Striga hermonthica is a major biological constraint to cereal production in Africa. The intricate association between this phytoparasite and the cereal host makes management difficult. Damage to the host begins before Striga comes out of the soil. Also, infestation correlates negatively with soil fertility. Arbuscular mycorrrhizal (AM) fungi have a variety of ecological functions ranging from improved uptake of immobile nutrients, protection of host from pathogens, to soil aggregation. The question whether these beneficial micro-organisms could play a role within the Striga-cereal (patho)system was addressed. Inoculating Striga-infested sorghum with AM fungi in pots or in the field resulted in a significant reduction in the performance of Striga in terms of numbers attached to the roots, relative time of emergence, numbers emerged and dry weight of Striga shoots at sorghum harvest. AM effects on Striga were more pronounced with the Striga-tolerant S-35 sorghum cultivar compared to effects with the Striga-sensitive CK60B. Inoculation with AM fungi compensated for damage by Striga in the S-35 cultivar. This compensation was independent of AM inoculum density and was not affected by P application. Germination of preconditioned Striga seeds after exposure to root exudates from sorghum colonized by AM fungi was significantly reduced, with effects more prominent with exudates from S-35 plants. AM fungi have the potential to affect Striga during germination, attachment, emergence, and possibly subsequent growth and development. It is important to understand the kind of management practices that farmers can apply to enhance mycorrhizal performance in an integrated management system


A viable communications interface for the nonvocal handicapped that is a by-product of recent face recognition research is described. The system uses either the Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT) or the discrete cosine transform (DCT) to encode video camera images on a subject's face. The encoding differentiates among three expressions: tongue out which is classified as 'yes'; mouth open, which is classified as 'no'; and mouth closed, which is classified as 'null'. A review of the theory of the KLT and DCT is included.<<ETX>>


Summary.  Acute lung injury is a condition that is characterized by acute onset of severe hypoxaemia and bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. Patients typically require mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit. Low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV), which is a time varying dynamic treatment regime, has been recommended as an effective ventilation strategy. This recommendation was based on the results of a randomized clinical trial designed to compare low versus high tidal volume strategies by the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network. After publication of the trial, some critics focused on the high non‐adherence rates in the LTVV arm suggesting that non‐adherence occurred because treating physicians felt that deviating from the prescribed regime would improve patients' outcomes. We seek to address this controversy by estimating the survival distribution in the counterfactual setting where all patients assigned to LTVV followed the regime. Inference is based on a fully Bayesian implementation of Robins's G‐computation formula. In addition to reanalysing data from the original trial, we also apply our methodology to data from a subsequent trial, which implemented the LTVV regime in both of its study arms and also suffered from non‐adherence.


Multi-omics molecules regulate complex biological processes (CBPs), which reflect the activities of various molecules in living organisms. Meanwhile, the applications to represent disease subtypes and cell types have created an urgent need for sample grouping and associated CBP-inferring tools. In this paper, we present CBP-JMF, a practical tool primarily for discovering CBPs, which underlie sample groups as disease subtypes in applications. Differently from existing methods, CBP-JMF is based on a joint non-negative matrix tri-factorization framework and is implemented in Python. As a pragmatic application, we apply CBP-JMF to identify CBPs for four subtypes of breast cancer. The result shows significant overlapping between genes extracted from CBPs and known subtype pathways. We verify the effectiveness of our tool in detecting CBPs that interpret subtypes of disease.


The current immigration debate often reflects a tension between affirming the individual rights of migrants against the power of a nation to control its borders. An examination of U.S. Supreme Court precedent reveals that, from our earliest immigration history to the present time, our immigration policy has functioned more like contract law than human rights law, with the Court deferring to the power of Congress to define the terms of that contract at the expense of the immigrant's freedom. (This essay is a version of a chapter from my forthcoming book, Everyday Law for Immigrants and Foreign Nationals, part of Paradigm Publishers "Everyday Law" series, which is edited by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic.)


The presence of drug resistance can lead to differences in treatment outcomes among patients using the same drug. Therefore, identification of key biological markers associated with drug resistance can help clinicians to quickly select the appropriate drug to prolong the survival time of patients, and it is important for drug development and detailed study of the drug's mechanism of action. Firstly, we screened different drug resistance and sensitive cell lines in esophageal cancer cell lines to find different drug resistance related genes, and annotated these calculated drug resistance related genes into the transcriptional regulatory network we constructed. The regulatory relationships within this transcriptional regulatory network were all experimentally confirmed and further filtered by real esophageal cancer data to identify drug resistance related modules and key regulators. Thirteen drug resistance-associated modules were identified, each containing 1-6 drug resistance-associated key regulators. Among them, transcription factors SP1, has-miR-21-5p and hsa-miR-1-5p play key regulatory roles in the resistance modules of various drugs, and they regulate drug resistance-associated differentially expressed genes through one-step or multi-step regulatory relationships. Key transcription factors and miRNA in the transcriptional regulatory network that regulate drug resistance-associated genes can be used as potential biomarkers to identify drug resistance to the corresponding drugs in tumor patients.


This study presents a diverse set of freely available linguistic resources for Turkish natural language processing, including corpora, pretrained models and education material. Although Turkish is spoken by a sizeable population of over 80 million people, Turkish linguistic resources for natural language processing remain scarce. In this study, we provide corpora to allow practitioners to build their own applications and pretrained models that would assist industry researchers in creating quick prototypes. The provided corpora include named entity recognition datasets of diverse genres, including Wikipedia articles and supplement products customer reviews. In addition, crawling e-commerce and movie reviews websites, we compiled several sentiment analysis datasets of different genres. Our linguistic resources for Turkish also include pretrained spaCy language models. To the best of our knowledge, our models are the first spaCy models trained for the Turkish language. Finally, we provide various types of education material, such as video tutorials and code examples, that can support the interested audience on practicing Turkish NLP. The advantages of our linguistic resources are three-fold: they are freely available, they are first of their kind, and they are easy to use in a broad range of implementations. Along with a thorough description of the resource creation process, we also explain the position of our resources in the Turkish NLP world.


Topoisomerases are unique enzymes that unwind twisted strands of DNA, changing its topology. The crystal structure of one of these enzymes--topoisomerase I, an important target for cancer therapy--is presented on pp. [1504][1] and [1534][2] of this issue. In his commentary, Nash explains how this enzyme causes the breakage of one DNA strand, its controlled movement around the other strand, and reattachment at the original site.

 [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/279/5356/1504
 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/279/5356/1534


Terrorism can be considered a form of low-intensity conflict. It results from extreme reactions to sociopolitical conditions. These reactions, through a variety of intellectual and emotional processes, are manifest as overt acts of violence. Terrorism includes acts by individuals or organizations which seek to change political or social conditions, make political or ideological statements, or obtain funds for sustaining ongoing terrorist or revolutionary campaigns. Terrorist incidents are increasingly prevalent. Often, they involve loss of lives and mass casualties and have special medical dimensions. As such, the role of EMS in terrorist incidents needs to be defined clearly.


This study concerns the use of the indirect immunoperoxidase technique for labelling Aspergillus species in infected human and animal tissues in smears taken from cultures. Specific labelling without serious cross‐reactivity with Candida species or Zygomycete fungi was demonstrated using antiserum to Aspergillus. However, it was not possible to distinguish between two Aspergillus species, A. fumigatus and A. flavus with this technique. Pretreatment of sections with sodium azide and normal swine serum was effective in eliminating background staining. The method can be used to produce permanently stained sections and has applications in the recognition of hyphal fragments in tissue from infected patients.


During metallized film capacitors (MFCs) operation in high electric field modes, when operating voltage is in 3 – 5 times higher than its nominal value, there is a deterioration of their performance due to self-healing processes. Usual parameter for performance evaluation is relative capacitance changing. In the same time another capacitor's parameters, such as dissipation factor and equivalent parallel resistance are rarely used for this purpose. Dependencies of capacitor's parameters on accumulated self-healing energy (a sum of all previous self-healing act energies) are presented. It was found that MFC's failure in high electric field modes is associated with equivalent parallel resistance decreasing. The relationship between critical value of accumulated self-healing energy and equivalent parallel resistance was obtained.


A high-order flux reconstruction method coupled with a high-order sliding mesh method is applied to analyze the performance of a ducted wind turbine at a Reynolds number of 1.25× 106. To investigate the impacts of the duct, axial flow simulations are also performed for the corresponding open-rotor turbine. It is shown that the ducted turbine has higher thrust and power outputs than the open rotor. Vorticity and velocity fields of two configurations are also visualized and analyzed to show the differences. To evaluate the effects of yawed flows, simulations are carried out for both turbines under five different yaw angles γ = 0◦,±15◦,±30◦. The results reveal that the ducted wind turbine has higher power outputs than the open counterpart at all tested yaw angles.


Three patients developed erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp (EPDS). Two of them, both males, had previously undergone surgical excision for squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, and a female experienced avulsive trauma of the scalp. The erosive lesions and crusts were located at the site of a skin graft; microbiological cultures were negative for bacterial and fungal growth. Histological examination ruled out pustular bullous disorders. Topical therapy with corticosteroids and antibiotics resulted in clinical remission in only 2 cases. The third case showed a tendency to recur despite numerous therapeutic attempts with oral dapsone and isotretinoin. We conclude that surgical trauma is a possible cause of EPDS. Our patients seem to be the first reported cases of EPDS in skin grafts following plastic surgical procedures.


