Makhosazana Xaba's "Behind The Suit", a revisioning of Can Themba's "The Suit", takes the form of a letter written by Mbatha, ex-lover of Philemon  (Themba's protagonist), to his estranged daughter. In it, he tells her about their ancestors' lives and he confesses his role in Philemon's abuse of his  wife, Matilda, which eventually led to her suicide. In this article, we examine Mbatha's attempt to solidify his and his daughter's sense of self through  the act of confession – a confession that is not wholly true. Consequently, Mbatha's false self prevails. Bearing in mind the dominance of  this false self, we pay attention to the significance of the story's epistolary form – how it enables Mbatha to build a bridge between himself (I) and  his daughter (You). The letter also assists Mbatha in locating him and his daughter in time and place through repeated references to their ancestors   to Johannesburg and Sophiatown. We determine that, ultimately, Mbatha's project cannot succeed due either to his unwillingness or  inability to access his true self, with the result that the meaningful connection he hopes to have created with his daughter is rendered impossible. In  the end, the onus falls on his daughter to locate and assert her own identity through the information given to her in the letter.


Test score distributions of schools or demographic groups are often summarized by frequencies of students scoring in a small number of ordered proficiency categories. We show that heteroskedastic ordered probit (HETOP) models can be used to estimate means and standard deviations of multiple groups' test score distributions from such data. Because the scale of HETOP estimates is indeterminate up to a linear transformation, we develop formulas for converting the HETOP parameter estimates and their standard errors to a scale in which the population distribution of scores is standardized. We demonstrate and evaluate this novel application of the HETOP model with a simulation study and using real test score data from two sources. We find that the HETOP model produces unbiased estimates of group means and standard deviations, except when group sample sizes are small. In such cases, we demonstrate that a "partially heteroskedastic" ordered probit (PHOP) model can produce estimates with a smaller root mean squared error than the fully heteroskedastic model.


This document is to report the final year project entitled "Design liquid-liquid extraction for sulphur species removal from crude oil using ionic liquid". As already known, the new green desulphurization technology which is ionic liquid emerged to be a good study to be conduct. Sulphur present in fuel can pollutes the atmosphere in the form of SOx. The theory of designing the equipment is by contacting one ionic liquid with model oil carrying sulphur species. By contacting these liquid, sulphur species as solute in the carrier is expected to be extracted by the solvent, ionic liquid. The study on selectivity and capacity must be conducted in order to select a proper type of ionic liquid for industrial application. Somehow, in recent study there is no specific method on the equipment design for sulphur species removal using ionic liquid.
Methodology for liquid-liquid extractor design is planned to be prepared. Using graphical method analogous to McCabe Thiele method which applied in similarly in distillation column design, graphical stages are being drawn using the data from the analytical simulation software, COSMO. Ternary phase diagram is plotted and stage by stage calculation been conduct. Another analytical method using Kremser Equation also been studied. Ionic liquid used in the study are 1-n-Butyl-3- methylimidazolium octasulphate [bmim OcSO4], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethylphosphate [emim DEtPO4] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate [emim EtSO4]. The sulphur species is dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4-methyl-dibenzothiophene (4-MDBT) at 25oC and 40oC. Model oil used is dodecane.


The perirhinal cortex—which is interconnected with several limbic structures and is intimately involved in learning and memory—plays major roles in pathological processes such as the kindling phenomenon of epileptogenesis and the spread of limbic seizures. Both features may be relevant to the pathophysiology of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy that represents the most refractory adult form of epilepsy with up to 30% of patients not achieving adequate seizure control. Compared to other limbic structures such as the hippocampus or the entorhinal cortex, the perirhinal area remains understudied and, in particular, detailed information on its dysfunctional characteristics remains scarce; this lack of information may be due to the fact that the perirhinal cortex is not grossly damaged in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and in models mimicking this epileptic disorder. However, we have recently identified in pilocarpine-treated epileptic rats the presence of selective losses of interneuron subtypes along with increased synaptic excitability. In this review we: (i) highlight the fundamental electrophysiological properties of perirhinal cortex neurons; (ii) briefly stress the mechanisms underlying epileptiform synchronization in perirhinal cortex networks following epileptogenic pharmacological manipulations; and (iii) focus on the changes in neuronal excitability and cytoarchitecture of the perirhinal cortex occurring in the pilocarpine model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Overall, these data indicate that perirhinal cortex networks are hyperexcitable in an animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy, and that this condition is associated with a selective cellular damage that is characterized by an age-dependent sensitivity of interneurons to precipitating injuries, such as status epilepticus.


A large literature has emerged in political science that studies the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This article summarizes the lessons learned from this literature, both theoretical and practical. To put this emerging knowledge base into perspective, we review findings along two dimensions of conflict: factors influencing whether states or substate groups enter into conflict in the first place and variables affecting the intensity of fighting at particular times and places once war has started. We then discuss the external validity issues entailed in learning about contemporary wars and insurgencies from research focused on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars during the period of US involvement. We close by summarizing the uniquely rich qualitative and quantitative data on these wars (both publicly available and what likely exists but has not been released) and outline potential avenues for future research.


Background: Benign breast diseases are the most common cause of breast problems. The most common symptoms are breast pain, lumpiness or a lump and nipple discharge. Triple assessment that includes clinical examination, imaging like ultrasonography (USG) or mammography and a pathological examination – FNAC or core needle biopsy has a very high accuracy rate in diagnosing, discrete benign breast diseases and this can be used for reassurance.Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine the frequency of different types of benign neoplasm of breast lump in different age and sex.Methodology: The present study was carried out at the Department of Pathology, Chittagong Medical College, Bangladesh one year period from May 2005 to June 2006. This study was cross sectional which included 48 cases of breast neoplasm. The specimens were received from indoor patient Department of Surgery, Chittagong Medical College, Bangladesh. Histopathological examination was done.Results: This study shows the mean age of the patients was 32.91 years with age range 11 to 70 years. Most of the patients were in 31 to 50 years (45.8%) age group and female predominance than male. Fibroadenoma accounted for 76.2%. Sclerosing adenosine the second most common benign breast disease in this study accounted for 9.5% of cases.Conclusion: This study showed that among the benign breast diseases in females there were preponderance of fibroadenoma followed by sclerosing adenosineJournal of Science Foundation 2018;16(1):27-31


Background: Severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is one of the most frequent and difficult to treat obstetric problems. Different drugs and techniques have been suggested for its treatment with variable success rates. This study was designed to compare the efficacy of prednisolone with promethazine for treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum. Methods: Fifty six pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum were randomly divided into two groups to receive either prednisolone or promethazine orally. Severity of nausea and vomiting, severity of malaise, body weight and serum electrolytes were measured and compared before and after treatment. Results: The severity of nausea and vomiting decreased significantly in both groups, but the decrease was significantly higher in the prednisolone group. Conclusion: The result of this study shows that oral prednisolone is a better choice for the treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum.
Keywords: Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Pregnancy, Obstetric Complication, Nausea and Vomiting


The flux-creep activation energy Uo has been obtained by using Arrhenius plots for polycrystalline YBa2Cu3Ox for various oxygen stoichiometries. An exponential relationship between Uo and x has been established for different applied magnetic fields. This relationship can be used to explain the resistive transition broadening for samples with different oxygen concentrations. The observed field dependence of Uo suggests the existence of 90 K and 60 K superconductors.


Deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) have proven to be remarkably effective in semantic segmentation tasks. Most popular loss functions were introduced targeting improved volumetric scores, such as the Dice coefficient (DSC). By design, DSC can tackle class imbalance, however, it does not recognize instance imbalance within a class. As a result, a large foreground instance can dominate minor instances and still produce a satisfactory DSC. Nevertheless, detecting tiny instances is crucial for many applications, such as disease monitoring. For example, it is imperative to locate and surveil small-scale lesions in the follow-up of multiple sclerosis patients. We propose a novel family of loss functions, \emph{blob loss}, primarily aimed at maximizing instance-level detection metrics, such as F1 score and sensitivity. \emph{Blob loss} is designed for semantic segmentation problems where detecting multiple instances matters. We extensively evaluate a DSC-based \emph{blob loss} in five complex 3D semantic segmentation tasks featuring pronounced instance heterogeneity in terms of texture and morphology. Compared to soft Dice loss, we achieve 5% improvement for MS lesions, 3% improvement for liver tumor, and an average 2% improvement for microscopy segmentation tasks considering F1 score.


Some prospective students placed by the Assessment, Selection and Placement Center (OSYM) to associate and undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Open Education of Anadolu University enroll in these programs, while others do not. A decision to enroll may be affected by the following variables: the prospective student's gender, educational status, plans for retaking the university entrance exam, the number of times they took the entrance exam, marital status, employment status, household income, parents' level of education, and age. The aim of this study is to use the above-mentioned variables to develop a model that will help classify prospective students placed on the distance education programs of Anadolu University into two groups, i.e. students who are more likely to enroll and those who are not; and to discuss the potential benefits of the model in the administrative processes. Students assigned by OSYM in the 2015-2016 academic year to the distance education programs of Anadolu University comprise the population of this study, which is a finite population consisting of 178.229 people. Data were collected via an online survey. The survey included items on demographics, enrollment status, and the above-mentioned variables. A total of 1.829 students completed the survey, of which 1.117 enrolled and 712 did not. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 software package. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to develop a model to classify the students as enrollees and non-enrollees. Education status, marital status, plans to retake the university entrance exam, the number of times the entrance exam was taken, employment status, and age were found to affect the prospective students' decision to enroll.


