To evaluate the possibility of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in alcoholics carriers of "anti-HBc alone", and to verify the behavior of this serological pattern after a single dose of hepatitis B vaccine, 18 alcoholics who had this serological profile were evaluated by the polymerase chain reaction method, and 17 of them were vaccined. All were negative for HBV DNA. Nine (52.9%) of those vaccined had anamnestic response, mainly those with positive anti-HBe (8/10; 80%). "Anti-HBc alone" was compatible with low levels of anti-HBs in half of the patients, and probably with false positive results for anti-HBc in the others.


Microbial communities are inherently complex systems. To address this complexity, microbial ecologists are developing new, more elaborate laboratory models at an ever-increasing pace. ABSTRACT Microbial communities are inherently complex systems. To address this complexity, microbial ecologists are developing new, more elaborate laboratory models at an ever-increasing pace. These model microbial communities and habitats have opened up the exploration of new territories that lie between the simplicity and controllability of "synthetic" systems and the convolution and complexity of natural environments. Here, we discuss this classic methodological divide, we propose a conceptual perspective that integrates new research developments, and we sketch a 3-point possible roadmap to cross the divide between controllability and complexity in microbial ecology.


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) approached NASA to evaluate vehicle rollover resistance using the High Capacity Centrifuge facility. Testing was planned for six different sport utility vehicles (SUV). Previous methods for simulating rollover conditions were considered to be not indicative of the true driving conditions. A more realistic gradual application of side loading could be achieved by using a centrifuge facility. A unique load measuring lower support system was designed to measure tire loading on the inboard tires and to indicate tire liftoff. This lower support system was designed to more closely emulate actual rollover conditions. Additional design features were provided to mitigate potential safety hazards.


Introduction Despite emergency readmission being a NHS quality indicator and unplanned admission after elective endoscopy a GRS auditable outcome; there is a lack of audit standards and difficulties in attaining these data due to limitations in hospital IT systems. Commercial analytical reporting tools that use NHS administrative data can generate local reports from HES and may serve as a starting point for clinical audit. Aim To determine the prevalence, demographics, aetiology and outcomes of emergency readmissions following elective endoscopy. Methods From 1.4.08 to 31.3.09 emergency admissions within 6 days of a day-case upper or lower GI endoscopy (ERCP excluded) were identified from analyses of NHS administrative data at RLUH, AUH, SRH, and SMUH. Using a standard proforma, each readmission was audited using case notes, endoscopy database, and the hospital informatics systems. Two senior doctors determined the validity of the admission subdividing them into; unrelated, possible and definite with the latter two categories defining an endoscopy readmission. Results Of the 29 868 daycases, 235 admissions were identified, of which 147 were endoscopy readmissions. The following data all relates to endoscopy readmissions. Demographics Male:Female ratio=1:1; Mean age (SD): 65.1 years (17). Readmission rate overall was 0.49% (0.56% for upper and 0.42% for lower GI procedures) with highest rates for therapeutic uppers (1.75%) > therapeutic lowers (0.56%) > diagnostic upper (0.47%) > diagnostic lower (0.38%). Aetiology The most common reasons for admission were vascular events (26.5%) > Symptoms such as pain (17%), GI haemorrhage (17%), suspected/confirmed perforation (17% (confirmed 6.1%))> respiratory (10.2%) causes >bowel obstruction (4.8%): Investigations 71% required simple blood tests and/or x-rays and 26%, cross-sectional imaging. Treatment 84.4% required only observation, 4.8%; surgery, 2.7%; repeat endoscopy, and 7.5% IV antibiotics. Outcomes 24.5% were short-stays discharges from either AED, or medical/Surgical assessment units. Mean LOS was 8.2 (13) days and 30-day mortality was 6.8%. Conclusion Commercial analytical reporting tools combined with local interpretation and multicentre collaboration was essential for determining useful information regarding endoscopy readmissions. Readmission rates predictably varied with the procedure type (0.38–1.75%) with therapeutic procedures having the highest. While most patients required simple observation/supportive care, LOS was considerable and mortality rate among readmitted cases was significant.


Terahertz-frequency quantum cascade lasers (THz QCLs) based on bound-to-continuum active regions are difficult to model owing to their large number of quantum states. We present a computationally efficient reduced rate equation (RE) model that reproduces the experimentally observed variation of THz power with respect to drive current and heat-sink temperature. We also present dynamic (time-domain) simulations under a range of drive currents and predict an increase in modulation bandwidth as the current approaches the peak of the light–current curve, as observed experimentally in mid-infrared QCLs. We account for temperature and bias dependence of the carrier lifetimes, gain, and injection efficiency, calculated from a full rate equation model. The temperature dependence of the simulated threshold current, emitted power, and cut-off current are thus all reproduced accurately with only one fitting parameter, the interface roughness, in the full REs. We propose that the model could therefore be used for rapid dynamical simulation of QCL designs.


In this article, I examine how Nazi antisemitism and homophobia built upon one another, employing parallel narratives about femininity, foreignness, and threats to the nation state. I explore how early historiography of the Nazi period links the two phenomena as part of a single project, variations on the same theme of Nazi hatred. Ultimately, however, I work to challenge the earlier historiographical narrative and illuminate the ways in which Nazism treated Jews and gays very differently. In order to do so, I examine the two main strands of German sexology at the time, that of Magnus Hirschfeld and that of Adolf Brand and his intellectual society, the Gemeinschaft der Eigenen. I argue that because the Nazis responded to Brand's homosocial 'masculinist' approach rather than Hirschfeld's theory of the 'third sex,' they conceived of homosexuality as a contagious plague rather than an inherent racial defect like Jewishness.


A national survey was conducted to assess immunization practices and tuberculosis screening methods for animal care and research workers in biomedical settings throughout the United States. Veterinarians (n = 953) were surveyed via a web-based mechanism; completed surveys (n = 308) were analyzed. Results showed that occupational health and safety programs were well-developed, enrolling veterinary, husbandry, and research staff at rates exceeding 90% and involving multiple modalities of health assessments and risk communication for vaccine-preventable diseases. Most (72.7%) institutions did not store serum samples from animal research personnel. More than half of the institutions housed nonhuman primates and maintained tuberculosis screening programs, although screening methods varied. Immunization protocols included various recommended or required vaccines that differed depending on job duties, type of institution, and nature of scientific programs. A single case of an identified vaccine-preventable illness in a laboratory worker was noted. Tetanus toxoid was the predominant vaccine administered (91.7%) to animal care and research workers, followed by hepatitis B (54.8%), influenza (39.9%), and rabies (38.3%). For some immunization protocols, an inconsistent rationale for administration was evident. Indications that animal care and research workers are unprotected from work-related etiologic agents did not emerge from this survey; rather, existing guidelines from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and available biologics seem sufficient to address most needs of the laboratory animal research community. Institutions should commit to performance-based standards in parallel with context-specific risk assessment methods to maintain occupational health and safety programs and practices appropriate to their needs.


The RHIC polarized proton run (Run‐6) in 2006 started on February 1 and continued for 21 weeks. The Run‐6 included the machine operation at different beam energies and with different orientation of beam polarization at the collision points. The machine operation at 100GeV and 31.2 GeV provided physics data of polarized proton collisions to the STAR, PHENIX and BRAHMS experiments. Record levels of the luminosity (up to 3.5⋅1031 cm−2 s−1 peak) and proton beam polarization (up to 65%) were achieved during the 100GeV operation. The beam polarization was preserved during the acceleration by using Siberian Snakes, based on helical magnets. The polarization orientation at STAR and PHENIX experiments was controlled with helical spin rotators. During different stages of the run the physics data were provided with longitudinal, vertical and horizontal orientations of the beam polarization at the collision points. Total luminosity integrals of 45 pb−1 at 100 GeV and 0.35 pb−1 at 31.2 GeV were delivered to the experi...


Oyster recruitment was monitored in Karantina Island near Izmir, Turkey, from May to October 1999. The aim of the study was to determine the recruitment pattern for six months and the most suitable time to collect oyster spat from nature. Oyster and mussel shells were used as substrates in spat collectors. Five groups of each type of collector were deployed from May to August. The recruitment levels were highest in the groups deployed on June 16, with 4069 and 1575 oyster spats collected on the oyster and mussel shell collectors, respectively. Spat recruitment varied considerably between collector types as well as between the outsides and insides of shells (p<0.05). Spats larger than 10 mm were found on the second or third sampling date in each group for both oyster and mussel shell collectors. Barnacles (Balanus sp.) settled on both collector types in high numbers throughout the study. Data suggest that maximum recruitment in this area is most likely to occur on both collector types between May and mid-June.


A chronological review of the history of significant research contributing to the development of current bacteriological criteria and standards for shellfish waters is described beginning with Prescott, Winslow, and Eijkman in 1904 and culminating in a proposal for a fecal coliform standard in 1974. Coliform and fecal coliform standards are defined, and the significance of the presence of these organisms in shellfish waters is discussed. The National Shellfish Sanitation Program presumes that both coliform and fecal coliform standards represent equivalent degrees of pollution and resultant health hazard when measuring levels of diluted sewage related to point sources of pollution in shellfish growing area waters. These two indicator groups are used in conjunction with sanitary surveys for the classification of shellfish growing areas and interpreted according to the limitations of the groups.