A quasiclassical theory is presented for scattering of atoms in a spinless P state by a spherical target. The scattering amplitudes can be expressed analytically as a function of a few parameters which are not only the phaseshifts for elastic scattering along the and molecular potentials, but also the locking angles and the slipping probabilities. Interference effects, for one scattering angle, occur between contributions of classical trajectories corresponding to different potentials. The locking angle appears explicitly in the amplitude of the high-frequency oscillations. It turns out that this type of interference survives the statistical averaging over initial substates, resulting in an oscillating pattern of the differential cross section for scattering of unpolarized atoms. It is shown that the existence of the locking phenomenon is a necessary condition to the observation of such an effect.


ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to identify the relationships Total Quality Management (TQM) performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among dietitians in business and industry foodservice. A total of 300 dietitians working in business and industry foodservices in Seoul and Gyeonggi province were sur-veyed using a self-administrated questionnaire and 203 responses were obtained. The data were analyzed using SPSS Windows (Ver. 12.0) for descriptive analysis and reliability analysis, and AMOS (Ver. 5.0) for struc-tural equation modeling. The respondents were all female, 56.7% single, and 71.4% under regular employ-ment. By foodservice management type, 52.7% of the foodservice operations were self-operated. The majority of the operations provided meals more than twice a day (73.9%), and 70.4% offered a non-selective menu. The dietitians of the contracted foodservices tended to have higher TQM performance scores than those of the self-operated foodservices (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in job satisfaction and organiza-tional commitment scores by the type of the foodservice management. TQM performance was found to have a positive effect on job satisfaction, and job satisfaction affected organizational commitment for both the self-operated and contracted foodservices. A relationship between TQM performance level and organizational commitment of self-operated foodservices was not found. On the other hand, TQM performance level was the principal significant factor for increasing the organizational commitment of contracted foodservices. This re-search suggests that business and industry foodservices need to improve TQM performance to enhance job satisfaction and organizational commitment of foodservice dietitians and to develop specified TQM strategies that can be applied to each type of foodservice management.


The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) to ensure universal immunization of children against childhood vaccine-preventable diseases. This is because more than 10 million children in developing countries die every year because they do not have access to effective interventions such as immunization that could fight common and preventable childhood illnesses. In view of the above situation, Nigeria started its Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in 1979 to prevent childhood illnesses through immunization. However, despite the concerted effort of government, routine immunization coverage in Nigeria according to USAID( 2009), is one of the lowest national coverage rates in the world with only 38% coverage. Similarly, Borno State has a population of 349,699 children of vaccination age, between 9-23 months and only half of the population were reached and like other states in the northeast region, Borno state has a poor uptake of vaccinations. The implication of this low coverage placed Borno State as one of the states with highest maternal mortality rates in Nigeria. This implies that there are fundamental factors affecting the full implementation of the programme in the state. It is against this background that this paper discussed some of these factors. The paper discovered that religion and cultural practices, corruption and mismanagement of resources and low health education on immunization have impacted negatively on immunization coverage. Similarly, poverty, poor health facilities, and inadequate health personnel have significantly affected the level of immunization in the state. The paper recommended that there should be value reorientation of the religious leaders and their followers through public enlightenment in media houses, conduct of seminars, workshops and conferences in order to enhance health education on child immunization Key w ords: Factors, Implementation, Policy, Immunization, Primary Health Care (PHC)


Introduction Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), one of the most common malignancies worldwide, occurs with high incidence and mortality. Ferroptosis and necroptosis are critically associated with LIHC prognosis. Some long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to induce ferroptosis and necroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methods Cox regression analysis was used to construct a risk model for LIHC based on differentially expressed ferroptosis and necroptosis related lncRNAs (F-NLRs), and their expression in SMMC7721, HepG2 and WRL68 cells was detected by qPCR. Results Five F-NLRs were associated with LIHC prognosis, including KDM4A-AS1, ZFPM2-AS1, AC099850.3, MKLN1-AS, and BACE1-AS. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with LIHC in the high-risk group were associated with poor prognosis. The combined F-NLR signature model demonstrated a prognostic AUC value of 0.789 and was more accurate than standard clinical variables for predicting LIHC prognosis. T cell functions and immunotherapy responses differed significantly between patients in the low- and high-risk groups. Additionally, immune checkpoints and m6A-related genes were differentially expressed between patients in the two risk groups. Furthermore, proteins encoded by the five F-NLRs were overexpressed in four liver cancer cell lines compared to that in human liver cell line WRL68. Pan-cancer examination revealed that expression levels of the five F-NLRs differed between most common tumor types and normal tissues. Conclusion F-NLRs identified in this study provide a predictive signature representing ferroptosis and necroptosis in LIHC, which correlated well with patient prognosis, clinicopathological characteristics, and immunotherapy responses. The study findings help to elucidate the mechanisms of F-NLRs in LIHC and provide further guidance for the selection and development of immunotherapeutic agents for LIHC.


This case study examines how and why the policy network of a state agency in the U.S. formed and changed over time in the context of local opposition to the location and design of a road. It also explores how state-level administrators in that state dealt with these network dynamics to overcome local opposition. In setting up and carrying out the "Smart Road" project, the Salem District Office under the Virginia Department of Transportation had vertical and horizontal ties with numerous actors with stakes in the project. These linkages varied in the degrees of cooperativeness and interdependence between those actors and the agency. Network stability was mostly developed and sustained by actors with whom the agency had both cooperative and interdependent relationships, but unequal relationships in interdependence easily reduced the degrees of cooperativeness and finally undermined network stability. The role of administrators who were charged with external relations was to scrutinize network changes and to maintain network stability by promoting the trust and cooperation of other actors.


natural configurations of the ground to indicate its numinous qualities and susceptibility to good or ill fortune. It seems likely that the observation and interpretation of these patterns may be closely related to that of patterns seen in other natural features, such as clouds or winds; chapter 112 of the Hou Han-shu provides ample evidence to show the prevalence of such practices in the first two centuries AD.


OBJECTIVES
Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is an important clinical problem predominantly affecting elderly individuals. Studies suggest that the progression of CAVS is actively regulated with valve endothelial injury leading to inflammation, fibrosis and calcification. The aim of this study was to delineate the possible regulatory role of osteopontin (OPN) on high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) function and the associated inflammatory and fibrotic response in CAVS.

METHODS
Aortic valve leaflets were collected from CAVS patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (n = 40), and control aortic valve leaflets were obtained from heart transplant recipients (n = 15). Valves and plasma were analysed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemical staining and Western blot. Recombinant OPN or neutralizing OPN antibody was added to cultured endothelial and valvular interstitial cells (VICs), and cell proliferation scores and HMGB1 expression were assessed.

RESULTS
CAVS valves had a decreased total percentage of VICs but increased numbers of infiltrating macrophages relative to control valves. RT-PCR studies showed higher expression of OPN, the inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor-alpha as well as markers of fibrosis, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 1 and matrix metalloproteinase 2 in CAVS valves. Elevated expression of OPN was also observed in plasma of CAVS patients compared with controls. HMGB1 was detected in the secretory granules of cultured valve endothelial and VICs derived from CAVS valves. The addition of exogenous OPN inhibited the proliferation of cultured endothelial and VICs from CAVS valves and was associated with the extracellular expression of HMGB1, whereas neutralizing OPN had the opposite effect.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that altered OPN expression in CAVS affects cellular HMGB1 function inducing cytoplasmic translocation and secretion of HMGB1 in endothelial cells and VICs, thus indicating a regulatory role for OPN in the progression of CAVS through alteration of HMGB1 function.


Foreword. Preface. DVD contents. Cognitive behavioral therapy: an introduction. Developmental considerations across childhood. Culturally diverse children and adolescents. Combined CBT and psychopharmacology. Depression and suicidal behavior. Bipolar disorder. Childhood anxiety disorders: the coping cat program. Pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder. Obsessive compulsive disorder. Chronic physical illness: inflammatory bowel disease as a prototype. Obesity and depression: a focus on polycystic ovary syndrome. Disruptive behavior disorders. Enuresis and encopresis. Appendix 1: self-assessment questions and answers. Index.


This paper reports the epidemiologic and clinical observations on arsenism caused by drinking water in Zhi Ji Liang and Tie Men Gen, Huhhot. Results showed that the content of arsenic in drinking water was eleven times as much as that of the national standard. The incidence rate of arsenism increased with the rise of arsenic content in water. In contrast to the high As content, the contents of Pb, Zn, Se were low in water and the pH value was slightly acidic. Arsenic contents in hair, fingernails and urine were all higher than those of the control. Patients with arsenism showed symptoms of anaemia.


The fast fixed-point independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm has been widely used in various applications because of its fast convergence and superior performance. However, in a highly dynamic environment, real-time adaptation is necessary to track the variations of the mixing matrix. In this scenario, the gradient-based online learning algorithm performs better, but its convergence is slow, and depends on a proper choice of convergence factor. This paper develops a gradient-based optimum block adaptive ICA algorithm (OBA/ICA) that combines the advantages of the two algorithms. Simulation results for telecommunication applications indicate that the resulting performance is superior under time-varying conditions, which is particularly useful in mobile communications.