A passively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser at 1064 nm is demonstrated based on a gold nanotriangle saturable absorber (GNT SA). Under a pump power of 3.82 W, the maximum average output power of 218 mW is achieved, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 12.9%. The minimum pulse width is 165 ns and the maximum pulse repetition rate is 300 kHz at the pump power of 3.48 W. Our results prove that the GNT SA is a promising saturable absorber for near-infrared lasers.


This paper contrasts the different approaches to export-led growth used by Harrod and Thirlwall. It argues that, unlike Thirlwall's model, Harrod emphasized the importance of both demand- and supply-sides in his analysis of growth. The fundamental difference between the two authors lies in their differing characterizations of the long run. While both authors assume unemployment, Thirlwall's long run is presumably consistent with excess capacity, while Harrod's warranted path assumes normal capacity growth. Harrod's perspective suggests that if the warranted growth rate exceeds the natural growth rate, desired saving is excessive relative to the amount that is necessary to maintain the economy along its maximum growth path. Under these circumstances, rising exports have the beneficial effect of adjusting the warranted path to the economy's maximum growth path while, at the same time, giving a boost to the actual growth rate. If, however, the warranted growth rate is lower than the natural rate, then rising net exports have to be accompanied by appropriate fiscal and/or tax policies to raise warranted growth. In either case, the long-run growth rate is regulated by the social saving rate (other things equal). Data for a number of OECD countries tend to confirm this implication of what might be called a classical-Harrodian perspective. The Harrodian growth tradition suggests that growth in an open economy, with normal capacity utilization and persistent cycles, can be characterized as export-oriented rather than export-led since both demand- and supply-side factors are important.


Abstract Objective: To compare the effectiveness of 20:1 cafedrine/theodrenaline approved for use in Germany to ephedrine in the restoration of arterial blood pressure and on post-operative outcomes in patients with intra-operative arterial hypotension of any origin under standard clinical practice conditions. Methods and results: 'HYPOTENS' is a national, multi-center, prospective, open-label, two-armed, non-interventional study. Effectiveness and post-operative outcome following cafedrine/theodrenaline or ephedrine therapy will be evaluated in two cohorts of hypotensive patients. Cohort A includes patients aged ≥50 years with ASA-classification 2–4 undergoing non-emergency surgical procedures under general anesthesia. Cohort B comprises patients undergoing Cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Participating surgical departments will be assigned to a treatment arm by routinely used anti-hypotensive agent. To minimize bias, matched department pairs will be compared in a stratified selection process. The composite primary end-point is the lower absolute deviation from individually determined target blood pressure (IDTBP) and the incidence of heart rate ≥100 beats/min in the first 15 min. Secondary end-points include incidence and degree of early post-operative delirium (cohort A), severity of fetal acidosis in the newborn (cohort B), upper absolute deviation from IDTBP, percentage increase in systolic blood pressure, and time to IDTBP. Conclusion: This open-label, non-interventional study design mirrors daily practice in the treatment of patients with intra-operative hypotension and ensures full treatment decision autonomy with respect to each patient's individual condition. Selection of participating sites by a randomization process addresses bias without interfering with the non-interventional nature of the study. First results are expected in 2018. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02893241; DRKS identifier: DRKS00010740.


A glasshouse experiment was conducted with 41 surface and 8 subsurface soils to measure their potassium (K) supply capacities and K depletion of soils by ryegrass growth for 260 days and harvesting at ~40-day intervals. Dry matter yield ranged from 0.22 g to 25.4 g/kg soil, cumulative K uptake ranged from 0.006 to 1.49 cmol/kg soil, and values of K concentration (%) in the first cut herbage ranged from 0.40% to 5.97%. Some of the light-textured soils were so impoverished in K that symptoms of K deficiency appeared during the first growth period. Water-soluble K + exchangeable K accounted for 43–100% of cumulative K uptake by the ryegrass. Multiple regression analysis indicated that 68% of the variation in dry matter yield and 90% of the variation in K uptake may be predicted by the exchangeable K content of these soils. The 6 harvests of ryegrass extracted only 0.21–12.07% of total K from these soils, which was not sufficient to cause discernible mineralogical changes in most soils. For some soils vermiculite was formed at the expense of illite/mica by K release to plants. For soils containing vermiculite but no other K-bearing clay minerals, vermiculite peaks broadened on K depletion by plants. Major proportions of total K in these soils are present in silicate minerals, yet only minor amounts are released to plants by very slow weathering processes. For soils that do not contain any K bearing clay minerals, very minor amounts of feldspar may have dissolved to release K.


63Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) studies at room temperature were reported on six Nd-doped La2 − xSrxCuO4 samples. The NQR spectrum for La1.48Nd0.4Sr0.12CuO4 has a different line shape compared with those from the other samples, which is similar to the case of the insulating La2CuO4. This may suggest that the stripe fluctuations at such a special Nd and Sr doping fall into the frequency window of 63Cu NQR. The spectra of the other five samples were analysed by pairs of 63Cu and 65Cu Gaussians at A and B sites. The full width of half-maxim (FWHM) for 63Cu at B sites is anomalously large for La1.45Nd0.4Sr0.15CuO4, which was considered to be related to the stripe fluctuations.


Glycogen synthase kinase-3 is a 'black sheep' among protein kinases. Although its name suggests a primary function in intermediary metabolism, its scope is far more diverse as indicated by both genetic and biochemical evidence. Over the past five years the enzyme has emerged as an important component of transduction pathways ultimately regulating cell fate and differentiation. The molecular mechanisms underlying these functions are only just being unraveled but point to a novel mode of cellular regulation conserved in all eukaryotes.


Individuals feel more empathy for those in their group (i.e., ingroup members) and less for those who are not (i.e., outgroup members). But evidence suggests that empathy is not merely selective to the other's group, rather it fluctuates according to how the other's group is perceived by the individual. This project was developed to investigate whether individuals truly differentiate between outgroups when it comes to empathy. Across several studies, I presented participants with images depicting others receiving physically painful stimulations. The other person in each case was a member of the ingroup or one of two outgroups, one of which was more of a competitive threat to the ingroup. In Study 3, I found that participants exhibited an ingroup bias, that is, greater levels of empathy to images of ingroup pain, compared to outgroup pain. In Study 4, I found that empathic responses also varied between the two outgroups: Empathy was significantly lower when targets were from the outgroup that was perceived as more of a competitive threat to the ingroup, than the other outgroup. This provided the first evidence that beliefs about outgroups, and not merely the ingroupoutgroup distinction, modulates empathic processing. I also investigated the extent to which threats that are incidental to the ingroup context affect empathy. Across two studies I showed reliable evidence that priming incidental feelings of fear was sufficient to elicit intergroup bias in self-reported empathy, specifically against the outgroup, i.e., reduced empathy for outgroup targets, rather than increased empathy for ingroup targets. Finally, I investigated the extent to which my findings could be accounted for by individual differences. In a series of 'mini meta-analyses', I provide evidence that in an intergroup context a shared group membership confers an empathic advantage when responding to a target's pain, regardless of one's sex or their scores on a measure of trait empathy.


Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are promising for many applications owning to their remarkable merits such as large deformation, fast response, high efficiency, low cost, and light weight. Recently, hydrogels have been used to activate DEAs. In these devices, hydrogels serve as the stretchable transparent electrodes and elastomers serve as the stretchable transparent dielectrics. However, the emerging of such hydrogel-elastomer devices has posed many challenges due to the distinct nature of hydrogel and elastomer. Intensive researches are taking place to learn more about hydrogel-elastomer systems. In this work, we study field concentration and its influences on hydrogel-elastomer devices. We fabricate a DEA by using polyacrylamide hydrogels containing lithium chloride as the electrodes and polydimethylsiloxane elastomer as the dielectrics. We find that most devices fail on the side of electrode, where field concentration is the strongest. We observe salting out phenomenon and local temperature increase, as well as plasma during the experiments. We hypothesize that electric field concentrates at the edges of hydrogels, causing the surrounding air to break down. Which produces plasma that heats up hydrogels thus leading to the salting out. We note that the breakdown of air helps dissipate energy into the air and protects the DEAs.


1997 is the first year of the English Language Studies major at the University of Wollongong. The major has arisen out of a clear need to address the language development of non-English speaking background (NESB) students. As the major is being developed and the subject materials taught, we, the developers are conscious of our own teaching practices and are observing the learning styles of our students. As we participate in this process, we are learning much about who we are as educators and what we are trying to do with these students. These students have language development needs but they are also outside of our intellectual tradition. They need induction into the implicit processes and practices of our academic community. This brief paper outlines the background to the establishment of the major and offers for your consideration some of the issues that we are faced with in trying to take an implicit process of learning and make it explicit while at the same time, also developing the students' English language competency. This journal article is available in Overview University of Wollongong Teaching & Learning Journal: http://ro.uow.edu.au/overview/ vol4/iss2/8


This accessible book introduces students to the basic concepts in political science. The first part of the book provides a historical overview of the manner in which various political structures emerged. The second part deals with successive constitutions in Sri Lanka, and their failure to uphold political principles in response to changing political situations. Short and insightful, this book will be an invaluable guide to students seeking understanding and analysis of ideas and issues in politics.


Tropical regions currently receive the highest levels of global solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-320 nm) even without ozone depletion. The influence of natural, present-day UV-B irradiance in the tropics was examined for five tropical species including three native rain forest tree species (Cecropia obtusifolia, Tetragastrispanamensis, Calophyllum longifolium) and two economically important species (Swietenia macrophylla, Manihot esculenta). Solar UV-B radiation conditions in a small clearing on Barro Colorado Island, Panama (90 N), were obtained using either a UV-B-excluding plastic film or a film that transmits most of the solar UV-B. Significant differences between UV-B-excluded and near-ambient UV-B plants were often exhibited as increased foliar UV-B absorbing compounds and, in several cases, as reduced plant height with exposure to solar UV-B. Increases in leaf mass per area and reductions in leaf blade length under solar UV-B occurred less frequently. Biomass and photosystem II function using chlorophyll a fluorescence were generally unaffected. The results of this study provide evidence that tropical vegetation, including native rain forest species, responds to the present level of natural solar UV-B radiation. This suggests that even minor ozone depletion in the tropics may have biological implications.


