This paper examines the effectiveness and efficiency of the National Housing Authority's (NHA) implementation of the resettlement program. The review focuses on the recent operations of NHA for the period 2003-2011, which covers one of the largest resettlement projects of NHA involving about 93,000 families for the North and South Rail infrastructure project. During this period, the resettlement program received about 85 percent of NHA budget. NHA has executed the development of 88 resettlement projects nationwide, of which 45 project sites are located in Metro Manila and the peripheral areas (or the Greater Manila Area) and 43 in the regions. The dominant scheme is the Completed Housing Project (CHP) with more than 70 percent (32 sites) of total projects constructed through NHA partnership with private developers. The balance consists of Incremental Housing Projects (IHP) (6 sites) and mixed projects (7 sites), which combined the CHP and IHP methods. By location, there are more in-city projects (68 sites) than off-city projects (20 sites). However, in-city projects are only found in the regions and provinces outside Metro Manila. No resettlement site for affected families of North and South Rail project was developed in Metro Manila. Based on actual cost per unit, it cost less to produce a housing unit using the CHP scheme than IHP by about 17 percent per unit, on the average. However, cost benefit ratio analysis shows that IHP is more cost effective considering the value of developments and the greater participation and investments of households and community in the maintenance of housing estates. Between in-city and off-city CHP projects, the average total project cost is higher for in-city projects compared to off-city projects mainly due to higher cost of land, but in-city projects are more sustainable and acceptable to both households and local government units (LGUs). It is recommended that NHA adopt a combination of in-city and incremental housing for its resettlement projects. However, there are necessary conditions that require specific actions not only from NHA but also from other stakeholders to implement this approach. These actions are: (1) that land for socialized housing be made available by the LGU or national government especially in highly urbanized cities such as Metro Manila, (2) that NHA develop a feasible and effective housing model to implement vertical developments in in-city resettlement sites, and (3) that NHA improve the production process for incremental housing.


The paper presents the method of designing of illustrative materials, used in teaching students of the technical training program, supported by computer algebra systems (Mathematica, Matlab, MatCad, etc.). Its main didactics characteristics are considered. The method under consideration characterizes by variability of the achieved learning goals, personification of the learning process, grading of materials by the grasping levels, ability to easily and quickly create additional materials, the possibility of using both for classroom and extracurricular work. This method is used by the authors at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University in teaching students of the Faculty "Special Engineering". As an example of the application of the method, we present the Mathematica code which was used to create interactive education materials on one of the topics studied at the beginning of the course of mathematical statistics, devoted to the description and presentation of sample data.


Multicast communications using a high performance data transfer system based on distributed shared memory (DSM), which we previously developed, may create bottlenecks in the network because its internal processing speed is equivalent to or higher than network transfer speed. Therefore, we propose a commoditized technique reflecting features of DSM for low latency multicast. By utilizing small size descriptor for each receiver, our new technique reduces data republication caused by multicast and maintains concurrency and high performance of the original DSM communication system.


This is the second part of a two-part article in which I analyze the arguments for the eco-systems perspective. In Part 1, published in the March 1996 issue of this journal, I examined four arguments for the clinical usefulness of the perspective and found them to be invalid. Here, I consider three arguments for the conceptual usefulness of the perspective: (1) it is needed to make social work a coherent profession; (2) it is needed to adequately identify the unique domain of social work; and, (3) it is merely a way of looking at things and not a theory or model, so it can be used without empirical support. A close examination of these arguments demonstrates that they, too, are invalid and that the claimed conceptual usefulness of the perspective is an illusion. The conceptual benefits can be achieved only by further clarification of the purpose of social work and by directing practice interventions at that purpose. There is no need to add a generic theory or perspective to the profession's purpose and practice methods.


To ensure remote sensing MODIS hotspot (also known as active fire products or hotspots) quality and precision in forest fire control and management in Thailand, an increased level of confidence is needed. Accuracy assessment of MODIS hotspots utilizing field survey data validation is described. A quantitative evaluation of MODIS hotspot products has been carried out since the 2007 forest fire season. The carefully chosen hotspots were scattered throughout the country and within the protected areas of the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Three areas were selected as test sites for validation guidelines. Both ground and aerial field surveys were also conducted in this study by the Forest Fire Control Division, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conversation Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand. High accuracy of 91.84 %, 95.60% and 97.53% for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 fire seasons were observed, resulting in increased confidence in the use of MODIS hotspots for forest fire control and management in Thailand.


The properties have been examined of the undamped elastic component which lies in series with the contractile component of muscle. At higher tensions the elasticity is normal; the form of the load-extension curve as a whole must be largely due to the statistical distribution of tendon length in different fibres. The mechanical (elastic) energy of a contracting muscle is expressed graphically as a function of its tension. Even under completely isometric conditions this elastic energy is a significant fraction of the heat production in a twitch.


In process to implement a database scheme with "good" qualities, at the first step, we often assign to each of the set of entities a number (a code). Making note that almost the complexity of conceptual algorithms is usually, at least, proportional to number of codes of  attributes, and to the length of the dependency set, we study methods are so-called "logical codings". In this paper, we study logical codings on an universal U = , in which S is the set of attributes, F is the set of functional dependencies. Those logical codings are to be proven independent to all conceptual algorithms. And at the final, we introduce the  logical codings NGH which has low complexity and produces a minimal set of codes.


Introduction: Palpable breast lump is a common presenting complaint so diagnostic evaluation is mandatory. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is one of the first line investigation in the diagnosis of palpable breast lesions in resource limited settings but histopathological examination is more valuable for confirmatory diagnosis. Aim of the study was to categorize breast lesions and correlate the fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) diagnosis with histopathological findings.
Materials and Methods: The descriptive study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital over a period of two years from Jan 2016-Dec 2017. Total 273 patients underwent fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of palpable breast lump after taking detailed clinical history. The cytomorphological diagnosis was given and then subsequent biopsy/mastectomy specimens were received. Finally cytohistopathological correlation was done.
Result: Out of total 273 cases of palpable breast lump, 148 cases (54.21%) were benign, 45 (16.4%) were malignant, 14 (5.12%) were suspicious for malignancy and 66 cases (24.17%) were other non-neoplastic lesions on cytological examination. Majority of cases (34.09%) were in 21-30 years of age group. Out of 14 cases of suspicious for malignancy on cytology 5 cases were diagnosed as benign on histopathology. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of malignant cases is 100%, 97.7%, 91.5% and 100% respectively.
Conclusion: Correlation of FNAC and histopathological examination is useful for confirmation of diagnosis and management of breast lesions.

Keywords: Palpable breast lump, Fine needle aspiration cytology, Histopathological examination.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Purpose: Genetic sequencing has the ability to identify and treat the driving mechanisms of cancer. As a result, practitioners can individualize treatment to each patient's tumor. A major concern with genetic sequencing is the cost associated with targeted therapies. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the financial impact of genetic sequencing and targeted therapy in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted of patients that underwent genetic sequencing. Five metastatic ovarian cancer patients and five metastatic breast cancer patients were selected at random. One breast cancer patient that underwent neoadjuvant sequencing was also selected. The data analyzed included patients' previous treatment regimens, potential next line therapy based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, and genomic sequencing based treatment regimens. The direct medication costs were calculated based on Cardinal Health's average wholesale price. Non-drug related treatment (radiation, surgery, etc.), outpatient costs, inpatient costs, and non-chemotherapeutic medications were excluded from the analysis.

Results: The five metastatic breast cancer patients each spent an average of $195,838.22 on chemotherapeutic agents during the course of their treatment. This totals to an average of $5,287.56 per month of treatment. The average cost of the potential next line therapy based on NCCN guidelines was approximately $11,597.58 per month. The average cost of an individualized genomic-based treatment regimen for each breast cancer patient approximated at $19,202.90. The breast cancer patient who underwent neoadjuvant genetic sequencing and treatment spent a total of $57,196.38 that was approximately $11,439.38 per month. If the patient had received the standard of care based on the NCCN guidelines the cost would have been $17,283.95 or $3,456.79 per month. The average total cost of the treatment regimens received by five metastatic ovarian cancer patients was $155,050.99 and approximately $6,385.70 per month of treatment. The cost per month of potential next line therapy in these patients was about $11,704.98. The average cost of a genomic-based treatment regimen for each patient would cost approximately $7,542.82 per month.

Discussion: It is evident that genomic-based treatment regimens are more expensive on average than the traditional standard of care. However, in the metastatic setting, patients are spending exponential amounts of money over their lifetime. Often times, they are continuously cycling through expensive treatments that are ineffective in treating the cancer's driving mechanism. Overall, genomic-based treatment has the potential for a high return on investment due to its ability to directly target the mutations causing a patient's malignancy. Further research is needed to assess the outcomes associated with genomic-based treatment.

Citation Format: Marissa A. Olson, Seth Tutera, Casey Williams. Implementation of genetic sequencing in breast and ovarian cancer patients: a cost analysis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5490. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5490


Traffic-sign recognition (TSR) is an essential component of a driver assistance system (DAS), providing drivers with safety and precaution information. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of k-d trees, random forests, and support vector machines (SVMs) for traffic-sign classification using different-sized histogram-of-oriented-gradient (HOG) descriptors and distance transforms (DTs). We also use the Fisher's criterion and random forests for the feature selection to reduce the memory requirements and enhance the performance. We use the German Traffic Sign Recognition Benchmark (GTSRB) data set containing 43 classes and more than 50 000 images.