Red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is used for the innate immune defense of crustaceans due to its convenience for laboratory culture and study. To know more about the transcriptome of the crayfish, we constructed and sequenced a cDNA library from a mixture of hemocytes and hepatopancreas from white spot syndrome virus (WSSV)-infected crayfish. By random sequencing, we obtained 9115 high-quality expressed sequence tags with a mean length of 370 bp, representing 3033 unigenes. Most of the unigenes are first reports for the red swamp crayfish. Besides the metabolic genes, many genes that may be involved in the innate immune system of the crayfish are also obtained from the library, such as antimicrobial peptides, pattern recognition receptors, proteases and protease inhibitors, signal transduction proteins, apoptosis-, antioxidant-, and RNA interference-related proteins. We chose ten immune-related genes to analyze their expression pattern by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) from the hemocytes of normal and WSSV-challenged crayfish. Seven of them, including anti-lipopolysaccharide factor, astacidin, crustin 1, H3 histone family 3A, serine/threonine protein kinase, TGF beta-inducible nuclear protein, and tar RNA binding protein, were upregulated after WSSV injection, but the mRNA expression levels of crustin 2, a lectin, and a digestive cysteine protease decreased after WSSV infection. Our results showed that the transcriptome analysis provides a useful resource for identification of immune related genes and understanding the immune responses of the crayfish.


This paper presents the Finite Element Method for Cosserat plates. The mathematical model for Cosserat elastic plates is based on the calculation of the optimal value of the splitting parameter. We discuss the existence and uniqueness of the weak solution and the convergence of the proposed FEM. The Finite Element analysis of the clamped Cosserat plates of different shapes under different loads is provided. We present the numerical validation of the proposed FEM by estimating the order of convergence, when comparing the main kinematic variables with the analytical solution. We also consider the numerical analysis of plates with circular holes. We show that as expected the stress concentration factor around the hole is smaller than the classical value and smaller holes exhibit less stress concentration compared to larger ones.


This paper investigates three different approximations of the full Quadratic Transfer Function (QTF) for calculating horizontal plane second-order difference-frequency loads on FPSOs, namely Newman's approximation, full QTF without free surface integral and the white-noise approximation.
 Second-order excitation loads obtained from approximated QTFs are compared in frequency-domain with those obtained by the full QTFs computed from second-order diffraction/radiation analysis in WADAM. The comparison is performed for a new-build FPSO in a range of water depths and environmental combinations. The full QTFs from second-order diffraction/radiation analysis are further compared to empirical QTFs as identified from cross bi-spectral analysis of model test results in irregular waves.
 A mesh convergence study is presented for calculating full QTFs by the near-field approach in a second-order diffraction/radiation analysis. The importance of including viscous damping in heave, roll and pitch is illustrated for the mean wave-drift force in surge and sway.
 FPSO motions and mooring line tensions from fully-coupled time-domain analysis in OrcaFlex is compared when using approximated QTFs and full QTFs from second-order diffraction/radiation analysis.


Dynamic processes of seed germination, influenced by niche–climate interactions, underpin successful seedling establishment. For threatened species with niches restricted to specific landforms, such as Banded Ironstone Formations (BIF), understanding germination opportunities in relation to long-term rainfall patterns can be critical for management. We quantified germination profiles (germinating fraction and speed with varying dormancy states) from six taxonomically diverse threatened species that are endemic to BIF in Western Australia, and related this to historic rainfall patterns and events. The upper limit of the germination profiles (i.e. for dormancy-alleviated seed) was 1.2–60 times higher (germinating fraction; Gmax) and 1.1–4 times faster (T10) than the lower profile limit (i.e. dormancy not alleviated) in the physiologically dormant species studied (Tetratheca paynterae Alford subsp. paynterae and T. erubescens J.P.Bull; Ricinocarpos brevis R.J.F.Hend. & Mollemans; Darwinia masonii C.A.Gardner; Lepidosperma gibsonii R.L.Barrett). Seeds of Banksia arborea (C.A.Gardner) A.R.Mast & K.R.Thiele are non-dormant and had a germination profile similar to this upper limit. The minimum period of moisture required for germination was less than eight consecutive days and our simple moisture model, based on historic rainfall patterns for their localities, indicated that these periods have likely occurred 16 times in the last 100 years. We suggest that these BIF species are likely committing to germination during heightened rainfall periods, despite these periods being infrequent and irregular. Understanding the germination profiles of range-restricted species provides important insights into the environmental filters regulating recruitment and supports the development of more effective management and conservation approaches for protecting these species.


Coarctate reactions form a separate class of elementary closed-shell processes in addition to polar and pericyclic reactions. Hence, they also follow a different homology principle. Whereas vinylogous polar and pericyclic reactions differ in the length of the reacting system by a double bond, coarctate reactions can be homologized (ethynylogized) by extending a known system by a triple bond. The prediction, which is based on theoretical considerations, is confirmed experimentally by the fragmentation of cyclopropylethynyl nitrene to cyano acetylene and ethylene, a reaction that is "ethynyloguous" to the known fragmentation of cyclopropyl nitrene to ethylene and HCN.


Modern passive radar systems seem promising as cost-effective gap fillers of active radar coverage and also as covert early warning sensors. Integration of passive systems into already operational active radar networks is therefore of great interest to military and civilian air surveillance. We here propose a maximum information fusion approach specifically for solving this issue demonstrating a data association, data fusion and tracking method for bistatic passive radar and monostatic active radar data in air surveillance. Conventionally, separate bistatic and Cartesian trackers in two stages are proposed to provide a combined air picture. Such approaches effectively avoid false plots of the passive radar systems being tracked. However, these approaches also filter out potentially valid plots, which could have proven valuable if fused with active radar plots directly. This is especially of relevance in challenging terrain such as alpine valleys with scarce transmitters of opportunity and active radar clutter. We test our approach using real world passive and active radar data. While the tracking performance of our im-plementation is markedly inferior to existing commercial passive radar systems, our prototypical implementation demonstrates the feasibility and potential of the new approach for passive and active radar data fusion at the plot level.


Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the factors related to children's health behavior. Methods : A self-administered questionnaire survey was carried out for 431 (boys; 227, girls; 204) children, 6th grade students, in Taegu from December 14 to 18 in 1998. This study employed health promotion model as a hypothetical model. Collected data were analysed through the chi-square test, ANOVA, and path analysis. Results : By univariate analysis, in case of boys, health practice was related to perceived self efficacy, perceived health status, perceived benefits of health-promoting behaviors, and perceived barriers, and in girls, health practice was related to perceived self efficacy, perceived benefits of health-promoting behaviors, perceived barriers, and cues to action. By path analysis, in case of boys, the better economic status, the younger mothers' age, the higher score of family cohesion and adaptability, healthier, the more perceived benefits, and the less perceived barriers were, the more health behaviors were practiced. Girls did the more health practice, in case of living with parents only, the higher score of family cohesion and adaptability, the more perceived self-efficacy, the less perceived barriers, and the more cues to action. Family cohesion had the most important effect on health practice of primary school students. Conclusions : In order to promote health behavior of primary school students, a good family environment as well as health education might be very important. That is, we have to try together in home and as well as in school.


Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical benefit and tolerability of IQP-AO-101 in healthy subjects with sleep complaints. Methods This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involved fifty subjects with sleep complaints. Subjects with a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score between 6 and 15 were randomized to receive either IQP-AO-101 or placebo for 6 weeks, following a run-in period of one week. Sleep parameters were assessed at baseline and after 1, 4, and 6 weeks using the modified Athens Insomnia Scale (mAIS). Subjects were also instructed to wear an activity tracker and keep a sleep diary during the study. Other questionnaires administered were the Frankfurt Attention Inventory (FAIR-2) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS-65). Blood samples for safety laboratory parameters were taken before and at the end of the study. Results After 6 weeks, subjects who consumed IQP-AO-101 reported significant improvements in mAIS scores compared with placebo, including mAIS total score (11.76 ± 6.85 vs 4.00 ± 4.80; p < 0.001); night parameters composite score (5.20 ± 3.80 vs 2.04 ± 3.16; p = 0.001); and day parameters composite score (6.56 ± 4.10 vs 1.96 ± 2.65; p < 0.001). All individual parameters (Items 1 to 8) were also significantly improved from baseline after 6 weeks of IQP-AO-101 intake. Analysis of variance with baseline values as covariates showed statistically significant improvements across all individual parameters for IQP-AO-101 when compared to placebo. The measurements using the activity tracker, sleep diary, FAIR-2, and POMS did not reveal any significant differences between groups. No adverse effects related to the intake of IQP-AO-101 were reported. Tolerability was rated as very good by all the subjects and by the investigator for all cases. Conclusions In this study, IQP-AO-101 was well tolerated and efficacious for promoting sleep and enhancing daytime performance in subjects with moderate sleep disturbances. Clinical Trial Registration This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, no. NCT03114696.


Considerable evidence suggests that skeletal muscle insulin resistance is an inherent feature of type 2 diabetes and contributes to the pathogenesis of the disease. In patients with poorly controlled diabetes, hyperglycemia is thought to produce additional insulin resistance in muscle. The magnitude and nature of hyperglycemia-induced insulin resistance is not known. The purpose of the present study was to determine the biochemical mechanisms responsible for increased insulin-stimulated glucose disposal after the achievement of tight glycemic control with a mixed-split regimen. We performed hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps with indirect calorimetry and vastus lateralis muscle biopsies in eight type 2 diabetic patients who had poor glycemic control (HbA(1c) 10.1%) and again after 3 months of intensive insulin therapy designed to produce near-normoglycemia (HbA(1c) 6.6%). Improved glycemic control increased insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (5.16 +/- 0.32 vs. 3.69 +/- 0.33 mg x kg(-1) x min(-1); P < 0.01); nonoxidative glucose disposal, which primarily reflects glycogen synthesis (2.11 +/- 0.26 vs. 0.90 +/- 0.16 mg x kg(-1) x min(-1); P < 0.01); and glycogen synthase fractional velocity (0.094 +/- 0.017 vs. 0.045 +/- 0.007; P < 0.05). There was no improvement in insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation (3.05 +/- 0.25 vs. 2.79 +/- 0.20 mg x kg(-1) x min(-1)), hexokinase II mRNA expression (increase over basal values), or hexokinase II enzymatic activity (0.51 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.42 +/- 0.18 pmol x min(-1) x microg(-1) protein). All of the increase in insulin-stimulated glucose disposal could be accounted for by increased glycogen synthesis, which is likely attributable to increased activation of glycogen synthase by insulin.


Erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV) evolution was studied during cytotoxic therapy in 12 patients with Hodgkin's disease who developed secondary acute leukemia and in 83 patients with Hodgkin's disease without secondary leukemia as control group. Significant differences were observed in the maximum MCV and in the MCV maximum increase during therapy between the two groups of patients. These differences remained significant between the patients treated with chemotherapy alone and those treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. MCV maximum increase greater than 23.9 fl was observed in all patients with secondary leukemia and in only 20% of those without secondary leukemia; it was reached 46.3 months before the first sign of preleukemia. Its value in predicting the leukemic risk in Hodgkin's disease is discussed.


The emergence of global value chains (GVCs) and their rapid expansion over the past two decades has transformed the global trade environment. GVCs involve task-based trade across multiple stages of the production process that take place across a number of different countries, in which multiple inputs and exports of intermediate goods and services are necessary to produce a final good, which may also be exported. GVC-oriented trade is seen to offer significant opportunities for developing countries, especially smaller ones, to benefit from global integration by changing the nature of competitiveness. With competition for GVC investment taking place in a truly global market, factor competitiveness relative to other countries matters a lot. In this context, the purpose of this note is to shed some light for policymakers, in this case specifically in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries, on where to focus efforts to drive competitiveness for GVC participation. This is a data-intensive exercise that requires indicators to represent underlying capabilities, disaggregated international trade data, and finally, a classification of which products are likely to be trade within GVCs.


Changes in soil water retention, pore size distribution, and saturated hydraulic conductivity due to wastewater
application by subsurface drip systems were investigated at two sites in Texas. Undisturbed soil core samples were collected
from different locations and depths around drip emitters and from outside the drip fields. Core samples were used to determine
hydraulic conductivity and soil water retention. Application of wastewater resulted in increased soil water retention,
decreased volume of pores with large radii, and a decrease in saturated hydraulic conductivity. The major influence of
wastewater application on soil hydraulic properties occurred slightly below the drip emitter. This decrease in hydraulic
conductivity reflected the decrease in volume of large soil pores compared to that of small pores. Application of treated effluent
had more influence on soil hydraulic properties in the transect along the drip lateral than in a transect perpendicular to the
drip lateral emitter.


AbstracL The role of Polarized Neutron Reflectivity (PNR) for studying natural and synthetic exchange biased systems is illustrated. For a partially oxidized thin film of Co, cycling of the magnetic field causes a considerable reduction of the bias, which the onset of diffuse neutron scattering shows to be due to the loosening of the ferromagnetic domains. On the other hand, PNR measurements of a model exchange bias junction consisting of an nIayered Fe/Cr antiferromagnetic (AF) superlattice coupled with an m-layered Fe/Cr ferromagnetic (F) superlattice confirm the predicted collinear magnetization in the two superlattices. The two magnetized states of the F (along or opposite to the bias field) differ only in the relative orientation of the F and adjacent AF layer. The possibility of reading clearIy the magnetic state at the interface pinpoints the commanding role that PNR is having in solving this intriguing problem.


The LH receptor (LHR) mediates the actions of LH and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In vivo data showed that deletion of exon 10 does not affect hCG action, whereas LH action is impaired. To investigate the role of exon 10 in LH/hCG action in vitro we created stable COS-7 cells expressing the LHR with (wt) or without (-ex10) exon 10. Binding experiments showed that the affinities of LH and hCG to the LHR wt and -ex10 were similar. Stimulation of wt with hCG or LH resulted in increased cAMP. cAMP production was significantly impaired in -ex10 stimulated with LH. This response was not altered by pertussis toxin, excluding that G(i) becomes activated in LHR -ex10. In desensitization experiments, intracellular cAMP of LHR wt and -ex10 declined to approximately 30%. No difference in intracellular cAMP was detected between LHR wt or -ex10 after recovery and restimulation with hCG or LH. These experiments show that impaired cAMP production of LHR -ex10 stimulated with LH is not due to anomalous receptor coupling or desensitization. We conclude that although exon 10 of the LHR plays no role in ligand binding, it is important for receptor activation by LH by a mechanism probably involving extracellular conformational changes.


The diabetic population has reached the 100 million mark.Decreased physical activity, increasing obesity, stress, and changes in food consumption are responsible for the increasing prevalence in the past two decades. As the incidence continues to grow, diabetes is being projected to be the world's primary killer in the next 25 years. In the recent years there has been marked interest in the use of plants for the treatment of diabetes. Various plants are found in many countries which have been indicated as having antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effect. The plants Brassica oleracea and Allium sativum are used as folk medicine in the villages to treat diabetes. Accordingly, the different extracts of Brassica oleracea and Allium sativum showed antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effects on normal, glucose induced and alloxan induced diabetic rats. Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and chloroform were used for fractionation from rectified spirit extract of Brassica olercea and methanolic extract of Allium sativum.


Background: Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae is extremely prevalent in The Gambia. We studied the effects of vaccination with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on the carriage of individual serotypes and on antimicrobial resistance in vaccinated children and their younger siblings. Methods: A longitudinal study of a subsample of children (n = 2342) who participated in a randomized, placebo controlled trial of a 9-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV-9) in The Gambia, and a cross-sectional study of non-PCV-9-vaccinated younger siblings (n = 675). Results: Recipients of PCV-9 were less likely to carry vaccine serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 19F, and 23F but more likely to carry vaccine-associated 19A and 9 nonvaccine serotypes at approximately 6 months postvaccination (age, 12 months) than were controls (each P < 0.05). At approximately 16 months postvaccination, carriage of vaccine-associated-serotype 6A was also significantly reduced (P < 0.01) while 3 other nonvaccine serotypes were more prevalent in the PCV-9 recipients (each P < 0.05). At 16 months, but not 6 months, postvaccination PCV-9 recipients had lower rate of carrying isolates resistant to tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) than controls (risk ratio: 0.90 and 0.95, respectively; each P < 0.05). There was no difference in patterns of carriage of pneumococci in younger siblings of PCV-9 or placebo recipients. Conclusions: The effects of 9-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on carriage of pneumococci persisted for at least 16 months postvaccination in Gambian children. Vaccination had no indirect effect on carriage in younger siblings and there was limited impact on antibiotic resistance.


Compact, steady jets are observed in the near infrared and radio bands in the hard state of Galactic black hole transients as their luminosity decreases and the source moves toward a quiescent state. Recent radio observations indicate that the jets turn off completely in the soft state; therefore, multiwavelength monitoring of black hole transients is essential to probe the formation of jets. In this work, we conducted a systematic study of all black hole transients with near infrared and radio coverage during their outburst decays. We characterized the timescales of changes in X-ray spectral and temporal properties and also in near infrared and/or in radio emission. We confirmed that state transitions occur in black hole transients at a very similar fraction of their respective Eddington luminosities. We also found that the near infrared flux increase that could be due to the formation of a compact jet is delayed by a time period of days with respect to the formation of a corona. Finally, we found a threshold disk Eddington luminosity fraction for the compact jets to form. We explain these results with a model such that the increase in the near infrared flux corresponds to a transition from a patchy, small-scale height corona along with an optically thin outflow to a large-scale height corona that allows for collimation of a steady compact jet. We discuss the timescale of jet formation in terms of transport of magnetic fields from the outer parts of the disk, and we also consider two alternative explanations for the multiwavelength emission: hot inner accretion flows and irradiation.


The prerequisite for the full oral rehabilitation and social adaptation of cleft palate patients is a consistent, comprehensive care system, providing a well organised integration of preventive and interceptive measures, as well as close cooperation between the various specialised disciplines. Preventive stomatological care should begin in infancy.


Aims: Haplotype frequency estimation is indispensable in studies of human genetics based on haplotypes since studies based on haplotypes are likely to yield more information than those based on single SNP marker. However, most existing algorithms estimate haplotype frequencies under the assumption that all of the genotype data sets are correct. To date, nearly all large genotype data sets have errors, and studies have demonstrated that even a small quantity of genotyping errors can have enormous impact on haplotype frequency estimation. Methods: Although the GenoSpectrum (GS)-EM algorithm which estimates haplotype frequencies incorporating genotyping uncertainty has been presented recently [1], it can only be suitable for independent individuals rather than dependent pedigree data. In this paper, we describe a new EM algorithm, called GS-PEM, that calculates maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) of haplotype frequencies based on all possible multilocus genotypes (GenoSpectrum) of each member of the pedigrees through making use of the dependence information of relatives. Results and Conclusion: We evaluate the performance of the GS-PEM by simulation studies and find that our GS-PEM can reduce the impact induced by the genotyping errors in haplotype frequency estimation.


