental health, and, mostly girls' schools were more vulnerable than boys' schools. Therefore, the educational authorities and health policymakers should consider this diversity to design interventional programs and pay more attention to the high-risk adolescents in different schools.


SUMMARY: Molecular imaging is aimed at the noninvasive visualization of the expression and function of bioactive molecules that often represent specific molecular signatures in disease processes. Any molecular imaging procedure requires an imaging probe that is specific to a given molecular event, which puts an important emphasis on chemistry development. In MR imaging, the past years have witnessed significant advances in the design of molecular agents, though most of these efforts have not yet progressed to in vivo studies. In this review, we present some examples relevant to potential neurobiologic applications. Our aim was to show what chemistry can bring to the area of molecular MR imaging with a focus on the 2 main classes of imaging probes: Gd3+-based and PARACEST agents. We will discuss responsive probes for the detection of metal ions such as Ca, Zn, Fe, and Cu, pH, enzymatic activity, and oxygenation state.


Rare gene variants confer a high level of penetrance to neurodevelopmental disorders, but their developmental origin and cellular substrates remain poorly understood. To address this limitation, we explored the role of TBX1, a gene encoded in a rare copy number variant, in cell and mouse models. Here, we report that neonatal Tbx1 deficiency contributes to defective peripubertal social behavior and impairs the proliferation of neonatal neural stem/progenitor cells. Moreover, TBX1 transcriptionally regulates genes linked to post-embryonic neurogenesis and neurodevelopmental disorders associated with other rare gene variants. Our data indicate a precise time window and cell type through which the social dimension is altered by a gene encoded in a rare CNV and provide a potential common mechanistic basis for a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. One-Sentence Summary Tbx1, a gene affecting neonatal stem cell proliferation, influences peripubertal social behavior.


This paper attempts a synthesis of available information on glandular functions of avian integument, a topic which has not received adequate attention. Morphologi cally distinct glands in the skin of birds are limited to the uropygial gland, ceruminous (wax) glands in external ear canal and integumentary glands of the vent (anal glands). Of these, only the uropygial gland has been studied in a considerable manner., whereas taxonomic and functional status of the latter two remain unclear at the present juncture. The holocrine ceruminous glands, though lipoid producing, differ greatly from the uropygial gland in structure and functions. The glands of the vent are the only mucoid producing glands found in avian skin. Thus the avian integument, on gross examination, appears to be poorly endowed with glands compared to that of other vertebrates. However, cells of avian body epidermis show a unique lipogenic potential, producing both keratin and sebum like lipoid material. Aptly termed as 'sebokeratocytes', the epidermal cells in glabrous portions of skin as well as specialized regions such as the rictus and toe web exhibit a remarkably high degree of sebogenic activity. Possible significance of this epidermal lipoid secretion in enhancing water repellancy of skin; preventing excessive cutaneous water loss; screening off harmful radiations, imparting colouration to the skin etcetera are discussed. In light of the widespread nature of epidermal lipoid secretion and the knowledge that many specialized types of feathers in various species produce and maintain a supply of material such as powder, grease or both, used in cosmetic purposes, the concept of secretory activity is reexamined. It is proposed that on a functional basis, the secretory epidermal regions and specialized feathers be considered as glandular units of skin, though they lack the conventionally accepted glandular profile.


Teaching the Jahn-Teller theorem offers several challenges. For many students, the first encounter comes in coordination chemistry, which can be difficult due to the already complicated nature of transition-metal complexes. Moreover, a deep understanding of the Jahn-Teller theorem requires that one is well acquainted with quantum mechanics and group theory. A comparatively simple way to illustrate the anatomy of the Jahn-Teller effect is presented here. Chemistry teachers are reminded of a sometimes forgotten aspect, namely, that the orbital degeneracy itself is not a sufficient criterion for the Jahn-Teller effect to appear, it is necessary that the occupation of the degenerate energy level is asymmetric. The article can serve as an introduction to the Jahn-Teller theorem, either as a lecture or as a computational exercise.


This article argues that shifting paradigms for health promotion research would result in a better fit between research intents and social and behavioral phenomena. Further, it argues that the constructivist paradigm exhibits great utility, power, and synergism with emerging concepts in health research. Such inquiry also provides for grounded theory and more stakeholder-based policy analyses and evaluation studies. For the purposes of health promotion, qualitative and constructivist research provides a model superior to conventional research.