This paper is initiated from the observation of existing research work which is related in frequent Item Set mining algorithms such as MAFIA, FP -Growth, Transaction Mapping (TM) and ECLAT(Equivalence CLAss Transformation). As per the study of above mentioned algorithms all the items are counted then its maximal sets are reordered separately. The algorithms are executed with the limitation of candidate key generation and the candidate keys are generated after the frequent item set generation. The common features are identified. As per the observation, the three common factors total processing time, total number of transactions and dataset scanning and accessibility are taken. The results are compared and critically commented in this paper.


1. D1IINcw'. RC, DENES P, Wu D, CHUQUIMIA R, ROSEN KM: The significance of second degree atrioventricular block and bundle branch block. Observations regarding site and type of block. Circulation 49: 638, 1974 2. RoSEN KM, LOEB HS, GUNN-AB RM, RAHINITOOLA SH: Mobitz type II block without bundle branch block. Circulation 44: 1111, 1971 3. MoBI1Z W: Uber die unvollstandige storung der errengungsuberleitung zwischen vorhof und kammer des menschlichen herzens. Zeit Ges Exper Med 41: 180, 1924 4. DEN ES P, LEv!Y L, PIicK A, ROSEN KM: The incidence of typical and atypical A-V Wenckebach periodicity. Am Heart J, in press 5. DHINGRA RC, RoSEN KM, RAHIMTOOLA SH: Wenckebach periods with repetitive block: Evaluation with His bundle recording. Am Heart J 86: 444, 1973 6. HARISHINTON JT, DESANCTIS RW: Hiccup-induced atrioventricular block. Ann Intern Med 70: 105, 1969 7. RBAGA.zv EP, RECTTRA EH, PARDI MT: Intermittent complete heart block associated with swallowing as a complication of acute myocardial infarction. Am Heart J 79: 396, 1970 8. Sixi'nr RP, GiuFFITHS PH, Guz A, EISELE J: Syncope on swallowing. Br Heart J 33: 617, 1971 9. LicrlSTEIN E, CHADDA KD: Atrioventricular block produced by swallowing, with documentation by His bundle recordings. Am J Cardiol 39: 561, 1972


In order to investigate the effects of helium on the microstructural evolution in Fe–Cr–Mn (W, V) alloy during three irradiation modes of electron beam, electron/He + -ion dual-beam and electron irradiation after helium pre-injection, in situ observations were carried out using a high voltage electron microscope connected with an ion accelerator. The interstitial-type dislocation loops and small voids were formed in the early stage of irradiation. The average void size was smaller and void number density was higher under irradiation condition by electrons after helium pre-injection and by dual-beam in comparison with the case of electron irradiation. Irradiation-induced grain boundary segregation of Cr and Mn was suppressed due to existence of helium. From these results it is suggested that helium strongly influences dislocation structural development and void nucleation during irradiation. The effect of interactions between helium and point defects is discussed.


Background and Aim: Web 2.0 technology is considered as one of the most important communication technologies in higher education. The goal of this study was to determine the level of familiarity and use of web 2.0 technologies in education and learning by LIS postgraduate students of universities affiliated with MSRT and MOHME in Tehran. Methodology: This is an applied study of descriptive-correlational type that was conducted by survey. The statistical population of the study consisted of 197 postgraduate students of medical librarianship, informatics, and scientometrics who were selected by stratified random sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability have been confirmed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis and significance determination, respectively. Results: Students had the highest familiarity with Wikis (mean of 4.26 and SD of 0.77) and the least familiarity with labeling and markup sites (mean of 2.85 and SD of 1.17). The level of familiarity with Web 2.0 technologies was higher in MOHME students than MSRT studnets, which showed a significant difference in this regard. Conclusion: The level of acquaintance and utilization of MSRT and MOHME students from Web 2.0 technologies is relatively good. It is expected to provide equal opportunities for all students in education and training to promote the application of Web 2.0 technologies through the inclusion of relevant lessons in students' curricula and their use as educational tools.


Let G/K be a Riemannian symmetric space of the complex type, meaning that G is complex semisimple and K is a compact real form. Now let be a discrete subgroup of G that acts freely and cocompactly on G/K. We consider the Segal-Bargmann transform, defined in terms of the heat equation, on the compact quotient \G/K. We obtain isometry and inversion formulas precisely parallel to the results we obtained previously for globally symmetric spaces of the complex type. Our results are as parallel as possible to the results one has in the dual compact case. Since there is no known Gutzmer formula in this setting, our proofs make use of double coset integrals and a holomorphic change of variable. Full title: The Segal-Bargmann transform for compact quotients of sym- metric spaces of the complex type


Russia's future is put in jeopardy by a decline in both the size of the population and its health and human capital. There is an urgent need for policies to deal with this problem.


The idea that serious mental illnesses, such as autism and schizophrenia, result from abnormal connectivity among largescale brain networks is gaining widespread acceptance. Efforts to test hypotheses of dysconnectivity have historically been hindered by tools with insufficient spatial resolution to investigate human brain connectivity in vivo and an incomplete understanding of the large-scale organization of the brain, the so-called connectome. The development of resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI) has profoundly affected our understanding of the functional organization of the brain, both in health and illness. The investigation by Cerliani and colleagues1 in this issue describes abnormal cortical-subcortical connectivity in the brains of individuals with autism. In this Editorial, we briefly review rs-fcMRI methods; summarize several key rs-fcMRI findings in 2 exemplary dysconnectivity-associated psychiatric illnesses, schizophrenia and autism; and discuss the potential uses for rs-fcMRI in the search for biomarkers of psychiatric disorders.


Abstract Social movements, as collective entities, develop to stand up against the existing institutional status quo with a view to its reformation or radical transformation, while the degree to which they are political depends on wider socio-political factors. The diverse action that evolved through their organized mobilization marked the radical transformation of political response, but also the type of state intervention. Social movements exactly because they constitute wider socio-political undertakings that aim to bring about changes in the social, political, economic but also cultural processes, which seek to annul or sideline established standardizations, are considered one of the most readily available ways to express political and social claims; here they are understood to be dynamic interventions in institutionally and structurally complete social systems as in the case of the social state. Within the context of political mobilization and collective social action, social movements functioned at two interrelated levels: the level of expansion, but also of redefinition of social intervention processes in order to achieve the goals of the social state, and the cultural level, a symbolic promotion, in order to establish a greater degree of social justice. Mobilization of resources, collective behaviour for making claims, even contentious action and transaction with institutions and authorities, constitute views of social transformation and political process in the context of the creation and development of the social state.


As microdisplay systems have become more affordable for various applications, the need for larger field-of-view has become important, typically for near-to-eye (NTE) applications. However, for NTE applications, pincushion distortion and color aberration are difficult to avoid, due to the high magnification of the optics for the systems. In addition to optical distortion, various distortions such as perspective distortion may occur in combination. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture and algorithm for the real-time one-shot correction of compound distortion for practical use, without using traditional radial and tangential modeling. We confirmed the performance of our proposed scheme, which is implemented on an application-specific integrated circuit by testing with full high definition liquid crystal on silicon panels.


Objectives To define the causes of hypokalaemia in an unselected adult population. Design Retrospective survey of biochemistry database. Setting District general hospital in southwest Scotland. Participants and main outcome measures There were 187,704 measurements of urea and electrolytes in 2010. Sixty-one patients had serum potassium <2.5 mmol/L on at least one occasion. Results Average age of the patients was 71 (range 33–99) years. The most common causes were diarrhoea and/or vomiting (51% of cases), diuretic therapy (47%), nutritional causes including poor dietary intake, re-feeding syndrome and inadequate potassium supplementation when patients were nil by mouth (37%). In 25% of patients a transient and profound fall in serum potassium appeared to coincide with their acute illness. Acute alcohol intoxication and/or alcohol withdrawal were prominent features in 11% of patients. More than one cause was commonly present. There were no cases of Bartter's, Gitelman's or Liddle's syndromes or of hypokalaemic periodic paralysis in this study. Conclusions Severe hypokalaemia <2.5 mmol/L occurs at least once a week in a district general hospital with a catchment population of around 150,000, suggesting there may be around 300 cases a week in the UK (population around 50,000,000). Diuretics, vomiting and diarrhoea are commonly implicated as are nutritional causes, acute illness and alcohol. Bartter's, Gitelman's, Liddle's syndrome and hypokalaemic period paralysis are all extremely uncommon.


Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), optical emission filters, and PIN photodetectors were fabricated as part of a monolithically integrated near-infrared fluorescence detection system. The integration of these micro-fabricated components with micro-arrays, flow channel arrays, and biochips can drastically reduce cost and enable parallel sensing architectures. An optoelectronic design is presented that integrates VCSELs, optical filters, and photodetectors through a modification to a typical VCSEL structure. System designs were simulated and compared, leading to several innovative approaches for integrated sensors. The laser and detector modules were characterized independently and subsequently integrated to form a complete sensor. VCSELs with oxidation apertures measuring 4, 7, 14, and 20 /spl mu/m showed a lasing wavelength of /spl lambda/=773 nm, threshold current densities from 6400 to 1300 A/spl middot/cm/sup -2/, and maximum output powers of 0.6-4 mW, with transverse single-mode and multimode operation. PIN photodetectors were fabricated with integrated emission filters. Quantum efficiencies above 85% were observed with a dark current of 500 fA/(mm detector diameter). Complete sensor units were tested and near-infrared fluorescent molecules (IR-800) were detected. A theoretical detection limit of 10/sup 5/ fluorophores//spl mu/m/sup 2/ was determined. The compact parallel architecture, high-power laser, and low-noise photodetector make this sensor a good candidate for biomedical fluorescence-based sensing applications.