This machine has demonstrated that the advantage of small scattering of high energy radiation need not be sacrificed to the large penumbra resulting from the use of extended sources. It has been demonstrated that specific activities in the ramge of hundreds of curies per gram can be prcduced. It is easy, with a modest expenditure in self-absorption, to achieve sources of less than 1 cm diameter, but sources of 0.5 cm diameter seem outside the range of practical achievement. It is evident from the single beam isodose distributions that a small penumbra was indeed achieved. Significant differences in distribution are obtained by changing from complete rotation to sector rotation. Depth dose distributions for moving beams of small cross-section show a very rapid fall-off of dose outside the tumor region. As the cross-section of the beam approaches that of the phamtom, this fall-off becomes less steep. (auth)


The weakness of a conventional Eulerian soot model in capturing primary soot size and its inability to access individual soot information led to the development of a Lagrangian soot tracking (LST) model as reported in this thesis. The LST model aimed to access the history of individual soot particles and capture the soot concentration and primary soot size distribution in high pressure spray flames, under diesel-like conditions. The model was validated in a constant volume spray combustion chamber by comparing the predicted soot volume fraction (SVF), mean primary soot diameter and primary soot size distribution to the experimental data of n-heptane and n-dodecane spray combustion. The inception, surface growth and oxidation models were adopted and modified from the multistep Moss-Brookes (MB) soot model, which was used in this study as the representative of Eulerian soot model. Parametric studies were carried out to investigate the influence of soot surface ageing and oxidation rates on the overall soot formation. Following the parametric study, the developed LST model which incorporated surface ageing effect and higher oxidation rates was implemented to investigate the effect of ambient oxygen and density on soot morphology in n-heptane spray flame.

The LST model was shown to have better primary soot size prediction capability while still maintaining comparable performance in predicting SVF with respect to its Eulerian counterpart. The SVF distributions predicted by the LST model qualitatively correspond to the experimental results despite the peak soot location being predicted further downstream by 30 mm. The primary soot size distribution predicted by the LST model had the same order as the measured primary soot size distribution despite predicting larger soot size. The presence of surface ageing factor had a significant effect on the primary soot size distribution whereas only a slight effect on the SVF profile. A maximum soot size reduction of 48% was obtained when incorporating surface ageing effect. The consideration of surface ageing effect led to smaller primary soot size predicted and better agreement with the measured primary soot size distribution.

The peak and mean primary soot sizes increased with increasing ambient density, from 14.8 kg/m3 to 30 kg/m3, at the core of spray jet. Meanwhile, the decrease in oxygen level from 21% to 12% at an ambient density of 14.8 kg/m3 caused a non-monotonic effect on the primary soot sizes at the core of spray jet. Trivial differences were predicted when oxygen level decreased from 21% to 15%. However, a significantly smaller primary soot sizes were predicted when oxygen level decreased further to 12%. In addition to net growth rates, soot cloud span and soot age were also found to play an important role in evolution of primary soot size. An increase in ambient oxygen and density resulted in a more upstream first-soot location. The effect of ambient density on soot age was not significant, whereas a lower oxygen level resulted in a longer soot age. A maximum soot age of 0.50 ms was obtained for both 21% and 15% O2 cases at both density levels. As oxygen level decreased to 12%, the maximum soot age increased to 0.58 ms due to lower combustion temperature.

Overall, the LST model was shown to perform better in predicting primary soot size and can access information of individual soot particles which are both shortcomings of the Eulerian method. In addition, the LST model was also demonstrated to be able to predict soot age. Apart from playing a role in determining primary soot size, soot age can also serve as a useful parameter to answer various fundamental questions, such as when and where soot particles grow to a certain size, and help in the understanding of fundamental soot processes. Optimisation of the model and extension of its capability to capture soot aggregate structure, size and fractal dimension will be of interest in the future.


We present a unified treatment of solvatochromic shifts in liquid-phase absorption spectra, and we develop a self-consistent state-specific vertical excitation model (called VEM) for electronic excitation in solution. We discuss several other approaches to calculate vertical excitations in solution as an approximation to VEM. We illustrate these methods by presenting calculations of the solvatochromic shifts of the lowest excited states of several solutes (acetone, acrolein, coumarin 153, indolinedimethine-malononitrile, julolidine-malononitrile, methanal, methylenecyclopropene, and pyridine) in polar and nonpolar solvents (acetonitrile, cyclohexane, dimethyl sulfoxide, methanol, n-hexane, n-pentane, and water) using implicit solvation models combined with configuration interaction based on single excitations and with time-dependent density functional theory.


It is neither easy to change teacher thinking, nor is it easy to influence teaching practice by handing teachers the tools to do this in a course. It is suggested in this paper that it is not enough to let teachers who teach take a course on teaching in higher education. The process of influencing teachers' thinking should include working with the communities within which they practise. One way of doing this is to apply the theory of communities of practice to the academic department. Drawing from quantitative, as well as qualitative, data during one year, this case study describes the process of a collaborative project aimed at increasing the educational quality at a research‐intensive department, and how what happened in the project seemed to contribute to the development of a community of practice to include teaching and learning.


In this paper, a new approach for efficient damage detection in engineering structures is introduced. The key concept is to use the mature computer vision technology to capture the static deformation profile of a structure, and then employ profile analysis methods to detect the locations of the damages. By combining with wireless communication techniques, the proposed approach can provide an effective and economical solution for remote monitoring of structure health. Moreover, a preliminary experiment is conducted to verify the proposed concept. A commercial computer vision camera is used to capture the static deformation profiles of cracked cantilever beams under loading. The profiles are then processed to reveal the existence and location of the irregularities on the deformation profiles by applying fractal dimension, wavelet transform and roughness methods, respectively. The proposed concept is validated on both one-crack and two-crack cantilever beam-type specimens. It is also shown that all three methods can produce satisfactory results based on the profiles provided by the vision camera. In addition, the profile quality is the determining factor for the noise level in resultant detection signal.


Conventional Giemsa stained peripheral blood smear examination for demonstration of malarial parasites remains the gold standard for diagnosis of malaria in developing endemic countries. However this technique is time consuming, requires training and may give poor results in cases with low parasitaemia. To overcome these problems and improve diagnostic accuracy two newer tests have been studied and compared with standard Giemsa staining. These are the wet mount fluorescence microscopy of Acridine Orange stained thin blood films (A.O.) and the Quantitative Buffy Coat technique (Q.B.C) for diagnosis of malaria. A.O. staining was found to be 97.5% sensitive and 100% specific for detection of all stages and species of malarial parasite. The Q.B.C assay was found to be 100% sensitive and 97.5% specific for diagnosis of malaria. A.O. staining was very fast and the species identification was easy once the staining was optimised. The Q.B.C. test required considerable amount of practice, costly equipment, however it was fast and in our study was found to be highly sensitive.


Study Design. Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of a self-report questionnaire. Objective. To perform a translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Tampa scale for kinesiophobia (TSK) and to investigate its test-retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness among Norwegian-speaking patients with sciatica due to disc herniation. Summary of Background Data. The TSK is a self-report questionnaire developed to assess kinesiophobia, or fear of movement and/or (re)injury. To date, the psychometric properties of the TSK have not been demonstrated in patients with sciatica. Methods. The TSK was translated and back-translated according to recent guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. A principal components analysis and an evaluation of floor and ceiling effects were conducted. The TSK was tested for test-retest reliability, repeatability, internal consistency, and construct validity. Responsiveness was measured as standardized response means using a global change scale after 3 months as the external criteria. Results. In total, 466 patients with sciatica due to disc herniation were included. The TSK was easily comprehended. The principal components analysis yielded 3 factors. Component 1 showed a floor effect in which 152 (33.3%) of the patients achieved the lowest possible score. Repeatability according to Bland & Altman was 8, the coefficient of variance for paired measurements was 11%, and weighted kappa values for each item were moderate to substantial. Internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha was 0.81. Correlations with the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), FABQ/work, and FABQ/physical activity were 0.50, 0.38, and 0.51, respectively. Responsiveness was low to moderate. Conclusion. The Norwegian version of the TSK was easily comprehended and demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability for the assessment of fear of movement and/or (re)injury in patients with sciatica due to disc herniation. However, responsiveness was low to moderate.


Aim: To evaluate and study the management of uterine leiomyoma (fibroids) in a tertiary care center in South India. Objectives: To study the epidemiology, clinical features, gross and microscopic characters, histopathology of endometrium, other associated fact and various modalities of management of fibroids in uterus. cases of uterine leiomyoma (fibroids) by us in Indian women like age at diagnosis, clinical features, associated medical disorders, and modalities of management were studied over a period of 2 years, i.e. from July 1 similar to markedly varied, when compared to standard western textbook data.


The contributors to Reactivating Elements examine chemicals as they mix with soil, air, water, and fire to shape Earth's troubled ecologies today. They invoke the elements with all their ambivalences as chemical categories, material substances, social forms, forces and energies, cosmological entities, and epistemic objects. Engaging with the nonlinear historical significance of elemental thought across fields—chemistry, the biosciences, engineering, physics, science and technology studies, the environmental humanities, ecocriticism, and cultural studies—the contributors examine the relationship between chemistry and ecology, probe the logics that render wind as energy, excavate affective histories of ubiquitous substances such as plastics and radioactive elements, and chart the damage wrought by petrochemical industrialization. Throughout, the volume illuminates how elements become entangled with power and control, coloniality, racism, and extractive productivism while exploring alternative paths to environmental destruction. In so doing, it rethinks the relationship between the elements and the elemental, human and more-than-human worlds, today's damaged ecosystems and other ecologies to come.

Contributors. Patrick Bresnihan, Tim Choy, Joseph Dumit, Cori Hayden, Stefan Helmreich, Joseph Masco, Michelle Murphy, Natasha Myers, Dimitris Papadopoulos, María Puig de la Bellacasa, Astrid Schrader, Isabelle Stengers


Abstract Being online whenever and wherever is quite natural for an increasing number of consumers. Companies are trying to tap this trend with different offers. Branded apps are one of the newer tools used to communicate with consumers on the go. But what exactly can these apps offer to consumers? And are they really worth the effort? We asked three marketing experts about their experiences.