The crystal structure of Fab of an Ab PC283 complexed with its corresponding peptide Ag, PS1 (HQLDPAFGANSTNPD), derived from the hepatitis B virus surface Ag was determined. The PS1 stretch Gln2P to Phe7P is present in the Ag binding site of the Ab, while the next three residues of the peptide are raised above the binding groove. The residues Ser11P, Thr12P, and Asn13P then loop back onto the Ag-binding site of the Ab. The last two residues, Pro14P and Asp15P, extend outside the binding site without forming any contacts with the Ab. The PC283-PS1 complex is among the few examples where the light chain complementarity-determining regions show more interactions than the heavy chain complementarity-determining regions, and a distal framework residue is involved in Ag binding. As seen from the crystal structure, most of the contacts between peptide and Ab are through the five residues, Leu3-Asp4-Pro5-Ala6-Phe7, of PS1. The paratope is predominantly hydrophobic with aromatic residues lining the binding pocket, although a salt bridge also contributes to stabilizing the Ag-Ab interaction. The molecular surface area buried upon PS1 binding is 756 Å2 for the peptide and 625 Å2 for the Fab, which is higher than what has been seen to date for Ab-peptide complexes. A comparison between PC283 structure and a homology model of its germline ancestor suggests that paratope optimization for PS1 occurs by improving both charge and shape complementarity.


Since the entry into force of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, national competition authorities ("NCAs"), commentators and stakeholders have suggested numerous modifications to improve European competition enforcement and fairness. The European Commission's (hereinafter the "Commission") proposal to strengthen the powers of NCAs — the so-called "ECN (European Competition Network) Reform" — has the potential to introduce long-awaited changes that are likely to respond to a significant part of the demand for reform. The Commission has not addressed, however, other amply and sometimes hotly debated requests. More discussion on the merits and demerits of further procedural reform appears thus necessary. In what follows we first briefly summarize the process leading to the ECN Reform and outline the most salient requests for reform made during this process. We next outline the claims to improve fairness in European competition enforcement in the wider framework of Regulation 1/2003, and identify a few areas where improvement may be necessary. We conclude with a few ideas that may contribute to the debate on the right mix between enforcement powers and due process in competition law enforcement.


Students also may take the Mathematics Placement Test, given by the mathematics department during New Student Orientation (http:// firstyear.ku.edu/orientation) and several other times during the year, to determine their proper initial placement in mathematics courses. Students with college credit in mathematics should enroll according to the credit shown on their transcripts and the stated prerequisites for the courses.


Nitrogen loading models are often designed and built without any input from decision-makers. Better understanding and communication between modellers and decision-makers would improve the usefulness of models. In interviews with 16 modellers and outreach professionals in southern New England, USA, we inquired about how nitrogen-loading models should be designed and used in local decision-making. Qualitative analysis revealed several insights about: differences between models intended to advance science and those to advance policy-making; matching the scale of the model with that of the decision; the danger that models might promote technocracy; how to present uncertainty information; ecological transferability and social acceptance of models to new locales; involvement of local decision-makers and citizens in the design of models; and the use of models by lay decision-makers. The findings highlight both opportunities and obstacles to the use of models in local policy-making. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment


An experimental verification of energy link loss between the source at the transmitting antenna and the load at the receiver for ultrawideband systems is presented. The proposed closed-form approximations for the link loss analysis are verified experimentally for different types of antennas and pulse excitations. The measurements showed that the shape of the received pulse depends on the antenna transfer functions and the received pulse energy depends on effective height of the antenna.


Palm oil is the major cooking oil in Cameroon, and crude palm oil (CPO) is an essential ingredient of many local recipes. However, the quality of this foodstuff is subject to doubt, considering the very often inadequate conditions of its extraction and storage in the fast growing small holder sector. In order to assess the quality of (CPO) available to Cameroonian consumers, 40 samples of this product were randomly collected in 10 major markets of the city of Douala and assayed through three physico-chemical parameters, namely oil acidity, peroxide value (PV) and moisture content. Results of this study showed that the quality of CPO samples was good regarding PV, as all values were below the 15 meqO2/kg maximal limit. However, data from oil acidity determination were cause for concern, as 50% of the samples had values above the 5% acidity maximal limit for CPO. The worst was for moisture content which had all values above the 0.2% maximal limit. Considering that high moisture content inevitably enhances deterioration reactions involved in food spoilage, one can easily conclude that the quality of the CPO samples assessed was quite poor but above all could rapidly undergo further deterioration upon storage.

 Key words: Oil palm, crude palm oil, food safety, quality, food deterioration.


Oryctes rhinoceros was the major pest in most oil palm plantation in Malaysia. As to control it, there are several ways and one of them is chemical control application. An experiment had been done in Felda Maokil 1 Oil Palm Plantation in determining the effect of timing of chemical application to control Oryctes rhinoceros. 3 differents section had been mark in a one plot of oil palm area. the different timing of chemical application was applied which were control, 2 weeks interval and 4 weeks interval. Data collection of Oryctes rhinoceros was done using the pheromone trap once a week. The result shows that 2 weeks interval chemical application give the lowest amount of Oryctes rhinoceros. The population also fluctuated for every week and there is a significant different (P<O.OS) in the number of beetle population over the timing of chemical application. The rest factor that affect the Oryctes rhinoceros population might be abiotic factor and natural enemies. As timing of chemical was very important to control the major oil palm pest Oryctes rhinoceros, the suitable and effective timing should be followed by the field management in order to control the severity of the this major pest. It is impossible to eliminate the pest but it is advisable to control it in order to preserve the oil palm tree and for the sake of high production of oil palm.


Background: Patients (pts) with cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection and death. Due to COVID-19 outcome heterogeneity, accurate assessment of pts is crucial. Early identification of pts who are likely to deteriorate allows timely discussions regarding escalation of care. Likewise, safe home management will reduce risk of nosocomial infection. To aid clinical decisionmaking, we developed a model to help determine which pts should be admitted vs. managed as an outpatient and which pts are likely to have severe COVID-19. Methods: Pts with active solid or haematological cancer presenting with symptoms/asymptomatic and testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Europe and USA were identified following institutional board approval. Clinical and laboratory data were extracted from pt records. Clinical outcome measures were discharge within 24 hours, requirement for oxygen at any stage during admission and death. Random Forest (RF) algorithm was used for model derivation as it compared favourably vs. lasso regression. Relevant clinical features were identified using recursive feature elimination based on SHAP. Internal validation (bootstrapping) with multiple imputations for missing data (maximum ≤2) were used for performance evaluation. Cost function determined cut-offs were defined for admission/death. The final CORONET model was trained on the entire cohort. Results: Model derivation set comprised 672 pts (393 male, 279 female, median age 71). 83% had solid cancers, 17% haematological. Predictive features were selected based on clinical relevance and data availability, supported by recursive feature elimination based on SHAP. RF model using haematological cancer, solid cancer stage, no of comorbidities, National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2), neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, platelets, CRP and albumin achieved AUROC for admission 0.79 (+/-0.03) and death 0.75 (+/-0.02). RF explanation using SHAP revealed NEWS2 and C-reactive protein as the most important features predicting COVID-19 severity. In the entire cohort, CORONET recommended admission of 96% of patients requiring oxygen and 99% of patients who died. We then built a decision support tool using the model, which aids clinical decisions by presenting model predictions and explaining key contributing features. Conclusions: We have developed a model and tool available athttps://coronet.manchester.ac.uk/ to predict which pts with cancer and COVID-19 require hospital admission and are likely to have a severe disease course. CORONET is being continuously refined and validated over time.


A multiperiod electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structure is proposed and studied. The stopbands of single-period and multiperiod EBG structures are assessed using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation and experimental measurements. Simulated and measured results show that the multiperiodic EBG structure can achieve a wider stopband compared to a single period EBG structure.


Carbon microrods were grown from ethylene using laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition. The precursor pressure and laser power were varied. The internal structure of the carbon rods was characterized by Raman spectroscopy at 514.5 nm using an Ar+ laser. The rods were cast in epoxy resin and polished in order to allow a radial analysis of the cross section. Each spectrum has been analyzed by noting the peak positions and width changes. Intensities of the G and D peaks were compared between spectra and allowed the determination of the crystal size as a function of radius. An analysis of the spectra gave insight in the bonding conditions as well as the growth mechanism of the rods as a function of the experimental parameters.


The design of a group of double wall noise control enclosures on the upper floor of an existing building is described and some noise reduction measurements are reported. A design objective for these enclosures was to achieve more effective noise reduction than that provided by existing heavy, on grade, double wall, reverberant enclosures, but with reduced weight. This objective was achieved by a combination of a lightweight inner skin, a moderately large air space, a masonry exterior, isolation of the inner room floor slab, and the use of sound absorbing materials. Other noise control measures included sound retarding doors and windows, mufflers in the air supply and return passages, and flexible service connections to the rooms. Peak and octave band noise levels taken inside and outside the old and new enclosures are reported.