Regional development of beta-adrenergic binding sites in the rat fetal central nervous system and pineal gland were studied in relation to the ontogeny of different drug and neurotransmitter binding sites. 3H-dihydroalprenolol labels the olfactory bulb very early in fetal life. A comparatively early development of binding sites is also seen for benzodiazepines during late gestation. 3H-serotonin, 3H-muscimol, 3H-GABA and 3H-(N)-methylscopolamine additionally label the olfactory bulb, revealing quite different patterns. Around gestational day 16, beta-adrenergic sites were found in the neocortex, then in choroid plexus and in the pineal gland. Besides beta-adrenergic, only 3H-flunitrazepam binding sites are detectable in the fetal eye, the latter with a more restricted regional distribution. In the fetal pineal, beta-adrenergic, muscarinic cholinergic and serotonergic binding sites appear at different times in gestation. In the neocortex a variety of binding site patterns develop. Two more general types can be distinguished: appearance along with caudorostral maturation of the brain and appearance within distinct brain regions, possibly related to local differentiation processes. The simultaneous onset of various binding sites in distinct areas of the fetal brain might result in higher sensitivity of individual brain areas to drugs.


We present the segmented corrosion method that uses hydrofluoric acid to etch the fiber of a fiber laser for removing high-power cladding light to improve stripping uniformity and power handling capability. For theoretical guidelines, we propose a simulation model of etched-fiber stripping to evaluate the relationship between the etched-fiber parameters and cladding light attenuation and to analyze the stripping uniformity achieved with segmented corrosion. A two-segment etched fiber is fabricated with cladding light attenuation of 19.8 dB and power handling capability up to 670 W. We find that the cladding light is stripped uniformly and the temperature distribution is uniform without the formation of hot spots.


This article explores ways in which gender might be productively investigated in classrooms where students are learning English as a second language. We review studies that posit gender differences in communicative style and review feminist critiques of such studies on the basis of their essentialism and ignoring of political issues. Studies that document differences between the behaviors of boys and girls in classrooms are also examined and critiqued on the same grounds. The point is made that such explorations of difference commonly assume differences to be "normal" or "natural," merely a matter of "style," and ignore relationships of power that might be seen as instantiated in communicative events. Two projects of the authors are described in which the perceptions of a group of secondary school students of ESL about gendered speech conventions in home, community, and school were investigated. Recognizing that these students (despite diversity in ethnicity) perceive common gender differences in communicative behaviors, the authors speculate about how students might be encouraged to examine the sources of and reasons for these perceptions of difference. The article concludes with a discussion of how linguistic as well as other practices in schools might be examined so as to make that context safer and more positive for girls and ESL students.


A randomized trial involving 1,351 new Medicare enrollees was conducted to assess the efficacy of a transtheoretical model (TTM) based manual and multimedia expert system program that delivered guidance and feedback matched to individual stage of readiness to compare Medicare health plans. At 6 months post-intervention, compared to enrollees in the control group, those receiving the manual plus expert system intervention or the manual alone exhibited greater increases in Medicare knowledge. The TTM-based interventions also increased use of and satisfaction with traditional Medicare education materials among most enrollees. The interventions' impact on stage of change for comparing plans was observed only among treatment group participants who had examined and evaluated the materials. The challenges to increasing informed choice and possible dissemination channels for stage-based materials are discussed.


According to the requirements of a foreign high-altitude airship project, the Single-Rotation-Propeller (SRP) was designed under the maximum endurance factor criterion. The spacing influence on the Contra-Rotation-Propeller (CRP) was studied by numerical simulation analysis, the performance of front and rear propeller was compared with SRP. The result indicated that CRP was more efficient than SPR, the CRP has enormous potential in enhancing the aerodynamic performance.


The pollution ocouring at the environment effects the building health importantly just like it effects the human health. The damages at the reinforced concrete buildings, especially carbonation and corrosion, shortens the buildings' service lives as it damages the cities' esthetical appearance. Embedded steel in reinforced concrete members is protected from corrosion by alkaline composition of the concrete which is provided mainly by the dissolution in the pore water of the Ca(OH)2. However this positive property of the concrete may be lost in time due to carbonation of hydrated components of cement especially, Ca(OH)2 which is converted to CaCO3 with diffusion of CO2 from the environment into the concrete pore system during carbonation process. This phenomenon is accepted one of the main factors determining the service life of the reinforced concrete members. In order to prevent the damage at the building appearance, the negative effects of pollution should be considered. By this way, the damage of the city appearance can be prevented.