At the end of the Second World War, the islands of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia were all under foreign control. The Netherlands retained West New Guinea even while control of the rest of the Dutch East Indies slipped away, while on the other side of the South Pacific, Chile held Easter Island. Pitcairn, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Fiji and the Solomon Islands comprised Britain's Oceanic empire, in addition to informal overlordship of Tonga. France claimed New Caledonia, the French Establishments in Oceania (soon renamed French Polynesia) and Wallis and Futuna. The New Hebrides remained an Anglo-French condominium; Britain, Australia and New Zealand jointly administered Nauru. The United States' territories included older possessions – the Hawaiian islands, American Samoa and Guam – and the former Japanese colonies of the Northern Marianas, Mar-shall Islands and Caroline Islands administered as a United Nations trust territory. Australia controlled Papua and New Guinea (PNG), as well as islands in the Torres Strait and Norfolk Island; New Zealand had Western Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. No island group in Oceania, other than New Zealand, was independent.


Kindergarten students in golden age are very important to develop their personality that have character values to produce bright generations in the future. The fading of the values of discipline, honesty, independence, lack of a sense of responsibility to students is certainly a problem found in schools. Because noadays, many students have faded in applying character values. The purpose of this study was to find out how the implementation of character education for students in kindergarten in Islamic-based education schools. The methodology of this research was descriptive qualitative. The object of this research was the implementation of character education while the research subjects were teachers and students at TKIT Al Fatah. Data analysis techniques were carried out by collecting data, reducing data, presenting data and drawing conclusions. Data collection techniques used are observation, interviews and documentation. This research was conducted from January to April 2022. The results of this study 1) the implementation of character education in TKIT Al Fatah ran by implementing activities inside and outside the classroom that contained character values for students, 2) TKIT AL Fatah implemented character values namely religious, independent, disciplined and responsible for producing a generation that has good morals, 3) teachers, parents and the community played a very important role in instilling character values to students.


Let G be a finite group and let M be a G-manifold. We introduce the concept of generalized orbifold invariants of M/G associated to an arbitrary group Γ, an arbitrary Γ-set, and an arbitrary covering space of a connected manifold Σ whose fundamental group is Γ. Our orbifold invariants have a natural and simple geometric origin in the context of locally constant G-equivariant maps from G-principal bundles over covering spaces of Σ to the G-manifold M. We calculate generating functions of orbifold Euler characteristic of symmetric products of orbifolds associated to arbitrary surface groups (orientable or non-orientable, compact or non-compact), in both an exponential form and in an infinite product form. Geometrically, each factor of this infinite product corresponds to an isomorphism class of a connected covering space of a manifold Σ. The essential ingredient for the calculation is a structure theorem of the centralizer of homomorphisms into wreath products described in terms of automorphism groups of Γ-equivariant G-principal bundles over finite r-sets. As corollaries, we obtain many identities in combinatorial group theory. As a byproduct, we prove a simple formula which calculates the number of conjugacy classes of subgroups of given index in any group. Our investigation is motivated by orbifold conformal field theory.


Pla-som is a traditional fermented fish product widely consumed in Thailand. However, its hygienic quality and test consistency are often uncontrollable. To minimize the risk of fermentation failure, the use of selected starter culture could result in quality control of the end product. In this study, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from eight samples collected from different Pla-som producers in Phayao City using De Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agar. The cell-free supernatant of isolated strains was determined for the antibacterial activity against food borne pathogens (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Shigella sp., and Vibrio sp.). In order to exhibit the presence of proteinacious bacteriocin produced by LAB, the crude supernatant of isolated strains were inactivated with proteolytic enzymes, pepsin and trypsin. The results showed that the antibacterial activity of the 14 from 55 bacterial isolates was diminished by the enzymes. Strain ST2 and TT3 were selected based on the highest antimicrobial activity on tested pathogenic bacteria and identified by 16S rRNA sequence analysis as Lactobacillus paraplantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus, respectively. Therefore, they were used as starters in Pla-som fermentation. Lower pH value and higher acidity were also observed during the fermentation period. The addition of selected starter cultures significantly decrease fermentation time due to a combination of pH reduction and acid production. The sensory evaluation of the fish product with the mixed starter had the highest overall satisfaction score as tested in 30 volunteers. A b s t r a c t


The second volume of this series reflects the introduction given in the first. These reviews are not designed to catalogue new information or to simply discuss the work that has been done. Each author is expected to review, to criticize, and to theorize within the area of his interest. By using authors from many parts of the world, the editors hope that this volume is truly an international review. Volume 2 covers topics such as "Proteins and Haemotopoiesis," "Dietary Factors and Adrenocortical Hormone Secretion," "Parathyroid Glands and Calcium Metabolism," and "Microbiology of Digestion." The "Vitamin Interrelations of Ascorbic Acid" by Therese Terroine contains—to a greater degree—the theorizing and criticism which were suggested in the introduction to the first volume. The final chapter, "Fluorine," by Professors T. Gordonoff and W. Minder should be of extreme interest in the United States. It presents a critical study of the importance of fluorine, and


A hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (HC-ARF) design based on hybrid silica/silicon cladding is proposed for single-polarization, single-mode and high birefringence. We show that by adding silicon layers in a semi-nested HC-ARF, one of the polarization states can be strongly suppressed while simultaneously maintaining low propagation loss for other polarization states, single-mode and high birefiringence. The optimized HC-ARF design exhibits propagation loss, high birefringence, and polarization-extinction ratio of 0.05 dB/m, 0.5 × 10-4, >300 respectively for y-polarization while the loss of x-polarization is >5 dB/m at 1064 nm. The fiber also has low bend-loss and thus can be coiled to a small bend radii of 5 cm having ≈0.06 dB/m bend loss.


We present a novel non-conventional approach to the future optical and wireless hybrid transport network that is capable of supporting the dominating kinds of traffic, i.e., voice/real-time, wireless and packet traffic, in a single transport network. The proposed model combines different technologies as connection and connectionless networks, optical cable and wireless (microwave/millimetre wave or optical wireless) and it is suitable for a variety of purposes and services in order to achieve global broadband networking features. Our new networking model contains an extension to the wireless world in order to achieve mobility and personalisation of the connection. It consists of an upgrade of real-time traffic with a microwave modulated optical wave, in order to carry out conventional mobile wireless via optical fibres though long distances and without a significant distortion. The whole available bandwidth can be fully exploited in the hybrid network. In the IP part of the network, quality of service can be differentiated for various classes of packets and network reliability/survivability can be categorised for the whole hybrid network. This substitutes the complete and revolutionary shifting to packet traffic, that many promote, with smooth evolutionary upgrades.


Risk assessments for offenders often combine past records with current clinical findings from observations, interviews, and test data. Conclusions based on these risk assessments are highly consequential, sometimes resulting in increased criminal sentences or prolonged hospitalization. Offenders are therefore motivated to intentionally minimize their risk scores. Intentional minimization is especially likely to occur in offenders with high psychopathic traits because goal-directed deception is reflected in many of the core traits of the disorder, such as manipulativeness, glibness, and superficial charm. However, this connection appears to be based on the conceptual understanding of psychopathy, and it has rarely been examined empirically for either frequency or success. The current study examined the connection between psychopathic traits and the intentional minimization of risk factors using a sentenced jail sample. In general, offenders were able to effectively minimize risk on the HCR-20 and SAQ, while the PICTS, as a measure of cognitive styles, was more resistant to such minimization. Psychopathic traits, especially high interpersonal facet scores, led to greater minimization using a repeated measure, simulation design. Important differences in the willingness and ability to use deception were found based on (a) the content of subscales, and (b) the mode of administration (i.e., interview vs. self-report). The important implications of this research are discussed for risk assessment procedures regarding likely areas of deception and its detection. It also informs the growing literature on the connection between psychopathic traits and deception.


The wiring of the brain is organized around a putative unimodal-transmodal hierarchy. Here we investigate how this intrinsic hierarchical organization of the brain shapes the transmission of information among regions. The hierarchical positioning of individual regions was quantified by applying diffusion map embedding to resting state functional MRI networks. Structural networks were reconstructed from diffusion spectrum imaging and topological shortest paths among all brain regions were computed. Sequences of nodes encountered along a path were labelled by their hierarchical position, tracing out path motifs. We find that the cortical hierarchy guides communication in the network. Specifically, nodes are more likely to forward signals to nodes closer in the hierarchy and cover a range of unimodal and transmodal regions, potentially enriching or diversifying signals en route. We also find evidence of systematic detours, particularly in attention networks, where communication is re-routed. Altogether, the present work highlights how the cortical hierarchy shapes signal exchange and imparts behaviourally-relevant communication patterns in brain networks.


This study focuses on the selection of the most effective location of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in the network for the purpose of state estimation. The reduction in the error of the estimated states, that is, the quality improvement of the estimate, is the objective used to select the most appropriate allocation of PMUs. The concept of participation of various states into the uncertainty of the error is applied to identify the most important states influencing the estimated errors. Unlike other methods, the proposed technique considers all the elements of the state error covariance matrix and therefore addresses the impact of correlations between the errors. The effectiveness of the method has been demonstrated on the standard IEEE 14-bus and IEEE 57-bus system models. The comparison of performance with other existing measurement placement techniques targeting the same objective reflects the effectiveness of the participation factor-based approach.