Extrarenal azotemia, it seems to us, is a nonspecific term that has been used to describe such varied conditions as acute renal insufficiency, reversible uremia, lower nephron nephrosis, shock kidney and crush syndrome. The use of these terms almost interchangeably in the literature has resulted in considerable confusion. It is probable that many of the conditions classified under these headings are of different pathogenesis and that the pathological picture in the kidney will vary. Also, the pathogenesis may be of extreme diversity, varying from peripheral vascular collapse in acute toxemias to late secondary shock in traumatic injuries and including medical, surgical, obstetric, dermatological and orthopedic conditions. Because of such diversity, it seems improbable that the renal effect is always identical. It has been our observation that there were occasional cases in which a disproportion in the relation between creatinine and nonprotein nitrogen existed. It was our general impression that this


Dimethylsulfide (DMS), dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) are the most important biogenic organic dimethylated sulfur compounds in the ocean. The spatial distributions of these three sulfur compounds and their influencing factors were investigated in the East China Sea in June 2013. The mean concentrations of DMS, DMSPd, DMSPp, DMSOd and DMSOp in the surface seawater were 4.70, 7.00, 27.83, 13.66 and 10.78 nmol x L(-1), respectively. The horizontal distributions of DMS, DMSP and DMSO exhibited the similar patterns to that of chlorophyll a (Chl-a), with high values in coastal regions and low values in the open sea. DMS, DMSPd and DMSOp concentrations were significantly correlated with the levels of Chl-a, indicating that phytoplankton biomass might play an important role in controlling the concentrations of these sulfur compounds in the East China Sea. Moreover, positive relationships were observed between DMS and DMSPd and between DMSOd and DMS in the study area, which implied that the microbial degradation of DMSPd was the main source of DMS and DMSOd came mostly from the oxidation of DMS. The sea-to-air flux of DMS from the East China Sea in summer ranged from 0.62 to 33.98 micromol x (m2 x d)(-1), with an average of 9.71 micromol x (m2 x d)(-1).


Today, higher education has become a commodity in the global education market aiming to serve the knowledge society through 'the production, transmission and dissemination of high-quality knowledge' (Simons, 2006, 33). One cannot dispute the economic importance of higher education, but to see the university as performing only this economic function is a misplaced and indefensible idea. In this article I shall argue that the university (its academics and graduates) has a role to play in cultivating democratic action and that this can most appropriately be done by reconsidering its civic role in relation to critical reasoning, social justice and deliberation with others.


Extended Finite State Machines (EFSMs) are widely used when deriving tests for checking whether a software implementation meets functional requirements. These tests usually are derived keeping in mind appropriate test purposes such as covering paths, variables, etc. of the specification EFSM. However, it is well known that such tests do not detect many functional faults in an EFSM implementation. In this paper, we propose an approach for increasing the fault coverage of test suites initially derived against the specification EFSM. For this reason, the behavior of the specification EFSM is implemented in Java using a template that is very close to the EFSM description. At the next step, the fault coverage of an initial test suite derived against the specification EFSM is calculated with respect to faults generated by μJava tool. Since the EFSM software implementation is template based, each undetected fault can be easily mapped into a mutant EFSM of the specification machine. Thus, a distinguishing sequence can be derived not for two programs that is very complex but for two machines and there are efficient methods for deriving such a distinguishing sequence for Finite State Machine (FSM) abstractions of EFSMs. As an FSM abstraction, an l-equivalent of an EFSM can be considered that in fact, is a subtree of the successor tree of height l that describes the EFSM behavior under input sequences of length up to l. Such l-equivalents are classical FSMs and if l is not large then a distinguishing sequence can be derived simply enough. The initial test suite augmented with such distinguishing sequences detects much more functional faults in software implementations of a system described by the specification EFSM.


We present a new approach to building a solver for a set of geometric constraints represented by multivariate rational functions. The constraints are formulated using inequalities as well as equalities. When the solution set has dimension larger than zero, we approximate it by fitting a hypersurface to discrete solution points. We also consider a variety of constraint solving problems common in geometric modeling. These include computing ray-traps, bisectors, sweep envelopes, and regions accessible during 5-axis machining.


Almost all biomembranes are constructed as lipid bilayers and, in almost all of these, the two opposing monolayers (leaflets) have distinct lipid compositions. This lipid asymmetry arises through the concerted action of a suite of energy-dependent enzymes that maintain living bilayers in a far-from-equilibrium steady-state. Recent discoveries reveal that lipid compositional asymmetry imparts biophysical asymmetries and that this dualistic organization may have major consequences for cellular physiology. Importantly, while transbilayer asymmetry appears to be an essential, near-ubiquitous characteristic of biological membranes, it has been challenging to reproduce in reconstituted or synthetic systems. Although recent methodological developments have overcome some critical challenges, it remains difficult to extrapolate results from available models to biological systems. Concurrently, there are few experimental approaches for targeted, controlled manipulation of lipid asymmetry in living cells. Thus, the biophysical and functional consequences of membrane asymmetry remain almost wholly unexplored. This perspective summarizes the current state of knowledge and highlights emerging themes that are beginning to make inroads into the fundamental question of why life tends toward asymmetry in its bilayers.


A new 2-step metal-CMP technique has been developed for both of Al- and Cu-metallization, in which an as-deposited metal film is initially planarized by a hard-pad, and then is removed by a soft pad. The 2-step CMP improves no-failure-rate of the 1 /spl mu/m-pitch Al-interconnect to 90% in 6" wafer. Combining the CMP with Cu-CMP and a new organic film patterning method such as simultaneous resist-etch-back (SRECK), the Cu/benzocyclobutene (BCB) interconnects are successfully obtained.


Technical achievement in laboratories requires millen- nia-old ritual formulations; the methodological expectations and pre- suppositions of scientists stem not only from investigations of the last three centuries but also from the ritual knowledge making that has governed human religion. Laboratory research is a form of hu- man ritual open to interpretation in the manner of religious ritual. The experiments of the laboratory are fact-gathering ventures, but the integration of that knowledge into our general understanding of a universe of information networks is the process of knowledge mak- ing, and it is the highest achievement of all rituals, be they religious or scientific. Ritual theory offers insight into the nature of scientific experimentation.


To the Editor.— Cyclosporine has been in use since 1978, dramatically improving the success of organ transplantation. In 1979, Mueller and Herrmann reported the rapid resolution of psoriatic lesions in four patients treated with cyclosporine. 1 Since then, additional reports have indicated that cyclosporine therapy appears effective in the treatment of psoriasis. 2-4 Because the presumed mechanism of action and potential toxicities of cyclosporine differ from those of current antipsoriatic medications, it may prove a useful adjunctive or alternative therapy in the treatment of severe psoriasis. Report of Cases.— Fourteen patients were. selected according to the following criteria: they had to be 18 to 75 years of age, with one of the following conditions: plaques covering at least 30% of skin surface and unresponsive to traditional therapies; psoriasis associated with severe arthritis; or psoriasis with a major pustular or erythrodermic component. Excluded were pregnant women, patients suffering from malignancy, infection,


A recently reported parallel preclinical study between a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccine and an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine adjuvanted with alum showed pulmonary immunopathology typical of eosinophil accumulation in a mouse pneumonia model for the latter, which implied a potential role of cellular immunity in the difference in the protection rate between these two forms of vaccines. For those who have been vaccinated with alum-adjuvanted subunit or inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, whether the Th2 responses that have been established and the absence of induced cellular immunity could be changed is an open question. Using two heterologous boosts with Th1-oriented CpG ODN-adjuvanted S1-based SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccines for mice that were primed with two doses of Th2-oriented alum-adjuvanted S1-based SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccines, we demonstrated that established Th2 orientation could not be reversed to Th1 orientation and that no cellular immunity was induced, which should have been induced if the boosting vaccines were used as the prime vaccines. These results remind us that if widely administered alum-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 vaccines cannot overcome the challenge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and that if cellular immunity is important for the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the future, the choice of more powerful heterologous boosting vaccine forms that can induce cellular immunity should be considered very carefully before application.


The paper describes two cooperating strategies among several homogeneous agents to reach a given target. In our case we used the prey-predators paradigm in which a set of agents (predators) have the purpose to reach a target (prey). The problem is addressed as an optimization problem that has been faced with two different algorithms (a genetic algorithm and a particle swam optimization algorithm). The two approaches are evaluated by using a simulator for each strategy and the results show that the strategies are very different in terms of prey-predator successes. Genetic algorithm can be used by the prey to solve at the best the problem to reach the lair, otherwise the particle swarm optimization method allows the predator to reach a target in a fast way.


ZA modulators with higher-order noise shaping and multibit internal quantizers are described. A new realization method for single-stage high-order modulators is discussed. Also, a new multistage architecture with multibit quantizers and interstage scaling is described. A digital correction methodfor the effects of mnideal analog components of the multistage modulator is presented. Simulation results are included to verify the theoretical considerations.


The authors conducted a study to demonstrate the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among 100 otolaryngology inpatients (50 with non-malignant conditions; 50 with malignancies), and to investigate the efficacy of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as a screening test for psychiatric disorders in otolaryngology. A structured interview was conducted according to the Adjustment Disorders and Major Depressive Episodes section of DSM-N, which demonstrated that 30% of the inpatients with benign diseases met the criteria for some psychiatric disorders (one patient for major depression and 14 for adjustment disorders) and that 46% of the inpatients with malignancies met the criteria (nine patients for major depression and 14 for adjustment disorders). There were highly significant differences between the HADS scores of the patients with psychiatric disorders and those without. Comparing the sensitivity and the specificity using the HADS as a screening test, the optimal cut-off point was 12, which produced 92% sensitivity, 90% specificity and 85% positive predictive value (PPV) among not only non-malignant and malignant cases taken together but also among malignant cases only.