We introduce and experimentally demonstrate a miniaturized integrated spectrometer operating over a broad bandwidth in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectrum that combines an add-drop ring resonator narrow band filter with a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) based broadband filter realized in a silicon photonic platform. The contra-directional coupling DBR filter in this design consists of a pair of waveguide sidewall gratings that act as a broadband filter (i.e., 3.9 nm). The re-directed beam is then fed into the ring resonator which functions as a narrowband filter (i.e., 0.121 nm). In this scheme the free spectral range (FSR) limitation of the ring resonator is overcome by using the DBR as a filter to isolate a single ring resonance line. The overall design of the spectrometer is further simplified by simultaneously tuning both components through the thermo-optic effect. Moreover, several ring-grating spectrometer cells with different central wavelengths can be stacked in cascade in order to cover a broader spectrum bandwidth. This can be done by centering each unit cell on a different center wavelength such that the maximum range of one-unit cell corresponds to the minimum range of the next unit cell. This configuration enables high spectral resolution over a large spectral bandwidth and high extinction ratio (ER), making it suitable for a wide variety of applications.


The impact of chronic exposure of Mareb Crude Oil on the rate of oxygen consumption of the clam, Tivela Ponderosa was studied in the laboratory. The bivalve Tivela ponderosa is exposed to (0.5, 1, and 1.5) ml/l of Mareb Crude Oil. The oxygen consumption of bivalves Tivela ponderosa was controlled hourly at 5th and 10th day (every two and six hours). After 5 and 10 days of exposure to crude oil concentrations, the average oxygen consumption in the clam after 5 days of exposure was (0.131, 0.135, 0.141, 0.319 ml O2  gm-1 dry tissue h-1 every two hours) and (0.121, 0.124, 0.137, 0.247 ml O2 gm-1 dry tissue h-1 every six hours)  and after 10 days it was (0.222 ,0.561, 0.946, 1.117 ml O2 gm-1 dry tissue h-1 every two hours) and (0.126, 0.432, 0.573, 0.632 ml O2  gm-1 dry tissue h-1 every six hours). It was observed that the rate of oxygen consumption fluctuated with an increase in the exposure period.  The increase in oxygen consumption in the treated clams can be explained by the high metabolic activity of the organisms due to the stress imposed by the pollutant. On the other hand, when increasing the exposure period for pollution substance decrease in oxygen consumption in the clams exposed to toxic substance concentrations. The possible reason for the latter is the insensitivity of the clams especially in high concentration of pollution substances.


Oral diseases are the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and affect people in all age groups throughout their lifetime, causing pain, discomfort, and chronic systemic disease. In Ayurveda, 65 number of Mukharoga (oral diseases) have seven anatomic positions-eight on the lips, 15 on the alveolar margin, eight in connection with the teeth, five on the tongue, nine on the palate, 17 in the oropharynx and three in a whole mouth described by Acharya Sushruta. and Acharya Vagbhata mentioned 75 types of Mukharoga (oral diseases) in 8 sites one extra- Ganda roga (diseases of a face). However, primarily teeth and gums diseases are closely associated with Shotha and Sula (inflammation and pain). Shitada and Upkusha are the diseases of Dantamula (gums) having foul smell, a cardinal clinical feature. Laghukhadira Vatika (LKV) is a polyherbal ayurvedic medicine mentioned for treating oral diseases by acharya Chakrapani Datta for the first time, then the same followed by other authors with different names of the same formulation and their disease indications and applications. It consists of Acacia catechu Willd and Cinnamomum camphor Nees. and Eberm, Myristica fragrans Houtt., Areca catechu Linn. and Piper cubeba Linn. F., Different fractions of extracts of each drug and isolated phytochemicals have potent Krmighna (anti-bacterial), astringent, and Shothahar (anti-inflammatory) activities, as proven by many studies. It is generally used for Mouth ulcers, Pharyngitis (Sore throat), Halitosis and other diseases of teeth, gums, and sore throat, etc. The present survey is aimed to determine the Laghukhadira Vatika against oral diseases.