ABSTRACT One of the greatest challenges to informed conservation of migratory animals is elucidating spatiotemporal variation in distributions. Without such information, it is impossible to understand full-annual-cycle ecology and effectively implement conservation actions that address where and when populations are most limited. We deployed and recovered light-level geolocators (n = 34) at 6 breeding sites in North America across the breeding range of a declining long-distance migratory bird, the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea). We sought to determine migratory routes, stopover location and duration, and the location of overwintering grounds. We found that the species exhibits a large-scale, east—west split in migratory routes and weak migratory connectivity across its range. Specifically, almost all individuals, regardless of breeding origin, overlapped in their estimated wintering location in northern Colombia, in an area 20% the size of the breeding range. Additionally, most of the individuals across all breeding locations concentrated in well-defined stopover locations in Central America while en route to Colombia. Although error inherent in light-level geolocation cannot be fully ruled out, surprisingly much of the estimated wintering area included inland areas even though the Prothonotary Warbler is considered a specialist on coastal mangroves in winter. Based on these results, conservation efforts directed at very specific nonbreeding geographical areas will potentially have benefits across most of the breeding population. Our findings highlight the importance of using modern technologies to validate assumptions about little-studied portions of a species' annual cycle, and the need to distribute sampling across its range.


A series of silver carboxylates containing unsaturated groups within the ligand have been synthesised [AgO2CR, R = CH2CN (1), H2CCH (3), H2CCHCH2CH2
(5), Me(H)CC(Me)
(8), Ph(H)CCH (11)], along with their triphenylphosphine [AgO2CR(PPh3)2, R = CH2CN (2), H2CCH (4), H2CCHCH2CH2
(6), Me(H)CC(Me)
(9), Ph(H)CCH (12)] and 1,2-bis(phenylthio)ethane adducts [AgO2CR(PhSCH2CH2SPh)2, R = H2CCHCH2CH2
(7), Me(H)CC(Me)
(10)]. The structures of 2, 6, 8 and 9 have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction; the adducts are all four-coordinate at silver with a chelating carboxylate, while 8 adopts a polymeric structure based on dimeric units and in which an approximately octahedral geometry at silver is attained by additional weak intermolecular Ag⋯O and π-Ag⋯CC interactions. Silver films have been grown by aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition using 6, 7, 9 and 10; no film was obtained with 2, while only a very thin film was generated by 12. Films grown from the sulfur-containing adducts 7 and 10 were rough and poorly reflective, while films from 6 and 9 were of superior quality, being smooth and highly reflective.


Background In order to verify the infectivity of rodents with endoparasites in Germi (Dashte-Mogan, Ardabil Province) the current study was undertaken. Methods Using live traps, 177 rodents were trapped during 2005–2007. In field laboratory, all rodents were bled prior to autopsy, frozen at −20°C, and shipped to the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. In parasitological laboratory, every rodent was dissected and its different organs were examined for the presence of any parasite. Blood thick and thin smears as well as impression smears of liver and spleen were stained with Geimsa and examined microscopically. Results Two species of rodents were trapped; Meriones persicus (90.4%) and Microtus socialis (9.6%). The species of parasites found in M. persicus and their prevalences were as follows: Hymenolepis diminuta (38.8%), Hymenolepis nana (2.5%), Trichuris sp.(40.6), Mesocestoides larva (=tetrathyridium) (3.1%), Capillaria hepatica (6.9%), Moniliformis moniliformis (11.3%), Syphacia obvelata (2.5%), Taenia endothoracicus larva (0.6%), Physaloptera sp. (0.6%), Dentostomella translucida (0.6%), Heligmosomum mixtum (0.6%), Strobilocercus fasciolaris (0.6%),and Aspiculuris tetraptera (0.6%). The species of parasites found in M. socialis and their prevalences were as follows: H. diminuta (17.6%), Trichuris sp. (5.9%), Mesocestoides larva (5.9%), S. obvelata (11.8%), S. syphacia (11.8%), H. mixtum (17.6%), and Aspiculuris tetraptera (11.8%). There were no statistical differences between male and female for infectivity with parasites in either M. persicus or M. socialis. No blood or tissue protozoan parasite was found in any of the rodents examined. Conclusion Among different species identified, some had zoonotic importance. Therefore, the potential health hazard of these species needs to be considered to prevent infectivity of humans.


Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Minimum mean-square error (MMSE) receivers are widely adopted in the latest communication standards and reducing the complexity of these receivers while preserving the error performance is highly desirable. In this work, we study the error performance and implementation complexity of MIMO MMSE receivers when combined with a coordinate interleaved signal space diversity (SSD) technique. Contrary to the well-known trade-off between the error performance and implementation complexity, the proposed system leads to a considerably simplified MIMO MMSE receiver with significant performance gains when compared to the original MIMO MMSE receiver. Unlike the standard MIMO MMSE receiver, the proposed coordinate interleaved technique induces a block diagonal transmit correlation matrix providing both performance enhancement and complexity reduction. The results show that the error performance can be improved more than 10[Formula: see text]dB with up to 71% computational complexity reduction. The complexity comparison between the original and proposed approaches is also verified by means of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation.


The east coast of Odisha is continuously exposed to severe cyclonic storms and rough weather during the southwest monsoon. The beach near the Gopalpur has been prone to severe erosion for the past two decades. The shoreline erosion is 5m per decade. The average beach slope of 1:10 is recorded between HTL and LTL. The beach slope varies from 1:10 (non-monsoon) to 1:6 ( monsoon). The beach steepness is classified under a moderate slope. The beach sediments are of medium to coarse sand with a mixture of rare earth soil particles. The rare earth particles are heavier by their specific gravity and remain retained. The fine sediments are removed by the wave breaking at the nearshore. The mode of erosion is a cross shore erosion that happens due to beach slope, sea bed friction, and the nonavailability of beachfront for wave breaking. This paper discusses the design details, stability analysis using Plaxis, scour depth estimate, cost estimate, etc.


Lucy Lippard, a feminist writer, activist, and curator, writes in her bookMixed Blessings: New Art in a Multicultural America, Irony, humor, and subversion are the most common guises and disguises of those artists leaping out of the melting pot into the fire. They hold mirrors up to the dominant culture, slyly infiltrating mainstream art with alternative experiences – inverse, reverse, perverse (199). Lippard calls this process "Turning around…: the simple (and not so simple) reversal of an accepted image" (200).A perfect paradigm of such artists is thehijra community of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh). The termhijra orkhusra is loosely translated in English as "hermaphrodite" or "eunuch" – the third gender. The purpose of this paper is to discuss Lippard's concept of "turning around" via the illustration of individuals who self-identify as hijras. I intend to take the discussion one step further: rather than simply superimposing an American feminist's perspective onto the subject of hijra identity, I present the perennial philosophy of Sufism (the esoteric, spiritual dimension of Islam, widely practiced in South Asia and other Muslim majority lands) as an alternative theoretical approach to weaving a gendered analysis of the topic at hand.


Objectives: The investigation of the degree of the relationship according to body part between occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, shoulder, elbow, and hands of workers performing computer tasks. Methods: In August and September 2009, we conducted a survey of 529 public office workers employed by the National Health Insurance Corporation using structured questionnaires in order to find demographic factors, work related factors, job stress, physical computer task load and musculoskeletal symptoms. Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, Quick DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score), and the Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire were all used to evaluate their musculoskeletal symptoms. The presence of symptoms segregated by body part determined the dependent variables. The degree of job stress and other confounder variables determined the independent variables. We calculated the odds ratio employing multiple logistic regressions. Results: A score of ≥5 in the VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) 10-point scale and the presence of symptoms lasting at least 1 week determined the musculoskeletal symptom group in regards to the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. The neck pain odds ratio was adjusted by sex, age, work hours, employment duration, physical computer task load and depression. It was determined to be 2.92 (95% CI 1.76~4.84) in the higher to lower occupational stress group. The shoulder pain odds ratio was 1.96 (95% CI 1.18~3.24), elbow pain 0.55 (95% CI 0.21~1.43), and hand pain 1.71 (95% CI 0.99~2.95). A score of ≥10 in the 100-unit scale determined the musculoskeletal symptom group in regards to the Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire and the Quick DASH. The neck symptom odds ratio was 2.73 (95% CI 1.66~4.49) and the upper extremity symptom figure was 2.18 (95% CI 1.29~3.68). Conclusions: This study suggests that the relevance between neck and shoulder symptoms and occupational stress was obvious, however the relevance between elbow and hand pain and job stress was not as clear or ambiguous.


Obtaining labeled data for machine learning tasks can be prohibitively expensive. Active learning mitigates this issue by exploring the unlabeled data space and prioritizing the selection of data that can best improve the model performance. A common approach to active learning is to pick a small sample of data for which the model is most uncertain. In this paper, we explore the efficacy of Bayesian neural networks for active learning, which naturally models uncertainty by learning distribution over the weights of neural networks. By performing a comprehensive set of experiments, we show that Bayesian neural networks are more efficient than ensemble based techniques in capturing uncertainty. Our findings also reveal some key drawbacks of the ensemble techniques, which was recently shown to be more effective than Monte Carlo dropouts.


In addition to the three allotypic specificities, f1, f2 and f3 previously described, two new γA immunoglobulin allotypic specificities, f4 and f5, have been identified by immunodiffusion.
 Progeny data indicate that the five allotypic specificities are inherited in three phenogroup combinations, f(1,5), f(2,4) and f(3,4) by alleles designated f1,5 f2,4 and f3,4.
 The two allotypic specificities f1 and f5, f2 and f4 or f3 and f4 are present on separate γA immunoglobulin molecules in whey or serum.