Abstract Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life-threatening disease in which IgG antibodies against the heparin-PF4 complex activate platelets via FcγRIIA. We previously reported that TULA-2 serves as a negative regulator of FcγRIIA pathway by dephosphorylating Syk in HEL cells. To further investigate the effect of TULA-2 on the FcγRIIA pathway and HIT, we crossed TULA-2-/- with FcγRIIA+/+ mice. Ablation of TULA-2 resulted in hyperphosphorylation of Syk, LAT, and PLCγ2 in platelets after FcγRIIA activation. Integrin activation, calcium mobilization, and P-selectin exposure were also enhanced in TULA-2-/- murine platelets compared to TULA-2+/+. Further, anti-GPIX antibody-induced HIT-like thrombocytopenia and thrombin generation were also augmented in TULA-2-/- mice (Figure A). We also found that decreased TULA-2 level shortened tail-bleeding time in mice (Figure B), suggesting a role of TULA-2 in physiological hemostasis. Additionally, TULA-2 KO and WT platelets did not show significant differences in platelet spreading and clot retraction, indicating that outside-in signaling is not affected by the absence of TULA-2. At the protein level, TULA-2 heterozygous knockout (TULA-2+/-) platelets express 50% as much protein as their wildtype counterparts. Interestingly, TULA-2+/- mice showed significantly increased platelet reactivity and more severe thrombocytopenia in vivo compared with TULA-2+/+ mice. Together the data indicate that not only the absence of TULA-2, but also the relative level of TULA-2 expression modulate FcγRIIA-mediated platelet reactivity, HIT pathogenesis, and hemostasis. Considering that TULA-2 is also a key regulator in platelet GPVI pathway, measuring TULA-2 expression may be a valuable predictor for HIT susceptibility and platelet reactivity in general. Download : Download high-res image (94KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Dendronobilins K - N, four new sesquiterpenes with copacamphane-type (1), picrotoxane-type (2, 3) and cyclocopacamphane-type (4) skeletons, were isolated from the n-BuOH soluble fraction of the 60% ethanol extract of the stems of Dendrobium nobile. Their structures were established as 2beta,11,12-trihydroxycopacamphan-15-one (1), (2beta,3beta,4beta,5beta)-2,4,11,12-tetrahydroxypicrotoxan-3(15)-olactone (2), (2beta,3beta,5beta)-2,11,12,13-tetrahydroxypicrotoxan-3(15)-olactone (3), and (5beta,8beta)-cyclocopacamphane-5,8,12,15-tetrol (4) on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 3 and 4 were inactive in both immunomodulatory and antioxidant bioassay in vitro.


Traditional models for planning under uncertainty such as Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) or Partially Observable MDPs (POMDPs) assume that the observations about the results of agent actions are instantly available to the agent. In so doing, they are no longer applicable to domains where observations are received with delays caused by temporary unavailability of information (e.g. delayed response of the market to a new product). To that end, we make the following key contributions towards solving Delayed observation POMDPs (D-POMDPs): (i) We rst provide an parameterized approximate algorithm for solving D-POMDPs eciently, with desired accuracy; and (ii) We then propose a policy execution technique that adjusts the policy at runtime to account for the actual realization of observations. We then show the performance of our techniques on POMDP benchmark problems with delayed observations where explicit modeling of delayed observations leads to solutions of superior quality.


nder arbitrary uniformly-wet conditions with the use of an novel semi-analytical model. The interfacial tension between brine and CO2 is obtained as a function of the phases density difference, and the contact angle is evaluated based on the Frumkin–Derjaguin equation with the application of the DLVO theory to compute disjoining pressures isotherm curves under various storage formation conditions. Based on the developed model, the CO2 entry pressure can be computed in realistic cap-rock pore spaces extracted from 2D rock images from core samples located at various storage depths and under the appropriate pressure, temperature and brine ionic strength conditions. The dependency of brine/CO2 interfacial tension, contact angle and capillary entry pressure on CO2 storage depth and brine ionic strength is also investigated. The proposed workflow for entry pressure estimation and the relationship between capillary entry pressure and depth could enhance our understanding and improve the safety of CO2 storage. The simulated depth-dependent capillary entry pressure curves could also be incorporated into a reservoir simulation model to predict CO2 migration in the storage unit.


Strategic environmental Assessment (SEA) is a decision support instrument for predicting and evaluating the likely environmental effects of implementing a policy, plan or programme. SEA can consider the cumulative impacts of more than one project or activity on the same environmen- tal component. This paper discusses the analysis of cumulative effects in SEA, with reference to spatial planning by: providing a review of key concepts and methods related to cumulative effects literature; presenting a rationale for the inclusion of cumulative effects in SEA of spatial plans; advancing a proposal to address cumulative effects in different SEA stages. The paper concludes that SEA offers the opportunity to support a better management of cumulative effects arising from many local-level spatial planning decisions. Three aspects emerged as critical to ensure good practices: the selection of valued environmental components, the adoption of future-oriented approaches, and the use of spatially-explicit information.


Through the analysis of the differentiation that exists between different poor areas of the city of Salvador, the paths that distinct social networks trace between different zones of the city, the importance of particular contexts and histories in shaping the capacity of slum dwellers to act collectively, and the emergence of new kinds of political and community actors, we suggest that a more holistic sociological analysis, based on a more ethnographic analisis of how people live, can offer both a better understanding of how and why distinct ?peripheral urban situations? differ from each other and also offer a better basis for reformulating public policies, illuminating important spatial, social, political and symbolic changes in the meanings of ?peripheral urban situations? in this metropolis.


This article discusses how comparability relates to current mainstream conceptions of validity, in the context of educational assessment. Relevant literature was used to consider the relationship between these concepts. The article concludes that, depending on the exact claims being made about the appropriate interpretations and uses of the results of an assessment, several comparability concerns fall within the remit of validation. The current exploration supports the addition of comparability to validation studies and may be useful in the context of a growing emphasis on the provision of validity evidence for public examinations.


Ilalasimba village of Iringa district in Tanzania was the site of this study. It assessed the socioeconomic benefits accrued to the residents of the village after having issued with the Certificates of Customary Rights of Occupancy (CCROs), which are legally certified evidence of customary land ownership. The study was largely qualitative in nature but with some amount of quantitative data which were collected parallel to the qualitative information. Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Households with CCROs in the village constituted the target population of the study, from which a representative sample of 60 household respondents was systematically chosen.Despite overemphasis of the use of CCROs as collateral in accessing loans from various financial institutions which is done by some development partners who facilitate land use planning processes in the rural areas, CCROs also generate some other benefits. They enable owners in precisely knowing boundaries of the land possessed because the land parcels are mapped and geo-referenced; they are tools for area protection to avoid its loss without recompense; eliminate land use conflicts with others; improve security of land; restore lost respect from others of the land area possessed and enable owners to have good land maps of the area after specifications of the land boundaries shown clearly. Moreover, these certificates allow some owners engage in some land transactions on commercial agreements. However, rural areas in Tanzania still lag behind in terms of connections to various means of communication such as road facilities, railways, electricity, internet connections and mobile phones applications. Most of the rural areas also possess poor market infrastructures, inadequate water, hygiene, sanitation and health services as well as poor developed recreation facilities. Absence of these basic necessities make value of land in the rural areas to be low and become unattractive for investments projects in various sectors of the economy which could alternatively be pursued with rural people as joint partners who own land which is potential resource without which investments projects remain meaningless. The government is hereby called upon to speed up the supply of basic services in rural areas so as to make them better places to live and to invest, and equally important, uplift the value of the rural land which will in turn make CCROs more beneficial to all those owning them. Keywords: Socioeconomic benefits, Customary Rights, Occupancy, CCROs, Land ownership, Rural areas


UNLABELLED
The influence of the extent and distribution of the echocardiographically determined left-ventricular hypertrophy was evaluated in respect to clinical symptoms and hemodynamics at rest and under bicycle-exercise. 49 patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy [HOCM] (34 men, 15 women, mean age 43 years, subvalvular gradient after provocation 10-270 mm Hg, ejection fraction greater than 55%) and 10 controls (seven men, three women, mean age 44 years) were investigated. Enddiastolic left-ventricular diameter and basal thickness of the anterior and posterior septum, and the lateral and posterior wall of the left ventricle were echocardiographically measured. The distribution of basal hypertrophy (for the anterior septum and the posterior wall greater than or equal to 15 mm, for the posterior septum and the lateral wall greater than or equal to 17 mm) was classified as type I (1 segment, n = 17), II (2, n = 14) and III (greater than or equal to 3 segments, n = 18), according to Maron et al. (1981). At rest and during symptom-limited bicycle exercise, cardiac index (CI), stroke volume index (SVI), and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) were determined at sinus rhythm by a Swan-Ganz-catheter and by the thermodilution method.