Drilling and blasting is still the most prolific way to extract minerals and associated waste from the earth, more so in case of hard rocks with uniaxial compressive strength greater than 50 MPa. Considering the growing demand for these minerals reducing ground vibrations, air vibrations, fly rocks, dust and back break has become mandatory for successful operation of these quarries and mines. A study has been carried out in one of the quartzite quarries which is surrounded by a village within about 100m-300m from quarry line. The study was carried out to understand the nature and directional variation of propagation of blast-induced ground vibration with an aim to control the same by keeping it within the permissible limits of ground vibration as suggested by Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) for various types of human dwellings. The behavior of blast-induced ground vibrations and its frequency response were observed based on different variables (viz. scaled distance, direction of propagation of seismic waves, and degree of development of benches). A model consisting of two components (viz. mid-field and far-field) and its superiority and applicability over a combined equation of PPV is also discussed. Further, the directional effect of blast vibrations and the influence of degree of development of benches on the ground vibration is also outlined. This paper synthesizes the results of the abovementioned investigations and reports the development of a ground vibration prediction approach for safe and productive rock excavations in quarries and mines. Keywords—attenuation, PPV (peak particle velocity), frequency, scaled distance.


This study has the objective of describing a pedagogical experience with Physical Education students taking the Sports' Science course at the Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, in Portugal. For such purpose, a sociocultural frame of reference, as well as 'dense description', are used as a start point, which characterises an eminently qualitative discussion. In the pedagogical experience, two commercial ads were analysed. In one of them, the image of the body is associated to a new shopping mall, while in the other a women's football league is advertised. The analysis of images and messages spread by media is essential for the students to make a critical interpretation of such productions and have an effective intervention in the future. From the analysis of commercial ads, elements were identified which compose the building of sense and lead the reader to support the advertised idea. The pedagogical experience resulted in a reflection on the making up of commercial ads and a questioning of social relations.


We describe a computer program for mathematical modelling and simulation (MMS) of robotic dynamic systems (RDS) using fuzzy logic techniques, genetic algorithms and fractal theory. The computer program combines soft computing (SC) techniques with mathematical methods and can be considered as an intelligent system for the domain of modelling and simulation of robotic systems. The computer program simulates the reasoning of a human expert in the process of developing the mathematical models of RDS. The program contains the knowledge of the human experts expressed as fuzzy rules (in the knowledge base) for MMS of RDS. The computer program uses efficiently the SC techniques and fractal theory for MMS of RDS.


Family Treatment Court manages parents with current child protection cases and co-occurring addiction to drugs and/or alcohol and is an example of a growing number of problem centred courts that utilise the principles of therapeutic jurisprudence and restorative justice to process cases. An 18-month study of a Washington State Family Treatment Court reveals that the potential harmful stigma of 'bad parent', 'addict' and 'offender' are managed through interactions between the courtroom treatment team and court clients. Findings show how court interactions and practice bring restorative justice into the mainstream court system by managing the stigma associated with justice system supervision. Lessons learned from Family Treatment Court provide important consideration for mainstreaming therapeutic and restorative practice into the courtroom and the examination of interactions between court clients and courtroom personnel demonstrate how to translate stigma management from theory into practice .


ABSTRACT For proton therapy, a beam intensity of 0.4 nA to 4 nA is typically used with a beam transmission factor of 10. However, because of energy degrading, emittance matching, and energy spread selecting, the ratio of beamline transmission (I Max /I Min) for our SC200 proton therapy facility (200 MeV/500 nA) should be far more than 10. Therefore, a novel intensity suppression scheme, based on the installation of two new collimators placed symmetrically with respect to the gantry coupling point, is proposed and verified. First, the feasibility of delivering a beam with variable size at the gantry isocenter is demonstrated. The beam delivery method uses waist-to-waist imaging optics, a symmetric beam method, and the principle of beam line inversion. The relationship between energy and isocenter beam size (in air) is then verified using an empirical formula and a Monte Carlo method. The intensity suppression and subsequent optimization of the gantry beam optics were accomplished through simulations. The results indicate that increases in the entrance beam radius at a specific collimator results in significant changes in the beam optics and intensity behind the collimator. This passive scheme, which produces intentional losses at the gantry coupling point, is demonstrated to be viable.


To the Editor.— The study by Drs Kapdi and Wolfe purporting to show an increased incidence of breast carcinoma among those taking thyroid supplements for thyroid disease has unfortunately produced a great deal of concern among physicians and patients. We feel that this report can be criticized in several particulars. The study used only patients referred for mammography and determined the incidence of breast carcinoma among those who gave a history of receiving thyroid supplements. Preselection is clearly implicit in this method of choosing patients. Part of the higher incidence of breast carcinoma in women receiving thyroid supplements could be explained by the fact that those so treated for presumed hypothyroidism or goiter would be expected to have frequent or regular follow-up visits. Those not receiving medication (and hence less closely observed) may have widely disseminated or clinically obvious breast cancer not necessitating mammography by the time they come to


In mice, neonatal exposure to a synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbestrol (DES), induces polyovular follicles, which contain two or more oocytes per ovarian follicle. We reported previously that the estrogen receptor beta (ESR2) mediates DES signaling in polyovular follicle induction. However, the specific mechanism of polyovular follicle induction has not yet been clarified. Folliculogenesis in rodents begins soon after birth, accompanied by programmed oocyte death and germ cell loss. In this study, the effects of DES on oocyte death and on mRNA expression of genes thought to be involved in polyovular follicle induction were analyzed during a crucial period of folliculogenesis in the ovary of C57BL/6J, Faslpr/lpr (lacking cell death receptor, FAS), and Esr2 knockout (Esr2 KO) mice. Neonatal DES exposure reduced programmed oocyte death in C57BL/6J mice; however, this reduction was not observed in Esr2 KO mice. In control Faslpr/lpr mice, the oocyte apoptotic index was significantly lower than that in the control C57BL/6J mice. However, the polyovular follicle incidence in control 20-day-old Faslpr/lpr mice was similar to that in the control C57BL/6J mice. Moreover, DES exposure changed mRNA expression of inhibin-alpha (Inha) in 2-day-old C57BL/6J mice. These results suggest that inhibition of oocyte death by DES through ESR2 may be one of the triggers for polyovular follicle induction. The FAS system is also involved in neonatal oocyte death; however, reduction of oocyte death is not sufficient for polyovular follicle induction. The combination of increased Inha mRNA and reduction of oocyte death in the ovaries of mice by DES through ESR2 might be correlated with polyovular follicle induction.


Describes a test suite approach for a Fortran90D compiler, a source-to-source parallel compiler for distributed memory systems. Different from Fortran77 parallelizing compilers, a Fortran90D compiler does not parallelize sequential constructs. Only parallelism expressed by Fortran90D parallel constructs is exploited. The authors discuss compiler directives and the methodology of parallelizing Fortran programs. An introductory example of Gaussian elimination is used, among other programs in the test suite, to explain the compilation techniques.<<ETX>>


Background The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) were developed to assess the outcome of severe mental disorders in relation to the Health of the Nation Strategy for England. Aims To validate the HoNOS. Method One hundred and fifteen patients were assessed by key workers using HoNOS, and by research workers using SCAN, SBS, and SRPS, and completing HoNOS in the light of this additional material. These assessments were repeated after 6 weeks. Results The performance of HoNOS in the hands of key workers was generally poor, in relation both to the research workers' rating of HoNOS and to the criterion instruments. Performance was particularly poor when the change in scores was used as a measure of outcome. Conclusions There are serious problems in using HoNOS as a routine measure of clinical status in busy psychiatric services. Its performance is probably related to the training and experience of key workers. Sequential ratings are not a good method for assessing outcome. Managers and planners should be cautious in adopting HoNOS, but it is worthy of consideration in developing a suite of locally agreed outcome measures.


Artists who are mothers are still disadvantaged in the trajectory of their careers by the patriarchal institutions of motherhood and the art world as well as by the physical realities of mothering that may prevent them from pursuing their professional creative practices. Despite the contemporary discourse around equality in the home and the workplace, women still carry the burden of the majority of domestic chores. The transformative experiences of pregnancy, giving birth, and mothering are often dismissed by professionals in the art world, a disavowal that may exaggerate the split between one's artistic and maternal selves. This failure of recognition within the art world may be deleterious to a mother artist's sense of wellbeing. Conversely, art that embodies maternal experience may be beneficial to the wellbeing of mothers who may otherwise only be exposed to images of idealized motherhood in mainstream visual culture. This article examines the ways in which technology and the Internet are changing and expanding the ways mother artists can connect and form communities as well as how this shapes their art and may increase their sense of wellbeing. It will explore in particular An Artist Residency in Motherhood, an "open source artist residency to empower and inspire" mother artists (Clayton). A version of this paper was first presented at the AMIRCI Conference 2019: Beyond Mothering Myths? Motherhood in an Age of Neoliberalism and Individualisation, University of Sydney, 10–12 July.


Cyclin-dependent kinase regulatory subunit 1 (CKS1) helps regulate the cell cycle to increase cell number. However, the hormonal regulation on CKS1 expression is not well understood. We report that CKS1 is involved in the promotion of cell proliferation with insulin regulation in the lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera. CKS1 is expressed in various tissues during the larval feeding stage. CKS1 knockdown results in larval death, body weight decrease, pupation time delay, and small-sized pupa formation. The underlying mechanism involves the blocking of cell proliferation and the repression of gene expression in the insulin pathway after CKS1 knockdown. CKS1 overexpression in the epidermal cell line results in cell proliferation. The N45 amino acid asparagine in the CKS domain is essential for the function of CKS in cell proliferation. CKS1 is upregulated by insulin via an insulin receptor, but is repressed by a high level of steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Results suggest that CKS1 promotes cell proliferation and body growth in coordination with the regulatory actions of insulin and steroid hormone 20E.