The Triandis model of social behavior offers exceptional promise to nurse researchers whose goal is to achieve cultural sensitivity in their research investigations. The model includes six components: consequental beliefs, affect, social influences, previous behavioral habits, physiologic arousal, and facilitating environmental resources. A directed methodology to include culture-relevant items in the measurement of each of these model components allows researchers to capture the diverse explanations of health and illness behavior that might pertain in diverse populations. Researchers utilizing the model can achieve theory-based explanations of differences they observe by gender, race/ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation. The Triandis model can provide studies to target variables for future intervention studies, as well as highlight areas for needed political action to equalize access to and delivery ofnursing care.


Energy storage technology is needed for the storage of surplus baseload generation and the storage of intermittent wind power, because it can increase the flexibility of power grid operations. Underground storage of hydrogen with natural gas (UHNG) is proposed as a new energy storage technology, to be considered for utility-scale energy storage applications. UHNG is a composite technology: using electrolyzers to convert electrical energy to chemical energy in the form of hydrogen. The latter is then injected along with natural gas into existing gas distribution and storage facilities. The energy stored as hydrogen is recovered as needed; as hydrogen for industrial and transportation applications, as electricity to serve power demand, or as hydrogen-enriched natural gas to serve gas demand. The storage of electrical energy in gaseous form is also termed "Power to Gas". Such large scale electrical energy storage is desirable to baseload generators operators, renewable energy-based generator operators, independent system operators, and natural gas distribution utilities. Due to the low density of hydrogen, the hydrogen-natural gas mixture thus formed has lower volumetric energy content than conventional natural gas. But, compared to the combustion of conventional natural gas, to provide the same amount of energy, the hydrogen-enriched mixture emits less carbon dioxide. This thesis investigates the dynamic behaviour, financial and environmental performance of UHNG through scenario-based simulation. A proposed energy hub embodying the UHNG principle, located in Southwestern Ontario, is modeled in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. Then, the performance of UHNG for four different scenarios are assessed: injection of hydrogen for long term energy storage, surplus baseload generation load shifting, wind power integration and supplying large hydrogen demand. For each scenario, the configuration of the energy hub, its scale of operation and operating strategy are selected to match the application involved. All four scenarios are compared to the base case scenario, which simulates the operations of a conventional underground gas storage facility. For all scenarios in which hydrogen production and storage is not prioritized, the concentration of hydrogen in the storage reservoir is shown to remain lower than 7% for the first three years of operation. The simulation results also suggest that, of the five scenarios, hydrogen injection followed by recovery of hydrogen-enriched natural gas is the most likely energy recovery pathway in the near future. For this particular scenario, it was also found that it is not profitable to sell the hydrogeniii enriched natural gas at the same price as regular natural gas. For the range of scenarios evaluated, a list of benchmark parameters has been established for the UHNG technology. With a roundtrip efficiency of 39%, rated capacity ranging from 25,000 MWh to 582,000 MWh and rated power from 1 to 100 MW, UHNG is an energy storage technology suitable for large storage capacity, low to medium power rating storage applications.


The equilibration rate of frozen defects in phosphorus-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon is described by the stretched-exponential time dependence exp (-(t/τ)β), where 0<β<1. Kakalios and Jackson have explained this phenomenon based on the assumptions that the neck hydrogen diffusion process to eliminate frozen defects is the diffusion between the interstitial sites, and the diffusion constant is dispersive in time, due to the distribution of hydrogen trapping sites on weak Si-Si bonds. In this paper, these assumptions are criticized and an alternative explanation is proposed based on the assumption that the neck hydrogen diffusion process is the jump process of hydrogen from the Si-H bond site into the interstitial site.


Editor's Note: Joan Ferrante is a professor at Northern Kentucky University. She holds a Ph. D. from the University of Cincinnati and is best known as the author of several popular sociology textbook, among them Sociology: A Global Perspective. Among her many research interests is global sociology. In her textbooks she concentrates on undergraduate students, and her goal is to convey an understanding of concepts and methods in the field of sociology. Dr. Ferrante made this presentation at the 55th annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society held at the Pennsylvania State University in 2005. In May 1988, I signed a contract with Wadsworth Publishing Company to write Sociology: A Global Perspective. On that day I made a commitment to contribute to the discipline of sociology by writing an introduction to sociology textbook. That decision has set my research agenda for the past 17 years, and perhaps (with some luck), will set that agenda for the rest of my professional life. All my reading and research connects with the goal of updating/revising this textbook. In fact, I guess you could say that my "area of specialization" is introduction to sociology. So when I was asked to speak at this conference which has as its organizing theme: Reducing Global Inequality: Our Challenge for the 21st Century, I could not help but think how I might present the concept of global inequality and the challenge of reducing extreme poverty to those who are new to the discipline. Global Inequality, Extreme Poverty, and Extreme Wealth Global inequality refers to a situation in which income, wealth, and other valued resources are distributed unequally across countries and among the people living within each country on the planet. At one of end of the spectrum are those living in a state of extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is the most severe form of poverty such that the affected people cannot afford the basic human necessities (food, clothes, water, and shelter). Extreme poverty is characterized by malnutrition, chronic hunger, and disease. According to the United Nations the 1.2 billion people in the world who live on less than $1 per day live in extreme poverty. There are another 1.8 billion people who live on between $1 and $2 per day. At the other end of the continuuum are those who live in a state of extreme wealth, the most excessive form of wealth in which a very small minority of people (perhaps as few as the richest 400) possess enough money, material possessions, and resources such that a 4 percent levy on that wealth could provide adequate food, safe water, sanitation, and basic health care for the 1.2 billion poorest people on the planet. It would also include the richest 7.7 million people in the world (one-tenth of one percent of the world's population) whose average wealth is one million dollars (excluding the value of and whose combined wealth is estimated to be $28 trillion, a staggering amount when you consider that it represents 54 percent of gross world product (GWP) which is $51.4 trillion (Associated Press 2001; INQ7money.net 2004; U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 2005). The places in which people are born have an important effect on people's life chances. Obviously the chances a baby will survive the first year of life depend, in large part, on the county into which it is born. A baby born in Sweden has the best chance of surviving its first year of life as 3.44 of every 1000 babies born die before reaching the age of one; a baby born in Angola has the worst chance of surviving that first year as almost 200 of every 1000 babies born die within the first year. One of the most startling examples of inequality across countries can be found when we compare the consumption patterns of the highest income countries (which contain 20 percent of the world's people) against the rest of the world, and especially the countries containing the poorest 20 percent. Consumers in the highest income countries account for 86 percent of total private consumption expenditures while those living among the poorest 20 percent account for 1. …


Although Latinos are the largest minority group in the country, research examining how different psychological and cultural variables affect Latino individuals' wellbeing is disproportionately developed and cross-cultural comparison studies are particularly scarce. To address these issues, this dissertation research examined cross-cultural adult attachment-social self-efficacy-psychosocial wellbeing conceptual mediational model while investigating the moderator effects of country membership and familismo on the proposed mediational model using a cross-cultural sample of Mexican and Mexican-American university students. A total of 595 participants, including 360 Mexican students from Mexico and 235 Mexican-American students from the United States completed the research questionnaires. Results indicated that social self-efficacy was a significant mediator for the effects of insecure attachment on life satisfaction and conflict resolution in both cultural groups and for the links between attachment insecurity and depressive symptoms in the Mexican-American group. Additionally, moderated mediation analyses showed that country membership was a significant moderator for the links between attachment avoidance and social self-efficacy when life satisfaction, conflict resolution style, and depressive symptoms were the dependent variables, as well as for the direct link between attachment anxiety and physical health symptoms. Familismo was also found to be a significant moderator for the direct effects of attachment anxiety on physical health symptoms and life satisfaction in both groups. Findings are discussed from the attachment and cross-cultural perspectives. Counseling implications, limitations, and future research directions are offered.


We report a case of a 59-year-old woman with metastatic carcinoma of the ileocecal region who received FOLFOX(oxaliplatin/leucovorin/5-fluorouracil) and bevacizumab therapy and exhibited a partial remission with minimal side effects. She developed a mild self-limited episode of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia during her 16th cycle of chemotherapy, which precluded her from receiving further oxaliplatin. We review the literature on oxaliplatin-induced immune-mediated hemolysis, including its mechanism, presenting symptoms, laboratory features, management, and implications for future therapy.


The problem of normal waves in a closed (shielded) regular waveguide of arbitrary cross-section is considered. This problem is reduced to the boundary eigenvalue problem for longitudinal components of electromagnetic field in Sobolev spaces. To find the solution, we use the variational formulation of the problem. The variational problem is reduced to study an operator-function. Discreteness of the spectrum is proved and distribution of the characteristic numbers of the operator-function on the complex plane is found. We also consider properties of system of eigenvectors and associated vectors of the operator-function. Double completeness of system of eigenvectors and associated vectors with a finite defect is established.


Growing-up is characterized by active self-determination in the sphere of marriage and family relations. From the standpoint of the age-psychological approach in the logic of psychological age structure - the social situation of development, new formations and leading activity - the dynamics of the cognitive, valuable-and-emotional, regulative-and-behavioral, motivational and reflective components of family self-determination was revealed for the first time in senior teens (from 15 to 16 years old), adolescence (from 17 to 19 years old) and youth (from 20 to 22 years old). In 2012-2019 the study was attended by 1.281 students of Astrakhan State University, the Astrakhan branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, a branch of Russian State University for the Humanities in Astrakhan, Astrakhan State Polytechnic College, Astrakhan College of Computer Technology. In senior teens the valuable-and-emotional component prevails. Adolescence is a determining factor in demonstrating cognitive and valuable-and-emotional components. In youth, the cognitive, valuable-and-emotional, regulative-and-behavioral, motivational and reflective components are distributed more evenly than in other age-related periods. The age-psychological approach to the analysis of mental development in the ontogenesis makes it possible to consider readiness for family self-determination as a private new formation of adolescence (from 17 to 19 years old), and family self-determination as an important age-related new formation of youth (from 20 to 22 years old).