RESULTS
With increasing hypertrophy, there was a reduction of the left-ventricular enddiastolic diameter. A NYHA-class greater than II was observed in 18% of patients with type-I hypertrophy, in 29% with type II, but in 61% with type III (p less than or equal to 0.05). Of patients with type III, 44% (p less than or equal to 0.05). In type-III hypertrophy the with type I 6% had suffered syncopes; with type II, 14%, and with type III, 44% (p less than or equal to 0.05). In type-III hypertrophy the maximum exercise level (72 +/- 24 Watt) was significantly (p less than 0.05) lower compared with controls (110 +/- 42 W), in type I (99 +/- 35 W), and in type II (100 +/- 45 W). At maximum stress PCWP was significantly increased in types I, II, and III (type I = 22 +/- 8 mm Hg, II = 24 +/- 12 mm Hg, III = 29 +/- 8 mm Hg) compared with controls (8 +/- 4 mm Hg); SVI was significantly lower in type III (49 +/- 13 ml/m2) than in controls (65 +/- 12 ml/m2) and in type I (60 +/- 11 ml/m2); SVI was 60 +/- 17 ml/m2 in type II. At maximum stress, cardiac index was significantly lower in type III (6.2 +/- 2.1 l/min/m2) than in controls (8.9 +/- 2.1 l/min/m2) and in type I (8.4 +/- 1.7 l/min/m2).

CONCLUSIONS
In patients with HOCM, severe left-ventricular hypertrophy type III accompanied by a reduced ventricular cavum is associated with more pronounced clinical symptoms, a reduced working capacity and the occurrence of syncopes. In these patients, despite increased filling pressures, the increase in stroke volume and cardiac index are insufficient at stress. Therefore, echocardiographically evaluated left-ventricular hypertrophy and geometry are helpful to estimate the severity of functional disorder in HOCM.


We have previously shown that enalapril, when given acutely to renovascular patients, exerted a dose-dependent hypotensive effect. To address the same problem in chronically treated essential hypertensives, we studied 116 uncomplicated essential hypertensives, whose diastolic blood pressure was greater than or equal to 95 mm Hg at the end of a two-week placebo run-in period (time 0). According to a randomized crossover design, these patients received three doses (10, 20, or 40 mg) of enalapril qd and a placebo, each treatment being given for one month. At the end of each treatment period as well as at time 0, blood pressure and heart rate were measured 24 hours after the last dosing. In spite of a two-week run-in placebo period, placebo treatment further and significantly reduced blood pressure; however enalapril further and significantly reduced blood pressure when compared to placebo. Although absolute blood pressure values after 40 mg of enalapril were significantly lower than those after 10 mg of enalapril the relevance of this difference, mainly when compared to placebo, seems to be inconsistent. Taken together these data suggest that the hypotensive effect of enalapril chronically given to essential hypertensives and measured 24 hours after last dosing, is dose independent.


Acute pericarditis is a disease of the pericardium characterized by inflammation. Around 16-38% of patients develop recurrent events after the first episode. Recurrent pericarditis (RP) seems to be caused by a pathologic immune response. An inadequate treatment in terms of drug choice, dose, duration of therapy or tapering, has been shown to increase the risk of recurrences. Symptoms, physical signs and electrocardiographic signs are usually less severe during a recurrent event as compared to the first episode, thus favoring imaging as a tool to confirm the diagnosis of RP. Cardiac magnetic resonance is becoming the technique of choice because of its ability to detect active pericardial inflammation. Inflammatory biomarkers can be used to assess the risk of recurrences and to guide the tapering of treatments. First-line treatment is based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and colchicine. NSAIDs are useful for pain control, and colchicine has shown to reduce the risk of further recurrences. Glucocorticoids are often used as second-line drugs, but they are associated with a high rate of recurrent events. Interleukin-1 inhibitors, such as anakinra and rilonacept, significantly reduce the risk of recurrences in patients with RP while on treatment.


It is very important to select carefully backfill materials and build for the structural integrity of abutment in bridge. In general, backfill materials of unbound crushed stones (SB-1) are used to provide the safety of abutment structure and to reduce differential settlement around abutment that is significantly related with performance of road pavement under working conditions. In this study, to evaluate the compatibility of backfill materials at abutment and to develop the abutment design program, i) basic properties of subgrade soils in Korea, ii) evaluation of deformational characteristics of backfill materials from RC/TS tests, cyclic TX tests and Creep tests were accomplished.


: Increased interest in the topic of pain has resulted in pharmacologic advances that provide new possibilities for pain relief in children. It has also resulted in new nonpharmacologic therapies that are now being used more frequently with children. It is hoped that these advances will continue so that health care providers will have a larger repertoire of pain control methods effective with children, and so that the traumatic aspects of hospitalization and health care can be reduced greatly. The pain experienced by children has heretofore been on the backroads of scientific and scholarly development. As a result, we actually know very little about pediatric pain, its measurement, and its treatment. The literature and research cited previously are strikingly limited for providing a base of knowledge to guide clinical practice. We avoided a "cookbook" approach to the discussion on pain control, because there are many of those available. Instead, we presented a summary of the research that is currently available in the attempt to help nurses better recognize the limitations in what we know with certainty about this important topic. We hope that this knowledge will spur readers to examine their own beliefs and knowledge, question former assumptions about pediatric pain, and promote a more inquiring approach to assessment and management of children's pain. Pain is a multidisciplinary problem. Although health care providers from the various disciplines each approach the pain problem from different angles, each approach has its place in the overall picture of solving the problems of pediatric pain control. Nurses have been and will continue to be a vital part of clinical and scientific advancements to move pediatric pain out of the realm of mystery and into the realm of the known.


Irreversible combined pressure-temperature inactivation of the food quality related enzyme polyphenoloxidase was investigated. Inactivation rate constants (k) were obtained for about one hundred combinations of constant pressure (0.1-900 MPa) and temperature (25-77.5 degrees C). According to the Eyring and Arrhenius equation, activation volumes and activation energies, respectively, representing pressure and temperature dependence of the inactivation rate constant, were calculated for all temperatures and pressures studied. In this way, temperature and pressure dependence of activation volume and activation energy, respectively, could be considered. Moreover, for the first time, a mathematical model describing the inactivation rate constant of a food quality-related enzyme as a function of pressure and temperature is formulated. Such pressure-temperature inactivation models for food quality-related aspects (e.g., the spoilage enzyme polyphenoloxidase) form the engineering basis for design, evaluation, and optimization of new preservation processes based on the combined effect of temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the generated methodology can be used to develop analogous kinetic models for microbiological aspects, which are needed from a safety and legislative point of view, and other quality aspects, e.g., nutritional factors, with a view of optimal quality and consumer acceptance.


Objectives: To determine the physical activity patterns among pregnant women at a tertiary care hospital in, Pakistan. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted through questionnaire for a span of eight months (from 17th July, 2020 till 20th March, 2021) amongst pregnant women visiting Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for ante-natal visit including paramedical staff having 24 to 28 weeks of gestation. With the written consent of participants, the physical activity was assessed by a validated self-reported Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ) having 32 questions to determine the duration; frequency, intensity and type of physical activity during pregnancy. Participants were asked to select the physical activity and time spent on it per day during the current gestational period. From the PPAQ, average weekly energy expenditure in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET-h-week) was calculated. Demographic data including age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, parity, literacy and working status were recorded. Results: A Total of 229 participants of different ethnicities were enrolled. House hold and care giving type of activities of moderate to light intensity were commonly practiced by our pregnant women. Whereas multi gravida were involved in light physical activities. The Punjabi and Baluchi women mostly took occupational type of physical activities. Working women were physically more active than household women. Around 186 (80%) of the participants had no idea that they should take antenatal exercises during pregnancy. Conclusion: The study concluded that house hold and care giving type activities with moderate to light intensity were commonly carried by pregnant women. Majority of them had no knowledge of antenatal exercise.


Metacognitive skill is the awareness of one's thinking about the thinking process itself, whereas consciousness is the awareness of one's thinking about what to do. The subjects for this research were five students from class VII-1 SMP 1 Banda Aceh. Research data collection used the sheet metacognitive questions. Data were analyzed descriptively to interpret students' metacognitive skills in learning how to use Cabri Geometry II Plus software. The results showed that the metacognitive abilities of students increased from the first meeting to the fourth meeting. Keywords: Metacognitive, Cabri Geometry II Plus


Results of clinico-genealogical and immunogenetic examination of 220 persons including 150 patients suffering from rheumatism and members of their families have been presented. The object of the examination was a B-cell marker carriership to be determined by means of monoclonic antibodies D8/17 with the use of the microlymphocytotoxic method. The marker carriership was detected in 96 per cent of probands-patients with rheumatism and in 40.3 per cent of their relatives and in 6.7 per cent of healthy individuals of the control group. A possible contribution of the B-cell marker to rheumatism liability was suggested. A further study of the role of the given marker in rheumatism has been found advisable.


ALTHOUGH in the past many factors have been implicated in the etiology of ulcerative colitis, accumulating evidence indicates that ulcerative colitis may belong to the group of hypersensitivity diseases. Severe ulcerative, local inflammatory changes in the colon may at times occur in a sudden, explosive manner implying an acute hypersensitivity reaction. Numerous systemic changes may occur producing associated conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, alteration in serum proteins, iritis, uveitis, arteritis, pyoderma gangraenosum, thrombophlebitis, erythema nodosum, arthritis, or amyloidosis; these also indicate a hypersensitivity state. Furthermore, it has been shown clinically that the most effective therapy for the quick control of ulcerative colitis is based on the use of adrenocorticosteroids. The results of this kind of treatment may be just as dramatic as those in the treatment of acute asthma or other acute allergic reactions. Although allergy or sensitivity to various foodstuffs has been suggested since the early work of


This essay places Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's later writings on poetry alongside her early unpublished piece "The 1001 Seances" to illustrate how the latter theorizes the connection between poetic form (and its relation to the novelistic) and male-male homoerotics. I then consider Sedgwick's continuing interest as both a critic and a poet in the erotics of genre, especially as it reappears in A Dialogue on Love.