Background: We present data on risk factors for severe outcomes among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the southeast United States (U.S.). Objective: To determine risk factors associated with hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mortality among patients with confirmed COVID-19. Design: A retrospective cohort study. Setting: Fulton County in Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Georgia, U.S. Patients: Community-based individuals of all ages that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Measurements: Demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, hospitalization, ICU admission, death (all-cause mortality), and severe COVID-19 disease, defined as a composite measure of hospitalization and death. Results: Between March 2 and May 31, 2020, we included 4322 individuals with various COVID-19 outcomes. In a multivariable logistic regression random-effects model, patients in age groups [≥]45 years compared to those <25 years were associated with severe COVID-19. Males compared to females (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-1.6), non-Hispanic blacks (aOR 1.9, 95%CI: 1.5-2.4) and Hispanics (aOR 1.7, 95%CI: 1.2-2.5) compared to non-Hispanic whites were associated with increased odds of severe COVID-19. Those with chronic renal disease (aOR 3.6, 95%CI: 2.2-5.8), neurologic disease (aOR 2.8, 95%CI: 1.8-4.3), diabetes (aOR 2.0, 95%CI: 1.5-2.7), chronic lung disease (aOR 1.7, 95%CI: 1.2-2.3), and ''other chronic diseases'' (aOR 1.8, 95%CI: 1.3-2.6) compared to those without these conditions were associated with increased odds of having severe COVID-19. Conclusions: Multiple risk factors for hospitalization, ICU admission, and death were observed in this cohort from an urban setting in the southeast U.S. Improved screening and early, intensive treatment for persons with identified risk factors is urgently needed to reduce COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal malignancy of plasma cells accumulating in the bone marrow. MM cells are highly dependent on the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment for growth and survival through interactions particularly with BM stromal cells (BMSCs), which secrete important MM growth factors and cytokines. Understanding and defining these BM factors are critical to provide the rationale to functionally target these factors and/or kinases as novel biologically based therapeutics for MM. Bruton tyrosine kinase (Btk), a non-receptor tyrosine kinase resembling the Src family, plays a key role in the development and function of normal B cells through activation of the B-cell antigen receptor signaling pathway on binding to antigens. Btk further phosphorylates PLC-γ, leading to activation of MAPK, NF-κB, and AKT signaling pathways. Earlier our group synthesized a novel series of 5,7-dibromoisatin analogs. Analogs 6, 11 and 13 were potential anti-cancer agents. In the present study, through docking studies we predicted that bromo isatin analog-11 directly interacts with Btk. We found that Isatin-11 inhibits Btk activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Isatin-11 down-regulates the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL on MM cells. Isatin-11 also activates caspase-3 and PARP-cleavage in MM cells. Taken together, these results suggest that targeting of Btk by Isatin-11 may represent a new therapeutic strategy to treat MM.

Citation Format: Krishne Gowda, Manoj K. Pandey, Arun K. Sharma, Shantu Amin. Isatin analog as bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor: A promising novel agent for multiple myeloma treatment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4204. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4204


Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by repetitive episodes of complete and partial obstructions of the upper airway during sleep. The diagnosis of OSA requires the objective demonstration of abnormal breathing during sleep by measuring the respiratory disturbance index (RDI, events per hour of sleep), i.e. the frequency of apnea (complete upper airway obstruction), hypopnea (partial upper airway obstruction) and arousals from sleep related to respiratory efforts. OSA is defined by combining symptoms and an RDI ≥5 or by an RDI ≥15 without symptoms. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), the frequency of apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep, is widely used to define OSA (many clinical and epidemiological studies use this metric). In the general adult population, the prevalence of OSA defined by ≥5 apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep associated with excessive sleepiness is approximately 3-7% in men and 2-5% in women. The prevalence of OSA is much higher, e.g. ≥50%, in patients with cardiac or metabolic disorders than in the general population. Risk factors for OSA include obesity (the strongest risk factor), upper airway abnormalities, male gender, menopause and age (the prevalence of OSA associated with a higher risk of morbidity and mortality increases with age and peaks at approximately 55 years of age). OSA is associated with symptoms during sleep (snoring, choking and nocturia) and wakefulness (excessive sleepiness, fatigue and lack of energy) and with sequelae such as psychological changes, alterations in the quality of life, and social, familial and professional performance including vehicle and industrial accidents. The identification of OSA may be a difficult task for the clinician, even in populations in which OSA is highly prevalent such as patients with cardiovascular disorders because they may not present the cardinal signs of the disease, e.g. excessive sleepiness and obesity. Guidelines have been developed to tailor OSA therapy to patients according to the results of their disease evaluation and their preferences.