In this study, the FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of 2-(4-methoxybenzyloxy)-4-methylquinoline(MBMQ) have been recorded in the regions 4000–400cm-1 and 3500–50cm-1 respectively. The molecular structure and fundamental vibrational frequencies have been obtained from density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP method with 6- 311++G(d,p) basis set calculations. Global reactivity descriptors such as electronegativity(χ), hardness(η), softness(S), chemical potential(μ) and electrophilicity index(ω) have been calculated from HOMO and LUMO energies. Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) of the title compound was calculated to predict reactive behaviour of the molecule. The local reactivity has been analysed through the Fukui functions in order to predict the possible sites of nucleophilic and electrophilic attacks. The thermodynamic properties at different temperatures were calculated, revealing the correlations between standard heat capacities, standard entropy and standard enthalpy changes with temperatures.


Background: Recent studies have shown that increased dietary consumption of flavones and isoflavones is associated with reduced risk of developing cancer. Natural plants/herbs used in Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) have been recognized as potentially efficacious natural treatments against cancer and are enriched with isoflavones and flavones, as well as other interesting compounds. We used a novel high throughput screening method to identify natural extracts that may have a potential anti-cancer effect and identified the TEAM natural product Scutellaria baicalensis and a known active component, the flavone, baicalein. The objective of our current study is to investigate the anti-cancer effects of baicalein in vitro and in vivo. Methods: In vitro testing was performed in mouse (C3L5) and human (SKBR3) breast cancer cell lines. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Apoptosis was assessed using FITC-Annexin V and PI staining with bivariate reading by flow cytometry at 48 h. A syngeneic mouse breast cancer model (C3H/HeJ — C3L5) was used for in vivo testing. Mice bearing subcutaneous tumors were either treated with daily intraperitoneal injection of vehicle or baicalein (20 mg/kg) five days a week for three weeks (n=6/group). Tumor size and weights were measured. Results: Baicalein had a marked cytotoxic effect in C3L5 cells with an IC50 of less than 10mM (data not shown). FITC-Annexin V and PI analysis with flow cytometry for C3L5 cells treated at 10μM for 48h showed a marked increase in the Annexin V positive fraction indicative of apoptosis. In vivo studies demonstrated a significantly decreased tumor growth in mice treated with intraperitoneal baicalein when compared to the control group (P Baicalein treated cells demonstrated STAT3 inhibition on western blot analysis by decreased presence of phospho-STAT3 (data not shown). Conclusions: Baicalein, a flavone from TEAM demonstrates significant anti-cancer effects due to apoptosis in breast cancer. STAT3, a well-known anti-apoptotic signaling intermediate, is inhibited in activation as reflected by decreased phosphoSTAT3 which may account for these effects. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-14-13.


In this paper, we present the simultaneous measurement of the strain and temperature during cures of various composite laminates using fiber Bragg grating/extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (FBG/EFPI) hybrid sensors. The characteristic matrix of the hybrid sensor is derived analytically. For the fabrication of the three types of graphite/epoxy composite laminate, two FBG/EFPI hybrid sensors were embedded in each composite laminate in two mutually perpendicular directions. We performed the real-time measurement of fabrication strains and temperatures at two points within the composite laminates during the curing process in an autoclave. Through these experiments, FBG/EFPI sensors are proven to be a good choice for efficient smart monitoring of composite structures.


Abstract Objectives Health practitioners' understanding of the impact of age-based stereotype threat (ABST) on the cognitive test performance of older adults is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate health practitioners' ability to recognize the influence of ABST in the cognitive assessment of older adults and their perceptions of its impact in practice. Methods One-hundred and twenty-nine health practitioners (86% female; M age = 39.75, SD = 11.50) with experience in conducting cognitive assessments with older adults (mainly psychologists and occupational therapists) completed an online survey assessing demographic and practice characteristics, aging beliefs, a hypothetical cognitive assessment scenario, and perceived impact of ABST on practice. Results Overall, health practitioners rated ABST factors in the assessment scenario as less detrimental to cognitive performance than internal and external factors. In a hierarchical regression model, lower recognition of ABST and negative aging beliefs significantly accounted for lower perceived impact of ABST on older adults' cognitive test performance in practice (R 2 = .37, p < .001). Conclusion Health practitioners may not recognize the influence of ABST on assessment findings, especially if they hold negative aging beliefs. The findings highlight the need to improve health practitioners' knowledge of ABST to increase the validity of cognitive testing in older adults.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the physiologic response of the equine navicular bone to core decompression surgery in healthy horses.

STUDY DESIGN
Experimental in vivo study.

MATERIALS
Healthy adult horses (n=6).

METHODS
Core decompression was completed by creating three 2.5-mm-diameter drill channels into the navicular bone under arthroscopic control. The venous (P(V)), arterial (P(A)), articular (P(DIPJ)), and intraosseous pressures (IOP) were recorded before and after decompression drilling. Each IOP measurement consisted of a baseline (IOP(B)) and a stress test (intramedullary injection of saline solution, IOP(S)) recording. Lameness was assessed subjectively and using force plate gait analysis. Fluorochrome bone labeling was performed. Horses were euthanatized at 12 weeks. Navicular bone mineral density (BMD) was measured, and bone histology evaluated.

RESULTS
Peak IOP (IOP(max)) after stress testing was significantly (P<.05) reduced immediately after core decompression; however, the magnitude of these effects was decreased at 3 and 6 weeks after decompression. A significant (P<.05) correlation existed between IOP(max) and BMD. No lameness was observed beyond the first week after surgery. Substantial remodeling and neovascularization was evident adjacent the surgery sites.

CONCLUSION
Navicular bone core decompression surgery reduced IOP(max), and, with the exception of a mild short-lived lameness, caused no other adverse effects in healthy horses during the 12-week study period.


Aims A joint motor disorder and psychiatry clinic is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, once monthly. This descriptive study was designed to focus on three main areas: Referrals to the clinic: who is referred and for what reasons What happened in the clinic: diagnoses made and management options What happened after the clinic: patient follow-up Methods Data were available for 260 clinic appointments, which, after removal of duplicate entries for patients who attended more than one appointment, resulted in a list of 123 patients. Medical notes were requested and, where unavailable, electronic clinical letters were sought. Two authors (LS and NT) collected data individually and, where clarification was required, both authors performed data collection and a consensus was reached. Data were entered onto Microsoft Excel for Mac 2008, and data analysis was performed using SPSS version 17 for Mac. Results Of the 123 patients identified, 61% were male (mean age at referral 49.5 years). Neurologists referred over 50% of patients, and psychiatrists 27%. Approximately half of all patients referred had a previous psychiatric history; depression was most common. Parkinson's disease-related problems made up over a third of referrals (mainly psychosis and depression), and this group had a higher mean age at referral (62.5 years). Conditions related to Parkinson's disease accounted for 36% of diagnoses, and functional motor disorders 22%. The clinic made interventions (predominantly pharmacological at 53.6%) in approximately two-thirds of patients. Non-pharmacological therapies accounted for 10% of management decisions. A quarter of patients were discharged after one appointment, a third of whom were diagnosed with functional motor disorder. Sixteen per cent were discharged at a later date. The largest proportion of patients was still under follow up Conclusions Two groups of patients were heavily represented in this clinic: patients with Parkinson's disease and those with functional motor disorders. The two populations differ in many aspects, from demographics to treatment and management. Overall, the clinic has a higher prevalence of previous psychiatric illness than one would expect in the general population. While this is understandable as the clinic is jointly run by a neuropsychiatrist, the patient's previous history of psychiatric illness did not necessarily directly relate to their reason for referral. Interventions were made in approximately two-thirds of cases, with pharmacological strategies being the most common. Treatment groups varied with respect to age, sex and diagnoses, that is patients with Parkinson's disease featured heavily in the pharmacological group, whereas patients with functional motor disorders were more represented in the non-pharmacological group.


Recent findings in action mechanics showing torques result from rates of variation in impulsive action motivated this more fundamental approach to estimate maximum power from wind turbines. Newton's third law of equality of action and reaction provides a strictly causal mechanism of wind power from the deflection of wind momentum by twice its angle (θ) of incidence on rotor blades. The lateral reaction needed to conserve wind momentum provides the turning moment for the turbine rotors. This direct approach challenges the current continuum mechanism for generating power from flows of kinetic energy in wind passing through the areas swept by rotating blades. Action mechanics integrates the rates of impulsive wind action on turbine blades as torques (∫mrvdθ/dt ≡ mv2) exerted on rotor surfaces at decreasing radii. Windward torque (Tw) is estimated from rotor dimensions, the angle of wind incidence and radial action of wind impulses on the blade surfaces (also ∫mrvdθ/dt ≡ mv2). A leeward torque (Tb) for back reaction of turbine blades on air mimics drag exerted parallel to the plane of rotation of the blade. Net torque is then converted to potential power (Tw - Tb)Ω by the angular velocity (Ω) of the turbine rotors, a function of tip speed ratio to wind speed. New contributions from action mechanics for managing wind power include larger estimates of its possible magnitude by including vortical energy, much larger than the kinetic energy. Better predictions of limits to wind power can be made, by including control of optimal wind angle and blade length. An analysis of the equivalence of deflected air momentum on turbine blades or air foils for aircraft reveals that even the lifting action on air foils can be explained by the normal reaction to the momentum in an air stream, also deflected by an angle twice that (2θ) of incidence, validating application of action mechanics to airflight. A mechanism for release of vortical field energy from laminar flow of air in anticyclones is predicted in turbulent downstream wakes, possibly assisting achievement of maximum power output by wind farms. Significant heat release by downwind turbulence from vortical energy requires care for their location. Diligence demands that use of windfarms as major sources of renewable energy should minimize any environmental impacts, such as drying of landscapes.