KCNQ2 (KV7.2) plays a key role in the regulation of neuronal excitability. Although temperature is thought to modulate all ion channels by different magnitudes, temperature dependence of KCNQ channels has not been demonstrated. In the present work, we reported that temperature elevation caused an increased expression of KCNQ2. Notably, the increased protein was retained intracellular. Meanwhile, we found that elevated temperature had a significant effect on the voltage-dependence of KCNQ2 channel activation. These data suggested that temperature can increase the rates of activation of KCNQ2 channel and has a critical role in the trafficking of KCNQ2 subunits to the surface membrane.


Background While in vitro wear simulation of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) showed outstanding long-term wear performance, studies reported that polyethylene (PE) wear was responsible for 12% fixed-bearing (FB) UKA failure. This paper aimed to quantify the in vivo 6-degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) knee kinematics and contact positions of FB UKA during daily activities and compare with the previous results of in vitro wear simulator. Methods Fourteen patients following unilateral medial FB UKA received a CT scan and dual fluoroscopic imaging during level walking, single-leg deep lunge, and sit-to-stand motion for evaluating in vivo 6-DOF FB UKA kinematics. The closest point between surface models of the femoral condyle and PE insert was determined to locate the medial compartmental articular contact positions, which were normalized relative to the PE insert length. The in vivo contact area was compared with the in vitro wear region in previous simulator studies. Results The in vivo contact positions during daily activities were more anterior than those in the previous in vitro wear simulator studies (p < 0.001). Significant differences in the femoral anteroposterior translation and tibial internal rotation during the stance phase were observed and compared with those in lunge and sit-to-stand motions (p < 0.05). The in vivo contact position located anteriorly and medially by 5.2 ± 2.7 and 1.8 ± 1.6 mm on average for the stance phase, 1.0 ± 2.4 and 0.9 ± 1.5 mm for the lunge, and 2.1 ± 3.3 and 1.4 ± 1.4 mm for sit-to-stand motion. The in vivo contact position was in the more anterior part during the stance phase (p < 0.05). Conclusion The current study revealed that the contact position of FB UKA was located anteriorly and medially on the PE insert during in vivo weight-bearing activities and different from previous findings of the in vitro wear simulator. We should take in vivo 6-DOF knee kinematics and contact patterns of FB UKA into account to reproduce realistic wear performance for in vitro wear simulator and to improve implant design.


In some aerospace vehicles the tracking sensors which act as stabilizers in a tracking loop are mounted on a two degree of freedom gyro The gyro must align its rotor axis with the line of sight in order to remove tracking errors The tracking precision and sensitivity are functions of the gyros performance One of the main factors in reducing the precision and producing instabilities is nutation vibration This uctuating motion which is a dynamical inherent property of the system is related to the gyro lateral moment of inertia the length of gyro and its rotating speed In order to investigate the capabilities of nutation damper and removing the wobble motion of a freely precessing body this paper we analyze a ring damper partially lled with viscous liquid by taking into account the behavior of the damper and its subsystems The equations of motion for the dynamical motion of gyro are obtained using Lagrangian approach taking into account the friction of dampers and interaction of the liquid with the system equations of motion


Rowshan is the projected latticework window, commonly found in facades of traditional dwellings in Medina. Due to functions that Rowshan provides, such as overlooking the surroundings with complete privacy and controlling natural ventilation and lighting in the dwelling, it achieved a widespread popularity in the traditional architecture of Medina, which gave the city its unique architectural identity. This article explored the public's attitudes, awareness, and concerns on the dwindling traditional Islamic identity in contemporary architecture in Medina as well as to understand their social demands and functional aspiration as possible window's end users. The self-completed questionnaire was conducted with the general public in Madinah between the 1st of February 2017 and the 15th of March 2017, using the online web-based service, Google Forms. The link of the survey was distributed via emails and smartphones apps, such as WhatsApp, to the participants who were expected to complete the 23 questions of the survey within 15-20 minutes. The majority of study participants were males (73.1%), Saudis (79.2%), 30-49 years old (57.3%), had university degree (54.7%), house owners (54%), living in a flat (54.9%) and had a monthly income of up to SAR 10,000 (£1900) (63%). The majority of people were severely concerned about the gradual erosion of the authentic architectural identity in contemporary architecture in Medina. Visual privacy, the functional performance, and aesthetic appearance were chosen by a remarkable proportion of participants of survey (24%), (22.9%), and (20.7%), respectively as the most important issues that determined their selection of window shading type. Rowshan, compared with contemporary windows, was more effective in covering home windows for achieving satisfying levels of aesthetic appearance, visual privacy, and daylight at homes compared with contemporary windows as people agreed. However, there are three major drawbacks that make using of the traditional form of Rowshan incompatible with contemporary Madani architecture. These are high cost, large number of Rowshan openings, and lack of craftsmen. The findings of the present study showed that Madani society was highly motivated and had a positive attitude toward using Rowshan in their homes.


China is establishing an advanced supercomputing environment, called the ACES-iSERVO grid node, aimed at furthering the study of earthquake prediction and modeling. This article describes the history of the China ACES-iSERVO grid node, the necessities for establishing it, its current status, and its future development.


Effective overload control for large-scale online service system is crucial for protecting the system backend from overload. Conventionally the design of overload control is ad-hoc for individual service. However, service-specific overload control could be detrimental to the overall system due to intricate service dependencies or flawed implementation of service. Service developers usually have difficulty to accurately estimate the dynamics of actual workload during the development of service. Therefore, it is essential to decouple the overload control from service logic. In this paper, we propose DAGOR, an overload control scheme designed for the account-oriented microservice architecture. DAGOR is service agnostic and system-centric. It manages overload at the microservice granule such that each microservice monitors its load status in real time and triggers load shedding in a collaborative manner among its relevant services when overload is detected. DAGOR has been used in the WeChat backend for five years. Experimental results show that DAGOR can benefit high success rate of service even when the system is experiencing overload, while ensuring fairness in the overload control.


Diagnosis of GM2 gangliosidosis and other most frequent thesaurismoses of the central nervous system was exposed on a case of a 2-year-old boy. Diagnostic process which exploited routine methods commonly used in every department of pathology enabled to choose chemical and enzymological investigation of brain tissue.


Summary The Migmatization of pelitic, semipelitic, siliceous and hornblendic (Durcha type) rocks of the Moine Series is a record of a lengthy series of metasomatic changes brought about by the activity of alkaline solutions. Pelitic gneisses are converted by soda-metasomatism into permeation-gneisses. Semipelitic granulites give rise to augen-migmatites through the action of potash-bearing fluids. Siliceous and hornblendic rocks are relatively resistant to change. Various types of granite-gneisses arise from the different sedimentary parents. Many sheets of pegmatite, granite and aplite are shown by their field relations to have been formed by the gradual metasomatism of the country rocks, probably by the long-continued passage of fluids along certain channels. I. Introduction The area which forms the subject of this paper is about l0 square miles in extent and forms a narrow strip along the north coast of Sutherland, from the River Naver eastwards to near Kirktomy. This small region provides excellent examples of the migmatization of the various lithological types of the Moine Series and its associated intrusions. It consists of numerous small injection zones varying greatly both in width and length, most of them being roughly parallel to the regional foliation. Though the beds are affected by small faults and thrusts, their strike is sufficiently persistent and the lithological characters of comparatively thin layers are sufficiently constant to permit the tracing in the field of the changes in a number of zones in response to different degrees of migmatization. It has thus been possible to prove beyond reasonable doubt the


By combining CAN bus, Embedded web and Ethernet, a kind of distributed on-line Water Quality Monitoring System based on CAN and Embedded web is presented. The system's hardware and software architecture are analyzed,the measuring principle based on spectrophotometry is used in the system,the C8051F040 as a microprocessor is used in water quality monitoring node,the water quality signal is obtained by the optical sensors,the hardware platform of embedded web server based on S3C2410X is constructed,with CAN bus as bottom interface, Subnode use CAN subnet,and also send field data through Internet instantly. The system can achieve the real-time remote water quality monitoring and alarm with CGI technology, and have a good price-performance ratio.


Lightweight polypropylene/stainless-steel fiber (PP-SSF) composites with 15-35% density reduction were fabricated using foam injection molding. The electrical percolation threshold, through-plane electrical conductivity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of the PP-SSF composite foams were characterized and compared against the solid counterparts. With 3 wt % CO2 dissolved in PP as a temporary plasticizer and lubricant, the fiber breakage was significantly decreased during injection molding, and well-dispersed fibers with unprecedentedly large aspect ratios of over 100 were achieved. The percolation threshold was dramatically decreased from 0.85 to 0.21 vol %, accounting for 75% reduction, which is highly superior, compared to 28% reduction of the previous PP-carbon fiber composite foam.1 Unlike the case of carbon fiber,1 SSFs were much longer than the cell size, and the percolation threshold reduction of PP-SSF composite foams was thus primarily governed by the decreased fiber breakage instead of fiber orientation. The specific EMI SE was also significantly enhanced. A maximum specific EMI SE of 75 dB·g(-1)·cm(3) was achieved in PP-1.1 vol % SSF composite foams, which was much higher than that of the solid counterpart. Also, the relationships between the microstructure and properties were discussed. The mechanism of EMI shielding enhancement was also studied.


The relationship between texture and rheological properties of mascara(oil-in-water emulsion) was analyzed in this study. The final mascara product and gelling agents(2.0 wt%) used therein, such as hydroxyethylcellulose(HC), carboxymethylcellulose(CMC), hectorite, sodium magnesium silicate (SMS), hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer(HS), and polyacrylate 13/polyisobutene/polysorbate 20 (PPP), were measured for rheological properties. As a result, HS and PPP showed the highest adhesiveness which were related to the volumizing effect of mascara. The viscosities of HC, SMS, and HS were measured at the stress range of . SMS, with the lowest storage modulus range of , affected the mascara in terms of smooth texture. The results of this study suggest that the rheology of gelling agents used influences the final texture of the mascara.