Background: Myostatin (Mstn) is a secreted TGF-β family member that controls skeletal muscle growth, and binds with high affinity to the activin type IIB receptor (ActRIIB). The soluble ligand-binding domain of ActRIIB fused to the Fc domain of IgG (ActRIIB-Fc) potently binds and inhibits TGF-β family members in muscle, leading to rapid and marked muscle growth. The present study was designed to assess the combinative effects of myostatin-targeting siRNA (Mstn-siRNA) and ActRIIB-Fc on murine myoblast in vitro and in vivo.
Materials and Methods: C2C12 cells were treated by Mstn-siRNA with or without ActRIIB-Fc at 0 and 48 h after differentiation. Myotube size was measured, and gene expression of Mstn, MuRF-1, MyoD and myogenin were analyzed. Furthermore, 11-week-old, male C57BL/6 mice were injected with atelocollagen (ATCOL)-mediated Mstn-siRNA and Mstn-siRNA/ActRIIB-Fc locally into the masseter muscle twice a week. Histological and biochemical analyses were performed using the dissected muscles.
Results: Transfection of Mstn-siRNA and Mstn-siRNA/ActRIIB-Fc resulted in significant increases in the myotube diameter of the C2C12 cells compared with untreated control. Also, treatment with Mstn-siRNA and Mstn-siRNA/ActRIIB-Fc could lead to an upregulation of MyoD and myogenin gene expression and downregulation of Mstn and MuRF-1. In vivo, muscle fibril hypertrophy was observed in both Mstn-siRNA and Mstn-siRNA/ActRIIB-Fc treated groups. Moreover, western blotting analysis showed that the p-Smad2/3 expression level was decreased by treatment of Mstn-siRNA/ActRIIB-Fc. In contrast, MyoD and myogenin protein levels were increased by combined treatment, compared with the other groups.
Conclusions: These suggest that double inhibition of myostain is potentially useful for myogenesis and muscle growth promotion. This may be a good as new treatment remedy for patients with various muscle atrophies, including muscular dystrophy.


and assimilado. In Lusophone Africa, perhaps more so than elsewhere, there was not always a clear line between exploited and exploiter, between subaltern and colonizer. Thus, in Mozambique immigrants from Goa, who worked as colonial physicians, became, in Bastos's words, an "elite subalterna" who were not a part of the indigenous population but were not Portuguese either. In Guinea-Bissau, African-born colonial subjects, Trajano Filho points out, frequently rose to fi ll key positions in the colonial administration, including, in the case of Honório Pereira Barreto, that of governor. It is the rethinking of concepts utilized in historical and anthropological analyses that is one of the greatest contributions of Carvalho and Pina Cabral's volume. Together, then, Portugal and Africa and Persistência da História give us something old and something new. Birmingham's essays remind us of where the fi eld has been, demonstrating the importance of a wave of Africacentric social history in recasting our understanding of the role of Africans in shaping historical change. Carvalho, Pina Cabral and the authors who contributed to their volume push historiography in new directions, offering much to some of the issues raised by Birmingham and showing how more recent colonial and post-colonial approaches can add a new dimension to the study of Lusophone Africa's past. None of the authors disagree with Hammond's contention that Portuguese regimes in Africa were weak by some measures. However, many of the authors challenge Hammond by demonstrating that the changes that have occurred in Africa (and in Portugal) since the mid-fi fteenth century can only be understood by appreciating forces at play in both Portuguese and African societies.


This study, the blood biochemical characteristics of Japanese quails supplemented with the edible mushroom (Agaricusbisporus ) powder was evaluated. A total of 240 seven- day old mix sexes quail chicks were randomly allocated to four experimental treatments. In 21 days old males and female chicks were separated. Each treatment consisted of 3 replicates of 20 birds. The birds within the control group were given the basal diet for the respective growth stage. The other three groups were fed experimental diets based on the basal diets containing 0.5, 1, and 2 percent of dried mushroom powder. Birds were allowed to free access to have feed and water during the 35day of growth period. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were significantly decreased (P<0.05) by the 2% mushroom compared to the control.HDL cholesterol was significantly increased (P<0.05) by the 2% mushroom compared to the control, but plasma glucose, uric acid, total protein were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatments. Inclusion of 2% mushroom in the diet, positively affects cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL of quails. Therefore it seems that mushroom may be a beneficial component in quail diet.


: Plant height is one of the most crucial components of plant structure. However, due to its complexity, the genetic architecture of rice plant height has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to determine rice plant height using 178 commercial rice varieties and identified 37 loci associated with rice plant height (LAPH). Among these loci, in LAPH2, we identified a polygalacturonase gene, OsPG3 , which was genetically and functionally associated with rice plant height. The rice plant exhibits a super dwarf phenotype when the knockout of the OsPG3 gene occurs via CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. RNA-Seq analysis indicated that OsPG3 modulates the expression of genes involved in phytohormone metabolism and cell-wall-biosynthesis pathways. Our findings suggest that OsPG3 plays a vital role in controlling rice plant height by regulating cell wall biosynthesis. Given that rice architecture is one of the most critical phenotypes in rice breeding, OsPG3 has potential in rice's molecular design breeding toward an ideal plant height.


An engineering method based on fracture mechanics is suggested for life predictions of components of nodular cast iron. The method should be applicable to any structure containing defects which can cause crack initiation. Component testing was performed and the observed results were compared with model predictions. Fatigue crack growth data were obtained by testing on CT specimens even for load ratios R < 0. By accounting for crack closure the R-effect on the growth rates can also be effectively eliminated for this type of material.


Introduction. In this article the problem of formation of communicative skills of professional communication of students of medical high School is considered.  Theoretical and methodological approaches to this problem are analyzed. The theoretical basis of the study was the work of MV Rodikov, LV Kochetova, Ln. Vasilyeva about the process of formation of readiness of students of medical University for interpersonal interaction in the professional sphere and in particular the formation of skills of building trust between the doctor and the patient. The authors identified individual and personal qualities necessary for the graduate in practice, such as: the ability to diagnose the social situation; skills of effective interaction with colleagues in the workplace; possession of verbal and non-verbal means of communication in building relationships with patients; rejection of all kinds of stereotypes of patient perception [5,6]. The assessment of such important professionally significant qualities in the formation of communicative competence of the future doctor, such as sociability, tolerance, empathy, goodwill, respect, attentiveness, restraint, flexibility [7, 15]. The authors highlight the psychological characteristics of the doctor, affecting the communicative competence, such as: emotional stability; sensitivity to negative attitude on the part of the patient; anxiety; depression [13]. The important qualities of the future specialist include: the ability to be convincing in conversation with the patient and his relatives, respect for colleagues and their opinion, especially when the issue concerns controversial clinical cases and requires open discussion [8,9,10]. It is noted that the success of the interaction between the doctor and the patient depends on the skills: the establishment of primary contact; elimination of possible contradictions (clash of views of the doctor and the patient); correction of conflict behavior of the patient during medical consultation; ability to inform the patient of "bad news" concerning his health; planning joint actions with the patient [4, 14,31]. Materials and methods. A study was conducted on the diagnosis of the ability to empathize in students of a medical university using the method of V. V. Boyko, the specifics of gender attitudes were determined using the «Sex-role questionnaire», the coping styles of behavior were studied using the method «Coping strategies indicator». Results. The study are showed that 44.7% of respondents have an average level of empathic abilities, 53.2% – understated, 2.1% – very low. The girls is in 86.6%  the emotional channel of empathy prevailed, which allows the latter to easily enter into an emotional resonance with the other person. Among young men, 52.9% showed rational, 47.1% - intuitive channels of empathy. The analysis showed of the structure of coping behavior that the first place for both girls and boys (66.6% and 88.2%, respectively) was occupied by the problem-solving strategy. The second is the search for social support, which indicates the importance of social support at the initial stage of professional activity. Discussion and Conclusions. It is noteworthy that among those surveyed, attitudes that limit emotional responsiveness prevailed, along with this, students used various empathy channels, allowing them to build the medical process most effectively in the future depending on the situation. The level of communicative competence of students did not differ in terms of "empathy" depending on the specialization. The active position was in the choice of coping strategies allow students to overcome the influence of various types of stress associated with future professional activities.


The COVID-19 pandemic brought the urgency in the search for innovative solutions in different areas of knowledge to mitigate the effects and impacts of the disease, whether on health, social or economic terms. Urban and socio-economic determinants of informal-settlement communities make COVID-19 challenges even harder to be overcome, requiring local and situated solutions that consider their livelihood diversity. This manuscript shows the results of an exploratory pilot study which addressed the potential of participatory design to contribute to mitigating COVID-19 effects and impacts, identifying the problems, adaptative strategies, challenges for and needs of Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte communities. It was drawn from triangulation of methods and analysis of multiple (primary and secondary) data sources. The needs of communities were raised through online roundtables with community members, representatives of NGOs, designers, architects and researchers. Analysis of the roundtables was conducted collaboratively by the researchers through online tools, including Affinity Mapping, and 5 Whys. The findings point out the needs of communities clustered in 6 major themes, five of which indicate potential areas in which participatory design can play a meaningful role and need to be further investigated.


What factors put physicians at risk for being sued? This is a vital question to practicing physicians since being named in a malpractice suit or, worse yet, going to court is an emotionally distressing event. A suit can lead to personal isolation, humiliation, depression, and even physical illness for physicians. 1,2 Understanding malpractice risk factors is also important to malpractice insurance companies, hospitals, and health care systems that seek to provide high-quality care while minimizing their liability and financial risk. See also pp 1583 and 1588. This issue of JAMA contains two articles that explore the relationship between physicians' malpractice claims history and two potential risk factors: quality of medical care and interpersonal communication skills. The study by Entman et al 3 examined the relationship between malpractice claims history of Florida obstetricians and the quality of the clinical care they provided to patients 5 to 10 years after the claims.