It is well known that the discrete Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) can be considered from the perspective of a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) taken over short time sections of the signal (the window is fixed) or from the perspective of a filtering operation at a given frequency (the frequency is fixed). We have proposed a mixed approach where the spectrum of each finite short time section of the signal is estimated by realizing a DFT through a bank of IIR Goertzel Filters centered at the specified frequencies. This approach allows computing the time varying spectrum at precisely the frequencies of interest. The Goertzel algorithm can be adjusted to implement the Nonuniform Discrete Fourier Transform (NDFT). Within the NDFT framework the estimation of the spectrum at the desired frequency it is not conditioned to the requirement that the DFT index, k, be an integer. We have termed this implementation of the discrete STFT the "Nonuniform Discrete Short Time Fourier Transform" (NSTFT). A MATLAB program was written and validated using this technique, then the methods were compared for different windows size and different number of frequencies of interest, to a MATLAB FIR filtering view implementation.


Abstract Renal nerve stimulation increases renal vascular resistance and decreases glomerular filtration rate and urinary sodium excretion. The purpose of this study was to determine whether neurally mediated changes in renal vascular resistance, glomerular filtration rate, and urinary sodium excretion at control renal perfusion pressure modified the autoregulation of renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate and the antinatriuresis observed during reductions in renal perfusion pressure in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. Renal blood flow, glomerular filtration rate, and urinary sodium excretion were determined during stepwise reductions in renal perfusion pressure from 137 to 55 mm Hg (suprarenal aortic constriction) before and during electrical stimulation of the renal nerves at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 Hz. In the absence of renal nerve stimulation, renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate remained constant until renal perfusion pressure was reduced to 70 and 85 mm Hg, respectively. Urinary sodium excretion decreased linearly as renal perfusion pressure decreased. Renal nerve stimulation at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 Hz increased renal vascular resistance and decreased glomerular filtration rate and urinary sodium excretion. These frequencies of renal nerve stimulation, however, did not alter the decreases in renal vascular resistance and glomerular filtration rate or the antinatriuretic response to stepwise reductions in renal perfusion pressure to 55 mm Hg. These data demonstrate that increased renal vascular resistance at either the afferent or efferent arteriole does not change the responses of these vessels to reductions in renal perfusion pressure. Renal nerve stimulation at frequencies which decrease urinary sodium excretion at control renal perfusion pressure also does not enhance the antinatriuretic response to reductions in renal perfusion pressure.


Detection and quantffication of changes in land use/land cover can be thwarted by natural or baseline spatio-temporal variation in reflectance characteristics. This situation is especially true for spatially heterogeneous landscapes that exhibit a strong seasonality in reflectance, such as the Pantanal of Brazil, the largest wetland habitat on the planet. Subject to extensive seasonal flooding by the Rio Paraguai and its tributaries, the Pantanal is an ecotonal landscape, a complex mosaic of shallow lakes, periodically inundated grasslands, and elevated forested patches, which together form a threatened haven of vertebrate biodiversity. We examine the efficacy of robust descriptors of spatial structure in segmenting a series of NDVI images of this complex region into appropriate landscapes units. Our study area is approximately 65 km by 16 km in extent and transverses four landscapes in the southern Pantanal which each possess different hydrological influences: the lake district of Nhecolândia, the floodplains of the Rio Negro, the Rio Aquidauana, and the Rio Miranda. Scales of fluctuation (SOFs; correlation lengths) and lacunarity indices were measured in NDVI images fonned froin eight Landsat TM quarter-scenes over two inundation cycles (1985, 1989). Segmentation using correlation lengths in conjunction with NDVI intensity values was successful in separating landscapes jato distinctive clusters; lacunarity metrics were too highly correlated with NDVI to enable clear segmentation. Regions of higher NDVI exhibited lower seasonal variation; seasonal variation of SOF showed a similar pattern. Scale of fluctuation metrics merit further consideration for image analysis and spatio-temporal scene modeling.


Infrastructure is a basic structure required for sustainable socio-econom- ic and physical development of any human settlement. The issue of sustainable de - velopment has recently been linked to infrastructure sustainability. Required to achieve this is the acquisition of appropriate education. Different skills, understand - ing the complexities that threaten the survival of our system, critical and systematic thinking, building capacity and partnership in decision-making, which are essen- tial tools for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), are required to provide adequate, appropriate and functional infrastructure. This study therefore examines the awareness/knowledge with reference to various skills employed in the provision of infrastructure through communal efforts in ten selected medium-sized towns in Kwara State. These towns are with a population of between 5,000 and 20,000. A to - tal of 400 household heads were sampled systematically through the administration of a questionnaire in the ten selected medium-sized towns. Tabulations, cross tabu- lations, percentages and chi-square analysis were employed to analyse the gathered data. The findings revealed a significant relationship between awareness/knowledge and the provision of infrastructure with a calculated value of 219.23 greater than the tabulated value 34.41 at alpha level 0.05. Indigenous knowledge coupled with the ideas brought home by indigenes that have travelled far from their immediate communities and some professional skills acquired through community participa- tion in infrastructure provision were employed to provide basic infrastructure re- quired for socio-economic and physical development. Among the infrastructure provided are water, roads, health centres and electricity. The study recommends the improvement of basic education, a review and re-orientation of our educational system to address sustainability for proper collaboration of community efforts with the Community Development division of various local governments. This could be through training of the local communities and promotion of partnership zeal with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in infrastructure provision.