Protein kinase pathways play pivotal roles in cell signaling and biology. The phosphoproteome is a reflection of protein kinase pathway activation and therefore there is considerable interest in its quantification as a means to assess the wiring of signaling networks. Although different approaches for quantitative phosphoproteomics have been described, there is no data on how accurate these are for each quantified phosphorylated site. We report a liquid chromatography-MS approach to objectively assess data quality in high-content comparison of phosphoproteomes in which samples to be compared are mixed at different proportions. The experimental data is then used to derive a linear regression function that allows calculating correlation values, linearity, and accuracy. We applied the technique to investigate phosphorylation in P31/Fuj and Kasumi-1, two leukemia cells lines showing strikingly different sensitivities to scr and PI3K inhibitors. We found that phosphopeptides quantified with accuracy were not always quantified with precision because of low ion statistics contributing to variability. Thus our approach was complementary to standard methods for calculating the precision of replicate measurements based on the coefficient of variation and provided additional information on data quality for each quantified phosphopeptide. We quantified > 2250 phosphorylation sites across cell lines with different levels of sensitivity to kinase inhibitors, of which 1847 showed an accuracy variation of < 30% (with an overall mean of 22%). Hundreds of phosphorylation sites on proteins with diverse function (including kinases, transcription, and translation factors) showed significantly distinct intensities across sensitive and resistant cells lines, indicating that kinase pathways are differentially regulated in cancer cells of distinct sensitivity to signaling inhibitors.


Background: The human hippocampus plays a role in episodic memory and depression. Recently, it has been shown, using manual tracings, that the hippocampus is smaller in volume in MS patients compared with healthy controls, and that, at least for depression, hippocampal atrophy correlates with symptom severity. Methods: Because manual tracing of the hippocampus is time consuming, we used a semi-automatic procedure for temporal horn volumetry in 72 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 16 control subjects as an indirect measure of hippocampal volume. We analysed memory performance with the California Verbal Learning Test (using separate indices for encoding, consolidation and retrieval) and depressive mood with the Beck's Depression Inventory (distinguishing between psychic and somatic aspects). Results: MS patients had significantly larger temporal horn volumes and volume correlated with psychic symptoms of depressive mood. Temporal horn volume was also associated with consolidation, in particular in the most impaired group. Conclusions: Temporal horn volume can be measured relatively easily and appears to correlate with two major clinical problems in MS patients: memory performance and depressive mood. The link between temporal horn volume, consolidation and depression may be hippocampal atrophy, as suggested by their adjacent neuroanatomical localization, and by the similarity in functional loss following impairment of these two structures.


This case is reported (1) because of the symmetrical placement of lipomas, which showed a marked tendency to follow the paths of certain superficial nerves, and (2) because the distribution of the painful tumors was so characteristic of the typical von Recklinghausen's disease (generalized neurofibromatosis) that the histologic report of multiple lipomas was a surprise. REPORT OF CASE A car repairer, aged 30, and single, came to the surgical department of the Boston Dispensary, complaining of painful lumps on his arms, back and legs. His family history had no relation to his present condition. His habits were confined to the moderate use of tobacco and alcohol, except for an occasional excess in the latter. The patient's own history was unimportant, except that he said he had a complete right-sided "neuritis" at the age of 19, lasting two months, and characterized by dull pain on the affected side. This was not


This paper presents the development of bilingual e-learning system and reports on its usability on a set of computing courses according to a specific e-content development methodology. The system is organized into five layers. The selection of layers and their inter-dependencies is intended to make the functional responsibility clearer and to cover all of the e-learning functional components. The tool is equipped with a tracking system to observe users' learning activities in real-time by monitoring the major possible number of behavioural aspects. The tool can be used for Arabic or English e-contents, or a mix of the two languages. It has been used in various computing courses where it has been proven helpful to students and teachers alike.


The active site of glutathione S-transferase isoenzyme 4-4, purified from rat liver, was studied by chemical modification. Tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone, a compound previously shown to inactivate glutathione S-transferases very efficiently by covalent binding in or close to the active site, completely prevented the alkylation of the enzyme by iodoacetamide, indicating that the reaction had taken place with cysteine residues. Both from radioactive labeling and spectral quantification experiments, evidence was obtained for the covalent binding of three benzoquinone molecules per subunit, i.e. equivalent to the number of cysteine residues present. This threefold binding was achieved with a fourfold molar excess of the benzoquinone, illustrating the high reactivity of this compound. Comparison of the number of amino acid residues modified by tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone with the decrease of catalytic activity revealed an almost complete inhibition after modification of one cysteine residue. Chemical modification studies with diethylpyrocarbonate indicated that all four histidine residues of the subunit are ethoxyformylated in an at least partially sequential manner. Modification of the second histidine residue resulted in complete loss of catalytic activity. Preincubation of the transferase with the glutathione conjugate of tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone resulted in 78% protection against this modification. However, glutathione itself hardly protected against the reaction with diethylpyrocarbonate. The intrinsic fluorescence properties of the enzyme were affected by covalent binding of tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone. The concentration dependency of the fluorescence quenching is strongly correlated with the inactivation of the enzyme, indicating that covalent binding of the benzoquinone occurs in the vicinity of at least one tryptophan residue. Finally, the binding of bilirubin, as measured by means of circular dichroism, was inhibited by preincubation of the enzyme with tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone in a manner which strongly correlated with the loss of enzymatic activity, the protection against inactivation by diethylpyrocarbonate, and the fluorescence quenching. All processes showed a 70-80% decrease after incubation of the enzyme with an equimolar amount of the benzoquinone. Thus, evidence is presented for the presence of a cysteine, a histidine and a tryptophan residue in, or in the vicinity of, the active site of the glutathione S-transferase 4 subunit.


This study is based on complete subsurface datasets from three fields in the onshore Nile Delta (West Dikirnis, West Al-Khilala and El-Tamad) producing oil, gas and oil and gas, respectively from the Messinian reservoirs. Rock-Eval pyrolysis results, biomarker investigations and correlation between oil and bitumen extracts from the Pliocene and Messinian mudstones suggest that the oil was generated from an Upper Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary terrigenous, clay-rich source rock (type III kerogen) and deposited under oxic conditions in a fluvio-deltaic environment. Oil migrated from its marginally-mature source through the deep-seated faults and trapped into the Messinian reservoirs. Furthermore, the gas is mainly thermogenic generated from a mature Jurassic source rock enriched in terrigenous humic materials (type III kerogen). The pre-MSC Qawasim facies were derived mainly from pre-existing Cretaceous-Eocene sedimentary strata, felsic and intermediate igneous rocks by the Eonile network system and deposited in the Nile Delta in a northward prograding system. The Qawasim facies reservoir quality is largely controlled by marine influence and increases with deltaic progradation from prodelta to delta front and delta plain. On the other hand, the MSC Abu Madi facies were mainly derived from the pre-existing Qawasim facies and infilled the Messinian incised valley during three major infill facies. The MSC facies reservoir quality decreases upward with increased marine influence and transition from the continental aggradational-prograditional fluvial to the marginal marine retrogradational estuarine facies. Therefore, the best reservoir facies are the pre-MSC Qawasim proximal deltaic and the MSC Abu Madi fluvial facies.


The aim of this study was to present a better understanding of the illness, needs of patients with this type of pathology. Participants on the interview were 15 children and adolescents of age 11-15 years old diagnosed at "Mother Teresa" University Hospital Center, Nephrology Department. To draw the study results it was used "Nvivo" software, where through a careful analyzing process were identified four key topics: Physical impact (medical treatment); psychological impact (anxiety, difficulties they face); impact on social relations (family, activities and relations with age mates); way of adaption (self belief, religious belief, multidisciplinary staff). The findings reveal the impact of the illness on the life of the patients all over the illness course. The main recommending of this study are based on deepened exploration of the patients' perception of the illness setting up an appropriate program to support patients with chronic renal disease as well as their families.


The British police procedural novel of the 1950s has attracted little critical attention, perhaps because the decade is seen as a "golden age" of police legitimacy (Loader and Mulcahy 2003). This perception is reinforced by the cinema of the period, where the police are predominantly represented as embodying traditional masculinities and demonstrating familiar national virtues. They are also shown to be policing a society that was itself fundamentally homogenous. Yet this template bore little resemblance to the realities of crime in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and it needs to be set against developments in the crime novel. While cinema used the genre to reassure, it is less clear whether the police procedural of the period attempted or achieved the same end. This hypothesis is explored through an examination of John Creasey's popular Gideon books. Characterised by open endings and a disturbing level of violence, these novels demonstrate a significant transition in the representation of the police in British crime fiction, suggesting that the 1950s procedural was not a source of reassurance, but a textual space that recognised and negotiated the pressures of a changing society. Le roman policier britannique des années 1950 a peu intéressé les critiques, peut-être parce que ces années sont perçues comme « l'âge d'or » de la légitimité policière (Loader and Mulcahy 2003). Cette perception est renforcée par le cinéma de cette époque, dans lequel la police est présentée comme l'incarnation de la masculinité traditionnelle et des vertus nationales. Pourtant, ce modèle n'a aucun rapport avec la réalité de la fin des années 1940 et du début des années 1950 et doit être évalué à la lumière des développements apparus dans le roman policier. Alors que le cinéma utilise le genre pour rassurer son public, cet élément est bien moins évident dans le roman. Structures of Authority: Post-war Masculinity and the British Police Itinéraires, 2014-3 | 2015 15


The results of research of brake system for the model 61-779 of a passenger car manufactured by JSC «KVBZ» for the period from 2001 to 2006 are presented. It is shown that at the existing gear ratio of a brake lever transmission the passenger car brake efficiency does not correspond to running speed of 140 km/h. The causes of the wheel pairs damage occurrence in exploitation of a passenger train «Kiev Moscow» as well as the recommendations on their elimination and brake system perfection are considered.