Simulation can be used to validate the design or redesign of any complex system before it is implemented. Validation evidence is obtained if the simulation demonstrates that the system operation corresponds to its design. This evidence includes comparing both detailed system behavior and performance measure values to those stated in the design. The application of simulation to validating the redesign of an injector assembly and calibration production area is discussed. Simulation is necessary to validate the initial estimate of cell throughput since a single worker must perform multiple operations at multiple workstations. The feasibility of the pattern of movement by this worker between stations must be demonstrated and alternative patterns assessed. Controls on the amount of work in process inventory in the cell must be validated. Modeling challenges unique to part movement using one-piece flow, work in process inventory control, and the movement of both workers and parts are discussed


Tokamachi basin, which located in the southern part of Niigata Prefecture, is bounded by active faults along both of east and west sides of its basin. Those faults are called as Tokamachi Fault Zone, which is divided into two parts, the eastern and the western segments by HERP (2005). In their fault map, the western segment distributes along the western margin of basin from north to south, then after crossing the Shinano river, it continues to the Tsunan and Miyanohara faults with direction of NE-SW to N-E on the another side of the Shinano river. HERP (2010) evaluated the timing of faulting events on both segments of Tokamachi Fault Zone, though there was no data about Tsunan and Miyanohara faults. We will present new data of activities of these faults based on geomorphological and geological surveys as well as discussion on segmentation of Tokamachi Fault Zone deduced from the paleoseismological data of this fault zone and the geological structure of this region. On Tsunan fault, we excavated all core borings and a pit along two lines across the fault scarplet at Himizo, Tokamachi city. Fault cuts Holocene fluvial terrace with direction of NE-SW and produces east-facing-scarplet with height between 2-5 meters. We excavated boring of depth with 4-5 meters at 4 sites along the southern line and 3 sites along the north line. A pit with 7 meters in length and 2 meters in depth, was excavated on the north line. On Miyanohara fault, which is located on the late Pleistocene fluvial terrace near the prefecture boundary between Niigata and Nagano, we excavated all core boring at Kameoka, Tsunan town. Borings with depth of 10 meters were excavated at 5 sites across the south-facing fault scarp with 5 m height and an extra-boring with depth of 21 meters on the down-thrown side of the fault scarp. We also conducted trenching surveys on the eastern segment of Tokamachi Fault Zone at 2 sites, Otajima and Baba. One of results from Otajima will be presented by another presentation in this session (Taniguchi et al., 2016). About another result at Baba, we could not find any faults on the trench walls, meaning the scarplet produced not by faulting but by erosion of a blanch stream of the Shinano river. In our presentation, we will present the history of the fault activities and slip-rates of these faults by using the results of 14 dating and tephra analysis. And, we will discuss the segmentation model of Tokamachi Fault Zone, based on comparison with those data in Tokamachi basin area and difference of geological structure both side of basin. The contents of this presentation is a part of the result of the Complementary Survey Project of Active Fault by HERP in 2015 FY.


Based on Biersack's angular diffusion model, an effective method was established for calculating the mean project range of MeV heavy ions in solid targets. The calculated values are compared with recent experimental data on the mean project range for 1.0 MeV In + , Xe + , Ta + and 1.0-2.0 MeV Pb + The maximum difference-between present calculated values and experimental data is less than 8%, but the maximum differences between experimental data and calculated values by TRIM 86 and PRAL are 23% and 22%, respectively- The results show that the present calculation procedure is sucsessful for predicting the mean projected range on 1.0-2.0 MeV such heavy ions as In + , Xe + , Ta + and Pb + implanted in solid target (Si).


Several melanosome glycoproteins have been shown to be antigenic in humans. Correlation of antigen-specific immune responses in patients with the autoimmune disease vitiligo, therapy-induced hypopigmentation, and cutaneous melanoma has not been well studied. We examined antibody responses to a melanocyte autoantigen, tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2), as it is highly expressed in cutaneous melanoma and melanocytes. TRP-2 recombinant protein was synthesized for western blot and affinity anti-TRP-2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We demonstrated that patients with malignant melanoma, vitiligo, and active-specific immunotherapy-induced depigmentation had significant anti-TRP-2 IgG titers. The highest level of anti-TRP-2 IgG response was found in vitiligo patients. Induction and enhancement of anti-TRP-2 IgG responses were observed in melanoma patients treated with a polyvalent melanoma cell vaccine containing TRP-2. Active-specific immunotherapy could induce and/or augment the TRP-2 IgG antibody titers. Melanoma patients who developed hypopigmentation and had improved survival after polyvalent melanoma cell vaccine had significantly augmented anti-TRP-2 antibody responses compared with patients with poor prognosis. This study demonstrates that TRP-2 autoantigen is immunogenic in humans. TRP-2 antibody responses provide a linkage between autoimmune responses by vitiligo patients and melanoma patients responding to immunotherapy who have induced hypopigmentation.


We have previously shown that Ca2+ mobilization in longitudinal muscle is not mediated by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and depends on an obligatory influx of Ca2+. The present study examined whether Ca2+ influx activates ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ channels to cause Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release. Ryanodine bound with high affinity to longitudinal muscle cells [dissociation constant (Kd) 7.3 +/- 0.3 nM] and microsomes (Kd 7.5 +/- 0.4 nM) and induced concentration-dependent 45Ca2+ efflux [50% effective concentration (EC50) 1.3 +/- 0.5 nM], increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ (EC50 2.0 +/- 0.7 nM), and contraction (EC50 0.9 +/- 0.2 nM) but had no effect in circular muscle cells. Ryanodine binding and ryanodine-induced Ca2+ release were enhanced by caffeine and inhibited by dantrolene and ruthenium red but were not affected by IP3 or heparin. Changes in Ca2+ concentration (50-500 nM) caused Ca2+ release from permeabilized longitudinal but not circular muscle cells loaded with 45Ca2+. The contractile agonist cholecystokinin-8 elicited 45Ca2+ efflux in both circular and longitudinal muscle cells; efflux in longitudinal muscle cells was abolished by Ca2+ channel blockers and by pretreatment of the cells with ryanodine. Pretreatment with thapsigargin abolished agonist-induced 45Ca2+ efflux in both cell types. We conclude that ryanodine-sensitive IP3-insensitive Ca2+ release channels with properties similar to those in cardiac muscle are present in longitudinal but not circular muscle cells of intestine and that agonist-mediated Ca2+ influx activates these channels, leading to Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release.


It is found in the investigations of the relation between stress and inflammation, that psycho-emotional stress strengthens a production of cytokine and inflammation mediators. The aim: To study the special features of the cellular contents of bioptates of the mucosa of bronchi of patients with bronchial asthma (BA) associated with psychological stresses. Twenty eight patients with BA were investigated. They were divided into 2 groups with 14 persons in each group. The first group included patients in whom the first episode of the disease were associated with stressful life events. The second group included 117 patients in whom the disease was not linked to psychological factors. The fibrobronchoscopy with taking bioptates of the mucosa of bronchial tree with following quantitative estimation of its cellular contents was inspected for all patients. Results: Patients in the first group had significant decrease of lymphocytes than in the second one (the medians are 18.98% and 26.66%, correspondingly, p=0.03), and, especially, eosinophiles (the medians are 0.98% and 2.00%, correspondingly, p=0.007) in the own plate of the mucosa of bronchi. Ratio of other inflammation cells changes nonessentially in both groups. Conclusion: Psycho-emotional triggers can modulate the inflammation reaction of the mucosa of bronchi of PIBA patients decreasing a participation of lymphocytes and, especially, eosinophiles in this reaction.


Over a ten year period, the authors have collected 120 cases of germinal tumours of the testis (35 seminomas and 85 non-seminomatous tumours). The largest single group was of mixed non-seminomatous tumours. The treatment of pure seminomas gave 100% good results by a combination of unilateral orchidectomy, radiotherapy and, in the case of stage III tumours with spread, chemotherapy. The prognosis of non-seminomatous tumours was dependent essentially upon the stage of spread. During the past three years, the best results of chemotherapy have been obtained with the combination of vincristin, bleomycin and platinum (1978, 1979, 1980). In his time, at stage I and stage II, all the patients are alive. Treatment consisted of a minimum of unilateral orchidectomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy, Chemotherapy was envisaged only for those tumours with evidence of lymph node involvement. At stage III, they lost 3 patients out of 7, this being an excellent result bearing in mind the gravity of such tumours.


The research objective is to determine the absorption of labor in terms of competency aspects and to determine the relevance of the world of education in terms of competence with the world of work. This type of research is qualitative. The sampling of data sources was done by purposive and snowball. Data collection techniques by using triangulation (combined). The data analysis is inductive or qualitative in nature and the research results emphasize meaning rather than generalization. Students opportunities in the world of work in terms of competence are very low, this can be shown based on data on the increase in the number of the workforce which is not accompanied by an increase in the labor force participation rate. It is hoped that the Academics will open an entrepreneurship-based curriculum where every student is expected to have the ability and potential to become an entrepreneurial spirit. The relevance of the world of education in terms of competence with the world of work is still low even though public access to higher education continues to increase. This is reflected in the low labor absorption of college graduates. The relevance of college graduates to the need for labor is an important factor in efforts to prevent unemployed graduates, in this case it is necessary to determine strategic policies and superior programs in order to realize quality higher education.


The evolution and the characteristic features of double layers in a plasma under slow rotation and contaminated with dust grains with varying charges under the effect of an external magnetic field are studied. The Coriolis force resulting from the slow rotation is responsible for the generation of an equivalent magnetic field. A comparatively new pseudopotential approach has been used to derive the small amplitude double layers. The effect of the relative electron-ion concentration, as well as the temperature ratio, on the formation of the double layers has also been investigated. The study reveals that compressive, as well as rarefactive, double layers can be made to co-exist in plasma by controlling the dust charge fluctuation effect supplemented by variations of the plasma constituents. The effectiveness of slow rotation in causing double layers to exist has also emanated from the study. The results obtained could be of interest because of their possible applications in both laboratories and space.