This study presents the design and implementation of an efficient structure for fault tolerant bit-parallel polynomial basis multiplication and squaring over GF(2 m ), based on a similar strategy of Roving method with a minimum overhead. The Roving method is an efficient method for the circuits in which many similar and independent structures exist. The architectures of the polynomial basis multiplication and squaring over binary finite fields have inherent regularity in their subsections of the structures. Therefore, they are compatible to the applied version of Roving fault tolerant method. To generalise the proposed architecture, the multiplication and squaring operations are examined for different primitive polynomial, including general irreducible polynomials, irreducible pentanomials and irreducible trinomials. In the proposed design, the extracted common circuit has low hardware utilisation compared with that of the main circuit. The fault tolerant circuit is constructed by using three copies of the common circuit, a comparator and a voter circuit. The comparator and voter have parallel architectures with low critical path delays, which is a critical factor in any highly computational system. The design has been successfully verified and synthesised onVirtex-4 XC4VLX200 FPGA using Xilinx ISE 11. The results show an overall improvement in the speed and hardware usage compared with those of previous designs.


The combination of parallel machines and multiple dual gripper robots has become increasingly prevalent in modern manufacturing with robotic cells. However, there has been no previous study of the design and scheduling challenges faced by managers who employ these complex cells. The benefit of implementing dual grippers in cells with multiple robots over cells with the same number of single gripper robots is quantified in this paper. Configuration decisions are addressed by comparing different implementations of multi-robot cells to show that the method of exchanging parts between robots (shared machines versus transfer stations) has little bearing on the throughput. In contrast, it is demonstrated that the assignment of processing stages to robots can have a significant effect on a cell's potential throughput. A scheme that allows multiple robots to cooperate without colliding or suffering gridlock is described; this is realized with minimal impact on throughput. The optimality is analytically established, under conditions that are very common in practice, for a particular cyclic sequence of robot moves in robotic cells with one or more dual gripper robots, parallel machines and transfer stations.


The objective of this work was to study the fiber length variation, retractability and basic density, in the core-bark direction and along the heig of the red tauari wood (Cariniana micrantha Ducke). The stem was evaluated in the discs, from core to bark, corresponding to 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. At the commercial height of the tree the evaluation was carried out in the Base, DBH, 50%, 75% and 100%. Three trees were collected and 5 discs of 12 cm of thickness were taken from each tree the heights: Base, DAP, 50%, 75% and 100%. Results indicated that the fiber length increases in the radial direction core-bark and decreases in the longitudinal direction, from base to top. The analysis of the basic density varied in the core-bark direction, with tendency to increase from the position of 50% (heartwood), then decreasing in the sapwood region. Total volumetric and linear contractions decreased in the core-bark direction.


Results of PrP gene analysis in 5 of 9 members from a Jewish Tunisian family with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) showed a mutation at codon 200 involving substitution of lysine (Lys200) for glutamic acid (Glu200). This observation suggests that Lys200 allele probably tracks with CJD in this family and supports the possible genetic basis of the disease in the Mediterranean cluster. A second PrP variant not associated with Lys200 allele involving a short deletion in the coding sequence has also been found in only one subject.


This paper proposes an approach to use multiformalism techniques for critical infrastructure modelling. To this aim, the state of the art of related works on the subject is surveyed and a general scheme for intra and inter infrastructure models is described. Multiformalism approaches allow modellers to adapt the choice of formal languages to the nature, complexity and abstraction layer of the subsystems to be modelled. Another advantage is the possibility of reusing existing dependability models and solvers. Complexity and heterogeneity are managed through modularity, and composition allows for representing structural or functional dependencies. An example model based on a railway infrastructure is used to illustrate the concepts introduced by the paper.


The regulation of microtubule stability by severing of the polymer along its length is a newly appreciated and potentially important mechanism for controlling microtubule function. Microtubule severing occurs in living cells, but direct observation of this event is infrequent. The paucity of direct observations leave open to question the significance of regulated microtubule severing in the control of microtubule organization. Nevertheless, several lines of evidence suggest that microtubule severing is an important cellular activity. First, the ATP-dependent microtubule-severing activity of katanin is well documented. Katanin is found in most cell types and is enriched at MTOCs. Although it is possible that katanin does not sever microtubules in vivo, this seems unlikely. Second, a physiological event, deflagellation, has been shown to depend on microtubule severing. The deflagellation system of Chlamydomonas has provided a genetic approach to the problem of microtubule severing. The FA genes are essential for the regulated severing of axonemal microtubules during deflagellation, but whether these genes define new severing proteins or whether they are important for katanin activity remains to be determined. Microtubule severing is a relatively new area of investigation and there are still many more questions than answers. It is anticipated that the recent cloning of katanin and the introduction of a genetic model system will soon lead to significant breakthroughs in this problem.


2027 Objectives: To analyze the influence of different MR pulse sequences on PET uptake, the standardized uptake value (SUV) values of several dynamic reconstructed PET images acquired simultaneously with different MR sequences in integrated ToF PET/MR were measured and estimated.
 Methods: Fifteen cases of uterine malignant tumors were retrospectively collected for integrated simultaneous PET/MR (GE Healthcare, WI, USA) pelvic scanning. According to the scan time of different MR sequences, PET images were reconstructed dynamically in exactly the same time as the MR sequences (Fig.1). The maximum and mean SUV (SUVmax and SUVmean) of lesions and muscle background of the reconstructed segmented PET images corresponding to the MR scanning sequences were measured. In order to avoid the influence of time factor for PET reconstruction, segmented PET images related to each MR sequence were reconstructed according to the shortest scanning time (78s) and compared(Fig.2). Single factor ANOVA analysis and post-hoc tests were applied for the difference significance detecting. Furthermore, all PET image were subjectively evaluated by two experienced nuclear medicine diagnosticians according to the five-point grading levels.
 Results: A representative patient with four MR sequences, their relative simultaneously acquired segmented PET, and fused PET/MR images were shown in Fig.3. After dynamic reconstruction, SUVmax and SUVmean of the lesions and muscle background of the segmented PET images were recorded and compared (Fig.4). ANOVA analysis showed that there was no significant difference between each group of segmented PET images related to each MR sequence in normal and lesion tissues (SUVmax for lesion P=0.076, SUVmean for lesion P=0.174, SUVmax for background P=0.184, and SUVmean for background P=0.419). There were significant differences (all P 0.05) with the whole PET. In addition, there was no significant difference in SUVmax and SUVmean between the two PET
images based on short-time reconstruction with the same MR dynamic reconstruction (All P > 0.05), and therefore time factor for SUV was not considered in this study. According to the international standard principle of five-point grading levels, all segmented and whole PET images of the two physicians for the diagnosis purpose were all above 4 points. and there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between them, which revealed that all PET images involved and reconstructed in this study can be applied for clinical assessment.
 Conclusions: Dynamic segmented PET qualification related to different MR sequences in the lesion can't be replaced by the whole PET, which revealed that it is more accurate in dynamic reconstruction. While the SUV in the background location can be replaced by the SUV of the whole PET. However, the segmented PET and the whole PET can be replaced by each other in clinical application, not qualification of lesion.
Figure Legends:Fig.1 Integrated PET/MR acquired PET and MR data simultaneously, and segmented PET was dynamic-reconstructed relative to each MR sequence.
Fig.2 To avoid time factor, all segmented PET corresponding to the MR sequences were reconstructed as the shortest segmented PET (78s), MR attenuation correction sequence was not considered.
Fig.3 A representative patient with four MR sequences, their relative simultaneously acquired segmented PET, and fused PET/MR images were shown.
Fig.4 The lesion and background SUVmax of segmented PET images corresponding to MR scanning sequence were shown in Figure 4A and B. While SUVmean of lesion and background were displayed in 4C and 4D.


In order to improve the simulation of the near-range atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides, computational fluid dynamics is becoming increasingly popular. In the current study, Large-Eddy Simulation is used to examine the time-evolution of the turbulent dispersion of radioactive gases in the atmospheric boundary layer, and it is coupled to a gamma dose rate model that is based on the point-kernel method with buildup factors. In this way, the variability of radiological dose rate from cloud shine due to instantaneous turbulent mixing processes can be evaluated. The steady release in an open field of 41Ar and 133Xe for 4 different release heights is studied, thus covering radionuclides that decay with a high-energy gamma and a low-energy gamma, respectively. Based on these simulations, the variability of dose rates at ground level for different averaging times in the dose measurements is analyzed. It is observed that turbulent variability in the wind field can lead to dose estimates that are underestimated by up to a factor of four when conventional long-term measurements are used to estimate the dose from short-term exposures.


Neuroendocrine neoplasms make up a heterogeneous group of tumors with inter-patient and intra-patient variabilities. Molecular imaging can help to identify and characterize neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Furthermore, imaging and treatment with novel theranostics agents offers a new, tailored approach to managing NETs. Recent advances in the management of NETs aim to enhance the effectiveness of targeted treatment with either modifications of known substances or the development of new substances with better targeting features. There have been several attempts to increase the detectability of NET lesions via positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and improvements in pretreatment planning using dosimetry. Especially notable is PET imaging with the radionuclide Copper-64. Increasing interest is also being paid to theranostics of grade 3 and purely differentiated NETs, for example, via targeting of the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). The aim of this review is to summarize the most relevant recent studies, which present promising new agents in molecular imaging and therapy for NETs, novel combination therapies and new applications of existing molecular imaging modalities in nuclear medicine.