This chapter compares Australian journalism students' ambitions and professional perceptions of themselves (akin to their personal "identities") in the period 2006-2008 with the journalism employment places concurrently available in Australia. This allows us to advance suggestions about journalism formation and about which model-traditional trade-based apprentice models which focus on "practice" or university-based models leading to graduate entry which focus on theory or a combination of both- best prepares candidates for the flexible, independent, and competitive journalism working environment which has emerged world wide. Implications are suggested for the wider sector of media communications practices, including the previously separate sectors of public relations and advertising. Students' self-perceptions and identities, coupled with their perceptions and expectations of the employment market they intend to enter, are central to their motivations to undertake journalism studies and thereafter to persist and achieve good grades.


Small cell lung cancers (SCLCs), many non-SCLCs, and other cancers have neuroendocrine features, including paracrineand autocrine growth stimulation by various neuropeptides. Interference with this pathway is an attractive target for novel therapies. We developed a novel bradykinin antagonist dimer, CU201 (B9870), that acts as a "biased agonist" for neuropeptides by blocking G(alphaq) signaling and activating G(alpha12,13) signaling. CU201 induced apoptosis and complete growth inhibition in various lung cancer and other cancer cell lines. CU201 was 10-fold more potent than substance P derivatives and was stable in serum for >7 days. In this study, we evaluated the ability of CU201 to produce additive or synergistic growth inhibition in combination with various antitumor agents used in lung cancer therapy. We found that CU201 produced additive or synergistic growth inhibition when combined with doxorubicin, etoposide, cisplatin, vinorelbine, and paclitaxel for SCLC lines and with paclitaxel and ZD1839, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for non-SCLC cell lines. Pharmacokinetic parameters associated with the i.v. administration of CU201 were evaluated in normal mice, and the effects of CU201 on the growth of human lung cancer xenografts were evaluated in athymic nude mice. In CD2F1 mice given an i.v. bolus infusion of 5 mg/kg, the c(max) was 5773 ng/ml (5 microM), and the decay was biexponential. When fitted to a two-compartment model, the t(1/2alpha) was 14.4 min, and the t(1/2beta) was 44.3 h, indicating a long terminal half-life consistent with the prolonged in vitro effects. CU201 inhibited the growth of human lung cancers in athymic nude mice by the intratumoral, s.c., and i.p. routes at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day. This dose is >10-fold less than the dose of substance P derivatives used to inhibit SCLC xenografts in nude mice. We conclude that CU201 should undergo further preclinical toxicology studies in its development as a novel targeted therapy for the treatment of lung cancers with neuroendocrine features. These studies are in progress through the NCI RAID mechanism.


This paper presents a novel technique for designing robust track-following output-feedback controllers in hard disk drives (HDDs). In this paper, the manufacturing variations of HDDs are modeled as polytopic parametric uncertainties in linear time-invariant discrete-time systems. For this model, the robust track-following control problem is formulated as the worst-case H2 performance optimization. The optimization problem reduces to the one with bilinear matrix inequalities (BMIs), using the parameter dependent Lyapunov functions and the extended LMI condition introduced by de Oliveira. Although the formulated problem is nonconvex, and thus it is difficult to ensure global optimality, a numerical technique called ¿G-K iteration¿ is applied for optimization to guarantee monotonic non-increase of the worst-case performance during iterations. The proposed design technique will be useful in improving the track-following performance, and thus increasing the storage capacity of HDDs.


ABSTRACT Non-shivering thermogenesis can promote negative energy balance and weight loss. In this study, we identified a contextual stimulus that induces rapid and robust thermogenesis in skeletal muscle. Rats exposed to the odor of a natural predator (ferret) showed elevated skeletal muscle temperatures detectable as quickly as 2 min after exposure, reaching maximum thermogenesis of >1.5°C at 10–15 min. Mice exhibited a similar thermogenic response to the same odor. Ferret odor induced a significantly larger and qualitatively different response from that of novel or aversive odors, fox odor or moderate restraint stress. Exposure to predator odor increased energy expenditure, and both the thermogenic and energetic effects persisted when physical activity levels were controlled. Predator odor-induced muscle thermogenesis is subject to associative learning as exposure to a conditioned stimulus provoked a rise in muscle temperature in the absence of the odor. The ability of predator odor to induce thermogenesis is predominantly controlled by sympathetic nervous system activation of β-adrenergic receptors, as unilateral sympathetic lumbar denervation and a peripherally acting β-adrenergic antagonist significantly inhibited predator odor-induced muscle thermogenesis. The potential survival value of predator odor-induced changes in muscle physiology is reflected in an enhanced resistance to running fatigue. Lastly, predator odor-induced muscle thermogenesis imparts a meaningful impact on energy expenditure as daily predator odor exposure significantly enhanced weight loss with mild calorie restriction. This evidence signifies contextually provoked, centrally mediated muscle thermogenesis that meaningfully impacts energy balance. Summary: Exposure to the odor of a predator (ferret) markedly increases rat skeletal muscle temperature; this persists when physical activity is controlled. This is primarily modulated by sympathetic neural connections.


Most database design tools are based on the entity-relationship model (ERM). The design schema is in graphical ER format and the output schema is in relational database data definition language. This research paper presents the design and development of an object-oriented database design tool. The input schema is in the form of fact-based natural language sentences. Outputs can be in relational database data definition language. Integrity rules can also be generated into relational stored procedures or object methods.


Brain tumors are the most common form of solid tumors in childhood and are characterized by an uncertain prognosis, often meaning tumor invasive surgical procedures in the first steps of the patient's treatment. In a Pediatric Oncology Ward, children with brain tumors are considered a challenge for health professionals, due to the nature of the relationship between the child, the parents, and the health care providers in the initial phase of the patient's illness. Here we present a phenomenologic-hermeneutic study, developed in the Oncology Ward of a Hospital in Southern Spain. All the caregivers of the Ward underwent interviews concerning their experience in caring for children with brain tumors. Interviews were recorded and transcribed with the consent of the participants and were analyzed by content themes. In the present paper, we focus on the experiences concerning the first meeting of the professionals with the children and their families and the principal critical issues related to the communication of the diagnosis.


The cognitive map has been taken as the standard model for how agents infer the most efficient route to a goal location. Alternatively, path integration – maintaining a homing vector during navigation – constitutes a primitive and presumably less‐flexible strategy than cognitive mapping because path integration relies primarily on vestibular stimuli and pace counting. The historical debate as to whether complex spatial navigation is ruled by associative learning or cognitive map mechanisms has been challenged by experimental difficulties in successfully neutralizing path integration. To our knowledge, there are only three studies that have succeeded in resolving this issue, all showing clear evidence of novel route taking, a behaviour outside the scope of traditional associative learning accounts. Nevertheless, there is no mechanistic explanation as to how animals perform novel route taking. We propose here a new model of spatial learning that combines path integration with higher‐order associative learning, and demonstrate how it can account for novel route taking without a cognitive map, thus resolving this long‐standing debate. We show how our higher‐order path integration (HOPI) model can explain spatial inferences, such as novel detours and shortcuts. Our analysis suggests that a phylogenetically ancient, vector‐based navigational strategy utilizing associative processes is powerful enough to support complex spatial inferences.


Mature coconut water (MCW) is a natural beverage and a main by-product of various coconut processing industries such as virgin coconut oil, coconut chips, coconut milk, etc. In spite of huge benefits, MCW's short shelf life limits its market potential. In this context, the present study investigates the effect of ultrasonic processing parameters, such as amplitude (50%, 60% and 70%) and time (5 min, 10 min and 15 min), on microbial population and quality profile (pH, total soluble solids, total sugars, reducing sugars and non-reducing sugars) of MCW. Central composite design was used to create a multiple linear regression model for each response and to optimize ultrasound processing parameters. The optimal treatment parameters to ensure microbial safety and preserve the nutritional quality of MCW were 60% ultrasonic amplitude and treatment time of 10 min. Total sugars, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars and microbial load of MCW determined at optimized conditions were 4.92%, 2.804%, 2.13% and 4.79 log cfu/mL, respectively. Ultrasonic treatment was found to be effective in inhibiting microbial growth and maintaining non-reducing sugars of MCW.


This paper highlights on the large eddy simulation approach for non-premixed and partially premixed combustor. In the case of large eddy simulation, mainly two scalars are taken into consideration that is mixture fraction and the other one is the progress variable mixture fraction, which tracks the mixing of fuel and the oxidizer, and a progress variable which tracks the global extent of reaction of the local mixture. In the case of non-premixed combustion, there are two ports provided for fuel and oxidizer and the mixing of fuel with oxidizer takes place inside the combustor and due to diffusion this mixing takes place and two scalars considered in the case of non-premixed are the mixture fraction and probability density function (PDF). Whereas in the case of partially premixed combustor there is single port provided for both the fuel and the oxidizer which get into the combustor and energy production takes place. Most of the combustion processes are highly turbulent, so the effect of turbulence, combustion and interaction are very important factors and has to be taken into consideration. Non-premixed combustion are based on the mixture fraction where is it is to be assumed that the inner turbulence diffusion term is not interrupted by the turbulence but in the case of partially premixed combustion, there is progress variable c which is introduced with only two possible states, i.e., 1 for burnt and 0 for unburnt gas. This paper mainly focuses on the Large Eddy Simulation approaches for solving non-premixed and partially premixed combustor. Keywords: LES, progress variable, PDF, mixture fraction Cite this Article : Sakshi Sharma, S. Prasad. Large Eddy Simulation: An Approach to Simulate Non-Premixed and Partially Premixed Natural Gas Combustor . Emerging Trends in Chemical Engineering . 2015; 2(1): 35–42p.


where H(A, B) denotes the Hausdorff distance between A and B. A point x e C is called a fixed point of T if x e Tx. Fixed point theorems for such mappings T have been established by Mar kin [11] for Hubert spaces, by Browder [2] for spaces having weakly continuous duality mapping, and by Lami Dozo [7] for spaces satisfying OpiaPs condition. Lami Dozo's result is also generalized by Assad and Kirk [1]. By making use of Edelstein's asymptotic center [4], [5], we are able to prove Theorem 1. Let C be a closed convex subset of a uniformly convex Banach space and let {wj be a bounded sequence in C. The asymptotic center x of {wj in (or with respect to) C is the unique point in C such that


A variety of surgical templates are being used routinely in implant dentistry to guide a surgeon in proper implant insertion. One additional technique is being suggested in this article. It relates to the placement of a dental implant immediately after extraction of the retained primary molar, using the crown of the deciduous tooth as a surgical guide for implant insertion. The clinical case and related technique are presented in this article.