OBJECTIVE
Patients with iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS) usually present to the hospital with left-sided leg edema. We looked for an answer to the question: ''Can iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS) be predicted with a reliable physical examination test in the differential diagnosis?'' Methods: We tested a new physical examination on patients with only left-sided lower extremity edema. In this physical examination the widest area of the calf point (just below tuberosity of the tibia) and medial malleolus was measured in both legs on the Trendelenburg position at 30°and repeated in standing position. Then the iliac venography was performed.

RESULTS
The test was performed on 32 (N = 32) patients with left extremity edema. IVCS was observed on 18 (n = 18) (56%) patients. The test was found to have 88% sensitivity and 92% specificity in IVCS.

CONCLUSION
This new physical examination finding, which may be valuable in diagnosing IVCS, is proposed for use in patients with unilateral left-sided edema to preclude unnecessary use of expensive diagnostic imaging methods.


Asynchronous circuits are widely used in many real time applications such as digital communication and computer systems. The design of complex asynchronous circuits is a difficult and error-prone task. An adequate synthesis method will significantly simplify the design and reduce errors. In this paper, we present a general and efficient partitioning approach to the synthesis of asynchronous circuits from general Signal Transition Graph (STG) specifications. The method partitions a large signal transition graph into smaller and manageable subgraphs which significantly reduces the complexity of asynchronous circuit synthesis. Experimental results of our partitioning approach with large number of practical industrial asynchronous circuit benchmarks are presented. They show that, compared to the existing asynchronous circuit synthesis techniques, this partitioning approach achieves many orders of magnitude of performance improvements in terms of computing time, in addition to the reduced circuit implementation area. This lends itself well to practical asynchronous circuit synthesis from general STG specifications. >


The intent of the H.264 AVC project was to create a standard capable of providing good video quality at substantially lower bit rates than previous standards without increasing the complexity of design so much that it would be impractical or excessively expensive to implement. An additional goal was to provide enough flexibility to allow the standard to be applied to a wide variety of applications. To achieve better coding efficiency, H.264 AVC uses several techniques such as inter mode and intra mode prediction with variable size motion compensation, which adopts Rate Distortion Optimization (RDO). This increases the computational complexity of the encoder especially for devices with lower processing capabilities such as mobile and other handheld devices. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to reduce the number of mode and sub mode evaluations in inter mode prediction. Experimental results show that this fast intra mode selection algorithm can lessen about 75 percent encoding time with little loss of bit rate and visual quality.


OBJECTIVE Helicobacter pylori infection is recognized to lower the concentration of vitamin C in gastric juice. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the infection on the systemic availability of dietary vitamin C. METHODS The study involved 1,106 men and women aged 25-74 randomly recruited from the population of north Glasgow. Their H. pylori status, dietary vitamin C intake calculated from a food frequency questionnaire and plasma vitamin C concentration were measured. Correction was made for potential confounding factors such as age, sex, smoking and social status. RESULTS The mean plasma vitamin C concentration in those who were H. pylori-positive was only 65% of that in those classified negative. Although partly explained by differences in age, sex, social class, smoking and vitamin C intake, the systemic reduction was observed across almost all sub-groups after stratification. Correction for all these factors still gave a plasma vitamin C level for H. pylori positives which was only 80% of that for negatives (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS H. pylori substantially impairs the bio-availability of vitamin C. This, together with the reduced vitamin C intake of H. pylori-positive subjects, markedly reduces the plasma vitamin C level of infected subjects. The reduced circulating levels of vitamin C in H. pylori-infected subjects may contribute to the aetiology of gastric cancer, as well as other diseases associated with anti-oxidant deficiency.


The article discusses the groups of geographical names that are perceived in the everyday consciousness of native speakers as unusual (inappropriate, unaesthetic, indecent). The analyzed repertoire of toponyms is represented by hydronyms, as well as oikonyms, reflecting the physical-geographical specifics of the area, and oikonyms, formed on the basis of non-calendar personal names or the names of the settlement owners.


Background Circumstances in early life, including low birth weight, have been proposed as risk factors for development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adulthood. The twin-control study design provides an opportunity to investigate the significance of potential prenatal determinants for adult morbidity by accounting for maternal characteristics and important early environmental and genetic factors. Objectives To investigate whether birth weight is a risk factor for the development of RA in adulthood. Methods We investigated the association between birth weight and RA in a sample of 14 monozygotic, 19 dizygotic same sexed and 9 opposite sexed twin pairs discordant for rheumatoid arthritis in which valid information on birth weight, length and order were available from midwife records. Explorative analysis was performed with difference plot. Conditional logistic regression, using twin pairs as groups, was used to investigate the relationship between RA and birth weight adjusting for birth length, birth order and sex. Results Mean birth weight did not differ between MZ and DZ twins while mean birth length of MZ twins was significantly higher than in DZ twins (p<0.003). Five (3 MZ, 1 DZss and 1 DZos) twin pairs had identical birth weight. The intra-pairwise differences, RA twin minus co-twin, ranged from -750 grams to 1100 grams with an overall mean of 78 grams (95% CI = -13 to 70) and 146 grams (95% CI = (-36 to 329) in MZ, 32 grams (95% CI = -90 to 154) in DZss and 69 grams (95% CI = -122 to 260) in DZos twin pairs. The odds ratio for birth weight was 1.00 (95% CI = 0.997 to 1.003), adjusting for birth length, birth order and sex. Restricting the analysis to ACPA positive RA did not change the results. Conclusions Birth weight in itself is not a risk factor for the development of adult rheumatoid arthritis. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Having a serious mental illness (SMI) is often associated with significant adversities, and people respond differently to adversities. The existing research supports the idea that people with SMI can achieve and maintain positive life outcomes despite experiencing adversities. Resilience, the ability to cope with (or bounce back quickly from) crisis, can help buffer the negative effects of various types of adversities, including chronic illness and disability, and facilitate the psychosocial adaptation process to SMI. Kumpfer's resilience model, a person–process–context framework, has been widely used to conceptualize, and assess for, resilience in various populations, including people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. However, the research in resilience among people with SMI is very limited. The purpose of this study was to empirically assess the utility of Kumpfer's resilience model and its proposed predictive components for conceptualizing the adaptation process to SMI. One hundred forty-four participants completed a Qualtrics survey containing demographic questions and a series of validated instruments representing the major components of Kumpfer's resilience model. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze the data, and the final model explained 71% of the variance of the dependent variable—adaptation to disability. Avoidance coping, internalized stigma, and optimism were significant independent predictors of adaptation to disability. This study supports the utilization of Kumpfer's resilience model to conceptualize the adaptation to disability process among people with SMI. Implications for rehabilitation counseling practices are discussed.


Fatigue failure predictions using analytical method have become cumbersome due to the types and mode of load applications on the gear teeth. The study employed a simulation approach to predict the fatigue behaviour of a pinion gear under cyclic loading by the determination of the Von Mises stress which can result to Surface deformation. The simulation was carried out on the gear component with emphasis on the teeth at different interval of 60, 90, 120 and 150 seconds using SolidWorks program. The result showed that increased stress resulted to increased deformation. Thus a minimum and maximum Von Mises stress of 1.303e+001 N/mm and 7.370e+001 N/mm were observed at 60 seconds against the fracture strength of the chosen material, gray cast iron (276 MPa). Further to this, the equivalent minimum and maximum deformation at 60 and 90 seconds were observed to be 7.192e004 mm, 2.304e-002 mm at 60 seconds and 1.594e-003 mm,2.365e-002 mm at 90 seconds at the tooth respectively. This implies that deformation increases as stress increased and they are both functions of time. Based on the results of these analysis, Von Mises stress and the cyclic loading played an important role in predicting the deformation behaviour of the pinion gear. Thus, it is worthy of note to say that this concept has reduced the rigorous calculations in analytical method of failure predictions.


ABSTRACT This paper reports on a study of how liminality relates to the facilitation of reflective practice in professional education. Liminality refers to sites and positions that exhibit 'in-betweenness', or bordering positions, that might draw together different institutional conditions. The present project aims to examine the role of liminality in professional educational practice with a specific focus upon how liminality may support student reflection. Using a qualitative and comparative research approach, we analysed interview and observational data from police education and a medical programme. Observations and interviews explore practices of collective interactional (and hence observable) reflection at sites that are characterised by 'betweenness' of work and education. Findings indicate that situations that afford reflection are characterised by a sense of undeterminedness in terms of either the subject, space or activity. Thus, we conclude that there is some evidence that liminality affords reflection, but also that liminality and underminedness are fragile states that are not easily organised in a professional education curriculum.


BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the systemic bioactivity of inhaled budesonide (B) and fluticasone propionate (F), each given by large volume spacer, on a microgram equivalent basis in asthmatic children. METHODS: Ten stable asthmatic children of mean age 11 years and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 81.6% predicted, who were receiving treatment with < or = 400 micrograms/day of inhaled corticosteroid, were studied in a placebo controlled single blind (investigator blind) randomised crossover design comparing single doses of inhaled budesonide and fluticasone propionate 400 micrograms, 800 micrograms, and 1250 micrograms. Doses were given at 20.00 hours with mouth rinsing and an overnight 12 hour urine sample was collected for estimation of free cortisol and creatinine excretion. RESULTS: The results of overnight 12 hour urinary cortisol output (nmol/12 hours) showed suppression with all doses of fluticasone propionate (as geometric means): F400 micrograms (11.99), F800 micrograms (6.49), F1250 micrograms (7.00) compared with placebo (24.43), whereas budesonide caused no suppression at any dose. A comparison of the drugs showed that there were differences at 800 micrograms and 1250 micrograms levels for urinary cortisol: B800 micrograms versus F800 micrograms (2.65-fold, 95% CI 1.26 to 5.58), B1250 micrograms versus F1250 micrograms (2.94-fold, 95% CI 1.67 to 5.15). The results for the cortisol/creatinine ratio were similar to that of urinary cortisol, with fluticasone causing suppression at all doses and with differences between the drugs at 800 micrograms and 1250 micrograms. CONCLUSIONS: Single doses of inhaled fluticasone produce greater systemic bioactivity than budesonide when given by large volume spacer on a microgram equivalent basis in asthmatic children. The systemic bioactivity of fluticasone, like budesonide, is due mainly to lung bioavailability.


BACKGROUND
Urban and residential concrete surfaces are often treated with pesticides to control ants. Run-off from irrigation/rainfall can remove pesticides from concrete and contaminate urban waterways. Recent regulations and mitigations in regions such as California aim to reduce insecticide run-off (e.g. pyrethroids), but are often proposed without adequate consideration of their impact on ant control efficacy.

METHODS
We carried out an outdoor study with a side-by-side comparison between pesticide run-off potential and residual ant toxicity after exposing treated concrete to summer conditions and simulated precipitations.

RESULTS
Treatments with bifenthrin, permethrin or fipronil all showed fast ant knockdown initially, and over 50% of ants were killed within 16 h after 1-min contact with the treated surfaces. Shorter ant median lethal time (LT50) was observed on concrete treated with over-the-counter (OTC) granule/dust formulations than OTC liquid or professional formulations. However, the treated surfaces rapidly lost ant control efficacy after outdoor exposure and repeated precipitations. Except for OTC solid permethrin treatment, the ant toxicity disappeared after 20 days for all other formulation treatments. In contrast, pesticides were detected in run-off water from simulated precipitations even 89 days after the treatment, with levels above 0.5 µg L(-1) for bifenthrin, 30 µg L(-1) for permethrin and 0.15 µg L(-1) for fipronil. Pyrethroid run-offs from OTC solid formulations were >10 times higher than the other two formulations.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggested viable options for run-off mitigation include decreasing use on concrete such as using crack/spot treatments instead of broadcast applications, limiting pesticide use on hardscapes away from water contact, and avoiding using dust/granule formulations on hardscapes.


Objective Many studies have indicated that intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is positively correlated with central venous pressure (CVP) in severe cases. However, although elevated IAP is common in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), its relationship with CVP remains unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the association of IAP with CVP in early-phase SAP patients. Methods In total, 116 SAP patients were included in this retrospective study. On the first day of hospitalization, blood samples were collected for biochemical examination and cytokine concentration monitoring. Additionally, a urinary catheter and right subclavian vein catheter were inserted for IAP and CVP measurement, respectively. Other routine clinical data were also recorded. Results Within 24 hours after hospitalization, CVP fluctuated and increased with increasing IAP up to 15.7 mmHg (P = 0.054) but decreased with increasing IAP when the IAP was > 15.7 mmHg (P < 0.001). After adjusting for abdominal perfusion pressure (APP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP), a similar distribution was observed. An inverted U-shaped trend between IAP and CVP was also present in the groups classified according to the patient's sex, local complications, ascites, and serum amylase levels. Conclusions CVP and IAP have an inverted U-shaped relationship, with a peak at an IAP of 15.7 mmHg in the early phase of SAP. After this peak, CVP decreases as IAP increases. These results have crucial implications for clinical fluid resuscitation in SAP patients. In particular, because one CVP value might be correlated with different IAP values in patients with the same CVP, the volume of fluid needed might be different.


In the late seventies an increasing interest in the scaling theory of Anderson localization led to new efforts to understand the conductance of systems which scatter electrons elastically. The conductance and its relation to the scattering matrix emerged as an important subject. This, coupled with the desire to find explicit manifestations of single electron interference led to the emergence of mesoscopic physics. We review electron transport phenomena which can be expressed elegantly in terms of the scattering matrix. Of particular interest are phenomena which depend not only on transmission probabilities but on both amplitude and phase of scattering matrix elements.


A light source 1, an image display panel 8 including multiple pixel regions, each of which can modulate light, light control means 4 to 6 for focusing light from the light source 1 onto associated pixel regions according to their wavelength ranges, and optical systems 9 and 11 that form an image on a projection plane 13 by the light that has been modulated by the panel 8 are provided. A circuit for generating data representing multiple image subframes from data representing each image frame as a component of the image and getting the subframes displayed by the panel time-sequentially, and an image shifter 11 for shifting a selected one of the subframes on the projection plane are further provided. The same area on the projection plane 13 is sequentially irradiated with light rays that have been modulated by different pixel regions of the panel 8 and that fall within respectively different wavelength ranges. Thus, a projection type image display device, realizing a bright, high-resolution and uniform display and contributing to downsizing and cost reduction, is provided.


The performance of a fluorescence imaging device was compared with conventional white-light bronchoscopy in 100 patients with lung cancer, 46 patients with resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer, 10 patients with head and neck cancer, and 67 volunteers who had smoked at least 1 pack of cigarettes per day for 25 years or more. Using differences in tissue autofluorescence between premalignant, malignant, and normal tissues, fluorescence bronchoscopy was found to detect significantly more areas with moderate/severe dysplasia or carcinoma in situ than conventional white-light bronchoscopy with a similar specificity. Multiple foci of dysplasia or cancer were found in 13–24% of these individuals. Fluorescence bronchoscopy may be an important adjunct to conventional bronchoscopic examination to improve our ability to detect and localize premalignant and early lung cancer lesions.


AIMS
To describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) in New Zealand (NZ) for the 10-year period 1995-2004, and to place this in the context of long-term incidence trends.

METHODS
We calculated TB incidence rates since the early 1920s using published data. A more detailed analysis examined TB notification and laboratory data for the period 1995 to 2004 using population denominator data from the 1996 and 2001 Census. We calculated incidence rates by age, sex, ethnicity, place of residence, country of birth, and deprivation for the two 5-year periods: 1995 to 1999 and 2000 to 2004. We also calculated and compared TB case fatality and mortality rates for those periods. We described outbreaks by using TB outbreak reporting data.

RESULTS
The long-term decline in TB incidence in NZ halted in the mid-1980s, and in the last two decades, annual rates have stabilised at around 10 cases per 100,000. The average rate for 1995-2004 period was 10.3 per 100,000. The TB incidence rate in NZ is higher than that in Australia, USA, and Canada, and slightly lower than that in the UK. Within NZ there are marked ethnic differences in rates, with age-standardised incidence rates 10.5, 22.3, and 36.5 times higher in Maori, Pacific peoples, and people of Other ethnicity respectively than the rate in Europeans. Rates generally increase with age. Approximately two-thirds (64.6%) of people with TB were born overseas. TB case fatality and mortality rates in NZ are declining and are comparable to those in Australia, Canada, USA, and the UK. Twenty-four TB outbreaks, including 221 cases, were reported between mid-1996 and 2004.

CONCLUSIONS
TB is not declining in NZ. The burden of disease is very unevenly distributed across the population with marked ethnic inequalities.


Altered paraspinal muscle activity was suggested by Lowe et al (2002) to explain a relationship between Cobb angle changes and platelet calmodulin level changes in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). We formulate an alternative platelet-skeletal hypothesis which involves: (1) a small scoliosis curve; (2) axial loads transmitted directly from the intervertebral discs to vertebral body growth plates (endplate physes) as axial inward bulges that create mechanical micro-insults; (3) the latter cause dilatation of juxta-physeal vessels and, in deforming vertebrae, vascular damage with exposure of subendothelial collagen and other agonist proteins; (4) subject to predisposition, platelet activation with calmodulin changes occurs within dilated vessels of deforming vertebral bodies; (5) the activated platelets in juxta-physeal vessels release growth factors that, after extravasation, abet the hormone-driven growth of the already mechanically-compromised vertebral endplate physes to promote the relative anterior spinal overgrowth and curve progression of AIS. The hypothesis links several fields in each of which research within ethical restraints is suggested to refute it.


It has been estimated that 80‐90% of the cancer rate in the U. S. can be attributed to environmental factors. For the last 20 years the role of smoking has been recognized by the scientific community. However it is only recently that the role of diet, i.e., food and beverages in carcinogenesis has begun to be recognized. it is likely that diet is more important than smoking in cancer causation. Both human and animal studies support this assumption. The study of special populations in the U. S. such as the Mormons and the Seventh Day Adventists also point to the potential of reducing U. S. cancer rates and individual risk factors through the modification of dietary habits. The major hypotheses of the role of dietary and nutritional factors in cancer etiology are examined in light of current scientific knowledge. General guideline for the reduction of risk from the major chronic diseases are also discussed.