Abstract Crops transformed to provide resistance to herbicides with two different mechanisms of action provide new opportunities for control of herbicide-resistant weeds. However, unexpected interactions may develop, especially for herbicides not generally used in tank-mixtures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate weed control and determine herbicide interactions and fluorescence responses with combinations of glyphosate and glufosinate on selected weeds prevalent in Michigan cropping systems. Field studies to determine herbicide interactions resulted in synergism only at 0.84 kg ae ha−1 of glyphosate and 0.47 kg ai ha−1 glufosinate in 2008. Early synergism (7 d after treatment [DAT]) was observed in the field at several combined rates for common lambsquarters and velvetleaf in 2009, and in the greenhouse for giant foxtail. Differences between years were perhaps due to the effect of environmental conditions on herbicide absorption and translocation. Antagonism was observed in the field in 2009 for velvetleaf, common lambsquarters, and giant foxtail especially at 840 g ae ha−1 glyphosate and 118 g ai ha−1 glufosinate, 28 DAT. Antagonism was also observed in the greenhouse for giant foxtail and Canada thistle, 28 DAT. Fluorescence measurements on Canada thistle in the greenhouse showed that glufosinate and glufosinate plus glyphosate acted rapidly to quench electron transport of photosystem II (PS II) system of photosynthesis, and the fluorescence characteristics of the glyphosate and glufosinate combinations were indistinguishable from glufosinate alone. Nomenclature: Glufosinate; glyphosate; Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.; common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L.; giant foxtail, Setaria faberi Herrm.; velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti Medik.


We introduce Spectrally Matched Click synthesis as a novel application of FIR filter design allowing the creation of arbitrarily short duration clicks whose magnitude frequency spectra approximate those of arbitrary input sounds. We demonstrate its use on effects including incremental attack strength modification and continuous gradual "morphing" between any input sound and successively more impulsive/percussive sounds.


In this paper, we study the geometrothermodynamics of(2 + 1)-dimensional spinning dilaton black hole. We show that the Ruppeiner curvature vanishes, which implies that there exist no phase transitions and thermodynamic interactions. However when the thermodynamics fluctuation is included, the geometry structure is reconsidered. The non-vanishing Ruppeiner curvature is obtained, which means the phase space is non-flat. We also study the phase transitions and show that it can indeed take place at some points.


Objective: To assess the knowledge of epidemiology, transmission, prevention and control of rabies and to find the effect of an educational intervention in paramedical students of HITEC-IMS, Taxilla.
Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: HITEC-IMS, Taxilla, from Mar to Sep 2019.
Methodology: Study was carried out among paramedical students enrolled in 2 years diploma course in HITEC-IMS, Taxilla. Students were included by non-probability consecutive sampling.
Results: Out of the total of 89 participants, the fatality of rabies was identified by 63 (70.8%) respondents in pre-test and by 84 (94.4%) respondents in post-test (p<0.001). Less than half of the participants knew about bats as a reservoir of rabies (22, 24.7%) in pre-test that raised to 59 participants (66.3%) in post-test (p<0.001). The proper sequence of protocol for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) in un-vaccinated persons was identified by 42 (47.2%) respondents with an improvement of 27% in post-test (p<0.001). Proper order of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) vaccine schedule in humans were identified by 16 (18.0%) respondents with an improvement of 6% in post-test (p=0.031).
Conclusion: Knowledge of reservoir, mode of transmission, prevention and control of rabies after educational intervention showed a significant increase in the students.