Cognitive reflection is the tendency to override an intuitive response so as to engage in the reflection necessary to derive a correct response. Here, we examine the emergence of cognitive reflection in a culture that values nonanalytic thinking styles, Chinese culture. We administered a child-friendly version of the cognitive reflection test, the CRT-D, to 130 adults and 111 school-age children in China and compared performance on the CRT-D to several measures of rational thinking (belief bias syllogisms, base rate sensitivity, denominator neglect, and other-side thinking) and normative thinking dispositions (actively open-minded thinking and need for cognition). The CRT-D was a significant predictor of rational thinking and normative thinking dispositions in both children and adults, as previously found in American samples. Adults' performance on the CRT-D correlated with their performance on the original CRT, and children's performance on the CRT-D predicted rational thinking and normative thinking dispositions even after adjusting for age. These results demonstrate that cognitive reflection, rational thinking, and normative thinking dispositions converge even in a culture that emphasizes holistic, nonanalytic reasoning.


Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States, with an estimated 220,800 new cases and 27,540 deaths in 2015. Epidemiological studies have shown that dietary compounds have significant effects on prostate carcinogenesis. Among dietary agents, genistein, the major isoflavone in soybean, is of particular interest because high consumption of soy products has been associated with a low incidence of prostate cancer, suggesting a preventive role of genistein in prostate cancer. In spite of numerous studies to understand the effects of genistein on prostate cancer, the mechanisms of action have not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the differences in methylation and gene expression levels of prostate specimens from a clinical trial of genistein supplementation prior to prostatectomy (Lazarevic B, et al. Nutr Cancer 2011). This study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial on forty-seven Norwegian patients who received 30 mg genistein or placebo capsules daily for 3-6 weeks before prostatectomy. Whole genome methylation and expression profiling identified significantly differentially methylated sites and expressed sites between placebo and genistein groups. Differentially regulated genes were involved in developmental processes, stem cell markers, proliferation, and transcriptional regulation. These findings highlight the effects of genistein on global changes in DNA methylation and gene expression in prostate cancer, and provide additional insight into the multiple molecular pathways involved in prostate tumorigenesis. Citation Format: Birdal Bilir, Jeongseok Edward Lee, Nitya V. Sharma, Bato Lazarevic, Aud Svindland, Omer Kucuk, Carlos S. Moreno. Effects of genistein supplementation on genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression in patients with localized prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Sep 24-27, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A46.


ABSTRACT This study considers academic identity and the performance of identity work in the context of the design and delivery of new degree apprenticeships. Recent UK Policies have driven many changes in UK higher education, including the rapid development of new awards combining an apprenticeship with a full bachelor's or master's degree. Delivery requires university partnerships with industry, supported by significant government funding – and targets. Semi-structured in-depth interviews identified the pressures on 30 participants to retain academic identity in managing relationships with a range of different partners as shown in a generative model of academic identity work. Results show the ambiguities and uncertainties embedded in supporting academic identity, with stress caused by managerial approaches and difficulties in maintaining the identity of 'a proper academic' with implications for university management.


The ends of chromosomes (telomeres) consist of tandem repeats of guanine‐rich sequences. In eukaryotics, telomeric DNA is single stranded for the final few hundred bases. These single‐stranded sequences can fold into a variety of four‐stranded structures (quadruplexes) held together by quartets of hydrogen‐bonded guanine bases. The reverse transcriptase enzyme telomerase is responsible for maintaining telomeric DNA length in over 85% of cancer cells by catalyzing the synthesis of further telomeric repeats. Its substrate is the single‐stranded 3′‐telomeric end. Inhibition of telomere maintenance can be achieved by stabilization of a quadruplex structure for the telomere end. A variety of small molecules have been devised to achieve this, ranging from anthraquinones to porphyrins, acridines, and complex polycyclic systems. Structural and mechanistic aspects of these quadruplex complexes are reviewed here, together with a discussion of the issues of selectivity/potency for quadruplex DNAs vs duplex DNA. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly (Nucleic Acid Sci) 56: 195–208, 2001


Syphilis has plagued mankind for centuries and is currently resurgent in the Western hemisphere. Although there has been a significant reduction of tertiary disease and recognition of facilitative interactions with human immunodeficiency virus infection, the natural history of syphilis has remained largely unchanged; thus, new strategies are required to more effectively combat this pathogen. The immunopathologic features of experimental syphilis in the rabbit; the course, stages, and pathology of human syphilis; and a comparison of human syphilis with leprosy suggest that the clinical course of syphilis and its tissue manifestations are determined by the balance between delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and humoral immunity to the causative agent, Treponema pallidum. A strong DTH response is associated with clearance of the infecting organisms in a well-developed chancre, whereas a cytotoxic T-cell response or strong humoral antibody response is associated with prolonged infection and progression to tertiary disease. Many of the protean symptoms/appearances of secondary and tertiary human syphilis are manifestations of immune reactions that fail to clear the organism, due to a lack of recruitment and, more importantly, activation of macrophages by sensitized CD4 T cells. The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination can enhance DTH and has been shown to produce a low, but measurable, beneficial effect in the prevention of leprosy, a disease that shows a disease spectrum with characteristics in common with syphilis. In the prevention of syphilis, a potential vaccine protective against syphilis should be designed to augment the DTH response.


Image enhancement plays an important role in biometric systems, this paper presented automatic latent fingerprint segmentation and matching. While considerable progress has made in both rolled and plain fingerprint image enhancement, latent fingerprint enhancement is a challenging problem due to the poor image quality of latent fingerprint with unclear ridge structures and various overlapping patterns, along with the presence of structured noise. Prior to latent fingerprint segmentation and feature extraction, latent fingerprint image enhancement is important to suppress various types of noise and to clarify the ridge structure. This paper reviews the current techniques used for latent fingerprint enhancement and presents a hybrid model which combines the edge directional total variation model (EDTV) and quality image enhancement with lost minutia reconstruction. The NIST SD27 database is used to test the performance of the proposed techniques with RMSE and PSNR. The proposed technique is effectively clarify input latent fingerprint images and eliminate noise in good, bad and ugly latent fingerprint images. A statistically significant difference, which focused on the mean lengths of PSNR and RMSE for different categories of latent fingerprint, images (good, bad and ugly). The proposed technique performs well for the good latent fingerprint images compare to bad and ugly images. Enhancement respectively presents RMSE averages of 0.018373, 0.022287, and 0.023199 for the good, bad and ugly image SD27 image set, as opposed to 82.99068, 81.39749, and 81.07826 for PSNR. The proposed enhancement technique improved the matching accuracy of latent fingerprint images by about 30%.


So far we have talked mostly about the incidence structure of points, lines and circles. But geometry is concerned about the metric, the way things are measured. We also mentioned in the beginning of the course about Euclid's Fifth Postulate. Can it be proven from the the other Euclidean axioms? This brings up the subject of hyperbolic geometry. In the hyperbolic plane the parallel postulate is false. If a proof in Euclidean geometry could be found that proved the parallel postulate from the others, then the same proof could be applied to the hyperbolic plane to show that the parallel postulate is true, a contradiction. The existence of the hyperbolic plane shows that the Fifth postulate cannot be proven from the others. Assuming that Mathematics itself (or at least Euclidean geometry) is consistent, then there is no proof of the parallel postulate in Euclidean geometry. Our purpose in this chapter is to show that THE HYPERBOLIC PLANE EXISTS. In the first half of the nineteenth century people began to realize that that a geometry with the Fifth postulate denied might exist. N. I. Lobachevski and J. Bolyai essentially devoted their lives to the study of hyperbolic geometry. They wrote books about hyperbolic geometry, and showed that there there were many strange properties that held. If you assumed that one of these strange properties did not hold in the geometry, then the Fifth postulate could be proved from the others. But this just amounted to replacing one axiom with another equivalent one. These people simply assumed that there was such a non-Euclidean hyperbolic geometry. For all they knew, they could have been talking about the empty geometry, proving wonderful theorems about beautiful structures that do not exist. It has happened in other areas of Mathematics. Even the great C. F. Gauss only explored what might happen if this non-Euclidean geometry were really there. However, Gauss never actually published what he found, possibly out of fear of ridicule. Nevertheless, by the middle of the nineteenth century the existence of the hyperbolic plane, even with its strange properties, came to be accepted, more or less. I think that is an example of the " smart people " argument, a variation of proof by intimidation. If enough smart people have tried to find a solution to a problem and they do not succeed, then the problem must not have a solution. (Note that it …