AgriMitr was a tech-savvy start-up situated in Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India. It was a subsidiary of KnowThyData (KTD), a Data Science and Analytics firm, a leading data science firm providing myriad solutions to many clients. AgriMitr was established by the founder and CEO of KTD, Dr. Jishu Bose, to develop products using satellite imagery and data science. AgriMitr developed a mobile and web application that helped farmers and other key stakeholders understand crop health, soil fertility and other critical factors related to agriculture by machine learning algorithms using satellite images. The app was a major leap of innovation in the Indian Agri-Tech space. The app was to be used majorly by farmers based in rural India, and thus the major challenge lay in spreading awareness, adoption, and usage of the app. The app, if appropriately deployed, would be an imminent milestone in sustainable food production and consumption and can aid in taking a step forward in solving the world hunger problem, an SDG of the UN. Dr. Bose was planning the strategy for AgriMitr's mass adoption and implementation with the help of Mr. Madhav A. Ram. The much-awaited meeting with investors and key stakeholders was just one week away. Madhav, under the guidance of Dr. Bose, had to prepare a roadmap and his game plan for the next year to bring this wave of change and large-scale digital adoption among the farmers of India.


This volume provides data and analysis on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Central and West Asia to help policymakers support the development of these businesses. The development of MSMEs remains key to promoting inclusive growth in developing economies in Asia and the Pacific. The Asia Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Monitor (ASM) serves as a resource for evidence-based policy design on MSME development. The ASM 2022 focuses on Central and West Asia. This volume reviews the financial and nonfinancial conditions of MSMEs at country and regional level. It highlights the need for increased lending to MSMEs with better loan assets, enhanced job creation, expanded foreign trade of MSMEs, strengthened digital infrastr


The formation of women\'s groups has become an important instrument for addressing various gender challenges in development. Both practical needs and strategic interests have been cited as motivating and propelling the need to integrate women\'s concerns in development. In the Upper West Region of Ghana, women\'s groups have been involved in woodlot cultivation as a means to addressing the problems of environmental degradation arising from domestic fuel-wood consumption. The endeavor has entailed the cultivation of plantations, which on maturity are harvested for domestic energy use and income generation. This paper presents, in part, an assessment of various governmental and non-governmental initiatives in the Upper West Region of Ghana for the extent to which it addresses women\'s practical needs while working toward strategic ends. Data were collected on participating women\'s groups in three districts: Wa East, Lawra and Nadowli. A field survey was conducted using participatory rural appraisal tools including key informant interviews, questionnaire and focus group discussions. Data derived from the survey were analyzed using flow analysis and logistic regression analysis. These revealed that the initial capital requirement for woodlot establishment was quite high for the women. As such credit for woodlot establishment and maintenance was very necessary and critical. Indeed, the most important factor influencing the women\'s decision to participate in woodlots was access to credit. The analysis also revealed that the NPV at 20% and 25% are ¢5,228,526 and ¢3,571,352 respectively, the discounted BCR at 20% and 25% are 3.4 and 2.7 respectively and the computed financial internal rate of return (FIRR) is 48.2%. Though all these values indicate that woodlots are profitable ventures, the actual benefit in terms of value of produce to individual women was found to be too small. Consequently, it was concluded that although the establishment of woodlots did address the practical needs of women by providing fuel for domestic use and served as good entry points for further interventions to address the practical needs further, they did not adequately serve the strategic interests of the women. Keywords : keywoStrategic Interests, Practical Needs, Woodlot Plantation, fuel-wood, domestic energy needs Studies in Gender and Development in Africa Vol. 1 (1) 2007: pp. 21-42


The late Professor M. Athar Ali was one of the foremost authorities on Mughal history. This book is a selection of some of his best essays on a wide range of themes from the realm of ideas (including religion) to polity, administration, society and culture of the Mughal period (sixteenth to eighteenth centuries). Some essays are interpretative, others represent detailed research, and rest share both elements. What unites them is his critical approach and consistence proximity to the Persian source material. The book includes a critique of 'revisionist' approaches in the study of the Mughal polity, and a section on sources.


Background/Aims: Pouchitis is one of the main complications after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis in patients with ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of colonic histological criteria can predict the development of pouchitis. Methodology: We retrospectively reviewed 147 patients' clinical data and performed a histological evaluation of the resected total colon using Tanaka's criteria, which comprise the following 6 factors: ulceration (H1), crypt abscesses (H2), degree of mononuclear cell infiltration (MNCI) (H3), segmental distribution of MNCI (H4), eosinophil infiltration (H5), and extent of disease of resected colon (H6). Results: The development of pouchitis and chronic pouchitis within 3 years after restoration of gastrointestinal continuity was recognized in 52 (35.4%) and 26 (17.7%) of the 147 patients, respectively. Using various combinations of each score, the H3 + H4 - H5 scores of patients with pouchitis or chronic pouchitis were significantly higher than those of patients without. A H3 + H4 - H5 score of >0.4 was a statistically significant risk factor for the development of both pouchitis and chronic pouchitis. Conclusions: The combination of the degree of MNCI, segmental distribution of MNCI, and eosinophil infiltration from histological criteria has utility in predicting the future development of pouchitis, especially chronic pouchitis.


Abstract Around the world "free" democracies actively seek to undermine the political influence of ethnic and regional minorities by impeding the formation of parties aimed at furthering their interests. Here, we assess the impact of two kinds of legal provisions against ethnoregional parties—outright bans and ballot-access requirements that indirectly impede their ability to win votes and legislative seats. Despite being less direct, we theorize ballot-access requirements should be much more effective at undermining ethnoregional parties as they provide seemingly objective rules that are easy to enforce. In contrast, outright bans require difficult subjective decisions on parties with a non-ethnoregional facade. Combining in-depth case analysis with multivariate models based on a comprehensive dataset of election results spanning 73 countries between 1990 and 2012, we find that party bans do little to curb ethnoregional party influence. By contrast, registration and ballot-access requirements are much mo...


What are the dynamics driving the evolution of family entrepreneurship in France? According to Lansberg (1988), the stability and development of family enterprises lie in dealing directly with the emotional ambivalence of the next generation of family business leaders. This paper contributes to the understanding of the next generation's experience at the pre-business stage of the succession process through emphasizing the role transition representations and perceived entrepreneurial preparedness of family business successors. We conducted exploratory qualitative research with participant observation and semi-directed interviews to identify the main aspects of the projected leadership role of a group of 14 men and female selected among the next generation members of French family businesses. Our results indicate that the participants share intense and sometimes extreme positive and negative emotions, such as hopes and fears related to their future status and responsibilities. We use role transition theory to discuss the concept of family business projected role transition from an extended identity perspective.


Recently, viral infectious diseases, including COVID‐19 and Influenza, are the subjects of major concerns worldwide. One strategy for addressing these concerns focuses on nasal vaccines, which have great potential for achieving successful immunization via safe, easy, and affordable approaches. However, conventional nasal vaccines have major limitations resulting from fast removal when pass through nasal mucosa and mucociliary clearance hindering their effectiveness. Herein a nanoparticulate vaccine (NanoVac) exhibiting photochemical immunomodulation and constituting a new self‐assembled immunization system of a photoactivatable polymeric adjuvant with influenza virus hemagglutinin for efficient nasal delivery and antigen‐specific immunity against pathogenic influenza viruses is described. NanoVac increases the residence period of antigens and further enhances by spatiotemporal photochemical modulation in the nasal cavity. As a consequence, photochemical immunomodulation of NanoVacs successfully induces humoral and cellular immune responses followed by stimulation of mature dendritic cells, plasma cells, memory B cells, and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, resulting in secretion of antigen‐specific immunoglobulins, cytokines, and CD8+ T cells. Notably, challenge with influenza virus after nasal immunization with NanoVacs demonstrates robust prevention of viral infection. Thus, this newly designed vaccine system can serve as a promising strategy for developing vaccines that are active against current hazardous pathogen outbreaks and pandemics.


BACKGROUND: Benign smooth-muscle tumors (leiomyomata) are the most frequent tumors found in the female genital tract. They are easy to diagnose in pregnancy and usually managed conservatively. Some variant forms with unusual infiltrative growth pattern have been known, but they are rare in pregnancy. The variant forms pose diagnostic and management difficulties. CASE: An unusual type of leiomyoma (cotyledonoid), adhering to the bowels and occupying the whole left broad ligament, was excised completely at 14 weeks of gestation, and the pregnancy continued to term. CONCLUSION: Familiarity with benign uterine smooth-muscle tumors with unusual growth patterns by gynecologists and pathologists is essential in avoiding over-treatment.


We investigate superconductor/ferromagnet (S/F) hybrid structures in the dirty limit, described by the Usadel equations. More precisely, the oscillations of the critical temperature and critical current with the thickness of the ferromagnetic layers are studied. We show that spin-flip and spin-orbit scattering lead to the decrease of the decay length and the increase of the oscillation period. The critical current decay is more sensitive to these pair-breaking mechanisms than that of the critical temperature. These two scattering mechanisms should be taken into account to get a better agreement between experimental results and theoretical descriptions. We also study the influence of the interface transparency on the properties of S/F structures.


The signed particle Monte Carlo (SPMC) approach has been used in the past to model steady-state and transient dynamics of the Wigner quasi-distribution for electrons in low-dimensional semiconductors. Here, we make a step toward high-dimensional quantum phase-space simulation in chemically relevant scenarios by improving the stability and memory demands of SPMC in 2D. We do so by using an unbiased propagator for SPMC to improve trajectory stability and applying machine learning to reduce memory demands for storage and manipulation of the Wigner potential. We perform computational experiments on a 2D double-well toy model of proton transfer and demonstrate stable pico-second-long trajectories that require only a modest computational effort.