Across the three domains of life, B-family DNA polymerases play a variety of roles in both DNA repair and DNA replication processes. We examine the phenotypic consequences of loss of the putative repair polymerases PolB2 and/or PolB3 in the crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus. We detect a modest growth advantage when cells lacking the polymerase are grown in unperturbed conditions. Further, we observe a striking insensitivity of the mutant lines to acute treatment with the oxidizing agent, hydrogen peroxide. In addition, cells lacking PolB3 show enhanced sensitivity to the DNA damaging agent 4-NQO. Our data therefore suggest that these non-essential DNA polymerases may influence DNA repair pathway choice in these hyperthermophilic aerobes.


Elevated fractions of free mica particles in unbound granular materials, used in road constructions, are believed to reduce bearing capacity and influence the hydraulic behavior of the road structure. The objective of this investigation was to study the influence of mica content on the soil water characteristic curve and the dielectric response measured by time domain reflectometry, for coarse granular (maximum particle size 63 mm) materials. Increased fraction of mica was achieved by partly replacing the base crushed rock material smaller than 4 mm, by pure muscovite mica of similar grading, thereby keeping the overall particle size distribution unchanged. Acquired results indicated that, given equal matric suction, the water retention capacity increased with increased amount of mica. Concerning the time domain reflectometry measurements, no influence of mica content could be detected. Determined water contents required adjustment because of the nonlinear distribution of water in the sample.


Introduction. Non-contact condensing lenses (NCLL) are a requirement in ophthalmology examinations. To date, there have been no studies on the types of bacteria found on handheld lenses used to examine patients in an ophthalmology clinic.Hypothesis. The BD BACTEC Peds Plus broth (BACTEC-PP) culture method can isolate more organisms as compared to conventional culture plates (CCP) from NCLL.Aim. To evaluate the organism spectrum cultured from NCCL for fundus examination and to compare the results between BACTEC-PP and CCP. The isolation results were then related to the participant's knowledge and hand hygiene practices (HHP).Methodology. This is a comparative cross-sectional study involving consenting trainee ophthalmologists from a single centre, whose preferred NCCL was swabbed from January to December 2019. The respondents completed the adapted World Health Organization Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Perception Questionnaire, and their HHP were observed by Infective Control Unit nurses. Positive bacterial growth using both methods, in addition to hand hygiene practices, were compared.Results. All samples had positive yields by at least one method. BACTEC-PP had a higher yield of 47 (90.4%) isolates compared to CCP with 37 (71.2%) isolates, P=0.041. CoNS sp (38.9 %) was the most common isolate with both methods, followed by Bacillus sp (25.3 %). At the same time, three fungi were detected with CCP only (3.2 %). There was a significant correlation in bacterial isolation with years of training, with fewer isolates among seniors in both BACTEC-PP (P=0.049) and CCP (P=0.034). There were no significant correlations between HHP and positive yields from either culture method.Conclusions. NCCL used by trainee ophthalmologists are typically contaminated by at least one bacteria, with CoNS sp being the most commonly isolated. More positive cultures occurred in lenses from junior trainees. Contamination was not correlated with knowledge or HHP. BACTEC-PP has significantly higher yields than CCP for bacterial isolation from NCCL, but did not isolate any fungus.


We present a method for measuring antenna efficiency of connected arrays. The method is a modified version of the improved Wheeler cap (IWC) method where the antenna under test (AUT) is electrically connected to two walls of the Wheeler Cap which simulates array connection. Theoretical analyses based on plane wave and cylindrical wave problems and numerical simulations using HFSS and FEKO are presented to establish accuracy estimates for the method. Close attention will be made in comparing two data collection techniques: frequency sweeping versus wall shifting. Finally, we discuss an apparatus for efficiency measurement of a 1-D connected array and the measurement results.


This study focuses on teachers' perception of what works for them in managing students with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD). The main purpose is to compare the current findings in mainstream schools with the study that was conducted in special schools in 2006–2007 to see if there are any discrepancies of approaches implemented by teachers. This recent study was carried out in 11 mainstream schools involving 102 teachers. It is compared to the seven special schools with 89 teachers. Focus group interviews with the same open-ended questions were adopted for both studies. Findings indicated that the majority of the strategies perceived by both groups of teachers as helpful were very similar, and they can be classified under eight major categories. In collating all the approaches deemed supportive in working with EBD students, a holistic conceptual framework is delineated to address the complexities of managing emotional and behavioral disturbances.


The purpose - evaluated the quality of the implementation of hematology studies using sigmametry. Studies were perfomed at the Federal state budgetary establishment "Federal center cardiovascular surgery". The data were collected in the period for 2017 y. The following hematology parameters were monitored daily: white cells, red blood cell, platelet, hemoglobin. For conducting laboratory quality control we used certified three-level (Level 1 (low) , Level 2 (normal)and Level 3 (High)) control material "CBC-XE Hematology control" ("R and D Systems", USA). The study of blood hematology parameters was carried out on an automatic hematology analyzer "Sysmex XT- 2000i" and "Sysmex XT- 1800i" ("Sysmex Corporation", Japan). Sigmametry values were calculated the CV (coefficient of variation), the systematic error (Bias) and the total allowable analytical error (TE max). On the analyzer «Sysmex XT- 2000i» sigma values for platelet were between 3 and 4. For white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin the value of the sigma was greater than 4. On the analyzer «Sysmex XT- 1800i» for platelet, white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin the value of the sigma was greater than 4. Based on the results obtained, we drew conclusions on the choice of control material and the frequency of the internal laboratory quality control. The introduction of sigmametry in the daily activities of clinic laboratory will improve the quality of the determination of platelet, which requires further observation.


The definition of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) has
expanded rapidly, in terms of both the number and the variety of
enzymes. Bacteria bearing plasmidic ESBLs are spreading widely
throughout the world. In Canada, the problem has grown less rapidly
than in other parts of the world; however, ESBLs still present a significant
impediment to the treatment of serious infections with extendedspectrum
cephalosporins and penicillins. Although SHV-derived
enzymes were the primary concern in the late 1980s and early 1990s,
these enzymes have been rapidly overtaken by the CTX-M family of
ESBLs. There is no reason to believe that the problem of ESBLs will
not expand rapidly in the face of intense antimicrobial pressure and
lapses in infection control practices. Control should focus on early
detection, accurate characterization, effective treatment and measures
to prevent further spread.


The limitations of and the alternative methodologies for field data collection used to estimate transportation rates from origin to destination—including transfer and handling fees—for 40 commodity movements on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West and alternative rail or truck land routings were studied. The study was intended to be a small-scale scoping exercise for the research team to benchmark more extensive efforts required to conduct future work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The study was originally intended to be based on field-collected data, but the researchers encountered stiff resistance from terminal operators when requesting cost information as well as substantial inaccuracies with the contact and ownership information contained in the trip data files and Port Series Reports of the USACE Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center. Therefore, it was necessary to use the Barge Costing Model (BCM) and the researchers' experience to develop transportation rates for most of the movements. The study found that no off-river origin or destination sites were associated with any of the movements. Barge shipment was found to be the least-cost alternative for every movement and, in most cases (38 of the 40 movements), the least-cost and most practical land-only transportation alternative to barge was rail. Detailed rate sheets for each of the 40 commodity movements were developed. The study concluded that in future research efforts, it will be vital to include barge operators in the data collection effort to verify the BCM and the researchers' assumptions.


The tea tree is a perennial woody plant, and pruning is one of the most crucial cultivation measurements for tea plantation management. To date, the relationship between long-term pruning and metabolic flux enhancement in tea trees has not been studied. In this research, 11-year-old pruned tea trees from four different cultivars were randomly selected for transcriptome analysis and characteristic secondary metabolite analysis together with controls. The findings revealed that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) accumulation in pruned tea trees was significantly higher than that in unpruned tea trees. SCPL1A expression (encoding a class of serine carboxypeptidase), which has been reported to have a catalytic ability during EGCG biosynthesis, together with LAR, encoding leucoanthocyanidin reductase, was upregulated in the pruned tea trees. Moreover, metabolic flux enhancement and transcriptome analysis revealed low EGCG accumulation in the leaves of unpruned tea trees. Because of the bitter and astringent taste of EGCG, these results provide a certain understanding to the lower bitterness and astringency in teas from "ancient tea trees", growing in the wild with no trimming, than teas produced from pruned plantation trees.


One of the main challenges in the area of service oriented computing, in general, and of Web services technology, in particular, is the definition of languages and models for the description of choreographies. A choreography defines the collaborations between interacting services: more precisely, it specifies a contract containing a "global" definition of the common ordering conditions and constraints under which messages are exchanged in a services conversation. In this paper, starting from the analysis of the main aspects of Web services technology, we propose a simple choreography language, equipped with a formal semantics, which is intended as the starting point for the development of a framework for the design and analysis of choreographies in service oriented computing.