COL6A1 and BMP-2 genes have been implicated in ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) susceptibility in Japanese and Chinese Han populations. However, no study has yet investigated the DNA of unaffected family members of patients with OPLL. This study investigated differences in genetic polymorphisms of BMP-2 and COL6A1 between Korean patients with OPLL and their family members (with and without OPLL). A total of 321 subjects (110 patients with OPLL and 211 family members) were enrolled in the study. Associations between two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the BMP-2 gene (Ser37Ala and Ser87Ser) and two SNPs of COL6A1 [promoter (-572) and intron 33 (+20)] with susceptibility to OPLL of the cervical spine were investigated between the two groups (OPLL+ and OPLL-). Of the 321 subjects, 162 had cervical OPLL (50.4%; 110 patients, 52 family members). There was a familial tendency of OPLL in 34 of the 110 families (30.9%). Allele and haplotype frequencies of the four SNPs in the BMP-2 and COL6A1 genes did not differ significantly between the OPLL+ and OPLL- groups, even when excluding participants over 50 years of age. This is the first report identifying SNPs of COL6A1 and BMP-2 in Korean patients and family members with OPLL. Although allele and haplotype frequencies were similar with those of a previous study in Japanese and Chinese patients, unaffected family members also showed similar rates of these SNPs in the present study. These results suggest that these SNPs may not directly influence the expression of OPLL.


We present several novel approaches to the Out of Vocabulary (OOV) query problem for spoken audio: indexing based on syllable-like units called particles and query expansion according to acoustic confusability for a word index. We also examine linear and OOV-based combination of indexing schemes. We experiment on 75 h of broadcast news, comparing our techniques to a word index, a phoneme index and a phoneme index queried with phoneme sequences. Our results show that our approaches are superior to both a word index and a phoneme index for OOV words, and have comparable performance to the sequence of phonemes scheme. The particle system has worse performance than the acoustic query expansion scheme. The best system uses word queries for in-vocabulary words and a linear combination of the phoneme sequence scheme and acoustic query expansion for OOV words. Using the best possible weights for linear combination, this system improves the average precision from 0.35 for a word index to 0.40, a result only obtainable if the weights could be learnt on a development query set. The next best system used a word index for in-vocabulary words and the phoneme sequence system otherwise and had average precision of 0.39.


This Master thesis sets its goals in researching and understanding the structure of different educational systems. The main goal that this paper inflicts is to develop a middleware aiming at translating courses between different educational systems.The procedure is to find the meaning of objects and courses from the different educational systems point of view, this is mainly done through processes such as identifying the context, semantics and state of the objects involved, perhaps in different activities. The middleware could be applied, with small changes, to any structured system of education.This thesis introduces a framework for using ontologies in the translation and integration of course aspects in different processes. It suggests using ontologies when adopting and structuring different educational systems on an international level. This thesis will, through an understanding of ontologies construct a middleware for the translation process between different courses in the different educational systems. As an example courses in Sweden, Germany and Tajikistan have been used for the mapping and constructing learning goals and qualifications.


INTRODUCTION The ICD codes are ubiquitously available in hospital information systems and have been used in a number of areas such as epidemiology, phenotype-genotype association mining, surveillance of the use of drugs and medical devices and health care evaluation. We aimed to analyze the timeliness of the 3-character ICD-10 codes collected in the French national hospital discharge summary database between 2008 and 2017 and we classified the codes according to their evolution. MATERIAL AND METHODS We extracted all 3-character ICD-10 codes from all French hospital discharge summaries between 2008 and 2017. For each code and by the month, we computed a relative frequency; we also computed the overall amplitude of the study period. Temporal clustering, according to the SAX representation, was performed to classify the main evolution patterns. RESULTS We extracted 238,334,751 encounters corresponding to 56,621,773 distinct patients. 1,006 ICD codes presented a variation of the relative amplitude of frequencies lower than 50%, 510 codes between 50% and 100% and 521 greater than 100%. Out of the 2,037 codes included in the study, we kept the 1,758 for the temporal clustering. Four clusters were identified, including a global increase and a global decrease patterns. DISCUSSION The overall results showed a strong instability (i.e. large variation of frequency over time) of the use of ICD codes over time, with an important variation of the relative amplitude of the frequencies. We distinguished between external factors due to changes in billing, organization, policy or regulation and intrinsic factors due to epidemiological phenomenon. The detailed analysis of profiles show that the same cluster can contain profiles influenced by intrinsic epidemiological or external factors or both. Additional knowledge and sources are probably required to determine automatically the origin of the profile.


Free-burning arcs where the work piece acts as an anode are frequently used for a number of industrial applications. Our investigation was concerned with developing a capability to model free-burning high-intensity argon arcs and enhancing the accuracy of numerical results according to a comparative study of turbulence models. For the arc modeling involved complicated interactions between the flow and electromagnetic fields, we modified the Navier-Stokes equations to take into account the radiation transport, the electrical power input and the electromagnetic driving forces with the relevant Maxwell equations. For the turbulence modeling, which is critical to the arc edges due to a steep temperature gradient between the arc column and the surrounding gas, zero- and two-equation eddy-viscosity models were used. The major arc parameters of temperature, axial velocity, electric potential difference and pressure-rise from ambient atmospheric pressure were summarized under laminar and turbulent conditions. It was found that the standard k-ɛ model modified to take into account the effect of a steep temperature gradient at the edge of free-burning arcs could predict reasonable temperature profiles better than the cases with the assumption of laminar flow and Prandtl's mixing length model used for switching arcs.


Within the framework of the U(1) gauge cosmic strings, the supermassive case where the linear mass density is 1/4 in units for which G=c=1 is analysed. Making use of a system of first-order differential equations, the form of the solutions is given explicitly. Two possibilities are found: (i) the solution represents a vortex, or an antivortex, and the spacetime is the product of R2 by a 2-surface which is asymptotically a cylinder; (ii) the solution represents a system of a vortex and an antivortex at equilibrium and the spacetime is the product of R2 by a 2-surface having the topology of a sphere.


This study investigated improvement of reading comprehension and listening comprehension in school-aged students in first through third grades at two different elementary schools. Approximately half of the students at each school received collaborative classroom-based language lessons from the teacher and speech-language pathologist. The other half of the students at each school received regular instruction from the classroom teacher without input from the speech-language pathologist. The speech-language pathologist provided services to the students with speech or language IEP goals in the collaborative classrooms primarily in the classroom during these language lessons. The students who received speech or language services in the control classrooms received services solely through the traditional pull-out service delivery model of intervention. Statistical comparisons between the groups were not significant, even though students receiving services in the collaborative group earned pre-post score differences that were double of those in the pull-out classrooms. Reasons for nonsignificant findings in light of observable differences are discussed. Collaboration versus Traditional Service Delivery 3 CHAPTER


Increased consumption of pharmaceutical compounds compounded by their persistence in biological treatment processes and potential toxicity is becoming a serious concern. The aim of the present study was to investigate the fate of an antiepileptic drug, carbamazepine (CBZ), in anaerobic digestion process and its impact on methanogenic metabolism. Biochemical methane potential of CBZ with or without glucose was studied for 40 days in designed batch experiments. About 67.98% and 66.37% of spiked CBZ (about 100 μg l(-1)) were removed during this period from glucose amended or unamended sets, respectively. Loss of CBZ through adsorption onto suspended particles, as in sterilized seed sludge control (16.98%), was significantly lower in comparison to its biotic counterparts (P = 0.002 and P = 0.003). Analysis of methane or biogas production revealed no inhibitory effect of CBZ toward methanogenic process at its tested concentration. Differences in cumulative methane yields between glucose containing sets with or without CBZ were insignificant (P = 0.885). This study suggests that any residual CBZ concentration lower than the present study, if detected in waste-water, might not significantly affect the methanogenic process.


We study the asymptotic properties of the conormal cycle of nodal sets associated to a random superposition of eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on a smooth compact Riemannian manifold without boundary. In the case where the dimension is odd, we show that the expectation of the corresponding current of integration equidistributes on the fibers of the cotangent bundle. In the case where the dimension is even, we obtain an upper bound of lower order on the expectation. Using recent results of Alesker, we also deduce some properties on the asymptotic expectation of any smooth valuation including the Euler characteristic of random nodal sets.


Background and aims Although iron homeostasis has been associated with liver function in many observational studies, the causality in this relationship remains unclear. By using Mendelian Randomization analyses, we aimed to evaluate the genetic effects of increased systemic iron levels on the risk of liver injury and various liver diseases. Moreover, in light of the sex-dependent iron regulation in human beings, we further estimated the sex-specific effect of iron levels in liver diseases. Methods Independent single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with systemic iron status (including four indicators) at the genome-wide significance level from the Genetics of Iron Status (GIS) Consortium were selected as instrumental variables. Summary data for six liver function biomarkers and five liver diseases were obtained from the UK Biobank, the Estonian Biobank, the eMERGE network, and FinnGen consortium. Mendelian Randomization assessment of the effect of iron on liver function and liver diseases was conducted. Results Genetically predicted iron levels were positively and significantly associated with an increased risk of different dimensions of liver injury. Furthermore, increased iron status posed hazardous effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, and liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. Sex-stratified analyses indicated that the hepatoxic role of iron might exist in NAFLD and liver fibrosis/cirrhosis development among men. No significantly causal relationship was found between iron status and viral hepatitis. Conclusion Our study adds to current knowledge on the genetic role of iron in the risk of liver injury and related liver diseases, which provides clinical and public health implications for liver disease prevention as iron status can be modified.


Abstract

Cyber bullying is a psychologically devastating form of social cruelty among adolescents. This paper reviews the current policy vacuum of the legal obligations and expectations of schools to monitor and supervise online discourse, while balancing student safety, education, and interaction in virtual space. The paper opens with a profile and conditions of cyber bullying using an analogy to Golding's (1954), Lord of the Flies. The anarchy and deterioration of unsupervised adolescent relationships depicted in the book are compared to the deterioration of social relationships among adolescents in virtual space. A discussion of the institutional responses to cyber bullying follows. Finally, emerging and established law is highlighted to provide guidelines to help schools reduce cyber bullying through educational means that protect students and avoid litigation.