Abstract Neonatal lung injury has been induced experimentally by infusion of multivitamin-containing light-exposed parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions. The objective was to explore the role of ascorbate in toxic effects of light-exposed PN on primary cultured foetal rat lung epithelial cells. Hydroperoxides were measured in 3% amino acid solutions at baseline, immediately after addition of either multivitamins or ascorbate alone (400 μg/mL) and again after a 24-h period of exposure to (or protection from) ambient light. Cellular toxicity was assessed by [C14]adenine release. Multivitamins or ascorbate alone increased hydroperoxides in PN, which was attenuated by light protection. Light-exposed PN containing multivitamins was more toxic to cells than baseline or light-protected PN. Exposure to ascorbate at concentrations both lower (< 5 μg/mL) and higher (> 1000 μg/mL) than normally contained in PN-induced oxidant-mediated cell death, as indicated by protective effects of hydroperoxide and hydroxyl radical scavengers. This study concludes that ascorbate generates toxic amounts of peroxide in PN solutions. The types and physiological importance of hydroperoxides induced by pro-oxidant effects of ascorbate require further evaluation in vivo.


Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the use of white clover (Trifolium repens) in grasslands, as a more sustainable alternative to fertiliser nitrogen inputs. However, mixtures of grasses and white clover have frequently been associated with unstable and hence unreliable herbage yields. The maintenance of a stable production from mixed grasslands requires the prototyping of new grassland management strategies. Temporal yield fluctuations may result from intrinsic ecosystem fluctuations, from environmental fluctuations, or from both. The stability of ecosystems in isolation of their environment is defined as the intrinsic stability. The stability of systems subjected to seasonal environmental fluctuation only is defined as the extrinsic stability, while the stability of systems under a regime of both seasonal and stochastic environmental fluctuations, as measured in field experiments, is defined as the actual stability. The actual stability depends on coincidental weather events and is hence an unreliable reflection of the grassland ecosystem or of the management imposed. A mathematical framework is presented with which the extrinsic and intrinsic stability levels of grassland ecosystems can be deducted from their yields during a large number of years, and with which the effects of intrinsic system properties and of environmental fluctuations on the stability of their yields can be segregated. Intrinsically stable systems remain stable in the face of seasonal environmental fluctuations, but are destabilised by stochastic environmental events. Intrinsically unstable systems are instead stabilised by environmental seasonality, and may be further destabilised or stabilised by stochastic fluctuations, depending on the timing of individual environmental events. This framework was applied to the yield data of two long-term experiments. Regular lime applications and a grazing regime increased the extrinsic stability of grassland ecosystems, whereas fertiliser treatments only had small or inconsistent effects. It was consequently hypothesised that the extrinsic stability of ecosystems depends largely on the availability and turnover rate of nutrients. Vertical spatial interactions between grass species and white clover depend on the vertical distributions of their lamina and total leaf material. A mechanistic model is presented, with which the distributions of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover can be accurately simulated for a wide range of sward types subjected to various management regimes. This model uses simple morphological features of both species as input variables. The lateral spatial heterogeneity of mixed grasslands was quantified, using data generated by the Dry Weight Rank method for botanical assessment of grasslands. The heterogeneity of the total herbage mass was highest after cutting and topping events, and under lenient grazing, and lowest under strip-grazing. Opposite responses to the grassland management were found for the heterogeneity of the white clover herbage mass. The performance of white clover may be compromised by infestations of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). A mathematical methodology, based on the Dry Weight Rank method, is presented with which the effects of niche-differentiation and direct competition between white clover and creeping bentgrass can be discriminated. The exclusion of white clover by creeping bentgrass foremost resulted from direct competition. Both species only showed niche-differentiation in response to two extreme management strategies. Whereas the clover performance was enhanced under a permanent cutting regime, creeping bentgrass prevailed under a regime of lenient grazing. Finally, two types of management strategies were proposed to maintain the production stability of mixed grasslands. Structural management strategies, such as lime applications, the maximisation of the grazed area, and the targeted use of mixtures of grassland species and varieties, aim to increase the extrinsic stability of ecosystems, and can be prototyped. Dynamic management strategies are required to counteract the fluctuations of the abiotic and the biotic environment, and cannot be generalised due to the individuality of each farm ecosystem. Additional key-words: stability, variability, ecosystem, grassland, white clover, Trifolium repens, legumes, mixtures, model, competition, methodology, dry weight rank, organic farming.


ABSTRACT Heat stress is a major environmental stress limiting wheat productivity in most cereal growing areas of the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate heat stress tolerance in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) genotypes. For this purpose, 45 genotypes were grown during two growing seasons (2012–2013 and 2013–2014) under non-stress (normal sowing) and heat-stress (late sowing) conditions. The heat tolerance indices were calculated based on grain yield under normal sowing (Yp) and late sowing (Ys) conditions. Results of combined analysis of variance showed the significant influences of heat stress on grain yield as well as significant differences among genotypes for grain yield and the indices. Results of correlation coefficients and multivariate analyses revealed that the stress tolerance index (STI), geometric mean productivity and mean productivity (MP) indices were the most profitable criteria for selection of heat tolerant and high yielding genotypes. Using STI, GMP and MP, the genotypes G29, G41 and G10 were found to be the best genotypes with relatively high yield and suitable for both normal and heat stressed conditions. Based on biplot analysis using Yp, Ys and the indices, it was possible to identify superior genotypes across the conditions.


Because of climate change, extreme weather events and urban sprawl, urban areas have to deal with increasing flood risks. It is argued, both in literature and in practice that these risks can no longer be dealt with by focusing solely on flood defences (building dikes, dams, embankments etc.). Actors at various levels (international, European, national as well as regional) wish for and make efforts at a diversification of Flood Risk Management Strategies (FRMSs). There is currently debate, both within European countries and at EU level, about the potential additional role to be played by flood prevention measures such as pro-active spatial planning (building permits), flood mitigation (e.g. urban green infrastructures, adaptive buildings), flood preparation and flood recovery. It is generally argued that a diversification of FRMSs can make urban agglomerations more resilient to flood risks. However, the realisation of broadening of FRMSs leads to governance challenges. Whereas flood defence is often institutionalised in a highly state-led governance arrangement (centralized or decentralized mode of governance) with a strong role for the water sector, this is much less the case for the other FRMSs. Pro-active spatial planning asks for integration between water management and spatial planning, often in combination with involvement of private parties and civil society actors. Flood mitigation, preparation and recovery are also often institutionalised via various forms of public-private governance or self-governance. On top of this, pleas are made to link these various governance arrangements together in order to align the FRMSs, requiring even more coordination, or meta-governance. It is however not clear under which conditions such meta-governance can be successful. The aim of this presentation is to explore a) the conditions that enable a successful diversification of FRMSs, and b) how meta-governance challenges are currently being addressed in the Netherlands and the UK. First, we will structure the debates in relevant literature by the development of a classification scheme of governance challenges. Second, we will elaborate this scheme for a diversification of FRMSs from flood defence towards flood prevention, mitigation, preparation and recovery. Third, we will reflect on how the Netherlands and England successfully address these meta-governance challenges. These cases show that while diversification practices may be complicated, conditions under which such a diversification may take place can be created. Future comparative empirical research is needed though to further refine these conditions and we therefore conclude our paper with a research agenda.


Educational systems worldwide have been affected by government restrictions imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, causing the temporary closure of many educational institutions. The new condition has forced teachers to make the transition from onsite to online teaching. The current study used a descriptive method to examine online teachers' perceptions towards online teaching during the transition to online learning at a center for foreign languages in Vietnam. The results reveal that teachers have a relatively positive perception of online teaching, although many typical problems of online teaching do present themselves and the effectiveness of online teaching does not always compare favorably with traditional classroom teaching. Teachers' suggestions are significant for improving online teaching quality. Online teaching is highly likely here to stay and will continue to improve. The transition from traditional face-to-face classrooms to online teaching can be successfully achieved and its quality can be ensured if challenges and ways of improving online learning continue to be closely examined.


time of year when vaccination is performed. During the summer, when the circulation is hastened, and the fuinctions of the skin are actively performed, the consecutive eruption appears more frequently than in winter, when it is very rare. In consequence of the greater prevalence of the secondary eruption in summer, and the suspicion with which it is viewed by parents, Mr. Ross thinks it best to postpone vaccination as much as possible during June, July, and August.


Purpose: In this study the mediating effects of subjective health status on the relationship between relatedness and participation in exercise in younger elderly women were examined. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey using structured questionnaires including questions on general characteristics, relatedness, subjective health status and participation in exercise. From September to October 2018, 122 women were recruited from two general welfare facilities for elders in J city. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, Point-biserial correlation, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression using Baron and Kenny steps for mediation. Results: The mean score for relatedness was 3.37±0.75 (range of scale 1~5) and the mean score for subjective health status was 3.10±0.97 (range of scale 1~5). The participation rate in exercise was 68.9%. There were significant positive correlations among relatedness, subjective health status and participation in exercise. Subjective health status had a partial mediating effect (β=.28, p=.001) in the relationship between relatedness and participation in exercise (Sobel test: Z=3.07, p=.002). Conclusion: Based on these results, development of interventions to improve the subjective health status of elderly women are necessary in order to encourage them to participate in exercise.