Described the real pyramidal and extrapyramidal neural networks of the mammalian brain, realizing asbehavior, motor control and involved in learning and memory. The algorithm of postsynaptic excitatory glutamatergic synapses plasticity analyzed, which leads to the modification and storage for a long time, the efficiency of synaptic transmission --ong-term potentiation, long-term depression. Analyzed the mechanisms of plasticity allosteric GABAA(-)redcptors. Described the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the trafficking of GABAA(-)receptors and its role in the dynamic modulation of neuronal inhibition. Analyzed molecular and cellular plasticity algorithm of allosteric GABAA(-)receptors. Discussed hypoth-sis update neural networks that is realized on a molecular level with the internalization and recycling mechanism specific GABAA(-)receptor cluster. It is assumed that the process of transfer from the memory stage storage to the stage of working memory. Deactualization of neural network, which is implemented at the molecular level by the mechanism of internalization specific cluster of GABAA(-)receptor, is a pro-ess of transferring from stage of working or random access memory in the storage stage.


Heterostyly is a common floral polymorphism, but the proteomic basis of this trait is still largely unexplored. In this study, self- and cross-pollination of L-morph and S-morph flowers and comparison of embryo sac development in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) suggested that lower fruit set from S-morph flowers results from stigma-pollen incompatibility. To explore the molecular mechanism underlying heterostyly development, we conducted isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) proteomic analysis of eggplant pistils for L- and S-morph flowers. A total of 5,259 distinct proteins were identified during heterostyly development. Compared S-morph flowers with L-morph, we discovered 57 and 184 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) during flower development and maturity, respectively. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reactions were used for nine genes to verify DEPs from the iTRAQ approach. During flower development, DEPs were mainly involved in morphogenesis, biosynthetic processes, and metabolic pathways. At flower maturity, DEPs primarily participated in biosynthetic processes, metabolic pathways, and the formation of ribosomes and proteasomes. Additionally, some proteins associated with senescence and programmed cell death were found to be upregulated in S-morph pistils, which may lead to the lower fruit set in S-morph flowers. Although the exact roles of these related proteins are not yet known, this was the first attempt to use an iTRAQ approach to analyze proteomes of heterostylous eggplant flowers, and these results will provide insights into biochemical events taking place during the development of heterostyly.


The aim of this article is to discuss dedication inscriptions by the authors in books from personal libraries of several Lithuanian writers as an aid for at least partial reconstruction of such libraries. The main source for this research is a card catalogue of books with dedications from the holdings of the Rare Book Department of the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (hereafter WLLAS). The books with dedications listed in the catalogue have been examined de visu. Such a method is able to identify only part of the books previously owned by the writers in question. Three cases – the books dedicated by the authors to three writers – were selected for further analysis. These books, together with their former owners' personal archives, came to the WLLAS Rare Book Department by the way of donation. The article presents an analysis of eleven books from the library of the poet, translator and children' s book writer Matas Grigonis (1889–1971). All the books carry gift inscriptions from their authors to the writer himself or his family. They were given to the library by the writer's son, Matas Kastytis Grigonis, along with some archival documents, which supplemented the Matas Grigonis Archive Collection F202, already formed in the WLLAS Manuscript Department. Another case is a set of 47 autographed books from the private library of the poet Vladas Gurnevicius-Ramaskonis (1923–2002). They were given to WLLAS by the owner himself in 1992, together with his personal archive. In 1992–1993 the holdings of the Rare Book Department were enriched by books dedicated by the authors to emigree writer Anatolijus Kairys (1914-08-28, St. Petersburg – 2008. U.S.A.) At the same time, in the WLLAS Manuscript Department, the Anatolijus Kairys personal archive collection (F337) was established, donated by the writer himself and later repeteadly supplemented. All three cases are connected by a common trait: authorial dedications, indicating book ownership. The dedications provide insights into socializing specifics of the book owners, a factor affecting certain aspects of book culture.


About one-third of the world population is estimated to be infected with tuberculosis (TB), but the global incidence of TB appears to be declining slowly, with regional differences. Specific control measures are required and have been proposed to obtain a substantial reduction in the global TB burden. The advantages achieved so far are currently threatened by the emergence of highly drug-resistant forms of TB, the high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection and the persisting global poverty. Socioeconomic development, but also access and quality of health services appear to be important in lowering the risk factors for TB.


Communication is a media in transferring idea between speaker and hearer. Oral communicationoften used by the speaker and hearer in achieving the aim of communication. Most of Indonesian people, included Pekalongan people are bilingual. They use Javanese language as their daily language. However, as Indonesian people, they also master and use Indonesian language in their conversation. Sometimes, they often mix Javanese and Indonesian in their conversation. It also happened in the conversation between seller and buyer in Pasar Grosir Setono Pekalongan. Most of the sellers came from Pekalongan. It means that in providing services for the buyer, sometimes the sellers combined Indonesian and Javanese language. They often inserted another language in their conversation. The aim of this research was to describe the form of code mixing used between seller and buyer in Pasar Grosir Setono Pekalongan. The research design used in this research was descriptive qualitative. The instrument was observation sheet. There are 15 sellers and 17 buyers used as the sample in this research. The technique of analyzing data used in this research were identification, classification and interpretation. The finding of this research shows the form of code mixing used by the sellers and buyers in Pasar Grosir Setono Pekalongan were from Javanese to Indonesian and Indonesian to Javanese. From those code mixing, there were the type of intra-sentential and intra-lexical used in their utterances. Based on the existing result, it is necessary to have language training in the field of marketing. It is used to improve the seller's competence in speaking using Indonesian language and improve their confident to speak using Indonesian language.Keywords: Code mixing, conversation, bilingual


The digestive tract absorption of environmental contaminants is an important but poorly understood parameter in contaminant is an important but poorly understood parameter in contaminant risk assessments. The net absorption of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in a nursing infant was measured under natural conditions over 12 days. The levels of the substances in the mother's milk were typical for Germany. It was found that for almost all congeners over 90% of the ingested compound was absorbed. This indicates that the common assumption of 100% absorption in nursing infants is reasonable. No firm conclusions could be drawn regarding the absorption of Cl7- and Cl8DD/F due to high blank levels in the cotton diapers used.


Hume scholars have long disputed how we should understand his famous "two definitions" of causation. A serious problem with existing accounts is that they fit uneasily with Hume's claim in the Treatise that the two definitions correspond to causation considered separately as a "natural" and as a "philosophical" relation. This paper advances a new interpretation of the two definitions, according to which they represent an account of two different psychological mechanisms that generate causal judgments. This interpretation is fully consistent with Hume's claim that the two definitions map onto his distinction between natural and philosophical relations, once that distinction is itself properly understood.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the demographic characteristics, clinical features, ocular complications, and disease associations of patients who were diagnosed as scleritis and episcleritis in clinic.

METHODS
A retrospective case series study.Ninety patients were diagnosed clinically as scleritis and episcleritis in Beijing Tongren Hospital from Jan 2010 to Jan 2013. Analyzed the general states of health, case history, the clinical manifestation, clinical features, ocular complications (decrease in vision, anterior uveitis, keratitis, ocular hypertension, cataract, and diseases of retina), and disease associations, to summarize the clinical characteristics of scleritis and episcleritis.

RESULTS
Ninety patients were recorded, from 4 to 83 years old, and the average was (48 ± 15) years old. 30 cases (33.3%) were male, and 60 (66.7%) were female. There were no significant difference between male and female (χ² = 10.000, P < 0.01).In the 90 cases, 36 (40.0%) were episleritis and 54 cases (60.0%) were scleritis. Children group (0-16 years old) had 2 cases (2.2%), which all were episleritis.Young adult group (17-44 years old) had 39 cases (43.4%), including 13 were episleritis and 26 cases were scleritis. Middle adult group (45-59 years old) had 30 cases, including 9 cases episleritis and 21 cases scleritis. There were 19 cases (21.2%) in aged group ( ≥ 60 years), including 12 cases episleritis and 7 scleritis.Young adult group, Middle adult group and Aged group were significantly more than Children and aged group (χ² = 33.390, 24.500 and 13.762, P < 0.01).Young group was significantly more than Aged group Children group (χ² = 6.889, P < 0.01). Ocular complications were more frequent overall in patients with scleritis versus in those with episcleritis (χ² = 30.044, P < 0.01) , including decrease in vision, keratitis, and ocular hypertension (χ² = 130.200, 67.200, 54.444, P < 0.01) .Nineteen cases (21.1%) had different types of arthritis, and 10 cases (11.1%) had infection diseases in local. There were difference between episcleritis and scleritis (χ² = 145.644, P < 0.01) .

CONCLUSIONS
Scleritis occurs in all ages, but mainly in adults.It is uncommon, and potentially life-threatening diseases. It is needed pay attention to diagnosis and treatment of the patients with systemic disease and ocular complications by Ophthalmologist.


ABSTRACT Nursing program graduates rarely choose mental health nursing as a career. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to examine attitudes of 310 nursing students towards persons with mental illness. Students completed surveys on the first and last days of their program's psychiatric mental health nursing course. The pre- and post-test survey analysis indicated that students improved their attitude, knowledge and preparedness to care for persons with mental illness. However, students maintained little interest in working as a mental health nurse. Modifications in mental health nursing courses could be made to improve students' interest in choosing a career in mental health nursing.